S Chapter 74

“You’re really trying hard. Desperately scrambling to secure a position… Why go to such lengths? After all, that guy was just picked up and raised. Big bro, no, even if you’re incompetent, surely you won’t lose your successor position? Or perhaps you sense something, so you’re already brown-nosing?”

His tone was flippant, and his voice was dripping with ridicule.

But his words weren’t wrong. Because it was true that I was desperately scrambling to change the future.

‘Quite sharp, aren’t you?’

Though ‘brown-nosing’ isn’t quite the right phrase, it’s roughly correct that I’m proactively taking steps to keep my brothers away from Aolluseu.

Shin Jukyeong remained silent, without a reply, perhaps thinking he’d landed a blow. Runner-up sneered with a smug smile, asking why I wasn’t answering.

It was at that moment.

“Damn, you talk too much.”

Along with a languid voice, a spectacular show unfolded before Shin Jukyeong’s eyes.

Splish-splat!

Splashed soup, side dishes flying everywhere, stunned people… And at the center, his younger brother spoke nonchalantly with a calm expression.

“Let’s eat, buddy.”

Yang U-dam brushed off his hands and even subtly furrowed his handsome brows.

“They say even dogs aren’t bothered when they’re eating. Why are you like this?”

“Ah, damn it, it got on my hand,” Yang U-dam muttered irritably. That’s what he said after throwing a food tray at someone’s face.

Realizing anew his brother’s serious temper, Shin Jukyeong looked at Runner-up. The guy was just wiping off the soup ingredients from his head. His school uniform was also dirtied.

But he probably didn’t care about his clothes. His chilling rage, rising up, was even conveyed to Shin Jukyeong, who was a third party.

‘He must be really furious.’

The atmosphere in the cafeteria immediately froze. It was a truly tense situation, where even breathing was cautious. Shin Jukyeong watched the two intently. If his brother hit, he planned to let him land about two blows before stopping him, and if Runner-up tried to hit, he would immediately intervene.

“Are you done?”

Runner-up sprang up, uttering a single word. With his rough movement, the chair toppled backward. Bang! A loud noise filled the interior. Some of the more timid students even flinched their shoulders.

It was a truly precarious situation. Shin Jukyeong’s gaze briefly fell to the cold marble floor. Chairs strewn in disarray, food scraps haphazardly mixed. All of it explained the current situation.

‘In summary, it was a total mess.’

Runner-up exuded a menacing aura as he glared at Yang U-dam. Perhaps because of his large physique, he didn’t look ridiculous even covered in food. He was sufficiently intimidating.

Gulp, sounds of people swallowing could be heard from around.

In fact, to Shin Jukyeong, he might have seemed like a snot-nosed kid, but Runner-up was not an easy opponent. He was already well-known among his peers as a formidable individual.

His grades were excellent, second only to Won Go-yu, his physical abilities were overwhelming, and even his sense for handling abilities was extraordinary, and his personality was even belligerent. How could one ignore such a person? It meant there was nothing good to gain from arguing with him.

However, there was always an exception.

Should I call them kindred spirits? A man who lived with a temper as strong as, or perhaps even stronger than, Runner-up. Namely, Tough U-dam. Considering the scale of the incidents he’d caused, he was no pushover anywhere.

No matter who the opponent was, he was the type of person who, if provoked, would immediately overturn the situation. And sure enough, he shone brightly here too.

“You pathetic bastard. I knew it from the moment you started whispering behind my back. If you have a problem, let’s fight.”

“Oh. I was going to do that anyway. I’ll burst your bubble a bit. Honestly, I don’t really believe that you saved people.”

“Bullshit, you’re all talk.”

The two men quickly closed the distance between them. The atmosphere suggested this wouldn’t end with just a collar grab. Shin Jukyeong hastily stepped in front, just in case Runner-up hit his brother.

Look at that massive forearm. If he got hit once with that, his handsome younger brother’s face would turn into a squashed steamed bun.

‘If you’re going to hit, hit me. Then it’ll become a bigger issue, and you’ll get disciplined.’

A fight between Hunter Academy entrants would likely be treated as a mere incident. As it was a place where the logic of strength applied to some extent, they might just laugh it off, saying ‘boys will be boys.’

However, trouble with him, a member of the management department, was a different story. If handled well, it could even lead to suspension.

‘Just try and hit me.’

However, contrary to Shin Jukyeong’s expectations, Runner-up merely stopped the fist he was about to throw. Huh? You’re not hitting?

‘Tsk, is he quick-witted, intelligent, or just unnecessarily righteous for a bad guy…?’

“Big bro, please step aside. I make it a point not to lay hands on women, children, the elderly, or non-manifested individuals.”

Runner-up said so, looking at me as if I were an Ocean Sunfish.

So he’ll insult me all he wants but won’t lay a hand on me? What a funny guy. Shin Jukyeong looked at Runner-up with cold, salty eyes.

‘What to do. I don’t fit any of those categories: woman, child, elder, or non-manifested individual.’

But there was no way to reveal that he wasn’t what he seemed. This must be how Hong Gildong felt, unable to call his father ‘father’. Shin Jukyeong snorted discreetly at Runner-up. From his perspective, it must have felt like a mouse worrying about a cat, so it was understandable.

However, to others, it was indeed a nail-biting situation. Whispers of ‘what on earth does he trust to stand up to Runner-up?’ were frequently heard.

In any case, whether Runner-up was truly afraid that Shin Jukyeong would just drop dead if he hit him once, he merely wore an annoyed expression, unable to lay a single finger on him.

‘This feeling of being “taken care of” sucks.’

To be precise, it was more like being seen as a complete pushover, but anyway.

Shin Jukyeong frowned.

‘The plan to get him suspended ended in failure.’

No matter how I thought about it, it was a pity.

‘Well… can’t be helped.’

Shin Jukyeong clicked his tongue after tasting something unpleasant, and decided that since things had come to this, he might as well mediate. Of course, he had no intention of just letting it go. He would officially report the bullying.

Just as he was about to calm the children. Runner-up made the first move.

“You coward. Stop hiding behind your brother and come out!”

The guy fully provoked his brother, and Yang U-dam fell for it spectacularly.

Ultimately, Shin Jukyeong was trapped between the two tall figures, and had to proxy-listen to their insults and shouts at each other. It was so loud and vulgar, it felt as if blood was trickling from his eardrums. There were even many curses he’d never heard in his life.

‘Ugh! I can’t breathe!’

Moreover, both of them had good physiques, so the pressure they exerted was no joke.

‘These guys, do they only train their chests?’

Just before Shin Jukyeong was about to be completely squashed. A hand suddenly reached between the two bickering individuals, and swiftly pulled Shin Jukyeong away. He was dragged away, making a stupid ‘ooh-ooh-ooh’ sound. Yang U-dam, realizing it late, tried to hastily intervene, but it was too late.

“Shin Jukyeong. Are you alright?”

The one who intervened was none other than Won Go-yu.

“You two. Don’t you know that you should just eat quietly in the cafeteria?”

Won Go-yu spoke sharply to the two. Thanks to him, the precarious flow of the atmosphere was broken. His mere appearance ended the fight. He truly lived up to being called the main character of this year.

“You’re clearly lacking in manners. And lacking consideration for non-manifested individuals.”

Won Go-yu added, pulling Shin Jukyeong into his arms as if to protect him.

‘Ugh…’

Shin Jukyeong made a disgusted face at the immense chest muscles pressing against his face. The firm skin touching his face and the strong scent of cologne numbing his nose were incredibly bothersome.

‘I feel sick.’

His complexion instantly turned pale. First Runner-up, and now even Won Go-yu… The breath and body heat of any man other than his younger brothers were nothing but a bother.

‘My stomach is turning.’

However, regrettably, Won Go-yu seemed to have misunderstood Shin Jukyeong’s reaction, and spoke even more sharply to the two.

“Look, how much of an impact your killing intent has on a non-manifested individual! If you had gone on for a little longer, Shin Jukyeong might have collapsed.”

“And he’s already so weak,” Won Go-yu muttered the last words almost inaudibly.

The surprising thing here was that his words worked. Shin Jukyeong felt the gazes of the two men shift to him instantly. Both Yang U-dam and Runner-up had unpleasant looks in their eyes, but surprisingly, they easily reined in their anger towards each other.

‘What is this… feeling of being protected?’

It felt like being the protagonist of a romance drama. Goosebumps rose all over him.

It was a good thing Eve wasn’t here, because if she were, she would definitely have rejoiced, saying she’d gotten a whole year’s worth of teasing material. Kekeke~ The sound of her mocking laughter rang in his ears like a phantom.

Damn it. He had years of professional experience, and yet…! To be treated like this. It was humiliating, but the bitter taste in his mouth was from this unavoidable reality.

‘Well, at least the fight was stopped, so I guess that’s fortunate?’

Just as he was about to relax.

“If you’re going to fight, fight fairly and honorably. Act like a Hunter, apply for a sparring match; don’t act so undignified.”

That crazy bastard just poured fuel on the fire.

Hey, you son of a bitch.