[Next morning]
Jinhwan was sitting in the back seat of the car, wearing his school uniform a white shirt, dark blue jeans, and a matching jacket. He was resting against the seat, staring ahead, lost in his thoughts. The soft morning light came in through the windows, and a light breeze slipped in through the small opening, brushing across his face.
The car came to a stop.
"Young master, we're here," Joon said, looking at Jinhwan through the mirror.
Jinhwan shook his head slightly, grabbed his bag, and stepped out of the car.
"You can go, Uncle Joon. Don't come to pick me up," he said, then turned around, looking up at the tall black gate. Joon drove off without another word.
Jinhwan started walking toward the entrance, holding his bag in his left hand.
This is Haneul Myeong High School a high school only for those who are Awakened. If you're not Awakened, you can't take admission here. Doesn't matter if the person is rich or poor as long as they're Awakened, they're allowed in.
Well... I was the only student in this whole school who was a normal person.
I spent two years here as a student. The only reason was to get better at combat, to gain experience, and to learn about mana control hoping I would awaken someday. And now I do.
As that thought passed through his mind, he walked past the entrance and entered the main building. It had three floors in total. The students around him quietly stepped aside as he walked, like they were making a path for him without saying anything.
These people aren't avoiding me because I was the only normal person in this school.
They're doing it because they don't want to mess with me.
Well the principal didn't let me get admission here at first because I wasn't Awakened even with my background. The principal of this school was strict.
So I bought the school.
He was the previous owner too. It wasn't easy, but when I raised the price high enough, he eventually agreed to sell. I kept him on the job as the principal.
And that's how I got in.
Jinhwan reached the second floor, turned right, and entered the first classroom. As soon as he stepped inside, all the chatter stopped. The students who had been talking just a moment ago fell completely silent.
He looked at them for a second, slightly confused.
"Hmm? Why are you all in this classroom?" he asked.
One of the students stood up. He was wearing a green headband.
"It's the second year classroom now, hyung. Your classroom should be on the next floor," he said, his tone respectful.
"Is that so? My bad," Jinhwan replied, turning back toward the stairs.
He walked up to the third floor, turned right, and entered the next classroom. Inside, groups of students were chatting casually some boys, some girls, gathered in small circles. The atmosphere was light and typical for the first day.
Jinhwan made his way to the back of the classroom, to the last bench in the corner by the window. A girl was sitting there already. Her soft white skin glowed gently under the sunlight. Her golden eyes were fixed outside, watching something quietly. Her long black hair was tied in a loose half bun, the rest falling in soft waves around her shoulders.
He sat down at the desk beside her it's a joint desk.
"One month.. What kind of bad girlfriend doesn't talk to her boyfriend for a whole month?" Jinhwan said, resting his head on the desk as he looked at her. His right hand reached out and gently grabbed her nose between two fingers, giving it a soft shake before letting go.
"What do you expect after what you did to my father?" she replied, her tone calm and gentle.
"That as- I mean, your father was spouting bullshit, so I just gave him a piece of my mind," Jinhwan said, lightly playing with a loose strand of her hair.
"That wasn't bullshit. He was worried about my future. You could've handled it by just assuring him..." she paused, then turned her head, her golden eyes meeting his.
"But instead, you grabbed his collar, threatened him, and called him..."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice still soft, but heavy with meaning.
"If you don't apologize to him, I won't talk to you again."
Jinhwan looked at her for a few seconds, then gently patted her head.
"As you wish. I'll come to your house with you and apologize to him, okay?" he said, pulling his hand back from her head and placing it gently over hers.
"Now, abou.."
Before he could say anything, someone interrupted them.
"Hey Seyoung! Yesterday's raid was cool. You really handled that gate boss like it was no big deal."
A cheerful voice came from behind Jinhwan. He turned and looked up. It was a boy around his age taller as Jinhwan, but not by much. He had a bright expression, smiling with an open and friendly face. His hair was a soft shade of blue, slightly messy but neat enough, and his eyes were a warm brown, shining with energy.
Jinhwan looked at him for a few seconds before sitting up straight.
"I've never seen you before," he said.
The boy kept smiling.
"Oh, I transferred here this year. I used to live in Pyongyang, but my family recently moved to Seoul. My name is Park Sungwoo," he replied.
"Lee Jinhwan. Nice to meet you," Jinhwan answered lazily, then glanced toward Seyoung.
"You were talking about a raid just now? And Sey handling the gate boss?"
Seyoung avoided his gaze, eyes still fixed on the window.
"Sey..? Oh yeah!" Sungwoo said, nodding. "We entered a A rank gate with some Phoenix Guild members, and Seyoung took down the boss on her own."
Then he looked back at Jinhwan, curious.
"By the way, you seem close to her. Are you two just close friends or something?"
"So she did take down a A rank gate boss on her own. Wow.." Jinhwan muttered, turning to Seyoung with a small smirk. He leaned a little closer to her.
"hmm yeah she's my girlfriend," he added casually, leaning in a bit more as she kept looking straight ahead.
Then, the classroom door slid open with a sharp sound. A tall man stepped in, holding a register under one arm. Instantly, the entire room fell silent. Even the chattiest students snapped to attention and returned to their seats without a word.
Sungwoo gave a small wave to Jinhwan before shuffling back to his seat in the front row.
[Episode 12 End]