Chapter 9 – The Strange Cutting-edge Arcade (2)

Won-il High School

Human Hunter, Lee Kyung-eun.

“…”

Oh, Jesus.

“What ‘s wrong? You don’t look good.”

“Eh? Me? No, nothing.” I shrugged, but was grinding my teeth on the inside. Ugh, I overreacted. She’s going to find it weird.

Indeed, Kyung-eun was looking at me with a suspicious gaze. Since I didn’t make any huge mistakes, she would have just an inkling of it and probably wouldn’t think of anything else.

“Hmm.”

“What?”

“No, nothing. Ah, is it true that Yeong-min sunbae is your brother?”

“Yes. Why?” I questioned.

Why was she interested in my brother? Although my brother had quite the appearance that most girls would take interest in, I would still have to be on my guard if she were interested in my brother. Obviously I had to, since she was a Human Hunter!

The most infamous murderer who shook the world could have killed 30~40, but to think she killed 100? It wasn’t about how crazy she was, but something more intrinsic. That’s right, her capability!

How could one kill 100 people in this lawfully governed country without getting caught? Moreover, there wasn’t any reported news of murders occurring in the vicinity, so where did she kill them?

“Hmm… but you two don’t look alike.”

“I hear that a lot.”

That was true. How should I put it? Even our body builds were different. It wasn’t impossible for brothers to not resemble each other, but our situation was probably similar to the brothers, Jang Dong-gun and Ji Sang-ryul (and obviously, I’m not saying that I look like Ji Sang-ryul).

But of course, we weren’t blood brothers, and there was no need for me to tell her that. One could easily come to that conclusion if they took into consideration my father’s age, and although we did not intentionally hide the truth, it wasn’t something pleasant to go around telling everyone.

“So, what does Yeong-min sunbae do on weekends?”

“Ask him yourself. He will answer everything since he’s nice.” I shrugged my shoulders after answering her, but I felt uneasy. I would have answered if it was another female student who asked, but I couldn’t help but be careful since it was her.

An alarm sounding danger was ringing in my head. Why was she curious about my brother’s weekend plans? It was impossible to imagine that she had plans of confessing her feelings to him.

“…You, do you hate me?”

“Me?” My heart sank at her direct question. Ugh, she’s quick-witted too.

My poker face acting was on point since my life was on the line. Doubt appeared on Kyung-eun’s face as she observed mine.

“You’re not? Are you just annoyed?”

“I’m always like this. It’s irritating when so many others ask me to introduce my brother to them too.”

“That’s understandable. Your brother is good looking.”

As soon as she completed her sentence, the teacher entered the classroom. I was grateful at the timely entrance. Regardless, the model student, Kyung-eun, would definitely be susceptible to the teacher’s gaze. And as expected, she returned to her own seat, startled.

“Since yesterday was the first day of school, we’ll get things started today. You may have played around in your freshman year, but since you’re in your junior year now…”

The lesson started with a quiet voice. A day that started out the same as others, a day without any changes. I’m sure there would be some students who felt frustrated and hated such repetitive days, and most of them would probably feel exhausted from it.

But I love it. I don’t hope for too much. I just wish to spend my days as they are, then graduate and enter a university. To find something that I want to do and get employed. To spend the rest of my life with a wife who loves me as well; it doesn’t matter if she isn’t beautiful or great.

Ding-Dong~

First period, second period, third period, fourth period, and lunch time. Tedious lessons followed by bustling break times and very soon, lunch time was over.

Fortunately, Kyung-eun didn’t speak to me after that. There was always a group of students hovering around her during breaks since she was so popular. It would be weird if she rejected them and kept trying to approach me.

Soon, the day had ended.

-Ah, what’s up, Dae-ha?

“Are your lessons over?”

-Yeah. Ah, I’m sorry if you wanted to head home together. I’m hanging out with my friends.

I scratched the tip of my nose as I heard my brother’s voice coming through the phone.

Hmm… Now that I think about it, my brother has been hanging out with his friends more often. He has always been popular since a long time ago, but doesn’t really take the initiative to make friends. In a way, he is quite the introvert. But recently, he seems to be more active and enjoys himself. His days seem happier in comparison to my depressing days.

Did something good happen to him?

“What should I do?” I pondered a while at the fact that I didn’t have anything to do. There was the option of going straight home, but I would end up surfing the Internet or playing some strategy or fighting games online. Although that was fun, I was starting to get tired of it. Most of all, it was pointless to keep winning at those games.

“Should I ask Dad to play… no, I shouldn’t.” I quickly erased the thought that popped in my head. No, that would be my last resort.

If I lose to him at this, it might really have irreversible consequences. You might think that I’m spouting nonsense when I just said earlier that it was pointless to keep playing games where I’d win, but I would honestly prefer to lose to someone else rather than my dad.

“Oh right, there’s the new arcade center.”

That was what naturally came to mind when I thought of games. Come to think of it, I left the arcade yesterday after playing just one fighting game because that bastard Jae-seok brought along a strange magician girl. There were also many video games in a peculiar form where you had to enter a huge box.

“Well, let’s go then.”

I picked up my bag without hesitation and left school.

The surrounding streets were bustling with students heading home after school. As our school was extremely large, it took around ten minutes for the students to walk from the classroom to the main gate (the teachers commute by car, so they park within school grounds). Although that was a problem, the roads leading up to the main gate were lined with trees and plants, so the scenery was great. Moreover, the trees planted along the streets were mostly cherry blossoms, so this area was also widely known during the cherry blossoms festivals held every spring.

“…Huh?”

I suddenly stopped. It was because I saw a lump of metal the size of a soccer ball between the cherry blossom branches from the corner of my eye. That shining metal ball had something hanging from it that resembled a camera lens.

“Yo, where are you going?”

“Ah, Jae-seok.”

I spun around at the familiar voice and when I turned back, that strange object had disappeared. Am I seeing things?

“I wanted to apologize about yesterday but why didn’t you come out of your classroom, you bastard. You got sulky after I introduced you to a beauty.”

“Shut up. What did you mean after selling out your friend when you got bewitched… And why are you asking me to come out of my classroom? You could have entered the classroom if you wanted to apologize.”

Even though he belonged to another class, he was in the one right next to mine. He wasn’t lazy, so if he had wanted to apologize, he could have come into my classroom, but he didn’t. However, I could guess the reason behind it when I looked at his awkward smile.

“Huh? Ah, no, nothing. Your classroom has someone who doesn’t get along with me.”

“…”

So, it was Dong-min. Well, this guy had a temper and worked out a lot so we could say that he was a natural born fighter. His temperament was bound to attract Dong-min who had the vicinity under his control. Come to think of it, there was once a time when he had provoked Dong-min and showed up the next day with the title Almost faced death.

I could see how happy he was to not be in the same class as Dong-min. However, I am in despair for being in the same class.

“Well, whatever the case. I’m sorry! Oh right, although I should be feeling chagrin after introducing a beauty to you, it isn’t something I can’t understand considering your extraordinary life.”

“Is that an apology?”

I feigned a laugh out of bewilderment, but I ended up nodding since I wasn’t particularly angry. Anyway, the magician girl wasn’t the problem. The extraterrestrial being was.

“What’s with that bag?”

I didn’t know why, but there was a bag of a considerable size on one of Jae-seok’s shoulders. You might be thinking that it wasn’t strange for a student to be carrying a bag. However, our lockers in school were rather spacious and safe so most students would leave their belongings in them. If someone was carrying a bag when heading home from school, they probably had something personal to carry around, otherwise…

“Are you… going to an academy?”

“Boo hoo… Don’t remind me of it. Damn, how did I end up…”

It was bewildering to see how he was about to cry at any moment.

“No, it’s not strange for a high school student to attend an academy, but… why so sudden?”

“It seems like my parents have been plotting this since I ruined the final exams last year. I have to keep attending the academy until my senior year if I can’t get into the top 100.”

“What would happen if you didn’t go?”

“They will stop my allowances and freeze my card. Ah, this is why the education system in our country is wrong! How dare they evaluate a human with a mere report card!”

He was yelling out of his grievances. But it was understandable since he wasn’t the type to study on his own. Though guys like him would never study regardless if they were sent to an academy or had a home tutor, parents would never think that way.

“Anyway, study hard.”

“Boo hoo…”

I waved my hands at a whining Jae-seok and exited the school gates.

There were dozens of cars lined up in front of the gate. They were all there to pick up the students to either send them home or to academies. There were some whose parents came personally to pick them up, but most of them were chauffeurs.

“As expected of rich children.”

Of course, I was also one of them. Our family wasn’t rich at all, but in conclusion, my father was. Truthfully speaking, regardless of whichever household he was born into, my father would inevitably become rich.

Even if the country had confiscated all of my father’s wealth and threw him somewhere like the Middle East or North Korea, he would still become rich in no time. No, not just that, but if he really got thrown to the Middle East or North Korea, he would overturn the local government and become its enemy. He wasn’t the type to leave a twisted system be.

‘Anyhow, this… doesn’t seem to be just a feeling.’

I started glancing around after I got a weird feeling as various thoughts ran through my head. It was an unusual feeling. I felt like someone was observing me.

‘Is it that alien?’