Chapter 47 – GOY 47

#47

Even ​while ​everyone ​else ​was ​preoccupied ​with the new ​S-Class ​Guide, ​it ​seemed ​that Joo Seung-hyuk had ​eyes ​only for me.

I ​looked back at ​him.

The ​moment ​our ​gazes ​intersected ​in mid-air, the ​sound ​of ​someone tapping the ​microphone echoed. I turned ​my attention ​back to ​the podium.

“Guide ​Han Min-ho, ​currently, ​the ​Esper Academy lacks ​a true ​S-Class Guide. Please show ​us what an S-Class ​Guide really is.”

Professor Oh ​suddenly threw ​out ​a comment aimed directly at me. ​He had always disliked ​me. ​However, ​he ​had ​usually looked down ​on me ​subtly; ​he had never ​criticized ​me so blatantly before.

Did he ​call Aaron ​here ​just to keep ​me ​in ​check? ​Was ​his plan ​to ​make me ​look pathetic by introducing a new S-Class ​Guide in front ​of the entire ​student body? Was that ​why he ​was smiling like ​that?

I ​hoped I was ​just being oversensitive, ​but Professor ​Oh ​was exactly ​the ​kind of ​person ​capable of ​such ​a ​thing.

Moreover, the other ​students ​gathered in ​the ​auditorium ​seemed ​to sense it as well; the atmosphere, which had been burning with excitement over the celebrity’s appearance, suddenly turned cold.

“Yes. I will meet your expectations.”

Aaron answered confidently while looking at me. It seemed his thoughts weren’t much different from Professor Oh’s.

After introducing Aaron, Professor Oh gave a short lecture on the actual Gate Raid scheduled for next week.

The content was too basic to be of much help.

Of course, it might have been useful for freshmen who had never participated in a Gate Raid, but since they wouldn’t actually participate in one until the second semester of their first year, it was practically useless.

Perhaps there was someone who would carve today’s lecture deep into their heart and remember it until the second semester, but I highly doubted it.

Besides, in the second semester, they hold separate lectures on actual Gate Raids specifically for the first-years.

Regardless, it wasn’t the kind of content that required gathering the entire student body.

Professor Oh probably knew that too. He was likely just pretending to lecture because it would be awkward to simply introduce Aaron and stop there.

Once the short lecture ended, the mock battle training finally began.

As I was heading toward the Gate Hall, Professor Oh called out to me.

“Lee Yeon-soo.”

“Yes.”

“Come to my office when you’re finished.”

“Understood.”

After finishing the mock battle training, I went to Professor Oh’s office.

“Lee Yeon-soo, come in.”

Professor Oh beamed with a wide smile as I entered. That man’s attitude changes completely when he is alone with me.

Is this what they call social maneuvering? It was so absurd that it was almost admirable.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

If I had played along and flattered him here, my relationship with Professor Oh might have improved slightly. But I had no desire to do so.

He was someone I would never have to encounter once I entered society anyway.

“As you already know, Guide Han Min-ho has decided to stay at the Academy for a month. Actually, foreigners are not permitted to train at visit our sitethe Academy, but [visit our site]I stolen contentreceived special permission from the higher-ups just for you.”

“…For me?”

I had intended to ignore whatever Professor Oh said. I planned to just nod and let his words go in one ear and out the other.

I didn’t want to flatter him, but I didn’t want to make an enemy of him either. However, his statement was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but ask.

Even to my own ears, my voice sounded filled with disbelief, but Professor Oh didn’t even blink, maintaining a benevolent smile.

“Yes. I know you’ve been struggling immensely while providing Guiding for Joo Seung-hyuk. The department head is truly too much. Moreover, Seong Han is a problem. To leave you with such a heavy responsibility while pretending not to notice. That is why, after much effort, I specially brought in Guide Han Min-ho.”

“Ah, yes….”

I replied lukewarmly.

Anyone else might have believed it, but there was no way Professor Oh did this out of consideration for me.

He probably brought Aaron because he was dissatisfied with me being Joo Seung-hyuk’s assigned guide. It was galling to see him act as if he were doing me a favor.

“It seems Guide Han Min-ho took a liking to Joo Seung-hyuk. And it seems he is willing to acquire Korean citizenship if he meets a good Esper and forms a bonding. If an S-Class Guide naturalizes, it would be a great benefit to the Republic of Korea. So, please help him out a bit.”

It was getting more and more absurd.

The people at the Esper Academy believed that Joo Seung-hyuk and I were dating. Professor Oh likely believed it too.

And now he’s telling me to help my boyfriend bond with someone else?

“You’re aware of the rumors that I’m dating Joo Seung-hyuk, right?”

Unless I was in a situation where I had to read Joo Seung-hyuk’s mood, I never mentioned that I was dating him. I thought it would be better to ignore it now, but I was so baffled that I decided to be blunt.

At that, Professor Oh burst into laughter.

“How long does a brief college romance even last? And you must be well aware of the rumors that Joo Seung-hyuk is a womanizer.”

Professor Oh countered a rumor with another rumor.

“Because you are an S-Class, you’ve received treatment that is above your station. Because of that, you probably feel like the world belongs to you. But the world isn’t that easy. Rank isn’t everything. Surely you don’t think Joo Seung-hyuk will choose you?”

“I think you’ve gone too far.”

Mentioning my ‘station’ was a remark that crossed the line by a wide margin.

Until now, Professor Oh had at least pretended to be polite and friendly whenever we were alone.

He used me for his own image, but he didn’t want to clash with an S-Class. However, now that another S-Class Guide had appeared, it seemed he decided to throw away even that thin mask.

“I understand. Good medicine tastes bitter. But even if you hate to admit it, you must learn to accept reality.”

“…….”

“You must have struggled since there was only one S-Class Guide in their twenties. But if Han Min-ho naturalizes, your burden will be reduced.”

“…….”

Based on his tone and expression, he looked like a teacher who cherished his student. That made it even more ridiculous.

When I didn’t say anything, Professor Oh patted my shoulder.

“I’m saying all this for your sake, Yeon-soo. You’re a clever boy, so I trust you’ll understand what I mean.”

“Professor Oh…!”

Just as I was about to argue, the office door opened.

“How much longer do I have to wait?”

It was Aaron. Unlike his bright and energetic appearance in the auditorium, his face was full of irritation.

“Ah, Guide Aaron, please come in.”

Professor Oh quickly stood up and bowed subserviently.

Aaron sat on the sofa next to me. The way he leaned back against the headrest with his arms crossed and legs folded was the height of arrogance, yet Professor Oh actually apologized.

“I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“Are you done talking?”

“Of course.”

Professor Oh, who had been wearing a smile that was almost pathetic toward Aaron, instantly changed his expression as he looked at me.

“Lee Yeon-soo, you understand what I said, right?”

“…….”

His tone was far more overbearing than visit our sitebefore. Did he Read on Read BL Novelswant to show Aaron that [stolen content]he could push me around?

If he wanted to take out his inferiority complex on an S-Class, he should do it to all of them. It was utterly pathetic to see him suppress someone like me, who has neither money nor connections, while groveling before a ‘super-alpha’ like Aaron.

“I’ll assume you understand. Then, please show Guide Aaron around the school. Since you’re both S-Class, you’ll have things in common. Introduce him to other S-Classes as well.”

Currently, the only S-Classes at the Academy were me and Joo Seung-hyuk. He really took a long way around to tell me to introduce Aaron to Joo Seung-hyuk.

“…Understood.”

“Yes, good choice.”

Professor Oh tried to pat my shoulder again, but since I hated even the idea of my clothes brushing against that man, I stood up first to avoid his touch.

“I’ll be going now.”

I gave a quick bow and left the office. Aaron stood up without any particular greeting.

“Guide Aaron, enjoy your tour of the school!”

Professor Oh shouted brightly toward him, but Aaron walked out of the office without even pretending to hear.

I greeted Professor Oh, Professor Oh greeted Aaron, and Aaron ignored him. It was a complete mess.

Even after leaving the office, anger continued to bubble up inside me. It had been a long time since I’d been this angry. However, I suppressed it for now and greeted Aaron.

“Hello. I’m Lee Yeon-soo.”

“I’m Aaron Han.”

At the KR Hall, he had emphasized his Korean roots by using the name ‘Han Min-ho,’ but this time, he referred to himself as ‘Aaron.’

“Should I call you ‘Guide Aaron’?”

“What else would you call me?”

His brow furrowed sharply.

I knew that contrary to his cute and bubbly image, Aaron had a selfish and prickly personality. That was how it was in the original novel.

But no matter how prickly his personality was, was this a question worth getting so annoyed over?

It was absurd, but I suppressed my irritation again.

“Earlier you said ‘Han Min-ho.’ Now you said [visit our site]‘Aaron.’ That’s why I asked which stolen contentname you prefer to be called by.”

“Call me Aaron.”

He replied bluntly and then turned his head away, as if just speaking with me was irritating.

Is he hostile because I’m Joo Seung-hyuk’s assigned guide? In the original novel, they did fight fiercely over the position of Joo Seung-hyuk’s exclusive guide.

Many things had changed from the original, but it seemed Aaron’s unrequited love for Joo Seung-hyuk remained the same. Seeing how he even dragged Professor Oh into this just to meet Joo Seung-hyuk, he was even more aggressive than in the original.

Not only an obsessive yandere, but now I’m entangled with the original’s second villainous sub-uke.

The efforts I’d spent seven years trying to escape the original plot were all going down the drain.