Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Baek Seo-yeon finished treating the female student's wound and turned her gaze toward Seo Hyun-woo.

There was no doubt he had copied her ability, but his appearance had changed drastically.

Golden wings, a golden crown, golden hair, golden electricity.

Everything that should have been stained black was now cloaked in brilliant gold.

'I've never undergone a change like that. What on earth is the reason? Did something go wrong in the process of copying the ability?'

Baek Seo-yeon pondered it over and over, yet couldn't take her eyes off Seo Hyun-woo.

The Seo Hyun-woo covered in pitch-black wings and crown hadn't looked bad either, but it was nothing compared to how he looked now.

Who could have predicted that gold would suit Seo Hyun-woo so well?

'Now he's not an archdemon but an archangel...... No, it wouldn't be strange to call him a god who comes to deliver divine punishment. There's no way the President should be able to look like that.'

Baek Seo-yeon let out a wry laugh, sensing the contradiction.

The Student Council President she had known had long since vanished without a trace.

All that remained was a Student Council President who cracked pointless jokes, prepared birthday gifts, and came to rescue her when she was in danger.

'What a shame. If he'd been like this from the start, maybe I would've...... just a little......'

Baek Seo-yeon felt something hollow stir within her and instinctively placed her hand above the left side of her forehead.

What should have been in her grasp wasn't there.

At the same time, she looked down at the ground, and the traces of that object immediately caught her eye.

'Why is it broken? I was never hit there, so why......'

Baek Seo-yeon bent one knee and carefully picked up the hairpin.

The light purple flower shape had been split in half.

Her hand trembled faintly, and even her eyes began to waver violently.

'It was the first gift I ever received from the President...... I quite liked it, too......'

Baek Seo-yeon slowly rose to her feet and looked down at the broken hairpin.

Then she raised her head and let a frigid look settle into her eyes.

She had intended to hold back and let it go, but this time, that didn't seem possible.

"Ngh...... There's no way I'm weaker than you...... After all the pain I endured......"

"How foolish. You didn't even realize you'd turned yourself into a magical beast?"

"No...... I'm not a magical beast...... I'm......"

"Magical beasts are subject to immediate elimination. In accordance with the Committee's designated protocol, I will now eliminate—"

CRACKLE—! ZAP—!

The instant Seo Hyun-woo moved to attack, a silver-white flash erupted from Kim Tae-jun.

Once, twice, three times.

Silver-white flashes burst in rapid succession, discharging an enormous volume of electricity.

Seo Hyun-woo said nothing and immediately turned his gaze toward where Baek Seo-yeon stood.

"Hoo...... Hoo......"

Silver-white electricity overflowed from Baek Seo-yeon's body.

Though she was breathing heavily, the razor-sharp look in her eyes hadn't dulled one bit.

Seo Hyun-woo glanced at the darkened lump that had once been a magical beast and slowly spoke.

"Vice President, is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing could possibly be wrong. I simply didn't like that man."

"You didn't need to step in. I would've handled it just fine on my own."

"I'm well aware. It was something I could have left to you, President. But I simply couldn't stand by and do nothing."

"Ah...... I see."

Seo Hyun-woo reluctantly nodded and approached Baek Seo-yeon.

She wore a sorrowful expression, gazing down at something in her hand.

Seo Hyun-woo immediately identified what it was and offered words he thought would satisfy her.

"Looks like the hairpin I gave you broke. I'll get you the exact same one."

"No. That won't be necessary. I'll handle this myself."

"You're sure you don't need one?"

"Yes. You don't need to buy me a new one."

"......If you insist that strongly, I won't push it."

Baek Seo-yeon slipped the broken hairpin into her pocket and returned to her usual indifferent expression.

Then, with her gaze lowered, she murmured in a voice that had grown notably softer.

"You were right, President. My fortune today isn't good."

"I came to help, so your fortune should be fine now. Looks like that hairpin served as a charm to ward off the bad luck, too."

"......Not exactly a pleasant form of luck-warding."

From not far away, the sound of many footsteps could be heard.

Shadows formed and vanished in rhythm with the streetlamp light.

It seemed the security officers had assessed the situation and were arriving belatedly.

"I came to see what was going on, but it's already over. Then again, with both the President and the Vice President here, there was no reason to drag things out."

At the sound of a familiar voice, Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon turned their heads simultaneously.

Jin Se-hee was walking toward them alongside a male student in a navy-blue uniform.

Seo Hyun-woo immediately recognized who the male student was and furrowed his brow.

'Kang Jin-ha...... Why is he coming with Jin Se-hee? And he arrived way too late. Something must've happened along the way after all.'

Seo Hyun-woo kept his eyes fixed on the male student and took another look at his appearance.

Black hair, red eyes, a tall and striking face, skin that was excessively pale.

Judging by the fact that he still lacked an insignia and epaulets, and that he had shown up at this scene even if belatedly, this had to be Kang Jin-ha.

"Hmm...... It's been a while since I've seen that form. And the President's colors have changed, too."

"Colors? I don't know what you mean."

"Don't tell me you forgot? When you use the Vice President's ability, the wings and crown turn black. But right now, they've turned gold."

"Ah...... Right. I haven't used it in a while, so it slipped my mind for a moment."

Seo Hyun-woo belatedly caught up with the flow of the conversation and pulled out his smartphone.

He checked his own appearance through the phone's camera and fell into thought.

In the original story, Seo Hyun-woo had never once copied and used Baek Seo-yeon's ability.

That was why he hadn't known about the color of the wings and crown.

"Quite the good look. With the two of you like this, you both look like archangels."

"Surely you're not still believing those rumors?"

"Of course not. I simply thought it suited you both well. Though with a sight like this, misunderstandings are inevitable."

Jin Se-hee continued speaking without sparing the magical beast's corpse even a glance.

She couldn't have cared less about a magical beast that was already dead.

What occupied her mind right now was the fact that Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon were together, using the same ability.

"The Attribute Department Head is surprisingly gullible. And here I thought you'd be the most sensible among the department heads."

"I never expected to hear that from you. Then you should be able to explain clearly—what were you doing with the President in the middle of the night?"

"Then let me ask you the same. What were you doing in the middle of the night with the student beside you? You must be interested in freshmen as well."

Baek Seo-yeon and Jin Se-hee glared at each other, trading barbs.

Kang Jin-ha, standing beside them, couldn't make sense of the situation and shifted his gaze to Seo Hyun-woo.

The student said to have never once relinquished the Student Council President seat was standing right before his eyes, and he couldn't help but feel a little tense.

"You're Kang Jin-ha, right? You probably possess a transformation-type ability."

"......You know my name and my ability well. I don't believe I've done anything noteworthy enough to attract the President's attention."

"I'm told you stood out during the most recent entrance exam. You evaded the pursuers for a long time without using your ability, correct? You probably used it just a little toward the end of the exam."

At Seo Hyun-woo's answer, Kang Jin-ha flinched and couldn't say a word.

The man knew far too much about someone who had only just enrolled.

Above all, the fact that the Student Council President—known as the strongest in school—was showing interest in him was strange in and of itself.

"You seem to know this fellow well, President. Were you two already acquainted?"

"No. This is the first time I've seen him in person. He's quite handsome, just as I expected. What do you think, Vice President?"

"......He certainly has a striking face. Now I understand why the Attribute Department Head is interested in this freshman."

"You've been saying nothing but strange things. I just happened to run into this freshman by chance."

"That's what I'd like to say. I can't fathom why you keep bringing up baseless rumors and souring the mood between the President and me."

The moment Baek Seo-yeon finished speaking, security officers swarmed in and cordoned off the area around the magical beast's corpse.

At the same time, students nearby began gathering one by one.

"What happened?"

"The Vice President and the Attribute Department Head are both here? But who's that?"

"Isn't that the President?"

"You're right. It is the President. Did he copy the Vice President's ability?"

"Whoa, he looks like a completely different person. He seriously looks like an archangel."

"He and the Vice President look really good together, too."

The students quickly pulled out their smartphones and began firing off camera flashes.

They were trying to capture photos of the two before the security officers stopped them.

Seeing this, Baek Seo-yeon sighed and shook her head.

"Everyone's heads must be completely empty. They should be more concerned with the magical beast than with us."

"It can't be helped. Dungeons and magical beasts have already become part of everyday life. People's eyes are naturally drawn more to something new than to what they always see."

"That's not wrong. The way you look right now, President, would shock anyone who saw it."

"Is it that much? It's too flashy for my taste—I don't think it looks all that great. Black would've been better."

Seo Hyun-woo deactivated his ability and returned to his original appearance.

A collective sigh of disappointment rose from the students, and the camera flashes stopped simultaneously.

Baek Seo-yeon followed suit, deactivating her ability as she quietly smiled.

'That's not wrong either. The black wings and crown weren't bad by any means. But with those, his image looks intimidating. Honestly, the way he's changed now looks much better.'

***

Inside the Student Council President's office.

Seo Hyun-woo was working but quickly turned his gaze away from the monitor.

The variables that had arisen yesterday had left his head somewhat tangled.

On top of that, a character who shouldn't have been there had appeared alongside the protagonist, which only deepened his concerns.

'Why? Why did Kang Jin-ha come with Jin Se-hee? Don't tell me he was late because of Jin Se-hee? If that's the case, then my personality change affected Jin Se-hee, which in turn affected Kang Jin-ha......'

Seo Hyun-woo tapped the armrest of his chair and leaned all the way back.

The elegant wallpaper on the ceiling and the fluorescent lights illuminating the room entered his field of vision simultaneously.

It was far too precise to be a simple coincidence, and too many things had shifted to simply let it pass.

But since it couldn't be undone, there was effectively no solution.

'At least I now know for certain that major events occur on their scheduled dates. I've also confirmed that I caught a cold because of the narrative's description. Did I really stir up too much unnecessary trouble after all?'

Seo Hyun-woo was feeling a degree of regret over his own actions.

The change in his personality and manner of speech, his attempts to secure as many allies as possible, reclaiming the Security Department early, personally spreading the rumor about having a girlfriend.

When he thought about it carefully, every one of those actions was capable of producing countless variables.

'But Kang Jin-ha did show up at least. If he hadn't run into Jin Se-hee, he would've rescued Baek Seo-yeon right on time. Should I still try to rein Jin Se-hee in at this point?'