Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Inside the personal training room.

Baek Seo-yeon wiped the sweat away with a towel and gulped down water from her bottle.

She had been deliberately pushing herself by raising her training intensity recently.

It was because she still couldn't forget that incident.

'It's not that I was weak. But there was a hostage. If not for the hostage, I would've dealt with him in an instant.'

Baek Seo-yeon was seized by a sense of futility and hung her head low.

It had been a split-second moment, and there was no knowing how things might have turned out.

What would have happened to her if Seo Hyun-woo hadn't shown up back then?

'I probably would've taken some injuries and then dealt with that guy. Even without the President, I could've handled it......'

Baek Seo-yeon stopped that train of thought and shook her head vigorously.

It was self-rationalization—nothing but baseless speculation.

In the end, it was because Seo Hyun-woo had helped that the situation was resolved smoothly.

Had Seo Hyun-woo not been there, some form of serious problem would surely have occurred.

'My uncle wouldn't have sat still. After being rescued, I'd have been on the receiving end of cheap pity from everyone. Maybe I'd even have heard people say that Miterich's Vice Student Council President wasn't all that impressive.'

Baek Seo-yeon bit down on her lip and clenched her fists.

She simply couldn't accept the fact that she would have been helpless on her own.

She had worked hard for so long, honing her ability—so how could she have failed to handle a single situation like that?

'Maybe I should've been prepared to abandon the hostage, like the President was. Whether or not he actually meant it.'

Baek Seo-yeon recalled that day and slowly reviewed the words and actions Seo Hyun-woo had taken.

I don't care about the hostage. I don't risk my own life to save others. I will kill you without fail.

Cold-blooded yet composed.

If you caved to an enemy's demands one by one, eventually you'd be left unable to do anything at all.

'His provocation was brilliant too. He figured out that the guy was obsessed with me just from a brief exchange. That's why he said those things.'

Baek Seo-yeon found herself newly impressed, yet she evaluated Seo Hyun-woo with cool objectivity.

He hadn't shown a single opening, and there wasn't a thing he had failed to accomplish.

Surely, to hold onto the Student Council President seat at Miterich, one needed at least that level of judgment and skill.

— Have you ever touched the Vice President's hand? It's quite soft, with just the right warmth.

— Her hair has a texture like no other. Like running your fingers across the top of a cloud.

— When our lips touched, my body shrank back before I even realized it.

— And her skin is so white that your eyes are drawn to it on their own. Just yesterday, we spent a steamy night together.......

— Do you know how many moles are on the Vice President's body?

'......Ah, seriously! Even if it was for provocation, how could he say things like that? Does he think about nothing else all day?'

Baek Seo-yeon's face flushed without her realizing it, and she lowered her gaze.

Not a single thing Seo Hyun-woo had mentioned had actually happened.

Until recently, they hadn't even exchanged private conversation—they had devoted themselves entirely to work.

Above all, imagining Seo Hyun-woo doing any of those things was simply impossible.

'But if I think about it calmly, it's not that strange. If two people were lovers, they could do all those things easily enough. But do couples actually count each other's moles?'

Baek Seo-yeon looked over her own body, puzzled.

As far as she knew, she didn't have any moles.

But couldn't there be moles in places she couldn't easily see?

'Why am I even thinking about this? He just had to say all that unnecessary stuff, and now it won't leave my mind.'

Baek Seo-yeon shook off the idle thoughts cluttering her head and picked up the smartphone lying nearby.

The notification light on her phone had been blinking for a while now.

Min Ha-young or Lee Da-jeong were probably making a commotion in the group chat over something trivial.

'I posted a separate announcement telling them not to send pointless messages. But if I confront them about it, it'll just sour the mood...... Hah......'

[Notice: This is a chat room exclusively for Miterich's Student Council executives. External students and outsiders must not be invited......]

[Scarlet Lord has invited Seo Hyun-woo.]

[Seo Hyun-woo (18:54): It's not that complicated to use. Is everyone gathered here?]

[Choi Jae-yeon (18:55): Is that the President? Didn't expect you to show up here.]

[Seo Hyun-woo (18:55): The Transformation Department Head told me to give it a try. Now that I see it, this does seem more convenient.]

[Choi Jae-yeon (18:55): That's a little surprising. Wouldn't the Vice President normally be the one to recommend it?]

[Seo Hyun-woo (18:56): She was being considerate. She can't exactly drag someone here by force if they don't want to come.]

'The President? Oh, that's right—the Transformation Department Head suggested he try ChocolateTalk.'

ChocolateTalk.

One of the mobile messengers available as a smartphone application.

ChocolateTalk had been the first mobile messenger, and as a result, it boasted the highest market share.

However, Seo Hyun-woo had only ever communicated through texts and phone calls until now—this would be his first time using ChocolateTalk.

[Scarlet Lord (18:58): Wait, is that really the President?]

[Seo Hyun-woo (18:58): You invited me and you can't even tell?]

[Scarlet Lord (18:58): Oh, right. Totally slipped my mind.]

[Scarlet Lord (18:59): You probably already know, but this chat room is managed by the Vice President. As long as you follow the rules, the Vice President won't really give you a hard time.]

[Seo Hyun-woo (19:00): You and the Form Department Head are probably the ones who break the rules the most. I don't even need to look to know that.]

'He knows the department heads' personalities well. As expected of the President, I suppose.'

Baek Seo-yeon checked the messages and let out a quiet laugh.

Min Ha-young and Lee Da-jeong had indeed filled the chat room with pointless content.

Telling them off didn't fix anything, and she had been trying to turn a blind eye for fear the other department heads would view it negatively.

She couldn't help but feel that only Seo Hyun-woo could take her side in this.

[Scarlet Lord (19:01): Saying stuff like that the moment you show up. I haven't broken the rules that much.]

[Choi Jae-yeon (19:01): Could you say that in front of the Vice President? Probably not.]

[Scarlet Lord (19:01): You're going to gang up on me too?]

[Seo Hyun-woo (19:02): That's what you get for not behaving. There's not a single person here who'll take your side.]

[Scarlet Lord (19:02): Who says there isn't? There are at least a few.]

However, after that last message, not a single thing happened in the chat room for ten minutes.

Now that Seo Hyun-woo had joined, every Student Council executive was present.

But the people who actually chatted were largely the same few, so there was likely no one who would take Min Ha-young's side.

'It's true that the atmosphere changes once the President shows up. That's how much charisma he has. How does someone even develop charisma like that?'

Baek Seo-yeon scrolled slowly through the chat, curiosity piqued.

His personality and way of speaking had changed, yet confidence and composure overflowed.

Perhaps, unlike before, he had undergone significant mental growth.

[Ætérnus Stēlla (19:13): (Photo)]

[Ætérnus Stēlla (19:13): Doesn't it look pretty well-taken? The President's colors changed too.]

Baek Seo-yeon recognized the photo and immediately zoomed in.

She and Seo Hyun-woo, maintaining Archangel Descent, had been captured together.

Even amidst that, camera flashes had been going off, so white radiance was scattered across the image.

It must have been a photo taken after they dealt with that incident, now belatedly circulating among the students.

[Seo Hyun-woo (19:14): Form Department Head, by any chance? I can tell just from the nickname.]

[Ætérnus Stēlla (19:14): Good guess. So why did the color change to gold?]

[Seo Hyun-woo (19:14): Not sure. It just ended up that way somehow.]

[Ætérnus Stēlla (19:15): Didn't you get stronger? There's no other reason it would change like that. What have you been up to?]

[Seo Hyun-woo (19:15): Nothing in particular. I've just been acting as usual.]

'It is definitely strange. Originally, everything was black. The wings, the crown, the electrical current—all of it. Does the color change when you surpass a limit or something?'

Baek Seo-yeon showed great interest in this conversation, her eyes sharpening.

Copied ability or not, it was a fact that a change had occurred.

Setting aside the Student Council President seat, if she could get stronger, she was more than willing to follow Seo Hyun-woo's advice.

[Choi Jae-yeon (19:16): Could it be that the President himself hasn't even realized he's gotten stronger?]

[Scarlet Lord (19:16): That's plausible. Since he got stronger, it would make sense for the ability to change too.]

[Seo Hyun-woo (19:17): How much stronger could I really get here? There's a clear ceiling to using a petty thief's ability. The color probably just changed by coincidence.]

As he said, it was hard to believe Seo Hyun-woo's ability could develop any further.

All he had to do was copy another Awakened's ability, and that was that.

On top of that, he could use the related techniques exactly as they were, making it an ability that was close to perfect.

[Choi Jae-yeon (19:17): President, saying things like that really kills the mood.]

[Seo Hyun-woo (19:18): That wasn't my intention. But it is a petty thief's ability, isn't it?]

That was where the chat ended.

A single offhand remark from Seo Hyun-woo had completely frozen the atmosphere in the chat room.

It likely had something to do with his statement at the last morning meeting—that anyone with complaints should submit a Rank Battle application.

[Baek Seo-yeon (19:33): I was training separately, so I'm seeing this late. I hope there haven't been any inconveniences?]

Baek Seo-yeon sent her message belatedly and waited briefly for a response.

A reply came back within a few minutes.

[Seo Hyun-woo (19:36): You've been working hard. Managing this on my behalf must have been a hassle. I'll be counting on you going forward.]

[Baek Seo-yeon (19:38): Yes, understood.]

Baek Seo-yeon deliberated over what to write before settling on a simple reply.

Inflating her words for no reason would only invite misunderstandings from the department heads.

But seeing that no one had commented on the photo, it seemed Seo Hyun-woo's warning had been quite effective.

'Now that I think about it, something's a little odd. How did he show up at exactly the right moment back then? Was he watching over me?'

Baek Seo-yeon stared at the photo posted in the chat and tilted her head.

Seo Hyun-woo had certainly appeared the very moment she was in danger.

She had never once thought about it seriously until now.

He had arrived at such a perfectly timed moment that she had simply accepted it as natural.

'It's a little hard to call it coincidence. But it's also not like he was just watching me the whole time. Could he possibly have an ability that lets him see other people's futures?'

***

Inside the testing room at Hanhon Industries' headquarters.

Seo Hyun-woo, the Student Council President of Miterich, had come to the company headquarters to participate in the Battle Suit performance test.

Since the Battle Suit was still in its development stage, the test couldn't be conducted outside the headquarters.

Above all, there was the risk of technology being leaked to competitors, so they had chosen the safest possible location.

'Hmm...... The current Battle Suit won't be able to put a single scratch on me. But pretending to be weak isn't easy either. Should I just go all out?'