Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"......That's a dangerous thing to say. Are you telling me to cheat?"

"It's not like you're married, are you? And it's impossible to marry a woman who doesn't actually exist. Besides, I haven't said anything suspicious or initiated any physical contact with you yet, President."

"So you're saying you won't do anything unnecessary?"

"Of course. You and I aren't in a relationship yet, are we?"

Seo Hyun-woo wiped the amusement from his face and put on a flat expression.

In truth, he didn't care how Irev behaved.

The fact that he had no girlfriend was the truth, after all.

But there was such a thing as public appearances, and any misstep would stir controversy.

"If you do anything that could cause misunderstandings, it won't just be your position at risk, but mine as well. You know that, right?"

"That's why I said what I said at the closing meeting. I said I wanted to be close to you, President. I never said I loved you. And the ones who interpreted that as a confession were the Department Heads, not me."

"So you prepared an escape route in advance?"

"It's wordplay, really. Words are open to interpretation."

Irev answered in a spirited tone, her eyes sharp and clear.

In other words, the remarks she had made in the conference room were all calculated moves.

She had drawn Seo Hyun-woo's attention while indirectly revealing her intentions to the other Department Heads.

"You described love as war with your own mouth. Then should I take your statement at the last meeting as a declaration of war?"

"It depends on how you think about it. If someone has feelings for you, President, they'd see me as an enemy. If they don't, they'd just shrug it off, wouldn't they?"

"And you were trying to find your rivals at the same time?"

"I hadn't gone that far. And I didn't really see anyone, anyway?"

Irev showed not the slightest sign of hesitation.

She simply smiled brightly and answered cheerfully.

Of course, unlike her, Seo Hyun-woo had no choice but to revise his thoughts about Irev somewhat.

'She looks innocent, but she has a shrewd side. So that's why the original Seo Hyun-woo disliked Irev.'

In terms of importance, Irev Kanashuel was not a heroine but merely a student who held the position of Department Head.

As such, there hadn't been much written about her, and what had been written only showed her being criticized by Seo Hyun-woo.

Perhaps the original Seo Hyun-woo had considered Irev's antics a nuisance and tried to keep his distance.

"I think I have a general understanding of you now. I'd have to say you're a student with a high likelihood of causing trouble."

"I doubt that'll happen. The Vice President has already scolded me plenty."

"No. You're the same type as the Transformation Department Head. If I don't draw the line now, all you'll do is cause incidents. From this point forward, you are not to say or do anything that could be considered controversial. A verbal warning for the first offense, and for the second, I'll request disciplinary action from the Security Office."

"You're finally paying attention to me, President. I'll be sure to act more carefully from now on, just as you've instructed."

Irev answered cheerfully, flashing a mysterious smile.

It almost seemed as though she was showing the satisfaction of having gotten what she wanted.

Seo Hyun-woo wore a stern expression while questioning Irev's reaction internally.

'Do I need to treat Irev as a variable too? As far as I know, she shouldn't have much impact on the story, but.......'

***

Choi Jae-yeon.

The current 6th Enhancement Department Head, and also a special-type Awakened who possessed both enhancement-type and form-type abilities simultaneously.

His weapon of choice was the sword, and since he had form-type abilities, there was no need to carry a weapon around.

In other words, when entering combat, all he had to do was wield a weapon materialized through his form-type ability and reinforce his body with his enhancement-type ability.

'The Student Council's structure is getting weirder and weirder. Out of the eight officers, there are only two men.'

Choi Jae-yeon had addressed the issues flagged during the department inspection and was now receiving a re-inspection from Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon.

He had noticed it only recently, but the atmosphere in the conference room seemed to be growing stranger by the day.

Above all, every time he attended a meeting, an uncanny pressure seemed to bear down on him.

'The President's presence is too overwhelming. That's the problem. As a fellow man, the only thought I have is that I'm outclassed. And his rank is higher than mine, on top of that.'

Choi Jae-yeon had been overly conscious of Seo Hyun-woo.

The old Seo Hyun-woo had been arrogant and fastidious, so he could at least take pride in having a better personality.

But now, Seo Hyun-woo looked excessively normal, and with both looks and skills to match, it was only natural to feel a deeper sense of inferiority by comparison.

'Starting with the Vice President, it feels like every single Department Head is looking only at the President. The new Special Department Head is the same. She openly said she's interested in the President, didn't she?'

Choi Jae-yeon inevitably felt a sense of isolation.

He was constantly being compared to Seo Hyun-woo while also feeling a distance from the other Department Heads.

On top of that, with the arrival of Irev Kanashuel, the situation had only worsened.

'Am I being left out? Maybe they're all laughing and chatting and getting along without me. Did they make a separate group chat behind my back?'

Choi Jae-yeon stopped in front of the conference room, feeling a strange sense of isolation.

It didn't seem like Seo Hyun-woo would deliberately exclude him.

Perhaps the gap that had opened between himself and Seo Hyun-woo had caused him to naturally fall behind.

'Even the Transformation Department Head is leaving me out? She's the only one I could at least exchange a few words with... How did I end up like this?'

Choi Jae-yeon sank into self-loathing and began searching for a solution.

No matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to surpass Seo Hyun-woo's presence.

If that was the case, then maybe he needed to shift his thinking.

'There's no way I can beat the President......... Should I just stick close to him after all? But it'd be a bit much if it were too obvious. What should I do.........'

"The infirmary of the Enhancement Department still seems to have issues accommodating a large number of people. Even after improvements, nothing really seems to have changed. Is there any additional space within the Enhancement Department that can be utilized?"

"......"

"Enhancement Department Head, are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, huh? Did I do something wrong?"

Choi Jae-yeon snapped back to attention belatedly and looked around.

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon were staring at him with expressionless faces.

They had clearly said something, but he couldn't recall what it was.

"Were you spacing out during the inspection?"

"Sorry. I was rude without realizing it."

"......I asked if there are any empty spaces within the Enhancement Department that could serve as an infirmary."

"Empty spaces......... There are a few storage rooms, but I'm not sure they could be used as an infirmary. They're far from the current infirmary, and the spaces aren't particularly large."

"The infirmary needs to be expanded one way or another. As it is now, the dedicated medical staff can't function properly, and there's no way to manage unexpected casualties. If an injured person dies because they couldn't receive treatment, what are you going to do then?"

Seo Hyun-woo walked through the infirmary, continuing to point out problems.

Choi Jae-yeon could only repeat that he would correct the issues while writing down each item in his notebook in order.

Baek Seo-yeon followed behind the two, periodically inspecting the interior of the infirmary.

'Does he really need to be this thorough? It's impossible to perfectly address every single deficiency. There's no way the President doesn't know that.'

Baek Seo-yeon looked at Seo Hyun-woo, then let out a quiet, incredulous laugh.

She couldn't help but feel that something was off.

The old Seo Hyun-woo would have distinguished between substantive issues and procedural ones, then proposed an appropriate compromise.

But now, he was even flagging procedural matters and picking apart every detail.

'......He's trying too hard. He doesn't have to push himself that much.'

Baek Seo-yeon stopped in her tracks, her gaze tinged with concern.

She had always aimed to surpass Seo Hyun-woo, never once trying to help him.

Of course, she was assisting with paperwork, but wasn't that simply a duty required by her position?

"Hah......... There's no end in sight. Let's call it here for now. I know full well that it can't be completely resolved. For now, do what you can and report to me separately."

"......Got it."

"Now we need to check the equipment storage room."

Choi Jae-yeon nodded and took the lead, guiding the way.

Seo Hyun-woo followed behind and whispered to Baek Seo-yeon.

"Vice President, is something troubling the Enhancement Department Head?"

"I haven't heard anything. He must have some troubles he can't speak about."

Seo Hyun-woo eyed Choi Jae-yeon's back with puzzlement.

There was no way Choi Jae-yeon had anything to worry about.

Even according to the story, he had maintained his Department Head position without any issues and graduated from Miterich.

He wasn't entirely unconnected to Kang Jin-ha, but since it held no real significance, it would be fair to call him a minor character.

'Choi Jae-yeon actually has almost no presence. The other Department Heads have importance because they're heroines, but Choi Jae-yeon is treated as just another reasonably strong student. But for me, that's actually better.'

Seo Hyun-woo valued Choi Jae-yeon highly.

He held a Department Head position at Miterich and was reasonably skilled as an Awakened.

In fact, hadn't Choi Jae-yeon become the disciple of a Setinos Hunter right after graduating from Miterich?

Moreover, since he was rarely involved in major incidents, even making him an ally wouldn't create any variables.

'Not just anyone can become a Setinos Hunter's disciple. He does end up coming along with me eventually, but......... that would be too late. It's best to make him a comrade as quickly as possible.'

Choi Jae-yeon had none of the personal vulnerabilities that An Jung-hoon, the former Special Department Head, had faced.

Furthermore, as a Student Council officer like Seo Hyun-woo, contact could be made at any time.

Would he ever find another Awakened with conditions this perfect?

'For now, it seems like Baek Seo-yeon trusts me to some extent. Choi Jae-yeon seems to have a slight curiosity about me, too. And if I play my cards right with Jin Se-hee, I think I can make something work.......'

Baek Seo-yeon was a heroine as well, but since she and Kang Jin-ha had a somewhat divergent connection, he had to keep her by his side for now.

Jin Se-hee still seemed to harbor considerable interest in Seo Hyun-woo.

However, he must not recklessly interfere with anyone beyond them.

'Min Ha-young and Lee Da-jeong carry too much importance, so I need to be cautious. Yoo Si-eun goes without saying. As for the two heroines outside of Miterich.......'

Seo Hyun-woo stopped that train of thought and slowly shook his head.

Dealing with the heroines outside of Miterich would be a bit much for him.

After all, one was the leader of a cult, and the other was one of the Setinos Hunters.

'I don't actually need to deal with them directly. I can use Kang Jin-ha to turn things in my favor. It'd be better to side with the Setinos Hunter rather than the cult leader. A famous Hunter makes a better ally than a criminal.'