LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 33
Chapter 33
“Your name is Raon, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from Yohan. You must have had a hard time coming up from Busan all alone at such a young age. Are you not tired?”
“No. Thank you.”
I was now in the car of an employee from Seed Enter who had come to pick up Ban Yo-han, Seo Moon-gyeol, and me.
Introducing himself as Kwak Sang-hyun from the Seed Enter management team, he kept talking to me continuously.
It seemed like he was so interested because I had been told beforehand that he came from a major agency.
He seemed to have a naturally sociable personality. He definitely had a good personality for working in a management team.
“Can I drink some water?”
“Sure, you can drink any of the bottles in the back.”
Just as he said, there were several 500mL bottles of water rolling around on the back seat whenever the car stopped or changed direction.
It was a brand I hadn’t seen before.
Without thinking too much, I picked one and opened it to drink.
“Come to think of it, what about school, Raon? While Gyeol and Yohan have graduated, it’s still March right now, so aren’t all the high schools open? If your school is in Busan… Ah, since you were in True, you probably attended school in Seoul.”
Seo Moon-gyeol answered in my place, as I tried to buy time to think of a plausible answer by drinking the whole bottle as if I was extremely thirsty.
“He graduated.”
Wait a minute. Who’s answering in my place?
“Huh? Gyeol, I think I misheard. Can you say that again?”
“He graduated from high school.”
Facing an unexpected secret of my educational background, akin to a birth secret, I spat out the water I was drinking.
“Phffft…!”
Was the water spoiled? Is that why my hearing is messed up? Or is the ‘he’ Seo Moon-gyeol is referring to not me?
“Cough, cough!”
The water went down the wrong pipe, making my throat sting.
“…..”
As I was coughing frantically and barely managed to breathe normally again, I noticed two pairs of eyes looking at me strangely.
Even Kwak Sang-hyun was glancing at me through the rearview mirror while driving. Brother, you should focus on driving.
“So, what did you say again?”
After wiping off the traces of water with a tissue handed over by Ban Yo-han, who looked disgusted, I checked my hearing.
“We had a graduation ceremony together in February.”
Even in this situation, Seo Moon-gyeol answered my question calmly.
“I attended your graduation ceremony?”
“Yes. You came and graduated with me.”
“But you’re you, and… I’m eighteen years old?”
“You said you were an early admission student.”
Seo Moon-gyeol, who said that, looked slightly puzzled, as if he was answering something I should already know.
Right. It’s my own record, so I should know.
But I’m not On Raon, am I?
I composed my expression and acted as if nothing was wrong, but Ban Yo-han’s sharp gaze, reflecting in the room mirror, caught my eye as if he had noticed my inner confusion.
If that clever and perceptive guy started probing into my story, or rather, ‘On Raon’s’ story, I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t look suspicious.
Let’s summarize this quickly.
‘On Raon’ was born in 2000. Since it was March 2017 in this game world, he should be 18 years old by Korean reckoning. So, he should be a high school sophomore.
But the system said there was no affiliated organization.
I thought it was because he dropped out due to his age.
Did he graduate this year? At eighteen?
Even if he entered school early, as Seo Moon-gyeol said… Is it even possible to graduate two years early in our country?
“It’s unusual. I heard early admissions are only possible for one year. Did I get it wrong?”
Ban Yo-han answered Kwak Sang-hyun’s question, who seemed to have the same thought as me.
“It’s not common, but it is possible. Being a ‘fast-year student’ isn’t the same as early admission.”
No one understood him.
“Yo-han, could you explain it in simpler terms?”
“So, the general admission age for elementary school is six years old by international age. Specifically, you can enter if you’re six years old by the entry date.”
“That’s right.”
“But previously, this entry date was March 1st, so even if you were seven years old by Korean age, if your birthday was in January or February, you would still be six years old by international age and could enter elementary school. This is called being a ‘fast-year student.'”
“Hmm, I get the gist. So, what about early admission?”
“Like Sang-hyun hyung said, early admission is possible up to one year. With early admission, you can enter school one year earlier, at five years old.”
After confirming through Kwak Sang-hyun’s expression that he understood, Ban Yo-han continued speaking.
“In summary, if On Raon was born in January or February, he could enter elementary school at seven by Korean age, and then again, using the early admission system, enter at six by Korean age and five by international age.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“But… few people go to that extent. And starting from the elementary school entrance year of 2003, the fast-year student system was abolished, and the entry date changed to January 1st, so this method is no longer possible.”
Anyway, if Teacher Ban, the know-it-all, says so, it must be true.
“But why did On Raon react as if he was hearing about this for the first time when it’s his own story?”
“Hearing it all explained like this, it seems amazing again.”
“Really…”
Although it wasn’t outright suspicion, there was a faint sense of doubt mixed in.
I had to explain my awkward behavior. Otherwise, the lodging I was about to get would disappear.
“Actually…”
While the car stopped at a signal, the three people’s gazes turned towards me.
I spoke with a slight bitterness in my voice, just enough to not overdo it.
“I was really shocked when I left True, so I was kind of out of it for a while. I’m fine now, but my memory from before is a bit hazy.”
[Critical!]
This was the second time I’d seen a critical hit in this game. The first was when I successfully forced understanding, wasn’t it?
[Your poor lie gains credibility due to your acting skills.]
So acting has such additional effects.
Though it was a hurried excuse, the content itself was quite plausible.
Could a high school student who left the agency he had been with for three years and appeared on a survival program as an individual trainee remain mentally stable?
In reality, I had seen trainees who were prescribed medication at psychiatric clinics due to the pressure from inside and outside since they were trainees.
Coincidentally, I had also left my agency in high school.
‘This coincides with ‘On Raon’ in such a way.’
I felt strange.
[The three people feel very sorry for your unfortunate story and are deeply sympathetic.]
At some point, the sky turned cloudy, and the sound of spring rain hitting the car lowered the mood inside the car rapidly. It was suffocating.
“…”
You don’t need to feel that sorry for me. I’m not On Raon, I’m On Hae-jae.
Soon, unable to endure the silence I had brought upon myself, I shouted.
“I’m really fine now, so you don’t have to worry about me. Really!”
Maybe because he understood my desperate effort, Kwak Sang-hyun hurriedly agreed.
“Yeah, you’re quite spirited. The one who endures and perseveres wins, and judging by your voice, I don’t need to worry about you.”
“Yes. Things will go well this time.”
After thanking Kwak Sang-hyun and Seo Moon-gyeol for their warm encouragement, I finally took a breath.
Then, Ban Yo-han, who had been lost in thought alone in the passenger seat, said in a calm tone without even looking back.
“Yes. I hope it goes well.”
[Ban Yo-han hopes you will be eliminated from Pick Heart. Ban Yo-han’s favorability +1. Current favorability: 33]
What, this sneaky fox…
Seeing my slightly stiff expression, Seo Moon-gyeol seemed to think I was struggling due to recalling bad memories and reached out to pat my shoulder.
Thanks to that, I managed to regain my composure.
“Were you two originally acquainted since you were in the same school? Were you in the same class or something?”
Seo Moon-gyeol answered in my place, as I now had the incredible setting of having an unclear memory due to psychological trauma.
“Half a year in second grade.”
“Not even a full year, just half?”
“Raon transferred in the second semester of the second year. We were in different classes in the third year.”
“What major was I in?”
I decided to act shamelessly.
Thanks to the system, I was confident that at least these people would believe my words.
[Seo Moon-gyeol thinks he needs to pay more attention to you. Seo Moon-gyeol’s favorability +2. Current favorability: 15]
Seo Moon-gyeol showed a complex expression for a moment, then answered in a more kind tone.
I thought that maybe all the humanity that Ban Yo-han should have been born with went to Seo Moon-gyeol instead.
“Practical Dance.”
“Did I transfer schools when I joined True?”
“Yes. I heard you came from abroad. You went to America
as an elementary school student and then returned to Korea after passing a global audition by True.”
“Oh… I see…”
What was today? As soon as I managed to sort one thing out, another past setting got revealed.
Can’t they just leave the player’s past settings mysterious and enigmatic?
Anyway, now I understood why I had advanced English skills. It also explained why ‘On Raon’ was not fluent in Korean.
But why did this kid live so diligently with early admission, studying abroad, passing auditions, and transferring schools?
Kwak Sang-hyun, who had been driving quietly while listening to our conversation, asked with amazement.
“Gyeol, you know quite a lot? Isn’t ‘The mountain is a mountain, and the water is water’ your life motto? Everyone in the company knows how indifferent you are.”
“Right. Everyone knows that. Who doesn’t?”
Ban Yo-han agreed, laughing lightly.
“I haven’t heard Gyeol talk this much in a long time.”
“Wow, you too, hyung? Me too!”
Ban Yo-han and Kwak Sang-hyun had a lively conversation from the front seats.
Maybe because there wasn’t much of an age difference between them, or because Seed wasn’t that big a company, there was no stiff or hierarchical feeling commonly found in conversations between entertainment company employees and trainees.
“Though that may be true.”
Seo Moon-gyeol, who casually dismissed their playful words, glanced at me and continued with a slightly stiff expression.
“Our school was known for spreading rumors quickly.”
“Ah, I see. If it’s True and a transfer student, rumors about their name, age, origin, and past activities would spread within a day…”