Chapter 36

<Episode 37> Even NTR is handled by other kids on their own

It’s only been a few days since he returned to school.

Yu-jin pretty quickly adapted to school life.

Of course, he’s still the same awkward loner,

but at least he can get by as an average student.

Thanks to Rime’s recent and oddly well-timed advice, his mood has improved.

‘If I could just make more friends, everything would be perfect.’

He leaned back against the car seat with that thought.

The ridiculously expensive car that felt so foreign at first now feels almost normal.

Humans really are adaptable creatures after all.

Just as he was enjoying this rare moment of peace, Biseo Park spoke up.

“Master Yu-jin, how do you wish to handle the matter with Chul-soo Kim?”

“Chul-soo?”

“He’s still hospitalized, but it seems he’ll be discharged in a few days.”

Yu-jin blinked in surprise.

Chul-soo’s in the hospital?

Ugh, what did this guy get himself into this time?

The world is too cruel sometimes.

Why would anyone want to beat up such a kind kid like Chul-soo?

‘Maybe he was trying to train somewhere like me… No, he probably got caught up in some fight.’

Chul-soo’s always been a kind and diligent kid.

He must’ve been forced into something unfair…

Maybe he even stood up against impossible odds to save a friend.

That sounds like something Chul-soo would do.

Anyway, we can’t just let this slide when a friend’s hurt.

Biseo Park must’ve brought this up for a reason.

“Then we’ll cover his hospital bills from our side.”

“Hospital bills, sir?”

“Yeah. Chul-soo might feel bad about it, so let’s keep it anonymous.”

“Haha! Understood!”

Chul-soo has a surprisingly strong sense of pride.

He usually rejects any help I offer him directly.

But if we do it anonymously, it should be fine.

Yu-jin nodded proudly at his clever idea.

“Alright, next issue: What about the orphanage donations?”

“Orphanage donations?”

What’s he talking about?

I don’t remember doing anything that saintly…

“Yes, the next date is approaching. Of course, we can stop if you’d like.”

Yu-jin blinked again before breaking into a moved expression.

Whoa… I didn’t know I was such a good person!

Apparently I’ve been donating to orphanages without even realizing it!

‘Come to think of it, didn’t Chul-soo and Young-hee say they were from an orphanage?’

So you’ve been secretly supporting your friends from behind, huh?

You sneaky bastard… You’re actually kinda cool.

Yu-jin nodded in agreement.

Might as well put money I’m not using anyway to good use.

Better to spend it on worthy causes than waste it on luxury.

“Then let’s double the donation amount.”

“Double?”

“Yeah. And if there are any orphanages we haven’t reached yet, let’s help them too.”

Hmm… Is this enough?

No, if we’re going to do this, better to go all out.

“And get Chul-soo a decent sword or equipment.”

“For Kim Chul-soo?”

“Yeah, something good enough so he won’t get hurt in fights. He handles a blade well, so this should help him manage on his own. Oh, and let’s keep this anonymous too.”

Biseo Park looked at Yu-jin through the rearview mirror with a strange expression.

Yu-jin always thinks three steps ahead of others.

To understand his intentions and act accordingly, I need to keep up with his thinking.

Fortunately, I’m also one of the elites.

In an instant, I understood Yu-jin’s calculations.

‘Ah, so this is a plan to divert the attention of the executives by pretending to support Chul-soo!’

Recently, the looks Hwagcheon’s executives have been giving Yu-jin haven’t been friendly.

In a way, it’s understandable.

After all, the successor of the organization became the disciple of the enemy,

and even begged for knowledge.

There must be executives who genuinely want to remove Yu-jin.

‘But even they wouldn’t recklessly attack. They’d likely target those around Master Yu-jin first.’

For all his faults, Yu-jin is still Hwagcheon’s successor.

Attacking him outright wouldn’t gain much support.

But his subordinates are another story.

Cut off the general’s words first.

Executives skilled in strategy would naturally target those around Yu-jin.

‘So if we support Chul-soo, they’ll think Master Yu-jin is cultivating him.’

This would make the executives target Chul-soo instead.

With his recent growth, Chul-soo shouldn’t fall easily.

He’d surely weaken the executive’s forces significantly.

…

Even if Chul-soo does fall, it doesn’t matter.

To Yu-jin, Chul-soo is merely a disposable card.

Either way, Yu-jin stands to gain from the situation.

‘Disguising enemies, deceiving them, and gaining benefits without lifting a finger.’

Could he have thought this far in such a short time?

Or could it be that planning Chul-soo’s growth from the start was part of the scheme?

Whichever it is, this strategy is unbelievable.

Even Hwagcheon’s executives wouldn’t be able to think this deeply.

‘There truly is no one more suited to be Hwagcheon’s successor than Master Yu-jin.’

Realizing this, Biseo Park felt the importance of his assigned task.

A preliminary step to counterbalance Hwagcheon’s executives.

Biseo Park resolved to fully support Kim Chul-soo.

An unexpected emergency struck Hwagcheon.

A sudden gathering called by its leader, Seol-hwa Lee.

The shocking agenda announced there was enough to unsettle the executives.

“…Who would’ve thought that Hwagcheon’s only successor would be cavorting under the skirts of the enemy.”

“Haha! That small body sure knows how to charm men.”

“It’s possible our successor has such tastes.”

All the people present were executives.

More specifically, those particularly dissatisfied with the current situation.

Those who never liked Kim Yu-jin from the start.

Those who wanted to overthrow Kim Yu-jin and take his place.

And those who disapprove of Kim Yu-jin’s recent actions.

Regardless, they all shared the common trait of not recognizing him as a successor.

“Even though he’s the successor acknowledged by the previous generation, we can’t leave things as they are, right?”

At the words of one man, the other executives nodded.

Hwagcheon is an organization that operates on the logic of power.

They bow to the current leader solely because of one reason:

Seol-hwa possesses overwhelming power and charisma.

Conversely, if someone doesn’t show that level of ability, even a formal successor wouldn’t be recognized.

“Kim Yu-jin has always been questionable as a successor. We’ve tolerated it until now due to lack of opportunity, but Tae-jin Kim’s incident cannot be overlooked.”

“But hasn’t he recently shown activity like recruiting demon clans?”

“That’s not enough to excuse this matter.”

If Kim Yu-jin had become someone else’s disciple, it wouldn’t have been such a big issue.

However, the problem is that the person involved is Tae-jin Kim.

She’s openly bared her fangs at Hwagcheon from the start.

After being quiet following ‘a certain incident,’

this time she declared war by invading alone.

Her arrogance is enough to make one’s teeth chatter.

“This is nothing short of betrayal against Hwagcheon as an organization.”

“Now, now. Calm down. This isn’t a place to argue reasons. The question is, how do we deal with this successor?”

Yes, simply gathering here already implies deciding Kim Yu-jin’s treatment.

Now is the time to discuss more specific methods.

“Is there anyone here willing to personally step forward?”

The previously excited executives fell silent.

In a way, it’s natural.

We’re talking about removing the organization’s successor here.

Even as executives, it’s not a burden-free decision.

‘Besides, Lady Seol-hwa herself took a lukewarm stance.’

When this issue came up, the executives split into two major factions:

Those who wanted to immediately change the successor, and those who wanted to wait and see.

They could dare to discuss this in front of the successor’s mother and leader because they knew her ruthless nature.

Yet, during the meeting, Seol-hwa adopted an ambiguous attitude of ‘figure it out yourselves.’

While she doesn’t approve of removing Kim Yu-jin,

she also doesn’t seem inclined to raise objections.

‘That lady’s abilities and charisma are essential to Hwagcheon. Without understanding her intentions, we can’t act rashly.’

Moreover, there are rumors that Biseo Park has completely taken Kim Yu-jin’s side recently.

Biseo Park rose to the position of the former leader’s right-hand man.

Turning such a capable man into an enemy would be a huge risk.

As everyone hesitated and sized each other up,

“I’ll give it a try then.”

A man raised his hand and spoke.

He wore a doctor’s coat and glasses.

His name is Jekyll. Nicknamed ‘Professor Jekyll.’

The nickname stems from his sadistic tendencies that can turn even the strongest-willed person into a slave.

Though his personality is questionable, his abilities are highly regarded, allowing him to rise to the rank of executive at a young age.

“Jekyll, you’re stepping forward?”

“Yes, my personal investigation revealed that Master has made some friends. I see this as a great opportunity to experiment with them.”

“Hmm, so you plan to target the master’s surroundings rather than the master himself?”

Not a bad strategy.

The main reason Kim Yu-jin attends the academy is likely to recruit young talents to support him.

Though he pretended to be incompetent, none of the executives were fooled by that act.

Succeeding in dealing with Kim Yu-jin would be ideal.

Even failing midway would reduce his influence somewhat.

Attempting this isn’t a bad move.

“Hmm, then I’ll entrust this matter to you for now.”

“I’m grateful you trust me despite my lack of experience.”

Jekyll bowed deeply.

“We’ve already gathered intelligence that Master Kim Yu-jin is close with several promising geniuses at the academy. There are even movements to financially support them.”

“Ho, you’ve investigated that far already?”

“I’ll start by provoking them to observe Master’s reaction. A true successor of Hwagcheon shouldn’t be swayed by trivial emotions, right?”

“Hmm, indeed!”

With the executives’ approval, Jekyll smiled slyly.

‘I don’t care what happens to Hwagcheon like you fools do.’

He believes humans reveal their true nature through betrayal and regret.

What reaction will the successor of Hwagcheon show when someone precious gets hurt?

The anticipation is unbearable.

‘Will you be able to maintain your composure watching your lover corrupt right before your eyes?’

Executive Jekyll of Hwagcheon pulled a photo from his pocket.

It showed Young-hee smiling brightly while embraced by Yu-jin.

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