Chapter 278

In the rehearsal match between the aces of each grade, the elementary division recorded a terrible score of 2 wins and 3 losses, the middle division 0 wins and 3 losses, while the high school division achieved 1 win and 1 loss.

Surprisingly, the elementary division’s performance was a small consolation for Seviron Academy.

Meanwhile, Shin Si Hoo became a super star within just one day, frequently appearing in online articles.

“The Prince of Winds who conquered Seviron, even the flapping of an eagle’s wings was helpless against the typhoon. Haha, Si Hoo, people are calling you the Prince of Winds.”

I wonder how reporters can come up with such cheesy yet catchy titles.

The emotional state of today’s society is truly baffling.

I rolled around on the wide hotel bed and checked the news one by one.

“Stop teasing me…!”

“Huh? Isn’t ‘prince’ a good term? I would like people to call me princess in the future.”

Yuna, who was jumping right beside me, expressed her thoughts without holding back.

To Seoyuna, who is in the severe stage of princess disease, it probably only seemed like a cool nickname.

Given Yuna’s perspective, Shin Si Hoo looked like he couldn’t say a word.

“Is there any more interesting news?”

At Yuna’s question, I scrolled down to check other articles.

“The middle division senior didn’t get food poisoning.”

Just the other day, a student had complained of stomach pains and was taken away by an ambulance, leading to a barrage of articles criticizing Altear Academy’s meal management.

“So what happened?”

“He ate 30 ice creams from a vending machine in one day and got an upset stomach.”

“Yikes, 30?!”

“That’s why you all should avoid ice cream before the tournament.”

“We didn’t eat any. You keep going underground to get some, Nam.”

“… Anyway! Just be careful.”

“Yeah, I will be.”

I carelessly tossed my phone aside and stretched out my limbs to feel the cool texture of the bedsheets all over my body.

“Huh? I found a gap, No Name, take that!”

Suddenly, Seoyuna dove onto my body.

Apart from Yuna, who had recently taken up wrestling and tried to choke me out at any chance she could, I was generally having a peaceful day.

“Ah! Sorry! I yield! I yield! I won’t fight back, I swear!”

Such a level of assassination attempt was quite cute.

While choking Yuna with a guillotine choke, Si Hoo stealthily approached us and asked.

“No Name, you didn’t have just one father, did you?”

“Suddenly throwing out something like that? Do you want to die?”

Has this guy lost his mind just because he won a rehearsal match?

“I didn’t mean that…! It says so in the title here.”

“What is it? Let me see.”

Si Hoo politely extended both hands.

I quickly snatched the phone that was resting on them and checked the article.

[The male claiming to be the biological father of ‘No Name’ asserts, “The adoption should be annulled.”]

* * *

People feel catharsis from the narratives of characters overcoming unfortunate backgrounds.

Stories of beggars wandering the streets of New York rising to fame on talent shows, or boys born in underdeveloped African villages becoming Olympic athletes are met with excitement.

However, when such stories exceed a certain threshold, there will inevitably be those who look at them with disdain.

Simply put, it becomes, “I didn’t want you to be this happy.”

It was acceptable that Nam was receiving love at Korea University and earning hundreds of thousands of won each day when the broadcast is turned on.

Even the fact that she became the largest shareholder of some unknown startup would likely elicit warm smiles rather than skepticism.

However, the moment it was reported that the startup suddenly received sponsorship from Katsuhata Financial Group and it was planning an unprecedented investment, economic experts caught wind of it, shifting public sentiment.

[Biotech Akashic. It’s a company currently in the spotlight due to the age of its major shareholder, isn’t it? It’s a biotech venture developing innovative drugs for incurable diseases. Recently, this treatment has reached the final stages of Phase I clinical trials. It’s still just Phase I, so it might be premature to jump to conclusions, but considering the scale of investment, I can’t help but think that internally they are indeed sure of its success.]

[It’s because of the unusual scale of investment.]

[Thinking about the recent stagnation in the Series A investment market, it’s indeed unusual. Even a simple calculation could suggest that investors are assuming the company’s value is at least 500 billion won.]

Simply cutting through the expert’s words and spreading the hearsay of “the company’s value is 500 billion won” online began to attract envious crowds.

[Remember when Ham Choe-rong briefly entered the SL Communications building and the stock price surged by 20%? Is a businessman someone who invests using fame? That sounds more like gambling or a scam.]

-A time when billions were traded over a single bathroom visit, lol

-This is why children should be banned from TV appearances until they turn adults… Is Biotech Akashic not just a scam with scammers flocking to it?

-For real, just looking at the CEO’s career gives off a cult vibe

-If they pull this off, it would be legendary lol

[Two World executives <- What’s the scoop on No Name’s biological father?]

-Paparazzi caught a photo of No Name and a Two World executive meeting at a café.

-Wow

-Yeah, they mentioned her mother had passed away, but never mentioned her father.

-(Attached video.gif)

└ Isn't him bowing his head a telltale sign? lol

└ Expected line: "I never had the courage to meet you until now. Please accept me now!"

└ Is this some drama?

-This turned out to be fake news. The investor had no connection to No Name at all.

└ Damn, of course! lol

-But what if No Name’s real father shows up?

└ Pocketing 500 billion won, wow

└ It won't happen now that she’s already adopted.

Wherever money gathers, flies tend to swarm.

After rumors spread that a man in a suit could perhaps be Nam's biological father, people with eyes on her wealth barged into the Altear Academy's board committee building.

"I’m No Name’s father, the husband of Sulah! My wife was born on February 21, 2022! When we were little, we dug up potatoes together in the mountains of Gangwon…"

"Wait a moment."

The man, who had thoroughly researched the birth date, was pounding his chest and shouting.

Already exhausted from such a predictable repertoire, Jacqueline Carroll squinted her eyes and said.

"Excuse me, but how old are you?"

"Let’s see... I am 45 this year..."

"Then that's a sixteen year age gap?"

"Is that too much? Thirty-five...?"

"Could you please leave? If you cause any more commotion, I will call the police."

Jacqueline Carroll was responsible for distributing entry badges to parents wanting to watch the Academy对抗赛.

She never dreamt she would be faced with such difficult guests, and let out a deep sigh.

"That's the sixth one today. You’ve had a lot of trouble there, teacher."

A youthful voice popped out from underneath the desk.

Nam was cutting the corners of her name tag with small scissors that fit perfectly in her hand.

It was a measure to ensure visitors weren't hurt by sharp edges.

"Is it uncomfortable sitting there all curled up?"

"No. It’s nice and cozy in the dark. When I’m in the room, the kids keep pestering me."

"Haha, is that so?"

If Nam had told Jacqueline that she was being bullied by her classmates at the beginning of the semester, she would have immediately called for a bullying investigation.

A tiny child with a smaller frame than the first graders, having just transferred, was likely to be ostracized.

However, once she discovered that Nam had overpowered her classmates, she realized her worry was unfounded.

"Nam."

"Yes?"

"Could you promise me one thing?"

"What kind of promise?"

Nam looked up from her cutting to meet Jacqueline Carroll's gaze.

At her age, it was more fitting for her to be playing with colored paper than engaging in fistfights.

"Participating in the middle division match is just for experience, not to win. So if you do make it to your turn, don’t push yourself too hard. You understand what I’m saying, right?"

Jacqueline had long been aware that Nam had a strong competitive spirit.

Even with a seven year age difference, she worried that Nam might jump in without a second thought and get hurt.

"Still, doing it gently is much more difficult..."

"Nam!"

"If that’s the case... I’ll be careful to not get hurt while fighting."

"Alright. I believe in you, Nam. I’ll be cheering along with the other kids in our class."

"Oh! Someone else is coming. I’ll hide for a second."

Nam ducked her head beneath the desk.

While Jacqueline was guiding the visitors, Nam continued to quietly cut.

Without showing any signs, it was easy to guess her reason for being there.

The eternal homework of children adopted without knowing their parents' faces.

"Hey... are you curious about your biological father, Nam?"

Nam didn’t hastily open her mouth.

That’s when Jacqueline Carroll added another comment.

"Because I was a bit curious myself."

"...?"

Nam turned her head.

The expressions on their faces while looking at each other were filled with complex emotions.

"You know, I was adopted by my parents in the U.S. when I was just a newborn."

"I never knew that."

"In the 20s, Korea faced an economic crisis, making life a bit tough, right? So maybe I was abandoned at the orphanage. But a few years ago, I had the chance to meet them when I came to Korea."

"You met them?"

"Yeah. We just went to a café for tea, didn’t exchange phone numbers, and parted ways. It wasn’t anything special, was it?"

"That really is nothing special."

"I realized that the effect of the term biological parents is less significant than the time spent together."

To me, that person was merely a passing acquaintance whom I encountered and nothing more.

"After all, they are strangers to each other."

"Yeah, that’s true. So you should treat your father well. He worries about you a lot, you know?"

"Professor Cheon is originally a warm-hearted person..."

"I don’t think so? He’ll treat you specially. Think carefully about it again."

Watching Nam furrowing her brows in deep thought, Jacqueline couldn’t help but let out a cute, unguarded laugh.

"Actually, I don’t wonder about my father anymore. I’m already at an age where that doesn’t matter."

"Haha, right! Nam, at 8 years old, you’re all grown up now!"

"Since you shared a secret with me, I’ll share one back in return."

Nam handed Jacqueline the perfectly cut name tags.

With the meticulous cut marks, Jacqueline patted Nam’s head as a form of praise.

"That wasn’t really a secret. But I’m curious about what your secret might be."

"It's not anything grand that I’d hide from someone. Actually, thinking it through, it’s not even my secret anymore. Let me correct that."

Nam was trying to crawl out from under the desk.

Jacqueline pulled her chair back to help her up.

Nam dusted off the hem of her skirt and leaned closer to her ear to whisper.

"My cat weighs over 50kg."