I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 143 : Vacation (2)

That evening, Su-hyeon had dinner with Park Min-cheol and Director Kim's family.

"Wahaha, you really eat well! Have some of this too!"

"Thank you."

Su-hyeon, who consumed as many calories as his overwhelming amount of exercise required, attacked the meat without hesitation.

"Wow. Su-hyeon-ssi really eats well."

Junior Director Kim (real name Kim Ho-young) marveled at Su-hyeon's food intake.

"Do I need to eat this much to maintain such muscles?"

He said, touching his belly fat that was starting to protrude like his father's.

"I don't even eat a third of that, why am I like this?"

"That's because oppa doesn't exercise."

Kim Chae-young said as if he were pathetic.

"You should control your diet like me."

"I think I'm getting fat around my sides lately too."

Park Min-cheol mumbled, pinching his side.

"Min-cheol must be making a decent living these days?"

"Not at all, Director."

"If any of you need exercise, just let me know. I can help."

"Oh, really?"

Director Kim brightened up.

"Yes. Just lightly doing about 10km of running and 500 burpee tests per day should be enough..."

"Oh my."

"Even if I were an Awakened, I couldn't have gone to such an academy."

"Me neither."

"You get used to it if you keep at it."

The four nodded at Su-hyeon's nonchalant answer, feeling a strange sense of madness.

'I can see how he became the top student.'

There was something tangible even after just a few exchanges.

"Come on, let's have a cup of coffee. I brewed it myself."

"Hmm? The aroma is quite nice."

Su-hyeon nodded after tasting the coffee that Director Kim had brewed himself.

"Hehe. I heard Su-hyeon likes coffee too? I'll send you some beans, so drink them with Min-cheol."

"Thank you."

"Dad, what about mine?"

"Wait, child. Does Dad have four hands?"

'They really get along well.'

Su-hyeon thought.

Though they had lost their mother early, the siblings had grown into well-rounded young adults under the special care of their family-oriented father, Director Kim.

'They're humble and good people.'

Depending on what path Park Min-cheol chose.

In the playthroughs where Park Min-cheol started his business under Director Kim, these were people who had to face many threats to their safety as the business grew.

'Now I won't let that happen though.'

"Anyway, Min-cheol kept bragging so much, I wanted to see this impressive face for myself."

Director Kim laughed heartily.

"And indeed, he's even more impressive than I expected!"

Director Kim seemed to like Su-hyeon very much.

"Right? I told you he's a good guy."

"Above all, he's loyal. Even crushing those Big Bear Gang guys to save Min-cheol back then."

"That was really almost a disaster."

At Kim Chae-young's words, Kim Ho-young snickered.

"You were in tears then, crying so hard."

"Hey, what are you saying! It wasn't that bad!"

"Yes it was~"

Kim Ho-young had more interest in personal studies than business, so he was currently helping his father while preparing for graduate school.

'Willingly going to hell.'

Su-hyeon thought.

'But given his personality, he's more suited to be a scholar than a businessman. That's why Director Kim sees Park Min-cheol as a potential son-in-law and wants to hand over the business to him.'

At this pace, he would likely hand over the business and retire himself within a few years.

"By the way, what are Su-hyeon's vacation plans?"

"Training is the main issue, but I've found a place with some help on that front."

"Oh really? How?"

"There's a classmate named Hwang Ji-su, and with her help, I'll be using B&S Group's facilities."

"Could it be the B&S that I know?"

"That's right."

"My goodness!"

Director Kim's mouth fell open.

"Amazing! You live in a different world from us."

"It's not like that. I've helped her with training before."

"Oh, this guy is being modest again."

Park Min-cheol chuckled at Su-hyeon's humility.

"I heard something from Tae-hoon."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

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Two days later.

Kwon Seung-yeon and Su-hyeon, who had received contact from Hwang Ji-su that the ID cards had been issued, met at a café in Seoul.

"Hello! You found a good spot?"

Dressed comfortably in a short-sleeved shirt and summer leggings, Kwon Seung-yeon approached Su-hyeon, drawing all the attention around her.

"Ji-su said she'll be about 3 minutes."

"I see."

As the two with noticeable appearances sat facing each other, people's gazes all turned toward them.

"Hey, hey, look over there."

"Where? Wow."

Su-hyeon had come to the café in a classic combination of a white short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, but even with just that, he was exuding a unique aura.

"My goodness. He's really handsome."

"Look at that body. Is he a hunter?"

"Was there such a hunter around here?"

"It's my first time seeing him. I'm a fan of all the Seoul line hunters, but I've never seen this person before."

"His face looks a bit young. He might be a cadet from an academy?"

"They must be a couple, right?"

"I think so."

Hearing the whispering voices, Kwon Seung-yeon giggled.

"Su-hyeon, you're really popular."

"You too. The guys are only looking at you."

"Well, this much is normal."

Kwon Seung-yeon swept back her hair proudly.

"Hello."

At Hwang Ji-su's voice that came just in time, both raised their hands.

"Oh wow. You dressed up a bit today?"

"What do you mean 'dressed up'? You're the one dressed too casually, aren't you?"

"Excuse me? I'll have you know this look is a high-level natural style."

Hwang Ji-su hesitated briefly between the two, then sat down next to Su-hyeon.

"Wow. Look at how naturally she sits next to him."

"Have you all ordered coffee?"

Hwang Ji-su naturally changed the subject.

"I just ordered an Americano."

"Americano is good, but the latte here is the best. And among those, the hot latte rather than iced..."

"Ugh, what is this, dog meat soup? In this weather? I'm going to have iced."

Kwon Seung-yeon shook her head.

"Hmm. I'll have iced too."

"Hmph, you 'ice is better than death' people."

"Cold treats cold better than hot treats heat."

Kwon Seung-yeon smirked.

"By the way, seeing your faces right after vacation starts makes me wonder if we're really on vacation."

"Aren't you two going to see each other almost every day anyway?"

Hwang Ji-su said.

"Not every day. It's vacation, so we should at least rest on weekends."

"I might not be able to come on days when I have other schedules too."

"That's unexpected."

"Ji-su, do you want to exercise with us sometimes too?"

"Well, I'll have to think about that. I have some personal training I'm doing too."

Hwang Ji-su replied primly.

Ding ding. Ding ding.

Just then, the bell rang, briefly interrupting the conversation.

"I'll go get it."

"I'll go with you!"

"Then me too."

As the three got up to receive their coffee, café customers looked at them like meerkats.

"Why are they staring so obviously? It's really annoying."

Hissss.

The coldness that Hwang Ji-su subtly spread made people flinch.

"As always, when you're with Ji-su, we don't need air conditioning."

"By the way, meeting outside like this is a bit strange. It feels familiar yet different?"

At Kwon Seung-yeon's words, who had inhaled about half her coffee in one breath, Su-hyeon nodded.

"It is."

'It feels a bit like being a soldier on leave meeting comrades from the unit.'

"I wonder what the others are doing."

While the three of them, as well as Seo Jun-seong, lived in Seoul.

The rest had their family homes in different regions.

"In-hyeon was from Chungbuk or Chungnam, right?"

"Chungnam. Kim A-yun is from Jeonju, and Kang Geon-woo is from Busan."

Hwang Ji-su said.

"Ah, I see. Yu-jin was from Suwon? Bundang?"

"Bundang."

At Su-hyeon's immediate answer, Kwon Seung-yeon narrowed her eyes.

"Hmm. You know that well."

"I received an invitation."

"So you're going to meet the Sword Master and Sword Warrior?"

"That's right."

"Oh, I would be so nervous I could hardly speak."

Considering the Sword Master's status, it wasn't strange for Kwon Seung-yeon to react that way, Su-hyeon thought with a chuckle.

"Did you find a part-time job?"

"It's surprisingly hard to find one. They don't want to hire for such a short period."

Kwon Seung-yeon sighed.

"Maybe I should work as a mascot costume character?"

"In this weather? You'd die from the heat."

"Just think of it as running in a sweat suit."

"Good grief."

Hwang Ji-su shook her head at the thorough gym rat mindset.

"Su-hyeon is staying with Min-cheol-ssi, right?"

"That's right. I'm imposing on him a bit."

"Hmm. Can I come visit later?"

Hwang Ji-su flinched at Kwon Seung-yeon's casually thrown jab.

"I don't mind."

Su-hyeon nodded without much thought.

'T-then should I specially go with you too?'

Hwang Ji-su needed a bit more courage to voice that thought out loud.

"Shall we get going then? If we go too late, the employees who've finished work will all come to exercise."

Instead, she took out the ID cards from her bag and subtly showed off.

"Oh right, that's true."

"Thanks for being considerate."

"It's nothing."

Hwang Ji-su smiled with satisfaction.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

"Chairman. I've received a report that the young miss has arrived at the fitness center with Su-hyeon and Seung-yeon."

Chairman Hwang Yong-jae smirked at Chief Kim's report.

"That kid, she's quite skillful at building up relationships step by step, just like whose daughter she is."

'Cute child.'

The reason she chose a building other than the headquarters was easy to guess.

'While harboring resentment toward me, she still wants to show goodwill to Jeong Su-hyeon. Our daughter must be struggling a lot emotionally?'

He rose from his chair.

"Well then, shall we go take a look?"

"I'll prepare right away."

"Ah, before that."

Chairman Hwang Yong-jae waved his hand.

"Call that friend too."

Even at the vague statement, Chief Kim immediately understood the chairman's intention.

"Do you mean Assistant Manager Gong?"

Assistant Manager Gong In-seong.

He was a 23-year-old young ace in the security team that was being nurtured with special interest.

"As expected of our Chief Kim. You always catch on quickly."

Chairman Hwang Yong-jae chuckled.

"That friend, didn't you say he was at least on par with Jeong Su-hyeon?"

"That's what I reported."

"Then he's not a match for the current Jeong Su-hyeon? His growth rate is terrifying, isn't it?"

"That's not necessarily the case."

Chief Kim bowed and said.

"When I said 'on par,' it was setting aside the spec differences between the two. I believe that with Assistant Manager Gong In-seong, who has recently had an enlightenment and broken through to a new level, even Su-hyeon would not find it easy."

"Hooo."

"He now has reliable strength in any operation and situation, and if he continues to grow like this, he will be a talent who will play an important role in the group in the future."

"Chief Kim's faith is remarkable."

Chairman Hwang Yong-jae snickered.

"Well then, shall we see just how much manpower our group has?"

"Chairman, I heard you were looking for me."

A young man with a sturdy build and a handsome appearance bowed to Chairman Hwang Yong-jae.

"Yes, Assistant Manager Gong. It's been a while?"

Chairman Hwang Yong-jae looked him up and down.

"You definitely seem to have reached a higher level than when I last saw you."

"Thank you."

"As Assistant Manager Gong has probably heard, our Ji-su is on vacation and has returned home."

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

The emotion that rose from him, who flinched momentarily, was that of unrequited love.

'A guard warrior who admires the lord's daughter from afar. How incredibly banal even their desires are.'

Hwang Yong-jae sneered inwardly.

But his art of using people was to properly ignite such desires and use them according to his intentions.

"But this time she brought a boy to the fitness center. His name is Jeong Su-hyeon, a scholarship student from our foundation."

"!"

There was no way he would miss the sign of agitation in Assistant Manager Gong In-seong's eyes.

"I'd like to see our scholarship student's skills. Will Assistant Manager Gong help me with that?"

Snap!

Assistant Manager Gong In-seong bent one knee and replied immediately.

"If you entrust this to me, I will certainly fulfill your wishes, Chairman."

"Haha. Of course you should."

Chairman Hwang Yong-jae smiled with satisfaction.

"Then let's get going."

Chief Kim bowed his head.

"I'll escort you right away."