novelraw Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16. I Admire You (1)
"Was it this way?"
I had set off with bold confidence, but I had underestimated the vast expanse of the Glory Academy.
Its area was so massive that it was difficult to find where Do Gang-ho was.
'Between the dormitory complex and the Year 1 Main Building, where on earth is the place where three trees are coiled together?'
It was a riddle-like description, but I still had to find it.
In the novel, it was written that Do Gang-ho went to this place whenever he had spare time.
'For now, that must be the only place where we can talk openly.'
Do Gang-ho had almost completely closed his heart.
That place was the only spot where a person like Do Gang-ho could finally relax.
As a result of wandering and circling between the main building and the dormitory complex several times to find that mysterious location...
"Could it be that?"
I managed to find the place that most closely resembled the description in the novel.
A communal garbage disposal area where all the trash from the dormitory complex and the Year 1 Main Building was thrown out together.
And the three saplings that were supposedly planted to reduce the stench of the garbage, even if just a little bit...
My blood pressure instantly spiked.
'Are they really describing three saplings at a mere garbage disposal area like that?'
Because they wasted several lines just on the description, I thought a World Tree lived in Glory.
That was why I had been looking up, searching primarily for large trees. To think it was actually saplings at a garbage dump.
'Hold it in, hold it in. Getting angry over something like this will only hurt me.'
Besides, I had to meet Do Gang-ho now, so getting angry over this beforehand was unacceptable.
Calming my anger in that manner, I slowly approached the garbage dump.
Then, I began to see a cadet crouching in the distance.
'What is he doing?'
I could at least tell that it was Do Gang-ho.
After all, Do Gang-ho was the only one with such a massive build that did not suit his age.
However, because of the distance, I could not figure out what he was doing at all.
So, as I moved a little closer, I began to hear Do Gang-ho's voice.
"Is living fun for you? Because it is completely fcked for me... Sigh, this is so hard, fck."
'......'
At first, I did not know who he was talking to, but upon closer inspection, he was having a conversation with the saplings rooted in the garbage dump.
I could not help but lose my words at that sight.
'Do Gang-ho...'
The version of him that I had seen was always someone who stubbornly endured.
A man who moved forward without yielding in the face of any adversity, a man who gritted his teeth and held on even when things were difficult.
But the Do Gang-ho reflected in my eyes right now was not like that at all.
'Damn it.'
It was truly difficult to watch the hero I admired talking to a tree because he had no one else to open up to.
My stomach ached as I continued to watch him.
Even so, I could not turn my eyes away.
'Because I do not admire only the parts that shone brightly.'
I admired even the dark pain of the heroes.
I admired them for standing back up after overcoming that heavy burden.
That was why I could not look away from this bitterness.
Because to me, doing so would be no different than disrespecting the heroes.
I simply moved forward, one step at a time, with composure.
STEP, STEP.
As the distance closed, Do Gang-ho turned his head at the sound of my footsteps.
Then, he glared at me with a face like a demon.
"What are you? Are you perhaps part of that bastard's gang too, f*ck?"
A voice cracking like a land struck by drought, an expression so distorted it was crumpled.
I could tell just how much hostility he was feeling toward me right now.
'It cannot be helped.'
I felt a bit disappointed, but it was natural for Do Gang-ho to act like that.
Because among the people he had met at Glory up until now, there must not have been a single person on his side.
"Do Gang-ho."
"Seeing that you know me, you really are that bastard's lackey too. You fcking piece of sht."
"If you are talking about Lee Ho-jae, I have nothing to do with him."
"Then who are you, you bastard?!"
I pondered for a moment at Do Gang-ho's words.
My name was clearly written on my name tag, so what if I needlessly said, 'I am Choi Yu-seong' right here?
If I did that, he would definitely get even angrier.
After carefully choosing my answer for a moment, I opened my mouth once again.
"Someone who will help you."
"What?"
"And someone who admires you."
At my words, Do Gang-ho made a dumbfounded expression.
It was understandable.
Even I would be speechless if some guy who showed up while I was talking to a tree at a garbage dump started spouting nonsense like this.
But that was fine.
I had come here fully expecting to be treated like a crazy person anyway, had I not?
Therefore, I put on a thick skin and shamelessly continued speaking.
"How about it, do you not need help?"
"...Get lost."
"Ah, do you perhaps enjoy living like that? If so, I am sorry."
"You fcking sht! I told you to get lost, did I not?!"
Do Gang-ho, who had been crouching, abruptly jumped up from his spot.
When the guy, who was a full handspan taller than me, glared down at me, it was a little scary, but I still had to say what needed to be said.
"I did not say anything wrong, did I? If you say no even when I offered to help, does that not mean you like your current life?"
"What do you know?! Do you think I am doing this because I f*cking want to?"
"Then why are you doing this?"
"...Do you think I would tell someone like you?"
I already knew even if he did not tell me.
I had read the reason why Do Gang-ho had no choice but to endure it to the point of being sick of it.
"Is it because of your mother?"
"What the f*ck are you? How do you know that...!"
Do Gang-ho, who made a surprised expression for a moment, soon grabbed me by the collar.
Then, revealing deep anger toward me, he continued speaking.
"Did you come here knowing everything? Did you want to see me look even more pathetic? You son of a b*tch!"
"It is true that I came knowing about it, but I do not want to see you become miserable."
"Stop spouting bullsh*t!! You know what Lee Ho-jae is threatening me with, so how exactly are you going to help me?!"
His emotions were transmitted through Do Gang-ho's hands clutching my collar.
It felt like a fist would fly at me if I provoked him even a little more here.
'That would be troublesome.'
I was willing to take a hit if it was a punch from the hero I admired, but there was no need to take a hit I did not necessarily have to take.
I opened my mouth at Do Gang-ho's question.
"I came to find you because I have a way to help."
"So what is that method, you bastard?"
I wondered if I really had to tell him, but it seemed necessary to speak in order to gain Do Gang-ho's trust.
Because it was a matter that could potentially harm his mother, it was natural for him to want solid information.
'Besides, it will be fine to tell Do Gang-ho.'
It was not a good choice to reveal that a first-year cadet who had not even taken their Midterm Exams had made contact with an A-Rank Player.
Nevertheless, I trusted Do Gang-ho.
Because Do Gang-ho was someone who was absolutely clear about his debts of gratitude and grudges.
If he realized that what I was saying right now was the truth, he would keep it a secret.
"Do you know Shin Yu-hwan?"
"F*ck, it would be weirder not to know him. Stop dodging the question like that..."
"I asked him for a favor. I asked him to ensure that no pressure would be placed on you and your family."
"What? No, why on earth..."
Do Gang-ho made a deeply confused face.
That was a normal reaction.
After all, Shin Yu-hwan was a highly renowned Player.
I did not stop there and continued speaking.
"However, Shin Yu-hwan will only help up to the point of keeping the pressure off you. You have to handle the rest yourself."
This was the most important part of our current conversation.
I was strictly helping with the parts Do Gang-ho could not resolve on his own; the rest was entirely up to him.
'Still, he will need time to think.'
It would be a difficult matter to decide on immediately.
Because if my words turned out to be a lie, he could plunge even deeper into the abyss.
I handed Do Gang-ho a note.
"It is a note with my dormitory room number and Shin Yu-hwan's contact information. Think carefully, and if you feel like visiting me, come find me."
"......"
He gave no reply to my words, but he still obediently accepted the note.
There was nothing left for me to do here.
I left the garbage dump, leaving Do Gang-ho behind as he fell into deep contemplation.
***
Sitting alone in the garbage disposal area, Do Gang-ho was agonizing over what had just happened.
"Haa... F*ck. What on earth was that?"
Thinking about what that guy had said, it was an incredibly sweet proposal.
He was offering to help him escape from this gutter-like life, so how could the proposal not be sweet?
'But I cannot make a hasty decision.'
Was it because of his pride? Not at all.
If it had been a problem solely his own, he might have tried to uphold his pride, but how could he be proud when his mother's livelihood was at stake?
If what that guy said was true, he would have willingly slammed his head into the ground a hundred times to beg him.
Even so, it was not a matter that could be easily decided.
"I do not even know what that bastard does, so how can I just blindly accept it?"
When he asked for his identity, the guy said he was someone who admired him.
There was absolutely nothing trustworthy about that.
It was a pathetic thing to say, but where in the world would there be a person who admired a guy like him?
However, he remembered what the guy had said when he was about to reject it outright.
However, Shin Yu-hwan will only help up to the point of keeping the pressure off you. You have to handle the rest yourself.
Those words deeply pierced a corner of Do Gang-ho's heart.
If the guy had offered to help him with everything, he definitely would have refused.
Because he could not even begin to imagine what the guy would demand in return.
However, the statement that he would only help with the parts that Do Gang-ho could not resolve was enough to make his heart waver.
Because if it was something he could resolve on his own, he was confident he could endure and overcome any pain or hardship.
"Ah, right."
At that moment, Do Gang-ho suddenly remembered the note he had received from that suspicious guy.
When he opened his hand, a crumpled piece of paper was visible.
Inside it, just as the guy had said, a dormitory room number and a contact number were written down.
"...It will not be too late to decide after contacting him first."
With that thought, Do Gang-ho dialed the number with a trembling hand.
***
TICK TOCK.
The time flowed on endlessly.
It was a waste of time to just let it pass by without doing anything.
Even so, I had no choice but to sit steadfastly in the dormitory.
Because I had to wait for Do Gang-ho, who I did not know whether he would come or not.
Just as I was spending a long time sitting quietly like that.
DING DONG!
The dormitory bell rang.
'Has he made a decision?'
When I looked outside using the intercom, Do Gang-ho was standing there.
I could not see his face because his head was bowed down, but he had probably come after agonizing over it countless times.
I quickly ran to the door to greet Do Gang-ho.
"You are here? So your decision is..."
My words were cut off before I could finish.
Because Do Gang-ho suddenly barged in and started speaking first.
"Thank you."
"Huh?"
"I do not know why you are helping me, but I thought I should say this first."
Starting with those words, Do Gang-ho went on talking for a long time.
Things like: it was true he was thankful but he did not trust me, what the hell was I doing, and so on.
Like that, I had to stand and listen to Do Gang-ho's story for a solid thirty minutes.
***
"Are you done talking?"
"Yeah. Did I just say what I wanted to say?"
"It is fine. You must have had a lot you wanted to say."
Still, I did not want to hear any more.
That was the first time I learned that Do Gang-ho talked this much.
Since he barely spoke in the novel, I thought he was the reticent type, but it turned out he just did not have anyone to talk openly with.
'I need to change the subject quickly.'
If I stayed still, it felt like the day would end just listening to Do Gang-ho talk.
I brought up Shin Yu-hwan to change the topic.
"How was it, did you contact Shin Yu-hwan?"
"Yeah. He was a bit different from the image I knew, but he seemed like a nice person. He was even kind to a bastard like me."
That was a given.
Because Shin Yu-hwan was only vicious toward Villains and was quite generous to everyone else.
'But to think he is different from the image he knew...'
I roughly guessed what he meant, but I decided not to think about the details.
Because that would be the best path for both me and Shin Yu-hwan.
"That is great. However, as I said earlier today, you have to handle the rest yourself."
"Do not worry about that. I have no intention of asking for help anyway. I am going to crush that bastard Lee Ho-jae myself."
Do Gang-ho's voice sounded overflowing with confidence.
Yes, this was the hero I admired.
But there were some things that confidence alone could not solve.
"You know you still need a minimum plan, right?"
"A plan?"
"Yeah. The opponent is trash, but he is not an idiot."
Saying that, I held out a piece of paper to Do Gang-ho.
Do Gang-ho, who took it, looked over the contents and made a dumbfounded face.
"Are you really planning to do it on this day?"
"Yeah."
I nodded my head at Do Gang-ho's words.
Then, I stared into Do Gang-ho's eyes and spoke in a serious voice.
"The day of the Thanksgiving Festival. We will settle this with Lee Ho-jae then."