I shouted at Kwon Yuri, who seemed to fly down the stairs.
“Wait! If we leave those two like that…”
“Don’t worry, chick! I’ve called the other professors! They’ll handle it well!”
“But…”
As if she had read my mind, Kwon Yuri interrupted me before I could finish my sentence.
“Relax! It’ll end without any trouble! It’s mutual, after all, mutual!”
Reading that, it seems like both sides are at fault, so they won’t escalate things unnecessarily in the cradle.
Thinking that made me feel a bit more at ease.
Before I knew it, the furious voice of Yeon Minha faded away, and I was bounced along, gripped by the hand of the female student rushing down the spiral staircase.
With that urgent movement, I didn’t even think to complain about letting go. But why is Professor Shin Jae-yu suddenly looking for me?
Since being chased out of the office last time, we haven’t spoken personally. Did she change her mind about telling me something regarding Seol Yujeong?
After a while of being dragged along, we finally reached the entrance of a quiet walking path at the edge of the plaza.
The female student with tear points in her eyes finally let go of my wrist.
At the same moment, the faint, prickling discomfort that had been swirling around my body vanished without a trace.
“Haou… Haou…! I’m dying here. Should I start exercising? Haou… but why is she still okay? Youth is really great…”
Kwon Yuri leaned against a thick old tree that was ten times broader than her body.
Every time she gasped for breath, the buttons on her shirt seemed ready to pop off.
“Why are we here? Professor Shin Jae-yu’s office is over there in the main building…”
“Ugh, chick! Why are you so clueless? Can’t you tell at a glance?”
Kwon Yuri, catching her breath, cut off my confused question in midair.
“Of course it’s a lie.”
“…What?”
Her innocent expression, with her eyes almost squinting, left me speechless. My mind was in a whirl, unable to grasp her intentions.
“Why go so far as to lie about it…?”
“Just. It’s fun, you know.”
“…?”
“Just kidding, just kidding. Hehehe… I was thinking of helping you.”
“Helping? Who do you mean?”
“Well? Who might it be? Seoyeon? That’s not exactly wrong, but…”
Kwon Yuri, with a sly smile unbefitting her pristine look, leaned in closer.
“I’m talking about you.”
“What?”
“You were in a tricky situation, right? Stuck in the middle, unable to do anything. My sister sees everything.”
Kwon Yuri said in a sweet tone mixed with an underlying jab, looking at me intently.
For a moment, my heart sank. Her words struck right at what I had felt earlier.
Kwon Yuri’s eyes were still bright and carefree, but they now glimmered with an edge that hadn’t been there before.
Stuck in between. Between who and who?
Does this woman know something?
“…”
I barely calmed my racing heart.
It’s a past relationship that no one knows about. The only person who knows my identity in this cradle is Yeon Minha, and I can be absolutely certain about that.
Let alone the fact that she will never guess what I feel right now.
She probably just turned the lament of a freshman caught up in a dispute among upperclassmen into a joke.
“What are you talking about? I haven’t been in a difficult situation.”
Feigning calm, I shook my head and spoke in an intentionally stern tone.
“Next time, please don’t do anything like this on your own. It’s unpleasant.”
“Wait… wait! Why are you so cold-hearted? Hmm?”
But as I tried to turn away, Kwon Yuri hurriedly blocked my path.
“Ugh… I went out of my way to help you, and all I get is complaints…? How sad, how sad…”
She even raised both hands to her eyes, pretending to sob.
Yet her voice was still filled with joy.
I was so frustrated that I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It’d be easier to deal with someone who’s swearing or throwing punches.
I felt like I had become a toy to be played with…
“…Pfft.”
Kwon Yuri, who had been pretending to wail, opened her eyes slightly to check my reaction.
Then she burst into light laughter and lowered her hands.
Kwon Yuri cleared her throat and looked up at me, speaking again.
“Ahem. Anyway, our chick. You owe me one now, you know?”
“Where does the debt come from?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not asking for much. We agreed to have a meal together next time, right? You pay for it.”
“When did we agree…”
“And maybe if Minha tries to kill me, you have to step in? The other side too.”
“Why would I…”
“Oh my! Look at me! I’ve got afternoon classes soon!”
Kwon Yuri cut me off, hurrying to look at her wristwatch. Then she feigned a dramatic surprise.
“Our chick, take care! When we meet again, greet me! Bye!”
“Wait…!”
Kwon Yuri, who had appeared like the wind, vanished with the same swiftness.
Like a rabbit, she dashed away and disappeared in an instant.
Before I knew it, I was left all alone on the empty walking path.
However, Kwon Yuri’s words still floated around in my mind.
“…Other side?”
*
Just as Kwon Yuri said, the situation didn’t escalate. There were no disciplinary committees called, nor did any rumors about the collision spread.
Only a notice about temporarily closing the annex hallway for emergency repairs was issued, and here and there, students were seen grumbling about this unilateral notification.
But the ambiguous and provocative actions of Yeon Minha, the way she fell for that immature behavior, Kwon Yuri’s sudden appearance, and the nonsensical conversation that followed, as well as Yeon Minha’s calm demeanor when I later pressed her for information, remained etched in my mind.
In this cradle, the only one contemplating that collision was me.
“Are you okay?”
The Library of the Cradle.
Just as I brushed aside my thoughts and sat down at my usual corner seat to do my assignment, a deep voice from behind broke my concentration.
When I turned around, I saw a male student with a large build and short hair standing right in the narrow hallway.
Without hesitation, Choi Woojin approached, pulled out the chair beside me, and sat down.
“What’s with the sudden inquiry?”
“Your face looks like it’s seen better days. How can the Heukryeon crown prince look like that? If you’re carrying the family name, you should always be proud. Tsk.”
What, does he have some sort of mind-reading ability? I can’t even see his face behind that mask, and he assumes I’m looking gloomy?
I’m getting really tired of hearing about being the Heukryeon crown prince. Who even started that rumor? I think I first saw it in the newspaper.
If I ever meet the reporter who coined that term, I might just throw a punch without realizing it.
“So what are you now, the one who lost to that gloomy person?”
“Hehe, people make mistakes. If we face off again, it won’t be easy.”
Choi Woojin boldly countered my words without a hint of embarrassment.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help my gaze wandering to something he was holding.
“Is that a newspaper?”
A weekly paper published under the name of the Cradle’s newspaper department. I read it whenever I have the chance. My sisters said it was perfect for filling my lack of general knowledge.
Surprisingly, there was a demand for it among civilians as well. Maybe because the students who run it often have insider information that the reporters don’t know.
“People like us should be devouring this kind of content. After living as a frog in a well for so long, there’s no better way to feel the hardships of the common folk.”
Choi Woojin said, tapping the newspaper.
Even though our stances were different, I couldn’t help but agree with his words. I just never expected him to have such an open-minded attitude…
Noticing my puzzled expression, Choi Woojin frowned slightly.
“What’s with that reaction?”
“It’s surprising. I never thought I’d hear you say the words ‘hardships of the common folk.’ Didn’t you used to hate those students from less prestigious backgrounds?”
“Excuse me. I don’t discriminate against people for that reason. I can’t just reject someone with outstanding skills and ambition just because they come from poverty. In our republic, there’s always a shortage of talent. I just detest those who suck up and rely on others, with their roots in flattery. Like…”
Choi Woojin paused before looking at me with an annoying grin.
“Like the ‘freak’ who wore a mask at the entrance ceremony to get noticed by high-ranking families and corporate headhunters?”
Even though I’m publicly recognized as belonging to Heukryeon by now, Choi Woojin deliberately brought up my past.
I guess even though he looks like that, a noble family is still a noble family. His words are quite skillful.
His unexpected appearance and half-daring tone were immensely irritating, yet he skillfully scratched that irksome spot without crossing the line.
Finally letting out a sigh internally, I naturally glanced at the headline of the newspaper he brought.
-Operation to reclaim the uninhabited zone is progressing… Will the long-held desire to reclaim the City of Light finally be realized… Exclusive written interview with Haewolhwa (3rd report)
Suddenly, a familiar name caught my eye. The last time I spoke with the principal was a few weeks ago.
To smoothly infiltrate Yeon Minha’s dormitory, I had asked her to adjust the patrol routes of the caretaker.
She left the cradle to join the Southern Expeditionary Force right before I got tangled up in the Jeokhwa incident.
“Where is the City of Light?”
“It seems I’m not the one who should be reading the newspaper. How could you not know the City of Light?”
At my instinctive question, Choi Woojin set down the newspaper he had brought on the table.
“It was once one of the central cities of an ancient civilization. Now, it has become part of the uninhabited zone ruins.”
“The uninhabited zone, huh… So it’s near Jinryeong?”
“Near? That’s a bit far. It’s located roughly 130 km south of Jinryeong in a straight line. The actual travel distance will probably feel much longer. The ancient civilization’s road network has long been destroyed, so we’ll have to go around mountains and rivers.”
130 km, huh… that’s almost the straight distance between the cradle and Jinryeong.
When I went to Jinryeong on the last request, it took several days. So now we’re talking about traveling that same distance just to get to the city.
It seems the uninhabited zone encompasses a much vaster area than I had vaguely imagined.
“Right now, they say they’ve advanced 95 km south of Jinryeong to establish a foothold. That alone is a remarkable achievement, something no one has accomplished before. Truly, our principal is an amazing person.”
Choi Woojin read the article in a voice filled with admiration.
“I can’t even imagine what they were like in their younger days. They’re still showing such prowess even now…”
“…Is the principal really that impressive?”
I was genuinely curious. I had only heard indirect remarks about their character, and I had never heard directly about the principal’s strength.
It’s certain they are among the elite. Their appearance still looks youthful. And holding such a heavy position as the principal of the cradle.
Even during the Jeokhwa incident, my father mentioned that if the principal had been in the capital, things wouldn’t have escalated this far.
However, upon hearing my question, Choi Woojin shot me a look that screamed “Are you serious, dude?”
“That’s a bit excessive, don’t you think? Did you grow up in the outskirts? Or are you just trying to provoke me?”
“…I really don’t know. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”
“Well, there’s nothing particularly I can’t share…”
Realizing I was genuinely curious, Choi Woojin scratched his head and continued explaining.
“I heard from my father, but apparently, there was a saying back in the day.”
“What’s that?”
“‘If Haewolhwa had no feelings of laxity, the throne would have been hers.'”
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