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33. Outcome of choice (3)

"I'm fine! I'm sane[1]! I have work to do, so can you let me go?"

"Can't."

To Sihu rebuked teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim's words, but was blocked by my homeroom teacher-nim's sternness.

'He doesn't look sane at all.'

Hollow eyes and shadows underneath them.

Blue lips.

Towel sitting atop his dripping wet hair.

No matter where you looked, it wasn't normal.

"Geurin, come behind me."

"Uh…"

Song Daeseok sensed To Sihu's extraordinary lunatic power.

Before Min Geurin could reply, he pulled her arm and hid her behind him.

While that was happening, To Sihu was observing Ham Geun-hyeong's expression for a chance to flee.

'He doesn't seem to know that I'm here.'

Eungwang School's head of the Student Department was someone who even the crazy and wild class 0 seniors couldn't get sassy with.

There was no way that teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim would let him escape.

"Hello, teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim. What did To Sihu do?"

After I said hello, To Sihu made a surprised expression as if he recognized me late.

'You probably brought him here knowing that I would be coming today, right? You would have known that I and To Sihu know each other, considering the Baseball Stadium and Boat Party cases.'

Even though there was no manpower to overpower To Sihu in Gongwon Province, there was an option of calling for support from Seoul to hand him over.

But teacher Ham Geun-hyeong went through the trouble of dragging this guy up to Hongcheon's Gari Mountain.

He had to decide to confront him with me, who was his peer and an acquaintance.

"Today's morning, a request for help came from the Seorak Sunrise Park's travel bureau via Sokcho's maritime police office."

Teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim's explanation was as follows:

Seashore side of the Seorak Mountain, Seorak Sunrise Park, which was called Naemulchi[2].

In the morning, an employee at the information desk spotted a male highschooler with short hair blankly sitting under a black pine[3].

'Final exams are soon, so he came to clear his head?'

When the employee thought so.

The male highschooler stripped to his underwear and suddenly jumped into the sea.

Water average temperature in June was between 14 and 19 degrees.

'These days, there are many Players, who use strange training methods or streamers who produce dangerous content…is it something like that?'

Even while thinking like this, the information desk's employee was worried about the student.

He soon discovered To Sihu struggling and drowning in the water and terrified went to his rescue.

And that repeated.

"Repeated?"

"Yeah. First in front of the tourist information desk, next on Oeongchi beach, Sokcho beach, Cheongho beach[4], Deungdae beach… As people stopped him, he followed the coastline and moved north to jump again."

What the hell did To Sihu want to do?

"I wasn't just jumping."

"Can you swim? But for it to be like that…"

"No, I can't swim. I was thinking that I just lack the basics, but I can do it."

I guess that confidence in the lack of basics was the reason To Sihu left such a journey record.

Song Daeseok, who observed this scene, asked as if he doubted his ears.

"What did you say?"

"If I fail this much, this is the time I will succeed, you know." [5]

To Sihu was making an insane sound.

"This time will be really the last! I bet I can float now. Ah, I think I almost got it! Please send me to sea. As I said, it seems I can succeed in swimming for the first time!"

I didn't know if To Sihu really couldn't swim, but it became certain that if this guy gambled, the TC Group or something would all blow up.

When everyone shut their mouth for a moment in the madness of such lunatic power.

"I'll explain in length why you're a lunatic."

Song Daeseok broke the silence by reiterating objective facts.

To Sihu, who sensed that the atmosphere became cold, made a sullen face.

"Jumping from a high place out of your own volition, without flying skills or items, is called a 'suicide jump', you know? Aren't you the bastard who was now doing that? A bastard, who can't even swim, getting into the sea in early June? And you repeated drowning and getting rescued a few times? Ordinary people can't stop Players, who look like lunatics, you know? The precious manpower of the Korean Republic is going to be wasted right now because of one such jerk. Isn't it what you call acting like a lunatic?"

After Song Daeseok applied fact violence several times longer than the line To Sihu said before, To Sihu made an even more sullen expression.

"Daeseok…!"

Min Geurin, who was overwhelmed by To Sihu's lunatic power, came to her senses late and stopped Song Daeseok, but it was already after he said everything he wanted to say.

"I thought that the things may get bigger if I contact To Sihu's home or school, so first of all I said I'd take care of it. Then I asked if there was any place I could contact, but he kept his mouth shut, huh?"

As teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim spoke like this, he looked at me.

I nodded my head, while saying a word:

"There is currently someone searching for To Sihu. I'll contact him."

When I unfolded a hologram, To Sihu hesitated and then asked:

"… Are you going to contact Su-hyeok?"

"I'll contact Ju Su-hyeok later."

"… Then Wonu hyung?"

Looking at how he was speaking, it seemed that To Sihu knew I was about to contact Jang Namuk.

I thought there was no need to reply, so I shut my mouth and wrote a message.

[Me] To Sihu found. [6]

Message was immediately marked as read and reply came.

[Jang Namuk] Where?

[Jang Namuk] Please send coordinates. I'll go straight away! No, if you're currently coming here, we may miss each other, right? What should I do? Should I wait?

[Jang Namuk] No, the current Sihu may come and then flee the other way again.

[Jang Namuk] Uisin, first of all, please tell me where you are. I'm going to catch him now.

Looking at the messages, Jang Namuk was showing how much he had worried.

I spoke while looking at painter Hong Gyeongbok.

"It seems that To Sihu's friend wishes to come to pick him up. Can I inform him about this place's coordinates?"

"Hehe, there are a lot of guests coming today, huh? Geurin's friend should be at ease and do as he pleases."

At the word 'Geurin's friend', Song Daeseok made a displeased face, but as Min Geurin quietly stared at him from the side, he shut his mouth.

"Namuk is coming?"

"Yeah."

To Sihu was making a face saying that he wanted to crush my device right now.

However, right behind him was Ham Geun-hyeong with a fierce expression and sharp eyes, so he couldn't do anything.

While feeling anew how reassuring our homeroom teacher-nim was, I wrote the coordinates with a comfortable mind.

"Let's not talk outside. Everyone, come inside."

At painter Hong Gyeongbok's words, everyone, including To Sihu, entered the shack.

It was early summer, but it was still cold in the mountains, so To Sihu, who went sea-bathing, was given the most sunshine spot and hot jujube-ginger tea.

"My apologies for not informing beforehand, elder."

"Hehehe, no. It's bustling here after such a long time, so it feels very nice."

Painter Hong Gyeongbok stopped us, who were about to help, and he spoke while he personally handed us cooled down ginger honey tea.

"You're student Jo Uisin, Geun-hyeong's disciple and our Geurin and Daeseok's class friend?"

Painter Hong Gyeongbok, who took a seat, looked at me with soft eyes.

But it seemed Song Daeseok didn't like the expression 'Daeseok's class friend' very much.

"Yes, elder. I'm class 0's vice president."

"Hehehe, you're very bright."

Hearing such words, after only hearing that I look suspicious or have a low intelligence, my stomach tickled.

"Master-nim, in fact, he is the one who gifted me the item card and AR glasses…"

Min Geurin gave a simple explanation of the incident when I gave her the 'Water Droplet with the Breath of Mermaid' and AR glasses.

Hearing that story, painter Hong Gyeongbok's gaze softened even more.

In particular, when he heard that all class children wore exclusive makers for Min Geurin, a bit of tears dripped down.

"Yeah? I heard that class 0's members are all troublemakers, but Geun-hyeong's disciples are nothing but all kind and good guys!"

"Yes! Our classmates are all kind!"

As expected, reputable painters know well.

All of our class guys were nothing but kind.

"Because of it, a bright and kind kid was chosen as vice class president very well. Hehehe."

"Yes! He is suspicious but a good vice president!"

I waited for the conversation flow to change, but painters' words of blessings didn't end.

Anyhow, the 'suspicious' wasn't dropped, but in the end there was nothing but praise, so the feelings were subtle.

'Should I ask that question?'

Opportunely, all people who were here, were people who could be trusted.

Because there was no one else here but people who fought against the Dark Mastermind in the game and died.

"Painter-nim, can I ask you one question?"

"Yeah, speak."

"I wanted to ask about the trigger that made you paint the 'Death of Imoogi'."

"It was probably the event of my close hyung-nim requesting it. He suddenly called me, saying he wanted me to paint it by all means, huh?"

Hong Gyeongbok's gaze turned towards the frame hanging on the wall.

Between Iron Arm Song Manseok and painter Hong Gyeongbok in their younger days, and between the Guideline Club Hall and Student Council Hall, was a face I saw at the hologram of the secret passage.

It was the old Korea Branch's head.

"There were many directives about everything, right? The Imoogi's body in the sketch had to be precisely three chi[7] based on my fingers. When coloring, I had to make a dye myself by mixing vermilion[8] with viola flowers[9]…"

Painter Hong Gyeongbok's voice was full of longing.

"What I didn't like the most was probably the paper. Even when I persistently said that I hate its texture, he begged me to paint it on the 'otherworldly paper', huh? In the end, I broke under Seong hyung's persistence, but… If I knew he would go away like this, I wouldn't have nitpicked and painted it quicker."

Otherworldly paper?

There was even an item like this?

When I was listening carefully to each word Hong Gyeongbok said.

"…!"

Suddenly Ham Geun-hyeong and painter Hong Gyeongbok simultaneously stood up from their seats and looked up into the sky.

Tratratratratra….

When I perked up my ears, I heard something similar to the sound of an engine in the distance.

"It's an area where airbuses and air taxis' operation is banned, so what is that sound? It's difficult to move in the mountain terrain with ground moving vehicles."

"The engine sound is too loud. It seems to be the sound of a helicopter."

It seemed that Song Daeseok and Min Geurin also noticed.

As if To Sihu recognized the identity of the sound, his expression gradually became stiff.

Looking at this expression, I also come to a rough guess.

"Let's go outside."

As we went outside, I saw a large tiltrotor hovering above the vicinity of the shack.

All trees and plants swayed in the wind caused by the tiltrotor's propeller.

"You guys, hide behind me. Elder, please come inside."

"Hehe, this little is nothing."

Teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim and painter Hong Gyeongbok stood in front of us to block the wind.

The two Players withstood the wind pressure without faltering.

'Those two People also seemed to recognize the tiltrotor's identity.'

On the tiltrotor's exterior, covered by otherworldly metal, a big and beautiful emblem of Player Military Academy was engraved.

It seemed to be a tiltrotor used at Military Academy for training.

Soon, the tiltrotor's door opened and people, holding item cards, started to jump down in order.

The five people with buzz cuts who fell down were cadets.

Paat! Papat! Swish!

After they stably landed using the items, the tiltrotor started to turn in the air.

Tratratratratra…!

The engine sound becoming distant and the wind pressure easing.

Amidst that, Jang Namuk sprinted like the wind and blew a punch to To Sihu's face.

"To Sihu, you fucking lunatic!"

Bang!

It was the first time I witnessed Jang Namuk cursing since the Son Mingi incident.

To Sihu tried to avoid, but perhaps because he lost his strength through the nonsensical challenge, he ended up taking a hit and then said:

"No matter what, doing that the moment you see someone…!"

Baaang!

Before To Sihu finished his words, he took another punch on his other cheek.

It was a blow that made even the observing people feel refreshed.

Puk! Bang!

After To Sihu staggered, all other buzz cuts appeared and started beating him up.

As if they decided their order beforehand, following Jang Namuk, they started slamming the stomach, back of the head, back, etc.

In any case, it wasn't a beating which would kill him, so Ham Geun-hyeong pretended he didn't know and didn't stop it.

"Kids are very energetic. I should prepare five more tea cups. Hehe."

Painter Hong Gyeongbok was observing the one-sided trashing occurring in front of his home with a smile.

He was a great man worthy of Korea's great artist.

*~*~*

[1] I'm sane – could also mean 'uninjured', 'not sick'. So in the following sentences, when Jo Uisin says he doesn't 'look sane', he also means that he doesn't look healthy.

[2] Naemulchi – 'In a drowned village'. Named as such by famous neo-confucianism scholar Song Siyeol, who planned to stay in this place for a night during his exile, but was forced to stay longer when the village was drowned because of heavy rains.

[3] black pine – japanese black pine – Pinus thunbergii – it's usually called 'gomsol' (black pine) but the author used a different name 'haesong' (rich pine).

[4] Cheongho beach – a real place in Korea! But it sadly doesn't stand for blue tiger. Hanja means 'blue lake'. Still, we can imagine…

[5] "If I fail this much, this is the time I will succeed, you know." – To Sihu is so out of his mind, he is using a polite tone even when talking to Song Daeseok, who is his peer. Well, you can excuse him on account that they don't know each other.

[6] [Me] To Sihu found. – Hah, so Jo Uisin uses here a form that I usually interpret as someone sounding cute, so it could be 'Found To Sihu~', but it doesn't fit this situation, so I suspect it was used to turn a verb into a noun to make it sound like reporting.

[7] three chi – one chi = about 3,03 centimeters, so it would be about 9 centimeters

[8] vermilion – mercury sulfide – the name used in raws is 은주 (eun-ju), roughly meaning red silver.

.

[9] viola flowers – the name used in raws is 자화 (ja-hwa) red/purple flowers.

Translator's note: I planned to make a longer note about [2] Naemulchi with all of mine and Solarin's research into the meaning of that name, but then footnotes [3] and [8] also happened and now all I can say is 'I'm fine, I'm sane!'.