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The seniors encouraged each other, spitting lines that sounded straight out of a young adult manhwa.
Hwang Jiho’s forehead narrowed when he saw them.
“I thought these kids have already been caught, so why are they…”
“It’s our afterimage that’s caught.”
I like an afterimage.
I thought there were already a considerable number of crazy Class Zero alumni that were caught, but it looks like there are more.
‘Don’t tell me it’s not just seniors who recently graduated?’
Freshmen don’t know their faces so those in charge of them may be unable to tell if they graduated last year or the years before.
I was amazed at their madness that didn’t disappear even after they became adults.
Perhaps it’s because they graduated from a school run by a madman.
“But you guys, you look like our juniors.”
“They were playing the triangle and kkwaenggwari in the back during Miro’s performance.”
“Did you practice the triangle for the live performance?”
The seniors recognized Hwang Jiho and me from our class screening.
I thought they would be busy with whatever exorcism they were doing with the old school building, but it seems like they’re still enjoying the festival.
The seniors acted as if they felt one-sided inner intimacy.
They handed over some snacks they seem to have bought at the festival, but they gave me more than Hwang Jiho.
While they gave the snacks, they mentioned something about my triangle playing and that it made them worry a little.
…I don’t think I made a mistake during the performance though.
“You guys should be careful of the old building too!”
“I can’t believe we have such a polite Class Zero junior…”
“We’ll teach you the ritual skills ourselves. Keep in touch.”
“Goodbye, my juniors!”
After being semi-coerced to exchange device codes, the seniors disappeared in an instant.
Hwang Jiho looked like he wanted to capture the seniors and throw them to the old building right at that moment.
“I ordered to search the location where those bastards disappeared. Let’s just keep enjoying the festival.”
“I thought you’d go catch them yourself.”
“I can’t waste any more time.”
I guess he didn’t step back for the festival.
It will be our presentation time soon, so we should hurry.
Shortly after we passed the shortcut, we heard a loud noise.
Waaah!
“It’s a complete victory!”
With cheers from the audience, Im Yeonhwa ran around the gym with her fists clenched.
Seeing Woo Kihwan’s group lying on the ground, it seemed that they did their usual antics at the festival as well.
The audience was holding copies of the crazy book that Woo Kihwan had distributed before.
“What kind of competition was that just now?”
“It was a ssireum competition.”
“…I didn’t know ssireum can be played two-on-one.”
(T/N: Ssireum is Korean wrestling.)
Im Yeonhwa was touched by the booklet compilation of their memories, which seems to have led to this festival event.
This means that the seniors won’t be able to do nonsense during the festival though, so I think it will be okay.
When I was about to take a picture of Woo Kihwan’s class rolling on the floor…
“Professor Im Yeonhwa won this round as well!”
I heard the voice of my playable character.
I looked at the podium and found Jegal in a burgundy suit.
After he declared Im Yeonhwa’s victory, he began to introduce the next match.
‘I was wondering where Jegal went, and he was here hosting all along! Even the Class 2-0 seniors are no match for the strong homeroom teacher…’
If Im Yeonhwa and Class 3-0 are competing here, students from 2-0 won’t be able to make a fuss either.
From Jegal’s perspective, it’s better to host in that colorful suit than to see the enormous 3D photo book.
I took several pictures of Jegal and went to see the next project.
The first stop was Class 3-1 which has the highest average grade among the third-years.
“Welcome, Euishin and Jiho.”
Yoo Sanghee welcomed us wearing a traditional hanbok.
My playable characters look good in whatever clothes, but I felt like I was looking at the moon in the sky when I saw Yoo Sanghee with her long hair tied up.
She guided us to the tea table placed in front of a paper window made of energy waves.
She opened the window and we saw rain and wind with subtle thunderbolts.
Judging from the energy waves, it seems that it is a landscape made by Do Wonwoo’s electric technique.
The scenery changes every hour, but we seem to have come at a time when summer was being depicted.
“I’ll pay for you two. Choose what you want to eat.”
Yoo Sanghee handed a menu made of Korean paper.
The menu was written in calligraphy directly with ink and brush.
Their class was running a traditional oriental medicine teahouse, and they seem to have paid a lot of attention to every prop.
‘I don’t see Do Wonwoo, Oh Hyeji, Sung Siwan, and Ji Myungsoo.’
Oh Hyeji must be busy talking to the Joo-Oh Group about the incident with Joo Soori.
Are the other three dealing with the Class Zero alumni?
At that moment, the scent of flowers fused with the scent of herbal tea.
“The team master of Hydrangea Scent…!”
“Baekhwa Nanman isn’t from our school though, so why is she here?”
“Myungsoo will join the Hydrangea Scent. I think that’s why.”
“That’s Ji Myungsoo in front.”
The door opened and revealed Ji Myungsoo accompanying someone.
It was a woman who seemed to be of similar age to Kwon Jein.
It is said that she can make flowers bloom, and every step she took spread the scent of blooming flowers.
“That’s Baekhwa Nanman, team master of the Hydrangea Scent.”
Ji Myungsoo smiled and talked with the team master of one of the nation’s top four player teams.
It was good to see that Ji Myungsoo adapted well to dealing with a famous player.
‘Ji Myungsoo didn’t join the Hydrangea Scent in PMH.’
He died in the First Christmas scenario, but he didn’t pass the interview either.
Although he joined a mid-sized player team, it wasn’t as good as the Hydrangea Scent.
At that time, Ji Myungsoo was suffering from numerous incidents, and he didn’t have the ease to focus on things.
He didn’t make it obvious at school, but any player who experienced parental warfare would’ve recognized it.
That’s why Ju Myongsoo had a hard time at the Hydrangea Scent interview.
“Sanghoon just left. It would’ve been nice if you saw each other.”
Yoo Sanghee handed me a lilyturf tea with honey.
It wasn’t easy choosing from the menu, so I asked Yoo Sanghee to recommend me something.
I took a sip and felt instant warmth and relief in my throat.
After taking some pictures, I looked around at the other third-years projects.
After stopping by the newspaper department’s chief’s class, the time for our live performance approached.
***
After receiving Hwangho’s report, it was the Jiikhoe was deployed to catch the remaining Class Zero alumni.
They fled to Cheonik Mountain, but the Jiikhoe quickly identified their location perhaps thanks to their experience chasing around Woo Kihwan.
“Geuhk! I’m so mad! We could’ve sent those ghosts back to the sky this time!”
“Hahaha, our seniors didn’t change even after graduating. You can leave those ghosts up to your juniors.”
“We can’t trust you! The ghosts that are now nailed to the old school building may be released and come after us!”
The alumni screamed, but no one listened to him.
Park Seunghyun, a freshman member of the Jiikhoe, was only relieved after the last alumni was dragged by Sung Siwan.
‘I was worried, but it’s a relief.’
Jiikhoe was quick to locate and handle the seniors, but they almost missed them because they were dealing with graduates who are professional players.
Park Seunghyun overcame the crisis by reinforcing the Jiikhoe members’ powers with his light skill Military Song.
Perhaps because it’s been a while since he used it, or because of the all-too-similar whistle sound that he heard during the exchange match, Park Seunghyun felt complicated.
‘The whistle I heard that time was a little lighter and more widespread…’
The whistle was similar to his, but it was hard to think that it was the same light skill because it was more powerful.
‘The output was much higher. If I can reproduce that sound perfectly…’
Park Seunghyun began whistling, thinking of the sound that he heard when Baekho was doing the sword dance.
He descended the mountain alone and when his energy waves unknowingly flowed, his light skill activated.
Grab.
Something appeared at a frightening speed and grabbed Park Seunghyun’s arm.
It was Kim Chul, clad in his suit.
He was returning from Cheonik Mountain after searching for Joo Soori when he heard the whistle and he came running at full speed.
“Student, that whistle…!”
However, Kim Chul couldn’t finish his words.
He reflexively raised his hand and turned around.
Fwaang!
He caught a soccer ball wrapped in energy waves.
Someone kicked it and fired a shot, and Kim Chul successfully caught it.
Everything happened so quickly and Park Seunghyun didn’t understand the situation.
“Seunghyun-ah! Are you okay? There was another Class Zero alumni and… Oh? Chul hyung?”
It was Kim Hyungoo, Kim Chul’s cousin, who fired the shot.
Recognizing his hyung, he blinked a few times.
He attacked when he saw someone running to Park Seunghyun, thinking that it was a senior from Class Zero.
Kim Hyungoo asked with a blank look.
“I thought you were going to be working on the festival day, Chul hyung. Why are you here?”
“I’m here because of work. But…”
Kim Chul was still holding Park Seunghyun in one hand.
“So you’re Hyungoo’s friend.”
Kim Chul thought that he finally found the true hero of the Kimopolea incident.
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
***
Central area, at the merchant hall.
The central auditorium is used for entrance and graduation ceremonies.
The club and classes will present performances today.
Presentations had already begun, but we had enough time until our class’ live.
Somehow though, the atmosphere wasn’t good.
“The Korean Traditional Music Club’s performance was amazing…”
“Aren’t they still performing?”
“They have a total of four songs. But in the first song, someone made an amazing performance…”
Our school’s Korean traditional music club is famous enough to be invited to traditional music concerts on TV.
The order of presentation was decided by lot, but our class happened to be next to perform.
“It happened after their first song and while they were preparing for the next one.”
Mok Wooram explained what happened.
While the audience gave a standing ovation, someone who revealed that he was a royal lineage clan head presented an energy instrument to the haegeum player.
With a request to play in his territory.
Hwang Jiho pressed on his temple at the mention of a royal lineage.
“Who the hell… Well, there are so many people I can guess.”
There were 12 clan heads.
‘There was a scene in PMH where a clan head gave a musical instrument as a gift.’
But that was the story of the clan head and the haegeum player.
There are differences in details, but the flow seemed to be similar.
While I was comparing the situation with PMH, Hwang Jiho asked something.
“So did the haegum player decide to go to the royal lineage’s realm?”
“I think they’re busy fighting with their homeroom teacher so…”
The haegeum player is Class 3-0’s vice president!
Come to think of it, I didn’t see Woo Kihwan’s vice president earlier.
“Is the royal lineage still here?”
“Hmm…, no he didn’t want to stay for long so he left after the haegeum performance.”
“…”
Hwang Jiho looked speechless for a moment.
Who the hell is that clan head?
I don’t know who it is, but it seemed like they intended to meet the haegeum player from the start.
I don’t know if I should be glad that I didn’t run into the clan head.
“It’s okay, I’ll work hard to lighten up the mood!”
Dokgo Miro must be the most nervous among all of us, but she reassured the kids.
Our classmates gradually regained their smiles, but they still seemed worried.
It was lamentable that there was so little that I could do as a triangle player.
‘I should at least not make a mistake.’
The atmosphere reached its peak after the cheerful and magnificent sound created by the Korean Traditional Music Club,
It was an admirable performance, but it felt heavy knowing that we’d be performing next.
[The next class to go on stage is Class 1-0.]
While the stage was being set, the host began to introduce our class.
Though the introduction felt a bit too short.
We took a deep breath and stepped on the stage.
Clap!
Waah!
As soon as our class went up, a huge round of applause and shouts were heard from one side.
It was such a loud cheer that almost felt comforting.
Other audiences even looked at the source for a moment.
Looking at the side where I heard the overwhelming sound, I saw a welcoming face.
It was Jang Namwook and bald cadets from the Military Academy.
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