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Hong Gyubin met Seodol when his surname was still Namgung.
Seodol wasn’t Neuru’s designer yet, but he was often invited to parties of famous designer brands.
That’s when the two met, and Namgung Gyubin caught Seodol’s eyes.
— Not bad, but no fun.
Seodol said so and turned his back.
After that, Seosol never talked to Namgung Gyubin again.
But after Namgung Gyubin became Hong Gyubin…
— Do you remember me? I’m Seodol, but I’m actually the Rat Clan’s head. You can call me Prankster too. Would you like to receive my order?
When Hong Gyubin cut ties with the Namgung Group and passed the Player Association’s open recruitment, Seodol visited him and revealed his identity.
The head of the Rat Clan offered to give him his order.
However, Hong Gyubin, who was busy uprooting his life, didn’t have much room.
He was living a tight daily life both mentally and materially.
Compared to Namgung Gyubin, the son of a conglomerate group, Hong Gyubin’s position in society was low.
Nevertheless, Seodol gave up his pride and clung to Hong Gyubin.
— The first thing I actually noticed was the Namok Poet, you know? But one day, the poet suddenly declared that he was not going to write anymore. I was looking for the cause, and I found you!
Seodol dug up Hong Gyubin’s wounds.
Namgung Group did everything to make Hong Gyubin give up his dreams of becoming a player.
One of the measures was to break his respect for Jegal.
If the Namok Poet swears that he will stop writing poems, he will no longer be involved in the future of Namgung Gyubin.
Jegal was dubbed the Namok Poet when he was just a teenager, and every time he was interviewed, he would say that his aspiration was to become a poet.
It was his lifelong dream to put it simply.
His relationship with Namgung Gyubin as a tutor was only short.
In the Namgung Family, of course, they believed that Jegal would choose his dream and Namgung Gyubin would become a faithful successor to the family after being disappointed by the decision of his most trusted teacher.
However, Jegal abandoned his dream without hesitation and chose the path that would make his student’s dreams come true.
— Alright. As long as you don’t interfere with Gyubin’s choice, I won’t write poems for the rest of my life.
Jegal swore it without letting Namgung Gyubin interfere.
Namgung Gyubin insisted that he take back his words, but Jegal refused.
— I wanted to be a poet. But I also want to be a good teacher. I chose to be a good teacher than a poet even if it pains my heart.
Jegal declared so, not a single hint of regret on his face.
There’s no doubt in Jegal’s words in the first place since he’s under Thoth’s order.
All Hong Gyubin could do was succeed as a player and not waste his teacher’s sacrifice.
So Hong Gyubin made efforts to overcome the worst competition rate ever and passed the Player Association’s open recruitment.
Then, however Seodol found out about it, the Rat Clan head came to him
.Seodol seemed to be waiting for the day that Hong Gyubin showed results as a player.
— I’m really looking forward to the future of the student that the Namok Poet tried to protect. And you, you have a very valuable ability, you know? It’s just the way you behave, and I think you’re fit for my order.
Seodol also seemed to have grasped Hong Gyubin’s intuition skills.
He was just like a mouse who listened to the whispers of the night.
Hong Gyubin continued to refuse though, bothered by Seodol’s use of honorifics and formal language.
But Seodol didn’t give up.
It was because of Jegal that Hong Gyubin’s will was broken.
— Namgung can’t interfere with your choice, but it’s different for the Namok Poet. You can’t protect him with your power alone.
— What do you mean?
— Do you know that the Namok Poet cannot get a job right now? He has a teacher’s license, but no school is accepting him. He doesn’t last long even as a tutor or in review academies. Who do you think did that?
Hong Gyubin’s eyes became distant when he heard Seodol’s words.
Jegal hasn’t responded to him recently.
It seemed that he avoided him, knowing that Hong Gyubin would feel guilty.
But that wasn’t the only thing.
He knew how Namgung would retaliate and deliberately kept Hong Gyubin away so he would no longer be involved.
— There’s a school that can accept the Namok Poet. Korea’s most prestigious high school, Eungwang Player Master High School.
Hong Gyubin couldn’t hide his disappointment.
Behind Eungwang High is the Hwangmyeong Foundation.
The Hwangmyeong Group wouldn’t be daunted by pressure from the Namgung Group.
However, the fact that Jegal is still unemployed means that influence from Namgung reached the application process somehow.
— Professor Jegal wanted to be a teacher at Eungwang High. I’m sure he’s applied to the school before.
— That school is a little rotten inside, you know. The Chairman is quite lazy. If the Namgung Group had given some money to the staff in charge of recruitment, they would’ve kicked the Namok Poet right away. Really, it’s no fun when the chairman of the board is negligent.
Seodol was annoyed, his last sentence being in informal language.
He didn’t seem to like the chairman’s negligence and laziness.
— But if you get my order and visit the chairman, I’m sure he’ll be interested. If the chairman doesn’t respond still… Well, I don’t like it, but I’ll find another way.
He had little faith in Seodol, but Hong Gyubin had no choice.
Having just joined the association, Hong Gyubin couldn’t think of any other way to protect Jegal from the pressure of the Namgung Group.
— Professor Jegal made a greater sacrifice for my dream. Getting an order from a dubious royal lineage is nothing.
And so Hong Gyubin received an order from Seodol and went to meet Hwangho, the chairman of Eungwang High.
Hwangho was a difficult person to meet, but he successfully contacted him through a business card he received as Namgung Gyubin.
— Welcome. I see you’re no longer Namgung Gyubin, but Hong Gyubin. It has been a while.
Silver Hall, the Chairman’s office.
Hwang Myeongho greeted him with a languid look.
It was after the handshake that his expression changed.
When they shook hands, Hong Gyubin’s palm felt numb.
He looked at this hand and saw traces of gold energy waves that had just disappeared.
When he looked back up, Hong Gyubin felt creeped out.
Hwangho looked at him like a criminal.
Like a predator looking at a prey that invaded his territory.
— I see you have the order of that disgusting rat. A human with such a strong presence of that mouse must have come here for a purpose. Speak.
Rumors were circulating that the members of the Hwangmyeong Group were not human.
Hong Gyubin vaguely guessed so since Seodol also hinted at it, but he didn’t expect the chairman to not try his identity.
Even though he felt pressure from the powerful force, Hong Gyubin was delighted.
‘This royal lineage has the power to protect Professor Jegal’s dreams.’
Enough power and arrogance to call the head of the Rat Clan a “disgusting mouse.”
Adding the wealth of Hwangmyeong Gruop to the equation, any amount of pressure from the Namgung Group would be useless.
Hong Gyubin spoke, a smile appearing on his lips without him realizing it.
— I came here because I want to ask you a favor.
Rather than dismissing him, Hwangho became interested in the smiling Hong Gyubin.
— Tell me everything. Including the story of how you changed your surname and how you were given order by that intrusive mouse. I’ll listen and think about it.
Hong Gyubin told everything as Hwangho listened with excitement.
Shortly after their private conversation, Hwangho’s secretary contacted him.
It was to inform him that Jegal was hired as a full-time teacher at Eungwang HIgh.
— See? I’m right, right?
Hong Gyubin had no choice but to thank Seodol.
Seodol didn’t seem convinced that things would work out this well, but without his suggestion, Jegal might’ve been attacking otherworlds instead of being a teacher.
— Thank you. Thanks to you, Professor Jegal is back in school. If there’s a way to repay you, I’ll do as you say.
Seodol persistently demanded to give him an order, so Hong Gyubin thought he’d ask for more.
However, contrary to his expectations, Seodol didn’t ask for much.
— Then please live a fun life. Appearance is important, so pay attention to how you dress. I’ll send you some clothes sometimes.
— …Is that all?
— Hmm… Well, live as long as you can. I gave you my order and protection, so if you call me when you’re in a crisis, I’ll help you not die.
Hong Gyubin wondered why Seodol helped him.
He didn’t understand at all.
Seodol said another thing.
— I love human stories, that’s why.
Since then, Seodol looked for more human stories and drama, bothering Hong Gyubin whenever anything happens.
It annoyed Hong Gyubin very much.
His inner thoughts were sometimes read by Seodol because his presence was engraved quite deeply, but Seodol enjoyed even Hong Gyubin’s annoyance.
Seodol’s brand is to watch the lives of humans with dramatic backstories like Hong Gyubin as it seems.
So Seodol intervened in Hong Gyubin’s life, even on Christmas Eve.
— Jo Euishin asked me a favor. I’m gonna help you on Christmas Eve.
Rather than Jo Euishin asking a favor, Hong Gyubin was surprised by Seodol’s way of speaking.
The great event on Christmas Eve would certainly suit the taste of the drama-lover Seodol, but he used informal language like he was displeased.
Seodol grumbled and said.
— The association has you, and I know it’s going to happen. But I wanted to go to Eungwang High! There’s gonna be a lot of stuff going on in there. Jein is there, and Jo Euishin is there. I heard there are a lot of clan heads coming too.
There were certainly a lot of things that would interest Seodol in Eungwang High.
However, due to Jo Euishin’s persuasion, Seodol chose to go to the association.
— But I think it’s okay to let Jo Euishin be indebted for this one.
Hong Gyubin became worried for Jo Euishin.
It’s true that every phone call from Jo Euishin always meant more work for him, but he was still worried that the teenager would be indebted to Seodol.
— Euishin is still in his teens. It’s too much to force him into debt.
— Oh, I didn’t say anything openly about that. But…
Seodol smiled at Hong Gyubin’s words.
— Someone like Jo Euishin will always return a favor. Even if I don’t mention it, Jo Euishin will try to pay it back.
And so to make Jo Euishin feel indebted, Seodol came to the association to protect the one he gave an order to.
Gray energy waves gathered among the rats that flowed out of the wall and gradually changed into a human form.
Seodol soon appeared and spoke to the rampaging TL Park.
“Energy wave explosion… I’m sure Hwangho would deal with this cleanly, but unfortunately, I am a rat. I can’t do that.”
Seodol was speaking in formal language as he seemed to be quite interested in the situation.
As Seodol gently beckoned, the mice stopped moving for a moment and looked at TL Park.
TL Park was aiming for Hong Gyubin, but he was unable to move because he was now blocked by a flock of mice.
“My mice will experience being predators after a long time.”
Dudududu!
The flock of mice rushed toward TL Park.
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