That problem was clearly revealed in the situation just now. Those belonging to each faction or receiving favoritism acted half-heartedly, neither readily cooperating nor pretending not to know.
‘Even in this situation, the undercurrent fighting between factions is fierce enough for them to care about such things.’
Currently, there were four major groups claiming to be the established power within Hanul High. Including the healing ability holders in the auditorium mentioned earlier, there were the athletic club students who had been sports specialty students at Hanul High, the various club students who had been particularly close to each other and frequently united when they were enrolled, and finally the student council president and their executives and associates.
After the city became a monster field, the student council group was the first to step forward, and the auditorium faction was the next to build their power. Compared to them, the latecomers—the athletic club and club alliance—raised their voices out of concern that some leaders might exercise dictatorship, and that’s how they gained support and solidified their positions.
Naturally, these were factions formed because they possessed such abilities and brains. They also made deals, at least formally, while being wary of each other because they couldn’t trust one another. But at the same time, they protected or exploited the students in the ruled class who didn’t belong to any power group, and they were engaged in power struggles knowingly or unknowingly within Hanul High.
One of the factors they watched with burning eyes, showing interest and vigilance, was the twins. The abilities the twins awakened and their strength were truly attractive enough for anyone to covet, and the rumors that clung to the twins during their school enrollment contained excessively provocative fear.
‘In the midst of that, the passage to the third floor opened, and the survivors who returned alive from the upper floor were welcomed by the lower floor.’
In this situation, what kind of reaction would those who acted as if they were nobility show?
“Sunbae.”
Cha Woodan emerged from deep thought. When he shifted his gaze, he saw a male student standing not far away, neatly dressed in winter uniform, both top and bottom.
Grinning, he wore a fox-like smile to the fullest and extended his right hand to request a handshake.
“I heard you helped out for once? I thought you wouldn’t bat an eye whether people died or not unless it was work that received compensation.”
“……”
“Anyway, thank you.”
Seong Taehyeon. The person who had been Hanul High’s undisputed student council president until the monsters appeared, and an existence standing at the center of the student council faction even though he still hadn’t revealed his awakened ability.
And the person who, while pretending to maintain peace and unity among the four factions, mainly monopolized the highest decision-making authority.
Cha Woodan stared intently at Seong Taehyeon without even glancing at the hand he’d extended. Soon, Cha Woodan slowly curled up the corners of his mouth and opened his lips.
“When are you resigning? Then at that time, without compensation, well… I could even kill a monster or two and give them as a gift.”
“There’s no school anymore and I’m not the student council president, so what resignation?”
“Really? The other bastards call you Student Council President this, Student Council President that so much that I thought you were still stuck in that trivial past.”
Seong Taehyeon, who laughed coldly, curled his hand into a fist and withdrew it.
“Sunbae, do you have time right now by any chance?”
“If it’s time to give you, I don’t have any, but why?”
“Why? Are you going to see your brother? I was wondering why the two of you aren’t sticking together today for once.”
Cha Woodan stared at Seong Taehyeon with narrowed eyes.
“Just get to the point.”
“Have the sibling reunion in the student council room. They’re going to tell you to bring your brother there anyway.”
“I told you not to beat around the bush and just say the main point.”
“Since we’ve formally come face to face like this, we should greet each other and talk, right? Since the upper and lower floors have been separated for more than ten days, there will be many unfamiliar parts between us.”
Even though he told him to just say the main point, just say the gist, it wasn’t difficult to notice that he was deliberately hiding and concealing his true intentions when mentioning things. When Cha Woodan hardened his emotionless sneer, Seong Taehyeon calmly shrugged his shoulders.
“As the upper floor representatives, you and your brother should step forward, right? From what I heard, I don’t know what method you used, but it seems you sunbaes were the ones who broke through the fire door and came down.”
Upper floor representatives. Representatives…
Cha Woodan, who had been slowly rolling his eyes, soon opened his mouth.
“Sorry, it seems I made you misunderstand. Still, since I’m about the faithful right-hand man of the upper floor representative, I should go to the student council room as you say.”
“…What?”
When Seong Taehyeon asked back with a sour expression, Cha Woodan curved the corners of his eyes roundly.
“We have a separate upper floor representative.”
***
In the corridor in front of the first-floor student council room, Cha Woodan, who had been standing with his back against the wall, sensed a presence and looked around. The people appearing around the corner over there were familiar.
Among them, the ponytail female student who had been walking quickly in the lead, Jeong Yubin, made eye contact with Cha Woodan and briefly stiffened. Soon she just bobbed her chin in a very urgent gesture as a substitute for a greeting, then entered the student council room with the bob-haired girl beside her.
Cha Woodan, who turned his gaze without much feeling, moved his steps toward those following behind.
“Cha Jeoh.”
Cha Jeoh, who had been slowly taking steps while carefully holding Kim Hayoung in his arms, stopped with a few steps remaining. As Cha Woodan called him and approached, Kim Hayoung, who had been hanging limply in silence, turned his head following the voice.
Cha Woodan, who had deliberately made his presence known to indicate his location to Kim Hayoung, soon stared at Cha Jeoh.
“Did you hear what purpose those things called us here for?”
“I did hear some crazy-ass bullshit. Something about making us take responsibility or whatever.”
Cha Woodan loosely pulled up only the corners of his mouth with an emotionless face.
“Responsibility… they even added those words to your side. Well, now that things have come to this, they’d want to think of it as an opportunity and rip off as much as they can.”
“I think it’d be better to take Hayoung and move to another place even now. Not the school, but somewhere without a single person, let alone a rat.”
Cha Jeoh, who spoke as if muttering, rolled his eyes to gauge Kim Hayoung’s reaction. But Kim Hayoung seemed absorbed in some other thought, as if he hadn’t listened to the twins’ conversation even with the edge of his ear.
Cha Woodan tapped his forearm while moving his fingertips.
Cha Woodan also agreed with Cha Jeoh’s thoughts. In the first place, the reason they’d remained at the school until now was because of one single person—they’d wondered if they could meet Kim Hayoung even once again. But now the twins had already found Kim Hayoung and even had him by their side, so there was no more reason to stay at the school.
Then a sharp, burning gaze filled with hostility stabbed Cha Woodan’s skin. Cha Woodan, who examined beyond Cha Jeoh, discovered Lee Gojun and a boy with a more youthful face standing beside him, and opened his mouth.
“Jeoh-ya, did you go around picking fights as you pleased again? Why are you creating and bringing enemies?”
“What did I do? I haven’t done anything yet.”
“Then what’s that kid standing behind you?”
Cha Jeoh, who glanced back, straightened his posture again and replied.
“Not my enemy but Hayoung’s enemy.”
“Where does Hayoung have enemies?”
“That’s Lee Gojun’s bastard younger brother, and Lee Gojun spouted the nonsense about creating the Church of Hayoung, so he ended up like that.”
“…Church of Hayoung?”
Cha Woodan’s face crumpled roughly. Then he intently examined Lee Gojun, who was chattering away to his younger brother without any interest in this side.
“You just left that alone?”
“Then what should I do? He’s someone Hayoung went to the trouble of keeping alive, so should I just rashly cut off his neck?”
“What are you saving your psychic ability for? Are you going to age it and then roast it to eat?”
As if he hadn’t thought of that, Cha Jeoh couldn’t refute anymore and firmly shut his mouth.
Cha Woodan, who let out an irritated sigh, extended one hand toward Cha Jeoh. He, with a face no less full of dissatisfaction, also extended his hand toward Cha Woodan. When the two palms lightly brushed, the two pairs of pupils facing each other blazed yellow for an instant before quickly returning to black.
Cha Woodan clenched and unclenched his fist unnecessarily, gauging the ability that had returned to him. Unlike when he possessed combat-type abilities, the sensation of a refreshing mint scent spreading through his head was much more comfortable and familiar.
Tap, tap. At the light touch, Cha Woodan lifted his half-closed eyelids back up. Kim Hayoung, who seemed to have moved his hand to tap wherever it touched, noticed the attention focused on him and began to move. He raised both palms and made a gesture of covering his eyes.
“Why? Do you need something?”
“Should I cover your eyes?”
When Cha Jeoh and Cha Woodan asked in turn, Kim Hayoung lowered his hands and nodded. At that, Cha Woodan covered the already closed vision with his hand of cool temperature. However, Kim Hayoung narrowed his brow as if that wasn’t the correct answer and removed his hand.
“Not this?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? He’s saying he doesn’t want your hand.”
“……”
The twins, who had been engaged in a brief fierce staring contest, shifted their gaze, drawn by Kim Hayoung who caught their attention again.
“…Should I cover them with something like a blindfold? Cloth or something.”
At the words uttered after consideration, Kim Hayoung immediately shook his head up and down. Cha Woodan, who figured out the answer first, ignored his twin brother who was glaring at him and grabbed his own clothes. Due to the strong grip, the hem of the white shirt Cha Woodan was wearing ripped roughly. Because of that, his abdomen under the clothes was briefly revealed before disappearing.
Leaving behind a scene that might have made Kim Hayoung get another nosebleed if he’d had his eyes open, Cha Woodan wrapped the long piece of cloth around Kim Hayoung’s round head. Cha Woodan, who covered his eyes and personally tied a knot, suddenly rolled his sticky gaze.
“The tips of his hair are even more…”
“Ah, the white hair. Hayoung doesn’t know why it became like this either. I also just found out earlier in the infirmary.”
When Cha Woodan withdrew his touch, Kim Hayoung fiddled with the cloth covering his eyes. Kim Hayoung, who finished his satisfactory confirmation, raised his finger and pointed somewhere in the empty air beyond the twins. Unfortunately, the place his fingertip pointed to was just a solid wall, not a specific door or space, but the twins easily understood what Kim Hayoung was trying to convey.
“…Hayoung is saying let’s go in, well.”
Cha Woodan also agreed with Cha Jeoh’s softly uttered words. Soon they opened the door to the student council room and entered inside.
