Chapter 942 – 942. Savior Of The Academy
I made a date with Kang Ji-young, who felt sorry for me because of the Maruhan Academy assassin incident. It was actually a dinner appointment, but after I whined a bit, it became an official date.
Of course, I know what Kang Ji-young is thinking. She probably thinks it’s just a dinner, even if it’s called a date. And that’s actually right. Dinner or a date, it’s all the same.
‘Still, the feeling is different because of the difference in words.’
The appointment time was 3 PM.
I arrived at the meeting place an hour early and was waiting for Kang Ji-young.
‘Kang Ji-young doesn’t see me as a man. She only sees me as a student and her friend’s son.’
The age gap between her and me was the problem. About 20 years difference. Narrowing that gap isn’t easy. But it wasn’t like there was no hope at all.
“I thought I came early… I made you wait.”
Kang Ji-young appeared at the meeting place. She stood out. A tall height of 180cm and long, silky dark brown hair. Her outfit was casual. A gray blouse and navy slacks. It suited her well. Well, basically, Kang Ji-young, who is tall, has big breasts, and a big butt, would look good in anything unless it was a completely disastrous outfit.
“You came 10 minutes early. Were you that excited about today’s date?”
Kang Ji-young chuckled as if she was dumbfounded.
“It’s normal to arrive 10 minutes before the appointment time. When did you arrive?”
“Two o’clock.”
“…You came an hour early? You?”
Kang Ji-young looked at me suspiciously. It’s been a few years since she and I got to know each other. Even though we don’t meet often, we’ve roughly figured out each other’s personalities.
“I was that excited about today.”
“…Let me tell you in advance. It’s a date for now, as you wanted, but it’s nothing special. We’ll just wander around a bit, have dinner, and then part ways.”
“Why are you like this? We agreed beforehand. To part at 10 PM. We should play after dinner.”
“Okay. The moment it hits exactly 10 PM, I’m going back without looking back. It doesn’t matter what you say. Got it?”
“I got it. I won’t whine. But please take the date seriously.”
“A promise is a promise, so I’ll take it seriously. What should we do?”
“Is this your first date?”
“It is. For some reason, men don’t approach me well.”
Kang Ji-young said bluntly. I think I knew why. When you look at her, most men are naturally overwhelmed. Her innate charisma and basically expressionless face. Above all, the strength exuded by an S-class hero.
She’s not a woman that any man can easily approach.
“I’ll call you by your first name during the date. Is that okay?”
“…Is there really a need to do that?”
There is.
Names are important between a man and a woman. Especially between me and her. Try calling your date ‘Auntie.’ Will that create a date atmosphere? Absolutely not. It will do the opposite and ruin the subtle atmosphere of the date.
It wouldn’t be bad to feel a sense of forbiddenness, but right now, she and I weren’t at a point where we could form that kind of feeling.
“It’s a date.”
“…Okay. What should I call you?”
“Call me ‘Oppa’.”
“Haha.”
Kang Ji-young laughed. And then she grabbed my head. Her hand tightened.
“Kaaaaaak!”
It felt like my head was going to break.
“S, stop! It was a joke, a joke! Just call me whatever you want!”
“That was a boring joke.”
Kang Ji-young let go of my head. My head, freed from her, was still throbbing.
“…Instead, I’ll call you whatever I want. Ji-young.”
“……I’ll allow it until exactly 10 PM.”
Kang Ji-young didn’t seem to like it, but she soon agreed. Kang Ji-young isn’t a cold-blooded person. She usually grants requests that don’t cross the line.
‘Okay, I’ve buttoned the first button well….’
Now, all that’s left is to create the atmosphere.
“By the way, Ji-young.”
I called out to Kang Ji-young. Kang Ji-young frowned and glared at me, then sighed and relaxed her expression.
“……It feels awkward.”
She had a face like she had attained enlightenment.
“Why don’t people pay attention to you, Ji-young?”
Kang Ji-young clenched her fist tightly. There was no sign of murderous intent or anger. It was just awkwardness that made her hands and feet curl up.
“…My face is well-known. Most people know that I’m the head of Maruhan Academy. If it gets out that I’m on a date with a student, there will be problems in many ways. Especially your mother… Haa. Just thinking about it is terrible.”
With that, Kang Ji-young threw a ring at me. Looking at her hand, I saw that she had the same ring on her right index finger.
“A couple ring?”
“It’s a ring with a perception-lowering magic on it. It’ll be a headache if our identities get out, so you wear it too.”
“How long does the effect last?”
“It was made in a hurry, so it’s only good for about a day.”
That was a shame. It didn’t seem like I could take it into reality.
I put the ring on my right index finger, just like her. I felt all the gazes of the women who had been glancing at me disappear.
‘Experiencing the effect makes it feel even more wasteful.’
Before starting the date in earnest, I checked Kang Ji-young’s status window. To check her favorability.
『Name: Kang Ji-young
Strength: S+ Stamina: SS Agility: A+ Durability: S+ Mana: A+
Traits: Eye of Horus (SS), Wolf of the Earth (S)
Skills: Greatsword (S), Magic (A), Sixth Sense (S), Super Strength (A), Natural Recovery (S).
Favorability: 55』
Favorability 55.
Good. 50 or more is a level where they feel favorability. In other words, it’s a level where they feel romantic feelings. Of course, that’s only based on game standards. Reality isn’t a game, so you can’t just start dating just because your favorability is over 50.
‘The fact that there’s a possibility is important.’
•••
The date course I prepared was ordinary. It was considering Kang Ji-young’s personality. Given her personality, she wouldn’t like a date location that was too unusual.
And there wasn’t much time. From 3 PM to 10 PM. It was a woefully insufficient time to plan a decent date course.
“Two iced Americanos, please.”
“……Did you know that I like iced Americanos?”
“I saw you drinking iced Americanos even in winter, so I figured it out. You’re an ‘Ice-til-Death’ person, right?”
“It’s not that extreme. But… I’ve gotten used to cold things, so I can’t eat warm things well.”
We sat in a secluded corner of the cafe without windows. A waitress brought the coffee. She also brought a piece of cake that we didn’t order.
“We didn’t order a cake.”
Kang Ji-young said politely. The waitress didn’t back down and smiled brightly.
“We’re currently having an event for couples who enter our store. We’re giving out a complimentary strawberry cake and taking a picture with a Polaroid camera.”
Kang Ji-young blinked her eyes.
“…They have interesting events these days. We’re fine.”
“Hey, Ji-young. Don’t you ask for my opinion? Let’s do it. They’re giving us a free cake and taking a picture, so we should do it. We’re not losing anything.”
“There’s no need to do something like that….”
“We’re on a date right now. A date.”
“…Haa. Okay.”
I made eye contact with the waitress.
An event where they give a piece of cake to couples and take instant photos? There was no such event. This was all a plan I made with the waitress. They say money can even move ghosts, so it can move people even better.
“Then please sit together.”
“…Do we really have to do that? You can just take a picture now.”
“You’re a couple. If you’re going to do it, you should take a picture that will leave a memory.”
“…….”
We sat awkwardly side by side. The waitress sighed.
“Um, miss… Your facial expression is too stiff. Could you smile a little?”
“…Is this okay?”
Kang Ji-young’s lips, which were forced into a smile, trembled.
“It’s a little better, but it’s still weird. Sir, please hug your girlfriend’s shoulder tightly with one arm.”
“Like this?”
I grabbed Kang Ji-young’s shoulder and pulled her into my arms. She looked a little surprised, but she didn’t push me away, probably because she was aware of the waitress.
“It looks much better than before!”
Click! Click!
The waitress took pictures in succession. Kang Ji-young and I each got a picture.
“It turned out well, right?”
“…It did turn out well.”
Kang Ji-young, who was looking at it with a strange look, hesitated and then took the picture. Even if it was her, she wouldn’t tear up or throw away the picture in front of me.
“But, you know, you shouldn’t grab a woman’s body carelessly.”
“It’s not just any woman, we’re on a date right now. Please understand that much.”
“…….”
Kang Ji-young nodded.
She and I continued our conversation while drinking coffee. At first, the conversation topics were rather boring. Such trivial conversations about good restaurants in the academy city.
‘I can’t talk about academy stuff. It’s a sensitive topic for Kang Ji-young, who’s the head of the academy.’
But it wasn’t good to just keep having shallow conversations. People need to have sincere conversations to deepen their relationship.
But I couldn’t just ask her about her deep thoughts, so I had to bring up a story about myself. And there was a suitable topic.
“Ji-young, do you know about my father?”
“Your father… Are you talking about Sung Ha-ri’s husband? Shouldn’t you ask Sung Ha-ri about that, not me?”
“Even if I ask my mom, she doesn’t give me a proper answer. She keeps putting it off, saying she’ll tell me everything later… I’ve also tried to investigate separately, but nothing comes up.”
Kang Ji-young hesitated for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“I don’t know the details either. However, Sung Ha-ri was active without rest until you were born. To be precise, until her belly started to swell. Her pride as an SS-class hero… No, come to think of it, it seemed like she was being chased by something.”
“…Did you work with my father, who I don’t know?”
“No. She worked alone. As far as I know, there were no men who were close to Sung Ha-ri. Sung Ha-ri said she was more comfortable working alone.”
“…Hmm. Could it be that I was born from a one-night stand….”
“Sung Ha-ri at that time was sharp. It was hard for most people to approach her. It’s hard to completely rule out that possibility, but the chances are low.”
“What the heck is my father’s identity? Can’t you just tell me clearly?”
Without realizing it, my voice was filled with annoyance. The secret of my birth that I didn’t know was frustrating me.
“……If you consider the time when Sung Ha-ri was pregnant with you, there’s one incident that comes up.”
“An incident?”
“……It’s an unofficial incident. Only a few people in the government and the Hero Association know about it. I also signed a contract to keep quiet about this incident, so I can’t tell you everything. But since you’re Sung Ha-ri’s son, I’ll tell you some of it.”
“Something related to my mom? What kind of incident is it?”
“A large-scale dungeon appeared in Gaegyeong, and 50 heroes, including Sung Ha-ri, were dispatched. There were 14 A-class hero deaths and 35 B-class hero deaths.”
“…You said 50 people. That means….”
“That’s right. All the heroes except Sung Ha-ri died. Fortunately, the dungeon was cleared.”
“Is my father among the dead?”
“If we calculate the time you were born, then yes.”
“…….”
I closed my mouth and pretended to be lost in thought. If my father was dead, then that was fine. It meant he wouldn’t show up alive.
What’s important now is Kang Ji-young’s reaction. I had to look serious here.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know exactly who your father is either.”
“…It’s okay. I was just thinking about where my roots are.”
“Your roots are Sung Ha-ri. Sung Ha-ri’s roots are the Jinryeong family. The spirit eye you have, that spirit master talent, is proof that you inherited the Jinryeong family’s bloodline.”
“Thank you, Ji-young. I feel a little relieved. Did you pay for the cafe? Shall we get going?”
“……That title is still not familiar.”
Kang Ji-young and I left the cafe and walked down the street for a while.
Vroooom!
A sports car sped down the road at an incredible speed. It was heading this way, and it was a close call.
“Ji-young!”
I grabbed Kang Ji-young’s arm, who was walking towards the road, and pulled her into my arms. The sports car quickly passed by in the distance. This was also according to my plan. I could feel her voluptuous body in my arms.
“…What are you doing?”
