EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school - Chapter 828

May 8th, Saturday.

Today is Parents’ Day, and also Kim Shinrok’s birthday.

Kim Shinrok has never revealed his birthday until now when Ahn Dain persuaded him.

The professor urged his students to spend Parents’ Day with their parents since it was on a weekend, but his students insisted on having lunch together since they made him a custom-made dried persimmon cake.

Before Joo Soohyuk headed to lunch with the professor and his classmates, he spent time with his family in the morning.

“The investigations are done. Please check your device.”

“Thank you, Chul hyung.”

His bodyguard and secretary Kim Chul handed the report as they headed to the meeting place aboard their air limousine.

The report was about Maeng Hyodon.

Joo Soohyuk almost got caught up in the incident and so he justified that the investigation was for his safety, but the fact that it was motivated by his concern for his friend.

His complexion grew darker as he read the report.

‘The reason why Hyodon kept joining those competitions during middle school and didn’t go to school after entering Eungwang High…’

Joo Soohyuk and Maeng Hyodon had been competing in the finals of player categories in youth sports competitions.

Since they often competed with each other, they were naturally treated as rivals.

Joo Soohyuk spoke to the other first and they quickly became friends.

However, Joo Soohyuk knew little about Maeng Hyodon.

Maeng Hyodon is less fortunate, unable to eat three meals in a day while all the prize money he gets from competitions is used to pay off his father’s gambling debts and buy him alcohol.

As soon as he passed Eungwang High, he was taken to a fight club.

The incident last year involving Choi Pyeondeuk was also related to Maeng Hyodon’s escape.

‘I could’ve done something if I were more thoughtful and looked into it.’

Thinking about Maeng Hyodon from his middle school days, Joo Soohyuk became distressed.

There were a lot of strange things that happened in retrospect.

He could’ve bought a wearable device or a smartphone from the prize he won from competitions, but, strangely, he had no contact information.

Even the fact that he satisfied Eungwang High’s special admission criteria but didn’t go to school was strange.

Before Joo Soohyuk could do anything though, Maeng Hyodon started attending school.

“The recent incident got his bail revoked and he’s detained again. The Hwangmyeong Foundation’s legal team and the association are taking charge, so there appears to be no room for intervention on our part.”

Kim Chul spoke as if to comfort Joo Soohyuk, but the words didn’t reach him.

His mind was on the image of Maeng Hyodon with his head lowered, Saeum of April with teary eyes, and Kim Yuri who desperately tried to hide her distress with a bright facade.

And Jo Euishin who led Maeng Hyodon to the nurse’s office with a guilty look on his face.

Among them, Joo Soohyuk was the one who knew Maeng Hyodon the longest.

He had the power to stop it, but he couldn’t do anything.

‘If he was unlucky, Hyodon would still be in the fight club. If it weren’t for the person who destroyed the building that time and for Professor Ham Geunhyung…’

Joo Soohyuk felt a sense of discomfort.

Was it really a coincidence that Maeng Hyodon escaped?

Back then, even though the Red Wall Thief exposed the Hwanmong Gate, Choi Pyeondeuk and the fight club survived.

Even though the people at Eungwang High were angry at Choi Pyeondeuk, he continued to strive until he was exterminated.

It seemed too good to be true that the fight club was accidentally uncovered and destroyed, and it just so happens that Ham Geunhyung was there to help Maeng Hyodon escape.

‘Why did Euishin look like he was guilty that day? It’s not like he’s known Hyodon for a long time like me.’

The day Maeng Hyodon was attacked by his father, Jo Euishin’s expression seemed something more than what a responsible class vice president would have.

He seemed more guilty than the class president Kim Yuri or the homeroom teacher Ham Geunhyung.

His suspicions about Jo Euishin have been accumulating over the past year.

Although he was overshadowed by Joo Soohyuk and Ahn Dain who were very active in targeting otherworlds, he was an incredible player himself.

It was at Christmas that Joo Soohyuk confirmed his suspicions.

 Joo Soohyuk’s eyes opened a little wider at the thought.

‘Euishin was wearing a crow mask last Christmas, then the person who appeared in the fight club incident was…!’

He remembered the image of Jo Euishin heading to the underworld, leaving behind the black snow that covered Eungwang High.

He was wearing a crow mask that day.

He fought against Uma who wielded Gugalanna’s power, defeating him through measures that couldn’t have been thinkable without prior preparation.

‘If Euishin’s intellect is so good that he devised such a grand plan, then it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s the one who took down the fight club. Professor Ham Geunhyung would’ve complied if it was Euishin who asked a favor.’

Joo Soohyuk became sure that Jo Euishin was the man behind the crow mask.

The fight club run by Choi Pyeondeuk, who was also involved in the Hwanmong Gate, naturally reminded him of the Red Wall Thief.

“Maybe Euishin is…”

“…Young master?”

When Kim Chul called, Joo Soohyuk stopped muttering to himself.

He then asked him a favor.

“Chul hyung, please do more detailed research on Hwanmong Gate and the fight club. Other than the information from the media, please use the Joo-Oh Group database.”

“Understood. I’ll report back once the investigation is complete.”

“Thank you.”

Joo Soohyuk was then quiet until they arrived.

Kim Chul quietly drove and thought,

‘He seems to think that it was Jo Euishin who saved Maeng Hyodon.’

It was hard to think that a high school freshman could do such a thing, but it made sense if it was Jo Euishin.

He got an alias even before entering school, and his role during the Christmas incident was not to be underestimated.

However, thinking about it that way made something strange.

Among the cases in which Joo Soohyuk and Jo Euishin were involved, the only time that the latter seemed to be less active was during the Kimopolea incident.

‘Would a kid with such outstanding abilities and deep thinking do nothing in the face of a crisis?’

He didn’t think much about it at first when he heard that Jo Euishin hadn’t participated in the Kimopolea attack.

The ship was big and easy to get lost in, and he thought the young student was afraid.

Do Sihoo was seasick and couldn’t fight either, so one more student on the list of non-fighters wasn’t strange.

However, if the man with the crow mask was Jo Euishin, and the one behind the black snow was also him, then it’s strange that he didn’t do anything.

‘None of the young master’s friends knew where Jo Euishin was at that time.’

Kim Chul investigated all the players on board to find the mysterious whistler.

Among the players whose whereabouts he couldn’t confirm was Jo Euishin.

‘Jo Euishin was at the sports exchange exhibition’s opening ceremony too!’

Kim Hyungu and Park Seunghyun both heard the whistle too, and so he investigated the stadium situation that day.

From what he remembers, Jo Euishin was working for the school’s newspaper department, wandering here and there for news coverage.

He read the article Jo Euishin wrote while investigating, and he remembers it very clearly.

Kim Chul gripped the steering wheel tightly.

It seemed like he found the benefactor he had been looking for for a long time.

* * *

May 8th, Parent’s Day.

Even though it was the weekend, I put on my school uniform and left the dormitory.

I was with Maeng Hyodon, and unlike the other day, his uniform was clean.

“There’s a flower shop near the columbarium. Let’s buy some carnations.”

“Yeah…”

Since his father threatened to mess with his mother’s remains, it was decided to move her ashes.

Hwang Jiho suggested moving it to the columbarium in Eungwang District where the false remains of my family are located, and Maeng Hyodon agreed.

‘He was so worried about his mother’s remains that he couldn’t resist and just got beaten. It’s Parent’s Day today too so it would be nice to visit.’

Maeng Hyodon’s worries seemed to have become even heavier than last year’s Parent’s Day.

Even as the florist prepared the carnation flower basket, Maeng Hyodon remained silent.

“I heard they placed it near my family’s ashes. It’s this way.”

Maeng Hyodon’s steps as we walked along the hallway suddenly stopped.

It was in front of a poor-quality hologram as if an old photo had been scanned with a device.

Even without asking, I knew she was Maeng Hyodon’s mother.

After seeing his mother’s face, Maeng Hyodon sighed, perhaps feeling relieved.

He almost dropped the carnation basket but caught it in time.

While he paid respects to his mother, I looked at my family’s place.

‘It’s well-maintained. It’s decorated with in-season artificial flowers…’

Seeing that there were no same decorations in the other ashes, it seems like it wasn’t the columbarium’s courtesy.

Is it the Tiger Clan?

My heart swelled with gratitude when I remembered the day the Tiger Clan offered flowers to my family.

“Mom, this is our class vice president who saved me.”

After looking at her photo in silence, Maeng Hyodon introduced me.

His voice sounded muffled, so I deliberately didn’t look at his face and instead offered my flowers.

“…Thank you, VP.”

Maeng Hyodon offered flowers to my family as well.

“You did the same thing for my family. You don’t need to thank me.”

“Oh, not that. I’m grateful for the flowers too, but…”

He had trouble finding words as he muttered “aish” to himself repeatedly.

After some silence, he spoke again.

“…I should’ve consulted with you before I went out. Sorry.”

It’s the first time he voluntarily brought up the matter from that day.

I think the flower offerings helped him find peace of mind.

“No, it must’ve been stressful since it’s a family matter. You can ask me next time. If it’s hard to do that or you don’t have the time, leave some clues. I’ll respond if I find anything strange.”

“Yeah…”

I poured out words of advice.

Even though he looked like he had a headache, Maeng Hyodon nodded obediently.

When we went out of the columbarium…

“May I pay my respects too?”

We found Tak Geosan at the entrance.

He’s being investigated for beating up Maeng Hyodon’s father, but seeing that he came here, it seems like things have gone well.

Maeng Hyodon lit up when he saw Tak Geosan, his face incomparably brighter than what I saw that day.

“…Yes!”

“Hoho, your answer is refreshing. Lead the way.”

Maeng Hyodon took the lead with Tak Geosan following behind.

I decided to leave the two so they could talk with each other.

‘I got to give carnations to my parents thanks to Maeng Hyodon.’

I didn’t think about it last year, but it would be a good idea to do this every year.

When I was about to head back to my dorm…

[Hwang Jiho] Jo Euishin, we’re holding a birthday party.

Normally I would’ve ignored his message, but I couldn’t this time.

The artificial flowers, presumed to have been given by the Tiger Clan, flickered before my eyes.

[Hwang Jiho] Come to the mansion. I sent a chauffeur.

Hwang Jiho sent someone from the Tiger Clan to pick me up.

I looked around for an air limousine, but there were no vehicles in sight.

Instead, I saw an angel and my main playable character.

“…”

Woof!