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Chapter 116

"Hey, I\'m not sure if I can ask you this, but..." Jun-Hyuk started speaking as we walked down the hallway.

"What was in the box? I wasn\'t curious before, but because of what happened earlier, I suddenly am. Of course, you don\'t have to tell me if you don\'t want to." Jun-Hyuk added various excuses after asking.

I nonchalantly replied, "There was nothing in it."

"Oh, really? Then why didn\'t you show it to him? You grabbed him by the collar, so I thought there was something important inside the box."

"Well..."

There really wasn’t anything in the box. The bone dust that was originally inside had all been used during the Ritual of Succession, and my father\'s spell had already lost its effect. Even if I did open the box, nothing would have happened.

However, the box was something that could not fall into anyone’s hands but mine. There was no reason not to open the box, but I didn\'t think there was any reason to open it and show it to others. When Baldy forcibly tried to take the box away from me and open it, I got angry without realizing it.

"I don\'t know. I guess I just didn\'t like it."

"I get it. He was fucking annoying. But hey, it\'s not like it’s the first time that bastard has done something like this. Even I don’t get mad anymore."

While gossiping about the sacred material science teacher, also known as Baldy, we arrived in front of the nurse\'s office in no time. After greeting the nurse, we went to the bed where In-Ah was lying.

I could see her silhouette through the curtain. It seemed like she was lying down and using her phone.

Swooosh!

“Gasp, Ah!"

When Jun-Hyuk roughly pulled back the curtain, it startled In-Ah and she dropped the phone. She looked at her fallen phone with a lost expression, then looked up at me with vacant eyes. There was a moment of silence. She turned her gaze to Jun-Hyuk.

"Um... what\'s going on?"

She shifted her gaze between me and Jun-Hyuk, her eyes glinting with confusion. Jun-Hyuk chuckled, picked up the phone from the floor, and handed it to her.

"We’re here to pick you up. I sent you a text yesterday about grabbing food after school today. You didn’t see it?"

"Oh...? Oh! Right. No, I saw it. I just forgot to reply. You know, I’m forgetful sometimes." In-Ah added an excuse.

Then, she pushed herself up from the bed weakly, propping her body that seemed like it was wilting. She looked at me dazedly as if she hadn\'t fully woken up yet. Her mouth opened, and her eyes widened in surprise, seeing the bandages wrapped around my neck and hands.

Fear was evident In-Ah\'s eyes as she asked, "What about what happened during lunchtime? How did it go? And what\'s with the bandages...?"

Worried about causing a misunderstanding, I quickly explained everything. After hearing that I wasn’t seriously injured, In-Ah sighed in relief. Then, she subtly glared at me with narrowed eyes.

"You, why do you always do dangerous things? I thought my heart was going to stop. My gosh..."

"When did you wake up?"

Sensing a lecture incoming, I quickly changed the subject.

In-Ah looked to the ceiling as if pondering.

"Fifth period... No, just now. I just woke up. I woke up when you guys arrived."

"You woke up during the fifth period and just stayed here? To skip class?"

In-Ah nodded initially, but then quickly corrected herself and shook her head.

"Yeah. I mean, no! No, I just woke up. I’m not lying..."

Judging by the situation, it appeared that she had awakened earlier and remained in the nurse\'s office to avoid attending class. I totally understood. The truth was, I had also skipped one class using the injury that I got from Do-Jin as an excuse.

"Hey, so you woke up and were just lying around in the nurse\'s office? Are you a delinquent?" Jun-Hyuk made a sarcastic remark.

Jun-Hyuk had also skipped the sacred dynamics class in the afternoon by saying that he had suffered severe distress due to the incident during lunchtime. What a shameless guy.

"Delinquent? I didn’t just skip class! There was a good reason!" In-Ah snapped.

"And what’s that reason? You woke up during fifth period and didn\'t come to class because you wanted to skip class, no?"

“I’m telling you, I didn\'t get up during the fifth period. I just woke up... Geez, Sun-Woo!" In-Ah stopped arguing with Jun-Hyuk and turned her head to look at me. "You. Because you said a bunch of pointless stuff... Even though I really did wake up in the fifth period. I mean, not fifth period, but just now."

“Aha. So you did get up during fifth period," I teased.

"...You\'re annoying," In-Ah said, looking me up and down.

Then she angrily walked out of the nurse\'s office and started muttering to herself.

"How annoying, teaming up against me. If they were going to treat me this way, why did they even bother to come and pick me up? They should have left by themselves. Might as well get a room and live together."

"Hm, so I guess you’re not coming?"

"...I’m coming."

"Honestly, why are we trying so hard to bring In-Ah with us? Let\'s call Jin-Seo instead." Jun-Hyuk lightly tapped my shoulder as if he wanted In-Ah to listen to his words.

She jerked her head around and glared at us.

"I said I’m coming!" she hollered.

*

The restaurant Jun-Hyuk took us to was a Korean barbecue place located quite far from school. It specialized in selling beef and had a fairly high price range that would be quite heavy on a student\'s wallet.

"Why aren\'t you coming in? Don’t tell me you’re a vegetarian? We can go somewhere else if that’s the case," Jun-Hyuk said as he looked at me standing in front of the restaurant.

I slowly shook my head. "No, it\'s not that."

"Yeah, I was just kidding. So why aren\'t you coming in? Not hungry?"

I carefully examined his casual expression. His face was innocent as usual, but I still felt something unsettling. It wasn\'t just because I suspected Jun-Hyuk of being a Satanist. It was because a saying that my uncle used to say often went through my mind: "Be wary if someone buys you beef for no reason."

"...Isn\'t this place a bit expensive?"

"Yeah, it\'s not cheap. Well, I\'m the one paying anyway. I wanted to treat you guys because I am grateful, so I thought it’d be better to go here than another mediocre place.”

Jun-Hyuk was buying me dinner because I had saved his mom, so technically, he wasn\'t buying me beef for no reason. Still, I couldn\'t shake off the feeling of this being a little excessive as I entered the restaurant.

The smell of meat permeated the air, but it wasn\'t overwhelming. Rather than making me uncomfortable, it was a smell that stimulated my appetite.

"What do you want to eat?"

As soon as we took our seats, Jun-Hyuk took out the menu and handed it to me.

After we received the menu, In-Ah pretended to think seriously as she flipped through the pages. Then, with a mischievous look on her face, she pointed at one of the menu items with her finger.

"Oh, should we have this?"

In-Ah was pointing at the most expensive item on the menu. The menu stated that upon ordering this course, different cuts of beef would be served sequentially, and with it, a waiter would come and grill each portion of meat themselves. A customer could even tell the waiter the temperature they wanted their meat to be cooked. Because of the utmost service provided, the price was also quite high. It was a large sum of money to spend on a single meal.

"So that’s what you want?"

Jun-Hyuk raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback.

In-Ah nodded with a smile. Seconds later, Jun-Hyuk called a waiter.

"Please give us three of these. Thank you~."

Without any hesitation, he placed the order for the expensive course that In-Ah had chosen, the one that was so expensive that it was hard to think anyone would pay that much for a single meal.

This time, In-Ah was surprised and didn\'t know what to do.

"Uh, uh...? H-how come you actually ordered it? I was just joking."

"Really? Then you should have said so earlier. Since we\'ve already ordered, just eat it," Jun-Hyuk said nonchalantly.

Jun-Hyuk wasn\'t stingy when it came to spending money, but he wasn\'t an extravagant spender either. But today, he was spending his money very unusually. No, it wasn\'t just reckless spending. It seemed like money didn’t mean anything to him, almost like it was not his own money he was spending.

"Did you steal that money?" I asked, thinking that it might not be his own money.

Jun-Hyuk looked bewildered and clapped his hands as if it were nonsense.

"The fuck? Why would I steal money when I have plenty? I’m practically drowning in it."

"Drowning? You must be pretty well off, eh?" In-Ah chimed.

Jun-Hyuk slightly lowered his head.

"Well, I don’t have that much... But what’s the point in blatantly saving money? If I save it, then it’s nothing but useless pieces of paper. As long as I have enough not to go hungry, it\'s enough for me."

Uncle would have fainted if he had heard this. I also felt a chill down my spine. Uncle’s frugalness must have rubbed off on me.

"The meat is here... Enjoy your meal~."

While we were talking, the meat arrived. The waiter nervously placed the meat from the wooden cutting board onto the table and quickly left as if they were running away.

Watching the waiter\'s retreating figure, Jun-Hyuk raised his eyebrows. I was confused as well because I thought I recognized her appearance from the back. Her voice also seemed familiar.

"Hey, isn\'t it the waiter\'s job to grill this? Excuse me. Excuse me─!" Jun-Hyuk raised his voice and called the waiter again.

The waiter trembled and stopped in her tracks. Jun-Hyuk grabbed the waiter\'s shoulder as she tried to sneak back into the kitchen.

"Excuse me, isn\'t it your job to grill the meat over there? It says so on the menu."

"...If the customer wishes, they can grill it themselves."

"Huh? But I don’t want to. I would prefer it if you could grill it for me."

Whether it was because of the waiter\'s attitude or because he was annoyed, Jun-Hyuk replied in a sarcastic manner. The waiter and Jun-Hyuk engaged in a pointless argument.

From the other customers enjoying their meals to the staff, everyone\'s attention was focused on Jun-Hyuk. Fortunately, there weren\'t many people in the restaurant as it was still early for dinner.

"...Yes, I understand."

The waiter also seemed to feel the gaze of those customers as well. She let out a sigh and turned her head reluctantly. With her hair neatly tied up and wearing an apron, her appearance was quite different from usual. Yet, her face was familiar to me—I could immediately tell who she was. Our waiter at the restaurant was none other than Min-Seo, the Holy Name of Kindness.

She touched her forehead as if trying to relieve a headache, then walked toward our table with tongs and scissors.

"Yes, how would you like your meat grilled?" Min-Seo asked bluntly.

Startled, I couldn\'t answer right away. In-Ah also looked surprised. Her eyes widened as she kept her mouth shut.

Jun-Hyuk was still standing, but he sat back down and stared at Min-Seo like he was watching a monkey in the zoo.

"I’d like it blue rare, please."

"Medium is more delicious for this cut."

"Oh, really? Then please do it that way. But what are you doing here?" Jun-Hyuk asked while shoving random side dishes into his mouth.

Min-Seo used tongs to place the meat on the grill.

Sizzle─

With a sound that stimulated my hunger, a savory smell wafted in all directions.

“Work." Min-Seo calmly grilled the meat and answered Jun-Hyuk\'s question.

"As an employee? Or part-time?"

"Part-time."

"I see. But can we work at our age? Isn\'t that a violation of labor laws?"

Min-Seo spat out rough curses and cut the meat, placing it on Jun-Hyuk\'s plate.

"None of your bitch-ass business. Shut up and eat your meat."

Despite her rough and rustic words, her hand movements were truly masterful. Following Jun-Hyuk, the meat also appeared on my plate and In-Ah’s.

"Excuse me, is this medium? Or well-done? I prefer it rare."

"...If you wanted that, why didn\'t you just order yukhoe[1]">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukhoe[/ref]?"

"What’s this? Is the waiter talking back to me? I can\'t stand this. Call the manager."

Jun-Hyuk tried to scare Min-Seo, but she didn\'t even flinch. When the meat was almost cooked, Min-Seo put down the tongs.

"It will take some time for the next batch of meat. Enjoy your meal."

With those words, Min-Seo left our table. It looked like she was going to take a break as she sat down on a stool, but another table immediately called her and she rushed over to grill more meat. She greeted the customers with a gentle smile and skillfully attended to them, unlike when she faced us. It felt awkward. The awkwardness became unbearable to the point where I felt disgusted.

After Min-Seo left, In-Ah lowered her head and asked in a soft voice, leaning closer to my face, "...Isn\'t she from our school? What was her name again?"

She had recognized Min-Seo\'s face but didn\'t know her name.

I ate a piece of meat.

"Min-Seo. The Holy Name of Kindness."

"Ah, that’s her...?"

Finally, In-Ah nodded as if she understood. Like In-Ah, some people in F.A. didn\'t know Min-Seo\'s face, but there weren\'t many who didn\'t know her name. She was infamous for her bad personality and also famous for her superb grades. She was also famous for defeating Jin-Seo during sparring. I also became somewhat famous with the story of defeating her in a competition.

[Trying to sneak in a boast, I see...]

I ignored Legba\'s muttering.

"Wow, but she\'s really kind when she\'s working. It’s like she’s the embodiment of the Holy Name of Kindness when she\'s wor–"

Min-Seo suddenly appeared, interrupting Jun-Hyuk\'s words.

"Please eat quietly, sir~ Other customers find it unpleasant."

She brought the next piece of meat and placed it on the grill, then cut it into suitable sizes and served it on our plates. As we ate and talked, the next piece of meat arrived, and Min-Seo grilled it for us again. It was a repetitive process.

"..."

The meat was delicious. However, I couldn\'t fully appreciate its taste. There were too many things to think about. Why was Min-Seo working here? Maybe her parents were the owners of this shop, and she was helping out. Or, she could be securing an alibi by working part-time after school to avoid suspicion as a Satanist.

It could also be because she needed the money, but Min-Seo didn\'t seem to be in desperate need of money to the extent of having to work. I had no evidence, but it was a gut feeling I had.

While I was thinking, my throat suddenly became dry, and I drank some water. My clouded mind finally cleared up. Suddenly, I couldn\'t see In-Ah anywhere.

Jun-Hyuk looked indifferent as he said, "She was annoyed because you were too stuck in your daydreams and weren’t listening to her. She said she was going home."

"Really?"

"No? I was just kidding. She went to the bathroom."

"Are you crazy...?"

I stared at his face while he calmly told his lies. I couldn’t tell at all whenever he lied. If he was this good at lying, maybe he really was a Satanist...

"Hey."

Jun-Hyuk\'s low voice cut my growing thoughts short. He was looking at me with the same expressionless face as before. There was no sign of happiness, sadness, or any other emotion on his face. Somehow, Jun-Hyuk\'s face seemed especially cold and rigid today.

In that place without In-Ah, we faced each other silently for a long time.

Jun-Hyuk finally spoke after a while. "A Satanist or something like that... You don\'t actually think that’s me, right?"

Jun-Hyuk wore a subtle smile on his lips. His expression and tone of voice mirrored someone inquiring about a known fact, just as a precaution.

I couldn’t return his smile.

1. Beef sashimi or an Asian beef tartare ?