The atmosphere in the hall turned cold, and Sihyeon’s mind began spinning rapidly. Maybe something had gone wrong because he had possessed Kang Sihyeon’s body. There was no way the sub male lead in a web novel would be powerless. If there was a problem, it had to be on the ‘Yoo Sihyeon’ side. With that thought, Sihyeon frowned slightly before smoothing out his expression and turning to the teacher.
“Do you know why it’s not showing up?”
“Usually, if someone is powerless or if it’s a new class not registered in the tester, the results won’t appear….”
Powerless.
At that word, Sihyeon felt his heart drop with a heavy thud. His face turned pale as he stared at the tester. His already fair complexion drained of all color, to the point that it looked pitiful.
If I’m powerless, what happens now? Do I just go back home? Would that actually be better? Are these guys going to chew me up, tear me apart, savor me, and turn me into gossip? I got into a school that clearly only admits Awakened—how could I be powerless? What if they drag me off to some lab or something?
Certain that the tester’s lack of response was 100% because of his possession, Sihyeon pressed his lips together. The teacher, smiling kindly, patted his back.
“Don’t worry too much. There’s never been a case where an Awakened mark disappeared before class engraving. Could you tell me where your Awakening mark is?”
“My Awakening mark?”
“Yes. Like a pattern. It appears in different places depending on the person.”
“…….”
He had never seen anything like that. Not a pattern, not even a single mole—Kang Sihyeon’s body had been completely clean and pale. Even while washing, he had never once noticed anything resembling a mark. His expression stiffened as he glanced at his wrist. The teacher had said it usually appeared on the back of the hand or the wrist, but Sihyeon’s wrist was spotless.
Was he really powerless?
It was definitely a variable caused by his possession. Feeling a subtle sense of guilt, as if he had ruined the perfectly fine life of ‘Kang Sihyeon,’ he was just about to shake his head at the teacher to indicate there was no mark—
“His mark is on the back of his neck. It’s in a hard-to-see spot, so he just can’t check it himself.”
“…….”
It was Dawoon. Hearing the familiar voice, Sihyeon turned his head and met her brown eyes. The moment their gazes locked, Dawoon’s eyes filled with hostility. She glared at him as if she wanted to kill him, but then, at a light tap on her arm, she turned her gaze away. Seeing the short-haired girl beside her, she clicked her tongue.
Pat, pat. The girl next to her patted Dawoon as if to calm her down. No, rather than calming her, it felt more like, ‘Be nice, Dawoon. Just let it slide once. Just this once.’
“So it seems….”
Since it was supposedly on the back of his neck, Sihyeon, still dazed, turned his back to the teacher and lifted the hair that covered half his neck. Upon seeing the clear blue mark on the nape of his neck, the teacher nodded.
“The mark is still there.”
“Then….”
Now he felt anxious for a completely different reason.
When he looked at the teacher with trembling eyes, the teacher let out a half-laugh, half-sigh of relief and patted his shoulder.
“Congratulations, Sihyeon. It’s a new class.”
“Ah….”
He wasn’t happy at all. Not even a little. If anything, he felt dissatisfied as he looked at the teacher, who smiled kindly before addressing the 95 students.
It was time for the class announcement.
“A new class!”
“Waaaah—!”
The silence and tension had been long and heavy, so the cheers that erupted from below the stage were louder than ever. Amid the deafening noise, the teacher encouraged him, saying that while he might get a lower-tier class like Enhancement or Control, he could also get a high-tier class like Healer or Dual, so he should stay hopeful. Sihyeon barely listened, his lips moving slightly.
A new class? If anything, he would’ve preferred something trivial, like an ability that kept him from tripping on the street—but there was no way the sub male lead of a web novel would get such a pathetic ability. A new class? At this point, wasn’t that practically main male lead level?
Feeling like he urgently needed to retract all the pity he had felt for Kang Sihyeon’s supposedly mediocre career, Sihyeon fidgeted with his bag strap and muttered quietly the words he had already repeated to himself several times.
This kind of thing—I seriously never heard about it.
“Congratulations, Sihyeon!”
“Hey, Kang Sihyeon! Congrats! Don’t forget us now, okay?!”
Seeing the teacher and students smiling and congratulating him without any idea that his insides were in mourning made him want to quit everything. As his shoulders slumped and his gaze dropped, he suddenly locked eyes with Lee Hamin below the stage.
Heh.
Whether it was a sneer or just a grin, Hamin looked at him with deep violet eyes. Sihyeon felt like he would lose if he looked away first, so he held his gaze. Apparently amused, Hamin slowly curled his lips upward and opened his mouth.
Without making a sound, he mouthed something. Sihyeon tilted his head slightly, unable to understand. As he blinked in confusion, he soon felt a fierce gaze.
Turning his head slightly, he saw Dawoon. Pressing his lips together, Sihyeon shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead, letting out a groan.
This was a complete disaster.
It felt like someone had splattered squid ink all over a canvas he had carefully painted.
After the chaotic and bewildering class test ended, the teachers began handing out two rings to each student. At first, Sihyeon wondered if it was some kind of entrance gift, but as he examined the ring, the principal standing on the stage began to speak.
“The silver ring you are receiving now is an Assist Pairing. Simply put, we call it a Pairing. When you wear it, you’ll see it adjust to fit your finger. The Pairing records the owner’s name, class, and heart rate, and within Mir Military Academy High School, it also serves as your student ID, so please take good care of it. As for the remaining Pairing….”
The principal trailed off and smiled as he looked around at the students, wearing an expression as if he were looking at his grandchildren.
“The other Pairing belongs to the partner you will be paired with for the next six months.”
“Partner?”
As murmurs spread among the students, the principal tapped the microphone as if to call for silence. Once the auditorium quieted down, he continued.
“During your three years at Mir Military Academy High School, you will meet a total of six partners. These partners will take partner classes with you and will be reliable companions during the monthly evaluations held every two months.”
After briefly collecting his thoughts, the principal continued explaining.
“There are no restrictions on how you choose your partner. You may choose a friend, someone whose class synergizes well with yours, or if you find it difficult to decide, you may ask a teacher to pair you with someone who remains unpaired. However, once chosen, your partner cannot be changed for six months, so please choose carefully. Partner registration is automatically completed when you exchange Pairings and wear them. If you have any other questions, please consult the teachers on the right side of the auditorium.”
With that, a silver Pairing was also handed to Sihyeon. Wearing the plain ring on his middle finger and holding the other one in his hand, he watched as the principal, after confirming all students had received theirs, spoke again.
“This concludes the entrance test. The class engraving corresponding to your class will take place tomorrow, and from tomorrow until summer break—four months—you will be living in the dormitories, so please bring your belongings when you come to school. Now then, the budding sprouts of our academy—let us begin partner registration!”
“Waaaah—!”
The students, who had been listening with bright, sparkling eyes without a hint of boredom, immediately erupted into cheers and began talking among themselves the moment the principal finished speaking.
Amid voices calling out, “Want to be partners?” here and there, Sihyeon, still unable to process the shocking news that he would be living in a dorm for the next four months starting tomorrow, stared blankly at the principal stepping down from the stage before glancing around.
Dawoon, whom he had expected to come charging at him the moment the ceremony ended, had apparently already chosen a partner. She was fending off a crowd of guys while exchanging rings with the short-haired girl he had seen earlier.
“No way!”
As cries of despair erupted, Sihyeon watched the scene with a strange expression. Then—
“Kyaaaak!”
A scream-like cheer rang out. Just from the sound, he could guess who it was.
“Kyaa, Hamin-nim! Please partner with me!”
“Seowoo-nim, how about being partners with me?”
“Haeun-ah, I love you! Let’s get married!”
“Don’t touch Geonwoo-nim, he’s public property!”
That was absurd.
Public property? What kind of nonsense was that? Watching Hamin, Haeun, and also Baek Geonwoo and Yoo Seowoo—who, despite being a Tanker and a Swordsman, were clearly blessed with top-tier genes—standing at the center of the cheers, Sihyeon shook his head at the crowd squealing “Four Heavenly Kings” regardless of gender.
The fact he had momentarily forgotten due to the sudden fantasy setting etched itself back into his mind.
This was a web novel.
Anyway, since Dawoon had already paired up, would those guys just pair among themselves?
Four Heavenly Kings—two pairs. The numbers lined up perfectly. Dual and Buffer, Tanker and dealer. All stable and ideal combinations.
Wanting to get away from the noise, Sihyeon walked toward a corner of the auditorium, his eyes scanning for a teacher.
His class was still undetermined. Which meant no one knew what it would be.
He had heard that in the case of a new class, one had to figure out their abilities on their own, so it took quite a bit of time before class engraving. Until then, he himself wouldn’t even know whether his class was trash or gold. So naturally, no one would want to partner with him.
High risk, high return. It was basically a gamble. Not wanting to waste unnecessary energy, Sihyeon opened his mouth to call for a teacher—
“Hey.”
A rude voice suddenly came from behind him.
Sihyeon turned his head. The face that came into view made a faint crease form between his brows.
Why is he calling me?
He had even gone out of his way to step aside so Hamin could enjoy his popularity, yet Hamin had cut through the crowd with a single gesture like Moses parting the sea and came straight to him. Puzzled, Sihyeon replayed everything in his mind.
He couldn’t recall doing anything that would have offended Hamin. He didn’t meet the conditions to become some bullied extra in a web novel. As he looked at Hamin, the latter ruffled his hair and extended a hand toward him.
“…?”
Was he asking to read his palm or something? As Sihyeon blinked, Hamin smirked—a thoroughly unpleasant grin.
“Hand it over.”
“What?”
“I’ll pair with you, so give me the ring.”
“…….”
It was a bold, unapologetic statement. His expression clearly showed he hadn’t even considered for a second that Sihyeon might refuse. Dumbfounded, Sihyeon frowned at him. He was going to reject him without hesitation.
But before he could say it, a large hand suddenly shot out and wrapped around his shoulder.
An arm appeared from behind and pulled him in. Guided by the firm grip, Sihyeon tilted awkwardly, and with a soft thud, his back pressed against someone’s chest. He lifted his head.
A familiar face came into view.
“Sorry, but he’s already taken.”
The calm, gentle voice was just as familiar.
