Unlike the excited students heading toward the dorms, the atmosphere in the conference room was unbearably bleak. The dry air made their mouths parched. In the heavy silence that seemed to steal even their breath, the one who finally spoke was the principal.
“They’re still young—and it’s dangerous.”
As the highest authority spoke, the teachers—who had been keeping quiet, watching each other—began to voice their opinions one by one.
“I agree. If the Association finds out about Student Sihyeon’s ability, they’ll definitely overwork him.”
“A school’s primary duty is to protect its students. We can’t just hand him over because the Association asks for him!”
“More than anything, Student Sihyeon is still young. Sure, he handled the Wormman wisely today, but it’s still too early for him to be formally deployed into the Mir military.”
“But the Association will keep coveting him.”
At the words of a man with long brown hair tied into a single strand down his back, the other teachers’ expressions darkened.
“That’s true…”
As the room filled with reluctant agreement, the principal let out a sigh.
“It’s troublesome when someone is too outstanding.”
Running a hand through his silver hair, the principal tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. The intermittent sound broke through the silence.
“…There’s no way to keep it from the Association, is there?”
A short-haired teacher cautiously spoke, and every teacher around her shook their heads as if in unison.
“That’s absurd.”
“The Association has no sense of restraint. It’s already harsh enough that students are mobilized into the Mir military starting from their second year—do you really think they’d hold back just because Sihyeon is still a first-year?”
“It’s the Association, after all.”
“And it won’t just be them. This could cause conflict with overseas Awakened centers too. That young student could become the cause of an international dispute.”
“They wouldn’t actually try to kidnap him, would they?”
“…Surely not. Even when a Dual appeared two years ago, they didn’t go that far.”
“But this time it’s a Quadruple. A Quadruple. Do you really think they’ll just sit back?”
“……”
After several exchanges, silence fell again. With nothing gained and only worries piling up, the principal frowned deeply, lines forming across his forehead as he sank into thought. Everyone seemed lost in their own concerns, brows furrowed as quiet groans slipped out.
Biting his lip at the complicated situation, the principal made a decision and slammed the table.
Bang!
At the sharp sound, all eyes turned toward him. Confirming their attention, the principal took a breath.
“Let’s do this. As we’ve already said, the school is a place to protect students. The second-year Mir military mobilization class can’t be avoided, but at the very least, we will protect Student Sihyeon from any outside interference until he completes his first year.”
“But the Association will pressure us.”
“We’ll ignore it.”
“Excuse me?”
“The risks will be significant.”
At the concerned voices, the principal swept his gaze across the teachers. Meeting each pair of eyes, he slowly exhaled, reflecting on his years in education. Closing and opening his eyes, he clenched his fist. His heated gaze seemed to warm the very air.
“For the next year, ignore all pressure from the Association regarding Student Sihyeon.”
“But—”
“I will take full responsibility.”
He raised his voice, cutting off the objection. A brief silence followed. Within it, the principal unclenched his fist and firmly declared his stance.
“I will take full responsibility. No matter how exceptional his class is, he is still a child. And we are teachers.”
“……”
At his resolute tone, the teachers fell silent. After a moment, the short-haired teacher cautiously brought up, “Then what about interviews…?” and the discussion shifted to smaller, undecided matters.
With the most important issue settled, the atmosphere grew slightly lighter as the meeting continued. Watching this, the principal let out a breath and leaned back against his chair.
A headache he had forgotten returned.
The voices in the conference room continued for a long time.
***
Following the dorm supervisor, Sihyeon arrived at the dormitory building behind the auditorium—and his mouth fell open. A luxurious five-story building filled his view. It felt more like looking at a high-end mansion.
Is this a dorm? It’s a rich family estate.
Muttering his honest thoughts under his breath, Sihyeon watched as the teacher divided the students by gender at the entrance. Female students entered through the left door, male students through the right. Exchanging a brief glance with Dawoon as she moved away, Sihyeon made sure Haru was with him and stepped inside.
“At the lobby, state your name and receive your room key. Unless partners are of different genders—which is an exception—partners will share a room, with four students per room. Please maintain a friendly relationship with your roommates. Also, starting from the third floor, the rooms are for upperclassmen, so be careful not to enter by mistake.”
Nodding at the detailed explanation, Sihyeon headed toward what looked like the counter. It seemed the entrance area on the first floor served as the lobby.
“Kang Sihyeon, Ban Haru.”
When he gave both his and Haru’s names, the glasses-wearing teacher at the counter checked Sihyeon’s face and handed over two keys.
Room 207.
Seeing the number on the key, Sihyeon felt a pang of disappointment that it wasn’t on the first floor. Climbing stairs every time he returned to the dorm would be a hassle.
“We’re in room 207, hyung.”
“Ah…”
As Sihyeon handed over the key, Haru let out a small exclamation. It was hard to tell whether he was pleased or disappointed. Watching him quietly, Sihyeon picked up his suitcase and started up the stairs.
Step—his foot landed.
And then—
Wobble—his body slipped.
“Careful!”
The tilted body was suddenly steadied by Haru’s hand, as if nothing had happened. Blinking, Sihyeon looked at Haru, who had raised his voice for the first time.
Did he just shout?
Replaying the clearly heard “Careful!” in his mind, Sihyeon stared at Haru with a vague expression. A strange feeling wrapped around him.
He had always thought about protecting or taking care of Haru—never about being helped. So receiving help unexpectedly seemed to have startled him.
“Thank you.”
“…Yeah.”
Even after Sihyeon regained his balance, Haru didn’t let go of his arm, as if still uneasy. Adjusting his grip on the suitcase, Sihyeon gently removed Haru’s hand. Then, as if to show he was fine, he climbed the stairs again.
He had always been physically weak, and now he lacked stamina too, so the suitcase felt heavy. But as long as he stayed focused, he wouldn’t stumble like before.
“I’m okay now. I just forgot for a moment that I’m low on stamina because of mana.”
“Ah…”
At the reassuring explanation, Haru let out a small sigh and slowly lowered his hand. Only then could Sihyeon move comfortably.
After Sihyeon had gone up a fair bit, Haru followed behind, carrying his suitcase. Unlike Sihyeon, who had nearly stumbled from the first step, Haru moved effortlessly. Watching him out of habit, Sihyeon let out a small laugh.
It felt oddly new seeing someone bigger than him easily carry a larger suitcase. Somehow, it felt like a chick worrying about a lion.
Reaching the floor quickly, Sihyeon turned his head to find room 207. Judging by the layout—room 206 appearing right after the stairs and corner—it seemed the girls’ rooms went up to 205.
Even if he had to use the stairs, at least it wasn’t room 210.
With that thought, Sihyeon approached room 207 and inserted the key into the doorknob. Haru trailed behind him. Turning the key—
Click.
The door opened.
Despite the building’s luxurious exterior, the old-fashioned key system felt oddly outdated. Pushing the door open, Sihyeon stepped inside.
“Wow…”
That stray thought vanished the moment he saw the inside. It was the first time Sihyeon realized that bunk bed mattresses could be this wide.
“Is this a dorm or a palace…?”
His genuine awe slipped out aloud. The room was far too spacious to be called a dorm. After setting his suitcase in a corner, Sihyeon looked at the bed—it looked so soft he wanted to collapse onto it immediately. But first, he had to decide which one to use.
“Hyung, do you want the top or the bottom?”
“Huh?”
“The bed. If you move a lot in your sleep, you should take the bottom.”
Judging by the size, it didn’t seem like he’d fall off even if he rolled twice.
After a moment of thought, Haru chose the top. Immediately, Sihyeon headed for the bottom bunk. Satisfied with the surprisingly spacious vertical space, he threw himself onto the mattress.
Thump—his body sank into the soft bedding. Feeling the drowsiness wash over him, Sihyeon let out a relaxed breath and blinked slowly.
Then, suddenly, the image of Haru giving up his wish surfaced in his mind.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
The response came from above.
“The wish. Why didn’t you make one?”
“…Huh?”
“The Rank 1 wish.”
“Ah…”
“You really didn’t have anything?”
“No…”
“Then why?”
Still lying down with his eyes closed from exhaustion, Sihyeon asked. Haru fell silent. Now used to that silence, Sihyeon simply relaxed into it. After a while, a small voice came from above.
“…Because it’s already been granted.”
“What?”
Sihyeon sat up. Just as he swung his legs off the bed to ask more—
Bang!
The door suddenly burst open.
Guessing it was their roommates, Sihyeon stepped down and peeked toward the door. As long as it wasn’t the Four Heavenly Kings, anyone would be fine.
That was what he thought.
But the moment he saw who had just entered, he shut his mouth.
His previously composed expression twisted.
This damn, cursed flag.
Seriously—his luck was absolute trash.
