#1
I had no interest in them whatsoever. But I pretended otherwise. I’d already resolved never to get involved with them, knowing that trying to appear indifferent while staying alone would only make me stand out more.
“The Five Great Kings are coming!”
So this is about those “Five Great Kings” someone just kindly shouted about. Sorry for setting the mood and then breaking it, but I wasn’t lying. They were exactly the people I didn’t want to have any connection with.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“I think I’m in love!”
This is a boys’ high school. Their open-mindedness is truly impressive. And how do they even produce those piercing high notes?
Five people pass through the path cleared by students. Their attitude was casually indifferent, as if used to it. The gaze of one of the red-haired twins walking in front fixes on me. I immediately smile and shout:
“I love you, Five Great Kings!”
A tree must be hidden in the forest. If you absolutely don’t want to stand out, pretend to be a fan.
The correct way to avoid getting involved with the Five Great Kings in this novel: Start clapping your hands and singing praises.
***
“Congratulations to all on your admission to Aseon Boys’ High School. Aseon High School has a long history and tradition…”
The lights hanging above the auditorium sting my eyes. The coat I wore in the still cold weather made my body feel hot. The principal’s speech continues endlessly, and I feel increasingly warm.
“Students should refer to these examples and bring further honor to our school. Young people these days…”
The principal’s speech never ends. After more than ten minutes of continuous talking, my concentration begins to waver.
And I’m not the only one. Students everywhere were already chatting among themselves out of boredom. And most of their conversations converged on one topic.
“Five Great Kings…”
Gold, bluish-black, blue, and two with red hair. Those must be the so-called Five Great Kings. All the surrounding students are talking about them.
“Wow… you know them too, right?”
Feeling someone nudging me, I turn around to see a brown head bobbing around. Looking down, I see golden eyes full of excitement. The boy who spoke to me had a gentle, puppy-like appearance. Thinking of a puppy, I smiled and answered:
“Of course I know! Those are the Five Great Kings, right?”
“This is my first time seeing the Five Great Kings. Have you seen them before?”
“No, this is my first time too.”
I’ve only seen them in writing… Swallowing the latter part, I nodded along to what the boy next to me was chattering about.
“I’m a fan of Nam-hwi nim. Just seeing that deep-sea-like hair color makes me feel like I’m suffocating.”
The boy next to me said, neatly clasping his hands. I’d better keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t actually faint. Though he’s not particularly frail, his expression looked like he was about to collapse.
“You really like them, huh?”
“Of course!”
When I spoke halfheartedly, the boy immediately responded. I flinched in surprise. The gentle-looking boy had suddenly transformed into a passionate fan and shouted:
“Anyone who sees them will fall for them. Everyone in this world belongs to the Five Great Kings!”
Mom, Dad, are you listening? Your son now belongs to men he’s just seen for the first time today. Please apply for a change of ownership. Or should we change the family register?
“You’ll like the Five Great Kings too.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Though I completely disagreed, I covered my mouth and pretended to have realized something. It was an outright lie without even trying to sound convincing. I glanced at the name tag of the boy next to me and changed the subject. Nam Hee-ae—an unusual name for a boy. He probably got misunderstood a lot.
“By the way, Hee-ae, which middle school did you attend?”
“You might not know it. It’s called Bunchae Middle School, a bit far from here…”
Hee-ae perked up when I called his name, then quickly became dejected. I slowly tried to recall.
“Bunchae Middle School? I know that place. They have really nice uniforms.”
Fortunately, it was a school I had looked up yesterday. Hearing that I knew Bunchae Middle School, Hee-ae’s expression immediately brightened. His facial expressions really change quickly. I continued the conversation with Hee-ae in a more comfortable manner.
“And finally.”
The principal’s speech was suddenly interrupted. Looking up, I saw someone hurriedly running over with small steps to whisper in his ear. The principal cleared his throat and said:
“Due to time constraints, I’ll conclude here. Congratulations to everyone on your admission.”
As soon as the principal finished speaking, the half-dozing students opened their eyes. The soft murmuring quickly grew into a boisterous clamor. The principal came down from the podium with an embarrassed look.
“Quiet, quiet. Everyone, let’s move to our respective classrooms.”
A neat-looking teacher who flicked back his hair spoke into the microphone. I grabbed Hee-ae’s sleeve and whispered to go together. Short Hee-ae looked like he could easily get lost in the crowd.
Firmly holding Hee-ae’s sleeve, I walked toward our classroom. Hee-ae was extremely excited about being in the same class as the Five Great Kings. Entering the room marked “Year 1 Class 1” in large letters, we found a neatly arranged classroom.
“Hee-ae, let’s sit together.”
I suggested to Hee-ae, who was hesitating and looking around. Hee-ae nodded with wide eyes. I released my grip on his sleeve and moved to the second-to-last seat in the second row. After confirming Hee-ae sat next to me, I hung up my bag.
I tried to stay as calm as possible while taking out my textbooks. I needed to assess the situation calmly. I had no desire to stand out and get involved with the Five Great Kings. I glanced sideways to mimic what other students were doing.
Just after I neatly placed my textbooks in the desk drawer, students began to murmur. Hee-ae also poked me and said:
“It’s the Five Great Kings…”
Every time I hear that, I crave jajangmyeon. Sounds like a Chinese restaurant name. Hee-ae shrank back and turned his gaze. Like true protagonists, the Five Great Kings entered through the open classroom door after everyone else had sat down.
First to enter were two boys with nearly identical faces prancing around. Their red hair caught my eye first. Lee Ye-gyeol and Lee Han-gyeol—they’re twins.
Following them was a tall man with blue hair. Hee-ae hunched down nervously and muttered “Nam-hwi nim.” This was the person Hee-ae adored so much.
Gold and bluish-black hair, Ban Eun-gyeol and Han Yeo-wol were the last to enter.
“Aaaaargh!”
What’s with that scream straight out of a mystery novel? Would the mafia please raise their hands?
With cheers, surrounding students jumped up with expressions of awe. I slowly stood up too. After briefly observing others, I covered my mouth and just repeated “wow” like the other students.
Looking at them, I recalled yesterday’s resolution. Pretend to be an ordinary extra. The appropriate response when transmigrated into a novel’s background is to pretend to be a fan. I organized in my head what I had memorized while searching yesterday.
And then I thought with wide eyes:
‘But how do I pretend to be a fan?’
Glancing around, I saw that the students who’d been too overwhelmed to speak properly were now smoothly praising the Five Great Kings as if entranced. If I just do that, I probably won’t stand out.
‘Describe the Five Great Kings in 500 words or less. (5 points)…?’
Somehow it feels like a question just flashed through my mind. I listened carefully to what surrounding students were saying and quietly repeated:
“That’s Han Yeo-wol nim, ranked first! Look at that noble bearing. No wonder his title is ‘Emperor.’ And look at the knight standing next to him. With such unwavering loyalty, all the world’s 100 greatest loyal subjects must be crying. Is the river flowing before us made of their tears?”
The lines were good, but I spoke too fast. Deducting 21 points from today’s score, leaving 79 points. Hee-ae, sitting right next to me and having heard everything, looked bewildered. His wandering eyes clearly revealed his surprise.
“You talk so fast. I’m too shy to even speak properly…”
“…It’s because I’m nervous.”
It’s not because I practiced tongue twisters a lot, it really is nervousness. Having spoken without even breathing, it would have been quite a funny and awkward scene if others had heard. Fortunately, the surrounding students were so loud that nobody except Hee-ae heard me. Hee-ae gradually calmed down and gave me an amused look.
The Five Great Kings predictably sat in the last seats of each row. Those were spaces students had naturally left empty. Seeing Nam-hwi sit behind us—behind Hee-ae specifically—Hee-ae began to tremble violently.
“What do I do now? He’s sitting behind me. Am I dreaming? Hit me please. This is just a dream, right? No way. Being in the same class wasn’t enough, now he’s sitting right behind me? I’m too unworthy, it makes me sad.”
He covered his face and muttered at an incredible speed. I patted Hee-ae and said:
“You’re good. I think you talk faster than me.”
That was excessive humility. Hee-ae’s eloquence was definitely not at the level of someone who couldn’t speak well. He seemed genuinely embarrassed and completely buried his face on the desk. For reference, the seat behind me was empty. It belonged to a student who couldn’t come today.
The homeroom teacher made a grand entrance, flinging the door open, and the noisy classroom immediately quieted down. After his dramatic entrance, our homeroom teacher conducted the class with the utmost composure.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
