Episode 44: The Exchange Program (2)
Joo Seo-jun was taken aback.
He had watched Yoon Chae-ha longer than anyone.
And perhaps, aside from her parents, he prided himself on knowing her better than anyone else.
A laid-back personality. An always indifferent attitude.
A tendency to never rush anything, letting things pass lightly.
That was the reason she remained ranked 5th in Kalos.
He knew.
If Yoon Chae-ha truly set her mind to it, he wouldn’t be able to hold onto his 1st place ranking.
So, he had thought this decision was just another whim.
When she had said, “I’m going to Gaon,” Joo Seo-jun took it as nothing more than a fleeting impulse rather than a serious plan.
A simple whim that would change again once she woke up the next day.
However, this time, he had to admit it was different.
—Bang!
“Ugh, seriously.”
Yoon Chae-ha stormed out of the professor’s office, slamming the door behind her.
Unlike her usual easygoing demeanor, her face was twisted in frustration.
Judging from her expression and the fluctuating tones of voices that had come from inside, it was clear the negotiation hadn’t gone well.
Even after closing the door, she let out a long sigh.
“…Damn it.”
She roughly ran a hand through her hair.
Her uniform fluttered slightly over her shoulder.
Between the strands of her golden hair, her fiery orange eyes flashed for a brief moment.
Then, still fuming, she walked away.
Her actions were unfolding too quickly.
Once she made up her mind, she never hesitated to act.
The problem was, she rarely made up her mind.
—In the past fifteen years, she had only ever made up her mind once.
When that first time was, he could barely remember anymore.
But he was certain—this was the second time.
“Seo-jun.”
Just then, the door to the office cracked open behind him, and the professor’s assistant called out.
Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, he, too, had suffered at the hands of the professor.
Today’s counseling session for the The Exchange Program wasn’t just for Yoon Chae-ha; Joo Seo-jun was also scheduled for it.
“If you’re ready, come in….”
“Yes.”
The assistant trailed off and opened the door for him.
He stepped into the office.
As the door closed, the entire room came into view.
Walls lined with magic tomes, shelves cluttered with various magical devices and flasks, and crystal mechanisms engraved with moving magic circles.
His professor was furrowing his brows while scribbling something as usual.
But the moment Joo Seo-jun entered, the professor’s face brightened.
—Screech.
The professor pulled out a chair and greeted him warmly.
“Come, have a seat, Seo-jun.”
Joo Seo-jun took a seat.
And with that, the professor’s persuasion began in earnest.
Unlike the stubborn Yoon Chae-ha, Seo-jun was a model student, and the professor must have thought he could be convinced.
His tone was noticeably more pleasant than before.
“…So, what I’m saying is, Seo-jun, could you talk some sense into Chae-ha…?”
In the end, the message was simple.
You guys shouldn’t leave. Stop Yoon Chae-ha.
Or, more precisely—if she can’t be stopped, at least you should stay.
“The higher-ups are in an uproar, you know? If two top-ranked students leave…”
The professor waved his hands in frustration.
“They’re offering scholarships, graduate school opportunities, and even connections with the Mage Tower, so why…?”
His words continued endlessly, giving no room to respond.
For a brief moment, Joo Seo-jun understood why Yoon Chae-ha had grown so weary.
“Professor.”
Eventually, he cut the professor off.
“Oh, yes?”
The professor still looked at him with hopeful eyes.
But without hesitation, Joo Seo-jun shattered that hope with a short response.
“You should find someone else for graduate school.”
Then, with a smile, he added,
“I’m going to Gaon too.”
The professor hurriedly tried to say something more,
But Joo Seo-jun had no intention of prolonging the conversation.
“Well then, I’ll be going now.”
He gave a light farewell and stepped out of the office.
The sun had set, and a faint chill brushed against his face.
She was already long gone, nowhere in sight.
It had always been this way.
She was always ahead, always moving farther away, never looking back.
That was just how she was.
Joo Seo-jun paused for a moment.
He thought for a while.
It wasn’t romantic feelings.
Rather, it was something drier. A kind of admiration, perhaps.
Regardless.
Joo Seo-jun decided to follow, as far as he could go.
***
A few days passed after the decision to take a leave of absence.
The school had almost returned to its original state.
Some buildings even seemed to have improved.
And today, classes resumed.
Gaon Academy decided not to retake the interrupted midterms. Instead, they would merge the remaining scores with the finals for evaluation.
Since the written exams were already completed, only the practical exams would be integrated into the finals, with prior notice.
The students sighed in relief at this decision.
After all, having grades temporarily on hold was a good thing.
Seeing each other after a long time, the students naturally gathered in small groups, chatting away.
Laughter spread across the room as if they were trying to shake off the heavy atmosphere.
And before long.
“It’s been a while.”
The classroom door opened, and Instructor Do Han-seong walked in.
His voice was always somewhat subdued, but today, it lacked even more energy.
The once-bustling students quickly fell silent.
All eyes turned to one spot.
An empty desk.
On top of it lay a single white flower, as if someone had left it there.
In the end, the official report stated that Sung Siwoo had died in battle against a demonic human.
In reality, he had been corrupted and turned into a demonic human himself before being killed.
But publicly announcing that would have been too complicated for many reasons.
The official statement was the result of various considerations.
Instructor Do Han-seong let out a quiet sigh.
But he said nothing more.
***
There was nothing particularly special about today’s classes.
Just an announcement about the postponed midterms and an introduction to the “The Exchange Program.”
Mostly, it was a time to reconnect with professors after a long break.
“As you may already know, the midterms have been postponed. We will soon announce the results of the written exams.”
When the instructor finished speaking, murmurs of disappointment and sighs of relief filled the classroom.
As a result, my rank was also frozen.
Until the finals were over, I would remain unranked.
“Is that him?”
“Medusa?”
But the way people looked at me had completely changed.
The video clip of me beheading Medusa had already surpassed 20 million views.
It was being shared all over the place.
Because of that, most of the students gathered outside the classroom were here just to see me.
Silently, I stood up from my seat.
As soon as class ended, I quickly left the classroom.
But the moment I stepped into the hallway, someone blocked my path.
“You’re Jung Haein, right?”
Gaon Academy had no strict dress code, but some students still chose to wear uniforms, like the one standing before me.
A green collar.
It symbolized the second-year students.
Black hair and deep, dark eyes.
I had a rough idea of who she was.
And before she could even speak, murmurs spread around us.
Ignoring the stares, she extended her hand toward me.
“How about joining Frontier?”
Frontier.
It was one of the most prestigious clubs in Gaon Academy.
It had produced many elite heroes, and only selected or highly promising students were invited.
It was essentially the perfect place to build connections.
In the original story, this event triggered once the protagonist’s notoriety reached a certain level.
“Thank you.”
With this, I could tangibly feel just how much attention I was getting.
And she didn’t even consider rejection as a possibility.
She confidently handed me a black and gold-engraved card.
Probably something like a business card.
She must have come all the way here despite the second-year classrooms being quite a distance away.
Her demeanor exuded confidence.
As if everything was a given.
But I responded.
“No thanks.”
“Alright, let’s head to the clubroom to—”
She stopped mid-sentence, her expression twisting slightly.
“… What did you just say?”
“I said, I’m not joining.”
The surroundings fell silent in an instant. No one had expected that response.
It was a place everyone wanted to get into.
There were even countless students who put in effort just to receive an invitation.
But I refused.
And without any particular emotion, I continued speaking.
“I’ve already decided where to join.”
I had already chosen the club I would join. But with his death, there was no longer a reason to go.
So, since I didn’t need club points for my grades anyway, I had decided not to join any.
But from this event just now, I realized something.
With this level of attention… it was almost certain.
‘Yoon Chae-ha is coming.’
I would be joining the same club as her once she arrived here.
“Uh… so, friend. What I’m trying to say is…”
The senior in front of me, still unable to accept my refusal, continued explaining.
This was strange. Frontier wasn’t the type to be this persistent.
Normally, if someone refused, they would just walk away without looking back.
Then, someone beside me pushed back the card she had extended.
I turned my head to check.
It was Sion.
She bowed slightly to the senior and spoke.
“I’m sorry, senior. We’ve already decided to join together.”
With a smiling face, Sion gently pushed the senior away.
The senior bit her lip in disappointment but didn’t say anything further.
After that, Sion immediately grabbed my wrist and started walking.
Once we had moved far enough down the hallway, she finally spoke.
“Phew… seriously, Why was that senior clinging like that?”
“I don’t get why she kept insisting after you said no.”
I stared at her for a moment.
Then, with a teasing tone, I said,
“When did I say I was joining you?”
She flinched.
“Ahem, well… we agreed to join the same club, didn’t we? Last time was a bit of a mess, but I looked into a few good ones.”
We had arrived at Gaon’s main hall.
In the center, a massive monitor was displaying The Exchange Arena in real time.
On the left was Kalos, on the right was Gaon.
The colors representing each academy flickered as students’ names moved with dazzling effects.
— Ooooh!
A wave of cheers erupted from the students. Even Sion, who had been chattering away, turned her gaze toward the screen.
Just now, Dave, who had ranked 10th in Gaon, had transferred to Kalos.
He was a student who specialized in magic.
Perhaps he had decided that Gaon didn’t suit him and had chosen Kalos instead.
His name glowed brightly as it shifted to the other side.
I waited.
For some reason, I had a good feeling.
Sion also seemed to be watching closely. Then, she cautiously leaned closer to me.
“… There’s nothing too interesting about this, right? This Exchange Program… nothing really stands out….”
She asked hesitantly.
But I didn’t answer.
At that moment—
“Huh?”
“Is that for real?”
[Rank 1: Joo Seo-jun]
[Rank 5: Yoon Chae-ha]
Two names, glowing in a deep blue light, slowly moved toward Gaon.
Sion sharply inhaled.
She blinked a few times before looking at the monitor again.
Her lips parted slightly, then closed again.
And then, ever so slowly—
Really, really slowly—
She turned her head toward me.
I happened to be looking at her, too.
Our gazes met in silence.
I naturally opened my mouth.
“Sorry, but it looks like we won’t be joining a club together after all.”
Then, I turned my eyes back to the monitor.
The names, glowing in a soft blue light, left behind faint afterimages as they settled into place at Gaon.
I gazed at the screen with a quiet smile.