2nd-Year Faculty Staff Only Faculty Room

After writing in his log, Jeho stood up and began preparing to leave for the day.

It was rare for Teacher Kim Shin-rok to leave early, especially at a time when student council activities were piling up. Usually, he would stay later, often staying in the faculty room just in case any students suddenly needed counseling.

There were times when he would stay late under the pretense of having extra work, passing on materials to students that he had come across while organizing lesson materials. He would also stay late to help students indirectly, always having excuses but acting with the intention to help. His colleagues had noticed his true intentions.

Jeho was also an advisor to the Jigeuk Association, so he often helped the dormitory students, especially looking out for them when Gye Idam had failed to do her job properly. But now, as Gye Idam came to her senses late in her term, it was Jeho who wasn’t feeling well.

“I’m leaving first,” Jeho said.

“Teacher Kim Shin-rok, you’re leaving early today. Are you visiting Teacher Yong Je-geon again?”

“...Yes.”

Jeho replied weakly to his colleague’s question.

Yong Je-geon was still asleep.

The Dragon King had told Yoon Yeorang through a message that Yong Je-geon would be in a long sleep. Although he appeared perfectly fine outwardly, everyone thought it would last for just two or three days, but it was stretching longer than expected.

Yong Je-geon’s family didn’t worry much, thinking he would wake up soon, but his only close friend couldn’t let go of his anxiety.

‘Once the student council election and the inter-school competition are over, the Chuseok holiday will start. Will he wake up before the holidays?’

The longer Jeho stayed in the school without Yong Je-geon, the more he found himself thinking.

When Jeho had nearly been killed by a shaman’s hand during the entrance exam monitoring, Yong Je-geon had stayed in the hospital the whole time. It had taken quite some time for Jeho to recover completely, as he had been unconscious for a long period and required regenerative treatment.

Jeho, who was lying there receiving treatment and unable to offer any entertainment, had been visited by Yong Je-geon, who had received permission from Hwang Ho to stay at the hospital.

Jeho had never fully understood why Yong Je-geon did that, but now, as he looked at the sleeping figure of Yong Je-geon, he finally began to understand.

‘Did he think the same way I do now?’

However, Jeho couldn’t afford to dedicate all his time the way Yong Je-geon had.

Though he still had unused vacation days left, there were many important academic schedules ahead. In addition, while Yong Je-geon was absent from school, Jeho had taken over his classes and tasks, filling in for him, so taking time off was impossible.

Instead, Jeho had started going to the Dragon Palace after work. Fortunately, there were plenty of subjects to advise on within the dragon tribe, so it gave him a valid excuse to be there.

Of course, whether he had an excuse or not, the dragons, especially Jeokho and Woongnyeo, didn’t particularly welcome his visits. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“Teacher Yong was always bothering you, Kim Shin-rok, but I guess you must’ve gotten some affection for him.”

“You know that Teacher Kim Shin-rok has a big heart. That’s why the dragon tribe is so good to you when they come to pick you up.”

It seemed there were quite a few people who had seen Jeho heading to the Dragon Palace after work.

He hadn’t been hiding it, but he was already thinking of the right words and expressions before any misunderstandings could spread.

Jeho smiled awkwardly, the way a good-natured teacher would, and spoke cheerfully.

“Haha, they weren’t really coming to pick me up. They were just bringing Junyeol along.”

“Sure, sure, say hello from us when you get there.”

“...I will.”

Jeho had spoken without making it sound too awkward, but his colleagues were looking at him with a compassionate expression as if they knew everything.

Jeho hid his expression and smiled while accepting the greetings from his colleagues, heading out of the faculty room.

It would have been strange if no one had noticed that Yong Je-geon suddenly took medical leave, but no one pressed him for details.

Rather, before the topic could even arise, the conversation shifted smoothly, as though everyone had already agreed on what to say.

‘If it was another incident, maybe, but after the school trip involving the dragon tribe, the teachers at Eungwang High must have caught on.’

Since the dragon tribe and the Red Lion had been deeply involved in the school trip incident, it was easy to guess that Yong Je-geon had gotten involved as well.

Some students at Eungwang High might even have speculated that Yong Je-geon was perfectly fine and walking around, but most of those speculations still revolved around the school trip.

The guess was that Yong Je-geon had gone undercover to uncover the truth behind the trip and had taken sick leave because it was too much of a hassle to come to school.

Whether Yong Je-geon was pretending to be ill for some shady work or was genuinely in a bad state and unable to move, most believed that his absence was the result of what happened on Jeju Island.

After greeting the dragons waiting in the parking lot, Jeho asked, “What about Junyeol?”

“He’s probably staying at school for student council work. He can come later to pick you up, so you go ahead.”

Since Jeong Junyeol’s school security was under Yong Je-geon’s responsibility, a different dragon had been assigned to fill in.

Moreover, when traveling outside of Eungwang High to the Dragon Palace or Red Lion Building, additional security was provided.

The measure was meant to prevent possible attacks during transit and also to allow some of those who missed their duties to enjoy the drive a little.

Jeho, wanting to avoid making the school staff go back and forth multiple times because of him, quickly suggested, “Then I’ll stay behind and go with you. It’s inefficient for me to make multiple trips.”

“It’s fine. Hwangryong-nim asked me to bring you quickly,” replied the dragon.

“Hwangryong-nim?” Jeho asked firmly but softened when he heard the name.

Hwangryong had always been very fond of Jeho and showed it clearly, making it difficult to act sternly around him.

Hwangryong was also a strategist.

The dragon replied, “I didn’t hear the reason, but they said that Yong Je-geon’s condition has improved this morning. If my guess is right, it seems like he’s getting closer to waking up, so they might be calling him.”

Jeho immediately boarded the limousine with the Red Lion logo after hearing that.

As he saw Jeho leave, the dragon seemed satisfied.

Although Jeho had been like family to the dragons for thousands of years, they were cautious around him due to their fondness, not wanting to miss any opportunity to show their affection.

The dragon, on his way to the Dragon Palace, began to think about what food he should offer Jeho.

[Muji] Are you busy?

[Muji] Yuri came to greet me, but you weren’t here?

Late in the evening, after finishing Chess and PlayerZ practice, Jeho received a message from Muji.

Kim Yuri, a member of the student council, was extremely busy at the moment, so it seemed she had gone to Muji to greet him personally.

She probably assumed that if she only sent a message through the device, Muji would be disappointed.

‘I couldn’t make it in person, but I did send my greetings through the device.’

After wrapping up the current incident, Jeho had thanked everyone he owed favors to, especially Hong Gyu-bin, who was working overtime. He had even sent some Jeju specialties to Hong Gyu-bin, opting for Jeju green tea latte powder, thinking it would be something he’d need.

[Muji] There’s a tournament, right? You’re going to invite me, right?

Muji seemed interested in watching the inter-school competition between Eungwang High and the Military Academy.

Although there were general admission tickets, it seemed like Muji, being a major figure, might find it a bit dull if there wasn’t something spectacular to watch, like a festival.

Jeho hesitated a little, thinking about how to respond, but after a pause, Muji asked,

[Muji] Don’t want to invite me?

At this, Jeho suddenly remembered Muji, looking at him with teary eyes and protesting. He wondered if Muji had been crying over the message and felt a little concerned.

In a hurry, Jeho typed a quick excuse.

[Jeho] No, I was just wondering if I should prepare an invitation for Jecheon Daeseong too.

[Muji] You’re close with the Military Academy people, right? They’ll take care of it. Just make sure to get mine.

Fortunately, the excuse worked, and the conversation ended peacefully.

Just as Jeho was adding Muji’s name to the list of people to invite, a hologram appeared when he passed through a quiet corridor.

It was a campaign poster for the Jigeuk Association president election.

‘Park Seung-hyun.’

Park Seung-hyun was the sole candidate, just like last year. There was no official rule against having multiple candidates, but only Park Seung-hyun had been nominated from within the Jigeuk Association, and no one outside the association had applied.

‘Our class has the student council with Andain, and the disciplinary committee with Ju Soo-hyuk taking all the attention, so the Jigeuk Association has been less noticed. The students who were interested in the dormitory representative position have mostly already joined Jigeuk, so picking a representative will be easier since everyone knows each other.’

Although the competition seemed to have lower visibility due to fewer contenders, it could also be interpreted positively: it meant the dormitory students trusted the Jigeuk Association.

Had the Jigeuk Association seemed dysfunctional, someone would have stepped up to challenge for the presidency, just like in the past when Seong Guk-eon, a notorious student from class 0, had led the student council.

Despite some noise surrounding this year’s election, other Jigeuk members had done well, so there were no major issues, and the dormitory students knew that.

And everyone, not just Jeho, who remembered Park Seung-hyun’s time as a playable character, would realize that Park Seung-hyun would make an excellent Jigeuk president.

“Ah, Yi-shin.”

It was Park Seung-hyun himself who spoke to Jeho.

Jeho had been looking at the hologram when the voice suddenly startled him.

Turning around, he saw Park Seung-hyun, looking much thinner than in his campaign photos.

Jeho couldn’t help but ask when he saw his face.

“Did you eat yet?”