Chapter 979

The answer to the question of why I attend Gong Cheong-hwon's class was simple.

It’s because the class content is excellent.

However, considering that students aren’t just studying but are also evaluated on their grades, it might seem suspicious at first.

Perhaps it was because Gong Cheong-hwon’s name was mentioned, but I heard Huang Jiho’s voice, now more subdued, in my ear.

[He’s been giving instructions this whole time. It seems like they’re directing what Hirano Seiji should say to you.]

From the moment I noticed the trap, it seemed that Hirano Seiji was being given real-time instructions on what to say.

They likely wanted to hear that I was taking Gong Cheong-hwon’s class due to external pressure.

Of course, they’d also want to hear that this external pressure is tied to the Hwangmyung Group or Andain, but I had no intention of saying anything like that.

I responded with something that seemed harmless to anyone listening.

"I'm really interested in otherworld conquest and energy studies. Gong Cheong-hwon’s classes on energy sciences are very insightful."

Hirano Seiji seemed slightly relieved, but soon his expression shifted again, possibly receiving more instructions.

It wasn’t appropriate to persistently ask about grades on our first meeting, and I didn’t think he wanted to do so either.

Hirano Seiji, looking as if he had swallowed something bitter, said,

"I’ve heard that Gong Cheong-hwon’s class content is excellent. But you can always attend the class and boost your grades through other subjects, right?"

What he said was completely true.

It was a wise strategy to plan one’s studies that way if grades were the main concern.

At Eungwang High, all class lectures are provided online, so you don’t necessarily need to officially enroll in a class to access the material.

Because of this, Mok U-ram was able to attend the classes he was interested in while also preparing for tests by studying the courses that Geon Reyna attended.

Also, while Gong Cheong-hwon’s exams are notoriously difficult, his appearance, voice, and the class material itself are highly regarded, making the class videos very popular.

Even those who don't officially attend his courses often use his class videos in the background for focus during self-study sessions, much like listening to ASMR.

‘Many students defend their grades this way while avoiding failure and still manage to attend Gong Cheong-hwon’s class.’

A notable example was Dukgo Mi-ro.

Dukgo Mi-ro got to know Gong Cheong-hwon around the time he became friends with Han Yi, and even now, they’re still close, but he never officially enrolls.

But based on conversations with Han Yi, it seemed like he might still watch the class videos.

On the flip side, there were those who didn’t attend his class in this way—such as Jangdol Maeng Hyo-don.

Maeng Hyo-don wasn’t attending math class to get grades.

"Studying for exams and being evaluated is part of studying. It also provides motivation, and there’s a lot that you can’t gain from just auditing. Plus, I’ve never received a perfect score, but there’s a student who got one in Gong Cheong-hwon's class."

Though Gong Cheong-hwon is known for giving tough grades, there are students who do manage to score perfect marks.

Usually, Han Yi ranks first in his class, and while he doesn’t always get perfect scores, there are times he does achieve them.

If Jo Su-hyeok and Andain took Gong Cheong-hwon’s courses, they’d likely both get perfect scores every exam.

Hirano Seiji looked confused.

I suspected that Hirano Seiji might have assumed I was in a similar position to him, trying to create the only singular genius of this era.

Based on just what I said, it probably seemed like I had no issues, so he might have thought everything was fine.

‘But if I shut him down so coldly, it would defeat the purpose of stepping into the trap in the first place.’

I needed to leave some room for him to continue, but not so much that it would seem like I was playing into his hands.

I tapped my fingers lightly on the table, making no sound as I chuckled.

Seeing me laugh, Hirano Seiji looked puzzled.

Even though I was laughing, my voice carried a heavy, almost disassembling tone.

"...So, the reason I don’t get perfect scores isn’t anyone’s fault but my own lack of ability. If I had worked harder or if my talents and environment supported me better, maybe the results would have been different."

It’s natural that results change when effort, talent, and the environment change.

It’s an obvious statement, but when said in such a dark tone in this situation, it might make it seem like there was something more behind it.

It was frustrating to miss out on the top spot, but I couldn’t blame anyone. If I did, I’d only end up in a worse situation, so perhaps that’s why I spoke this way.

While I waited for Hirano Seiji to be given more instructions, Huang Jiho spoke in my ear.

[Jo Yi-shin is acting much better than expected. If you hadn’t laughed while saying it, I might have been fooled myself.]

Huang Jiho’s voice carried a hint of amusement, despite him talking about my acting.

It seemed they were still deliberating over the next instructions, but I decided to throw a more convincing bait.

"Do you know about the 0th class?"

"...I know it’s the class you belong to. I’ve heard that besides you, there are many 0th class students on the Korean representative team."

"You know well. But what I want to ask is whether you know what kind of class the 0th class is."

Thanks to seniors like Geum Chan-wang and Woo Gi-hwan, the reputation of the 0th class has spread far and wide.

I wasn’t sure if the rumors had reached Japan, but if anyone were to search for “Eungwang High 0th Class,” numerous tales would pour out—there was no way to hide it.

Hirano Seiji seemed to have a rough idea about the 0th class, but he struggled to soften the way he expressed it.

"I heard it’s a class for students with special talents. I also heard that it’s a class for problematic students, but since you’re in it, it must be just a rumor."

"It’s not just a rumor."

There was nothing wrong with what Hirano Seiji had said.

I decided to take full advantage of the fact that I was involved with the 0th class.

"Some students join the 0th class voluntarily, but others don’t. It depends on things like past behavior, personal issues, or incidents that could be recorded in the ‘remarks’ section... for me, though, my entry into the 0th class was purely decided through an interview."

After I joined the 0th class, I had caused some minor incidents without revealing them, but I hadn’t done anything wrong at the time of the class assignment.

If the teacher conducting the interview felt I was ‘0th class material,’ they would have sent me there, but that wasn’t the case either.

What actually determined my placement in the 0th class was Huang Jiho—more specifically, Huang Jiho in the guise of Hwangmyung-ho, the chairman.

"I heard there was a big incident during my entrance exam. Do you know about it?"

"...I know. It was the incident that led to your change of name."

"That’s right. I had the chance to speak with Chairman Hwangmyung-ho about that incident. It was before the class assignment was made."

As soon as I finished speaking, the culprit behind my placement in the 0th class began to interfere.

When I mentioned ‘Chairman Hwangmyung-ho,’ I heard Huang Jiho’s mocking laughter in my ear.

[Hahaha! Chairman Hwangmyung-ho, you say? It’s so fresh to hear those words come from your mouth. What was supposed to be an unpleasant conversation has somehow turned amusing.]

It seemed the old tiger, who had been in a bad mood because of the Andain and Gong Cheong-hwon matters, was now in a much better mood.

I had trouble controlling my expression as Huang Jiho laughed into my ear.

I just wished he would laugh a bit farther from the mic.

Baek Ho-gun, if you're reading my mind, maybe you should do something about Huang Jiho.

After a few seconds, Huang Jiho’s laughter faded.

"So, what did you talk about with the chairman?"

Meanwhile, Hirano Seiji looked deeply contemplative.

When the chairman of the Hwangmyung Foundation’s name came up, it seemed that Hirano Seiji reacted strongly.

Hirano Seiji nervously drew an ‘X’ on the table with his trembling fingers.

It seemed that if he said the wrong thing now, it could get dangerous.

‘Now it’s time to move on to the next step.’

At this point, they probably thought they could use me to get leverage on the Hwangmyung Group.

I planned to push them further, making them act more boldly.

"Can we talk about this later? I don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss the chairman’s matters at Hwangmyung Tower."

"...Right."

"And even if you do, it will only cause trouble for you. There’s no way to solve it."

The quiet words I spoke seemed to be well received by them.

I was signaling that I wasn’t planning to give any crucial information to someone like Hirano Seiji, but it seemed they understood that quickly.

Soon after, Hirano Seiji said what I was waiting to hear.

"Would you like to consider counseling? Even though I’m not enough, there are teachers who are skilled in counseling among those who came with me."

Finally, I heard the response I wanted.

The teacher skilled in counseling was probably one of the people giving Hirano Seiji instructions through the eavesdropping device.

If they continued to use a powerless agent like Hirano Seiji, I could always turn the tables with wordplay.

I planned to draw out the one secretly operating behind the rumors involving me.

"I want to consult with a trustworthy adult. Thank you."

Of course, whoever came to consult with me probably wouldn’t be trustworthy.

Afterward, we continued talking about things high school students might chat about on their days off.

We discussed popular games like PlayerZ and K-pop stars who had visited Japan, topics that fit for a casual conversation.

Before parting ways, Hirano Seiji showed me a hologram with his device code.

"Ah, this is my device code. If you’re okay with it, contact me."

The hologram displayed two codes.

One had an X, and the other had an O.

Sending a message through the code marked with an X would likely allow many others, not just Hirano Seiji, to see it.

As I stared at the code marked with an X, Hirano Seiji bowed his head, unsure whether it was out of embarrassment or despair.

After the conversation with Hirano Seiji, I headed to the top floor of the Hwangmyung Building, where the tigers were waiting.

As soon as I got on the direct elevator, a red mist spread, and Jeokho appeared.

"Andain and the Hojo family’s benefactors aren’t the only ones. How dare they touch a rookie... ......!"

Though his voice wasn’t loud, I could hear several words that seemed like they’d have a significant negative impact if any Eungwang High students heard them.

Fortunately, the elevator reached the top floor quickly, so I didn’t have to listen to much of Jeokho’s words.

Several tigers were gathered on the top floor.

"We’ve finished tracing the eavesdropping device worn by Hirano Seiji. As expected, it was connected to the Japanese coaching staff's accommodations."

Eun Ho, upon sitting, offered a warm cup of tea with a smile.

The indoor temperature was low, and after drinking a cold beverage, I felt uneasy, so I accepted gratefully.

"The trace was quick. Thanks for the help."

"Since you and the rookie were targeted, of course, we had to move quickly. You don’t need to thank me."

Eun Ho smiled, but his mood didn’t seem very good.

Huang Jiho had been quiet ever since he mocked me in my ear, but it seemed like Eun Ho had given him a reprimand.

Eun Ho continued.

"We’ve learned something from this. The Japanese coaching staff is split into two groups. If the Hojo members who were sent to the hotel and Jeokho check, it will become clear."

Eun Ho displayed two holograms as he spoke.

It seems that not all of the Japanese representatives are on the same page when it comes to making the one and only genius of this era.