Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Awakener Special School Ranking Zero
Chapter 19
High School Building 4th Floor Corridor.
A group had gathered in front of an empty classroom.
Gu Min-jae with blindingly bright orange hair, surrounded by a crew that suited him well.
One of them burst out laughing at the sight of Min-jae’s puffy face.
“What happened to Min-jae’s face?”
“…I fell.”
“Hey, did you tumble down the stairs?”
“No way. Why are you holding your stomach like that? You need to take a dump?”
Gu Min-jae’s expression twisted savagely.
“Damn it, just shut up already. I’m in a foul enough mood as it is!”
“Why? Did Seol Ji-hyo beat you up?”
He froze.
Gu Min-jae went rigid.
‘How the hell did they find out……?’
“You didn’t notice you can see the Incinerator from this window?”
……Damn it.
“Morons, you people pull the most ridiculous stunts, seriously.”
“Oh man, this is hilarious. The guy paid for his shoes and now he’s out here shaking like a leaf.”
“He’s bragging about getting his ass handed to him by some girl, shouting it from the rooftops.”
The longer the laughter went on, the more Min-jae’s face flushed red and purple.
They had it all wrong.
Seol Ji-hyo hadn’t ‘just’ hit him.
There had to have been some trick involved. Otherwise, a scrawny girl’s fist couldn’t have hurt that much.
But he couldn’t very well say that out loud.
His pride, his image—something far greater than both would shatter completely if he did.
One of the group nudged Min-jae’s shoulder.
“You know you’re pathetic, right?”
“…….”
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
Gu Min-jae remained perfectly still, rigid as stone.
The kids who’d been laughing moments before now looked at him like they were staring at an insect.
“You got beaten like a dog by Seol Ji-hyo, didn’t you? Even Cho Bit-na didn’t know about that?”
“…….”
“What do you think Bit-na would say if she found out? I’d kill myself if I were you.”
Mockery and derision flowed through the frozen silence.
“Oh? They say even a tiger comes running when you call its name.”
“Hey, Cho Bit-na!”
He flinched. His shoulders trembled.
Footsteps approached from behind, growing closer. Each step sent Min-jae’s heart pounding faster.
“You all here?”
A cheerful voice rang out.
Turning around, he saw a female student with long, thickly waved hair.
Shimmering lip gloss, luxuriant lashes. A hemmed school skirt and a jacket that fit snugly.
She looked as glamorous and lovely as an idol on television.
“B-Bit-na…….”
At Min-jae’s weak voice, her sharp, rose-like eyes flickered.
Their eyes definitely met.
They met, but—
“Want to go to a karaoke place after class? Anyone coming?”
Cho Bit-na passed right through Min-jae as if he were empty air, turning to the others.
“Karaoke? Is there even a karaoke place on campus?”
“There’s one over on the Western Campus. The café owner’s wife just opened it. The first hour’s free if you go with me.”
“Nice. Let’s get everyone and go.”
“I’m in.”
“Me too.”
The kids clustered in the hallway dispersed in a rush.
Not a single one spared Gu Min-jae a glance.
Cho Bit-na was no exception.
“Bit-na!”
Gu Min-jae grabbed her wrist as she passed.
“I did everything you asked me to! Right? Why are you suddenly doing this, what is this? Why?”
“…….”
“Cho Bit-na. Just once more, okay? If you’d just listen to what I have to—”
“Min-jae.”
Cho Bit-na gently placed her hand over his.
“Don’t call my name so loudly in the hallway. It’s embarrassing.”
Snap!
She yanked her hand away and walked off without a backward glance.
* * *
A week had passed since Ji-u enrolled as Seol Ji-hyo.
After the incident at the Incinerator, Gu Min-jae had become noticeably quiet.
That was somewhat unexpected. He hadn’t seemed like the type to lose his nerve that easily.
More oddly still—
“Man, I dropped a tier yesterday, so annoyed.”
“Five-man queue? I’ll carry.”
“Oh, so after class today?”
These were the kids who used to cluster around Gu Min-jae.
Yet lately, it felt like Min-jae was being left out.
“…….”
Whether sleeping or pretending to sleep, Min-jae just lay slumped at his desk, vanishing somewhere when lunchtime rolled around.
Whether because Min-jae had quieted down or for some other reason, the bullying in the class seemed to have eased up a bit.
‘Did everyone start holding back because the guy lording his power over the class finally shut up?’
But there was something odd about how Min-jae seemed to be sidelined…
Of course, there was no reason for Ji-u to care about that.
And so lunchtime came.
Ji-u went down to the School Cafeteria to eat.
A school cafeteria was like a small world map.
The packed tables in the great hall were like different nations with their own distinct cultures.
Over by the windows sat big, burly types with their sleeves rolled up—the athletes’ territory.
Nearby, kids quietly moving their utensils were the so-called honor students.
And a bit removed from that—
“Lend me that Tint.”
“Hey, you know Min-sung, the sophomore? He broke up with his girlfriend.”
The loudest, most chaotic table in the cafeteria.
A group of kids casually propped their feet up on the table, making a ruckus.
These were what people typically called the Delinquent Group.
Gu Min-jae was one of them.
‘Where should I sit?’
Even scanning the cafeteria with his tray, there wasn’t an empty table.
He should’ve just bought a roll from the School Store and called it a day…but what could he do when today’s menu was sautéed sausage and vegetables?
As he wandered aimlessly for a while, someone suddenly called out to him.
“Ji-hyo, over here!”
A boy in the distance waved his arms enthusiastically.
It was Bae Han-gyeol.
“There’s room here. Come over.”
Since they’d run into each other outside the Incinerator, Han-gyeol had been increasingly proactive about being friendly whenever Ji-u appeared.
In the hallway, during class transitions, after school—regardless of time or place.
Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing.
The problem was that Bae Han-gyeol and Moon Yu-jin were close.
Look at them now. Moon Yu-jin sat right beside Han-gyeol.
Since that almost-argument in the Core Application Class, things with Moon Yu-jin had remained awkward.
He’d missed the timing to properly thank her.
‘…But that’s no reason to avoid her.’
With no other empty seats in sight, he had no choice.
Ji-u strode over and sat down beside Han-gyeol.
“Hey, um…….”
Eyes turned toward him.
Because of Bae Han-gyeol and Moon Yu-jin.
After a week of attending school, he couldn’t help but notice.
These two drew attention wherever they went.
As it turned out, Bae Han-gyeol was no less of a celebrity than Moon Yu-jin.
Excellent athletic performance across all sports.
A kind and gentle personality.
A sturdy physique honed through training and impressive height.
Yet possessing a gentle, innocent face that belied it all.
Rumors had it that various sports organizations were courting him even before graduation.
Everyone said that Bae Han-gyeol was a shoo-in to become a National Representative no matter what path he chose.
“Yu-jin, is it okay if Ji-hyo joins us?”
“Do as you like.”
Moon Yu-jin moved her utensils with that distinctive composed expression of hers. Her face showed no care whether Ji-u had come or not.
Ji-u likewise didn’t look her way and picked up his utensils.
“Oh right, Yu-jin. You know that time I fell out of a tree? I thought I’d gotten a scrape on my face, but when I checked that evening, there was no wound.”
“Really?”
“Look, look. Right under my eye here. There’s not even a scar.”
Han-gyeol chattered away as though amazed, while Yu-jin showed little interest.
Between them, Ji-u scooped up rice steadily, when Han-gyeol suddenly thrust his face toward him.
“Ji-hyo, look. You can’t see a scar, right?”
…Of course not. I used my Core.
Unable to say that, he momentarily closed his mouth.
“Oh, sorry!”
Han-gyeol suddenly drew back, flustered.
What was that?
He’d thrust his face at Ji-u first, then got embarrassed when their eyes actually met?
For someone apparently over 180 centimeters tall, the sight of him squirming with a flushed face looked exactly like watching a small herbivore.
“There’s nothing to apologize for…….”
He was about to respond to Han-gyeol when—
“Can I join you guys too?”
Someone approached.
Turning his head quickly, he met the eyes of a pretty girl who looked like a doll.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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