Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 67

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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, Rank 0
Episode 67
“Look, if it feels like too much pressure, you can turn me down. You know the campfire isn’t mandatory or anything… I just really want to dance with you.”
Of course, up until now I’d rejected the invitation without even looking at what was inside. I’d outright ignored it sometimes.
‘But…….’
Ji-u’s eyes lifted slightly from the Red Envelope.
Han-gyeol seemed to be waiting for an answer, his lips pressed shut as he studied me.
His neck flushed red, taut with tension. He was clearly trying not to show it, but I could see his hand holding the Red Envelope trembling faintly.
Faced with that beet-red expression, I found myself feeling a little embarrassed too.
‘If it were Seol Ji-hyo standing here instead of me…….’
How thrilled would she have been?
A boy you’re interested in asking you to be his partner—just imagining it was a romantic scene out of a drama.
She probably would’ve come back from break and excitedly told me all about it, gushing about dancing with the boy who’d bought her Banana Milk.
And then I’d probably bite down hard on my rising smile, put on a pouty face, and say something like this.
– Didn’t I tell you? That guy definitely likes you.
– W-well, we just danced… I didn’t get a confession or anything, really.
– What? Then you ask him first.
– Ask him what?
– What we are to each other. That’s what they always do in dramas and webtoons, right?
– I c-can’t do that!!
As that fantasy crossed my mind, my lips curved slightly upward.
Seol Ji-hyo’s image bloomed vividly before my eyes.
“…I’ll think about it.”
I couldn’t bring myself to ignore Han-gyeol’s offer.
“……! Really?”
“Yeah, just… thinking about it for now.”
I was about to take his Red Envelope when—
“Wow, an affair caught in the act.”
A voice drifted over from behind—playful on the surface, but with something cold beneath it.
I spun around reflexively.
“You can’t just accept things like that without permission.”
Eyes the color of violets, sharp and clear.
Nam Rae-in was standing there.
* * *
Nam Rae-in had practically dragged me behind the building.
“Are you going to dance with him?”
That was what he said.
I stared at Nam Rae-in.
His expression was at ease, wearing a smile.
Blonde hair loosely pinned back with a clip.
A hint of collarbone visible between his shirt buttons—whether intentional or not.
It was all quintessentially Nam Rae-in.
And yet, somehow he seemed displeased.
…Wait, when I think about it, that’s ridiculous. Shouldn’t I be the one who’s displeased?
He dragged me away so suddenly that I left Han-gyeol alone in the Back Courtyard. It was inconsiderate.
“Why won’t you answer?”
Nam Rae-in asked again.
I brushed my hair back with an exhale and replied, “Why do you care who I dance with?”
“That’s cold. Coming from your fiancé.”
“We dissolved the engagement.”
“We did. But didn’t I tell you then? I like you.”
……Scratch what I said about him being different than usual.
“You always do that.”
“Do what?”
“Say things like that so lightly.”
That was when it happened.
“Lightly?”
Nam Rae-in’s smile vanished like smoke.
“I’ve never been light about you. Not once.”
……What? Why is he suddenly getting serious?
Seeing him drop the smile he usually wore felt jarring.
It was like I’d made some terrible mistake.
“If anything, it’s you who’s been light, isn’t it? Or are you not even aware?”
I cut in flatly, incredulous. “I’ve never acted light.”
“You have.”
“…What?”
“You’ve just forgotten. But you have.”
Was this gaslighting?
Neither I nor Seol Ji-hyo was the type to act carelessly.
So what basis did he have for saying that so definitively? Could it really be just because I accepted the Red Envelope from Han-gyeol……?
Meanwhile, Nam Rae-in let out an exaggerated sigh before I could counter.
“Ah, I messed up. This isn’t why I came.”
Then he suddenly crouched down and sighed again.
Despite his handsome face, the sight of him—all 180-plus centimeters of height—crouching like that looked somehow wrong, completely at odds with his usual bearing.
But…… had he lost heart?
Of course not, probably. Still, he looked so deflated I almost wondered.
“Hey, you…….”
I’d just opened my mouth to speak, staring down at the back of his pristine head, when he was quicker.
He looked up at me sharply.
“Are you mad because I didn’t visit you in the hospital?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“I was outside the city then. You know, sometimes the Special Class gets sent on external missions.”
It was completely off base. Whether Nam Rae-in had visited or not had never bothered me.
But that comment—it did catch my attention.
Outside the city? External missions?
If that was the case……
“Then… did you see Gyeon Bo-seong?”
“Now you’re bringing up another man.”
“Answer me. Did you see him?”
Nam Rae-in must have caught the shift in my expression because he straightened up from his crouch.
And then—
“…….”
He examined me closely, his eyes narrowing slightly.
For a moment we held each other’s gaze. Then he gave a light shrug.
“No, I didn’t see him. Our zones were completely different.”
At that answer, the tension that had gripped my shoulders released slightly.
Nam Rae-in’s smile deepened as he stepped closer, as if he’d noticed.
“Now it’s your turn to answer.”
“…Answer what?”
“Are you going to dance with him and abandon me?”
God, he’s relentless.
Why is this so important to him anyway?
Even if he was my fiancé, it was my parents who decided that anyway.
And besides……
“Isn’t it strange to say ‘abandon you’? You didn’t even ask me to be your partner.”
“Well, you’d just turn me down anyway, right?”
Nam Rae-in pouted as he replied.
“I don’t care if you don’t dance with me. I know you’re not interested in campfires anyway. But dancing with someone else—that’s different.”
…How exactly is it different?
One thing was certain: Nam Rae-in wasn’t going to back down.
I had no choice but to answer reluctantly. “Nothing’s decided yet. I said I’d think about it.”
“So… what would make you think negatively about it?”
His tone was smooth, slick.
It was hard to tell what was genuine and what was an act.
As if reading my inner conflict, Nam Rae-in chuckled softly.
“But this is sincere. Trust me—you shouldn’t dance with him. He’ll misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand?”
“You know what superstition there is about the campfire, right? If you know that and still become partners with him, he’ll think you want things to go well between you two. Anyone would interpret it that way.”
“…….”
“Think about it carefully. Would it really be okay if he got the wrong idea?”
In that moment, words failed me.
I’d been ready to accept Han-gyeol’s offer to give him and Seol Ji-hyo a chance to bridge the gap when she returned.
‘But… in the end, the present Seol Ji-hyo is me.’
Would it really be all right to accept a partner request when the one receiving it isn’t actually Seol Ji-hyo?
Could there truly be no problem with that?
And besides.
‘Why is Nam Rae-in saying this?’
Had he sensed that the “Seol Ji-hyo” in front of him wasn’t the real one? That couldn’t be.
Or was he trying to drive them apart? Sow discord?
Lost in these thoughts, my lips remained sealed.
“Oh, and.”
Swipe.
Nam Rae-in snatched the Banana Milk from my hand—the one Han-gyeol had given me in the Back Courtyard.
“……?! Hey, give that back.”
“You don’t even like Banana Milk.”
What?
“Here instead.”
Whoosh—something flew through the air.
I caught it reflexively, and my eyes widened slightly.
“Soda flavor. Right?”
Soda-flavored Candy.
…It’s true, I do like that flavor.
As I looked up in bewilderment, Nam Rae-in was already receding into the distance, waving goodbye.
“Late, but congratulations on your discharge. A gift.”

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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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