Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 72

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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 Zero
Episode 72
“Yu-jin, aren’t you coming to the campfire?”
As the shift at Gan Convenience Store was winding down.
The children left one by one when word spread that the campfire was starting.
Yet a girl approached Yu-jin, who still remained at his post.
“Um, if it’s okay with you… would you maybe…”
The girl’s face flushed crimson as she clutched a red envelope, creasing it between her fingers.
She seemed to be from his class.
She’d sat in the desk cluster next to his, though he didn’t recall her name.
Behind her, two or three other girls were watching with encouraging looks.
What was all this? Why were they swarming over like this?
“Um, so… the thing is…”
The girl before Yu-jin struggled to find her next words.
Yu-jin, who had been standing silent, finally spoke first.
“…Why? Is there something you need from me?”
His voice was so measured it felt almost colorless, cold enough to make the already nervous girl shrink further.
In the end, she turned to her friends for help with just a look.
The tallest of them stepped forward to take the lead.
“Yu-jin, do you have a partner for the campfire dance?”
“No, nothing’s been decided yet.”
“Really? Perfect. Su-jeong wants to dance with you.”
With a playful nudge to her ribs, the taller girl finally held out the red envelope she’d been gripping.
Yu-jin lowered his gaze and stared at it for a long moment.
For several seconds.
He blinked slowly, then raised his eyes again to look at the girl.
“Why?”
“…What?”
“Why do you want to dance with me?”
“That’s… well…”
The girl’s bewilderment was obvious—she hadn’t expected such a question.
Again, one of her friends spoke in her stead.
“Seriously, what’s with the questions? Obviously it’s because she likes you.”
“L-Lee-seo!”
The girl grabbed at her friend’s collar in embarrassment, though her eyes darted nervously toward Yu-jin.
‘She likes me?’
A wave of exhaustion crashed over him all at once.
For Yu-jin, this was simply an irritating situation.
Because he genuinely didn’t understand it.
“From what I remember, you and I have barely ever spoken. Right?”
“That’s… true…”
“But you like me?”
“Um…”
“What?”
Yu-jin tilted his head.
“What exactly do you like about me?”
He asked with genuine curiosity.
The girl’s face turned bright red. She dropped her gaze and mumbled something so quietly it was barely audible.
“I fell for you at first sight.”
…So it came down to looks. He’d half-expected as much.
But it didn’t displease him.
The appearance he’d inherited from his mother, an actress, had always drawn attention. This wasn’t his first compliment about his looks.
Yet something about liking him based on appearance alone struck him as odd.
There was something else he didn’t understand.
“Yu-jin, if you don’t have a partner for the campfire, just dance with Su-jeong for a bit, would you?”
“Su-jeong won’t have weird expectations just from a short dance. Right?”
“Yeah…”
Her friends circled around Yu-jin as if to show him something impressive.
“Look, she really worked up her courage for this.”
“She’s putting aside all her pride to ask like this—just dance once with her. Will you?”
“Yu-jin, we’re asking too. Please?”
Yu-jin, Yu-jin, Yu-jin……
Standing in the center of that whirlwind, Yu-jin let out a small sigh.
Why did they have to drag all her friends into this?
If it had been just her alone, he wouldn’t have found it so exhausting.
‘So noisy.’
It was a weariness he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He never felt this way when he was with Seol Ji-hyo.
‘Ah.’
…Right. Seol Ji-hyo.
Yu-jin’s expression shifted, barely perceptible.
Now that he thought about it, why hadn’t Ji-hyo come back yet?
He hadn’t seen her since she disappeared with Han-gyeol. Could they still be together?
“Yu-jin, are you listening?”
“…Sorry.”
“Huh?”
He turned on his heel.
Yu-jin had spun around.
“I have something important to do.”
“W-wait, Yu-jin!”
He heard them calling from behind, but he didn’t look back.
Breaking free from the crowd, Yu-jin walked without direction, searching the area around him.
‘Where is she?’
But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find her.
Finally, he stopped walking.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the red envelope he’d placed there.
…Here I am, someone who’d shown no interest in festivals or campfires, preparing something like this.
Even months, no years ago, he couldn’t have imagined doing such a thing.
The truth was, preparing the red envelope had been unintentional.
He’d simply heard the campfire mentioned, and Seol Ji-hyo had naturally come to mind. Before he knew it, his hands were writing a letter mechanically.
After hours of agonizing in front of the stationery, what he’d written was…
Will you dance with me?
Pathetic.
Could he really hand this to Seol Ji-hyo? The brilliant mind of Moon Yu-jin had reached a decisive ‘No’.
And yet here he was, searching for her anyway.
‘What am I going to do if I find her?’
…He didn’t know.
Perhaps he just wanted to confirm whether she was still with Han-gyeol.
‘And if I do confirm that?’
He had no answer to that either.
Knowing nothing, Yu-jin set his feet in motion again.
Ji-hyo wasn’t among the campfire crowd. It seemed she wasn’t dancing with Han-gyeol.
Relief washed over him at the realization, even as his steps quickened in search of her.
Then, at some point, Moon Yu-jin’s feet came to a halt.
It was in front of an empty Annex Building near the lakeside.
A figure emerged from the shadows of a place that should have been deserted.
It was Seol Ji-hyo.
“Ji-hyo—”
The moment he reflexively called out to her, his step faltered at the sight of another shadow following behind.
‘Nam Rae-in?’
It was definitely Nam Rae-in.
It looked as though only the two of them were there. Alone together in the Annex Building, pitch dark and empty.
‘…Why?’
Yu-jin froze in place, his gaze now fixed not on Ji-hyo but on Nam Rae-in.
Ji-hyo noticed Yu-jin standing motionless and greeted him casually.
“Moon Yu-jin? What are you doing here?”
“……”
“Did you not hear me? I asked what you’re doing here.”
…Ah.
Only then did Moon Yu-jin’s gaze finally settle back on Ji-hyo.
He needed to say something.
“Well…”
He’d opened his mouth, but the next words wouldn’t come. Even Yu-jin himself didn’t understand what was happening.
Why were these two emerging from there.
Why had he frozen like this.
…What did he even want to do right now?
The girl with lake-blue eyes fixed her gaze on him, pupils widened with curiosity.
Yu-jin suppressed the chaos in his mind and opened his mouth.
“…The shop’s closed.”
“Huh?”
“I need to head back soon to wrap things up.”
“Why? Didn’t the others agree to handle the cleanup?”
Right. That was true. Yu-jin closed his mouth.
This wasn’t what he’d meant to say. There had to have been a better excuse.
But he had no time for such thoughts. Even as he spoke with Ji-hyo, his attention remained fixed on Nam Rae-in beside her.
Moon Yu-jin spoke again without betraying anything.
“I came back alone to handle the cleanup. The others aren’t here.”
…A lie.
The cleanup didn’t need to be done. No one had specifically asked Yu-jin to do it.
Yet he’d lied anyway, for reasons even he couldn’t fathom.
Ji-hyo, who had been watching Yu-jin carefully, finally turned back toward Rae-in.
“Sorry. I should go help.”
“Sure, then.”
The moment Nam Rae-in began to wave.
In a sudden rush, Yu-jin gently caught the edge of Ji-hyo’s collar.
“…Let’s go.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
Their footsteps receded into the distance.
From behind, it seemed he heard Nam Rae-in laugh softly.
“……”
Moon Yu-jin kept his eyes forward, tightening his grip slightly on the collar of Ji-hyo’s clothes.
* * *
Back at Gan Convenience Store, Ji-hyo looked around.
‘He said he needed help with cleanup, but it looks almost finished…?’
What was there to help with?
While pondering this, Moon Yu-jin moved toward the counter.
Click—
Long fingers deftly pulled out coins and bills, laying them on the counter.
“How much does this come to?”
“……”
What? Why wasn’t she answering?
As he gazed at her steadily, Yu-jin finally opened his mouth.
“What do you think of me?”

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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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