Chapter 6

6. Hold on, let's talk for a moment.

Creak.

The back door opened.

"Ha ha! Fucking hilarious, wasn't it?"

"Really annoying."

The quiet classroom became noisy. Three guys who didn't look particularly well-behaved at all. They threw their bags onto the seats around me without caring about the surrounding gazes.

"Huh? What's this guy?"

"Huh?"

"Hey, did you transfer here?"

The guy behind me put his hand on Wujinhe's head.

'Should I kill him?'

For Wujinhe, allowing someone to touch his head was an extremely absurd thing. If they were enemies, he would have already turned them into corpses, and if they were allies...

There was no one among his allies who would dare to do such a thing.

While Wujinhe was pondering how to deal with this audacious guy according to the new world's rules,

"Hey, that's Wujinhe."

Domingwu looked at Wujinhe and said.

"Wh-what?!"

The whole classroom buzzed at his words,

"Huh? Who? Wujinhe?"

"Who is Wujinhe..?"

The guy who had put his hand on Wujinhe's head tilted his head,

"Oh! That spiky-haired guy. Hey, I can't recognize you with your hair like this. Where did your glasses go? Are you wearing contacts?"

The guy stroked Wujinhe's head roughly.

'Kill him.'

Whether the guy knew Wujinhe's decision or not, he plopped down at Wujinhe's desk and started to fiddle with Wujinhe's arm.

"Whoa, is this guy always this fit? Hey, did you do some exercise during the break? Huh?"

Wujinhe decided to start by breaking this arrogant hand and set his educational curriculum.

"Hey, Jang Seokhwan, stop it."

Domingwu, who had only shown a friendly face until now, stood up with a serious expression.

"Ha. Fucking. What. What did I do?"

"Don't touch Wujinhe. Fucking bastard."

Wujinhe was a bit surprised by the completely different demeanor of Domingwu he had never seen before.

He's quite a righteous guy.

The guy who had been touching Wujinhe's head, Jang Seokhwan, turned to Domingwu with a frown, and Seokhwan's gang all turned their gazes to Domingwu.

"Hey, why are you overreacting? Can't friends touch each other's heads?"

"Fucking. Do you think you're someone? Where are you giving orders from?"

Domingwu's eyes sharpened, and his voice dropped.

"Ah, but. Do these guys want to get beaten up?"

He clenched his fist and took a step forward.

"Why? Want to try? Domingwu, did you forget the last time?"

"I was thinking we should settle that again."

Domingwu glared at Jang Seokhwan without any fear. Just as Seokhwan's gang was about to surround Domingwu,

"Hey! The teacher is coming!"

A guy shouted as he entered the classroom.

The three guys glanced at the classroom door, glared at each other, and then slowly went back to their seats.

Soon, the classroom door opened, and a not very tall female teacher entered the classroom.

Wujinhe almost burst out laughing.

In his second life, Wujinhe found himself laughing more. But it couldn't be helped.

Those big, unruly guys went back to their seats so cutely just because this small female teacher was coming.

Wujinhe realized once again that this place was not a battlefield of the survival of the fittest but a civilized society governed by law and order.

Jeongsujin, the homeroom teacher of this class, stood at the front of the class and moved her gaze to meet each student's eyes.

Small but well-proportioned, with long, lustrous hair and fair skin. Her large, sparkling eyes, set in a delicate face, shone even more when they met the students' eyes.

"Wow, it's been so long since I've seen all of you, and it's so nice to see you all."

The face of the guy next to Wujinhe, who had been glaring at Domingwu fiercely, turned into a wide grin.

That's right.

Wujinhe, who had yet to adapt, realized that there was another power in this civilian society besides law and order.

The power of appearance.

Wujinhe, who was still struggling to adapt to civilian society, only frowned at the blush on the faces of the rough-looking guys.

"Okay, raise your hand if you're not here. Hehehe."

Such awkwardness can be forgiven if you're pretty. That's civilian society.

The students, who seemed to have surrendered to the smiling homeroom teacher and the power of appearance, awkwardly followed her smile.

After laughing for a while, Jeongsujin looked at Wujinhe and said,

"Huh? Who's that? I haven't seen this face before..."

All the students' gazes turned to Wujinhe.

While Wujinhe was hesitating in the absurd situation, a student in the front row quietly told Jeongsujin,

"Teacher, it's Wujinhe."

"Huh? ... Oh... Huh?!"

Jeongsujin's already large eyes grew even bigger.

"Phew. I couldn't recognize you with your hair like that. Kid."

She quickly defused the situation with her trademark eye smile.

"Hem. Today's schedule is..."

After a brief roll call,

"Move to the auditorium by 30 minutes. There's an opening ceremony. Ah, Jinhe, wait a moment. President, dismiss."

After the president's command, Jeongsujin gestured to Jinhe.

Wujinhe followed Jeongsujin out into the hallway.

"Wow, it's amazing to see you."

"..."

"Seriously, I can't believe how different you are. Ah, in a good way. In a good way."

Jeongsujin composed her expression and continued.

"I heard from your mother."

"Yes."

"Having no memory at all must be tough."

"I'm fine. I'm adapting."

"Good. If you have any difficulties, be sure to talk to me. No one else knows besides Minwoo, right?"

"Yes."

"Good, keep it up."

Jeongsujin patted Jinhe's shoulder comfortingly and headed to the staff room.

When Jinhe returned to the classroom, the kids were chattering noisily, enjoying their brief freedom.

Jinhe slowly made his way back to his seat. Suddenly, Jang Seokhwan, who was behind him, stood up.

Thinking it was the start of something again, but it wasn't. The guy headed to the opposite side, towards the back door of the classroom.

Near the last row, he seemed to be talking to a girl who was leaning on her desk.

But the noise from the kids made it hard to hear.

It wasn't Wujinhe's concern what the guy was doing.

Just as Jinhe was about to look away,

Jang Seokhwan kicked the leg of the girl's chair, and the girl jumped up, turning her body.

In that instant,

Jinhe's body froze.

Seong Mireung.

A comrade who had fought alongside him for nearly 15 years and who had guarded his last moments.

A girl with her face was there.

'W-What is this...'

Wujinhe stood up as if in a trance and headed towards the girl. Jinhe's eyes saw nothing else.

Only one girl was in his pupils.

When he regained his senses, Jinhe was in front of the girl,

and Jang Seokhwan, who had touched his head earlier, was now grabbing his shoulder.

"Hey, this guy. Can't you hear? What are you, and why are you butting in?"

Wujinhe said in a low but clear voice,

"Let go."

Jang Seokhwan frowned.

"Ha, but this guy. Why are you so annoying today? Just!"

A palm flew towards Jinhe's head.

Snap.

Wujinhe grabbed Jang Seokhwan's hand.

Seokhwan tried to pull his hand away instantly but couldn't. The strength was unbelievable.

'W-What the hell, this guy.'

Seokhwan's eyes met Jinhe's.

Cold, icy, the eyes of someone who truly knows death.

Eyes that showed Jinhe's soul had not fully left the battlefield of death.

Wujinhe's mouth slowly and deliberately opened.

"Want to die."

The surroundings froze instantly.

Seokhwan's trembling eyes. Seokhwan couldn't move his body at all. The reason was clear.

He was terrified. Completely.

It's said that a tiger's low growl can vibrate and freeze a person or animal's muscles.

Wujinhe couldn't produce such a low growl.

But at this moment, Seokhwan felt Jinhe's voice was like that of a predator.

It was a first for Seokhwan to be so intimidated.

'F-Fuck.'

While Seokhwan was sweating, Jinhe's gaze turned to the girl. After a moment, he spoke.

"You. Let's talk for a moment."

Surprised by the unexpected words, the girl alternated her gaze between Jang Seokhwan and Wujinhe and coolly replied,

"Sure. Why not. Shall we go out?"

The girl went out into the hallway first, and Wujinhe followed.

Only then did Jang Seokhwan, who had finally regained some movement, shout out,

"What, what? Where are you going, this guy..."

Jang Seokhwan, who was about to follow, was blocked by Domingwu.

"Leave it. If you have a problem, talk to me for a moment."

The tension that had gripped Seokhwan still lingered.

He pretended to follow but was not really in the mood.

At least at this moment, he was grateful to Domingwu for stopping him.

"Che."

Jang Seokhwan turned with a 'I'll let it slide' expression and walked back to his seat, sitting down irritably.

***

"What? What do you want to talk about?"

Wujinhe glanced at the provocative girl's eyes and then shifted his gaze to the other sparkling eyes behind her.

The eyes that had been pressed against the classroom window scattered in surprise. Only then did Wujinhe's gaze return to the girl.

'......'

It wasn't a matter of whether he wanted to talk or not. To Wujinhe, Seong Mireung was.

Family. A younger sister he needed to protect. Wujinhe defined his relationship with Seong Mireung as such.

One of the few existences that could make the mercenary Wujinhe move without hesitation.

Someone so precious that seeing her face could make him lose his composure instantly. That's who she was.

Jinhe stared at the girl.

A typical beauty with slightly rebellious, charming eyes.

A sharp, yet soft nose leading to red lips.

The girl's face, which looked more mature than her age, was undoubtedly Seong Mireung.

Except for the skin, which should have been a bit tanned on the battlefield but was now shining white.

No thoughts came to mind. No words to say.

"Hey, what's the matter? Why did you call me?"

The girl seemed frustrated with Jinhe's silent gaze and snapped.

Her attitude, which seemed to be on edge, reminded him of the first time he met Mireung.

"What's your name?"

The question that had slipped out without him realizing it was the same one he had asked Mireung the first time.

And.

Before the girl could answer, scenes like a panoramic view flashed through Jinhe's mind.

'Mireung. Seong Mireung.'

'Commander, just tell me what to do. I'm not good at anything, but I can do anything.'

'Wow, Commander, are you human? Is this possible?'

'Ha. Really funny. Commander has a hidden talent for making people laugh.'

'Commander...'

'Ah, really, Commander...'

Mireung's smiling face appeared, and then Jinhe's ears rang with shouts.

'Commander!'

'Snap out of it! Don't close your eyes! Hey, this guy! Please...'

'Sob. No! Don't close your eyes! If you close your eyes, you'll really die!'

The acrid smoke of the battlefield seemed to brush against his nose.

His nose tingled, probably because of that.

The reason his vision was a bit blurry was probably also because of that.

Jinhe closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

The haze that had covered his eyes gradually cleared.

In the place where Mireung's crying face had been, a girl stood.

A girl in a school uniform with a face identical to Mireung.

The girl was looking up at him with an exasperated expression.

"Are you... asking for my name?"

The girl furrowed her delicate brows.