EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 1048: Tiger Trap (2)

The residential staff quarters building and lounge.

It had long been dark, and since it was during the break, there weren’t many teachers present at Eungwang High.

Moreover, due to the final match of the exchange event, the teachers had gone to bed early, leaving the lounge soon deserted.

Only two teachers remained in the lounge at that moment.

Yong Je-geon and Kim Shin-rok.

‘Shin-rok hasn’t been responding well since earlier.’

The spacious lounge had several sofas and chairs, but Yong Je-geon intentionally sat closest to Kim Shin-rok, observing him.

It seemed like there wasn’t much to do, and in fact, there wasn’t.

Although Yong Je-geon was the head of the Korean national team, Yeom Jun-yeol had spared him from work, understanding that he had suddenly taken the position. The other students, wary of the Yuhui-kyi Dragon Clan, didn’t want to involve him in anything.

So, Yong Je-geon spent his time enjoying the event, observing, playing, occasionally teasing or probing other team coaches, fully relishing the exchange event.

Of course, one of his targets for observation was Kim Shin-rok.

Rather than using his sharp mind to analyze the opposing team or assess the development of the Korean team’s skills, Yong Je-geon indulged in random thoughts.

‘I thought he was doing paperwork, but I guess not. Should I check what he’s been looking at?’

If Kim Shin-rok had been working on a hologram with the window closed, it would have been tricky for Yong Je-geon to check, but Kim Shin-rok preferred analog tasks and paper documents.

Thanks to that, documents printed on paper were lying on the table.

Yong Je-geon quickly skimmed through the papers spread out on the table.

Most were related to the exchange event, but there were also documents concerning dormitory students.

‘Leave request? There are still students turning these in faithfully. Three of them, in fact. The submitters are... Ah!’

Leave requests were not mandatory, but recommended. Typically, students would just verbally inform the Zikhoe-affiliated students and head out, without officially submitting it.

Students following Kim Shin-rok submitted them diligently, but they generally didn’t go out on leave often.

The leave request itself was intriguing, but the names of the submitters piqued Yong Je-geon’s interest.

Jo Yi-shin, Han I, and Dokgo Miro.

Dokgo Miro wasn’t a dormitory student, but since players staying during the exchange event were treated as temporary dormitory students, he seemed to have submitted a leave request.

Yong Je-geon eagerly asked [N O V E L I G H T] in an excited voice.

“Shin-rok, what’s this? Yi-shin, Miro, and Han are going out tonight?”

The mention of the three names snapped Kim Shin-rok out of his daze.

Kim Shin-rok glared at Yong Je-geon, and perhaps realizing this was a public space, tried to act like a teacher and said:

“Yong Je-geon-sensei, you shouldn’t be looking at this.”

“If it was something I shouldn’t see, it wouldn’t be here. And it’s just the two of us in the lounge right now.”

At Yong Je-geon’s words, Kim Shin-rok rolled his eyes and looked around.

He seemed so out of it that he didn’t even notice who was in the lounge.

Yong Je-geon’s mood lifted even more, and his tone became more lively.

“Yi-shin’s staying at Hwang-ho’s house?”

“I guess so.”

Once he realized no one else was around, Kim Shin-rok’s demeanor and speech lost all politeness.

His expression became increasingly complicated.

“Wouldn’t it be better to sleep in the dorm and leave with the others? If it’s Yi-shin’s personality, he would probably say that.”

“... Hwang-ho or Baek-ho must have persuaded him well.”

“Baek-ho might not have, but Hwang-ho couldn’t have persuaded Yi-shin easily. It’s Miro and Han who got involved, so they probably had to allow it.”

“...!”

Kim Shin-rok had been about to ask “How did you know?” but swallowed the question, realizing it might give Yong Je-geon a clue.

However, despite swallowing his words, his expression and behavior betrayed him.

Yong Je-geon grinned mischievously and asked.

“The Hojo clan’s business, and now Miro’s involved too? As the homeroom teacher for Class 0, shouldn’t I know about this?”

“As if you’d know anything about it. You’re not even familiar with Cheongcheon Myeonggung, so there’s no reason for you to know.”

When Yong Je-geon mentioned his role as the homeroom teacher for Class 0, Kim Shin-rok quickly drew a line.

But then, Yong Je-geon’s face became even more cheeky.

Before Kim Shin-rok realized what he had just said, Yong Je-geon spoke with conviction.

“Wow, it really is related to the Hojo clan. It’s no longer just an issue between students in Class 0.”

“Ugh...!”

“It’s lucky that I, the Yuhui-kyi Dragon Clan, who has close ties with the Hojo, noticed this first. Right, Shin-rok?”

Paang!

Yong Je-geon openly teased him, and Kim Shin-rok, trying to fix that annoying mouth of his, threw a pin.

However, Yong Je-geon reacted instantly and summoned a small space to collect the pin.

Seeing Yong Je-geon grinning as if he had received a gift, Kim Shin-rok grew even more irate.

But Kim Shin-rok quickly retreated.

Even though he knew it wouldn’t be effective, he threw a few more jabs, but today, he relented sooner than usual.

‘Normally, with this kind of provocation, there should have been a reaction, but something serious must be going on.’

As Yong Je-geon had predicted, Kim Shin-rok knew about the important operation the Hojo clan was currently carrying out.

Hwang-ho had briefly explained the operation when he informed Jo Yi-shin about the leave request.

Although it was unlikely, Kim Shin-rok was most concerned about Jo Yi-shin due to the nightmare’s presence.

Only a few people in the Hojo clan knew about Jo Yi-shin’s connection to the nightmare, and Kim Shin-rok had received the information through Jeok-ho.

Yong Je-geon didn’t know about this, but having observed Kim Shin-rok for a long time, he had picked up on some of the clues.

‘Shin-rok has been trying to say something for days, but why hasn’t he? Is it that hard to talk about?’

Yong Je-geon knew about the Hojo clan’s affairs, including the Eun Ho case, and was connected to Jo Yi-shin as well.

Though Hwang-ho regarded him as a troublesome person, he was positive about him revealing the truth regarding this matter.

Although part of the Yuhui-kyi, Hwang-ho deeply appreciated Jo Yi-shin’s favor, and he believed that if he could use Yeouiboju’s powers to alleviate even a little of the burden his benefactor had taken on, it would be the best option.

Hwang-ho had planned to tell Yong Je-geon about the nightmare after the exchange event ended.

Since he had already sought Jo Yi-shin’s consent, he had permission to tell Yong Je-geon in case of an emergency, but the opportunity never came.

Though this was the right time, instead of revealing the nightmare issue, Kim Shin-rok decided to ask a question.

“I have something I want to ask.”

“I’ve got plenty of things to ask, but can’t I ask first?”

“No.”

Kim Shin-rok cut him off sharply, and Yong Je-geon smiled as he sealed his lips.

Yong Je-geon loved to tease Kim Shin-rok like this, only pretending to listen before turning serious when it mattered.

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This would also provoke him, but Kim Shin-rok decided to ask the question that had been bothering him.

“You mentioned the dust from the nightmare before...”

As soon as Kim Shin-rok mentioned the dust from the nightmare, Yong Je-geon’s narrow eyes gleamed.

Yong Je-geon quickly realized a lot from that short question.

Only the Hojo clan or students could have caused Kim Shin-rok to be that troubled, and right now, it was likely the former.

Since Yong Je-geon had kept silent, it was obvious that the question was about the Hojo connection.

So the conclusion was one.

‘The nightmare and the Hojo clan are involved.’

As Kim Shin-rok hesitated, Yong Je-geon discreetly opened his eyes, concealing his thoughts, and pretended to listen carefully.

Kim Shin-rok asked him to explain in detail how he obtained the nightmare dust.

The details were already written in Kim Shin-rok’s “Yeouiboju’s Miracle,” but he seemed curious about something not mentioned there.

Yong Je-geon compared the events with what was written in Yeouiboju’s Miracle and said.

“The incident began, as you know, with the discovery of the nightmare dust in the Yangi clan’s territory.”

“I know that. The Yangi clan leader tried to dispose of the nightmare dust in another world but failed.”

“That’s right. He tried to move it through dreams while holding onto the dust, but failed. That’s when I stepped in.”

Kim Shin-rok furrowed his brow slightly and waited for Yong Je-geon to continue.

Though Yong Je-geon didn’t need to say it, it was obvious what Kim Shin-rok was asking.

The Yangi clan had almost no interaction with other true tribes.

How did Yong Je-geon manage to meet the Yangi clan leader at that exact moment and erase the nightmare dust with Yeouiboju’s powers?

“The Yangi clan leader didn’t call for you, right?”

“No, I went on my own and made the offer. Oh, I made sure to talk to Cheong-ryong first, because if you visit another true tribe’s territory without permission, it might violate the non-aggression pact.”

“So, how did you know the nightmare dust was there?”

“That’s...”

Just as Yong Je-geon was about to respond, he suddenly stopped speaking.

Kim Shin-rok, thinking Yong Je-geon was just playing around again, shot him a glare but then sensed a presence approaching and turned his gaze.

The presence was headed straight toward the lounge.

‘It’s not a student. But is there a teacher who would come here at this hour? It’s more likely to be a student from Class 0.’

During his time in the staff lounge, the usage had drastically decreased, so Yong Je-geon thought it might be a Class 0 student, but it seemed his guess was wrong.

The person didn’t hack or break the door but used the staff code to open it.

Whirring.

The automatic door opened, and a familiar teacher appeared.

Gong Cheong-hyun.

A teacher who was in charge of Class 0 and well aware of the situation, he didn’t seem to mind Yong Je-geon’s presence and used the lounge as usual.

Just before Yong Je-geon began to feel disappointed, Gong Cheong-hyun greeted them.

“Hello, it’s late to meet like this.”

Kim Shin-rok, who had been calm, and Yong Je-geon, who had been teasing, both greeted him with polite expressions, and Gong Cheong-hyun approached them.

It seemed Gong Cheong-hyun had something to discuss with Kim Shin-rok.

“I found you here. I was wondering, so I stopped by. Can I sit down?”

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“... Ah, yes. Please sit. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Yong Je-geon thought it might be related to some boring administrative work, but Kim Shin-rok seemed completely unaware.

Gong Cheong-hyun smiled with a kind face.

“Yi-shin, Miro, and Han submitted leave requests, right? My students seem to be busy today, so I wanted to ask someone who might know the situation before I visit them.”

As soon as Gong Cheong-hyun mentioned their names, Kim Shin-rok’s face became alarmed.

Yong Je-geon found it odd.

Even if the three were involved with the Hojo clan, there shouldn’t be such a reaction from a fellow teacher asking about their whereabouts.

Yong Je-geon observed Gong Cheong-hyun and Kim Shin-rok with great interest.

“I think going out tonight might be dangerous.”

Gong Cheong-hyun’s tone was that of a concerned teacher for his students.