EX rank supporting role’s replay in a prestigious school-Chapter 967: Regret (1)

We traveled with the two of them, and as soon as we arrived at the annex, I started to wonder where we were going, questioning if this was the right place.

Given Seong Si-wan's extensive practical experience, he probably had a lot to say about Gye I-dam's actions today.

Even with dangerous opponents ahead, it didn’t help much in battle.

When Seong Si-wan was in danger, Gye I-dam tossed aside his hammer and briefly changed the direction of his attacks.

However, if Gye I-dam had used Gwangrim properly from the start, he wouldn’t have needed to discard his weapon.

You were right to think that he wouldn’t help. If you had assumed that he would serve one person and made a strategy based on that, a gap would have appeared and the numbers would have fluctuated."

Even if the numbers wavered, it didn’t mean he was playing a significant role, so while it was unclear who would die, he would surely get hurt.

If such a situation occurred, would Seong Si-wan and I get hurt?

Secondly, even knowing that Seong Si-wan could be hurt, Gye I-dam had been absent-minded throughout the discussion.

"I’m sorry."

"You don’t even offer an excuse."

"... ...Sorry." Gye I-dam lowered his head and apologized again.

His voice, more restrained than when I heard him in the mountains, seemed to repeat the apology over and over again.

Seong Si-wan looked at Gye I-dam with an anxious expression.

Gye I-dam kept his head lowered, unable to meet Seong Si-wan’s gaze.

Seong Si-wan seemed to have something more to say, so he tried to leave the seat.

"It seems there’s nothing else you can do except apologize. Please, don’t just keep apologizing—listen. Believe me, if you’re okay, please hear me out."

Seong Si-wan caught him before he passed by.

Even though he deliberately didn’t hide his presence, wandering around, I wondered why Seong Si-wan kept talking.

Unlike Seong Si-wan, Gye I-dam seemed completely unaware of my presence and was startled.

It seemed like he wouldn’t know until the right moment, even if someone decided to strike him from behind.

"I asked the juniors from the Jikhoe. I checked all the public documents and read the posts with a lot of comments on the Silver board. It seems there are a lot of students dissatisfied with Jikhoe’s work recently."

It was inevitable that if that person took over as the Jikhoe president, some dissatisfaction would follow.

From before the school year started, he memorized the names and faces of all the dorm residents and rushed to solve any problems faster than anyone else. After Seong Si-wan, no one would compare to him.

Still, with effort, more people would see him favorably, but the current president, Jik, was different.

Even if Seong Si-wan put all his effort into it, it would be hard to follow up, especially since he was focused on other things rather than working for Jikhoe. That’s why these results and evaluations were inevitable.

Gye I-dam, who had been trying to apologize reflectively, closed his mouth.

It seemed like he remembered what Seong Si-wan had just said about not apologizing.

"As the president of Jikhoe, it’s problematic that he neglected his duties and couldn’t focus during battles, but what worries me is something else. Gye I-dam, why don’t you discuss this with someone? Didn’t the Jikhoe kids say they’d help if something happened?"

"... ...There was no need to ask for help."

"Don’t you have anything to ask or discuss with me? Can’t you trust me?"

"You can’t be trusted! That’s—!"

Gye I-dam lifted his head and shouted.

Suddenly, he became so agitated that his voice cracked, and the sound of metal ringing was clearly audible.

When Seong Si-wan met his eyes, Gye I-dam’s face turned pale.

Seong Si-wan’s face remained extremely strict and calm.

"Looking at Gye I-dam’s actions lately, I’m reminded of Sang Jung-hyeong."

Seong Si-wan mentioned Gye I-dam’s old name, Gye Sang-jeong.

It seemed that Gye I-dam was shocked, and I was a little surprised as well.

You still remembered that name. If you had taken a slight look into the life of the malicious commenter, it would indeed be an unforgettable name.

However, Seong Si-wan treated Gye I-dam as a junior and seemed to have forgotten about it.

Despite recalling Gye Sang-jeong, I was deeply moved by Seong Si-wan’s broad heart, treating it like a joke.

Although he didn’t reveal his name, Flammago, who was mentioned as the last president of Jik, who died in the war at Eungwang High, was a rare figure in the game.

"Sang Jung-hyeong refused communication with those around him, neglected what he was supposed to do as a student, and locked himself in his room. He doubted others' intentions and distanced himself from those reaching out to him. Just like Gye I-dam is doing now."

"I... I..."

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Gye I-dam stammered, as if forgetting how to speak.

Seong Si-wan, who had once mentioned Gye Sang-jeong’s name, fearlessly revisited the past.

"I heard Gye I-dam bought several devices. Sangjoon also used to do that. He bought smartphones and several paid VPNs, even changing his tone while posting. Acting cowardly, pretending to be multiple people, fighting others more effectively, and spreading bad rumors."

I thought that a malicious commenter would feel ashamed once their identity was revealed, but after reading the story, it seemed not the case.

Gye I-dam trembled with a face mixed with shame, pain, and despair.

That person had exposed themselves to multiple personalities while using different IDs as a malicious commenter. With such a face, they must have written an excuse.

However, it was clear that now, compared to then, things were more desperate for him.

‘Having someone like Seong Si-wan as a close senior was the best stroke of luck in his life, but it seemed like it would end soon.’

Considering Seong Si-wan’s character, he had probably decided to treat the malicious commenter, not as a pony, but as Gye I-dam.

However, based on what had been happening recently and what Seong Si-wan had just said, it seemed like Gye I-dam was following the same path as Gye Sang-jeong.

Seong Si-wan would likely be disappointed in Gye I-dam and treat him as someone like that malicious person, but not many would criticize him for it.

At least, if Seong Si-wan made that choice, I would understand.

Gye I-dam also seemed to agree with my words, his face showing signs of carrying all the world's misfortunes.

But Seong Si-wan turned out to be even more broad-minded and compassionate than expected.

"Gye I-dam, please don’t make a choice like Sang Jung-hyeong did. Do you remember what I said? I’ll make sure you don’t become like Sang Jung-hyeong in the future, and I’ll prevent you from being a burden."

Seong Si-wan smiled, saying it might be troublesome, but all I could hear was that he would be more cautious from now on because he was worried about Gye I-dam.

Gye I-dam seemed to understand the meaning of those words, widening his eyes and shedding tears.

Had he forgotten that I was here?

Gye I-dam seemed to try to stop sobbing, but it was useless.

Lately, due to doing things alone, his physical strength had been draining, and mentally, he lacked the drive, unable to control his tears.

In the end, Seong Si-wan and I silently watched as Gye I-dam cried for a while.

‘If I had someone like Seong Si-wan by my side, I could never become like Gye Sang-jeong, even if I wanted to.’

Seong Si-wan couldn’t comfort Gye I-dam, but he didn’t act harshly either.

Gye I-dam, being too consumed by his sobbing, didn’t notice, but Seong Si-wan was watching his close junior with worried eyes.

Seong Si-wan’s lack of public reassurance and not worrying was likely because Gye I-dam clearly remembered his time as Gye Sang-jeong.

At the very least, someone had to be on guard against Gye Sang-jeong, and it seemed like Seong Si-wan was taking on that role.

Seong Si-wan was planning to become Gye I-dam’s senior and, later, Gye Sang-jeong’s superior.

"Is there anything I can do to help? Seeing them do it, it seems like a very important and difficult task."

After Gye I-dam calmed down, Seong Si-wan asked.

There were many good people at Eungwang High who were close to Gye I-dam, but it seemed that no one had heard about what he had been doing.

But when Seong Si-wan reached that point, the heavy Gye I-dam opened his mouth.

"Actually..."

Gye I-dam said with a cracked voice.

His voice sounded ugly, but the content strangely had some logic.

Considering that he had often posted malicious comments with his own reasoning or had announced things in the student representative meeting, Gye I-dam wasn’t someone who couldn’t speak.

He explained what he had been doing all this time.

As you might have guessed, Gye I-dam was waging a cyber war for Ahn Da-in.

‘In Ahn Da-in’s fandom, there were fans who moved systematically and left comments... but it was all a joke.’

If you checked articles or news related to Ahn Da-in, there were some people who stood out.

Their IDs and nicknames changed periodically, so it was hard to notice unless you looked closely, but if you assumed someone was operating behind the scenes, you could see something.

"Really, Gye I-dam has always liked Da-in, past and present. But didn’t Da-in do that since the first year? The activities from last year didn’t affect school life."

Gye I-dam continued to do so even after Ahn Da-in entered, and Seong Si-wan must have known this fact too.

Did Gye I-dam know that his identity was being recorded and that various things were being checked?

It would be dangerous to pay attention to such a person, but Seong Si-wan was truly broad-minded and thoughtful.

"The amount of posts and comments increased tenfold. Still, I was able to manage Korean drivers and communities, but the verification process abroad was cumbersome."

Abroad? I didn’t know that the amount of posts and comments related to Ahn Da-in had increased, and neither T nor Hwang Myeong’s group knew that.

However, nothing serious enough to be punishable by law stood out, and the content that tried to cross the line was quickly opposed, disappearing or getting buried.

Additionally, since it didn’t contain really problematic or birth-related content, it was primarily monitored.

‘Still, these are all based on domestic standards. I couldn’t even look at international ones.’

Did Gye I-dam manage opinions in overseas communities too?

Did he translate articles related to Flammago and read malicious comments abroad?

Mangjem had only served in Korea, so he didn’t have much recognition abroad, but thinking back to the broadcasting days, it seemed like the bad guy could’ve easily done that.

Still, it was normal to think that he wasn’t just managing domestic communities or article comments alone, but was also active abroad.

It was hard to accept, but it seemed like the bad guy from that game had the upper hand in the cyber opinion war.

I wondered if he had cursed more when he saw Flammago being torn apart.

"Abroad? I’ve heard that Silver’s advertising player stories sometimes come up in international player communities. Are you talking about that?"

"Yes, that community has words, but there are rumors and malicious comments about Ahn Da-in circulating in specific countries."

"Specific country? Which country are you in?"

I guessed the answer before Gye I-dam could respond.

The selection team had investigated famous foreign players before the exchange competition.

Thanks to that, the country of the famous player who considered Ahn Da-in a rival came to mind immediately.

Gye I-dam gave the same answer as I had thought.

"We are in Japan."