Episode 73: Yang energy (3)
“….”
“I won by half a point.”
As I quietly placed my stone down and spoke, Yoon Chae-ha remained silent for a long while, unable to respond.
After finishing our meal, we used the remaining time to head to the board game club room.
And now, we were sitting in front of a Go board. A brief silence followed.
“Oh… you’re right.”
She had been staring intently at the board before finally lifting her head to look at me.
Her expression looked somewhat aggrieved.
She was probably replaying the game in her head even now.
Today, Yoon Chae-ha had eaten mackerel, salmon, eel, and even saury—practically every fish available at the school cafeteria.
Of course, she didn’t know how to debone them, so I had to do it all for her.
I still remember how she kept marveling at the taste, eagerly reaching out with her chopsticks for more.
At first, given her personality, I expected her to say, “Teach me.”
I assumed she would naturally want to learn this too. But strangely enough, at some point, she simply put her chopsticks down and waited.
“I can show you how to—”
“Next time. For now, I’ll just eat.”
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she quietly accepted the fish I had deboned.
And yet, after eating it, she would get slightly embarrassed, averting her gaze while taking a sip of water.
My Whole Being trait didn’t just shine on the battlefield—it was useful for trivial tasks like this too.
With a single flick of my chopsticks, I could perfectly separate the bones from the meat. Bones to one side, meat to the other—it was practically an art form.
She, like a baby bird, simply accepted it.
At first, she hesitated, but after a few times, she completely gave up and put her chopsticks down.
She must have analyzed the situation in her own way and decided that leaving it to me was the most rational choice.
“Shall we head out?”
I checked the time on my smartwatch.
The game had made time fly—it was already nearing 5 PM.
“Yeah.”
Yoon Chae-ha nodded and slowly got up from her seat.
“Let’s play Go again sometime.”
“Why? Still feeling bitter about the loss?”
I teased her lightly.
“It’s not that. I just feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it.”
She responded seriously.
And I could tell—her skill was improving at an astonishing rate.
As expected, Yoon Chae-ha was a raw gem that needed stimulation to grow.
I smiled subtly and walked alongside her down the hallway.
By the time we reached the auditorium entrance, several students had already arrived and taken their seats.
The supervising instructor was on one side of the stage, reviewing some documents.
Yoon Chae-ha and I found a quiet spot in the corner and sat down.
At exactly 5 PM, the instructor slowly stepped onto the stage.
As he did, the murmuring in the auditorium gradually faded.
The room was already packed.
Thirty students from the Exchange Program were present, along with their mentors, making a total of sixty people.
All the seats had been filled.
The instructor scanned the audience for a moment before picking up the microphone.
“Alright, it looks like everyone is here. Please focus.”
A hushed silence fell over the room.
He set the documents he had been holding down on the table and slowly began to speak.
“Today, we will be providing a detailed explanation of the Exchange Battle and the method of team formation for the group competition.”
This marked the beginning of the first real preparations for the Exchange Battle.
“As mentioned earlier today, the Exchange Battle consists of two formats: individual matches and team matches.”
His gaze slowly moved across the room as he continued.
“And the reason you are all gathered here today is to discuss the formation of teams for the group competition.”
Team formation.
As expected, this was a meeting related to the Exchange Battle.
“Currently, there are 30 students participating in the Exchange Program and 30 corresponding mentors. That makes a total of 60 people.
Each of you has already been assigned to a partner as a mentor-mentee pair.”
As previously mentioned, mentors and mentees were already on the same team.
“Now, we will pair up these mentor-mentee duos to form small teams. Each small team will consist of two mentors and two mentees, making a total of four members.”
The screen behind him changed, displaying a visual representation of the team structure.
The students’ focus sharpened.
“Then, each of these small teams will be joined by four additional students from Gaon Academy, forming a final team of eight members.”
In other words, to summarize…
A Team of Eight
Two mentees, two mentors, and four students from Gaon.
That made a total of fifteen teams—a rather large scale.
In this world’s system, a team of eight was considered a “semi-squad.” It was the basic unit used for dungeon raids or high-ranking monster subjugation.
Tactics. Formation. Teamwork.
If everything didn’t function properly, even the strongest individual wouldn’t be guaranteed victory.
Since this was a joint collaboration between Gaon and Kalos, the assignment was bound to be quite difficult.
But then—
“Now, everyone. There’s no need to feel too pressured.”
The instructor’s voice suddenly softened.
“An exchange program is, in the end, a festival. The purpose is to understand and learn from each other.”
What a joke.
I muttered inwardly.
“Therefore, you are free to form teams with classmates you were close with before coming to Gaon. However, for fairness, the four additional members from Gaon will be assigned based on rankings.”
In other words, while teams could merge voluntarily, the final assignment wasn’t entirely unrestricted.
Two sets would combine to make four.
Then, four additional Gaon students would be added to complete the final eight-member team.
“Alright, everyone. Please form your teams now!”
Murmur, murmur.
As soon as the instructor finished speaking, the Kalos students buzzed like a swarm of bees.
One by one, two by two, three or four at a time—they quickly grouped together, clearly having prearranged teams.
I slowly turned my head and looked at Yoon Chae-ha sitting beside me.
Sensing my gaze, she subtly turned her body and half-glared at me.
“Why… why are you looking at me?”
She pouted as she asked. Instead of answering, I just smirked.
While the Kalos students busily formed teams,
Yoon Chae-ha glanced around once, but she didn’t seem inclined to move.
Because—
Yoon Chae-ha had no friends.
The closest thing she had to a friend was…
A little further away,
A tall male student stood at the center of a group of Kalos female students, chatting and smiling.
Joo Seo-jun.
‘It would be him, but…’
The problem was Joo Seo-jun’s mentor.
His mentor was—Yohan.
Yohan’s religious order and Joo Seo-jun’s family had been closely connected for generations.
They had a deeper bond than one might expect.
That meant they had been close since childhood.
And then, Yohan and I locked eyes.
One second.
Even that brief moment seemed unbearable for him, as Yohan quickly turned away.
Tsk.
This wasn’t going to work.
It would be difficult to team up with Joo Seo-jun.
Yoon Chae-ha fidgeted with her fingers, staring down at the desk in front of her.
She tried to act nonchalant, but there was an uncharacteristic gloom about her.
Honestly, I didn’t really care who ended up in my team.
I turned my head to scan the other students.
At that moment, someone approached the stage where the instructor stood.
A student from Kalos.
But the strange thing was—
She was alone.
The female student carefully spoke to the instructor.
The instructor, momentarily flustered, flipped through the papers on the podium.
Finally, picking up the microphone, the instructor slowly spoke.
“Does anyone here know Yu Hana?”
Yu Hana?
She was supposed to be in closed-door training right now…
Absentmindedly, I raised my hand. And the moment I did—
Before the instructor could even finish speaking, the auditorium doors slid open.
—Creak.
No one had intentionally looked at the door.
Yet, strangely, every gaze naturally gravitated toward it.
A woman quietly entered.
Her sky-blue hair cascaded down to her waist.
Her training uniform was damp with sweat, clinging to her frame.
As if she had rushed here immediately after finishing her training.
Yu Hana.
“I’m a little late, Instructor. I am Yu Hana, the mentor of student Jo Yuri.”
A short and composed greeting. Without saying anything more, she naturally stepped forward.
The gazes that had been focused on the stage gradually followed her instead.
I was surprised.
But not just because she turned out to be a mentor in this exchange program.
Since mentors and mentees were mostly sent outside for activities, it made sense that I hadn’t realized she was one.
What truly shocked me was—
“Hah.”
—the sheer presence she exuded.
This was a completely different Yu Hana from before.
Every movement, every breath carried a distinct weight.
‘What the hell did she do in there?’
Her growth was so overwhelming that I couldn’t help but wonder.
Even Yoon Chae-ha, sitting beside me, was watching her intently.
Her crimson eyes burned, a clear sign of interest.
I asked quietly, keeping my gaze on Yu Hana.
“What do you think?”
Without a word, Yoon Chae-ha slowly nodded.
No words were needed.
We silently rose from our seats and began making our way toward the front of the auditorium.
By then, Yu Hana had already approached Jo Yuri.
She gave a brief bow of apology, and her mentee waved her hands dismissively, as if to reassure her.
In that moment, Yu Hana’s gaze met mine.
Just for a second.
But even in that brief instant, I could tell.
Seeing her up close only made it clearer—just how much she had grown.
At this level…
‘She’s ready.’
I considered evaluating her progress further but decided against it.
She was only going to grow even more.
“You’re here?”
I asked quietly. Yu Hana nodded and gave a short response.
“Yeah.”
“What the hell did you do?”
Instead of answering, she stepped closer, a soft smile forming on her lips.
“I’ll tell you… little by little.”
Her voice dropped slightly, like a whisper seeping into my ears. Then she added—
“Still, seeing you again after so long… feels nice. Am I the only one?”
I let out a small chuckle and shook my head. At that moment—
“Chae-ha… right?”
A cautious, somewhat timid voice.
Turning my head, I saw a young girl hesitantly approaching.
She seemed to be Yu Hana’s mentee, nervously fidgeting with her fingers before finally mustering the courage to speak.
“I… I’m a huge fan of yours. Did you come here… to be on my team?”
Yoon Chae-ha blinked in surprise, momentarily dumbfounded.
Then, she nodded awkwardly, stammering—
“Uh… huh? Oh… yeah….”
She was clearly flustered, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Watching the exchange, I couldn’t help but smile.
It was like watching a shy cat at a cat café being approached by another friendly feline.
I turned to Yu Hana.
She met my gaze and gave a slow nod.
“Looking forward to working with you.”
“Likewise.”
A new team was born.
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