Chapter 2: Academy Island, Academia (2)

“Student, scrub harder!”
“Yes, sir!”

Fortunately, he didn’t call the Disciplinary Committee or anything.
After a round of scolding, the owner of Cheonryonggak tried to send me on my way, telling me to pay him back next time.
But I immediately latched onto him, asking if he needed a hand.
Because with a wallet that doesn’t even have 5,500 won, if I go back, I’ll just end up dining and dashing somewhere else tomorrow.
The kind-hearted owner seemed to think for a moment before telling me to give it a try.

As a result, I’ve been holed up in a corner of Cheonryonggak’s kitchen for two hours, washing dishes.
I’m moving my hands more diligently than I have since I was on kitchen duty as a private in the army.
As expected of a Chinese restaurant, every dish is full of grease, but they can’t escape my touch!
Grease stains!
Stubborn grime!
Die!

And so, after the lunch rush ended, there was a brief lull.
The owner handed me a glass of cold water and started a simple background check.
In short, it was interview time.

“Hey, student. What did you say your name was?”
“It’s Lee Sihyuk.”
“Right, Sihyuk. You’re a pretty good dishwasher. Ever worked part-time at a restaurant before?”

I thought for a moment before shaking my head.
‘After all, ‘Lee Sihyuk’ probably has no experience working at a restaurant.’

“Once the semester starts, you’ll be busy on weekdays… so could you help out during the weekend rush?”
“Yes!”

‘Even if I get into the Special Department, weekends are free.’
‘There are a few affinity events, but they’re not that important to the main scenario.’
‘Besides, it’s still uncertain whether I can even get into the Special Department.’
‘I still don’t know who the ‘Teacher’ is, or what their selection criteria are.’
‘So, getting a part-time job at Cheonryonggak was definitely good news.’
‘It would solve my immediate financial problems to some extent.’

“I can only pay you minimum wage, but you’re welcome to come and eat anytime, day or night.”

‘My goodness.’

“Thank you so much!”
“What’s there to thank me for? Even if it’s temporary, you’re part of the Cheonryonggak family now. I can’t let you go around starving.”

‘He’s a saint, a saint.’
‘It felt like a bright halo was shining from behind the owner’s head.’
‘Ooh… it’s dazzling.’

The owner started by saying, ‘Since it’s come to this,’ and began to explain the tasks and precautions.
It seemed that because weekends are definitely busier than weekdays, I would need to know how to do various things, not just wash dishes.

As I diligently typed what the owner was saying into my phone, the chime bell rang.

“Come here!”
“Come on… What is it, Sosonia?”

The one who entered was a girl dressed like she was on a sports team.
Her top was a black jersey, and her bottoms were grayish spats.

“Mister, a customer is here, what’s with that attitude!”
“You want me to bow and greet you?”
“That’s not it. Anyway, my order, my order! I’m hungry!”

The girl grabbed a seat and patted her stomach.
Her silver hair, tied up in a round bun like a dango, swayed from side to side with her movements.

“The usual?”
“Yes!”

Rice, rice, rice~ Fried rice~ Delicious fried rice~.
The girl hummed a tune, excitedly swinging her legs back and forth.
‘Staring at her so intently made me feel like some kind of criminal, but I had a reason I couldn’t look away.’
‘Because she was definitely a face I knew.’

‘A 5-star, lightning-attribute, close-range dealer.’

“Baek Soso.”

As if she heard me muttering to myself, Baek Soso turned her head.
Our eyes met, but to her, of course, I was a complete stranger.
Flustered, Baek Soso whipped her head left and right, looking around the restaurant.
It was after the lunch rush, and the only people inside were me, the owner, and Baek Soso.
The possibility that I had called out to someone with the same name was gone.

“Um… who? Do you know me? Why?”

Baek Soso looked at me with an expression that was a mixture of displeasure and a little bit of fear.

‘…If you’re asking who I am, I was originally the player, you know? What’s a player, you ask? Well. This is actually a game world and uh. This guy’s name is Lee Sihyuk, but I’m currently possessing his body? So you could say I’m Lee Sihyuk. And you’re actually a game character too. A 5-star, lightning-attribute, close-range dealer. A little weak in PVE but top-tier in PVP. I know you well because I raised you to the max level.’
‘I can’t answer like that.’
‘The moment I considered just calling myself a stalker.’

“Ah. That’s Lee Sihyuk. He’s going to be helping out on weekends.”

The owner, who had been tossing the wok in the kitchen, provided an assist.

“And Sihyuk. This is Baek Soso. How should I introduce her… Hmm, right. She’s like a senior to you.”
“”Senior?””

Baek Soso and I tilted our heads at the same time.
While Lee Sihyuk’s appearance made him look old for his age, Baek Soso had a face that matched her age.
Unless there was a problem with the owner’s facial recognition ability, there should be no reason for him to be mistaken.

“Aha.”

Baek Soso thought for a moment, then grinned and nodded.
It seemed she understood what the owner meant.

“Mister, is he one of ‘those’ too?”

‘What’s ‘those’? More importantly, ‘too’? Hmm…’
When I turned my head towards the kitchen with a look demanding an explanation, the owner chuckled softly and opened his mouth.

“This one, Sosonia, she also dined and dashed a long time ago.”
“Man, I miss those days. I thought I could get away. I didn’t know you were so fast, Mister.”
“As you can see, she’s a much more malicious brat than you are.”
“Malicious! There’s nothing you won’t say to a regular!”

Baek Soso, bantering with the owner.
It was a strange sight, now that I thought about it.
A character that had only existed inside my phone was now breathing before my eyes as a living person.

“Still, thanks to that, you secured one regular customer!”
“I have plenty of regulars besides you.”

‘Besides, this is the first I’ve heard a story about her dining and dashing.’
‘Even if each character has a backstory, it’s just a drop in the ocean compared to a person’s entire life.’
‘Rather than approaching them based solely on their settings, it might be better to use it as a reference and find out for myself.’

“Anyway, Sihyuk? Was that it!”

Once her conversation with the owner concluded, Baek Soso moved to the table where I was sitting, grinning.

“If you have any questions, ask me anything. I’ll answer as your ‘senior’.”
“Senior….”
As I trailed off, Baek Soso’s expression flinched slightly.

“By any chance, Sihyuk, how old are you?”
“I’m eighteen.”
“…I’m sorry. Please speak comfortably.”

Baek Soso was the first to back down.
It was a relief that she yielded first without me having to pick a fight.
I almost acted like a condescending old boomer, which doesn’t suit me at all.
‘Baek Soso is the type who basically says whatever she wants.’
‘If I let her push me around from the start, it’ll be tiring later on.’

“Um… then, can I ask you a few things?”
“Yes! As many as you like!”

‘If it weren’t for that part of her, Baek Soso was a really good kid.’

[— Report —]
[Baek Soso]
[Age: 16]
[Affiliation: Eastern 8th Middle School]
[Nationality: Hong Kong]
[Level: D -> B]
[Attribute: Lightning]
[Successor to the single-transmission Biyeon-ryu, possesses outstanding interpersonal combat ability.]
[Did not show any particular distinction until the age of 15, but is currently gaining attention for a two-rank increase in ability in a short period.]
[Evaluated as a talent with the potential to grow to S-Class.]
[Considered to have a vulnerability in the mental aspect.]
[Immediate deployment in actual combat is impossible, but the ‘Disciplinary Committee,’ which highly values her potential, is keeping an eye on her.]
[—Academia—]

Night.
I lay on the bed in my dorm room, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Guess I’ll have to get a haircut later.”

‘I looked it up, and my living expenses arrive in a week.’
‘Even if my meals are taken care of thanks to the owner of Cheonryonggak’s kindness, I don’t have any spending money, so I can’t even get a haircut.’
‘This damned shaggy hair keeps falling back down and poking my eyelids even when I comb it to the side.’
‘I’m not some Japanese dating sim protagonist, so why is Lee Sihyuk, a Korean national, growing his hair out like this?’

“…But more importantly, Baek Soso.”

I knew I’d run into characters I recognized while living at Academia, but I didn’t think it would be this soon.

‘I guess the encounter was fruitful, at least in that I learned there’s no language barrier.’
‘Like other collection-type RPGs, LeoA didn’t even mention troublesome settings if you dug too deep.’
‘It was probably a compromise along the lines of, ‘Anyway, they can all understand each other.’’
‘And yet, there were occasional events closely related to a character’s nationality.’

‘Anyway.’

‘I need to form a somewhat close relationship with Baek Soso.’
‘My plan is to get acquainted with not just Baek Soso, but all the characters who have a chance of getting into the Special Department.’
‘Lee Sihyuk’s ability—no, my ability—can’t be used to its full potential alone.’
‘After finding the ‘Teacher,’ I plan to appeal to them as much as possible, but the chances of getting into the Special Department right away are probably low.’

‘Human relationships are the preparation for that time.’
‘A messenger to indirectly inform the ‘Teacher’ of my growth and usefulness.’

I picked up my phone and checked the two new names I had added to the empty messenger app.
[Owner.]
[Baek Soso.]

I started a chat with Baek Soso, whose profile picture was a selfie with her tongue sticking out.
‘Hmm…’
‘What should I say.’

[Me: – Are you asleep?]
[Baek Soso: – No?]
[Me: – Sleep well.]
[Baek Soso: – Ah, yes. Good night.]
[Baek Soso: – (emoticon of yawning while holding a pillow)]
[Me: – kk]

‘…Awkward.’

I had to be a bit pushy to get Baek Soso’s messenger ID.
Since she’s the type to get swept up in the mood, she obediently gave it to me, albeit with a confused look on her face.

“Should I sleep.”

I turned off the light.
Although it was an unfamiliar bed for ‘me’, making it awkward, my body seemed used to it and quickly succumbed to slumber.

It was the first night at Academia.