A few hours had passed from the meeting with Baek Yoosung. Ji Won and Sae Jaehyun sat at the wooden cafeteria table on the bench. Waiting on their lunch for the day—the sun's light peering through the large windows on the wall.
The chitter chatter of the students was loud—overwhelmingly so. The smell of freshly made food and drinks was floating in the air, making Ji Won's stomach grumble.
"By the way,"
Sae Jaehyun began—looking up from a white, paper pamphlet he was holding in his hands.
"The club system, its pretty weird."
Ji Won raised an eyebrow—leaning forward on the wooden table. Putting his elbows on top.
"What do ya mean? They're just clubs. Nothing else right?"
Sae Jaehyun clicked his tongue in refusal, shaking his head from side to side as he did so.
"Nope.. Their like small little countries inside the academy, they even got their own buildings or 'turfs' as the pamphlet says. Even a few extra things to allegedly prepare students for guilds and stuff."
Ji Won leaned farther on the table—snatching the pamphlet from Sae Jaehyun's hands with a frown on his face.
His eyes skimmed through the pages one by one—getting wider and wider with each line he read through.
"Holy shit.. You're right. Every club has like, a portion they can do whatever they want?"
Sae Jaehyun sighed—taking back the pamphlet from Ji Won. Putting it on the table before nodding.
"Yep. But everyone's still a student so as long as they aren't on the Red List. They'll be fine to do anything they want—a few other high ranking academies do this type of thing too."
Ji Won leaned back in his chair—crossing his arms over his chest as he pursed his lips in contemplation.
There was a small silence in between them both as their minds rushed to process what the mess of a club they had just gotten into—since after all, the Copying Club was basically a target for every other club because Baek Yoosung just couldn't help himself.
Their food arrived as a staff member dressed in a normal waiter's uniform put two trays in front of them both—the food something that Sae Jaehyun didn't even recognize.
"Since you two are in the Copying Club. The current top of the leaderboard. Your lunch shall be a filet mignon steak with a side of stir fried asparagus. Enjoy"
He said before curtly walking away—leaving both Sae Jaehyun and Ji Won. Most definitely hungry for more.
Ji Won felt someones glare on their table and so—he mouthed a few words to Sae Jaehyun.
Be quiet. Someone is watching us.
Sae Jaehyun caught the gestures and gave a subtle nod to Ji Won—showing he understood what was said.
They both ate in silence. The flavors melting on their tongue as they enjoyed every moment of the dish—but their peace was quickly interrupted by someone flipping their table into the air. The food falling onto the ground.
"Who. The. Fuck did that?!"
Ji Won shouted before he was punched in the face—but. He withstood the blow. Feeling the strength that flowed behind it as he barely managed to keep his consciousness intact
He turned his head to see who was the perpetrator—a young man with short bright red hair and fiery golden eyes.
His uniform was tidy and neat and looked like it belonged to a model, not a student. He was wearing a deep teal coat and a white button up with black—tailored pants. Likely just a student on break from classes.. Right?
"You little bastards! You rode Baek Yoonsung's coattails to get this!"
Ji Won grunted slightly—taking a step back but before he could try and mediate the situation. Sae Jaehyun jumped up. Delivering an incredibly unexpected flying knee to the young man's face.
"Oh damn."
Ji Won muttered under his breath as he watched the fiery red boy fall to the ground—knocked out cold.
The cafeteria fell into silence as Sae Jaehyun ran a hand through his hair. A small smirk on his face as he pointed a finger at the unconscious boy.
"Listen here! Anyone who messes with us will end up like this."
Ji Won looked at the boy—this time with more focus as he realized something. The symbol on the boys chest. A faceless being with four hands holding a torch, a sword, a shield and a helmet. Its hand tied together by chains.
"Jaehyun."
He spoke in a deadpanned voice—trying to shake Sae Jaehyun's shoulder to get his attention but the latter ignored him for now.
"Is that clear to everyone?"
He said in a more loud and firm voice—one that had words drenched in authority. But suddenly, the cafeteria grew tense, colder even as footsteps drew near both of them.
"Jaehyun.. That kid was from another academy. GNU? Gyeonggi National Unit.. The second best academy in Korea? Our rivals?!"
Sae Jaehyung's expression immediately soured as both him and Ji Won felt a cold—sharp metal on the back of their neck. Their bodies freezing in horror as they heard a soft yet booming voice that echoed through the cafeteria.
"Why have you attacked my student. Answer or I shall cut your nape."
Ji Won and Sae Jaehyun didn't look behind them—they were far too afraid of the presence that had just threatened them. Not knowing what to do or say as they realized something.
The cafeteria was suddenly empty.
But just when they thought that they might actually die or worse—A burst of wind came forcing them to close their eyes just for a moment and when they opened them. Dae Youngjae was standing there. Arms behind his back, a forced smile on his face.
His body was tense—muscles rippling underneath his shirt as a spiraling golden aura of mana surrounded him, the marble beneath him hissing from the heat—cracking under the pressure.
"Administrator Su Gi of GNU... Unless you wish for me to shove your very blades up your behind—I much rather you let go of my students."
It didn't sound like a threat—it was a genuine promise to do what he said since after all—Dae Youngjae was known for being a man of his words.
The blades withdrew themselves from Ji Won and Sae Jaehyun's neck as they slowly turned to see who this 'Su Gi' was and what they saw surprised them.
A small, short woman with short violet hair and black eyes was standing behind them, two glowing arms sprouted from her back—probably made from a skill.
The area around her was a bit more heavy—the air more sharp and difficult to inhale but Dae Youngjae remained unperturbed. He even seemed to be a bit annoyed at her even attempting to show dominance.
She let out a soft click of her tongue but she was definitely intimidated by the vice-principal in front of her.
"Well.. They knocked my student out!!"
Dae Youngjae stepped forward—bending down a bit to get into her face, staring into her eyes with a small amount of anger still visible underneath that calm exterior of his, like a storm brewing inside his brain.
"Your student was too weak. Now please, pick him up and go to Sir Hangwoo's office for your business. Before I carry out my promise. And I assure you, all genders are equal in front of my fists."
Su Gi gulped—taking a few steps back from Dae Youngjae before she picked up the still out cold student—with surprising ease as her small body hoisted the boy up over her shoulders.
Dae Youngjae was a giant compared to her—it felt like that too. While Baek Yoosung's presence was like a mountain, Dae Youngjae was like an unstoppable meteor, bringing both fear and dread to whoever witnessed him.
Dae Youngjae turned his gaze to Ji Won and Sae Jaehyun who watched with a star-struck gaze. Feeling both grateful and like they owed their life to Dae Youngjae, which they technically did.
"Good job you two. GNU needs to know that our students are definitely better than there's... Now skedaddle before I put your hand inside your throat."
Ji Won and Sae Jaehyun got the cue immediately—running through the door of the cafeteria as Ji Won looked at Sae Jaehyun with a panicked expression
"Alright, you get the bags! We're moving into the dorm early! I'm gonna explain the shit you've gotten us both into."
Sae Jaehyun rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he changed courses—running towards the original dormitory to get their bags.
'Stupid Jaehyun! That woman will probably suck our body from its blood until we're bone dry! Bitch!'