Chapter 38 – Test (2)
1. Choose an inappropriate food for the monster in the picture below.
(1) Jungle Cat (2) Rat (3) Gorbas (4) Grasshopper (5) Cat
2. Describe how to deal with Shadow, a D-class monster.
( )
3. The following is a conversation about the characteristics of certain monsters. Look at the dialogue and describe the name of the appropriate monster.
Cheolsu: Even normal people can catch this monster.
Younghee: I tried to grow them for food, but failed.
Minsu: It’s an E-rank monster.
Kiyoung: He has the strength of a teenager.
( )
The problem wasn’t as difficult as it seemed. It seemed to be thanks to my hard work. With a triumphant expression on my face, I handed in the test paper for the third time. Ichie, who saw me handing in the test paper, narrowed his eyes, solved the remaining questions quickly, and submitted the exam paper for the fourth time. I gave her a thumbs up as she returned with her test papers.
Ichie gave her a thumbs up and sat down again. I could see the exam papers being handed in one by one according to the timing we sat down. The last two people to come out were Kim Chun-bae and Kim Joo-seong. Juseong patted Chunbae on the shoulder and nodded his head. Chunbae lowered her head and climbed into the back seat of hers. Teacher Jeong-a summed up her test papers and put them together, then she said.
“Then, you worked hard. The test results will be announced next time after scoring.”
When I heard that the test was over, I felt like I was going to lose my pulse for some reason. As soon as Miss Jeonga left, the students gathered to ask each other questions.
“Hey, what did you write as an answer to question 1? Isn’t it a cat? How do you feed the cat?”
“You idiot, you’re Gorbas. It’s several times bigger than an elder spider, so how do you eat it? Gorbas is the one that makes even the hunters explode.”
“Oh fuck. Wrong from the first time. Hey number 2? What is number 2? I just wrote that I beat it with force.”
Kim Joo-seong, who was listening to the story, said.
“I heard from my mentor before, but Shadow has a habit of liking dark places, so he gets confused when a light shines on him.”
“Oh yeah? Oh Mr. So, this test is over. Oh, he said he would get a new computer if he got the money. Joo-seong, what are you going to do if you get paid for that?”
The eyes of the students were focused on Kim Joo-sung. He said looking out the window.
“I’m going to give you a massage chair for my grandma.”
Looking at the clock, it was time to start exercising. I left behind the students who were still chatting and walked to the training area. Ichie hopped along behind me. I thought I was number one anyway. Ichie said.
“The number one is me.”
“Ah, I’m in first place. When I thought about the test I had today, I was convinced. I’m number one.”
Even though I didn’t get first place, I was the one who played in the 10th place in the whole school. I felt like I could get first place in this test. When I said that with a very confident face, Ichie said.
“I bet.”
“Bet. Oh, good bet. What shall I bet with?”
“Listen to what you want all day long.”
“I promise you. In a sense. Then it gets into trouble.”
“I win.”
I couldn’t understand her confidence. I’m going to win first place anyway, so why be so confident?
*****
Test report
1st place Kim Joo-sung
1st place Kim Chunbae
3rd place Ichigaya Ichie
4th place Jeong Suhyeon
The report card that came out the next day showed my disastrous grades. I stood in the hallway in disbelief and looked at my report card over and over again. In the hallway where loud laughter and exclamations of regret flowed, I stood still like a statue. Kim Joo-sung and Kim Chun-bae are number one? And Ichie is next and I’m fourth?
Ichie said to me with a triumphant expression on his face.
“I won.”
The comforting fact was that I received a subsidy by placing 4th. It was because they gave subsidies up to 5th place. I calmed my bitter heart and nodded. Ichie said.
“Today. Suhyun-sang, you have to do as I say.”
“I don’t have much money.”
“I am not asking for money.”
Ichie said that while shaking his head. All of a sudden, I realized that today is going to be a very long day.
However, despite my troubled mind, I had to continue training, and today Ichi and I were spread out on the floor, drenched in sweat. These days, even after finishing my training, my body felt a bit light. I carefully got up and tried to massage my arms here and there. Ichie, who had been lying on the floor, stumbled up against the wall and walked to the shower.
******
“Please pick me up.”
After showering, Ichie brushed her wet hair over her ears and said that to me. I was looking at her as she looked at me with her arms outstretched like her child. Among the students returning home happily after taking a shower, we stood firm like stones by the river. Ichie waved his arm once again, probably thinking I hadn’t heard.
“Please pick me up. I’m asking you today.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
I looked around once and then turned cautiously. Ichie wrapped his arms around my neck and clung to my back. It smelled like sweet shampoo. His chest pressed against his back, gently pressing against it. I had to try hard not to enjoy the feel of her breasts.
I had been training hard just a little while ago, so just getting up on my back gave me strength. Ichie asked.
“Heavy?”
“It is as light as a feather.”
Ichie seemed to be in a good mood. I held onto her thighs and slowly walked to the bench in front of the gym where Yu-jeong was waiting. The senior, who was drinking her coffee through a straw in front of her bench, looked at us and frowned at her. The look on her face went from being unable to believe her own eyes to one of her asking me to explain her.
The look of the senior frowning was cute, but she also gave me a chilling thrill. Ichie was clearly waving to Yu-jeong from over her shoulder.
“What happen?”
Senior Yoojung asked. She was staring at her wit. She said as she lowered her hand until I could see me, then made her V.
“I won the bet.”
“Bet?”
“Score. Suhyeon Award 4th place. That 3rd. So I asked for it to be picked up. Listen to Suhyeon-san all day today.”
“…That’s how it happened. I thought you would win.”
After hearing her explanation, senior Yoo-jeong relaxed her expression and smiled. She asked me
“Our Mr. Suhyun. What were you going to do to Ichie if you won?”
“I was going to ask you to buy an omakase.”
“…It’s kind of realistic.”
Senior Yoo-jeong seemed a bit disappointed because my remarks were realistic. In fact, I hadn’t thought about what I was going to do, so it was a remark I picked up roughly.
Ichie came down from me again and sat down in front of my desk. She was excited like a child on a ride for the first time. It was a very violent reaction for her, who did not change her expression very much. She said in ichi.
“Suhyun’s back is wide. Very. It’s like a playground.”
“Yes? I hugged myself and was surprised…”
In her reasoning, senior Yu-jeong looked at her with her strange face as she chimed in. Senior Yoo-jeong opened her mouth with a sorry look on her face and rolled her eyes around, then she pretended nothing was wrong and went on with her words.
“…I didn’t hug him yet because I thought I would be surprised. Sexual harassment between seniors and juniors is a problem these days. Mr. Suhyeon and others are really wide, so envy him. I want to try it out too.”
“Not today.”
Senior Yoojeong was talking gibberish. The sentences were so messy that I couldn’t understand what they were saying even after hearing them, but it seemed that I was just trying to do that because I was clumsy in Korean. Ichie just said no. Senior Yu-jeong nodded her head and she laughed.
Senior Yu-jeong congratulated me on the results of her ichi test today, and then she said that she would buy me a meal tomorrow as a congratulation. She asked.
“Not today. Is it tomorrow?”
“Yes. I have work later in the evening today. We have something to talk about while eating tomorrow. See you tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
We parted ways with senior Yoo-jeong, expecting to buy a meal tomorrow. She said in ichi.
“Take me home.”
Come to think of it, today is not over. I smiled and nodded her head. Our house was on the way to Ichie’s house. After passing a large one-room village, I stopped in front of a familiar alleyway. When Ichie got into Senior Yu’s car, she always waited around here.
Ichie stopped and looked at me in the same way. She said.
“More to go. Let’s go have a cup of tea. I have relatives today. Introducing your partner.”
“Relatives?”
“Yes. They are all good people.”
Since they were Ichie’s family, I was a little curious. I had only heard of it, but had never seen it. I nodded and said.
“Yes. Excuse me for a second then.”
“No excuse. I said I wanted to see your face once.”
I followed her down her alley. A black luxury car was parked on her street. This vehicle, which occupied a heavy and overbearing presence among the dainty one-room villages, had an aura that made passers-by hesitate. Ichie pointed to the car and said.
“It’s my uncle’s car. There must be an uncle.”
“Whoa.”
I glanced at the car and exclaimed. I thought that one day I would definitely become a person who rides a car like that.
Ichie pointed to the building. I saw a neat building with an overly luxurious appearance to be a studio.
“It is very big.”
“It is smaller than I thought.”
I had to try to let go of her perception of her being a rich girl. In the parking lot under the building, people in dark suits were smoking heavily, all wearing sunglasses, and tattoos were visible over the arms of their suits.
When they found Ichie and me, they hurriedly extinguished their cigarettes and bowed their heads in greeting.
“Are you here! Miss!”
“Too, when you say hello like that, Suhyeon-san is surprised.”
I spoke Korean more fluently than I thought. Did everyone here decide to speak Korean? Ichie shook his hand and dissuaded the suits. When Ichie waved his hand, they split into two halves, like Moses parting the waves, and stood in front of the door. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the studio. A man in a colorful floral suit, with her hair pulled back, and a mustache was coming down her. Ichie said.
“I am your uncle.”
Uncle’s tattoo showed through his shirt. There were several vicious scars beyond the sunglasses. I felt involuntarily shrinking. He startled when he saw me, straightened his untied shirt and lowered it straight down with his walking arm. He put on the coat he was holding with one hand and said with a friendly smile.
“Eh, again… Nice to meet you… In a sense. Samuchon… Im. Ichie… Well butacap… Is.”
I was a little taken aback by his poor Korean and polite greetings. He seemed to be a better person than I thought. It looks like a yakuza, but you shouldn’t judge by appearance alone.
