The day after my date with Byeol.
I got up early to help sleepy Shiba brush her teeth, and the empty spots on the bed and dining table felt unusually large.
"Dad?"
"Hmm? No, it's nothing."
I filled a mug with water for Shiba and then opened the wardrobe to take out the academy uniform. Although investigating the area near Shiba's kindergarten was urgent, I still had to fulfill my duties as an academy cadet. That's why I needed to pay attention to the Forester selection.
Cooking wouldn't speed up no matter how much you rushed it.
It's a potentially dangerous place, but only a suspected site of terror. There was no guarantee that anything would happen. I took off my shirt while looking in the mirror next to the wardrobe.
My upper body was reflected in the flat glass. The muscles were well-defined. There were some scars around the waist and shoulder blades, but it's decent enough to nod in approval. Due to staying indoors, my skin, which was pale, has acquired a more masculine tone through various activities.
Not bad.
After getting fully dressed, I changed Shiba's clothes after he finished brushing his teeth and left the dormitory.
Shiba's talent show was in three days. After teleporting Shiba to kindergarten, I naturally followed the path to school upon returning to the dormitory.
-Clatter-
The sound of the door opening echoed in the classroom. The cadets, who were chattering loudly, fell silent and looked forward.
Lee Seyeong's successor, Professor Man Sejeok, dressed neatly in a suit, spread out a file in front of the cadets.
"Did you all rest well?"
"Yes!"
All the cadets responded instantly. I leaned back casually, resting my chin on my hand, gazing blankly ahead.
Guseul and Jung Siwoo. Jin Dallae and Sansuyu. Sooyoung and Lim Jonghyun, among others, were familiar faces I had spoken to at least once due to either my looks or skills growth.
It felt like it had been a long time since I had seen them.
Not really. After the midterms, I went straight to a training camp and stayed there for three months, gathering information about Flower afterward. It has indeed been a while since I had been at the academy.
Everyone else seemed to have seen each other just days ago, but for me, it felt like the end of the break. As I curiously looked around, Jin Dallae turned her head in front, our eyes meeting. She immediately raised the corners of her mouth and gently waved her right hand.
-Grin-
"…Hey. Dallae is waving at you."
"Yeah, I saw."
"Are you dating?"
"Something like that."
"Oh~ Shiheon~ Phahaha. Impressive, huh?"
Not intending to hide it, I simply replied, and Guseul slapped my shoulder with a mischievous laugh. Guseul. I didn't know her last name, and she's inscrutable. Of all the people I knew, she was the least informative, and I suspected her current appearance was far from the truth.
I had been cautious not to learn too much about her until now, fearing I might get hurt. But after hearing about Flower, she had become annoyingly noticeable.
With jet-black bobbed hair and ears sticking up like a puppy's, she had the innocent beauty of a first love that every high school class had. Sitting next to me with that face, Guseul boasted outstanding beauty.
With such a face and a very bright personality, through Guseul, it's possible to contact everyone in this class.
I rolled my eyes and stared fixedly at Guseul's face. Because my gaze was rather blatant, Guseul immediately noticed my look.
"Why?"
"Hey."
She already knew I was suspicious of her.
When I was given the mission to make a friend through the status screen, naturally, I thought of Guseul, whom I first met in the dormitory. But she hadn't shown the slightest affection towards me. This left a bad impression, so I continued to express my suspicions about her. Guseul knew this, but she had never directly questioned it.
That was the unspoken rule between Guseul and me. Back then, I too had some information that would make me nervous if exposed.
I looked at Guseul with dry eyes.
"So what are you?"
Casually, without much thought, Guseul's laugh stiffened into a self-mocking, plastic-doll smile.
"What do you mean?"
The cadets didn't notice the chilling atmosphere enveloping us.
Threat. Pretense?
Either way, it's not my concern.
If Guseul was among those I had to eliminate, I was confident I could do it without hesitation. Just as I narrowed my eyes to speak, Man Sejeok in the front continued.
-Thunk!
The teacher, dropping a file on the lectern, drew everyone's attention with his awkward smile.
"The participants for the Forester selection from El Academy have been decided."
Upon hearing this, everyone tensed up, their shoulders stiffening as they swallowed their breath. Here and there, voices quietly filled with anticipation, the sound of saliva being swallowed echoed.
"..."
"..."
Guseul and I looked at each other, then broke off our gaze to look forward.
The conversation was tense, but that alone was enough to raise alertness.
Man Sejeok brought his hand to his mouth for a cough, then started announcing the names.
The first to come out, the name of a Forester candidate.
It's fitting to call him a representative of El Academy, renowned as the best in the world. His name would be broadcast globally.
The participants appeared in a documentary about their training, which was translated into various languages and broadcast live.
-Jung Siwoo, right?
An obvious name.
The husband candidate for the World Tree and the undeniable top of the first years at El Academy based on midterm totals.
-…Could there be others?
-They look at potential, you know. It's not just about rankings.
-Could it be me too?
They looked for potential, but they didn't pick the baseless.
Did you think judges came to every academy test just to observe? If I had to choose, it would be Jung Siwoo, Sansuyu, and at best, Lim Jonghyun.
Soon, a three-syllable name burst from Man Sejeok's lips.
"Lee Shiheon."
The first name for Korea in El Academy's Forester selection. I, too, was surprised, and my eyes widened. Man Sejeok looked in my direction and calmly named more cadets.
"…Sansuyu, Guseul, Lim Jonghyun. That's it."
Four talents. It was nothing special at El Academy, where many cadets are outstanding. They're known as the 'Green Generation' because the first-year students are exceptionally talented.
'No Jung Siwoo?'
It was shocking, nonetheless.
Why not Jung Siwoo? At his age, he had unsurpassable skills and the potential to grow depending on his efforts. Plus, unlike me, he also enjoyed the World Tree's protection.
The most likely man to be compared when your mom's friend's son was top of El Academy - what were you doing!
-I didn't hear wrong, did I?
-Wow, insane… Why not Jung Siwoo? Is this right?
The room began to buzz rapidly.
The eyes of cadets began to gather on Jung Siwoo. I also felt glances shifting towards me and Guseul.
'Was there some back-dealing?'
Looking at Jung Siwoo, he seemed unexpectedly nonchalant. Probably, he requested it or managed to opt out in such a way.
"Jung Siwoo is absent due to personal reasons."
With that additional comment from Man Sejeok, the buzzing somewhat subsided.
'…Still hasn't found his sister.'
He missed the training camp too; something must be off.
As I stared, our eyes met and, just like Jin Dallae, Jung Siwoo cheerfully waved his hand.
-Grin-
A cute gesture for a guy. If the recipient had been a woman instead of me, she might have clutched her heart.
When I waved back, Jung Siwoo turned his head again. Anyway, those participating in the Forest Keeper selection are fixed. A total of four from the El Academy Korean branch have been decided.
"Phahaha. But I'm going too?"
Guseul exaggerated her surprise with a laugh. She, too, was now officially one of the representatives chosen by the academy.
…Couldn't even trust the cadets, could I?
This was what Byeol told me yesterday while explaining about Flower. The person adding credibility to those words was sitting right next to me.
Thinking about such people gathering from all over the world, including El Academy… It's natural to be wary. I knew from our previous encounter that her skills were not merely at the level of an average academy student.
What would happen? Even drawing information and power from the past doesn't predict the future.
"Hmm."
I thought of the World Tree of Time, which appeared when needed to scratch an itch. I only realized it was spring after forgetting about Baekyang.
As I casually listened to the class, lunchtime arrived. I looked for Sansuyu, whom I hadn't spoken to in a while, but she had already left with friends she made during the last training camp.
It felt awkward to follow, and I had no intention of intruding on that newly formed friendship.
"…This is surprisingly tasty."
So, I took Jung Siwoo to a Korean restaurant. Kimchi stew, spicy pork, and various side dishes that are hard to make at home. A decent bibimbap can be made by roughly mixing them with gochujang and a bit of doenjang soup.
"So why are you suddenly not participating in the Forester selection?"
"Huh?"
Jung Siwoo shrugged his shoulders as he took a hearty bite of his bibimbap.
"…You know why?"
"Your sister?"
"That's right. I know the place, but I can't go now. I need to find a way."
"You know the place but can't go… What, is it inside Flower?"
"…"
I joked about everything revolving around Flower these days, but Jung Siwoo's face stiffened a bit.
No way. Eh, no way.
Did Flower pull that off again?
"…Really?"
"Phew. I really don't know."
Surprised by the extent of Flower's involvement, Jung Siwoo laughed awkwardly, clearly stressed. Our spoons had long since stopped moving.
"Is it because you lack the skills, or because you haven't found a way in?"
"Both…"
"Then shouldn't you actually participate in the Forester selection? It's the perfect place to improve your skills, right?"
"…That's true, but it might still not be enough."
Jung Siwoo took a sip of cool water, his expression still unsatisfied, and continued.
"I'm planning to focus on dungeons. The World Tree said so, too."
"The World Tree… Yeah, that makes sense for you."
I didn't know how, but Jung Siwoo was under the protection, love, and grace of the World Tree.
At least from his perspective, following the World Tree's will should lead him to a good fate.
'The husband candidate is like a battery for the World Tree. The tree maximizes his power before absorbing him as her husband.'
Jung Siwoo was the type to seek power, knowing this.
So, what could I say?
I could only offer him a meal and encourage him to hang in there.
"Be sure to find her."
"Yeah. I have to."
Despite everything, Jung Siwoo wasn't one to despair. He sported a hearty smile and focused back on his meal. He eats well.
I also scooped up a spoonful of bibimbap, thinking of something else.
Sprout bibimbap…
I chuckled, thinking of Shiba who would probably be crying over the bibimbap served for lunch right now.