Unlike the excited students moving to the dormitory, the atmosphere in the conference room was undeniably solemn. The dry air made mouths parched, and amidst a heavy, suffocating silence, the one to break it was the principal.
"He's still young and it's risky."
As the highest authority spoke, the teachers who had been holding back their opinions started to voice their thoughts one by one.
"I agree. If we reveal Sihyun's abilities, the Association will surely try to exploit him."
"The school's primary responsibility is to protect its students. Just because the Association demands it doesn't mean we can send the student away!"
"Above all, Sihyun is still young. Yes, he handled the Irregulars wisely today, but officially deploying him to Mirgun is too much."
"But the Association will continue to put pressure."
The expressions of the teachers darkened at the words of the man with chestnut hair tied back to his waist. There was a silent acknowledgment of that fact, and the principal sighed in resignation.
"He's too outstanding, it's a headache."
Brushing aside his silvery hair, the principal tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. The intermittent sound broke the silence.
"...Is it impossible to keep this hidden from the Association?"
When one of the teachers cautiously slipped in their words amid the ongoing conversation, everyone else slowly shook their heads.
"That's absurd."
"The Association lacks consideration. Forcing kids into Mirgun from the second year is harsh, let alone Sihyun, who's still in the first year."
"It's the Association."
"And there might be conflicts with overseas awakening centers. That young student could even become the cause of a national struggle."
"They wouldn't attempt kidnapping, would they?"
"...I hope not. They didn't go that far even when a Dual emerged two years ago."
"But this time it's a Quadruple. A Quadruple! Will they just stand by?"
"..."
After several exchanges, silence settled again. The discussion yielded only concerns without solutions. The principal, creasing his forehead deeply, pondered amid the conversation that provided no resolution. Chewing his lips over the complexity of the situation, the principal slammed the table, resolute.
Bang. Eyes darted towards him. The principal swallowed as gazes turned towards him.
"Let's do this. As discussed, the school is a space to protect students. We might not be able to avoid the compulsory Mirgun training from the second year onward, but at least until the first year, we will protect Sihyun from external interference."
"But the Association will pressure us."
"Ignore it."
"What?"
"That will be risky."
The worried voices met the principal's gaze. Slowly scanning the many eyes now fixated on him, the principal took a deep breath, reminiscing about his teaching career. He closed his eyes slowly, then, wide awake, clenched his fist. His intensified gaze pierced through the air.
"For the next year, disregard any pressure from the Association related to Sihyun."
"But—"
"All responsibility rests on me."
Emphasizing the need for denial, the principal raised his voice. A brief silence ensued. Within that silence, the principal firmly reinforced his command.
"All responsibility rests on me. No matter how exceptional his class, he's still a young student. And we are the teachers."
"..."
Even the dissenting voices among the teachers quieted down. It was only a while later, in the vague and unresolved aspects, that the meeting progressed. With the most crucial issue settled, the atmosphere eased slightly. Sighing in the midst of that sight, the principal leaned against the backrest of his chair.
The forgotten headache returned.
The discussions in the conference room went on for a long time.
---
Following the disciplinary teacher, Sihyun walked towards the dormitory building behind the auditorium, gaping as he laid eyes on the five-story luxurious structure. It felt like looking at a high-end mansion.
"This is the dorm? Looks more like a rich estate."
Murmuring his honest impression to himself, Sihyun exchanged light nods with Daun as she moved away, carrying her belongings, before entering the building.
"Simply state your name at the lobby and collect your room key. Unless there's an exceptional case where partners have different genders, you'll be sharing a room with your partner and two others in a four-person room. Please maintain a cordial relationship with your roommates. Also, be cautious not to mistakenly enter floors from the third level onwards, as those are for advanced students."
Listening to the detailed instructions, Sihyun nodded and walked towards where the counter seemed to be, presumably the lobby on the ground floor.
"Kang Sihyun, with Ban Haru."
As he mentioned Haru's name, the bespectacled teacher behind the counter and glanced over at Haru and handed over two keys.
"Room 207."
Checking the room number on the keys, Sihyun felt a bit disappointed that it wasn't on the ground floor. It seemed inconvenient to climb the stairs every time he visited the dorm.
"Our room is 207, hyung."
"Ah..."
As Haru was handed the keys, a short sigh escaped him. Whether he liked it or was disappointed, Sihyun couldn't tell. He kept his eyes on Haru as he lifted his bag and started going up the stairs. With each step Sihyun took, the staircase echoed beneath his feet until...
Staggering, Sihyun slipped.
"Careful!"
Before he knew it, his body had been caught in Haru's arms. It was the first time Haru had raised his voice, and Sihyun blinked at him in surprise.
Did he just shout?
As Haru's "careful!" echoed in his head, Sihyun looked up at him with a puzzled expression. A strange sensation enveloped him.
He was constantly thinking about taking care of Haru, and had never once stopped to consider asking for help. Being unexpectedly saved like this left him a bit stunned.
"Thank you."
"...Mm."
Haru kept holding onto him even after he had steadied himself, seemingly still uneasy, but Sihyun removed his hands and adjusted his carrier bag. Then, as if to demonstrate, he continued up the stairs. He was originally on the weaker side, but with his current exhausted state the weight of his bag really was too much. But If he kept his focus he could keep himself from staggering.
"I'm okay now. I just forgot that my body is still a bit drained for a moment, after using up so much mana."
"Oh..."
After some reassurement, Haru let out a sigh and slowly lowered his hands. Only then could Sihyun feel at ease to start moving his feet.
As Sihyun ascended the stairs, Haru walked behind him with his own bag. Unlike his own precarious steps, Haru's ascent was remarkably effortless, and Sihyun couldn't help but laugh.
Haru was bigger than him, and was carrying luggage bigger than his own, so watching out for him felt weird, he felt like a chick worrying about a lion.
As Sihyun swiftly reached Room 207, he turned his head. Given that 206 was immediately visible after turning the corner from the stairs, it seemed the girls' rooms ended at 205.
Although they did take the stairs, as he approached room 207 Sihyun was happy they weren't staying in room number 210. He put his key in the door and Haru followed behind. After checking on him, Sihyun turned the lock, and with a click, the door opened. [1]
Despite the sophisticated exterior, the old-fashioned way of using keys felt outdated to Sihyun as he stepped inside.
"Wow..."
The sight inside made him gasp in disbelief. Sihyun didn't know that bunkbeds could be that wide.
"Is this a dormitory or a palace..."
His sincere amazement poured out. He walked through the large room which seemed way too luxurious to be called a dorm, and propped his carrier bag in a corner. Despite feeling an immediate urge to collapse onto the seemingly plush bed due to his overwhelming fatigue, he needed to decide which bed to use.
"Hyung, what do you prefer, top or bottom?"
"Huh?"
"The bed. If you have any weird sleeping habits you might want to take the bottom."
Although the bed was so wide that you could probably roll over twice without falling over the edge.
Haru considered it for a bit, then replied that he preferred being on top. Sihyun quickly inspected the bottom bunk and found it surprisingly spacious. Satisfied, he tossed himself onto the mattress.
Sinking into the softness of the blankets, Sihyun felt a wave of lethargy wash over him. As he relaxed into the serene comfort, thoughts of Haru nullifying the wish ticket unexpectedly surfaced in his mind.
"Hyung."
"Yeah?"
The response came from the top bunk.
"About the wish. Why didn't you make one?"
"...Hm?"
"The top ranker's wish."
"Ah..."
"Is it really because you didn't have one?"
"No..."
"Then why?"
Haru didn't immediately reply, but by now Sihyun was used to the silence and didn't feel stressed about it. After a while, a small voice came from above.
"…It already came true."
"Sorry?"
Sihyun got up in order to pry further, only for the door to open abruptly as he attempted to step out of bed.
Thinking that it was probably their new roommates, Sihyun turned to look towards the door. He thought that as long as it wasn't a heavenly king, anyone would be fine, but when the two entered the room, his usually composed expression crumpled.
Damn this cursed flag.
Truly, luck seemed to have abandoned him completely.
-----------
[1] This passage was so confusing and I'm really not sure what Sihyun was thinking about, or why he had opinions about the room number >_>. I double checked and 210 is not an unlucky number or anything like that... The original sentence goes: 비록 계단을 이용해야 하긴 했어도 210호를 아닌 게 어디냐는 심정이 된 시현이 207호 앞으로 가. There's a lot of different grammar points in that sentence so I might be misunderstanding something, so feel free to take a crack at it if you happen to know korean ahahah.