The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

The restaurant building was bigger than most school auditoriums.

It seemed to be divided into two floors, with the first floor being an ordinary cafeteria, and the second floor being a luxury restaurant called “Noble”.

Isn’t it the buffet where you pay 50,000 won per meal?

“Wow, what is all this?”

As I entered the luxury restaurant, the open view overwhelmed me.

The shiny marble floors and pillars reflected my face, and a chandelier that could only be seen in the Titanic’s first-class cabins sparkled overhead.

Each section had signs like “SEAFOOD”, “STEAK”, and “DESSERT”, which lit up brightly, catching my eye.

Every section was filled with dishes piled high on large plates.

Could this be heaven?

“Can we really eat anything we want?”

I asked Geum Tae-seong, who was sociable, and he nodded vigorously, saying, “Of course!” while handing me a white plate.

After receiving the plate, I immediately went to the steak section and grabbed five pieces of some rib meat and sat down at a nearby empty seat.

“When’s the last time I ate beef like this?”

Let’s dig in right away!

I cut the meat and took a bite, and as I had hoped, the beef juices exploded in my mouth.

This must also be thanks to Seo Ga-eul.

I was seriously considering if it would taste better dipped in ketchup or put into ramen when Geum Tae-seong, who had evenly filled his plate with fried food, rice, and soup, sat in front of me, laughing.

“When I first ate here, I also only piled on meat. I thought kids from prestigious schools would be different, but everyone’s the same.”

“Each meal costs 50,000 won. Isn’t meat the best way to get your money’s worth?”

“I think so too. But since most kids at this school are rich, they don’t seem to think that way. Look.”

He gestured around with his chin.

I looked closely and saw that everyone, pretending to be elegant, had plates full of salads with things like grass and lettuce.

Idiots.

If you don’t eat meat now, who knows when you’ll get a chance to eat premium beef like this again after the world ends?

I shoved several pieces of steak into my mouth at once without caring about others’ gazes, and Geum Tae-seong burst out laughing.

“Hey, you’re funny. And what you said earlier too.”

“What did I say earlier that was so funny?”

As I chewed the tender beef, I thought hard, recalling the things I had passionately argued during the debate.

“Was it about selling the organs of death row inmates?”

“…Uh…well, that too, but also the idea that those who try deserve a second chance.”

“Oh─.”

“Look at me. I totally look like a troublemaker, right? And I was. I rode motorcycles, smoked cigarettes… But since coming to Yeongsa High School, I haven’t been able to do those things.”

As expected, my judgment of people was spot-on—Geum Tae-seong was a delinquent.

“The past always seems to follow people. So starting fresh isn’t easy. In that sense, Yeongsa High School is a pretty decent stage for a restart.”

As Geum Tae-seong scanned the surroundings with his sharp eyes, I, now feeling full, also looked around the restaurant.

Even though I had eaten enough steak to justify the high entrance fee of this luxury restaurant, the real reason I came here wasn’t just to eat.

Seo Ga-eul.

In a high-end student restaurant like ‘Noble’, Seo Ga-eul, who was like a pedigreed cat from a wealthy family, was bound to be eating somewhere.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could casually approach her?

“…….”

I scanned the surroundings for a long time, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t spot that beautiful face.

“Are you looking for someone?”

“Seo Ga-eul.”

“Seo Ga-eul? From Class F? Well, it makes sense you’d want to meet the famous ones when you first arrive. But as far as I know, Seo Ga-eul doesn’t eat here often. She’s only come once or twice.”

“What…!?”

Is that for real?

I spent my precious 50,000 points just to come to this restaurant!

I felt so wronged that I could foam at the mouth.

But! Who am I—?

I’m the problem-solver, Han Nam-jin!

That means I know exactly what I need to do in this situation.

“Tae-seong, shall we go get another plate?”

I’m not just getting my 50,000 points’ worth; I’ll take down a pillar from this restaurant!

I got up to get another plate, but Geum Tae-seong shook his head.

“It’s better not to eat too much. We have practical training this afternoon, so you should leave some room in your stomach. If you eat too much, you’ll end up throwing up while moving. Cleaning that up is a real hassle.”

Practical training?

I couldn’t quite picture what it entailed, but Geum Tae-seong didn’t seem like he was just making it up.

It’s probably combat, exploration, or sparring.

I couldn’t meet Seo Ga-eul.

I couldn’t even eat until I was stuffed.

There was no helping it.

While glancing around, I spotted a plate piled high with packaged puddings at the perfect moment.

「Baekdang Chocolate Pudding」.

Where had I heard the word ‘Baekdang’ before?

What was it?

No, that wasn’t important right now.

“Hey, Tae-seong. Keep an eye out.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to grab some pudding! Since it’s packaged, it’ll be easy to take!”

“What? Muahaha! Hey! You can’t take that! You’ll get in big trouble if you’re caught!”

Geum Tae-seong burst out laughing.

Soon, he stood behind me, using his tall frame to cover me.

Shushushuk, shushuk─.

Taking advantage of the moment, I managed to stuff five puddings into my old, baggy uniform pockets.

Seems like my potato-stealing skills from Kim Jang-dong’s field hadn’t gone to waste.

“Hey, Nam-jin. Grab one for me too. It’s only fair since I’m covering for you, right?”

“Okay.”

And so, my pockets were filled with six puddings.

Even though I didn’t get to meet Seo Ga-eul, could I say I had still gotten my money’s worth by coming to this luxury restaurant, Noble?

Later, I should bring a side dish container and swipe some meat and kimchi too.

# # #

On the way back to the classroom after leaving the restaurant, Geum Tae-seong received one of the puddings from me and said,

“Nam-jin, are you thinking about changing seats? The seat next to mine is empty. It’s in the front row. You’ll be able to hear the instructor and see the board better.”

What?

I doubted my ears for a moment.

The front row?

Why would this delinquent be sitting in the front row?

I had planned to sit in the back, by the window, and doze off or mess around during class.

The front row seemed like the worst place, as bad as sitting right under Sauron’s burning gaze.

Of course, I refused.

“I prefer the back.”

“Really? Well, that’s fine. But Yeoul sits next to you, right?”

“Yeoul? Baek Yeoul?”

“Yeah, Baek Yeoul. Are you okay sitting next to her?”

Are you okay sitting next to Baek Yeoul─.

What did that mean?

If I thought about it simply, it implied that something could go wrong by sitting next to her.

It meant there was some kind of disadvantage.

I vaguely understood that the seat by the window in the back of the classroom was a coveted spot, like prime real estate for adults.

And there was still a spot open there─?

The more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

“Did Baek Yeoul herself not tell you? Ugh. It feels awkward for me to say it myself.”

“Why? What is it? Just tell me.”

“No, forget it. I don’t like talking about others behind their backs.”

Geum Tae-seong, this guy.

Is he really an ex-delinquent?

His personality is so manly and cool.

In many ways, he’s just like me.

Maybe we can get along well from now on.

“And, well, I think you’ll soon understand why I said all that. Since today’s a practical class day.”

I’m the type who can’t stand not knowing something.

I’ll have to ask directly later.

When I returned to the classroom, the kids greeted me.

“Hey, transfer student! How was your first school meal?”

“You went to Noble, right?”

“Were you really planning to take off your pants earlier? I was actually going to record it if you did!”

“I was going to. I wore some cool underwear today, so I was feeling confident.”

The kids laughed and chatted as I passed by and returned to my seat, where Baek Yeoul was asleep, her head resting on her desk.

Did she sleep through lunch?

“Hey, didn’t you eat? Hey.”

Poke.

I poked her in the side with my finger, and like a cat splashed with cold water, she jumped up in her chair.

“…Hiyack!”

Because of the loud noise she made, everyone’s attention suddenly shifted to us.

The problem was that a girl walking nearby got startled by the noise and threw the cup of water she was holding into the air.

Splash.

Something hot poured over me from my head down to my chin.

“Guaagh!”

I was so shocked that I screamed.

Is this hot lava with a sweet scent?

Lick.

Oh, it’s hot chocolate.

Tasty, though?

“Hey! Hey! Transfer student! Are you okay?”

The girl who had dropped the cup pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped my face.

Her touch was soft, and it felt nice.

She even smelled good.

Her nails were well-decorated, too.

Seeing her blonde hair, I figured she might be a bit of a rebel.

“You’re soaked!”

When was the last time I received such kindness from a girl my age?

I was thinking I wouldn’t mind getting doused with hot chocolate again when the blonde girl frowned and shouted at Baek Yeoul.

“Hey! Baek Yeoul! How could you suddenly scream like that?”

“Well, because he poked me in the side…”

“What! You really need to be more careful! How many times has this happened already? Your careless actions are always causing trouble for others!”

“…The side…”

Baek Yeoul pouted her lips.

She looked like she wanted to say something, but the attention from the people around us made her shrink back and close her mouth.

It seemed that Baek Yeoul had been scolded by her classmates several times, just like today.

I’ve got a sharp sense for these things.

I could feel the atmosphere in the class turning cold.

It was time for me to step in.

“Hey, Yeong-mi, it’s fine. I’m not hurt.”

“Really? That’s a relief. But just in case, shouldn’t you go to the nurse’s office? That hot chocolate was probably quite hot. And by the way, my name’s not Yeong-mi, it’s Kim Jin-i.”

The class erupted in laughter.

Except for one person, who looked like she was about to cry.

# # #

After washing my face in the bathroom, I returned to the classroom to find the chaos had subsided, and the atmosphere was calmer.

Instead, Baek Yeoul was glaring at me and complaining in a very small voice.

“…Hey! Because of you, I got scolded for no reason!”

“I didn’t know you were so ticklish on your side, Butt girl. Should I call you ‘Side’ from now on instead of ‘Butt girl’?”

Poke.

I raised my finger, pretending I was going to poke her again, and Baek Yeoul jumped, quickly covering her side with her hand.

“Go away…!”

She freaked out.

Honestly, her reactions were kind of fun.

But I had a feeling things might get serious if she screamed again, so I pulled out a pudding from my pocket and handed it to her.

“I woke you up because I thought you hadn’t eaten lunch. Here, eat this.”

“Gasp, this is our store’s pudding!”

「Baekdang Chocolate Pudding」.

Now that I think about it, ‘Baekdang’ was the dessert business run by Baek Yeoul’s family.

“It’s chocolate flavor? My favorite…”

Baek Yeoul looked at the pudding, then at me suspiciously before tearing it open and eating it hungrily with the spoon provided. She looked like a hungry raccoon.

See?

That’s what you get for skipping lunch.

“Hey, dieting is fine, but if you want to eat something, eat it while you still can.”

Later, you won’t be able to eat even if you want to.

Actually, it wasn’t even that much later.

One year.

In just one year, everything would be turned upside down.

“…Diet…”

Just as Baek Yeoul mumbled softly after finishing the pudding, the classroom door opened with a screech.

A one-eyed teacher wearing a captain’s insignia entered and shouted.

“Alright, as announced, today’s afternoon class will be practical training. And today’s practice will be conducted jointly with Class F, so don’t go picking fights like last time.”

Practical training in the afternoon.

I didn’t know what that was, but hearing that it would be with Class F made my ears perk up.

Class F meant Seo Ga-eul’s class!

But the problem was what came next.

“Today’s training will be done in groups as usual. Form teams of five with your friends. Since Nam-jin has transferred in, the total number is now 30, so it’ll split perfectly into six teams.”

For someone who had just transferred, forming a group with friends?