After Jinwoo finished the errand to check his account balance, he went and got fitted for a suit and even had the time to get a haircut at a nearby salon .
“Hmm . ”
He was a completely different person than when he had left the house .
‘Money really is good . ’
Jinwoo stopped next to a shop window and checked his new look out in the reflection . This should be good enough .
‘At the very least, I won’t leave a bad impression . ’
He checked the time . It was 4:20 .
‘She said be there by 5 . ’
He would make it in time .
“Taxi!”
He hailed a cab and arrived at the school with time to spare . He saw Jinah waiting for him out in front .
“Sung Jinah . ”
His little sister did not realize he had approached and jumped .
“Oppa?”
Jinah stared at him like a deer in headlights .
“Excuse me, are you really Sung Jinwoo-ssi?”
“Do you not recognize your own oppa?”
Jinah looked up and down on his figure and exclaimed,
“Well, you’re a completely different person!”
“Did you think I would meet my dongsaeng’s teacher in tracksuit and slippers?”
“Wow…”
Jinah could not close her mouth .
“Your jaw’s going to fall off . I’m going ahead . ”
It looked like Jinah was too shocked to guide him, so Jinwoo took the lead . He was a student here 5 years ago . The structure was familiar to him . He knew the meeting would happen in a conference room and not her homeroom, so he headed in that direction . His pace was quick .
“O-oppa! Wait for me!”
Jinah quickly trotted after her brother .
“Hello, teacher . ”
“Hmm? Oh, hello . ”
On the way, he greeted various teachers . Everyone of them stared at him as he walked by .
‘Who was that?’
‘Is he an alumni? I don’t think there are students like that at our school . ’
‘Is he a new teacher?’
The teachers weren’t the only ones who turned their heads .
“Whoa, handsome . ”
“Who is that?”
“Isn’t that Jinah next to him?”
“It must be her brother . Wow, he’s so cool . ”
A muscular body and a fashionable suit . Even a plain-looking person would catch their eyes . Well, Jinwoo was completely uninterested .
‘ . . . ’
The student’s whispers went in one ear and out the other to him . The one who was excited was Jinah . She perked her ears and listened to her fellow students’ whispers, then went up to her brother and ribbed him with her elbow .
“Wow, Oppa’s pretty popular~”
He ignored her the first time .
“You know, oppa doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?”
He ignored her the second time . .
“Should your cute little sister introduce you to someone?”
He pinched her cheeks the third time .
“Don’t mess around . ”
“S-sorry . ”
Jinwoo released her, and she rubbed her red cheek .
“Che, I know you’re enjoying all this…”
While they were being siblings, they had arrived . Jinah spun with a flourish then gestured .
“Oppa, it’s here . ”
Jinwoo was about to enter, then turned to Jinah .
“What about you?”
“This is only for the parent/guardian and the teacher . I’m just here to see you off . ”
Oh right, Jinwoo remembered his own back in his last year of highschool . At the time, no one had come for him .
‘Mother was already having difficulties moving back then . ’
After she fell ill, his mother had to be quickly hospitalized . Not wanting to exert her weak body, Jinwoo did not tell her about the parent/guardian meeting . He had to endure the pestering of his teacher for a while because of that . Remembering that experience, he realized why Jinah was nervous when she asked for his time . He asked his sister with a smile,
“You’re staying out late today, too, right?”
“Yep, you can go home without me . ”
“Alright . ”
He patted her head before she could react, messing up her hair .
“Study hard . ”
“Ah danggit, don’t do that . ”
“I’ll see you at home . ”
Jinwoo entered the conference room with a smile . Jinah fixed her hair while pouting .
“How long will you treat me like a kid…”
Well, it wasn’t like she hated it . She looked around, worried that someone might’ve seen . After confirming no one was around, she skipped towards her classroom .
If he had to describe his first impression of Jinah’s homeroom teacher in a sentence . . .
‘Hmm…’
She looked like a virtuous person .
“You must be Jinah’s older brother . ”
She was a wise-looking middle-aged female teacher . Someone whose bright smile made the other person feel comfortable . Knowing the circumstances of his household, she did not question Jinwoo’s presence at all for the parent/guardian meeting .
“Please to meet you . I am Jinah’s homeroom teacher . I didn’t realize Jinah had such a handsome older brother, hoho . ”
At her sassy but pleasant greeting, Jinwoo bowed his head .
‘I don’t remember her while I was here . ’
She must’ve been a new teacher after he had graduated . They say the first impression was very important . After their greeting, he was able to relax a bit .
‘She’s very respectful to someone much younger like me . ’
It appeared that his little sister’s senior year would not be plagued by a bad teacher .
“Please, have a seat . ”
She gestured toward a chair . Jinwoo sat down and faced the teacher across a large desk .
“I don’t think you have to worry about Jinah . ”
They talked about the average matters for a parent/guardian meeting . Their conversation continued in a good mood for some time . Because Jinah was a model student, her teacher had nothing but good things to say .
“You’re aware that Jinah wants to go to a medical school, right?”
“Yes . ”
The teacher read through Jinah’s profile .
“Her test scores were good, and her overall grades are excellent . She should be more than capable of getting into a good school . So please don’t put too much pressure on her . ”
Jinwoo solemnly nodded . The teacher’s face was filled with expectations for Jinah . Truthfully, many homeroom teachers for highschool seniors were filled with stress due to the student’s grades . After all, a student’s final years in highschool determined the course of their lives . [0]
‘And that’s why I heard most teachers wanted to avoid teaching seniors . ’
He had heard that some teachers had to be forced into the spot . With that in mind, it was clear that Jinah’s teacher was someone with passion for the job . As Jinah’s guardian, Jinwoo was very grateful for this .
The meeting was nearing its end after 15 minutes .
“And then…”
Jinwoo was about to rise, but then the teacher carefully asked a question,
“I heard that Jinah’s oppa was a Hunter . ”
Her eyes had suddenly turned serious . Jinwoo realized something was up .
“Yes, I am . ”
“If… Jinah underwent Awakening, would you let her work as a Hunter?”
“Absolutely not . ”
Never .
Jinwoo firmly replied . He did not need to think about it . The teacher’s expression darkened .
“As I expected…”
When Jinwoo looked at her suspiciously, the teacher continued with hesitation,
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you for a favor?”
Jinwoo nodded .
“If it’s something I can do…”
He’d hear her out at least . The woman was Jinah’s teacher; he did not want to sour their relationship by cutting her off from the start . Fearing that he would change his mind, the teacher quickly spoke,
“One of the female students here underwent Awakening recently . She’s planning on dropping out and starting work as a Hunter . She’s been absent for some time now . ”
‘Ah . ’
It was a common occurrence . People who freshly received their Awakening ignored common sense and threw themselves into the Hunter profession . Despite not knowing what the job truly entailed, they did it with pride at the fact that they were different from an ordinary person . Even if you were an Awakened Being, taking on the title of a Hunter and earning life-changing amounts were difficult .
The teacher sighed deeply,
“If this continues, the school will have no choice but to take action . I want to avoid that if possible . Even if you were a Hunter, don’t you think you should atleast have a highschool diploma?”
Jinwoo nodded in agreement . At the positive response, the teacher’s face brightened a bit .
“Could you please convince her to at least consider graduating?”
The teacher smiled pleadingly . Jinwoo asked a question out of curiosity,
“That student, what was her rank?”
“From what I’ve heard… it was the lowest rank…”
E-rank .
‘ . . . She’s not going to live long . ’
Jinwoo clicked his tongue inside his head . Even just entering a Dungeon required a caution at that rank . 9 out of 10 times, entering a Dungeon with carefree attitude born of arrogance resulted in either becoming disabled or dying . The fact that a girl his sister’s age might meet such a fate weighed heavily on Jinwoo . However, he knew this was her decision . No one had forced her into it . It was unfortunate, but he did not want to take valuable time out of his schedule to interfere with someone else’s choice .
‘I’m not sure if I could even convince her . ’
People like that didn’t like being told what to do . And so, Jinwoo decided to refuse and started to rise . But the teacher continued,
“Her name is ___ . Jinah should know her . ” [1]
When he heard the student’s name, Jinwoo could not get up . He asked to confirm,
“Teacher, what was her name again?”
“It’s ___ . Do you know her?” [2]
“ . . . ”
What a small world .
‘Huh…’
Jinwoo was at a loss for words .
At the same hour .
Yoojin Construction’s Chairman Yoo Myunghan’s personal residence .
From early morning, luxurious and expensive cars made nonstop appearances at the house .
They all had arrived for the same reason .
It was for the memorial service[3] of Yoojin Construction’s founding chairman, Yoo Byungcheol . He was the father of Korea’s #1 businessman, Yoo Myunghan . The man’s firstborn made sure to clear all schedules, no matter how busy he was, and took care of his father’s memorial service every year . As a testament to the man’s fierce demeanor and influence, the entire Yoo clan gathered as one on this day .
A certain investment firm’s president . A certain pharmaceutical company’s chairman . A certain mall’s owner . The members of the Yoo clan were filled with prominent heads of various business sectors . Even their children were the elites among elites . Except for one .
That one person, without being told to do so, took up a spot quietly in a corner, acting as if he didn’t exist .
It was Yoo Jinho . [4]
‘Boring . ’
The young man wished this entire ceremony would be over soon . Running through Dungeons with hyungnim was a hundred times, no, a thousand times more fun than this .
‘I wonder what hyungnim’s up to right now?’
Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine how Jinwoo would spend his day off . Jinho idly thought about random things while sipping away at his drink, when a voice he didn’t want to hear spoke up from behind him .
“Oy . ”
Who else could it be? Even at a glance, you could tell that the voice’s owner was a man of talent . Exuding the aura of an elite . Wearing high-class glasses . A tall height .
It was Yoo Jinho’s older brother, Yoo Jinsung . The firstborn son of Yoo Myunghan . The heir who would control Yoojin Construction someday .
The man stood right before his younger brother and stared down on him .
“You should be up and about greeting the relatives . How long are you going to act like a little kid for?”
“ . . . Whatever . ”
“Know that your unseemly actions only besmirch the name of our father . ”
Yoo Jinsung’s words did not have a shred of brotherly love in them, only an utter disdain of looking down on someone inferior . Of course, Yoo Jinho also had little love for his brother but did not dare speak up against him .
“ . . . ”
His brother took after their father in many ways after all . He was a genius among geniuses that stood at the top of the class in every subject, and his grades were just the tip of the iceberg . Once he graduated, he quickly began working under his father, Yoo Myunghan, in various sectors of business and produced great results . Compared to him, Yoo Jinho had nothing to show for himself . Even entering college was with the help of the family name . Whenever he stood next to his brother, Jinho felt himself shrinking down to nonexistence .
“ . . . ”
“Pathetic . ”
The older brother frowned at the younger’s lowered head . He quickly turned and walked away .
“Esteemed uncle . ”
“Oh, it’s Jinsung . How are you?”
Yoo Jinho was able to finally raise his head after Yoo Jinsung had walked away . This is why he hated coming home . If only it wasn’t his grandfather’s memorial service… While Yoo Jinho repeatedly sighed to himself, another familiar voice came from behind him .
“Wow, I really hate that guy . ”
Yoo Jinho turned around . It was his cousin, a year older than him, Yoo Soohyun .
Translator’s Notes:
[0]: Might sound weird for folks in the west, but it’s really true in Korea . There’s a reason why the country’s known for the immense amount of pressure parents put on their kids during highschool .
[1]: The original passage skips over the student’s name here .
[2]: Again, the name is not written down in the original passage .
[3]: “memorial service” (??): In Korea (and I think most east asian countries), families go the extra mile when it comes to remembering the dead, specifically their elders that have passed . Large families would gather the entire clan into one place for remembrance .
[4]: Aww . . .
Sponsored Content
I Alone Level-up: Chapter 56.
.
After Jinwoo finished the errand to check his account balance, he went and got fitted for a suit and even had the time to get a haircut at a nearby salon . .
.
“Hmm . ”.
.
He was a completely different person than when he had left the house . .
.
‘Money really is good . ’.
.
Jinwoo stopped next to a shop window and checked his new look out in the reflection . This should be good enough . .
.
‘At the very least, I won’t leave a bad impression . ’.
.
He checked the time . It was 4:20 . .
.
‘She said be there by 5 . ’.
.
He would make it in time . .
.
“Taxi!”.
.
He hailed a cab and arrived at the school with time to spare . He saw Jinah waiting for him out in front . .
.
“Sung Jinah . ”.
.
His little sister did not realize he had approached and jumped . .
.
“Oppa?”.
.
Jinah stared at him like a deer in headlights . .
.
“Excuse me, are you really Sung Jinwoo-ssi?”.
.
“Do you not recognize your own oppa?”.
.
Jinah looked up and down on his figure and exclaimed,.
.
“Well, you’re a completely different person!”.
.
“Did you think I would meet my dongsaeng’s teacher in tracksuit and slippers?”.
.
“Wow…”.
.
Jinah could not close her mouth . .
.
“Your jaw’s going to fall off . I’m going ahead . ”.
.
It looked like Jinah was too shocked to guide him, so Jinwoo took the lead . He was a student here 5 years ago . The structure was familiar to him . He knew the meeting would happen in a conference room and not her homeroom, so he headed in that direction . His pace was quick . .
.
“O-oppa! Wait for me!”.
.
Jinah quickly trotted after her brother . .
.
“Hello, teacher . ”.
.
“Hmm? Oh, hello . ”.
.
On the way, he greeted various teachers . Everyone of them stared at him as he walked by . .
.
‘Who was that?’.
‘Is he an alumni? I don’t think there are students like that at our school . ’.
‘Is he a new teacher?’.
.
The teachers weren’t the only ones who turned their heads . .
.
“Whoa, handsome . ”.
“Who is that?”.
“Isn’t that Jinah next to him?”.
“It must be her brother . Wow, he’s so cool . ”.
.
A muscular body and a fashionable suit . Even a plain-looking person would catch their eyes . Well, Jinwoo was completely uninterested . .
.
‘ . ’.
.
The student’s whispers went in one ear and out the other to him . The one who was excited was Jinah . She perked her ears and listened to her fellow students’ whispers, then went up to her brother and ribbed him with her elbow . .
.
“Wow, Oppa’s pretty popular~”.
.
He ignored her the first time . .
.
“You know, oppa doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?”.
.
He ignored her the second time .
.
“Should your cute little sister introduce you to someone?”.
.
He pinched her cheeks the third time . .
.
“Don’t mess around . ”.
.
“S-sorry . ”.
.
Jinwoo released her, and she rubbed her red cheek . .
.
“Che, I know you’re enjoying all this…”.
.
While they were being siblings, they had arrived . Jinah spun with a flourish then gestured . .
.
“Oppa, it’s here . ”.
.
Jinwoo was about to enter, then turned to Jinah . .
.
“What about you?”.
.
“This is only for the parent/guardian and the teacher . I’m just here to see you off . ”.
.
Oh right, Jinwoo remembered his own back in his last year of highschool . At the time, no one had come for him . .
.
‘Mother was already having difficulties moving back then . ’.
.
After she fell ill, his mother had to be quickly hospitalized . Not wanting to exert her weak body, Jinwoo did not tell her about the parent/guardian meeting . He had to endure the pestering of his teacher for a while because of that . Remembering that experience, he realized why Jinah was nervous when she asked for his time . He asked his sister with a smile,.
.
“You’re staying out late today, too, right?”.
.
“Yep, you can go home without me . ”.
.
“Alright . ”.
.
He patted her head before she could react, messing up her hair . .
.
“Study hard . ”.
.
“Ah danggit, don’t do that . ”.
.
“I’ll see you at home . ”.
.
Jinwoo entered the conference room with a smile . Jinah fixed her hair while pouting . .
.
“How long will you treat me like a kid…”.
.
Well, it wasn’t like she hated it . She looked around, worried that someone might’ve seen . After confirming no one was around, she skipped towards her classroom . .
.
.
.
If he had to describe his first impression of Jinah’s homeroom teacher in a sentence . .
.
‘Hmm…’.
.
She looked like a virtuous person . .
.
“You must be Jinah’s older brother . ”.
.
She was a wise-looking middle-aged female teacher . Someone whose bright smile made the other person feel comfortable . Knowing the circumstances of his household, she did not question Jinwoo’s presence at all for the parent/guardian meeting . .
.
“Please to meet you . I am Jinah’s homeroom teacher . I didn’t realize Jinah had such a handsome older brother, hoho . ”.
.
At her sassy but pleasant greeting, Jinwoo bowed his head . .
.
‘I don’t remember her while I was here . ’.
.
She must’ve been a new teacher after he had graduated . They say the first impression was very important . After their greeting, he was able to relax a bit . .
.
‘She’s very respectful to someone much younger like me . ’.
.
It appeared that his little sister’s senior year would not be plagued by a bad teacher . .
.
“Please, have a seat . ”.
.
She gestured toward a chair . Jinwoo sat down and faced the teacher across a large desk . .
.
“I don’t think you have to worry about Jinah . ”.
.
They talked about the average matters for a parent/guardian meeting . Their conversation continued in a good mood for some time . Because Jinah was a model student, her teacher had nothing but good things to say . .
.
“You’re aware that Jinah wants to go to a medical school, right?”.
.
“Yes . ”.
.
The teacher read through Jinah’s profile . .
.
“Her test scores were good, and her overall grades are excellent . She should be more than capable of getting into a good school . So please don’t put too much pressure on her . ”.
.
Jinwoo solemnly nodded . The teacher’s face was filled with expectations for Jinah . Truthfully, many homeroom teachers for highschool seniors were filled with stress due to the student’s grades . After all, a student’s final years in highschool determined the course of their lives . [0].
.
‘And that’s why I heard most teachers wanted to avoid teaching seniors . ’.
.
He had heard that some teachers had to be forced into the spot . With that in mind, it was clear that Jinah’s teacher was someone with passion for the job . As Jinah’s guardian, Jinwoo was very grateful for this . .
.
The meeting was nearing its end after 15 minutes . .
.
“And then…”.
.
Jinwoo was about to rise, but then the teacher carefully asked a question,.
.
“I heard that Jinah’s oppa was a Hunter . ”.
.
Her eyes had suddenly turned serious . Jinwoo realized something was up . .
.
“Yes, I am . ”.
.
“If… Jinah underwent Awakening, would you let her work as a Hunter?”.
. “Absolutely not . ”.
.
Never . .
.
Jinwoo firmly replied . He did not need to think about it . The teacher’s expression darkened . .
.
“As I expected…”.
.
When Jinwoo looked at her suspiciously, the teacher continued with hesitation,.
.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you for a favor?”.
.
Jinwoo nodded . .
.
“If it’s something I can do…”.
.
He’d hear her out at least . The woman was Jinah’s teacher; he did not want to sour their relationship by cutting her off from the start . Fearing that he would change his mind, the teacher quickly spoke,.
.
“One of the female students here underwent Awakening recently . She’s planning on dropping out and starting work as a Hunter . She’s been absent for some time now . ”.
.
‘Ah . ’.
.
It was a common occurrence . People who freshly received their Awakening ignored common sense and threw themselves into the Hunter profession . Despite not knowing what the job truly entailed, they did it with pride at the fact that they were different from an ordinary person . Even if you were an Awakened Being, taking on the title of a Hunter and earning life-changing amounts were difficult . .
.
The teacher sighed deeply,.
.
“If this continues, the school will have no choice but to take action . I want to avoid that if possible . Even if you were a Hunter, don’t you think you should atleast have a highschool diploma?”.
.
Jinwoo nodded in agreement . At the positive response, the teacher’s face brightened a bit . .
.
“Could you please convince her to at least consider graduating?”.
.
The teacher smiled pleadingly . Jinwoo asked a question out of curiosity,.
.
“That student, what was her rank?”.
.
“From what I’ve heard… it was the lowest rank…”.
.
E-rank . .
.
‘ . She’s not going to live long . ’.
.
Jinwoo clicked his tongue inside his head . Even just entering a Dungeon required a caution at that rank . 9 out of 10 times, entering a Dungeon with carefree attitude born of arrogance resulted in either becoming disabled or dying . The fact that a girl his sister’s age might meet such a fate weighed heavily on Jinwoo . However, he knew this was her decision . No one had forced her into it . It was unfortunate, but he did not want to take valuable time out of his schedule to interfere with someone else’s choice . .
.
‘I’m not sure if I could even convince her . ’.
.
People like that didn’t like being told what to do . And so, Jinwoo decided to refuse and started to rise . But the teacher continued,.
.
“Her name is ___ . Jinah should know her . ” [1].
.
When he heard the student’s name, Jinwoo could not get up . He asked to confirm,.
.
“Teacher, what was her name again?”.
.
“It’s ___ . Do you know her?” [2].
.
“ . ”.
.
What a small world . .
.
‘Huh…’.
.
Jinwoo was at a loss for words . .
.
.
.
At the same hour . .
.
Yoojin Construction’s Chairman Yoo Myunghan’s personal residence . .
.
From early morning, luxurious and expensive cars made nonstop appearances at the house . .
.
They all had arrived for the same reason . .
.
It was for the memorial service[3] of Yoojin Construction’s founding chairman, Yoo Byungcheol . He was the father of Korea’s #1 businessman, Yoo Myunghan . The man’s firstborn made sure to clear all schedules, no matter how busy he was, and took care of his father’s memorial service every year . As a testament to the man’s fierce demeanor and influence, the entire Yoo clan gathered as one on this day . .
.
A certain investment firm’s president . A certain pharmaceutical company’s chairman . A certain mall’s owner . The members of the Yoo clan were filled with prominent heads of various business sectors . Even their children were the elites among elites . Except for one . .
.
That one person, without being told to do so, took up a spot quietly in a corner, acting as if he didn’t exist . .
.
It was Yoo Jinho . [4].
.
‘Boring . ’.
.
The young man wished this entire ceremony would be over soon . Running through Dungeons with hyungnim was a hundred times, no, a thousand times more fun than this . .
.
‘I wonder what hyungnim’s up to right now?’.
.
Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine how Jinwoo would spend his day off . Jinho idly thought about random things while sipping away at his drink, when a voice he didn’t want to hear spoke up from behind him . .
.
“Oy . ”.
.
Who else could it be? Even at a glance, you could tell that the voice’s owner was a man of talent . Exuding the aura of an elite . Wearing high-class glasses . A tall height . .
.
It was Yoo Jinho’s older brother, Yoo Jinsung . The firstborn son of Yoo Myunghan . The heir who would control Yoojin Construction someday . .
.
The man stood right before his younger brother and stared down on him . .
.
“You should be up and about greeting the relatives . How long are you going to act like a little kid for?”.
.
“ . Whatever . ”.
.
“Know that your unseemly actions only besmirch the name of our father . ”.
.
Yoo Jinsung’s words did not have a shred of brotherly love in them, only an utter disdain of looking down on someone inferior . Of course, Yoo Jinho also had little love for his brother but did not dare speak up against him . .
.
“ . ”.
.
His brother took after their father in many ways after all . He was a genius among geniuses that stood at the top of the class in every subject, and his grades were just the tip of the iceberg . Once he graduated, he quickly began working under his father, Yoo Myunghan, in various sectors of business and produced great results . Compared to him, Yoo Jinho had nothing to show for himself . Even entering college was with the help of the family name . Whenever he stood next to his brother, Jinho felt himself shrinking down to nonexistence . .
.
“ . ”.
.
“Pathetic . ”.
.
The older brother frowned at the younger’s lowered head . He quickly turned and walked away . .
.
“Esteemed uncle . ”.
“Oh, it’s Jinsung . How are you?”.
.
Yoo Jinho was able to finally raise his head after Yoo Jinsung had walked away . This is why he hated coming home . If only it wasn’t his grandfather’s memorial service… While Yoo Jinho repeatedly sighed to himself, another familiar voice came from behind him . .
.
“Wow, I really hate that guy . ”.
.
Yoo Jinho turned around . It was his cousin, a year older than him, Yoo Soohyun . .
. .
Translator’s Notes:.
[0]: Might sound weird for folks in the west, but it’s really true in Korea . There’s a reason why the country’s known for the immense amount of pressure parents put on their kids during highschool . .
[1]: The original passage skips over the student’s name here . .
[2]: Again, the name is not written down in the original passage . .
[3]: “memorial service” (??): In Korea (and I think most east asian countries), families go the extra mile when it comes to remembering the dead, specifically their elders that have passed . Large families would gather the entire clan into one place for remembrance . .
[4]: Aww . .