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Chapter 30: You're Under Arrest
There was so much food on the table in front of us that the legs were bent.
Peng Sa-Hyuk stood in front of the assembled instructor candidates and students with a refreshing smile on his face. “Today is my treat, so eat to your heart’s content!” he laughed.
Besides us, dozens of new instructor applicants were invited to the dinner. Peng Sa-Hyuk had even rented a three-story inn to show his generosity.
Isn’t this rather extravagant for a party organized by students? However, since Peng Sa-Hyuk is a wealthy Young Master of one of the Five Great Clans, I guess this is to be expected. Well, that means I should try my best to milk more money out of him! Heheheh…
“Hey, why is that guy here?” I asked, directing my gaze at Kwak Du-Yong, who was drinking, laughing, and talking loudly while surrounded by Club Union members.
“Kahaha, when I was a student at the Vermillion Phoenix Academy…” With a face as red as a jujube, Kwak Du-Yong blabbered on and on about the good old days.
It seemed that whenever the fat man got drunk, he would talk about his past. Unfortunately, the students around him looked irritated. They were obviously tired of listening to his bluster.
Ak Yeon-Ho clicked his tongue, saying, “Tsk, he doesn’t realize how pathetic he looks. Can’t he read the students’ expressions?”
“Maybe he can, but he just doesn’t care.”
I looked around the restaurant. Besides Kwak Du-Yong, there were a few other faces I recognized from the interviews.
Everyone around us seems to be actively socializing. The average quality of the instructor applicants here is also quite high.
Suddenly, Peng Sa-Hyuk stood up, and the inn fell silent. “To all instructor candidates, I sincerely thank you for coming here today,” he announced.
Among the instructors gathered here, most of them were either better at martial arts or at least a generation older than Peng Sa-Hyuk. Yet, it was immediately obvious to everyone that the young student was the one in charge.
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“Since today is a beautiful day, I will keep my speech short and to the point. I know it might be arrogant and disrespectful of a junior like me, but I’d like to invite everyone to a toast. Thank you.”
As he requested, everyone raised their wine cups in a toast.
Peng Sa-Hyuk paused for a moment and looked around, smiling casually as he basked in the limelight. He then said, “Congratulations, everyone, you’ve passed the interview. I wish you all the best for the upcoming practical exam.”
”!!!”
All around me, people gasped in surprise. Some even spilled their drinks.
“I can’t believe I passed…”
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“Wait, you mean the results are already out?”
The official announcement of the interview results was tomorrow. However, the fact that Peng Sa-Hyuk only invited those who passed the interview could only mean that… he knew the results in advance.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one to notice this unusual fact. Anyone with a bit of tact would would have been able to guess why we were invited after observing the people here.
“Dear future instructors, I look forward to learning from you.”
“……”
In just a few words, Peng Sa-Hyuk proved how much power and intelligence he had access to within the academy. There was only one possible reason why he would do this.
He’s trying to exert his dominance over the new instructors.
The reactions of the instructor candidates were mixed.
Some frowned uncomfortably, while others tried to size up Peng Sa-Hyuk. The clueless idiots like Kwak Du-Yong continued to feast without a care in the world.
The more pragmatic ones quickly gathered around Peng Sa-Hyuk.
“Hehe, of course, let’s look out for each other from now on.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Young Master Peng.”
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“If you need anything, I’ll do my best to help and support you.”
Surrounded by sycophants, Peng Sa-Hyuk laughed out loud, “Hahaha! Please refrain from saying things that others will misunderstand! That will make it sound as if I have brought all of you here with some sinister purpose in mind!”
“That’s impossible!”
“I won’t allow anyone to falsely accuse you!”
Seeing that a student had managed to manipulate his superiors with only a few words, some of the attendees furrowed their brows in disapproval. Ak Yeon-Ho was one of them.
“So this is the heir of one of the Five Great Clans… Hyung-nim, shall we just leave?” he whispered to me, not realizing that this option was only open to him because unlike the other instructors who were of low birth and couldn’t afford to offend the Peng Clan, he was a member of the prestigious Shandong Ak Clan.
Even though he’s just a kid, he already knows how to enjoy abusing his authority.
As I looked at the pretentious brat, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I smiled, then patted Ak Yeon-Ho on the shoulder and whispered, “Don’t think too much about it and just order a lot of expensive wine and snacks.
“How can I even think about drinking alcohol in this situation…”
“I don’t care if you want to drink or not, just order it and help me increase the sales of this establishment.”
“Why on earth would you care about the inn’s profits?”
“Is something the matter, Mr. Ak?” Peng Sa-Hyuk, who had at some point managed to get away from his ass-kissers, came over to us with a drink in hand. For the last few minutes, he had been eyeing the disgruntled Ak Yeon-Ho.
Ak Yeon-Ho turned to Peng Sa-Hyuk and bitterly replied, “No, it’s nothing.”
“Haha, don’t worry and feel free to tell me your concerns. After all, the Ak and Peng clans are on very good terms, right?”
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“……”
“Have I gone too far? If you think I was rude to you, please tell me. I’ll try my best not to do it again.”
Peng Sa-Hyuk was the heir of the Peng Clan, while Ak Yeon-Ho was just an ordinary branch family member of the Ak Clan. Ultimately, their social status wasn’t the same.
Ak Yeon-Ho hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, “…To be honest, I think you got carried away.”
“Good, go on. Please be honest with me, I’m listening,” Peng Sa-Hyuk sneered with an expression like he was looking at his new toy.
I glanced at the smug boy out of the corner of my eye and stood up.
Peng Sa-Hyuk immediately furrowed his brow in displeasure, asking, “Where are you going, Mr. Baek? Hmm?”
With a gentle smile, I replied, “I need to go to the toilet.”
“…Oh. Go ahead, but don’t take too long.”
Those last words sound like a warning. I took my leave and went downstairs. Of course, I had no intention of going to the toilet. I had other plans.
“Excuse me,” I called to a passing waiter. “Would you mind bringing someone over for me?”
“Eh? Sorry, but I’m busy right now…”
PSST PSST PSST.
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I whispered in his ear. When I was done, he looked up at me in surprise.
“Y-Yes?”
“If you understood what I said, then you’d better get going right away.”
“O-Okay!”
I stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched the waiter run off.
“Didn’t you go to the toilet, Baek-hyung? Why are you still here?” Myeong Il-Oh asked from behind me. He had come downstairs as well. He walked in front of me and continued, “It’s a total mess upstairs. Peng Sa-Hyuk keeps heckling Ak-hyung… It’s reached a point where things are starting to get dicey.”
“Did a fight break out?”
“Not yet, but…sigh. I’ve heard a lot of bad rumors about Peng Sa-Hyuk, but I never thought that he would be so insolent as to…try to force his instructors to submit to him.”
“Well, he is the heir to a great power. I’m not surprised he’s like that. He’s the kind of guy who enjoys seeing the instructors squirm in front of him.”
Peng Sa-Hyuk had probably never taken orders from anyone in his life. As far as he was concerned, the Azure Dragon Academy was his own personal playground, a place where he could indulge in the fun of being a king.
“Damn it… Even though we’re supposed to be the teachers…” Myeong Il-Oh gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in indignation.
I patted him on the shoulder and went back upstairs, saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t take this insult lying down.”
Ever since I first saw Peng Sa-Hyuk, I hadn’t liked the look in his eyes. He was a sly snake in a cuddly bear’s skin. Unfortunately for him, I’ve dealt with a lot of guys like him.
PFFT.
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Who would teach martial arts to an insolent punk?
During my time in the Blood Cult, I never tolerated those who challenged my authority, and I wasn’t about to change now.
Damn brat. Today, I’m going to give you a lesson in the harshness of reality.
“KYAAAAAAAH!” A girl suddenly screamed.
We immediately leapt back up to the third floor, only to find a female student with a torn skirt lying on the ground next to Ak Yeon-Ho, trying her best to cover her exposed skin with her hands.
Peng Sa-Hyuk stood in front of him, holding a piece of the torn skirt and shaking his head. “Oh dear… There are some things you shouldn’t do even when you’re drunk, Mr. Ak.”
“……”
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When Ak Yeon-Ho said nothing, Peng Sa-Hyuk placed the torn cloth on Ak Yeon-Ho’s seat and continued, “I can’t believe you sexually harassed one of the academy’s female students! Do you think you still deserve to be an instructor at Azure Dragon Academy?”
“…You were the one who ripped her skirt,” Ak Yeon-Ho said icily.
I’ve never seen this normally cheerful guy act like this before. He must have reached the limit of his patience.
“Haha, me? Hey everyone, did I rip that girl’s skirt? Did I?” Peng Sa-Hyuk looked around for confirmation, but most of the instructor candidates turned away to avoid his gaze.
“There’s no way Young Master Peng would do that!”
“That Ak Clan person is drunk…”
Some of the candidates sided with Peng Sa-Hyuk.
Although I hadn’t witnessed the incident, I knew that no matter how much of a playboy Ak Yeon-Ho was, he would never stoop so low as to rip a female student’s skirt.
I took a look around the party hall. The people here were either prospective instructors who had passed the first round or Peng Sa-Hyuk’s henchmen, also known as Club Union executives.
“Oho, so this is what you were planning all along,” I muttered in admiration.
Peng Sa-Hyuk’s goal was to find our weaknesses and blackmail us into obedience, as we aspiring instructors couldn’t afford to make any mistakes that would get us disqualified from the exam.
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“Did you hear that, Mr. Ak? The other instructors agree with me.”
“……”
Ak Yeon-Ho glared wordlessly at Peng Sa-Hyuk, who grinned and gestured to one of his henchmen. “Sexual harassment is bad enough, but… I didn’t think you would physically abuse students as well.”
“What…?”
CRASH!
Peng Sa-Hyuk threw a punch at his minion, giving him a nosebleed and knocking him to the ground. He then grinned at the sullen Ak Yeon-Ho, who was doing his best to keep his temper in check.
“You’re in big trouble. If this escalates, never mind the Azure Dragon Academy exams, you’ll be locked up in the Murim Alliance prisons!”
This is all fun and games for him, I thought.
Ak Yeon-Ho’s body shook with suppressed rage. Just as he was about to explode, I stepped in and interrupted, “Hey, don’t you think you’ve gone far enough?”
Peng Sa-Hyuk burst out laughing, “Wow, you really came back, Mr. Baek. You didn’t return for a long time, so I thought you’d run away with your tail between your legs…”
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SMACK!
I slapped Peng Sa-Hyuk’s face before he could finish mocking me, making sure to incorporate the intricacies of the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest into the blow.
Caught off guard, Peng Sa-Hyuk collapsed to the ground.
“Y-You… You crazy…” the boy groaned, scrambling to his feet and staring at me wide-eyed, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.
I smiled broadly and replied, “Crazy? Is that how you should talk to your teachers and elders?”
Peng Sa-Hyuk’s face reddened with rage, but when his anger reached a boiling point, he instead returned to his senses. “…Hah, so there was another imbecile here,” he said coldly.
As if he was watching something amusing, he sneered, “I know, I’ll give you special treatment. Besides sexual harassment, assault, and vandalism… I wonder what other crimes I can add to your list?”
Right in front of me, he tore off the clothes of the girls around him and beat the boys. He punched and smashed several tables, then threatened the other instructors to pin all his crimes on me. When he was done, he turned to me with a huge grin on his face and asked, “Well, Mr. Baek? Any last words?”
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I pulled up a chair and sat down lazily like a boss. “How about you sit down too? I’m in no hurry.”
“……” Peng Sa-Hyuk’s eyebrow twitched at my nonchalant behavior, but when he remembered his perfectly fabricated crime scene, he snorted derisively, “You’re bluffing. Do you really think you can prove your innocence?”
“Sigh, why haven’t those guys arrived yet? It’s been a while since I sent the waiter on his errand…”
“What are you talking about…?”
BOOM!
Just then, the door of the inn was slammed open and several dozen constables swarmed into the chaotic scene, led by a very familiar face.
“You are under arrest for underage drinking,” Head Constable Cheong Cheon declared with his characteristic blank expression as he climbed the stairs.