Ch. 71
There was a tradition in the Vermilion Bird Class that had been passed down since ancient times.
That was the hazing of the new students who had newly entered the Vermilion Bird Class this year.
Seon U-jae, a second-year student of the Vermilion Bird Class, had also been hazed by his seniors when he had entered as a new student last year.
So this year, he had, of course, come to see the new students according to tradition...
'What on earth is this brat?'
Looking at Namgung Il, who was lying on the bed and looking this way as if he were annoyed, Seon U-jae could not say anything.
It seemed he had just asked him if he wanted to die... Don't tell me he had heard an auditory hallucination?
To the point where he had such a thought, what Namgung Il had just said to Seon U-jae was something that could not normally be said.
'This arrogant bastard...!'
He was no longer a first-year student.
Hadn't he now become a senior who had juniors under him?
Even to protect his dignity as a senior, he needed to correct the habits of that arrogant junior himself.
Whack—
Just then, Seon U-jae raised his right hand towards Namgung Il.
Although he was looking this way with an arrogant expression now, the moment he was hit on the cheek, that arrogant brat would immediately lower his tail.
He was a senior, and the brat was a junior who had just entered.
Seon U-jae was planning to make Namgung Il realize that there was a hierarchy that had to be strictly observed as long as he had entered the Flying Dragon Academy.
However.
"...!"
Seon U-jae's right hand stopped just before it reached Namgung Il's cheek.
It wasn't that someone was holding his right hand.
And yet, Seon U-jae could no longer move this right hand.
"What's wrong, senior?"
"...!"
"Weren't you trying to slap my cheek with that hand?"
He had been thinking of doing so.
But Seon U-jae himself could not understand the reason why he could not slap Namgung Il's cheek.
"Or did you realize it?"
"..."
"That if you moved your right hand any further, something very bad might happen."
When Namgung Il said that, Seon U-jae swallowed his saliva without realizing it.
His right hand, which had now gone back to its original position.
Although he didn't want to admit it, it seemed that the reason why he couldn't slap Namgung Il's cheek was right.
"...Are you Namgung Il?"
"Yes."
"..."
As expected.
Seon U-jae had already heard the news that there was a person from the Namgung Clan among the new students this year.
He had asked just in case, seeing him not being intimidated at all by him... but as it happened, Namgung Il was in the place he was in charge of.
'I don't think I can handle this brat.'
Still, he had to somehow take this brat to the assembly place.
If he couldn't take him, he would be severely scolded by his senior instead.
For now, Seon U-jae decided to try to persuade Namgung Il with words rather than using force.
"I'll formally introduce myself."
"..."
"I'm a second-year student of the Vermilion Bird Class. My name is Seon U-jae. As I said earlier, I'm your senior."
"So?"
Namgung Il, who reacted indifferently even after he introduced himself.
Seeing that, Seon U-jae could once again feel that the concept of a senior did not work on Namgung Il at all.
"You don't know because you just came this year, but when you enter the Vermilion Bird Class, there's a hazing that you do on the first day."
"Hazing?"
"Yes, anyway, we're in the same Vermilion Bird Class now, right? That means we'll be seeing each other's faces a lot in the future."
"..."
"So it's a way for seniors and juniors to see each other's faces and greet each other in the sense of getting along well in the future."
Just by hearing those words, it seemed like a very good culture.
Because for seniors and juniors of the same class to greet each other and interact would be helpful in many ways for their future academy life.
But Namgung Il immediately knew that there was more to that hazing than just what was visible on the surface.
'In the sense of getting along well... that's funny.'
No matter what group one went to, a newcomer was bound to experience the hazing of the existing members.
The same went for the Flying Dragon Academy.
On the contrary, since it was a place full of young vigor, such hazing was bound to be more severe.
In other words, the hazing that Seon U-jae was talking about was a hazing with the meaning of 'you are juniors, so listen well to your seniors' words from now on'.
'To gather the new students from the first day and haze them? That's ridiculous.'
Of course, Namgung Il just found it funny that he had come to haze him, pretending to be a senior.
If he had to be picky, he was much higher in seniority than Seon U-jae or the other brats.
Since Seo Shinwon, who was now the head of the Flying Dragon Academy, was his junior, originally, that brat was at a level where he couldn't even look at Namgung Il.
Still, since it was true that he had entered as a new student this year, Namgung Il decided to play along with that tune.
"Ah, is that so? Of course, I also want to get along with my seniors."
"Then follow me and greet the other seniors..."
"But you know, I want to get along, but it seems you don't, Senior Seon-u."
"...Huh?"
"Isn't that right? You barge in in the middle of the night. And you tried to slap my cheek earlier."
When Namgung Il said that, Seon U-jae's expression hardened.
"Isn't there a certain etiquette that should be observed between seniors and juniors?"
"..."
"But to barge in like this in the middle of the night... it's a little unpleasant."
Seon U-jae's body trembled slightly.
How dare a new student speak so arrogantly?
Although he wanted to slap his cheek if he could, Seon U-jae instinctively did not raise his right hand as before.
'What should I do with this crazy brat?'
Why on earth did a brat like this enter as a junior?
If he took him to the assembly place, another senior would take care of it... but before that, the problem was taking this brat there.
Seon U-jae maintained his composure as much as possible and said to Namgung Il again.
"That... I apologize."
"..."
"So can't you come with me? It's because all the other seniors are waiting. Your classmates are probably all gathered there too."
If he just went there, this brat would no longer be able to act so arrogantly.
Thinking that, Seon U-jae was killing his personality for now and speaking as nicely as possible.
"Hmm—what should I do?"
"..."
"Jong Seo-eon, what do you want to do?"
When the arrow suddenly turned to him, Jong Seo-eon was slightly flustered.
'Wh-what should I do?'
It seemed something big would happen if he went to where the seniors were.
But it also seemed something big would happen if he didn't go there.
In the end, since it seemed something big would happen either way, Jong Seo-eon could neither do this nor that.
'Why is this happening to me from the first day...!'
He had just wanted to attend the academy peacefully.
Jong Seo-eon couldn't understand at all where his academy life had gone wrong.
"...I will move according to your will, Captain."
In the end, Jong Seo-eon decided to leave the choice to Namgung Il.
Because it seemed like both were hell no matter where he went.
From the moment he had gotten involved with Namgung Il, Jong Seo-eon seemed to have accepted to some extent that his path ahead would not be just smooth.
"Really?"
"..."
"Then... shall we go?"
Namgung Il said and got down from the bed.
"Senior Seon-u."
"..."
"Let's go and see the other seniors' faces."
He couldn't not see them anyway.
Since there was a saying that it's better to be hit first, Namgung Il finally decided to go to the place called hazing.
"...You've chosen well."
A meaningful smile appeared on Seon U-jae's lips.
Until then, he had thought that that smile would continue.
* * *
A secluded space behind the dormitory.
Under the moonlight, dozens of people were sweating and holding the same posture.
"Ugh..."
The posture that the people were holding now was the horse stance.
After spreading one's legs a little wider than shoulder-width, one bends them at a right angle. And if one extends both arms forward, a splendid horse stance is completed.
Although it might look like a simple posture at a glance, if one actually tried it, it was not that easy to endure for more than a quarter of an hour.
"I-I think I'm going to die..."
"How long on earth do we have to do this?"
Such voices couldn't help but flow from the people's mouths.
Their whole bodies were already drenched in sweat, and their legs were beginning to tremble.
Most of the new students of the Vermilion Bird Class here could not understand why they were doing this here on a moonlit night like this.
"Oh? A few people's arms are going down now."
"..."
"Can't you do it properly? The more you do that, the more your time will just increase."
A man in front said.
The man's name was Hwang Dong-jae. He was a fourth-year student currently enrolled in the Vermilion Bird Class.
Besides Hwang Dong-jae, second-year and third-year students of the same class were also watching the new students here.
"Are your legs trembling just from doing this? The new students this year are all in poor physical condition."
"..."
"As a senior, I can't just leave it alone. One more quarter of an hour."
When Hwang Dong-jae said that, a giggling sound flowed from behind.
On the other hand, the new students' expressions darkened.
Although anyone could see that the seniors were now tormenting them, there was no one who could refute that absurdity.
Because they were their seniors.
For the new students who still didn't know anything, that one fact felt very big.
"I have a lot of time today."
"Ugh..."
"If you do well, I'll let you sleep early, and if even one person's posture is disturbed, I'll continue. Because that's what classmates are for."
"..."
"You should be grateful to me. Where else would you find a senior who teaches you about classmate love like this? Right?"
When Hwang Dong-jae said that, a voice of agreement was heard.
Of course, it was the voice of the current students, not the new students.
Hwang Dong-jae was smiling as if he found the sight of the struggling new students amusing.
"...?"
Just then, Hwang Dong-jae's gaze stopped at one person.
"...What are you?"
"My name is Gwangcheon."
"...Junior, you seem to be quite comfortable in this posture?"
Although the other new students were sweating profusely, Gwangcheon's face looked very calm.
As if he were sitting on the floor, his posture was still upright even after half an hour had passed.
Hwang Dong-jae was now very displeased with that fact.
"The horse stance is something I do often, so I'm used to it."
"...Really?"
Hwang Dong-jae sent a glance to the people behind him with a meaningful smile.
And so, as if they understood, the people immediately brought something in front of Gwangcheon, and soon, ten roof tiles were placed on each of Gwangcheon's knees.
"I'll add some weight especially for you."
"..."
"If you drop that, I'll add more time because of you. So if you don't want to cause trouble for your classmates, you'll have to endure it well."
It was difficult to just endure it, but to put ten roof tiles on each knee.
That was no different from telling him to just collapse, so even the people watching frowned.
However.
"Oh, thank you! Now it feels like training."
"...?"
"I'm grateful for your consideration, senior."
Gwangcheon was even smiling and saying so.
Seeing that, Hwang Dong-jae's expression naturally became cold, and the other people all looked at Hwang Dong-jae's expression and could not say anything.
"...You're an interesting brat."
"Is that so? I'm embarrassed to be praised."
"Let's see if you can say that later."
This horse stance would continue until Gwangcheon collapsed today.
Even if it meant kicking Gwangcheon's leg, Hwang Dong-jae was planning to do so.
Thud— Thud—.
It was then.
"Oh—there he is."
"...?"
"I was wondering what they were making them do here, and it was just this?"
Someone approached with a voice.
A person who was walking this way leisurely under the moonlight.
Namgung Il stopped walking and said to Hwang Dong-jae.
"Hello, senior."
"..."
"I've come for the hazing."
A not-so-ordinary junior had appeared.
(End of Chapter)