Oh Se-hoon looked at me and Song Cheon-hye for a while before he finally spoke up.
“Kim Ho, I want to ask for your understanding first. I know the wish ticket bet is a personal matter between you two, but from what I’m seeing now, it looks like it’s going to affect the disciplinary committee’s activities. As the president, I can’t just overlook that.”
“I understand.”
A member of the disciplinary committee, who was supposed to guide students down the right path, had made a bet with someone? And even ended up receiving a punishment together because they lost?
Just the fact that this became known could damage the entire committee’s reputation.
Oh Se-hoon asked a question.
“Can I ask why you used the wish ticket that way?”
“Whatever we do, it’s faster with five people than with four. And they say pain is halved when shared.”
“That is more efficient. So you’re saying there was no ill intent?”
“To be honest, there was a little.”
I had meant to show her the spicy side of the wish ticket.
Song Cheon-hye got angry for a moment, but perhaps because Oh Se-hoon was right in front of her, she kept her mouth shut.
Oh Se-hoon asked again.
“Cheon-hye said you have three wish tickets?”
“Technically, it’s four. We got another one recently.”
We had bet on who would clear the large-scale dungeon first, and while our team did it in just two days, Song Cheon-hye’s team took four.
With a two-day gap and replay footage left as undeniable proof, the wish ticket was earned fair and square.
Oh Se-hoon nodded.
“I see. Are you planning to use the rest in a similar way?”
“For now, that seems to be the most efficient use.”
Honestly, I had been thinking about using the remaining ones for other wishes depending on the situation, but seeing how uncomfortable Oh Se-hoon was with this, the story had changed.
I should make sure to actively involve her in future disciplinary action as well.
Of course, that’s assuming I’d be the one receiving punishment.
Oh Se-hoon’s lips curved into a soft smile.
“This is a bit of a problem. Reputation aside, Cheon-hye is also one of our members, and she has a lot of duties. I can’t keep letting her be tied up like this.”
“She made her own choice. She should pay the price.”
“You’re right. But as I said earlier, as the president, I can’t just let it slide. This time, I’d like to pay the price on her behalf. What do you think?”
He was proposing a deal.
There was nothing for me to lose.
Oh Se-hoon was a third-year and the president of the disciplinary committee. He had a lot more to offer and could put more on the table.
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll make the punishment you were going to receive disappear.”
“But we still keep the penalty points?”
“You did break the school rules, so you have to be punished in some form. You understand that, right?”
“I understand.”
Just removing the punishment alone was a bold offer.
And he said “you” not just “you alone”.
Of course, setting such a generous condition meant his demands would be just as heavy.
I asked,
“What do you want in return?”
“First, I want a promise. That from now on, you won’t use any wish related to punishment in any form.”
“Understood.”
“And since I’m clearing the punishment for four people, I want three wish tickets in return.”
On my side, I’d promise not to drag others into punishment and hand over three (small) wish tickets.
On Oh Se-hoon’s side, he’d excuse our group from sewer cleaning.
It was a fairly balanced deal.
Except for one thing.
“I’d like to negotiate the details.”
“Which part do you want to negotiate?”
“Even if you can’t remove the penalty points completely, I believe you can at least reduce them a bit more.”
“It’s possible. But you’d have to offer more on your end as well.”
“Yes, and that’s why I’d like to give you Shin Byeong-cheol.”
Perhaps surprised by what I said, Song Cheon-hye who had been quietly watching finally chimed in.
“I thought you two were close?”
“We are.”
“Then why…”
“This time, the situation is different.”
Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in had risked their lives in the dungeon alongside me.
Since I was the one who brought them in, I should take full responsibility externally.
On the other hand, Shin Byeong-cheol was someone who had taken on a request.
He should’ve guided us safely to our destination and made sure we escaped safely.
Although the C-floor had relatively tight security, that was just an excuse.
If he was outmatched, he should’ve handed it off to a more skilled upperclassman. But he got greedy and got caught in the end.
He should be the one to pay the price.
There was absolutely no reason for me to spend a wish ticket on him.
Oh Se-hoon curved his lips in amusement.
“Let’s do that. Byeong-cheol will get the usual penalty points and disciplinary action, and the three of you will only get the minimum penalty points. Right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I trust you’ll remember our agreement well. And now there’s only one wish ticket left.”
“Yes, senior.”
“Then let’s wrap it up.”
***
Even after Kim Ho left the disciplinary committee club rooù, the two of them remained seated.
The matter still hadn’t been fully resolved.
“……”
While Song Cheon-hye sat with her head bowed like someone guilty, Oh Se-hoon walked over to one corner of the room and began preparing coffee.
Then, tossing a comment over his shoulder, he said,
“Want something to drink?”
Bzzzt —
Lightning crackled along the wall and gradually widened, until a male student stepped out from within.
His light brown hair was slicked back, and on his chest was a badge symbolizing the student council president.
Student Council President Song Cheon-gi.
Immediately, Song Cheon-hye bent at a ninety-degree angle.
“You’re here.”
Song Cheon-gi ignored his younger sister entirely and walked straight to Oh Se-hoon.
“Coffee’s fine.”
“Already got it ready.”
Oh Se-hoon handed him the coffee with a grin.
The two had been close even before enrolling at Dragon Slayer Academy and knew just about everything about each other.
Including the fact that it was practically coffee running through Song Cheon-gi’s veins instead of blood.
Without hesitation, Song Cheon-gi downed the coffee in one go, unfazed by the heat.
Then he handed back the empty cup and narrowed his eyes sharply.
“Now tell me. Cleaning the underground sewers? What the hell did she do?”
Crackle —
Sparks shot threateningly from Song Cheon-gi’s body.
Depending on the answer, he looked ready to tear the entire disciplinary committee apart.
I knew this would happen.
The real reason Oh Se-hoon got involved in the wish ticket issue was standing right in front of him. Song Cheon-gi.
He had beaten out countless hero candidates to become student council president and possessed the skill to stay at the top, even after taking down some of the strongest third-years.
If there was one flaw to such a capable figure—
The moment his little sister’s involved, he completely loses it.
Ever since his sister enrolled at Dragon Slayer Academy and joined the disciplinary committee, Song Cheon-gi had been constantly pressuring Oh Se-hoon.
To keep her out of anything dangerous, if possible.
Of course, Oh Se-hoon wasn’t the type to cave to outside pressure easily, but even so, he offered her some basic leniency. Blood runs thicker than water after all.
And yet now Song Cheon-hye had been assigned to clean the underground sewers?
That filthy, stinking place?
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how Song Cheon-gi would react.
Just a brief mention of it via message had been enough to send him storming straight to the disciplinary committee office.
Even using teleportation magic to get there.
Oh Se-hoon didn’t show any of this on the surface and kept a gentle smile on his lips.
“It almost turned out that way, but we managed to settle it smoothly. Nothing like this will happen again.”
He had needed to exercise quite a bit of his authority as the head, but it wasn’t a total loss.
After all, there were things the disciplinary committee could gain from the student council in return.
But Song Cheon-gi wasn’t satisfied with just that.
“I need to hear everything from the beginning. How did things end up like this?”
“Alright. Let’s sit down first.”
Once the three of them were seated across from each other, Oh Se-hoon gave Song Cheon-hye a gentle smile.
It would be better for her to explain things herself rather than have a third party do it.
After a brief moment of gathering her thoughts, Song Cheon-hye began to speak.
“It all started during mentoring…”
They had made small bets, like comparing scores in the strategy battles.
From that point on, whenever she got into it with Kim Ho, they would end up making little bats.
Cheon-hye had accepted them with some confidence she would win, but the results were always unexpected. And as a result, the wish tickets kept piling up.
As her story continued, Song Cheon-gi’s expression grew increasingly stiff, and before long, he scolded his sister in a stern tone.
“You misjudged your opponent’s ability and accepted a bet, even wagering wish tickets as stakes? Do you have any idea what he might’ve made you do? Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Remember this well. You carry the name of the Song family on your back. Every misstep you take can tarnish the honor of our house.”
…Of course, Oh Se-hoon already knew.
That if Song Cheon-gi had to choose between his family name and his little sister, his sister would win….by about twenty times over.
Naturally, he didn’t show any of that on his face either, and Song Cheon-gi turned his head back toward Se-hoon.
“So, you recovered all those wish tickets?”
“There were four. I got back three. The last one’s the problem.”
The three he had retrieved in the earlier deal were the small-type wish tickets.
The one that remained was a large-type wish ticket.
Even the name alone made it sound like a wish of an entirely different weight.
Most likely, the holder could ask for just about anything and expect it to be done.
As expected, Song Cheon-gi’s expression twisted.
“What was that kid’s name?”
“Kim Ho. I think he’s in the same class as Cheon-hye.”
“Kim Ho, huh…”
Song Cheon-gi repeated the name to himself like a mutter.
Oh Se-hoon grew concerned and offered a word of caution.
“Don’t do anything reckless. Graduation’s not far off. If you cause trouble now, you’ll regret it for a long time.”
“Don’t worry. I’m just going to look into it.”
But would it really end with just looking into it?
Something about it felt like trouble was brewing, but Oh Se-hoon didn’t press further.
Song Cheon-gi was stubborn in his own quiet way, and no amount of talking would change his mind.
Instead, Oh Se-hoon gave a firm reminder to Song Cheon-hye.
“Cheon-hye, you too. No more betting on things like this. Today is the first and last time I’ll help you with this.”
“…Yes, president.”
Song Cheon-hye nodded silently.
But one more thing Oh Se-hoon knew. These siblings were far too alike.
Right down to being impossibly stubborn.
Which meant, even if his warning had sunk in, he couldn’t be sure how long it would last.
Sure enough, inside Song Cheon-hye’s mind, two conflicting thoughts were fighting for control.
I still have so many unanswered questions…
She needed to figure out the identity of that strange debuff skill. She still had to ask about the Hummingbird Control.
And she had to arrange a one-on-one match with Kim Ho.
Then another thought struck her. Never mind the large-type wish ticket, she had zero small-type ones left.
…If I win again, wouldn’t that earn me another wish ticket?
Maybe just once wouldn’t hurt?
If she asked quickly and didn’t take any more after that?
But in the next moment, Song Cheon-hye snapped out of it.
No, I can’t!
She’d worked so hard to get rid of them!
And got scolded so badly in the process!
Something like today could never be allowed to happen again.
She renewed her vow with all her might.
No more betting on wish tickets. Ever again.
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