An anonymous letter?
Maybe someone’s playing a prank.
Come to think of it, kids often pull pranks with letters.
In my past life and this one, I’ve received a few myself.
“Lucky letters,” they called them—something about starting in England and… whatever.
The content varied, but the format was similar: Read the letter, and within 24 hours, send an identical one to someone else, or misfortune would strike.
When I was in lower elementary, I’d read one and panicked, sending it around to others. The memory came flooding back.
“Maybe this is the same. Whoever it is, they’re in 5th grade and still playing such pranks…”
“I don’t think so… People pass notes, not letters. Who’d go so far as to prepare an envelope for a prank? Plus, heart stickers…?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Her point made sense. I nodded, then glanced sideways at Yeon Ha-neul.
“Why’s she acting weird?”
Yeon Ha-neul was fidgeting. Her bunny ears twitched constantly, her gaze fixed on my letter. Her voice sounded unnatural.
She seemed to be trying not to show it, but even the most oblivious could tell something was off.
“She must be curious about the letter.”
Truth was, I was too. To satisfy my curiosity about who sent it and why, I decided to tear open the envelope.
She looked startled.
“You’re going to open it here?”
“Where else would I open it?”
“The stickers… The sender probably wanted you to read it alone in a quiet place…”
“Who cares? Should I cater to some stranger? Besides, it’s class time.”
“You’re not exactly the moral type, are you?”
“I’m moral enough to skip class.”
Peeling the stickers off proved tricky. I ripped the envelope open haphazardly, tearing the three heart stickers.
“Ah…”
As if the letter were hers, Yeon Ha-neul sighed. Ignoring her, I pulled out the letter.
The message was brief:
「I’ll be waiting for you on the rooftop after school. I have something I must tell you.」
No sender was listed. Just two sentences. The elegant handwriting and polite tone didn’t seem like a prank.
“If you’re going to read it, why sneak a peek? Why not just read it together?”
Her bunny ears twitched from the side. Giving in to her curiosity, I handed her the letter.
“Here. Read it yourself if you’re curious.”
“Is it okay for me to read it? It might be rude to the sender…”
She said that, but already began reading. So focused, she crumpled the paper in her hand.
“As I thought…”
Yeon Ha-neul finally spoke, her lips moving. She seemed to have an idea. I asked her,
“What do you think? Why am I being summoned to the rooftop?”
“…What do you think?”
I’d asked first. Why answer a question with a question?
Puzzled, I fell into thought. Just as she had her suspicions, so did I.
“This letter…”
“It’s a duel challenge, isn’t it.”
“Huh?”
It made sense. Who else would send me a letter otherwise? Especially…
“Asking to meet on the rooftop where no one’s around—what else could it be but a fight?”
“…”
“Then maybe the sender didn’t write their name because it’s not just one person.”
“Uh, well, there…”
“Ha-neul, what do you think?”
“Me?”
“Aren’t you thinking the same?”
“Uh, well… a little.”
Yeon Ha-neul agreed. My suspicion solidified.
“The timing’s too perfect.”
There was another reason for my deduction. A few days ago, I’d demonstrated the Wall of Thunder in front of the clan, marking myself as a rival to them. Perhaps they were trying to check me.
“They might not resort to cowardly acts just to target me, but who knows?”
It was likely someone connected to the clan waiting on the rooftop. I needed to prepare.
“Ha-neul, can I borrow your sword later?”
“Huh? Why a sword?”
“I might need it. It’s yours, but I’ll use it first. Sorry.”
“It’s fine, but… are you planning to fight with it?”
“If necessary.”
“…Why not just skip it?”
“I’m curious who’s behind this.”
If it was the clan causing trouble, I needed to expose them. Thus, meeting the rooftop’s waiters was necessary.
Yeon Ha-neul spoke then.
“Um, have you considered… other intentions?”
“Like what?”
“For example… someone confessing their feelings for you…”
“No way.”
“…Why?”
“I’m not the type to be popular, am I?”
In the game, Do Kwon-woo was drawn as a timid, thin youth fitting his cowardly, whiny image. Not the muscular type that screams “manly.” Plus,
“I panic and cry easily, my voice lacks confidence…”
If I were a girl, I wouldn’t like a character like Do Kwon-woo. Of course, I shouldn’t equate myself fully with the game’s version, but it’s only been about three months since I realized my past life. Not enough time for school folks to notice my change. Most still see me as a coward. Thus, her assumption was baseless.
“…You know, you’re more popular than you think.”
“Really? Thanks for the compliment.”
“I’m not lying…”
I appreciated her sparing my pride. As we half-listened to the moral studies lecture from the back, I idly played with her bunny ears, her face a mix of Complicated emotions.
(He’s Not the Popular Type? Think Again.)
He’s not the type to be popular.
That’s what Do Kwon-woo claims, but it’s just his own opinion.
“Maybe he’s only like that with me… No, wait, maybe he just doesn’t care about school life, so he doesn’t know?”
Yeon Ha-neul has no friends besides Kwon-woo, but she still has ears to hear. She knows what the girls think of him.
“Hasn’t Do Kwon-woo changed somehow? Was he always that mature?”
“He’s different from the guys in our class. Should I say he seems more composed? Like he oozes confidence without trying?”
“I knew him last year—we were in the same class. He’s definitely not the same. Back then, he was nothing like this poised kid.”
Mature, composed, brimming with confidence, and reliable. Whether or not he was like that last year, since entering 5th grade, these have been the words used to describe him. Compared to the guys who pull petty pranks to get girls’ attention, Kwon-woo seems leagues more mature—and undeniably stands out.
“I think Kwon-woo’s pretty great too.”
“Su-ji, you too?!”
Even Kim Su-ji, one of the most popular girls in class, admits it.
“He really is. It’s not just because he’s my friend—he’s just better than the other guys. I know this because no one else does, but he’s also super considerate… and quietly takes care of people…”
Yeon Ha-neul agrees. As someone who spends so much time by his side, she knows more about him than other girls do. This gives her a strange sense of superiority.
On top of that, Kwon-woo’s background is another reason he draws attention.
“And he’s from the Shin-Gum Do family, right? Just being from a prestigious clan makes him seem different, doesn’t it?”
“I know what you mean. Like he has a certain… dignity even when he’s just standing there?”
“Compared to him, the other guys just seem childish. How can they be so different at the same age?”
“I never noticed before, but now it feels like he’s from another world.”
“I felt that too. When he brought his sword today, I thought, ‘Ah, his world is different from ours.’ That’s why… he seems so cool.”
Most kids grow up in ordinary families. To them, Hunters and monsters are extraordinary beings they only see on TV. But here’s one of those “extraordinary” beings in their very classroom. To kids living ordinary lives, Do Kwon-woo, from the Shin-Gum Do family, is nothing but a curiosity. The mystique of him “living in another world” could easily translate into admiration.
“…You know, you’re more popular than you think.”
But he underestimates himself, which for some reason annoys her. She almost kept it a secret but blurted it out anyway.
“Really? Thanks for the compliment.”
He brushed it off as empty words. She felt conflicted.
“I kind of wish he stayed clueless about his popularity and just hung out with me… but I also want him to know how popular he really is…”
The desire for him to stay her little Kwon-woo versus the wish for him to grow into everyone’s Kwon-woo—Yeon Ha-neul was torn.
Before she knew it, time had slipped away, and school was over.
“Ha-neul, you go ahead. I have something to take care of.”
“…Are you really going?”
“Yeah, I have to. I’ll give you the sword tomorrow.”
Do Kwon-woo gathered his things and stood up. Yeon Ha-neul hesitated, watching him sling the sword over his shoulder. She wanted to tell him not to go.
“See you tomorrow.”
“…See you tomorrow.”
But stopping him felt like she’d be the villain. The person waiting for him must’ve mustered courage to ask him here. If she stopped him, she’d hurt that person’s feelings.
In the end, she could only let him go with a heavy heart.
“…”
He’d packed everything, yet his feet wouldn’t move.
Yeon Ha-neul stared blankly at her bag on the desk, lost in thought.
One thought led to another.
“They must’ve called him to confess, right?”
“I don’t think Kwon-woo would ever do that… but what if he accepts?”
“Then they’d start dating?”
“Would that mean I can’t be by his side anymore?”
“…”
No, she didn’t want that. A shadow crossed Yeon Ha-neul’s face. Her bunny ears drooped. Her bag felt unbearably heavy.
Then, her thoughts took a sudden turn.
“But what if… it’s really a duel like Kwon-woo said?”
“You never know.”
“What if something happens?”
“Will Kwon-woo be okay…?”
“He’s Kwon-woo, so he won’t get hurt, right?”
“But what if there are multiple people?”
“He’d be in trouble alone.”
“I should go help him.”
“It might be more dangerous than I think.”
“Just in case, I should secretly follow him.”
“This isn’t about spying.”
“I’m going because I’m worried about Kwon-woo.”
Yes, that’s right. As his friend, shouldn’t she at least do that much?
Yeon Ha-neul snapped back to reality.
Her bag felt so light all of a sudden.
She hopped toward the rooftop like a bunny.
After school.
I went up to the rooftop.
As I opened the door, the wide sky beyond the fence came into view.
“Not here yet?”
I stepped under the sky.
As I approached the fence, I could see students leaving school below.
Ha-neul must be among them.
Thinking this, I—
Whoosh.
I cast my detection net.
The mana ripple emanating from me spread across the entire rooftop.
Soon, a presence was caught in the net.
“Three people?”
They were clustered in one spot.
I called out to the guys hiding behind the water tank.
“Come out already. I know you’re there.”
At my words, a voice came from the water tank.
“You go first!”
“Why me!?”
“The eldest should go out in a situation like this!”
They sounded like they were bickering.
I thought I’d heard those voices before.
Do I know them?
I’ll know once I see their faces.
I warned the unresponsive guys.
“If you don’t come out soon, I’ll slice the water tank in half.”
“W-wait! I’m coming out!”
Finally, they reacted.
The guys behind the water tank rushed out.
They were familiar faces.
“Geum Eun-dong?”
“Y-yeah! Kwon-woo, it’s us! Ugeun-dong!”
“Ueun-dong!”
“Udong-dong!”
The triplets who used to relentlessly tease me.
The extra villains in the game who called themselves “Cerberus.”
Seeing them, my brows furrowed.
The situation was clear at a glance.
So…
“Did Do Seung-woo tell you to harass me again?”
“Huh?”
“Or another cousin?”
“What are you talking about!?”
“Or are you trying to get back at me for what happened?”
“This feels like a misunderstanding…”
“Good. This is what I wanted.”
Truthfully, I hadn’t been satisfied with just scolding these guys once.
Now that they’d given me a reason, I was grateful.
I unsheathed my sword and approached them.
“Hey! Why do you have a sword!?”
“What’s wrong with you!?”
“We didn’t mean anything by this!”
“You’re funny.”
Unlike me, the triplets didn’t seem to have weapons.
Did they think they could take me down with a surprise attack even without weapons?
I’d make them regret underestimating me.
“It’s a shame I don’t have the Junjeong Sword.”
It would’ve been perfect to test its reverse-blade mode on them.
Oh well, I’d have to settle for using the flat of the blade and the scabbard.
I drew my sword, but then—
“Kwon-woo! Please help us!”
“Help us out here!”
“We’re begging you!”
“…Huh?”
In a flash.
The triplets threw themselves flat on the ground.
I was left speechless.
“What’s this new trick?”
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