Adjusting the Gangster Male Lead’s Intensity [Novel] Chapter 34

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 34

Chapter Title: The Transfer Student's Constraints

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Go easy on him, you punks."

The PE teacher, who had been tidying up the gym from a distance, picked up on the commotion and walked over as he spoke.

He seemed to have a rough idea of the situation from the way Eun-seol Yeo was clutching his face, and he let out a sigh.

"The transfer student, right? You okay? Any nosebleed?"

"No nosebleed, but it stings a little."

Eun-seol Yeo gave an awkward smile as he replied, and the PE teacher patted his shoulder.

"Go lie down in the nurse's office for a bit. Speak up right away if you feel dizzy or anything. The kid who was paired up with the transfer student for dodgeball—escort him to the nurse's office."

"Huh?"

Yi-hae Baek blinked in bewilderment, and the teacher continued with a deadpan expression.

"He doesn't even know where the nurse's office is yet. Take him there and come straight back."

It was a fair point. With no good reason to refuse, Yi-hae Baek groaned reluctantly before nodding.

She could feel Do-gyeom Seo glaring daggers at the back of her head, but what could she do? This was his mess to begin with.

'Why do I have to clean up Do-gyeom Seo's shit?'

No need to support him all the way, so she gestured with her eyes for him to follow. The sound of quiet footsteps trailed behind her.

As they stepped out of the gym, a cool breeze swept past them.

'Hey, I didn't throw it. Why is my favorability taking the hit?'

There wasn't even any left to drop, and it kept getting chipped away unfairly.

Yi-hae Baek stared into space with a sour expression, when she felt Eun-seol Yeo's gaze from where he followed behind her.

"What?"

"Nothing. You were making faces at thin air, so I thought maybe something was there."

Eun-seol Yeo acted like he knew something. It felt like he was testing her.

"As if. Someone might think I'm seeing ghosts."

Yi-hae Baek replied nonchalantly.

They walked down the hallway connecting the gym to the main building. Early March weather was still chilly, but unlike winter, the sunlight felt pleasantly warm.

She was thinking she should ask I-heum Seo to take her to the beach this year since they missed it last year.

"Do-gyeom Seo seems to like you. You're probably oblivious to it, but you know, right?"

Eun-seol Yeo stopped walking and asked, as if he'd been waiting for them to be alone.

It was just what Yi-hae Baek had hoped for.

"Yeah, I know."

To clear the main quest, she had to uncover Eun-seol Yeo's true identity.

And that inevitably meant having a conversation with him. Getting to know the opponent required talking.

"But so what?"

Yi-hae Baek looked up at Eun-seol Yeo. Her round eyes blinked as they fixed on him. It was an innocent face. Brown hair cascaded down alongside her slightly tilted head.

As Eun-seol Yeo's gaze followed those strands of hair, Yi-hae Baek continued.

"That's weird."

"What is?"

"You're acting like it's hard to believe Do-gyeom Seo could like me. Plus, how would you know he's oblivious when you barely met him?"

"......"

Eun-seol Yeo shut his mouth. He smiled quietly, but it seemed like he was trying to read her intentions.

Or maybe he was being careful not to reveal his own.

He had something he wanted to learn from her, yet he didn't want to give away any info about himself.

What a selfish guy.

"If you don't wanna talk, don't bother testing me."

"......You're feistier than you look."

Yi-hae Baek crossed her arms and snorted. Seeing her demand an answer without the nonsense, Eun-seol Yeo scratched the back of his head.

Finally, a hesitant truth slipped from his opened mouth.

"I was testing you, that's true. But I have my own circumstances. There's a restriction, so I can't answer everything you're curious about."

"Restriction?"

"Yeah. Can't go into details. I can't reveal the truth first."

It wasn't the nuance of breaking a promise with someone. It sounded more like crossing that line would harm him directly.

But by whom? It was just Yi-hae Baek and Eun-seol Yeo here.

Yet Eun-seol Yeo had the face of someone convinced their conversation was being overheard. As if the Player was watching Yi-hae Baek's every move.

'No way he can see the status window like me, and gets quests from the Player too? But why?'

Yi-hae Baek tilted her head. With anyone else, she'd have called it bullshit.

But she was going through weird stuff herself, so she couldn't say that.

Besides, he was the original game's female lead, Eun-seol Yeo. There might be a reason for the gender swap, and he could know it.

"Can you at least answer my questions?"

"Yeah. Yes or no answers are fine."

"If I figure out your secret and try to expose it, will you stop me?"

"No. I just can't say it first myself."

What an odd restriction.

"The one who imposed it isn't here, but they'd know right away if you broke the condition?"

Eun-seol Yeo nodded.

"A ghost?"

Eun-seol Yeo's expression turned strange. Like a kid asking if she really believed in that stuff. He looked at her pitifully.

Do-gyeom Seo and Yeol Seo not only believed in ghosts but were scared of them, yet here he was with that smug look.

"......Probably not. Maybe he has to clear a quest like in a game to speak."

She didn't mention the status window or Player. She hinted at 'Do you have something like that too?' but didn't want to accidentally spill her own secrets.

She'd boldly told him not to test her, but in the end, she was probing him too.

"Game? Why bring up games all of a sudden?"

Not that either, huh.

Yi-hae Baek frowned at Eun-seol Yeo's situation, which seemed different from hers. She stroked her chin, carefully choosing her next question.

His amused expression prompted him to say.

"Thought you'd bombard me with questions, but you're surprisingly cautious."

"If keeping the restriction means bad things happen if you break it, being careful doesn't hurt."

'He might get hurt directly, so he's holding back.' That was Yi-hae Baek's guess. No harm in caution if it could affect her too.

But this kind of thinking wasn't her strong suit.

'Fixed-answer studying is easier. No talent for this open-ended crap.'

Anyone else overhearing might curse her for being unlucky, but she was dead serious.

The limited info he'd shared so far wasn't much.

First, Eun-seol Yeo was hiding something and had a restriction preventing him from explaining it to her. Paradoxically, it seemed she was supposed to uncover it.

Second, someone was monitoring him, like the Player watching her.

Third, he seemed to know Do-gyeom Seo's personality well.

Fourth, despite the restriction, yes/no answers were allowed. Telling her that meant he wanted her to figure it out.

'Why me, of all people?'

He acted like he knew Do-gyeom Seo well—why approach her, a total stranger to him?

Did he know something about her too? And if so, how much?

'If he realized I have to pair him—the original female lead—with Do-gyeom Seo to return to my world... Being uncooperative would be a problem.'

That was the biggest reason Yi-hae Baek was watching her words. Unlike Do-gyeom Seo, Eun-seol Yeo seemed sharp.

"Why approach me specifically? I can't open up to you without knowing your intentions."

Yi-hae Baek said frankly. Eun-seol Yeo stared at her for a moment before mumbling in reply.

"......You seemed like a good stand-in."

"Huh? What'd you say?"

But his voice was too soft to catch fully. As she looked at him expectantly, he subtly averted his gaze.

His sealed lips showed no intention of repeating it.

'Pretty sure he mumbled "stand-in" just now. Must've misheard.'

Yi-hae Baek's eyes filled with suspicion.