The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 61

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Chapter 61

“Can’t we talk here? I don’t want to go to the clubroom.”

Jae-Hyeok had asked the Shooting Club for three things: first, for the authority to get first pick of the club commissions; second, for the activity fee paid to the manager; and third, for the club members to respect his teammates and teach them well.

Other than that, Jae-Hyeok had no intention of getting involved in the Shooting Club. He didn’t feel the need to go to the clubroom.

“You can also pass a message through Do-Jin in the future.”

Jae-Hyeok did have a conscience; he knew clearly that the Shooting Club members would inevitably hate him. From their perspective, his control over the club was blatant robbery, and he would only stir up their resentment if he showed up in person to extort them. To maintain profit in the long run, it was better to be inconspicuous.

Yeon-Ju was doubtful. “Can Do-Jin really convey a message?”

“Huh?”

“I only mean it might be hard for him to convey the meaning well.”

“Ah... ” Jae-Hyeok murmured after remembering Do-Jin’s personality. He moved some braised short ribs into his bowl before replying, “I understand. Let’s do it like this, then. Remove the other club members.” ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

“Ah?” Yeon-Ju laughed. “Why? Are you afraid that they’ll throw a tantrum when they see you and go on a rampage? Don't worry. How can you be so petty after what you’ve already shown to them?”

“Isn’t the problem what I have already shown them?”

The two of them were talking in low whispers and only focused on the food they were serving themselves, in order to appear like they weren’t in a group.

It wasn’t beneficial for Jae-Hyeok to reveal that he had some type of relationship with the Shooting Club. A high reputation was still a dangerous thing for him, so he didn’t want word to spread that a freshman occupied the Shooting Club.

There was just one problem.

“Wow, so pretty.”

“That’s Senior Jang Yeon-Ju. She’s the granddaughter of the Bow Saint.”

Jang Yeon-Ju’s beauty and background were too amazing. Most of the students couldn’t take their eyes off her from the moment she’d entered the cafeteria.

“Ahh, Yeon-Ju unni... ” Even Cheon Hye-Ji was half-mesmerized. Her stomach was screaming for food after rolling around in the snow all day, but she forgot to eat and just stared at Jang Yeon-Ju with admiration.

On the other hand, Lee Jin-Seong and Du Bae-Su were staring coldly at Jang Yeon-Ju. In fact, it wasn’t just them. A significant portion of Class B was wary of her. They knew about what had happened to Kang Jae-Hyeok’s teammate Baek Do-Jin at the Shooting Club.

Kang Jae-Hyeok looked embarrassed while Jang Yeon-Ju kept whispering to him. Lee Jin-Seong, who was grabbing food near them, couldn’t stand the sight and stepped forward. “Hello, Senior Jang Yeon-Ju. I am Lee Jin-Seong from First Year Class B.”

Jang Yeon-Ju didn’t have time to reply before Lee Jin-Seong continued, “I heard that the Bow Saint’s reputation is one of the best in Asia, not just South Korea. Is it okay for the Bow Saint’s granddaughter to persecute her junior?”

Lee Jin-Seong greeted her confidently before pouring out words like a rapid-fire cannon.

“I’ve heard rumors about the recent unfortunate incident at the shooting range. Kang Jae-Hyeok isn’t directly related to that, right? Isn’t it childish to bully someone just because they are on the same team as the person who caused an incident at the shooting range?”

Lee Jin-Seong knew he was also indirectly criticizing himself. The first time he’d seen Jae-Hyeok, he had treated him like a criminal similar to Kang Dae-Seong and Kang Hyeon-Ah just for being related. He had sneered and said there must’ve been something wrong with the Yaksha to give birth to them.

It wasn’t that Lee Jin-Seong had a personal grudge against Jae-Hyeok or the Kang family. Rather, he had simply grown up exposed to media and news outlets that constantly criticized and mocked the Kang family as if it was common sense.

Then, after being with Jae-Hyeok for over a month, he found that Jae-Hyeok was a normal person like them—no, saying he was like them was a stretch, but he was similar. Kang Jae-Hyeok was Kang Jae-Hyeok, and the Kang family was the Kang family.

Above all, there was something else that made Lee Jin-Seong angry.

“Damn Kang Jae-Hyeok... say something sarcastic like you usually would. Did you become scared now that the other person is the granddaughter of the Bow Saint?”

Lee Jin-Seong was relentlessly bullied by Kang Jae-Hyeok on a daily basis. The bullying allowed him to improve his skills, so he had eventually come to terms with it. He recognized Jae-Hyeok as an exceptional person, which was the only consolation to his pride. But what if Kang Jae-Hyeok became an unremarkable bastard? Lee Jin-Seong’s pride would be completely shattered if that happened.

Lee Jin-Seong eventually shouted at Jae-Hyeok, “Why are you being so stupid?”

“......”

“Hmm.”

Yeon-Ju smiled mischievously as Jae-Hyeok stared at Lee Jin-Seong in bewilderment. She poked Jae-Hyeok’s side with her elbow. “Well, don’t you have a lot of good friends?”

She knew it from the time he’d reached out to Roh Jun-Yeop, who’d been standing on the edge of despair. Kang Jae-Hyeok’s greatest strength wasn’t his archery skills but his attitude toward people. In fact, many of the First Year Class B students seemed to value him very much.

“We aren’t friends!” Lee Jin-Seong wanted to protest more about the misunderstanding but stopped when he saw the glaring eyes of the other Class B students.

Yeon-Ju turned back to Jae-Hyeok and whispered in his ear. “Anyway, I know what you’re concerned about. However, the Shooting Club members are looking forward to your visit, especially since Baek Do-Jin started acting as the manager. Please feel free to come to the clubroom.” With that, she waved her hand and left.

Seeing her plate filled with candy and cake instead of food nearly killed Jae-Hyeok’s appetite, so he quickly looked for kimchi while saying, “Thank you.”

“Uh?”

Lee Jin-Seong had been feeling wronged after the bizarre misunderstanding. Now, he couldn’t help doubting his ears. However, he hadn’t misheard. All the Class B students clearly heard Jae-Hyeok as he repeated, “Thank you for your concern.”

“D-don’t make me laugh! I wasn’t worried about you. I was trying to protect our honor!” Lee Jin-Seong denied it with a blush just as Du Bae-Su and Cheon Hye-Ji arrived at Jae-Hyeok’s side.

“Hehe, that’s natural between friends.”

“So, what’s your relationship with Yeon-Ju Unnie? Introduce me to her!”

Glancing between the three of them, Jae-Hyeok realized he hadn’t been alone in some time, even without Do-Jin, Da-Hee, and Yoo-Jin.

Slowly but steadily, few in number but tightly bonded—one by one, the number of people gathering around the boy was increasing.

***

After the meal, Jae-Hyeok visited the Shooting Club.

As Jang Yeon-Ju had said, the members of the Shooting Club weren’t hostile. Some seniors even smiled and greeted him. Based on the way they asked to look at his archery posture, they seemed to be interested in Jae-Hyeok’s shooting skills.

My archery skills aren’t something that can be taught.

Jae-Hyeok’s archery technique was simply to see well, aim well, and keep focused before shooting. There was no knowledge or scientific principle to increase accuracy. If he had such a thing, he would’ve personally taught Do-Jin how to shoot.

Jae-Hyeok arrived at the manager’s office and was greeted by Do-Jin.

“Huh? Jae-Hyeok, why are you here? Never mind that, you came! Sit down comfortably!”

Do-Jin was sitting on a big, fluffy-looking chair and seemed to be enjoying the life of a manager. Jae-Hyeok stared blankly at the club manager’s nameplate, where Roh Jun-Yeop’s name had been slashed with a knife and replaced with ‘Baek Do-Jin’ carved underneath. With some concern, Jae-Hyeok couldn’t help asking, “Are you working hard on your archery skills?”

“Of course! I even run over to shoot arrows during every break!”

Thinking of the huge size of the club’s premises, Jae-Hyeok was uncertain. Uh, how much time does it take to run back... Break time isn’t that long, right?

“Oh good, you came. Here’s the list of commissions that the Shooting Club has received this week.” Jang Yeon-Ju said after stepping into the office.

Do-Jin flinched at the sight of her and slowly tried to creep out of the manager’s office like a rat. Yeon-Ju questioned him before he left, “Are you going to sleep in the dormitory today?”

“Y-yes... ”

It was the first time Jae-Hyeok had ever seen Baek Do-Jin obedient to someone. He tilted his head at the sight of Do-Jin’s disappearing back. “What was that about?”

“Baek Do-Jin eats and sleeps here. There are more than a few people who feel uncomfortable with it.”

“......”

Ah, I guess being too motivated can also be a problem. Jae-Hyeok’s previous worries dissipated, and he laughed before checking the documents she handed him.

There were as many as eight commissions. Most of the clients were companies, and there were some commissions to collect resources from specific gates.

“These are all the commissions you get in a week?”

Amazing. The reward would easily exceed a hundred million if all eight commissions were completed. At this point, it wasn’t a club but a business.

Jang Yeon-Ju took out the lollipop from her mouth and explained, “Actually, I selected the commissions suitable for your level. The average number of commissions that arrive at the Shooting Club in a week is twenty. Thanks to the performance of the senior members, our club is becoming a major force.”

“Then, how much money do you make per week?”

“Not as much as you think. We don’t have the ability to carry out all the commissions.”

Although they were students of the prestigious Lion’s Castle, they were still inferior to those on active duty. An average of twenty commissions arrived every week, but the Shooting Club could only pick a few of them to complete.

“In addition, we’re all ranged damage dealers, so for the missions we do select, we often have to ask for the cooperation of other clubs when entering the gate. That means we split the reward.”

A group consisting only of marksmen such as musketeers and archers lacked the ability to raid a gate. They would become helpless the moment they encountered a trap or monster that resisted projectiles.

In particular, it was hard to form a party without any tankers.

“Um... ”

Jae-Hyeok looked at all eight commissions with a reluctant expression. “Do you have any requests that are performed within Lion’s Castle?”

“Of course. However, the commission level is low. It isn’t suitable for your level, right?”

“That’s fine, I’ll look at them.” He couldn’t leave Lion’s Castle since he would become the target of many assassins as soon as he did.

“Really?” Yeon-Ju was surprised. Jae-Hyeok only wanted a low-grade commission after gaining the right to preempt any commission he wanted? This kid, he really doesn’t have any intention of harming the Shooting Club. Jang Yeon-Ju couldn’t help smiling.

Suddenly, club members burst through the office door and made a fuss.

“T-the Student Council! The Student Council is here!”

Seeing their pale faces, it seemed like a big problem was happening.

“The Student Council?”

“Didn’t I say I had something to tell you?” Jang Yeon-Ju sighed as she got up.

She explained, “The Student Council found out about the incident at the Shooting Club. This matter won’t be easy to handle, so I need your help.”

“The vice president is here!”

Before Jae-Hyeok could get the details, he heard a loud noise through the door.

Thump, thump, thump.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps shaking the floor. Then, students in red uniforms entered with a palanquin on their backs.

“...A palanquin?”

A boy wearing a traditional Korean hat sat on the palanquin and spoke in an arrogant tone, “Baek Do-Jin, the sinner who took over a club without the Student Council’s approval, kneel before me.”

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