Became a Dark Merchant in the Academy - Chapter 201



200 – Student Council President Election_4

I am always grateful to Lee Seong-hyeon.

If it weren’t for that warmth, I would have collapsed in the freezing cold, falling into an abyss with no end in sight.

So even if he asked me to do something out of the ordinary, I was almost always willing to do it.

Of course, I know he wouldn’t ask me to do something out of the ordinary.

Although he often appears playful, no one knows better than him that he is a very kind person at heart.

This is it.

Promise.

It is a pledge to do anything for him.

‘That’s all.’

Olivia shivered for a moment as the wind brushed against her thin dress, and looked up at the upper floors of the building that were still lit up.

Today was vivid.

What I had been preparing for for hours, tensely, was not an illusion, but an illusion.

It was an awkward encounter with people both familiar and unfamiliar.

And his request.

‘Olivia.’

Straight eyes.

I know I should refuse because I know it’s going to be a waste, but I do it again.

‘I need your help.’

His words came to my ears again.

The corners of his mouth twitched.

I know I shouldn’t let this kind of emotional turmoil get to me.

In order to uncover the hidden truth and clear my sister’s name, I had to always maintain my normal appearance.

but.

I couldn’t stop it, just a little bit.

‘… Really? Then Olivia, can you grant me just one favor?’

But soon he covered his mouth.

It wasn’t that I covered it because I was afraid someone would see it.

It was because I heard a request from a friend who didn’t have much time left.

‘…I like Seonghyeon.’

Don’t the old tales whisper that one cannot stop oneself from falling in love with another?

So it could be so.

‘So won’t you help me?’

Because he is kind.

Because it looks cool to anyone.

I couldn’t help but fall in love.

But I couldn’t understand why he would bother telling himself that.

Lee Seong-hyeon and himself are just…

‘Seonghyun and Olivia are friends.’

Because we’re just friends.

‘no?’

There was no denying it.

Even though my heart was pounding, I couldn’t even make excuses.

I received a lot of help.

And I continue to receive help.

But after receiving so much help, I can’t shamelessly ask them to help me carry the luggage on my back.

therefore.

My friend was right.

“Don’t do anything rash like that next time. Do you know how surprised I was?”

“But those two are sensitive topics. That’s why I was trying to bring them up. Was it not fun…”

“It’s not fun. So don’t do it.”

“Really, don’t do it?”

“that is…”

A familiar voice came to my ear.

Olivia turned her head in the direction where the sound came from.

I saw some familiar faces.

It seemed like the work above had already been completed.

“really?”

“Well, I think it would be okay if you just did it for me…”

“okay?”

“Ah, this is nonsense, so I’ll cancel it. I’m canceling it.”

From noble mtl dot com

The two of them were laughing as if they were having so much fun.

‘…’

My heart ached.

“senior.”

“Seonghyun, what a coincidence.”

“I’ve been waiting.”

“away.”

I approached them one by one, but I couldn’t get close to them.

It was because I didn’t have the courage.

But if I just look at it, it hurts too much.

Olivia turned and moved away from them.

I was imagining that he might call me like he did before.

“Olivia.”

And that’s…

**

Registration for the Laplace Academy student council president election is not complete with just the application.

Although it is limited to the Academy, it has some power, so candidates must undergo a qualification screening by Academy officials and national election officials.

And only after passing the qualification examination can one serve as a real candidate.

You will be able to campaign and be eligible to participate in three key events that take place during the campaign.

So, it is easy for ordinary cadets to think that the qualification screening for candidates will be strict, but in reality, it is not like that at all.

The qualification examination was usually conducted to allow a cadet to pass unless he or she caused any major problems.

Anyway, the qualification examination is the most basic of the basics, that is, the starting line.

It’s not as rigorous as vetting politicians.

No educational institution stood in the way of the cadets even standing at the starting line.

There is no need to look at academic background, career, or past history among students in the same academy, nor is there any need to differentiate between assets.

The qualification examination was nothing more than a grandiose statement, it was simply a review of the detailed information of the cadets who had declared their candidacy.

It’s such a simple thing that it’s not even explained in the pamphlets or instructions given to candidates.

You just need to quickly look through it and check if there are any problems.

It was to the point where I thought even an elementary school student could do it while picking their nose if they were taught the trick.

That’s why the verification of candidates for the Academy President election was known to the staff of the national election agency as a rare honeymoon during their busy public service careers.

Because it’s something where you can just look at a few pieces of paper and then have a day off under the pretense of working outside the office.

Therefore, the competition was fierce.

I heard the competition rate was 35 to 1.

Although, it is not true that field work is decided by competition.

Anyway, since there is some element of competition, there is some room for effort.

‘So I put in a lot of effort.’

Ma Hae-ryeong wiped her forehead as she recalled the terrifying battles of the past.

But now that too is goodbye.

It wasn’t that I was going to do the work half-heartedly, but I had no doubt that it would be finished quickly.

‘Where should I go when I’m done? Cafe A is always full, but it’ll probably be empty right now, at this hour…’

My heart fluttered at the thought that I would finally be able to visit cafes and hidden restaurants that were famous on social media that I usually couldn’t go to because of overtime work or other reasons, or that I couldn’t go to on the weekends because I was too tired.

That must have been the case…

“I know you’re working hard. However, I feel like there’s something a little off, so could you please check it again?”

Ma Hae-ryeong’s expression darkened suddenly.

This was because Baek Seol-ha’s hand stopped again on a document with the name of a cadet named Lee Seong-hyeon written on it.

How many rejections is this?

The words of my seniors who said that the qualification examination would be a honeymoon were actually a sophisticated deception designed to send me to the pit of hell.

‘No, looking at the competition, that’s not it.’

In that case, I could imagine that I personally didn’t like the cadet named Lee Seong-hyeon.

‘Is that Lee Seong-hyeon?’

I wonder if there is any reason to dislike that cadet.

That’s understandable, since he’s a cadet who’s been touted as one of the most promising prospects in South Korea these days.

The Academy’s name was being praised in news and newspapers.

Of course, Laplace Academy already had a high reputation.

But since there was something that was being promoted, if the Academy Director liked it, he liked it, and there was absolutely no reason to dislike it.

‘Especially his face is handsome.’

“…I’ve checked it several times, but no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like there’s a problem.”

Ma Hae-ryeong shook her head slightly and opened her mouth.

“Isn’t the Academy noisy these days? In the LA incident, there was a case where an Academy cadet was the terrorist, and in the recent nationwide Academy terrorist attacks, there were cases where an insider helped. I think it’s not bad to be careful.”

“No, that’s true. But even so…”

As someone who leads the Academy, I know it’s hard not to be concerned.

I also agree that the Laplace Academy student council president has some power and is cautious.

Still, I wondered if it would be okay to not trust even the students attending my own academy.

But Ma Hae-ryeong couldn’t say anything.

The final person to handle this business trip is Director Baek Seol-ha, who is sitting at her desk in her office, not even looking this way, but rather handling other work with a serious expression on her face.

Although the chain of command was different, if we really did it according to FM, we would have to worry about working overtime instead of leaving work on time.

“I don’t doubt it. It’s a kind of precaution.”

“…”

“So, please look more thoroughly, more specifically, and more closely. Especially, please look at my past actions and history.”

“All right.”

Ma Hae-ryeong eventually bowed her head.

The review has begun again.

How many times have I done it?

“Here… I am.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

The work was over only after dark circles appeared under Ma Hae-ryeong’s eyes.

It was 11 o’clock in the evening the next day.

**

Three days have passed since the so-called Lee Seong-hyeon election support team was formed.

For three days, my support group and I met several times a day, either short or long, to prepare for the upcoming election.

We have been diligently preparing for the investigation and campaigning of potential rivals, as well as the pledges, debates, and speeches that will be used in the three events that will take place during the campaign.

“Hey, there’s an announcement!”

During lunch break, Anten, who was looking at his phone while eating, started making a fuss and thrust his phone in front of me.

What he showed me was the nomination notice on the Academy’s official website.

It seemed like the qualification screening for candidates had finally ended.

“thank god.”

“Seonghyeon also has a name.”

“Why is the deal delayed by that?”

The support team members sitting across from her, Han Yuri, Yeon Eunryeong, and Xiaomei, picked up their phones, checked the notice, and sighed.

I heard that the results of the evaluation are supposed to come up in one day, but this year, they didn’t come up even after three days, so there were rumors that one of the candidates was eliminated for the first time in a long time.

Because of that, I was so nervous that I couldn’t sit still, wondering if this side would fall.

When it turned out that wasn’t the case, he seemed relieved.

“I don’t know about that. More importantly, you’re number 8. Symbol number 8, Lee Seong-hyeon.”

My picture and name were written next to the number 8 in the middle of the notice.

If possible, I wish it had been number 1 or 2.

There was nothing I could do about it because numbers were given in the order of application.

“Yukina is number 7.”

I heard that you are running for office.

I knew it was right in front of me.

I think it might be a coincidence.

It was really interesting.

“That’s true. It wasn’t a lie when he said he was running.”

Xiaomei lifted the notice up and made a face of disbelief.

“Did you think it was a lie?”

“I don’t mean to be a bad person, but… Yukina has a bit of a free spirit. You could say she’s bubbly, the kind of person who gets interested easily and gets bored easily.”

I don’t really feel that way.

There are times when I can’t even predict what Yukina will do next.

“So I thought he would just run and then cancel. Elections are process-oriented, frustrating, and have a lot of rules.”

I thought that might be the case.

Now that the announcement has been made, it is as good as certain that I will be a candidate.

“I know that Xiao didn’t mean anything else when he said that. But what can I do now that it’s come to this? We’ve become rivals.”

“Yes, that’s right. He’s my rival.”

“If you don’t feel like fighting with your friends…”

“It’s okay. You can do it.”

Xiaomei shook her head.

“Okay, then I’ll ask you.”

“Yes, just trust me, senior.”

I calmed down Xiaomei’s mind a little.

Even if Yukina wasn’t a threatening competitor, as long as she was a competitor, I had to be on guard unless there was a 0% chance of her winning.

Of course, even if Xiaomei sticks with Yukina, it doesn’t matter to the trend.

Still, you never know.

“A woman again?”

“Yukina…?”

By the way, Anten looked at me with a puzzled look and I heard Yeon Eun-ryeong muttering softly.

“He’s just a junior I know.”

“Just by looking at you, I can tell that you and your junior had something going on.”

“No. What is something?”

It’s not that there weren’t any, but all I could do was save him from the basilisk, visit him in the hospital, become friendly with him, and have a few conversations with him.

“No, my gut tells me that just looking at this kid makes me shiver. I’m sure he’d be obsessed with telling stories about his past life’s red thread.”

Anten shivered when he saw Yukina’s photo.

“I said no.”

“really?”

“We just know each other.”

When I saw the picture of him smiling so stupidly, I couldn’t understand why he was doing that.

“I don’t think it’s any of my business, but I still recommend that you wear something like a steel brace. Unless you want to put on a show on the street.”

Anten shook his head.

“Seonghyun, more than that, there’s a notice posted…”

As the small talk, which wasn’t really small talk, came to a close, Han Yuri opened her mouth.

“Yeah, I need to prepare a presentation.”

The three main events of the Laplace Student Council President Election.

The time for the first event, the announcement of pledges, is not far away.