The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 27

27. OFF (3)

“Mr. Han Yoojin?”

Kim Sunghan looked at the man across the table with concern.

The glass that Han Yoojin held rolled and stopped against the plate. The spilled alcohol trickled down the table in droplets.

“Are you alright?”

At the question, Han Yoojin shook his head slightly. Then, he let out a deep sigh.

“Mr. Kim Sunghan.”

He sighed repeatedly, lifting his head. His half-open eyes and flushed skin showed that he was clearly drunk.

“You seem quite drunk. Let’s get up now.”

“No, just a moment.”

Han Yoojin waved his hand.

His pronunciation was accurate and his voice clear for someone who was drunk, making Kim Sunghan momentarily confused. *Is this person really drunk?*

“There’s still something I need to do.”

“Something you need to do?”

“Yes. I don’t want to, but… I have no choice. Ah, really, why this, this kind of…….”

Han Yoojin muttered to himself, then rubbed his face roughly with both hands. He looked so genuinely unwilling that it made one wonder what he was about to do.

“If you tell me in detail, I might be able to help.”

“Help… um, no. Just sit still. Don’t laugh. Don’t treat me like a crazy person either. Just sit there solemnly as usual… yes.”

Then, he sighed deeply again, as if the ground was sinking beneath him.

Han Yoojin took ice from the pitcher and rubbed it against his flushed cheeks with a face that looked like he was about to cry. It seemed to be his way of trying to come to his senses.

“This isn’t really my true feelings, Mr. Kim Sunghan.”

“Yes.”

“Even so, could you listen to me seriously? I really don’t want to do this. But I think I must say it now, at this opportunity.”

“Please speak.”

Kim Sunghan unconsciously straightened his posture. He seemed to be acting like this because he was drunk, but he was speaking too clearly to be just rambling.

*Could it be that he was really about to reveal something important?*

In the past few days, Han Yoojin had seemed to be a person with many secrets. If he didn’t have the confirmed identity of the Haeyeon Guild Leader’s older brother, his identity would have been suspicious. He knew too much and acted too skillfully for someone who had just registered as an Awakened [individuals with superhuman abilities].

Therefore, in this moment, when his guard was down due to intoxication, he couldn’t help but listen to what he had to say.

“Mr. Kim Sunghan.”

“Yes.”

The corners of Han Yoojin’s lips trembled slightly. After hesitating, he finally blurted out his true feelings.

“I love you.”

“…Pardon?”

Kim Sunghan asked back with the most foolish expression he had ever worn in his thirty years of life. The words that struck his eardrums did not immediately connect to his brain, but seemed to spin around it.

The emotions that followed were as colorful and diverse as fireworks.

He was embarrassed, dumbfounded, and amused. His expectations collapsed, leaving him feeling empty, but at the same time, he felt a sense of human connection, thinking that even that man was helpless when drunk.

Overall, it wasn’t bad. No, it was quite pleasant.

“So, confessing was just drunken rambling.”

Kim Sunghan said, swallowing the laughter that belatedly erupted.

“If that was the thing you had to do, you’ve done it, so let’s go back now.”

“Something I had to do? Ah, right.”

Han Yoojin rubbed his face again.

“Did I perhaps, say that I love you?”

He asked again seriously, and a burst of laughter finally escaped. Kim Sunghan cleared his throat and nodded.

“You did.”

“Really? This is crazy. No, I didn’t mean to say it to Sunghan. But did I say I love you?”

“Yes.”

“Really? But why… ah, is it there? When did it happen?”

He said something incomprehensible and then laughed hollowly. Kim Sunghan stared at Han Yoojin and felt a strange sense of déjà vu [a feeling of having already experienced the present situation].

It was the first time he had been drinking with him. It was definitely the first time, but strangely, it didn’t feel unfamiliar. It was as if he had seen him drunk like that somewhere before.

No, he had definitely seen it.

Kim Sunghan rummaged through his memories. It wasn’t a very old memory. He had seen it about two years ago. Even before that, when he was a child.

‘*…Grandfather.*’

It suddenly came to him. Kim Sunghan inhaled slightly.

His grandfather.

The skinny old man who, when slightly drunk on medicinal wine, would say he loved his grandson, who had been abandoned by his heartless son, and laugh heartily.

The wrinkled, wooden hands that rubbed his head and patted his back came to mind clearly.

‘*…He’s almost ten years younger than me. Am I drunk too?*’

An A-Rank Hunter [high-ranking Awakened] couldn’t possibly get drunk on such ordinary alcohol, but it was such an absurd thought that he blamed it on the alcohol. To think of a seventy-year-old man while looking at a bright young man. There was a limit to delusion.

However, that strange sense of incongruity soon disappeared as if erased by a powerful force.

Leaving behind only a deep emotion for the old man who had been his excellent protector.

Of course, Han Yoojin was not going to become Kim Sunghan’s real grandfather. He was a different person. He knew that clearly.

But that didn’t matter.

The important thing was that he had someone he could trust without reservation, someone he could occasionally think of and rely on.

In a world where even blood relatives were hard to trust, the existence of someone who felt completely safe was inevitably tempting. And the reason to reject that temptation was eliminated.

Kim Sunghan smiled.

“You’re very drunk.”

He said as he got up. Han Yoojin blankly looked up at Kim Sunghan approaching him.

“…I’m sorry, but I have to say I love you.”

“You said it.”

“Ah… I said it. I said it? Damn it, that’s not what I meant…….”

Kim Sunghan grabbed the arm of the drunkard who was spouting nonsense and helped him up.

Han Yoojin surprisingly moved his steps without a single stumble. If it weren’t for the love talk and the dazed eyes, one wouldn’t even know he was drunk.

“I’m sorry. It’s not like I want to be like this.”

“It’s alright.”

“Since you say it’s alright, I’ll just say one more thing.”

Just one more thing, he said, looking up at the man who was seriously supporting him.

“I love you.”

He tried to laugh it off again. But Kim Sunghan suddenly remembered.

That he, who had become a rigid person who valued appearances and had grown up unlike when he was a child, had always brushed off the old man’s drunken ramblings without a response.

“…Me too.”

So, he uttered words that he hadn’t spoken since he was a teenager.

“Loved.”

Grandfather.

* * *

…It felt like his head was broken. It was as if some crazy bastard had put his hand through the broken gap and was gleefully drumming on his brain.

He had such absurd thoughts as his head throbbed and ached terribly. His head hurt.

His head. Crazy. What on earth had happened before he fell asleep… sleep…… damn it.

“Ugh, you idiot, augh… ugh… my head…….”

He screamed and tried to get up, but buried his face back in the pillow. He felt like he was going to die…….

‘*So… I turned off the skill.*’

You crazy idiot. Why is the passive skill off? No, in the first place, the system didn’t say, ‘This is a passive skill~’ It’s just that people said, ‘This is passive.’

Still, to turn it off. Ugh, I need to turn it on again first.

‘*Turn on poison resistance skill.*’

…What is it? There’s no response.

‘*Why isn’t it working? Poison resistance skill ON. Can’t you hear me, system?*’

The message window still didn’t appear. What, don’t tell me it’s permanently turned off. Then I’ve really done the most foolish thing in the world.

‘*Turn on poison resistance skill, turn on poison resistance skill ON!*’

Just turn on—

[Poison Resistance (L) skill is activated.]

At the same time as the message window appeared, the headache disappeared like magic. His body, which felt like it had several lumps of iron on it, also became lighter. Wow, the skill effect is good. It even solves hangovers. It was indeed legendary.

‘*But this, do I have to say passive skills twice to turn them off and on?*’

Is it some kind of safety device? To check, I turned off the fear resistance… well, I absolutely can’t turn off the poison resistance skill, so I turned off the fear resistance skill.

‘*Fear resistance skill turn off, fear resistance skill turn off.*’

[Fear Resistance (L) skill is canceled.]

Oh, it turns off. Why doesn’t the system tell me these things? Anyway, whoever made it was incredibly unfriendly. Please attach a user manual now.

‘*But yesterday… I was completely drunk, so I didn’t say anything weird, did I.*’

As his mind cleared, he felt a sudden worry.

First of all, this is my bedroom in the guild dormitory. And the clothes are… pajamas. Who changed them? Did I perhaps throw up?

He picked up the cell phone on the table next to the bed. A day had passed, and it was a little past ten in the morning.

He hoped that he had quietly lost consciousness.

Praying, he opened the status window and checked the My Baby is the Best skill.

[My Baby is the Best (L) – Growth rate of the target impressed by the keyword +100%

Duration: 3 days

Already impressed targets can be used without keywords

Cannot be used on the same target more than once

Cooldown: 30 days for the same target

Keyword: I love you

※ Cannot be applied if the target is aware of the keyword’s effect

Completed Impression Target (4)

Han Yoohyun (S), Yoo Myungwoo (F), Park Yerim (S), Kim Sunghan (A)]

…Hahaha, crazy.

Kim Sunghan is there. Why is he there. Is the system malfunctioning? Tell me it’s an error.

‘*…But it seems I didn’t say anything about the skill.*’

If I had blurted everything out while drunk, the skill wouldn’t have been applied to Kim Sunghan. …Surely it doesn’t retroactively not apply. I hope I didn’t say anything nonsense, please.

I sat up and turned on the cell phone again.

‘*I need to check…….*’

I didn’t want to call. I had said that confessing was a drinking habit, but I really ended up saying I love… you while drunk.

…I just said it quietly once and stopped, right? I didn’t say anything unnecessary, right?

I swallowed hard a few times and then pressed the call button with determination. It’s okay. Nothing happened. It’s okay…….

[Yes, this is Kim Sunghan.]

“Ah, hello, Sunghan.”

My voice trembled involuntarily. It wouldn’t tremble this much even when talking to my first love after ten years.

“Um, did I perhaps, go home quietly yesterday……?”

*Say yes, please.*

A small laugh was heard over the cell phone. *Shit. It’s ominous.*

[You were quite fine for someone who was drunk.]

“Oh, really?”

Phew, that’s really a relief…….

[Except for saying you loved me about thirty times.]

…Thirty ways to commit suicide flashed through my mind.

Crazy, what have I done. If only I could go back to the past just one more time. God, please. I wouldn’t ask for anything more if I could just shoot that drunken idiot with a shotgun.

“I was… very… really very, sorry…….”

I said, squeezing out my voice. I’m crazy, really. I’m crazy. Han Yoojin, you crazy bastard. Saying it thirty times when you only needed to say it once… damn it.

The back of my neck was burning hot. I’m so embarrassed I could die. I already felt half dead.

“I’m really sorry… I was really, really out of my mind. You must have been very uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize.”

[It’s alright. I wasn’t uncomfortable at all.]

…Huh?

My mind froze for a moment. W-wait a minute? Not uncomfortable, what are you talking about. If it were me, I would have kicked him and said, ‘This crazy bastard, if you’re going to get drunk, get drunk nicely,’ but you weren’t uncomfortable at all?

…Don’t tell me that’s your preference.

My spine tingled. Just get angry. Why are you saying it’s okay. Please get angry. I want to hear you call me a crazy bastard.

“Um, well… still, considering the place… you couldn’t have felt good…….”

Kim Sunghan laughed. Don’t laugh, it’s creepy.

[If it were someone else, it might have been annoying and unpleasant. But.]

But, but… but what.

I suppressed the urge to throw the cell phone away and waited for the words to follow.

[Um, I think this will sound strange.]

…Should I throw it away now? W-what is it, the thing that will sound strange.

[For some reason, when I look at Han Yoojin, I’m reminded of my deceased grandfather.]

…Huh? W-what? Grandfather?!