Solo Leveling - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

I Alone Level-up: Chapter 56

After Jinwoo finished the errand to check his account balance, he went and got fitted for a suit and even had the time to get a haircut at a nearby salon .

“Hmm . ”

He was a completely different person than when he had left the house .

‘Money really is good . ’

Jinwoo stopped next to a shop window and checked his new look out in the reflection .  This should be good enough .

‘At the very least, I won’t leave a bad impression . ’

He checked the time .  It was 4:20 .

‘She said be there by 5 . ’

He would make it in time .

“Taxi!”

He hailed a cab and arrived at the school with time to spare .  He saw Jinah waiting for him out in front .

“Sung Jinah . ”

His little sister did not realize he had approached and jumped .

“Oppa?”

Jinah stared at him like a deer in headlights .

“Excuse me, are you really Sung Jinwoo-ssi?”

“Do you not recognize your own oppa?”

Jinah looked up and down on his figure and exclaimed,

“Well, you’re a completely different person!”

“Did you think I would meet my dongsaeng’s teacher in tracksuit and slippers?”

“Wow…”

Jinah could not close her mouth .

“Your jaw’s going to fall off . I’m going ahead . ”

It looked like Jinah was too shocked to guide him, so Jinwoo took the lead .  He was a student here 5 years ago . The structure was familiar to him . He knew the meeting would happen in a conference room and not her homeroom, so he headed in that direction .  His pace was quick .

“O-oppa! Wait for me!”

Jinah quickly trotted after her brother .

“Hello, teacher . ”

“Hmm? Oh, hello . ”

On the way, he greeted various teachers .  Everyone of them stared at him as he walked by .

‘Who was that?’

‘Is he an alumni? I don’t think there are students like that at our school . ’

‘Is he a new teacher?’

The teachers weren’t the only ones who turned their heads .

“Whoa, handsome . ”

“Who is that?”

“Isn’t that Jinah next to him?”

“It must be her brother . Wow, he’s so cool . ”

A muscular body and a fashionable suit .  Even a plain-looking person would catch their eyes .  Well, Jinwoo was completely uninterested .

‘ . . . ’

The student’s whispers went in one ear and out the other to him .  The one who was excited was Jinah . She perked her ears and listened to her fellow students’ whispers, then went up to her brother and ribbed him with her elbow .

“Wow, Oppa’s pretty popular~”

He ignored her the first time .

“You know, oppa doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?”

He ignored her the second time . .

“Should your cute little sister introduce you to someone?”

He pinched her cheeks the third time .

“Don’t mess around . ”

“S-sorry . ”

Jinwoo released her, and she rubbed her red cheek .

“Che, I know you’re enjoying all this…”

While they were being siblings, they had arrived .  Jinah spun with a flourish then gestured .

“Oppa, it’s here . ”

Jinwoo was about to enter, then turned to Jinah .

“What about you?”

“This is only for the parent/guardian and the teacher . I’m just here to see you off . ”

Oh right, Jinwoo remembered his own back in his last year of highschool .  At the time, no one had come for him .

‘Mother was already having difficulties moving back then . ’

After she fell ill, his mother had to be quickly hospitalized .  Not wanting to exert her weak body, Jinwoo did not tell her about the parent/guardian meeting .  He had to endure the pestering of his teacher for a while because of that . Remembering that experience, he realized why Jinah was nervous when she asked for his time .  He asked his sister with a smile,

“You’re staying out late today, too, right?”

“Yep, you can go home without me . ”

“Alright . ”

He patted her head before she could react, messing up her hair .

“Study hard . ”

“Ah danggit, don’t do that . ”

“I’ll see you at home . ”

Jinwoo entered the conference room with a smile .  Jinah fixed her hair while pouting .

“How long will you treat me like a kid…”

Well, it wasn’t like she hated it .  She looked around, worried that someone might’ve seen .  After confirming no one was around, she skipped towards her classroom .

If he had to describe his first impression of Jinah’s homeroom teacher in a sentence . . .

‘Hmm…’

She looked like a virtuous person .

“You must be Jinah’s older brother . ”

She was a wise-looking middle-aged female teacher .  Someone whose bright smile made the other person feel comfortable .  Knowing the circumstances of his household, she did not question Jinwoo’s presence at all for the parent/guardian meeting .

“Please to meet you . I am Jinah’s homeroom teacher . I didn’t realize Jinah had such a handsome older brother, hoho . ”

At her sassy but pleasant greeting, Jinwoo bowed his head .

‘I don’t remember her while I was here . ’

She must’ve been a new teacher after he had graduated .  They say the first impression was very important . After their greeting, he was able to relax a bit .

‘She’s very respectful to someone much younger like me . ’

It appeared that his little sister’s senior year would not be plagued by a bad teacher .

“Please, have a seat . ”

She gestured toward a chair .  Jinwoo sat down and faced the teacher across a large desk .

“I don’t think you have to worry about Jinah . ”

They talked about the average matters for a parent/guardian meeting .  Their conversation continued in a good mood for some time . Because Jinah was a model student, her teacher had nothing but good things to say .

“You’re aware that Jinah wants to go to a medical school, right?”

“Yes . ”

The teacher read through Jinah’s profile .

“Her test scores were good, and her overall grades are excellent . She should be more than capable of getting into a good school . So please don’t put too much pressure on her . ”

Jinwoo solemnly nodded .  The teacher’s face was filled with expectations for Jinah .  Truthfully, many homeroom teachers for highschool seniors were filled with stress due to the student’s grades .  After all, a student’s final years in highschool determined the course of their lives . [0]

‘And that’s why I heard most teachers wanted to avoid teaching seniors . ’

He had heard that some teachers had to be forced into the spot .  With that in mind, it was clear that Jinah’s teacher was someone with passion for the job .  As Jinah’s guardian, Jinwoo was very grateful for this .

The meeting was nearing its end after 15 minutes .

“And then…”

Jinwoo was about to rise, but then the teacher carefully asked a question,

“I heard that Jinah’s oppa was a Hunter . ”

Her eyes had suddenly turned serious .  Jinwoo realized something was up .

“Yes, I am . ”

“If… Jinah underwent Awakening, would you let her work as a Hunter?”

“Absolutely not . ”

Never .

Jinwoo firmly replied .  He did not need to think about it .  The teacher’s expression darkened .

“As I expected…”

When Jinwoo looked at her suspiciously, the teacher continued with hesitation,

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you for a favor?”

Jinwoo nodded .

“If it’s something I can do…”

He’d hear her out at least .  The woman was Jinah’s teacher; he did not want to sour their relationship by cutting her off from the start .  Fearing that he would change his mind, the teacher quickly spoke,

“One of the female students here underwent Awakening recently . She’s planning on dropping out and starting work as a Hunter . She’s been absent for some time now . ”

‘Ah . ’

It was a common occurrence .  People who freshly received their Awakening ignored common sense and threw themselves into the Hunter profession .  Despite not knowing what the job truly entailed, they did it with pride at the fact that they were different from an ordinary person .  Even if you were an Awakened Being, taking on the title of a Hunter and earning life-changing amounts were difficult .

The teacher sighed deeply,

“If this continues, the school will have no choice but to take action . I want to avoid that if possible . Even if you were a Hunter, don’t you think you should atleast have a highschool diploma?”

Jinwoo nodded in agreement .  At the positive response, the teacher’s face brightened a bit .

“Could you please convince her to at least consider graduating?”

The teacher smiled pleadingly .  Jinwoo asked a question out of curiosity,

“That student, what was her rank?”

“From what I’ve heard… it was the lowest rank…”

E-rank .

‘ . . . She’s not going to live long . ’

Jinwoo clicked his tongue inside his head .  Even just entering a Dungeon required a caution at that rank .  9 out of 10 times, entering a Dungeon with carefree attitude born of arrogance resulted in either becoming disabled or dying .  The fact that a girl his sister’s age might meet such a fate weighed heavily on Jinwoo . However, he knew this was her decision .  No one had forced her into it . It was unfortunate, but he did not want to take valuable time out of his schedule to interfere with someone else’s choice .

‘I’m not sure if I could even convince her . ’

People like that didn’t like being told what to do .  And so, Jinwoo decided to refuse and started to rise .  But the teacher continued,

“Her name is ___ . Jinah should know her . ” [1]

When he heard the student’s name, Jinwoo could not get up .  He asked to confirm,

“Teacher, what was her name again?”

“It’s ___ . Do you know her?” [2]

“ . . . ”

What a small world .

‘Huh…’

Jinwoo was at a loss for words .

At the same hour .

Yoojin Construction’s Chairman Yoo Myunghan’s personal residence .

From early morning, luxurious and expensive cars made nonstop appearances at the house .

They all had arrived for the same reason .

It was for the memorial service[3] of Yoojin Construction’s founding chairman, Yoo Byungcheol .  He was the father of Korea’s #1 businessman, Yoo Myunghan . The man’s firstborn made sure to clear all schedules, no matter how busy he was, and took care of his father’s memorial service every year .  As a testament to the man’s fierce demeanor and influence, the entire Yoo clan gathered as one on this day .

A certain investment firm’s president .  A certain pharmaceutical company’s chairman . A certain mall’s owner .  The members of the Yoo clan were filled with prominent heads of various business sectors .  Even their children were the elites among elites . Except for one .

That one person, without being told to do so, took up a spot quietly in a corner, acting as if he didn’t exist .

It was Yoo Jinho . [4]

‘Boring . ’

The young man wished this entire ceremony would be over soon .  Running through Dungeons with hyungnim was a hundred times, no, a thousand times more fun than this .

‘I wonder what hyungnim’s up to right now?’

Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine how Jinwoo would spend his day off .  Jinho idly thought about random things while sipping away at his drink, when a voice he didn’t want to hear spoke up from behind him .

“Oy . ”

Who else could it be? Even at a glance, you could tell that the voice’s owner was a man of talent .  Exuding the aura of an elite . Wearing high-class glasses . A tall height .

It was Yoo Jinho’s older brother, Yoo Jinsung .  The firstborn son of Yoo Myunghan . The heir who would control Yoojin Construction someday .

The man stood right before his younger brother and stared down on him .

“You should be up and about greeting the relatives . How long are you going to act like a little kid for?”

“ . . . Whatever . ”

“Know that your unseemly actions only besmirch the name of our father . ”

Yoo Jinsung’s words did not have a shred of brotherly love in them, only an utter disdain of looking down on someone inferior .  Of course, Yoo Jinho also had little love for his brother but did not dare speak up against him .

“ . . . ”

His brother took after their father in many ways after all .  He was a genius among geniuses that stood at the top of the class in every subject, and his grades were just the tip of the iceberg .  Once he graduated, he quickly began working under his father, Yoo Myunghan, in various sectors of business and produced great results .  Compared to him, Yoo Jinho had nothing to show for himself . Even entering college was with the help of the family name . Whenever he stood next to his brother, Jinho felt himself shrinking down to nonexistence .

“ . . . ”

“Pathetic . ”

The older brother frowned at the younger’s lowered head .  He quickly turned and walked away .

“Esteemed uncle . ”

“Oh, it’s Jinsung . How are you?”

Yoo Jinho was able to finally raise his head after Yoo Jinsung had walked away .  This is why he hated coming home . If only it wasn’t his grandfather’s memorial service… While Yoo Jinho repeatedly sighed to himself, another familiar voice came from behind him .

“Wow, I really hate that guy . ”

Yoo Jinho turned around .  It was his cousin, a year older than him, Yoo Soohyun .

Translator’s Notes:

[0]: Might sound weird for folks in the west, but it’s really true in Korea .  There’s a reason why the country’s known for the immense amount of pressure parents put on their kids during highschool .

[1]: The original passage skips over the student’s name here .

[2]: Again, the name is not written down in the original passage .

[3]: “memorial service” (제사): In Korea (and I think most east asian countries), families go the extra mile when it comes to remembering the dead, specifically their elders that have passed .  Large families would gather the entire clan into one place for remembrance .

[4]: Aww . . .

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