Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 176: The Swordsmanship Research Society (3)

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Are you in a close relationship with anyone right now?"

Yoo Yiran's sudden question plunged the meeting room into stunned silence.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Yoo Yiran glanced around the table, baffled. "What's wrong? Did I say something weird?"

"P-P-President!"

"Even if it's you, confessing at first sight is a bit…"

"No man in their right mind would turn down the President, right?"

"A confession? Was that a real confession just now?"

The room erupted into a whirlwind of shock and confusion.

Did the Sword Flower just confess her feelings to a man?

How many men have poured all their efforts into winning her heart until now?

There are even guys who started learning swordsmanship just for an opportunity to talk to the President!

Countless men admired Yoo Yiran, but she had always coldly rejected them, claiming that her sword training took priority, yet here she was, confessing to a junior she had only just met…?

"A-A relationship?" Wiji Cheon stuttered. His face flushed red, and he fanned himself as if trying to cool down.

Sensing an opportunity to poke fun at his junior, Hyonwon Kang smirked mischievously. He and his fellows at the White Dragon Manor were always finding excuses to mock each other—it was practically a tradition by now.

Giving Wiji Cheon a playful nudge in the ribs, he teased, "You sly little rascal. I thought that your sword was your one true love. When did you manage to snag such a beauty, eh?"

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"What? Me? No way!" Wiji Cheon exclaimed, jumping up in surprise.

"Confession? What are you all talking about?" Yoo Yiran asked innocently.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Wiji Cheon blurted out, "I'm sorry! I don't have any plans to start a relationship with anyone right now. I don't even have enough time to train with my sword every day… I'm really sorry!"

Immediately, all the men except Wiji Cheon erupted, their misunderstanding further intensified by his rejection of Yoo Yiran.

"Unbelievable!"

"Are you insane?!"

"You're throwing away a golden opportunity!"

The Sword Flower confessing her feelings was already shocking on its own, but the fact that she got rejected? That might just be the biggest incident since the founding of the SRS.

Finally, realization dawned on Yoo Yiran, and she hastily explained, "…It seems there's been a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant. I must have been too excited and used confusing words."

"Eh? Huh?" Wiji Cheon's face burned an even brighter shade of red, his embarrassment growing by the second.

Yoo Yiran gave him a bright smile. "By 'close relationship,' I meant as good friends. As a fellow swordsman, I was wondering if you had any close friends to discuss swordsmanship with."

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"Thank goodness…" Wiji Cheon exhaled in relief.

Yoo Yiran widened her eyes. Now that she thought about it, it was the first time a man had rejected her, so she felt a bit strange.

"…Erm, I don't have any plans to date anyone right now either. I don't even have enough time to train with my sword," she added awkwardly.

"Hehe, me too!"

With the misunderstanding cleared up, they both smiled at each other. In a way, they made a pretty good pair.

Then, out of nowhere, Yoo Yiran's expression turned sharp.

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"Regardless… Is that sort of stuff the only thing you guys think about?" she snapped, casting a disdainful glance at the SRS leaders.

In response, they wore expressions of indignation.

"No…"

"Can you blame us, President? Your choice of words was really…"

"Not long ago, you said you'd absolutely never get into a relationship with anyone, so…"

Noticing the students' reluctance to speak frankly to the President, Hyonwon Kang spoke up on their behalf. "Honestly, you were staring at Wiji Cheon so intently, it's only natural we'd think it was a confession. Even I thought you fell in love with him at first sight."

"Well…" Yoo Yiran's voice trailed off.

She couldn't easily refute Hyonwon Kang's words. It was true that seeing Wiji Cheon up close had left her in a state of deep shock, especially since it was the first time since Dokgo Jun that she had felt like that towards a swordsman around her age.

No, not even Dokgo Jun made me feel like this… She bit her lip, perplexed.

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Seeing Yoo Yiran's expression, a sly idea popped into Hyonwon Kang's mind. Reaching out, he draped his arm around Wiji Cheon's shoulders and asked, "So, you want to become close friends with our Jicheon, right?"

The SRS leaders shivered. Although Hyonwon Kang had intended to make a friendly gesture, to them, he looked like he was about to rob a cute and helpless boy.

Yoo Yiran tilted her head, confused. "Jicheon? Isn't his surname Wiji and his given name Cheon?"

"We're close friends, so I call him by a nickname," Hyonwon Kang replied, pulling Wiji Cheon closer. "Earlier, you said that you have nothing to gain and a lot to lose by endorsing me, right? What did you mean by that?"

Yoo Yiran explained, "As long as we have a place to practice swordsmanship, we'll be fine. Our membership fees are sufficient to support our activities, so we don't really care about things like club funding, facility expansion, or equipment support."

Hyonwon Kang nodded, realizing that the approach he and Tang Soso had taken was wrong from the start. To gain the SRS's support, I need to offer them what they truly want… even if it means sacrificing Wiji Cheon.

"Then how about this? Wiji Cheon will come here every three days and duel with the SRS members," he proposed.

"W-What?"

"As you know, this guy is a prodigy with the sword. Every time I spar with him, I learn a lot. Since you are all swordsmen, it would be even more beneficial for you, right?"

The SRS leaders, who hadn't reacted to his previous proposals, suddenly perked up.

"Hmm, that doesn't sound bad…"

"Isn't that a bit arrogant? A mere freshman offering to instruct us in swordsmanship?"

"He's not an ordinary freshman, though. Didn't you see him fight evenly with Senior Dokgo Jun during the entrance exam?"

"Even so…"

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Hyonwon Kang grinned confidently. The fact that the SRS leaders were actively voicing their opinions and discussing the proposal could only mean that they were seriously considering it.

This might actually work out better than I thought.

Just then, Wiji Cheon, who had somehow ended up as a bargaining chip, sent a telepathic message to Hyonwon Kang, sounding gloomy as he complained, [Senior Wonkang, are you sure it's okay to make this kind of deal? What if these seniors get offended…]

[Offended? Look at their eyes. They're itching to cross swords with you,] Hyonwon Kang replied.

He understood Wiji Cheon's value better than anyone. The temptation to accept his suggestion must be especially hard to resist, especially since peer-to-peer learning between fellow swordsmen opened up a realm of possibilities different from learning from an instructor.

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Yoo Yiran stared at Hyonwon Kang incredulously. "You want us to endorse you on the condition that Wiji Cheon regularly duels with us? Like a master offering sparring sessions to novices? Are you looking down on us?"

"My apologies, I meant no offense," Hyonwon Kang said, his tone calm and respectful. "The offer was more of a suggestion for equal sparring and learning rather than one-sided teaching. Will you consider it?"

"……"

Yoo Yiran fell silent for a long while. Hyonwon Kang figured that she was exchanging telepathic messages with the SRS leaders, so he folded his arms and waited patiently for the result.

Finally, Yoo Yiran raised a suggestion, "We'll consider your proposal, but we have one condition."

"Name it."

"We need to first confirm how sparring with Wiji Cheon would benefit us."

Hyonwon Kang raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"If Wiji Cheon duels with me and wins, the SRS will endorse you," Yoo Yiran replied, her eyes sparkling like a child who had just received a new toy.

"E-Excuse me?" Wiji Cheon blurted out, flustered.

Ignoring him, Hyonwon Kang grinned widely. "Are you sure? You're all in agreement on this, right? No takebacks?"

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The SRS leaders nodded in unison.

"We've already agreed among ourselves."

"If it means we can watch the President and Wiji Cheon duel, endorsing you is no big deal."

"Unlike those BRS guys, we have nothing to lose from you winning the election, anyway."

The SRS was a club made up of students who loved the sword, and those gathered here were the most passionate among them. The chance to witness a duel between Yoo Yiran and Wiji Cheon was simply too good to pass up.

Hyonwon Kang's eyes lit up with amazement. Now I understand why Tang Soso insisted that I bring Wiji Cheon along. These guys, who wouldn't budge no matter what I offered, changed their minds just because they got a chance to see his swordsmanship? Well, perhaps this is the nature of martial artists.

He smiled brightly. "Alright. Let's set this up! The more spectators and witnesses, the better, right?"

"You want to make it a public duel? That's fine with me," Yoo Yiran agreed readily. Still, she didn't plan to let Hyonwon Kang have everything his way. "However, if Wiji Cheon loses, he has to quit your club and join the SRS. Will you agree to that?"

Yoo Yiran thought the condition would give Hyonwon Kang pause, so started thinking about how to negotiate, but then…

"I gladly accept!" Hyonwon Kang shouted gleefully, as if this was exactly what he'd hoped for all along.

"S-Senior!" Wiji Cheon protested, but his objections went unnoticed.

The SRS training ground was packed with onlookers, all eager to witness the duel between Wiji Cheon and Yoo Yiran.

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On the central platform, the two faced each other in silence. They made a striking pair—Yoo Yiran, whose beauty drew admiration from the crowd, and Wiji Cheon, smaller in stature with a timid air about him. Both of them had slender physiques not typical of martial artists, but no one in the crowd dared underestimate them.

"Who do you think will win?"

"President Yoo Yiran, obviously. Why are you even considering other possibilities?"

"Well, Wiji Cheon is amazing too. Didn't he fight evenly with the Student Council President during the entrance exam?"

"You fool. If that battle had continued, Senior Dokgo Jun would have won for sure."

In addition to SRS members, students from other clubs had also gathered, attracted by rumors. Among them were Seonwoo Jin and his lackeys.

Spotting Hyonwon Kang, Seonwoo Jin approached him, a leisurely smile playing on his lips. "Well well, look who we have here. I see you're working hard, Hyonwon Kang."

Furrowing his brow, Hyonwon Kang snapped, "Did you come here to cause trouble?"

"Not at all. I heard the Sword Flower was dueling, so I came to watch," Seonwoo Jin chuckled, his eyes fixed intently on the Sword Flower standing on the dueling platform. She was one of the few flowers he had yet to pluck.

With a sleazy smile, he turned back to Hyonwon Kang. "Is this part of your campaign strategy? Are you trying to build rapport with the SRS through a friendly duel?"

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"Mind your own business," Hyonwon Kang growled, picking his ear.

For a moment, he had wondered what kind of face Seonwoo Jin would make if he heard that the SRS would endorse him if Wiji Cheon won the duel, but he quickly abandoned the thought.

Although I really want to see that guy's expression, I'll hold back and feign ignorance for now. That way, he'll make an even more interesting face later, Hyonwon Kang schemed.

Seeing Hyonwon Kang grinning to himself, Seonwoo Jin put on the air of someone superior. "It's good to see you trying your best. That way, the election will be more fun," he said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Of course, Hyonwon Kang was not one to take snide remarks lying down. "You should work hard too. Don't come crying to me later saying that you lost because you let your guard down," he taunted.

For an instant, Seonwoo Jin's smile wavered, his failed jab stoking a quiet anger beneath the surface.

"Haha… Don't worry, that won't happen. More importantly, Hyonwon Kang, let me give you some advice…" he began, but his voice was drowned out by a sudden surge of noise around them.

"It's Mr. Namgung Su!"

"Namgung Su is here!"

When they saw Namgung Su, the advisor of the Swordsmanship Research Society, step out onto the dueling stage, the spectators burst into cheers.

Raising his voice, Namgung Su announced, "At the SRS's request, I will be the observer and judge of this duel. If I determine that either side is going too far or is likely to get seriously injured, I will stop the match immediately and decide the winner at my own discretion. Do either of you have any objections?"

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"No, sir."

"No, Mr. Namgung."

Yoo Yiran and Wiji Cheon replied without taking their eyes off each other, their minds fully focused on assessing each other's qi and movements.

Namgung Su smiled faintly. "Good. You may begin whenever you're ready."

He stepped back, giving the two expert swordsmen some space.

"……"

"……"

Yoo Yiran and Wiji Cheon exchanged a few words, but the surrounding noise was so loud that no one caught what was said.

WHOOSH!

A gust of wind swept across the platform, tousling their hair, and as if on cue, both swordsmen placed their hands on their sword hilts.

The noise in the crowd abruptly died. Sensing the tension in the air, everyone held their breath, waiting for the moment the fight would begin.

Suddenly, the silence was broken as one impatient person muttered, "When will they start…"

In the blink of an eye, the duel began as both fighters drew their swords in perfect synchrony.