Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

"What did you just say?" Seonwoo Jin repeated, his mouth twitching.

Haha, he can't control his expression at all. Watching Seonwoo Jin's half smiling, half frowning face, Hyonwon Kang felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him.

"Shall I repeat myself? I asked how I can run for Club Union President," he said, grinning smugly.

"……" Seonwoo Jin clamped his mouth shut, eyes fixed on Hyonwon Kang as if trying to decipher his real intentions.

Before he could respond though, someone else burst out in anger.

"Stop spouting nonsense! You, running for Club Union President? You clueless imbecile!" Oh Jinyang shouted, his face turning crimson as he rudely pointed at Hyonwon Kang.

The other students kept quiet, but their displeased expressions mirrored Oh Jinyang's.

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"What's the big deal? Can't I even ask a simple question?" Hyonwon Kang casually dug into his ear and flicked some yellow earwax at Oh Jinyang's shirt.

"EWWW! You filthy thug!" Oh Jinyang shrieked.

Hyonwon Kang retorted, "You wanna fight again? Although I have to warn you, since I've already apologized and started my new club, I have no reason to just stand here and take your crap anymore."

"Keuk…!" For a moment, Oh Jinyang clenched his fists, but he soon swallowed his rage, unable to bring himself to strike an unrestrained Hyonwon Kang.

Smirking, Hyonwon Kang turned back to Seonwoo Jin. "Hey, Seonwoo Jin."

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"……"

"I'm pretty sensitive to qi, you know? I noticed you watching from the sidelines while I was getting beat up."

Looking flustered, Seonwoo Jin began, "There seems to be a misunderstanding…"

"Misunderstanding, my ass," Hyonwon Kang cut him off with a sly grin. "I know you stepped in late on purpose so you could play the hero. You've always loved doing that, haven't you?"

"……" Seonwoo Jin bit his lip. He, Hyonwon Kang, and Peng Sahyuk had known each other for a long time. After all, as families renowned for their blade techniques, the Hebei Peng Clan, the Hyonwon Clan, and the Seonwoo Clan frequently held gatherings.

This was also why Hyonwon Kang understood Seonwoo Jin's true nature better than most. Beneath the surface, Seonwoo Jin was anything but the nice guy everyone believed him to be.

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Hyonwon Kang snorted, "Now that Peng Sahyuk's gone, you're aiming to take over the Club Union, aren't you? You opportunist bastard."

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Seonwoo Jin replied, forcing a smile.

Unfortunately, once Hyonwon Kang started talking, there was no stopping him. He hadn't really meant to run for Club Union President; he only said it to annoy Seonwoo Jin. However, now that it was out in the open, he wasn't about to back down.

"Harsh, my ass. You're just that annoying. I'd rather be the Club Union President myself than see someone like you take the position. So, how do I apply? Do I just fill out a form here?"

Hyonwon Kang glanced around at the Club Union members nearby.

"As for you lot. When Peng Sahyuk was throwing his weight around, you were the foxes borrowing the tiger's might, basking in his authority. Now that he's gone, aren't you quick to cozy up to Seonwoo Jin? Don't you have any pride?" he scoffed.

"Peng Sahyuk was a tyrant."

"We were forced to do what we did!"

Hyonwon Kang chuckled derisively, "Oh, really? So you agree that Peng Sahyuk was a tyrant, but still chose to suck up to him, licking his boots and feeding off his scraps instead of standing up to him, right?"

"Shut up!"

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Insults flew at Hyonwon Kang from all sides, but he didn't care. Shrugging nonchalantly, he remarked, "When I become Club Union President, the first thing I'll do is get rid of all you sycophants. Just giving you a heads-up."

After venting his frustrations, Hyonwon Kang felt completely refreshed.

Suddenly, amid the angry shouts, a clear voice, sharp as a blade, cut through the noise.

"Fine, go ahead and try," Seonwoo Jin said. "I was getting bored without any real competition, and people might start whispering about unfairness if there was a walkover. If I win the election fair and square, though, no one can say a thing, so this actually works out pretty well for me."

"What?"

Seonwoo Jin's gentle smile vanished, replaced by an icy glare. "Someone bring me the election application form," he snapped.

It was a command, not a request. A Club Union member hurriedly complied and handed the application form to Hyonwon Kang.

"The Club Union President election is in fifteen days. Normally, anyone with black marks on their record isn't allowed to run, but I'll make a special exception for you," Seonwoo Jin added.

Hyonwon Kang had enough violations on his record to be banned from running, yet with a single word, Seonwoo Jin approved his entry. It was clear who held the real sway in the Club Union.

"What are you waiting for? Fill it out and submit it. Unless what you said earlier was just bluff," Seonwoo Jin taunted.

"Bluff? Don't come crying to me when you regret it later." Hyonwon Kang grinned fiercely as he filled out the form and handed it over.

Seonwoo Jin extended his hand for a shake. "Now that it's come to this, let's have a friendly competition," he said.

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SMACK!

Hyonwon Kang coldly slapped Seonwoo Jin's hand away, growling like a predator eyeing its prey, "Friendly competition? Yeah, right. Starting today, it's war. I'm gonna destroy you, so you'd better be ready, you son of a bitch."

"……"

Turning on his heel, Hyonwon Kang stormed out of the Club Union building.

And that was how, right after founding the Medicinal Cooking Research Society, Hyonwon Kang found himself running for Club Union President.

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"Aaaagh! Damn it! What the hell was I thinking?!"

Back at the White Dragon Manor, Hyonwon Kang clutched his head, rolling around on his bed and kicking the innocent blankets.

"Why the fuck did I do that? Me? Club Union President? Who in their right mind would vote for me?!" he groaned.

He'd acted on impulse, but the more he thought about it, the stupider the idea seemed.

"War? Aaaagh! I must be crazy! Totally crazy!" he yelled.

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No matter how he looked at it, there was no chance of him beating Seonwoo Jin. Honestly, even against another opponent, almost no one would vote for him. If that wasn't bad enough, the voters were all members of clubs under the Club Union. Given his history with them, there wasn't a single reason for them to choose him over Seonwoo Jin.

"This is all because of that bastard Peng Sahyuk!!"

…Fuck, why am I blaming a guy who isn't even here? Sighing, Hyonwon Kang gave up thinking and lay down on his bed.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, he muttered, "Fine. Whatever. Just this once, I'll endure the embarrassment and be done with it…"

CREAK…

Suddenly, the door opened, and the other White Dragon Manor students peeked in.

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"Wonkang, what's going on?"

"Senior, please keep it down!"

"You're sighing so loudly, you're going to collapse the floor."

"I already knew you were crazy, but after coming back from the Club Union, haven't you gotten even crazier…?"

Before Hyonwon Kang knew it, everyone had gathered in his room.

He immediately waved them away, saying, "I want to be alone, so get out… Hey! Why are you making yourselves comfortable even after I tell you to scram!"

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Annoyed, Hyonwon Kang grabbed whatever was nearby and tossed it, but no one was foolish enough to get hit by the clumsy throws. Instead, they crowded around him and started to interrogate him.

"Spill it. Ever since you got back from the Club Union, you haven't been training properly. What's up?"

"Tell us, Senior. Did someone at the Club Union bully you?"

"You said something about an election earlier. What's that about?"

Realizing he fellow students wouldn't leave unless he talked, Hyonwon Kang had no choice but to explain what happened. "I'm really embarrassed… but, it's like this… and that's how it went."

As soon as he finished, everyone except Wiji Cheon burst into laughter and started teasing him.

"Hahaha!"

"Senior Wonkang for Club Union President? Does that make us his campaign team?"

"I wish I'd secretly followed him. That must have been one amazing spectacle…"

Covering his flushed face with one hand, Hyonwon Kang moaned, "Fuck. This is why I didn't want to tell anyone…"

Before he could finish his line though, a large hand landed on his head.

Geo Sangwoong laughed as he ruffled his junior's hair. "Election or not, I should congratulate you for a job well done! I can't believe you actually held back the whole time they were beating you up."

"Stop! What are you doing? That's gross," Hyonwon Kang complained, pushing away Geo Sangwoong's hand.

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However, it wasn't just Geo Sangwoong. When he looked up, he realized that everyone was looking at him with proud smiles.

His ears turned beetroot red. "You guys are embarrassing… go train or something!" he grumbled.

"What about you, Senior?"

"I should too. I'm not going to be able to change anything if I keep drowning in my regrets," Hyonwon Kang declared resolutely, getting up and shaking himself off.

Seeing that, the others nodded and stood up as well. Having faced life and death together in the Valley of Evil, they had grown extremely close.

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Back to his usual self, Hyonwon Kang smirked. "Right, I'm feeling stiff. Anyone want to spar with me?"

"…By the way, how are you going to tell this to Mr. Baek?" Wiji Cheon suddenly asked casually.

"Don't any of you dare tell him," Hyonwon Kang warned sternly, shuddering at the very thought of Baek Suryong discovering what he'd done. "I'll handle it myself. If he finds out, he'll definitely make a big deal out of it…"

"Um, I'm sorry, but I think it's too late for that…" Wiji Cheon interrupted apologetically, glancing furtively behind Hyonwon Kang.

Hyonwon Kang blinked in confusion. "What?"

"What's this about an election?" a voice right behind Hyonwon Kang asked.

"HIEEEEEEEK!" Hyonwon Kang shrieked, startled.

Slowly, he turned around, dreading what he might see. Sure enough, Baek Suryong stood there. Somehow, the tall teacher had snuck up behind him like a ghost, without alerting anyone to his presence.

Gasping, he spat, "You! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"That's because you're being strangely absentminded. Normally, you'd have noticed me a long time ago," Baek Suryong rebuked, folding his arms and grinning peculiarly. "Anyway, I overheard most of your conversation. So, Wonkang, you decided to run for Club Union President?"

"I, uh… haaa…" Hyonwon Kang sighed, defeated. "Yes, I did. Now all that's left is for me to make a complete fool of myself."

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"Why would you be humiliated? That won't happen if you win the election," Baek Suryong argued.

Hyonwon Kang's jaw dropped. "What? Me? Win the election…? Mr. Baek, I'm Hyonwon Kang."

He emphasized his name, as if saying it alone was enough to explain everything.

THWACK!

"That's not something worth bragging about, you stupid brat," Baek Suryong retorted, smacking Hyonwon Kang on the head with the Black Dragon Pointer and sending him sprawling for the umpteenth time.

Then, squatting down in front of the groaning Hyonwon Kang, he continued, "Listen carefully, Hyonwon Kang. As you said to Seonwoo Jin, this is a war. A war in which we are at an overwhelming disadvantage."

"I know that…" Hyonwon Kang mumbled, slumping his shoulders.

Seeing that, Baek Suryong chuckled, "Still, there's no need for you to feel discouraged. Think of this as a war where we have nothing to lose. If we win, great; if we lose, we're right back where we started."

"That's true, but…"

"Not that I intend to lose in the first place," Baek Suryong declared, eyes gleaming.

I didn't expect this, but what a windfall, he thought.

The Club Union, along with the Student Council, was not only one of the two major student organizations at the Azure Dragon Academy, it was by far the larger one in terms of headcount. This meant that by taking control of the Club Union, he and his students would be able to exert considerable influence over the general student body.

"When I first thought about starting a club, I did consider the Club Union election. However, I realized there was no way you delinquents would ever qualify, so I dropped the idea… but now you're telling me they actually approved your candidacy?"

A wild grin spread across Baek Suryong's face, the kind that sent a shiver down his students' spines.

"Let's take over the Club Union," he announced, his mind swirling as he began to line up the cards he could play.

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