Chapter 43 : Leona's Secret Hobby #3 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

"Do you see it? The superhuman abilities of this older brother?" There’s nothing more delightful than showing off your strength to kids. As embarrassing as it may be, I've come to realize this undeniable truth. It's fun. Is there a job where I can earn money by flaunting my strength to kids? I was having such a good time that the thought seriously crossed my mind. "Amazing...!" "I want to be a hero too!" "How do you awaken?" The boys and girls who saw my sword energy shouted in excitement. Well, naturally, everyone wants to awaken. After all, who wouldn’t want to be a superhuman? Kids are no different. "Awakening is just a matter of luck. It's purely luck, really. If you’re lucky, you awaken. If not, you just go about your life." "Why is the world all about luck!" "Is everything luck?" "Overwhelming despair!" The kids are holding their heads! "Don’t despair! Children shouldn’t give in to despair...! Never should they do so!" And so, I taught and played with the kids. Truly... even though they are orphans, they are incredibly spirited. They are all nice and full of laughter. They shine so brightly that even I feel a sense of warmth watching them. But of course. These are children who have spent much time with Leona, so it's no surprise they’re not gloomy. Leona has that angelic power. "Kyakkyakkyak!" "Fuhahaha!" "Look at this! It's a move that Leona taught us!" A smile naturally spreads on my face as I watch the kids. "Hahaha." But being an orphan... I'm also technically an orphan by setting, but how would I have lived if I were a real orphan? According to my profile, I bounced around different orphanages. If I guess... well, that's probably it. The likelihood is high that I had a pretty lousy personality. That’s why I transferred schools frequently. It’s the most reasonable explanation. "Hmm." I've been told I have a lousy personality quite a bit in life. But doesn’t everybody hear that to some degree? Just because you get along with friends and acquaintances doesn’t mean you get along with enemies too. I’ve been criticized for my personality a lot. I had plenty of friends, but I also fought with plenty of jerks. There was a lot of friction. "It's probably similar." If I were a real orphan, I probably would have lived like a free spirit. People with wounds tend to be abrasive. All the more so if they’re not even adults. If I really lived here as an orphan, it seems likely I would have lived according to that profile. So I can empathize. But... who was I really while I was here? For now, I look exactly as I did just before joining the army. The photo on the student ID is the same. "..." No clear answers emerge in my mind. "Geun Cheol hyung! Hurry! Let's play villain tag! You're the villain, and we're the civilians!" "Run as fast as you can! I'm going to devour you! I'll show you what happens to those caught by a villain!" I immediately start chasing the kids! "Kyaaaah!" "Aaaah! It's the villain! The villain! Everyone run away!" I reveal my true identity to the fleeing kids. "Hahahahaha! I am the Red Man who puts kids in sacks!!!" "An A-rank villain, the Nightmare of Christmas!" "They say if you get into his sack, you turn into a red child...! Everyone run!" And so, brushing off needless thoughts, I played tag with the kids. Immersing myself in the role of a villain and shouting as I ran was truly enjoyable. Do cheetahs on the open plains feel like this? While I was doing so, "Huff, huff. Geun Cheol." "Oh! Si Hoo!" A weary-looking Si Hoo approached. "The kids are full of energy...! Is it because they’re kids?" "Hahaha, of course kids have a lot of energy. Looks like you've had your share of it too, Si Hoo?" "I got quite the workout playing with them. But Geun Cheol." "Hmm?" Si Hoo spoke to me with a pleased expression. "Hehe, you looked like you were having a blast. Do you like kids?" "Yeah." An immediate answer. "Who doesn’t like kids? Of course, I like them." "Hmm, I guess that makes sense." "Everyone loves kids." "Geun Cheol. That statement sounded kind of heroic, it's cool. You have a good mindset." "Hahaha, my mindset is already that of a hero." "That self-flattery of yours. But since it's true, I can't argue." Of course. "Anyway, Si Hoo. The only ones who dislike kids... are bad people. I'm sure of it." "Well said. But Geun Cheol. Where's Leona?" "Right? I bet she dumped this on us and ran off..." Suddenly. "Dumped on you?" Leona's voice echoed. "What do you mean by dumping on you?" So she was nearby. "Oh, it's a military slang. It means to push your work onto someone else and sneak off." "Why does Kim Geun Cheol know military slang? You haven’t even served." "Most Korean men eventually become veterans. It doesn't hurt to know early." "What nonsense. Kim Geun Cheol, you’re not going to the army anyway." "What?" -Thunk- In that instant. It felt as if something flashed in my mind. "Not going to the army? No." Being young again means I might have to go to the army once more. It’s chilling. Enlisting in a world with monsters? Fighting actual beasts like those armored soldiers? But not going to the army? A mix of fear and joy sweeps over me. "Why?" "Kim Geun Cheol? Isn’t that the most important thing, and you don’t know? Graduating from Ares Academy exempts you from military service in exchange for working as a hero. How doesn’t a Korean know this? Even I, a European, know—" "Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "Eep!" Whoooaaaoaaa!!! Yeeaah!!! Aarrgh!!! Aaah!!! Aaaaah!!!!!!! Swooosh!!! Hrrrk! Hrrrrrk! Waaaah!!! "Hahahahaha!" "Wait, Geun Cheol? Are you that happy?" "Of course! How could I not be in a great mood after having so much fun playing with the kids!" After that roar of joy, I looked into it more closely on my phone and found out that today’s South Korea maintains an incredibly strict conscription system. If both men and women receive a physical exam rating of grade 3 or higher, they’re conscripted for 24 months without exception. But the private soldier life is 11 months. Then, after 12 more months as a private first class, you become a corporal and are discharged. Servicemen above corporal rank are professional soldiers, and that Armored Sergeant I saw fit right into that category. Conscripts apparently don't ever wear power suits. But even so, if a monster appears in the city, conscripts or not, they have to be ready to be deployed in actual combat, making military life incredibly tough. Just thinking about how I, Geun Cheol, almost got dragged into that made me feel like throwing up, yet the joy of exemption surged through me so strongly that I got confused about what I was feeling. "I'm so happy!!!" "Obviously, it's because of the military exemption... Heh. But I'm glad to see you smiling." Anyway. After playing exuberantly with the kids, lunch time rolled around. We sent the kids to the orphanage cafeteria, and Leona took us out in her limousine. She insisted on buying us lunch. I asked why not just eat in the cafeteria, and she said she didn't feel like having a cafeteria meal. "Well, Kim Geun Cheol? And Si Hoo? You both worked hard and thank you for playing so well with the kids. It seems both of you are quite upstanding. Truly heroes, heroes." Leona praised us with a pleased look on her face. "Hahaha, Leona. No matter how kind I am, can I really compare to you?" "You've already caught up, Kim Geun Cheol. But why does Kim Geun Cheol have to exaggerate so much? Don't you think so?" "Hahaha, indeed. Geun Cheol seems to have nothing but exaggeration inside him." Stop mocking me in pairs...! Anyway, as we were talking, we reached our destination. We landed on the rooftop of some high-rise tower building. "Where is this? It couldn’t be a building of the Kynes family, could it?" "You're quite perceptive, aren't you?" "Unbelievable, truly. How is all this yours?" "Not entirely. We just have a big share. Think of it as shared with the Korean government. Phew." Leona boasted proudly. But even boasting from an angel doesn’t feel like boasting; it feels sacred. "So, Kim Geun Cheol? Is there anything you'd like to eat?" "Well... you're the one treating us to a meal here, so I can't decide. Go ahead and order whatever Archangel Leona wants to treat us to." "In that case, shall we go have some Schweinshaxe?" "What? Schweinshaxe?" "Yes?" Something comes to mind. "Geun Cheol, didn’t you notice a Schweinshaxe place the other day?" Si Hoo said. "Yeah. The Original Grandma's Schweinshaxe." A nonsensical name. "Oh? You know of it?" Then Leona reacted. "The Original Grandma's Schweinshaxe place?" "I saw it on the street... don't tell me, Leona, you’re connected to that place?" "Yes. It’s one of the Kynes family’s businesses. It’s delicious." That's actually yours?! "Who on earth is the Original Grandma!!!" "Leona! I'm curious too!" "What, what is this?" We explained to a bewildered Leona about the incident from last week. "Hehehe, is that so? Well. The name doesn’t really mean anything. Something like Original Grandma gives off the impression of being good at cooking, right? It’s a name that would appeal to Koreans... I heard it was named like that. It actually has nothing to do with any grandma. As far as I know, the representative is an uncle." "That's truly surprising." Is this the taste of Korea? "Then let’s eat. I'm starving—no, very hungry." "Sure, sure." Following Leona, we got into the building elevator. Apparently, that Schweinshaxe place is nearby. Today too, I’m grateful to the goddess-like Leona for treating us, and I resolve to join in any volunteer work in the future to help out. —Click-clack. After leaving the building, I followed Leona, listening to the sound of her heels as we walked down the street. "Wow." "Ooh..." "Oh." But, weren’t all the people around us staring at Leona? Truly, Leona is a type of beauty that naturally draws eyes. Her silver hair is beautiful too. As an angel, she draws an incredible amount of attention. "Hey. Leona. You're drawing too much attention." "It can’t be helped. I was born very pretty. This is like a passive skill I can't turn off, so don’t mind it, Kim Geun Cheol." Even if an angel is shameless, it’s allowed. "Hehehe, alright." But, it's hard not to mind. "Si Hoo, isn't she amazing? Everyone turns their eyes to her. A beauty." "Hmm... a beauty." "Hmm?" "Nothing. Nothing at all." Anyway. We walked a bit more and arrived at the Schweinshaxe place. Leona went in first, and Si Hoo followed right behind. Just when I was about to go in last. —Click-clack. I heard different footsteps and turned to look in that direction. "Oh. Geun Cheol oppa. Hello." "Hmm? Hey, aren't you?" A familiar blonde kid was standing there. "Oh! You! You’re the kid I saw when the monster appeared!" The kid who vanished all of a sudden!!! "Don't call me a kid, Geun Cheol oppa. Anyway, long time no see?" "How did you get home that time! And your body! You’re not hurt anywhere!" I must hear about this! Right as I approached to grab their shoulder, the kid avoided my gaze and said. "No need to worry about that... Geun Cheol oppa. But for now, let’s not speak so loudly in such a crowded place." "Oh. Sure."