The Novel’s Villain

Chapter 39: Choi Hayeon (3)

Hearing the TV show host’s uttering words, Jinwoo’s eyes bulged wide, spitting out a mouthful of beer in bewilderment.

The liquid stained the sofa. Not that it mattered. The sofa would be replaced if servants were unable to clean the mess.

That aside, the sudden appearance of a name he was overly familiar with surprised him dearly so. She was the granddaughter of Gum Sun… Choi Hayeon.

At that moment, Jinwoo came down from blissful heaven and was brought down to reality at the mere mention of her name.

Choi Hayeon.

What he was feeling was similar to going back to his hometown to meet his old friends excitedly only to be called by the boss of the company he worked for out of the blue demanding work.

“Hmm…”

Jinwoo wondered whether he should change the channel, but in the end, he put the controller back down.

In truth, he was curious.

「Thankfully, our show, Star TV Communication, was fortunate enough to be able to interview her!」

「Wow! I can’t wait to hear it!」

「Yes! My hands are shaking with anticipation as well! Let’s go see Miss Hayeon right away!」

Jinwoo tried remembering the setting of the original novel.

To receive qualification as a knight was the highest honor the world’s talent could attain for as a knight they would be able to become a candidate as the nation’s representative. Though it meant putting their very own life on the line, they were able to enter the national competitions and gain limited resources the common civilians would never dream of.

The common civilians held both envy and respect for the knights. They were integral to saving lives, after all.

The knights, too, had a high chance of securing massively important resources through the Gates with their victories in the national competition which was not only beneficial on a national level but also on a personal level.

The knights risked their lives for the well-being of the people. The common civilians couldn’t help but hold them in respect and reverie for what they do.

Therefore, the test qualification for becoming a knight was extremely difficult. Those knights had gone through an extremely arduous written test and practical tests putting them against experienced and veteran knights. Once they’ve shown their competency, the final test would then be held inside the Gates.

Even garnering the rights to taking the test was difficult while the percentage of those passing was dismally low. The survival rate of those undergoing the final test sat only at thirty percent.

Knights had a different rank system aside from their talent and abilities. They were ranked from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Master. There also exists the Legend rank that only so few knights in between were qualified for. They were qualified for a higher rank according to the standards of the National Talent Association, but even then, guaranteeing their own survival was slim.

‘It’s a common world setting, but it’s fun.’

Jinwoo nodded his head.

The bronze and silver ranking was probably inspired by a video game.

Jinwoo enjoyed playing video games in his previous life. The highest tier he was able to get was the third tier—it was silver. Then again, he didn’t have talent in video gaming.

‘Are knights in this world considered celebrities?’

It would be fitting to call them celebrities among celebrities in this world. Meeting a knight was something beyond anyone’s wildest dream and it’d feel like meeting a mythological figure face to face.

Knights were heroes on a national and international level.

“Hmm…”

But something was odd. There was a slight change, different from the original novel.

Choi Hayeon did acquire the right to becoming a knight, but it was mentioned at the beginning part of the original novel.

The current timeline was two years before the plot began. She shouldn’t have attempted the knight’s qualification test just yet. It was too early.

Had he somehow made some sort of influence towards her? He couldn’t remember.

Curious, Jinwoo tilted his head in thought.

The screen changed and Daeseon University came into full view. A sense of blooming pride arose from the depths of his heart. He felt proud. Though that would be a given. Daeseon University was his own school and he could proudly boast his private garage and personal runway.

「Hello everyone! This is Star TV Communication’s cutie reporter, Kim Sohee! I received special permission from Daeseon University’s president, Kim Myungsoo, to allow me to enter the classrooms where students with talents learn. Now, let’s set off to the unknown world!」

It seems the man assigned to Daeseon University as president had been quite generous to them. Though the scandalous news about what had gone on in the university went public, the damage done to the university was minimal at most.

Not only was their no damage to their squeaky clean image, it only further helped Daeseon University’s prestige and reputation for maintaining a clean image showing that they had no tolerance for evil and corruption inside the gates of the university and would fire any teacher and expel any student if they conclusive evidence of it.

The response from folks on the internet was progressively constructive, allowing the students to restore some of their lost pride.

President Kim Myungsoo bent over backward doing everything he could to his utmost efforts to prevent any hard-hit damage. His very own life was on the line and had he failed, he’d have experienced a world much more horrible than the dreadful thing called hell.

University president Kim Myeong Su had to do absolutely everything he could to make that happen since his actual life was on the line. If he had not done so, he would have experienced first hand a world worse than hell.

After showing the view of the university for a slight moment, the scene transitioned to a classroom where Daeson University’s students with talent and abilities learned and practiced.

It panned to the reporter sitting at the reception area of a particular building. The reporter wore an exaggerated look of nervousness. She looked cute and it wasn’t boring to watch.

‘Actually…’

Jinwoo realized that Lee Jinwoo and Choi Hayeon hadn’t seen each other in a while.

Lee Jinwoo had erased her completely from his memory since long ago while Jinwoo erased her memory after leaving the grand mansion.

Jinwoo didn’t have any reason to see her.

It would be for the best that they not see each other anymore.

「W-wow… I’m… Miss Choi Hayeon! It’s a pleasure meeting you. We’re finally able to see you in person!」

The reporter, flabbergasted, was sent in a void of disarray as she greeted Choi Hayeon.

「Yes, hello.」

Choi Hayeon smiled.

Only

“Oh…”

Choi Hayeon’s status as one of the novel’s heroines was befitting of her character. She looked beautiful.

If Kim Saeyeon was the simple and innocent girl with a pure image, then Choi Hayeon was the slightly aggressive and stubborn one. If there was anything to describe her, then she had the temperament of a cat, somewhat.

Looking at her, Jinwoo felt like he was staring at a well-honed sword.

The full-dress uniform of a knight fitted her image dearly. She looked ethereal like a painting come to life.

Seeing her, Jinwoo realized that the author created numerous heroines each with their own distinct personality. He admired the author’s creativity for that.

‘Well, no matter. She had nothing to do with me anymore.’

Jinwoo nodded as those thoughts entered his mind.