45 Invitation
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" " (talking)
' ' (thinking)
{} (talking telepathically)
[ ] (Scene change)
PING (Texting)
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[Seo's Residency]
3rd Person's Pov:
"We have been invited to the World Awakened Academy?" Jiwoo questioned.
"Yes. The invitees are... Gangseok Choi of Baekho, Sucheon Kang of Baekdu, Jisuk Yoo of Shinhwa, Subin Lee of the Union, and unaffiliated Wooin, Yuna, Chelsea, and you, Jiwoo Seo." Inhyuk replied.
"I can't tell if this is a good thing..." Chelsea started.
"Or a bad thing." Yuna finished.
"..."
"The approximate duration is one month. The purpose is to interact with one another while staying in their academy." The cat lover said.
{Which is a hoax so they can draw us in to see what we're truly capable of.} Chelsea thought.
{Well Frame is going to attack, so we'll better be prepared. Let's UP hyung's training.} Yuna said.
{Hehehe, absolutely.} She grinned evilly, sending chills down Jiwoo spines.
"..."
Seeing Jiwoo's tense expression, Inhyuk said, "You're allowed to turn down the invitation if you want."
"We could do that?" Jiwoo asked.
"Sure. To be honest, their purpose is not to interact but to make assessment of you, and things could get very ugly. On a side note, the four accepted as soon as they learned about the invitation... Since they know the group, they belong to could be in trouble if they refuse without a valid reason." Inhyuk explained.
"Did Wooin make up his mind?"
"He said he'd go if you go." He sighed.
"Ah... What about you two, Chelsea, Yuna?" Their brother asked.
"I'll go if you go." Chelsea responded.
"What she said."
"Is that so..."
"Please give it some thought and let me know." Inhyuk said getting up.
"I will." Jiwoo replied as he walked him out.
Once he left, Kayden asked. "So, what are you gonna do?"
"To be honest... I'd like to go. I get that things won't be as safe as here in that place. But still, there must be lots of strong awakened kids like Duke... I wanna meet them in person and compete with them." He firmly stated.
{Definitely another Mr. Kayden incoming.} Chelsea commented.
{Well, that's the kind of mindset one would need to get stronger.} Yuna said.
"..."
Kartein shakes his head as he continues to feed on the cat treats Inhyuk left behind. "He's on his way to being an obsessive nut. Look at him, all eager to fight with other strong ones. He's just like his fight-hungry mentor."
"Hehe." He giggled embarrassedly.
"It'll be much dangerous than you think. Although everyone in there is considered a part of the awakened academy, that's just superficial. They'll try to ruin you and your friends whenever they see a chance." Kayden warned.
"Do you still wanna go?"
"Yes."
"Yup."
"Hm."
"We're your apprentices after all." They stated.
Kayden smirked proudly. "The decision's been made then, you guys will go. Although the risks are huge, so will the benefits if you can get a chance to interact and compete with other kids there."
"Yes, sir!"
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*Beep, Clank*
"?"
"Hey, Jisuk." Jiwoo greeted.
He went straight to the point. "I heard you guys were coming too."
"Ah... Yeah."
"Yep."
"Hm."
"We're not going camping. It's totally different from going to our country's awakened academy. This is like crossing the enemy's line." He explained.
"We know." Jiwoo replied making eye contact with Jisuk's.
"Yeah, I also think you know it by now." He said before kneeling in front of Kayden and Kartein handing them cat bites.
"What's up by the way?" Chelsea asked.
"I stopped by while passing through the area. Let's order something to eat. I'm getting hungry." He replied.
"Ohh, that sounds good! What should we eat?" Jiwoo commented.
"I'll get whatever." Yuna said.
"Same here." Chelsea said.
*VRRR*
"Huh?" Jisuk exclaimed scrolling through his messages from Subin and Wooin.
"These little bastards..." He stated before laughing madly. "KEKEKEKE!"
"??... What's up?" Jiwoo asked.
"I just ordered freakin' bomb spicy level 5 TTEOKOKKI and a JJAMPPONG." He giggled.
"Ah..."
Minutes later, Subin and Wooin arrived and so did their food. When Subin tried hers... Well, you can guess what happened next.
"YOU FREAKIN' DOUCHBAG! YOU ORDERED THIS S**T KNOWING THAT I DON'T DO SPICY STUFF?!" She yelled enrage, throwing pillows at him. One hit Kartein, pissing him off while Wooin enjoys his JAJANGMYEON as the rest watches in amusement.
*POW*
"WHY DON'T YOU ORDER THEN?!" He argued getting kicked in the face.
"WHATCHA GONNA DO ABOUT THIS, HUH?!" She shouted as she held him in a choke hold position while pinching his ear.
"WHAT! LOOKS MUCH BETTER THAN YOUR ORIGINAL FACE!!!" She exclaimed as they whacked each other in the face. They eventually paused when Subin almost step on the brown's cat tail, startling him.
"Hey, watch your foot. You're gonna step on the kitty." Jisuk said holding her.
"Huh? Oh..."
{Man, they really do look like an old married couple. I mean just look at them and the position their in.} Chelsea complained.
{Hm, I really do wonder if they'll end up together.} Yuna thought.
"I'm sorry." She said moving her foot to the side as Jisuk help steady her, so she doesn't fall. "Careful..."
"Aww, little furballs, did I startle you?!" She asked kneeling before facing Kayden and Kartein. "Chunky and Twiggy, you guys, too?" This naturally pissed them off, but it's not like they could do anything about it.
{The fact that Subin is probably the only one that can say such insulting things to Mr. Kayden, Mr. Kartein, and get away with it.} Chelsea said.
{Well, it's not like she knows that.} Yuna commented.
"By the way Jiwoo, Chelsea, Yuna, did you decide yet?" Subin asked.
"They're going they said." Jisuk replied.
"Oh yeah?" She said bringing Kartein up to her face as he tries with all his might to push her away with his little paws. "Is that necessary, though? It'll be dangerous..."
"I wanna meet with other awakened ones. Not to mention I wanna go with you guys." Jiwoo stated making them blush a bit.
"Me too!"
"Same."
Subin then turns to the slurping Wooin and asked. "How about you, Wooin?"
"I'll go."
"There really no need for you to go." Jisuk said.
"Right, you don't have to. We're dragging ourselves there despite the danger cuz we got no other way around it, but you're different." Subin explained.
"Yup that's right." Jisuk said making Wooin sadge.
This made Subin and Jisuk halt as they sweated.
"Y-Yo, what's that face all of a sudden?" She asked.
"I know, why so serious..." Jisuk commented.
"Wh-what are you saying! We all should go togther!" Jiwoo exclaimed.
"Y-yep... Right. We should stick together." Jisuk agreed holding his hands up.
"It goes without say..." Subin followed holding Kartein in one of hers.
"..."
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[Private Plane]
"We'll be arriving at the airport in about 30 minutes. Then, we'll drive for another hour or so to our final destination." Inhyuk said.
"..."
"Everyone... Please be careful... And be reminded that we'll no longer be safe from the moment we arrive at the airport."
*CRUNCH, CRUNCH*
Subin and Jisuk chew loudly on their yummy snack with Wooin sweat dropping in the middle of them, pissing off Inhyuk and Mr. Park.
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[Principal's Office]
It's nice to meet all of you. I'm Garrith Luterain, the principal of this academy." He introduced. "I was skeptical when I first heard that our students had lost to you... But after seeing you in person, I get it now. So, which one of you defeated Cain?"
"That was me sir." Jiwoo spoke.
"Hmmm... How about the animal that defeated our family's mystical creature? Where's it?" He asked.
{This principal really wants to take them, huh?} Yuna thought.
{Well, imagine a cat defeating a mystical panther. Pretty hard to believe, am I right?} Chelsea commented.
{Hm.}
"They're wandering off when we were near the academy." Jiwoo replied. "I can't communicate with it all that well, so..."
"You don't even have that much control over it?" He questioned coldly. "And yet you defeated the mystical creature that was under Cain's control?"
"..."
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[Lobby]
"The superficial purpose of this invitation is to gather talented awakened ones and provide them the opportunity to interact with each other... But their true intention is to assess your strengths, so they'll try to put you through various tests. Stay on your toes and try your best not to get involved in any kind of trouble during your stay." Inhyuk announced.
"Yes sir!"
"Shall we go upack our things too?" Mr. Park asked.
"Yeah, let's do that. We'll be leaving now, BEHAVE!" Inhyuk said as they walked out.
Subin sighs. "I'm not sure if we can steer clear of trouble. I mean, the atmosphere when we walked in was sooo hostile."
"It's probably because they heard about our sparring with their students." Gangseok replied.
"..."
Sucheon spring up, seizing Jiwoo's attention. "Sucheon, are you going somewhere?"
"To my room. What's the point of being with you guys." He stated before slamming the door on his way out.
"So, what now?" Chelsea questioned.
"It's boring here." Subin complained.
"Then let's go out and look around outside." Yuna suggested.
"That sounds good." They responded as they ventured out having a merrily good time as the World's Awakened one's students watch them full of hostility.
"It's definitely much bigger than our academy." Jiwoo commented.
"It's got a much longer history and the student's are from around the world." Gangseok said.
"FINALLY!" A familiar voice caught their attention.
"I'm glad to see you guys here! I honestly didn't expect you to come Jiwoo, Chelsea, Yuna Seo." Arthur stated.
"Really?"
"Is that so?"
"Hm?"
Arthur was approaching them when Jisuk body blocked him.
"What's up with you pretending to be buddy-buddy, huh?" He grrr.
Arthur grrr back. "I wasn't talking to you so stay out of it."
This made tension arise against one another until Jiwoo step in. "Yo, wow, calm down, both of you."
"You, I'll see you again soon. I'll bust your ass black and blue." Jisuk announced.
"You beat me to it! Don't get beat up elsewhere cuz you're mine!" He argued back before sighing at Jiwoo's expression, warning him. "Jiwoo Seo. Watch your back."
"Huh?"
"Many kids are eager to go up against you after hearing about how you defeated Duke and Cain. Those two that you defeated are among this academy's 'The Ten'... Not just for their powers, but also for their huge backgrounds. And those two got defeated by some kid whose name's never ever been heard of. You wouldn't even image this academy's hock after that news spread." Arthur explained.
"But anyone can take defeat at some point... Is that such a big deal?" Jiwoo asked.
"Of course it is. Both Duke's and Cain's ground as the ten have badly been shaken compared to others. The reputation of the entire Grane family that Duke belongs to has been chewed up by the criticizing voices, and Cain's been thrown out of the competition for the headship of the Luterain family." He elucidates, stunning Jiwoo.
"Oh, and disciplinary action was taken against the lady professor that had guided us." He sighed.
"Are you telling me all those things happened as a result of that one sparring match?" Jiwoo asked.
"Sure did."
"..."
"And so, I'm having the time of my life. Unlike those two, I at least scored a tie. KEKEKE." He giggled as those behind him sweat drops. "Doncha think?"
"Then according to what you're saying, Duke and Cain would want to go up against Jiwoo again?" Subin asked.
"Who knows. Duke may target his sisters who I believe are the strongest out of all you." He commented before walking away with his gang.
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The next day, after Duke's message to Jiwoo, him and his sister joined up with the rest of the gang as they approached the dispersing crowded that Subin happened to be in the middle of.
"Where is it? Where?!" Jisuk shouted.
"Subin! What happened?" Jiwoo asked as they run full speed to her.
"Are you okay? We came as soon as we heard you were fighting here." Jiwoo huffed.
"It's nothing. There's no need to make a big deal out of it." She blushed.
"Subin! Is it over? Like, over over?!" Jisuk shouted shoving Jiwoo's head a little.
"Yeah. You must've worr--"
"God dammit. I can't believe I missed out on that fun. I was about to get my popcorn--"
"WHACK*
"GYAACK! WHAT THE HELL!" Jisuk yelled as Subin continues punching him.
"Come on guys..." Jiwoo said.
"You must be that famous Jiwoo Seo." Leah Eresby said grinning. "I heard a lot about you. The South Korean rookie who defeated Duke and Cain."
{Whoa, I never really noticed it before, but she's pretty.} Chelsea commented.
{Is that so.}
{Hey! Don't get any funny ideas. You already have Jiyoung!} She claimed.
{What are you talking about?} Yuna questioned, rolling her eyes.
{You know what I'm talking about.}
{I do not because it never crossed my mind until you brought it up.}
{I'm just reminding you. I won't stand having a cheating twin sister.}
{...}
"Why would you call him up and then stare at him like that?" The trio grrr as they huddled up around him protectively.
{The cinnamon roll protective squad.} Chelsea thought.
{Quite a fitting name.}
"Ah, my apologies. I'd been curious about the student that everyone talks about... It'll be a short stay, but I hope you make yourselves at home." She said before walking away.
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"They're definitely hostile. She came up to me and flat out instigated..." Subin complained.
"I told ya. Besides the ones that don't like you for real, there'll be those that try to pick a fight out of nowhere." Arthur sighed as he continues. "A lot of them are eager to bring you guys down so they can become recognized. So, they're just being a bunch of grown-up babies to provoke you."
"What kind of a group is that student council we ran into?" Jiwoo asked.
"Ah. It's called student council, but the group has far more authority within this academy than you'd expect. It's to the point that most of our professors won't even dare to voice themselves against them. And now that top ten Leah's been added to their lineup, their power is even stronger."
"I see." Jiwoo said as he held the lollipop Arthur gave him just now.
"Can I get one?" Chelsea and Yuna asked excitedly.
'They really love sweets huh?' They thought.
"Sure. Here you go." He patted.
"Wait. How come you're still here?" Jisuk asked aggressively.
"Cuz I'm kinda bored."
"Get lost man! Go play elsewhere if you're bored!" He bawled.
"Are you gonna push away the only person who's amicable to you in this place?" He stated truthfully leaving him speechless.
"Amicable my butt..."
"You want us to believe that you're actually being amicable to us?" Subin asked.
"Forget all the other factors and believe in the circumstance." He spoke.
"What?"
"Like I said. To me, it's more beneficial that you don't go around getting kicked in your a**es."
"Is that the only reason why you're being friendly with us?" Jiwoo questioned.
"Yup, because I clearly gain from you." The purple hair shamelessly replied making them all look at him weirdly.
He sighs before getting up. "Anyway, be careful to not get yourselves into any unnecessary trouble. You'll have all the chance in the world to unleash yourself during the official match."
__________________________
"Someone challenging you to a sparring match?" Chelsea asked.
"Yep! Someone from the student council came to me and asked if I'd wanna accept the challenge. So I accepted." Subin said.
"Who's the challenger?" Jisuk asked.
"The one who I got into a fight from earlier." She replied.
"When is it?" Jiwoo asked.
"Tomorrow morning." She said as the siblings make a solemn face.
"..."
"Why the long face? You worried I'd lose?" She asked.
"No." Chelsea whispered. "It's just that you can get hurt and we're not even in our country, y'know."
"Look at this sweet girl worrying about big sis safety and all." She thought rubbing their heads affectionately. "Though I may not be as strong as you two, I'll be fine."
"Hm."
...
..
End of Chapter 45
Word Count: 2699
