“How were the notes?” Lee Jaehyun asked as Merlin packed up after all their csses for the day had ended, gncing over Oh Jihye to do so. The girl seemed to have gotten used to it already; since she took it upon herself to sit between them, she did not frown at the act anymore.

  Merlin, though, wondered if she had gotten used to Nora yet. She was unlucky that she had not gotten a third roommate with that psychotic twin of his, and Merlin could only visualize how boring, silent, and full of tension their dorm usually was when compared to his.

  Perhaps he would tease Nora ter into telling him how things were.

  “Very detailed,” Merlin replied to Lee Jaehyun with a smile, “and colorful. Thank you so much.”

  Lee Jaehyun nodded. “I try to put as much effort as I can into them. The highlights help me with noting key points for better understanding or transting them to something else ter on. If you haven’t, you should try it. I highly recommend it.”

  Merlin wouldn’t lie, he was still kinda feeling bad about how they had gotten off on the wrong foot due to the circumstances concerning their meeting. He felt like he could never apologize enough. After all, Lee Jaehyun was a cool guy.

  “Oh. I guess I’ll try that,” Oh Jihye chimed in, her handbag stuffed full with her books.

  Merlin was amazed as to how colorful she always made herself to be everyday, from her makeup to her nails to her hair ribbons, and to her utilities as well. He could imagine her waking up very early to make sure she got everything right.

  She was probably from a very rich family if she could afford to always doll herself up. And he wouldn’t be surprised.

  “You should,” Lee Jaehyun replied simply to her, not particurly interested in what Merlin seemed to read as her ‘advances’. Perhaps the boy was just confused about what she wanted. Merlin wouldn’t lie, he was too. Was she trying to suck up to Lee Jaehyun because of his background, or was it that she liked him, or was she just trying to be genuine friends? The answers to those questions could only be given by Oh Jihye herself, or time.

  Merlin didn’t appreciate that he was being involved in the whole drama just because Lee Jaehyun seemed to take a liking to him, though. And one of these days he was considering changing his seat.

  He stood up, ready to leave.

  “Hurrying somewhere again?” Lee Jaehyun asked. Rather chatty, wasn’t he? Didn’t look like the type.

  “Yeah,” Merlin replied with a nod. “Got somewhere to be?”

  “Somewhere? Where?” Oh Jihye asked, pnting her eyes on Merlin, who was visibly taken aback. He had not realized that his movements were important to her.

  “Meeting with your sister?” Lee Jaehyun asked, his lips parting slightly—perhaps subconsciously—at that question.

  Merlin sighed. For the umpteenth time, the boy had to give up.

  Merlin didn’t get the appeal. Unlike Oh Jihye, Nora was not particurly girly. Besides a bit of foundation, she rarely put on any makeup. Lipsticks were completely out of the question. And, worse, her casual dressing rarely had gowns or skirts. If they weren’t a combination of a baggy Jean and a hoodie, they were of a jogger and a sweatshirt. And, furthermore, there was a reason why she had never been in a retionship—at least that he knew of.

  But he wouldn’t keep a boy from trying.

  Go for it, Lee Jaehyun.

  However…

  “Nah,” said Merlin as he threw his bag over his shoulder. “I’m heading to the disciplinary committee’s office.”

  Lee Jaehyun and Oh Jihye jerked back slightly in slow understanding.

  “Did you already do something wrong? So quickly?” Oh Jihye asked. “I’d have thought your sister would be the first, but you beat her to it.”

  Merlin winced. Nora’s impression wasn’t good. Worse, was the fact that he was being lumped in the same category as her. He was not brash. Only one of the twins could be.

  “No,” he said, “of course I’ve not done anything wrong. I pn on joining the disciplinary committee.”

  Instantly, Merlin felt like he should have kept his mouth shut. Because…Oh Jihye snickered in amusement.

  “You? The disciplinary committee? What are you going to do? You cannot use magic. How exactly do you intend to set students straight?” She was being rude. “Word of advice, don’t bother. I get trying to bolster your extracurricur so guilds take second gnces at you, but it won’t do you any good.”

  Well, thanks for the concern, but that’s not my reason for joining.

  Merlin could just spill the truth here and now, but the feeling of being belittled infuriated him so much that he wanted to glean a bit of respite from the looks the students who had no idea what he could do yet would have when they witnessed it. He just had to wait until the practical csses commenced.

  “Understood,” Merlin took a page out of Lee Jaehyun’s book and replied simply to Oh Jihye. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  Merlin left the css, but was caught up to in an instant by Lee Jaehyun.

  “Hold up,” the boy called. Merlin turned around with a slight frown.

  “Is there a problem?” he asked.

  “Mind if I come with you?” Lee Jaehyun asked.

  Merlin wondered why, confused. But he’d never been good at asking questions upon questions. So he simply said, “Sure.”

  Merlin and Lee Jaehyun met up with Chima and Hakyun on their way to the disciplinary committee’s office, which was on the ground floor of the main Academy’s building. They both looked rather exhausted from the csses, but Merlin suspected that a good chunk of their exhaustion probably came from bickering at each other. It seemed they didn’t sit as far away from each other as he had hoped they would.

  “Oh, you’re headed there now?” Hakyun asked, his eyes a lot narrower than Merlin remembered them. Then he yawned. “Goodness… I wanna sleep. Professor Jung’s teaching is really the worst. Took a lot out of me.”

  While Css A had been having Construction 101, Css B had been having Creation 101. Merlin, however, wondered why Hakyun had been seated in Creation 101 when he was a Construction Mage. But the boy had always struck him as someone who enjoyed studying everything he could get his hands on, so he wasn’t surprised.

  What was surprising was that Chima seemed to have sat through the css as well.

  “Hi, you must be Lee Jaehyun, the president’s grandson,” Chima turned to Lee Jaehyun, stretching forth a hand. “I’m Ken, but call me Chima, I’m more comfortable with that.”

  Lee Jaehyun took the handshake. “Nice to meet you, Chima. And, well, you already know my name so…”

  “Yeah, I get it.” Chima then jerked a thumb at Hakyun. “And this bumbling fool here is Hakyun. Be careful, though, he bites.”

  “I’ll bite you!” Hakyun roared before smiling at Lee Jaehyun and shaking hands. “It’s such an honor to shake the hands of the grandson of the most dignified man in the republic of South Korea. I won’t forget today, I promise you.”

  Lee Jaehyun chuckled stiffly. “The pleasure is mine.”

  “Ugh…” Chima rolled his eyes.

  “Is that the sort of crew you hang out with now, Jaehyun?” Merlin, along with the others, turned in the direction of the voice they had heard, and their expressions stiffened. “Daddy would be disappointed.”

  “What do you want, Sangook?” Lee Jaehyun asked as Choi Sangook, along with what seemed to be a motley crew he had packed together, walked up to them.

  Choi Sangook shrugged with that demeaning smile of his. “Nothing. Was just surprised to see you making friends with plebeians.” Chima’s eyes twitched, and Choi Sangook gnced his way. “Besides you, of course. You have potential and are an A-Css Mage.”

  “Well, thank you,” Chima replied with a tone every bit unfriendly.

  “It’s none of your concern who I have as friends,” Lee Jaehyun replied. “Also, would you mind staying out of my business, even in css.”

  “Eh… I can’t do that,” Choi Sangook shook his head. “You see, one day we’re both going to become Guildmasters of two of the top five guilds in Korea. I can’t let my rival stray. What fun would that be?”

  “I’m not your rival.”

  “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.” Choi Sangook waved a hand dismissively, then turned his attention to Hakyun who had retreated backwards in what seemed to be instinctively. “We haven’t had the time to talk, haven’t we, Hakyun? You think you can sck off on your duties just because you got admitted, do you?”

  Chima stepped forward. “He doesn’t owe you anything.”

  Choi Sangook jerked back slightly, gnced between his goons, and ughed.

  “What bullshit have you been feeding these guys, Little Hakyun?”

  Little Hakyun? Merlin frowned, and he couldn’t help himself.

  “Don’t call him that,” he blurted.

  Choi Sangook turned to him with a fierce gre that made Merlin’s brows twitch.

  “I’ll call him whatever the fuck I want, Deficient Mage. So shut your trap and remain on the sidelines like the trash you are.”

  Trash? Him?

  Merlin wouldn’t lie, he was more hurt than angry.

  “That’s enough,” Lee Jaehyun cut in. “Any further and I’ll file a compint to the headmaster himself.”

  Choi Sangook raised his hands as a sign of surrender, the ferocity in his eyes vanishing like it had never been there.

  “No need to get all aggressive, Jaehyun, I was just having some fun.” Choi Sangook chuckled. Then he took one st gnce at Hakyun who had his gaze slightly lowered. “See you ter then. I’ll be putting you to work, just so you know.” And he left.

  “Well, that was uncalled for,” Merlin clicked his tongue. “How could he call me trash?” He then turned to Hakyun, stretching forward a hand. “Hey, are you alright?”

  Hakyun spped Merlin’s hand away before it could touch his shoulder, startling them all.

  “Don’t treat me like a kid.” Hakyun gnashed his teeth. “I can handle myself.”

  Merlin was lost for words as he watched Hakyun hurry away from their midst, his head still lowered slightly.

  He wasn’t sure what he had said or done wrong, and didn’t know what to do to correct it. But it seemed as if he had gotten on Hakyun’s nerves, and knew he had to rectify that. But when he made to move, Chima held him back.

  “You still have the disciplinary committee thing to do,” said Chima. “I’ll handle him.”

  Merlin paused for a moment, then sighed. “Alright. I’ll see you guys when I’m back to the dorm.”

  Chima nodded, then turned to Lee Jaehyun and smiled, “Not all golden spoons are terrible people, huh? See you ter, then.”

  Lee Jaehyun blinked in embarrassment as he watched Chima leave.

  Merlin, on the other hand, was unsettled about the whole thing that had just transpired. And what bothered him the most was the possibility that Hakyun had not told them about everything that had happened between him and Choi Sangook.

  There was more, Merlin could feel it. And he wanted to know what that was.

  But, first, he had to get his whole disciplinary committee thing out of the way.

  He turned to Lee Jaehyun. “Still coming?”

  The boy nodded. “Sure.”