The Academy’s Time Stop Player

Hajoon stood motionless outside his home, watching somberly as the house went up in flames and as mages and heroes from the association arrived to extinguish the fire.

"..."

Honestly, Hajoon had been quite hopeful when the association's president mentioned that he'd get a new house.

Even now, after the fire was put out, the house's remains appeared impressive—something he might consider living in once in his lifetime.

Of course, he hadn't entered it yet, but he already felt attached to it.

Naturally, seeing the house reduced to ashes was disheartening. At that moment, the association president, wearing an equally flustered expression, cautiously addressed Hajoon.

"Ha, Student Hajoon."

"Yes?"

"I'm truly sorry about this incident. We are currently investigating, and once it's concluded, I'll update you. For now, please get in the car. I'll take you back to the academy."

"Ha... Alright."

Letting out a weary sigh, Hajoon entered the car with the association president. As they drove, the president voiced his suspicions.

"It seems like there might have been a leak of information."

"It does seem that way."

"This matter was top secret. Only five people, including myself, were aware of it."

"So, you're implying there's a mole, a villain, within the association?"

"It's highly probable, but there's also a chance it's not the case."

Well, the possibility of a villain infiltrating the association was plausible.

However, to Hajoon's recollection, there was no episode in the game where a villain had infiltrated the association, making the situation somewhat perplexing.

There was a similar episode, but it dealt with betrayal, not infiltration, so the current situation was still uncertain.

"Do you suspect any particular villain?"

Pondering the president's question, Hajoon sank into thought. Who might be behind this mischief? The Villain Alliance? The Altar? The Vigilante crime syndicate? Or China?

There were many potential culprits. The issue was that there were too many to narrow it down.

"Ha... I really don't know."

"We'll do our best to investigate this matter at the association."

Nodding in response, Hajoon continued to gaze blankly out of the window.

Then, a ringtone chimed.

While continuing to drive, the association president, Kim Jeongyong, promptly answered the call. Almost immediately, his eyes widened, and a surprised expression formed on his face.

After hanging up, with a slightly agitated look, he turned to Hajoon.

"Uh... Student Hajoon?"

"Yes?"

"We've captured the culprit."

"...?"

Hajoon responded with a puzzled look.

Having returned to the academy, Hajoon was informed by the head of the association about the perpetrator behind the recent incident.

A 24-year-old man who lived an ordinary life nearby.

Unemployed with no particular Job.

He was the culprit behind this incident.

"........."

"Heh, unbelievable... How could something so absurd happen?"

Taken aback, Hajoon was at a loss for words. The head of the association too wore an incredulous expression.

So, the twist in this incident was that a common civilian, not a superhuman, had set fire to his home.

"Is that for real?"

"We confirmed it through the CCTV installed nearby."

"Huh........."

All the while, Hajoon had been contemplating how to find and deal with the perpetrator who set his house on fire. But learning that it was just an ordinary person made the situation feel anticlimactic.

"So, why did he start the fire?"

"That's the thing... he keeps denying his involvement."

Even when shown clear CCTV footage during the interrogation, the suspect continued to deny his actions.

Of course, he didn't provide a reason for the fire either.

"He acknowledges being the person on the CCTV, but insists he didn't set the fire."

"Could he have forgotten about it?"

"From what he says, it seems so. But when we used the association's lie-detection expert to verify, it came out as the truth."

"........."

"It seems this isn't an incident we can just overlook."

Hajoon sank into deep thought upon hearing this. The man in the video admitted to being himself, but denied setting the fire.

'It can't be brainwashing...'

The first suspect that came to his mind was Zehar, the Altar's mind-controller, but that wasn't possible.

Especially since that bastard was dead.

'Could it be him, then?'

The villain appearing in Anna's club activity episode.

Given the circumstances, there was no other plausible culprit.

"Yes, alright for now."

"I'll contact you once we investigate further. Goodbye for now."

Click - The head of the association ended the call.

Hajoon lay on his bed, pondering the culprit of this incident.

No, to be precise, he was thinking about the episode Anna would face next.

After all, it was an episode he intended to intervene in due to the penalty.

'Was it next Friday?'

[Anna Episode 1-2: Phantom 'Doppelganger']

The episode in which the previously presumed dead A-rank villain 'Doppelganger' appears.

Hajoon was certain that he was the culprit.

Four days had passed, and it was now 5 pm on a Friday.

“Hum~”

Anna hummed a cheerful tune, stuffing her bag full.

Today was the day of the Travel Club's activities.

There might be many things in life, but nothing was as joyous as traveling for a change of mood.

Moreover, the destination for the trip was especially exciting.

Were they not traveling to one of Korea's renowned hot springs?

Anna anticipated this trip as an opportunity to alleviate all her fatigue.

Having finished her preparations, Anna headed towards the academy's main gate where the other club members awaited.

At the main gate of the academy, second-year senior Kim Youngjoon, female senior Lee Sora, and Yoo Seolah were waiting.

“Ah, Anna's here. Now all our members have gathered, right?”

With those words, Kim Youngjoon gave a warm smile.

“Alright, everyone. Get on the wing bus in advance.”

“...? Are we still waiting for someone else?”

Yoo Seolah asked at Kim Youngjoon's words.

From what she knew, the third-year seniors of the Travel Club couldn't participate because they were busy with graduation preparations and training.

With a slight, apologetic grin, Kim Youngjoon explained.

“Another club happens to be going to the same destination as us.”

“Oh? Which club is it?”

“You probably know them well. Ah! Here they come.”

Kim Youngjoon gestured to a certain direction with his statement.

At that moment, both Anna and Yoo Seolah looked towards the wing bus, their faces mirroring disbelief as they eyed a boy and a girl approaching.

“Hehe, I'm looking forward to this trip.”

“Same here.”

Lee Jooah was walking with an innocent, bright smile on her face.

Beside her, Kim Hajoon walked with an impassive expression, aligning his steps with hers.

“Ah...”

Ever since their training, Anna and Hajoon hadn't spoken a single word to each other.

Could it be called a silent standoff?

This had made the atmosphere inside the bus chilly and silent.

Of course, the tension between Hajoon and Anna was palpable.

"Wow... Did something happen between those two?" Kim Youngjoon, who obviously didn't know the situation, asked Yoo Seolah.

But Yoo Seolah merely responded with a bitter smile, "It's not our place to interfere."

"Hmm..." Lee Younghan scratched his head, feeling a bit out of the loop.

The bus continued its journey, soon arriving at its destination: a place surrounded by mountains, known for its high-rise building and the distinct aroma of hot springs in the vicinity.

It was a famous hot spring hotel in Korea, known for having private hot springs in each room.

"Alright, let's go in," Lee Younghan said, leading the way into the hotel.

After getting the room keys from the counter, he looked at the kids and said, "You're free until 7 PM. How about we gather in one room for dinner then? Does that work for you all? I mean, there's no set plan otherwise."

Hajoon nodded in agreement. There was no real reason to decline.

"Alright then. Let's meet up for dinner later. For now, enjoy yourselves," Kim Youngjoon said, before he and Lee Sora headed off, leaving Yoo Seolah, Anna, Hajoon, and Lee Jooah to decide their next move.

Interestingly, even though it was a famous hotel, the inside was surprisingly quiet.

Of course, Hajoon knew the reason.

Slyly turning his head, Hajoon's eyes met Yoo Seolah's.

Yoo Seolah, feeling his gaze, looked back with a slight smile.

Slowly approaching Hajoon, Yoo Seolah softly said, "We rented out the entire hotel since Anna is here. We came here to relax, and it would be bothersome if there were others around."

"That's impressive."

"Well, I've worked in the hotel business before, so I have a lot of connections in this field. But will you keep being like this?"

"Like what?"

Yoo Seolah subtly glanced towards Anna. To be honest, Hajoon didn't understand why Anna was still acting this way, especially since they hadn't spoken for a week. He had provoked her by mentioning Karthon during the training, but she should know why he did that by now.

"To be honest, I really don't get why she's still upset," Hajoon candidly remarked.

Hearing this, Yoo Seolah looked puzzled.

Yoo Seolah tilted her head and began to speak.

“Anna isn't angry. I think Anna understands why you said what you did.”

“Then why is she acting like that?”

“Well, wouldn't a conversation help figure that out?”

A conversation...

Come to think of it, it had been a while since they had talked.

Hajoon nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Yoo Seolah, with a slight smile, continued.

“Anyway, talk to each other later. You’re planning to stay here during the holiday, right, Hajoon?”

“Well, yes.”

“Relax and enjoy. There’s a lot to see and do here.”

“Okay, thanks.”

He had initially come to capture the villain who set his house on fire, but he guessed he could take a break while here. Especially since Lee Jooah, who came with him, seemed very excited.

“Wow... I’ve never been to a place like this before.”

Lee Jooah, who was standing beside him, exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

Yoo Seolah, with a warm smile, looked at Jooah and asked,

“Jooah, would you like to join me and explore?”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course. I know this hotel well. See you later, Hajoon.”

With that, Lee Jooah followed Yoo Seolah, leaving only Anna and Hajoon behind.

“Ahem-”

At that moment, Anna cleared her throat and began to look at Hajoon.

After a brief pause and a small scratch on her cheek, Anna suggested,

“Shall we get going as well?”