I Became a Troublemaker at the Academy

Day Two of Stalking Player Kim Baram.

Kim Sunah’s eyes shot open. It was still early morning, the sky outside only dimly lit, not yet fully bright.

Last night, driven by the pressure to complete the mission personally assigned by Baek Arin, Kim Sunah had attempted to infiltrate Kim Baram’s room. However, after waiting for hours with no sign of him waking up, she had been forced to give up and return home.

‘Today will definitely be the day…’

Determined to gather hidden information about Kim Baram today, Kim Sunah got up and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. 

Normally, she would have started her day with early morning training, followed by a shower and a refreshing commute to work. 

But today, she had to use her precious vacation days just to tail Kim Baram.

After getting ready, Kim Sunah positioned herself by her room’s window, watching the gate of Kim Baram’s house, waiting for him to head to school.

‘…’

‘…’

‘…’

“Why isn’t he coming out?!”

As a graduate of the Academy herself, Kim Sunah was familiar with its location. It was about a 45- to 50-minute walk from here to the Academy. She checked her smartwatch, which showed that the time was exactly 8:00 a.m.

For reference, the Academy’s morning classes began at 9:00 a.m.

Unlike herself, who had always been a punctual student, Kim Baram seemed to be a bit… Well, lazy.

— Slightly lazy.

Kim Sunah opened her small notebook and jotted down this detail about Kim Baram. 

Thinking back to yesterday, she didn’t know what he had been doing before he got home, but he had slept the entire day after returning. That seemed more than just a little lazy.

Crossing out her previous note with several lines, she revised it.

— Very lazy.

Feeling satisfied with her data collection skills, Kim Sunah smiled and continued waiting for Kim Baram to appear.

‘…’

‘…’

“When is he coming out?!”

Another glance at her watch showed the time was now 8:10 AM.

‘… Could he have already left for school?’

“I can’t just wait. I need to check. [Assimilation].”

Unable to wait any longer, Kim Sunah activated her [Assimilation] ability and phased through the walls, heading straight for Kim Baram’s room.

Fortunately, her fears were unfounded. Kim Baram hadn’t left yet – instead, he was deeply focused on something.

‘What is he doing instead of going to school? Could this be some sort of important information about him?’

Intrigued, Kim Sunah moved closer to see what Kim Baram was so fixated on.

What he was looking at was… His own reflection in the mirror.

Kim Baram twisted his face in different angles, examined it with a satisfied expression, and then said out loud, “It must be because I washed up. I look especially handsome today.”

At that moment, Kim Sunah couldn’t contain the bubbling anger rising from within her. She swung her palm to smack the back of Kim Baram’s head. 

Unfortunately, since she was in her [Assimilation] state, her hand passed harmlessly through him.

For five whole minutes, Kim Baram stood there admiring his reflection, humming to himself before finally heading out to the Academy.

***

Later that morning.

Kim Sunah sat at her desk, her head buried in her arms. She was even clutching her hair in frustration. 

A coworker passing by noticed her strange posture and asked, tilting his head in curiosity. 

“Sunah, is everything okay? You took vacation days on Monday and Tuesday, which is unusual. And today, you seem a little down. What’s going on?”

“Haa… It’s nothing. Just… Some things happened…”

“You’re even sighing… If you’re feeling that overwhelmed, why don’t you go outside for some fresh air?”

“W-What?!? ‘Baram’? Did you just say ‘Baram’?!”

“W-Wait, Sunah, did I say something wrong?”

Just hearing the word ‘Baram’ sent shivers through Kim Sunah’s entire body, causing her to nearly have a meltdown. Her colleague, flustered by her strange reaction, quickly remembered why he had approached her and spoke up.

“S-Sunah, calm down for a moment. The Guild Master has requested to see you.”

“What? The Guild Master?”

At the mere mention of Baek Arin, the Guild Master, Kim Seon-ah’s legs began to tremble, and she anxiously bit her nails.

“Y-Yes… Anyway, I’ve delivered the message, so I’ll be on my way.”

Sensing something off about Kim Sunah today, her colleague quickly relayed the message and hurried to leave.

Once her coworker was gone, Kim Sunah leaned back in her chair, covering her face with both hands.

“… I’m so screwed…”

For the past two days, she had tailed Kim Baram, even using her precious vacation days — days she had saved for a future trip with Baek Arin once she rose to a higher position in the guild. 

But despite her efforts, she had discovered nothing particularly noteworthy about Kim Baram.

In fact, the more she tailed him, the more she realized he didn’t even meet average standards, let alone display anything extraordinary.

That was the conclusion she reached after tailing him all day on Monday and Tuesday, even following him to the Academy.

Of course, Academy instructor Cha Joohyuk had not fully detected her presence, but he seemed suspicious enough to stay on guard, so she could only observe the combat classes from a distance. 

Even from afar, Kim Baram’s abilities appeared to be nothing more than average.

And in theory classes…

Grind!

Recalling what had happened during theory class, Kim Sunah gritted her teeth in frustration. 

Unlike herself, who had been a model student during her time at the Academy, diligently paying attention in class, Kim Baram showed no interest in the lecture whatsoever. 

Instead, he kept glancing at two girls: Ko Jooyeon, a cute fellow cadet, and Han Suyeon, a strikingly beautiful girl who was closely monitored by the guild.

Of course, their beauty was extraordinary enough to attract the attention of most of the male students, not just Kim Baram. 

But what irritated her even more was the fact that both of these incredibly pretty girls seemed to be paying attention to Kim Baram as well.

At that moment, an image of Kim Baram flashed through her mind — his smug face as he admired his reflection in the mirror for ten full minutes each morning.

Unable to contain her rising irritation, Kim Sunah slammed her fist onto the desk.

Bang!

Her coworkers, sharing the same office, looked over in surprise, but Kim Sunah paid them no mind and continued her train of thought.

‘It’s obvious. Those two girls must be trapped in some kind of devilish scheme of Kim Baram’s. He must be blackmailing them.’

In her mind, Kim Baram was now transformed into a devil with horns, grinning maliciously.

At least, as a player, Kim Baram had been training somewhat during the past two days, going in and out of the training hall. 

But he struggled with even intermediate-level training, panting and looking exhausted by the time it was over.

Then, when he returned home, he would immediately fall asleep and start mumbling about wild ginseng in his sleep. There was not a single trace of anything special about him.

After two days of gulping down disgusting magic recovery potions just to keep her unique ability active while tailing him, Kim Sunah felt downright pathetic.

Still, she reviewed the notes she had gathered about Kim Baram in preparation for her report to Baek Arin.

Slightly lazy. (X)

Very lazy.

Thinks he’s handsome. (Average.)

No special abilities, just average.

Womanizer.

Blackmailing female cadets, likely using their weaknesses. (A guess, but almost certain.)

Greedy for wealth. (He even wears a gold bracelet while sleeping and constantly mumbles about wild ginseng.)

“…”

Kim Sunah felt the weight of her predicament and glanced around cautiously before slipping her notebook into her desk drawer. 

Then, leaning back in her chair, she covered her face with both hands and muttered softly.

“… I’m seriously screwed.”

***

“Oh, that… You don’t have to worry about it anymore. It’s fine now.”

“… Yes?”

At Baek Arin’s words, Kim Sunah, with a dumbfounded expression, asked for clarification.

Baek Arin noticed her confusion and thought for a moment before explaining, as if realizing that Kim Sunah didn’t fully grasp the situation at hand.

“Now that I think about it, you wouldn’t know since you weren’t in the office yesterday. The class visiting our guild today for the Academy guild tour is Class 3.”

“… What? Is that true?”

Upon hearing ‘Class 3,’ Kim Sunah’s information-gathering skills kicked in, and she immediately understood the significance. In fact, it would have been impossible not to understand.

For the past two days, Kim Sunah had spent more than three hours a day sneaking into the first-year Class 3 classroom, which was Kim Baram’s class.

As she realized that all her efforts over the past days had been wasted, her anger began to rise. The target of that anger was, of course, Kim Baram.

With revenge gleaming in her eyes, Kim Sunah asked Baek Arin a question.

“Guild Master, has the guide for today’s tour been decided?”

***

“The place you’re standing in now is one of the two prideful locations of our White Flower Guild, the ‘Information Hall.’ This is where we store all the data collected by the White Flower Guild, which is known for having one of the best intelligence networks in the world. Of course, important information is stored on the upper floors and can only be accessed by staff with a high-security clearance.”

As Kim Sunah explained, Kim Baram looked around the Information Hall, taking in its full appearance, which he had only read about in the novel.

Just as it was described — it looked like a modern library.

While looking around the hall, he glanced down at the floor.

‘But the really important information would be stored underground, not upstairs.’

For the record, Kim Baram knew this because in one of the story arcs, both Han Suyeon and Ko Jooyeon had joined the White Flower Guild in that timeline.

“Alright! I’d like to quiz you now. Whoever answers correctly will receive a special prize from our guild, so give it your best shot!”

The mention of a ‘prize’ reenergized the cadets, who had grown tired from the long tour. This type of event didn’t exist originally, but it seemed Kim Sunah had added it as the new guide.

“Don’t worry, it’s a question that any cadet who has paid attention in theory class should be able to answer. Alright, here’s the question!”

‘Huh…? Why does it feel like she’s looking at me while saying that?’

“What is the key difference between monsters that appear in dungeons and those that appear in gates?”

“Me! Me!”

As soon as he heard the question, Kim Baram knew the answer, but seeing the other cadets eagerly raising their hands, he decided not to bother.

‘Based on the original story, the prize won’t be anything special anyway.’

In the novel, the prize was given during an event that happened at the next location after the Information Hall. 

It turned out to be a department store gift certificate worth around 50,000 won — a prize that wasn’t all that special.

Meanwhile, Kim Sunah kept her gaze fixed on Kim Baram, even though he wasn’t showing any particular interest in the question. Then, pointing her finger at him, she spoke up.

“The male cadet in the back, would you like to give it a try?”

“Huh? Me? But I didn’t even raise my hand…”

“Alright. What’s he answer?”

‘What the… I didn’t even raise my hand.’

Kim Sunah pointed at Kim Baram with a look that seemed to say, ‘Let’s see if you can answer this,’ as if she was mocking him.

Though it could have easily been his imagination, her expression annoyed Kim Baram enough that he felt like answering out of spite.

“The color of the magic stones.”

“Well, technically that’s correct, but the more important answer is…”

“Blind malice toward humans.”

“It… It was just a practice question.”

When he gave the exact correct answer, Kim Sunah appeared to not have expected this. She awkwardly tried to brush it off as a practice question.

Seeing her lame excuse, Kim Baram shot her a cold, disapproving look. She quickly avoided his gaze and hastily moved on to another question.

“Um… um… Ah! Now for the real question. Since you answered the practice question correctly, you get the first chance to answer the next one.”

It seemed like she had just made this up on the spot.

“Hmm… Hmm, this one might be a bit difficult. It’s high-level information that our guild has uncovered. How many types of monsters have been identified as appearing globally in ‘gates’?”

Didn’t she say the earlier question could be answered if we paid attention in theory class? 

This question was far beyond the level of cadets — it was important information even at the guild level.

‘Though, of course, Kim Sunah’s answer won’t be the real correct answer anyway.’

After a moment’s thought, Kim Baram figured it didn’t really matter and decided to give the actual correct answer.

“… Nine types.”

“Wrong! That answer was way off!”

Kim Sunah immediately replied with a tone that almost sounded gleeful the moment Kim Baram finished his answer.

That tone… For some reason was really annoying.

Anyway, it seemed like Kim Sunah was so excited that Kim Baram got the answer wrong, she didn’t even bother giving the other cadets a chance to answer. Instead, she jumped straight to announcing the correct answer.

“The correct answer is five types. To explain further —”

“Sunah, that’s enough.”

Click-clack.

At that moment, an alluring voice interrupted Kim Sunah’s triumphant explanation from behind.

Click-clack, click-clack.

Accompanying the voice was the distinct sound of high heels getting closer. 

Turning his head, Kim Baram saw a figure approaching with striking white hair, an enchanting gaze, captivating green eyes, and a mature figure that exuded an air of sophistication.

“Wow…”

“Whoa, incredible…”

Low murmurs of admiration spread among the cadets. 

Most of them sounded like male voices, unsurprisingly.

In any case, the moment Kim Baram saw this imposing figure, he immediately knew who she was. After all, there was only one character in the story with such distinctive white hair and green eyes.

Baek Arin.

The head of the White Flower Guild, also known as the ‘White Flower,’ an SS-rank player.

When Baek Arin got close enough, she suddenly stopped, keeping her gaze fixed on Kim Sunah. She didn’t say a word.

Kim Sunah, on the other hand, spoke up in a panicked, trembling voice from behind.

“G-Guild Master, I-I’m so sorry. I made a mistake…”

As Kim Sunah hurriedly bowed her head, Baek Arin, seemingly not wanting to scold her any further in front of the cadets, softened her expression into a slight smile and spoke gently.

“Be more careful next time, Sunah.”

“Wow…”

“Haa…”

Baek Arin’s sweet voice and heart-melting smile drew a chorus of sighs and admiration from behind Kim Baram. 

This time, he could hear some female voices mixed in as well.

Meanwhile, as a seven-year fan of the novel ‘The Infinite Player,’ Kim Baram found it surreal to see such a famous character come to life. He stared at Baek Arin in awe. 

Just then, as she was shifting her gaze, her eyes met his directly.

‘Was she looking for me?’

As if confirming his suspicions, Baek Arin didn’t break eye contact. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and slowly approached Kim Baram.

When she finally stood before him, her captivating red lips — contrasting beautifully against her pale skin — parted as she spoke to him.

“You’re Cadet Kim Baram, right?”

“Yes, I am… But…”

“The answer you gave earlier.”

“… Sorry?”

“Why did you answer nine? You sounded confident.”

‘Can she even sense that?’

As he pondered Baek Arin’s character settings, Kim Baram hesitated for a moment, but with her intense green eyes staring straight at him, he answered.

“I… just guessed.”

At that, Baek Arin carefully studied his expression and came to a conclusion in her mind.

‘He’s lying.’

Thanks to her ‘Absolute Memory’ ability — another of her powers not mentioned in the novel — Baek Arin had memorized the expressions of thousands, no, millions of people. 

Just from Kim Baram’s expression, she could instantly tell that he was lying.