World Rank 0, Please Stop! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9

To be precise, the man approached Yoo Hee-na.

He lifted his head.

Surprisingly, the one who appeared this time was none other than Hae-seong Sanggo’s Focus himself.

‘Hmm.’

This was the first time I’d seen this guy up close, and contrary to my expectations, he actually had a surprisingly neat-looking face.

Huh? Could he also be an original character?

“You… Ryu Tae-geon! Can’t you untie this already?”

Yoo Hee-na shouted, huffing in frustration.

They seemed to know each other.

‘So that guy’s name is Ryu Tae-geon.’

I learned something new.

But why does his name sound so familiar…? I couldn’t finish my thought before Ryu Tae-geon’s words stole my attention.

“Ryu Tae-geon? Heh… Hee-na, you should call me ‘oppa.’ Come on, repeat after me: Op-pa.”

….

Why does this guy talk like that again?

Is this “oppa” nonsense some kind of trademark for Hae-seong Sanggo students? Faced with this unbelievable reality, I clenched my fists tightly and made a vow.

Once I become world rank zero, I’ll wipe out Hae-seong Sanggo first.

Fortunately, Yoo Hee-na was a girl of strong will.

“What did you say? Oppa? Stop acting creepy and get lost!”

I nodded my head in satisfaction.

But still… Ryu Tae-geon… I definitely felt I’d heard that name somewhere before… Ah!

‘Dual-personality Ryu Tae-geon!’

No wonder he looked so normal—there was a reason for it.

He was indeed a character from the original story—and quite a significant one at that.

‘In short, he was a villain.’

If Yoo Hee-na was the “villainess” in the original, then Ryu Tae-geon was the “villainous man.”

I don’t recall ever seeing the term “villainous man” before… but if there’s a villainess, why not a villainous man?

Since the in-so description I saw before reading the novel called him that, I’ll stick with “villainous man.”

Anyway, this duo were the main villains of the original story.

The only thing these two completely different people had in common was that their evil deeds were motivated by love.

However, while Yoo Hee-na’s motive stemmed from her love for the male lead, Ryu Tae-geon’s motive was Yoo Hee-na herself.

That’s right—Ryu Tae-geon liked Yoo Hee-na in the original!

Ryu Tae-geon crouched down in front of Yoo Hee-na and looked up at her.

Unlike Yoo Hee-na, who was visibly furious, Ryu Tae-geon grinned broadly, making their expressions appear strikingly contrasting.

“Hee-na, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other—aren’t you happy to see your oppa?”

“I told you to get lost!”

“Aww, that hurts. I missed seeing you, Hee-na.”

….

Well, in the original, Ryu Tae-geon was genuinely devoted—but only toward Yoo Hee-na.

If it weren’t for that annoying “oppa” habit, he might’ve been somewhat decent… or maybe that habit alone had already ruined him?

Even if he really was just one year older, couldn’t he cut it out a little?

“But why are you so angry today? Did something happen before you came here?”

Was he seriously asking that without knowing?

Predictably, those words only fueled Yoo Hee-na’s anger further.

“You kidnapped me, you lunatic!”

Silence.

Suddenly, the surroundings grew as quiet as if doused with cold water.

After a long pause, Ryu Tae-geon finally spoke.

“…Ah.”

Contrary to my expectation that he’d offer some excuse, Ryu Tae-geon silently rose slowly from his spot.

Then he called over a junior standing behind him and gave an order.

“Call back all those guys who went into town earlier.”

His voice was chillingly cold—unrecognizable from the cheerful tone he’d used just moments ago with Yoo Hee-na.

Ryu Tae-geon’s expression turned icy—even Yoo Hee-na, who had been shouting confidently, flinched slightly.

Yet, upon seeing Yoo Hee-na’s reaction, Ryu Tae-geon suddenly smiled again as if nothing had happened.

“Sorry, Hee-na. Looks like the kids misunderstood something.”

“….”

Only then could I recall Ryu Tae-geon’s nickname once more.

‘Dual personality…’

In the original, Ryu Tae-geon was known as “dual personality.”

Because his usual self and his behavior around Yoo Hee-na were polar opposites.

Back when I read it, I thought that nickname was ridiculous—but seeing it in person, I finally understood.

Personally, I wished he’d just live a normal life… but I decided to respect his individuality.

…As I mentioned earlier, I’m someone who bullies the weak and fears the strong.

“Focus, you called?”

Meanwhile, a group of guys approached Ryu Tae-geon.

Seeing a few familiar faces among them, I guessed they must be the same guys from earlier.

By the way… Focus… So they really do call him that.

Just as a wave of intense secondhand embarrassment threatened to overwhelm me, a loud noise suddenly echoed through the abandoned building.

Thud!

With a blank expression, Ryu Tae-geon slammed the head of the guy who had just greeted him.

A cold voice slipped out.

“Are you kidding me?”

Ryu Tae-geon repeatedly struck the man’s head.

“Didn’t I tell you to bring her here respectfully? What the hell did you do to make our girl this angry? Huh? You wanna die?”

Well, they shouldn’t have kidnapped her in the first place…

I wasn’t sure exactly how one would “respectfully” bring Yoo Hee-na here, but clearly, Ryu Tae-geon hadn’t wanted that kidnapping mess earlier.

Given Ryu Tae-geon’s nature, he obviously never intended to harm Yoo Hee-na from the start—it seemed he’d planned to release her as soon as Sung Ji-chan arrived.

I was just… dragged into this mess because of that lunatic…

Curious about why they’d even bothered tying Yoo Hee-na up, I quietly asked a nearby Hae-seong Sanggo student, who replied it was for dramatic effect.

Truly, such thinking was so typical of this world’s inhabitants that I was left speechless.

At that moment, someone rushed breathlessly into the building.

“Focus, we’re here!”

At those words, everyone’s gaze instantly turned toward him.

Outside, a voice boomed loudly.

“Ryu Tae-geon, come out!”

Hearing that, Ryu Tae-geon released the hair he’d been gripping and stood up.

“Let’s go.”

At Ryu Tae-geon’s single word, everyone’s expressions turned grimly determined.

Seeing that, I could guess who the person who’d “arrived” was.

‘Sung Ji-chan.’

The male protagonist of this insane novel.

The Ice Boy of the Three Great Boys.

The undisputed delinquent king of Jeil High—Sung Ji-chan.

‘I wonder if the other Three Great Boys came along too.’

Although the one captured wasn’t the heroine but the villainess and an extra… our male lead had personally graced this place with his presence.

“Let’s go!”

“Waaahh!”

The Hae-seong Sanggo delinquents scattered throughout the building followed Ryu Tae-geon outside.

Soon, the interior became eerily empty.

Now, only Yoo Hee-na and I remained inside the abandoned building.

But… was this really worth such solemnity…?

Unconsciously almost swept up in the Hae-seong Sanggo delinquents’ dramatic intensity, I snapped back to my senses.

Be careful. After dealing with this nonsense all day, my grip on reality keeps slipping.

…Or is this reality here?

[^0^]

As soon as the Three Great Boys arrived, the system perked up cheerfully and started blinking excitedly.

‘This guy really loves in-so stuff, huh.’

It was absurd—he’d been sulking just moments ago, yet now he was bright and chipper again.

Anyway, I’d been crouching for so long that my whole body had gone numb.

I stretched out fully.

[Wasn’t today fun? (◕‿◕)]

Like hell it was.

[Aww, come on—I know you secretly enjoyed it!]

Having been involuntarily turned into a kidnapping enthusiast, I ignored the system and peeked outside.

‘Whoa, this is brutal.’

In the open area in front of the abandoned building, Jeil High’s Three Great Boys and Hae-seong Sanggo’s delinquents were enthusiastically brawling.

Not quite 17 versus 1… but it looked more like 20 versus 3.

‘Fighting evenly against those odds—truly the in-so male lead.’

Despite being outnumbered, the Three Great Boys weren’t yielding at all.

Among them, Ban Ha-min was especially impressive.

Thud!

One punch from Ban Ha-min sent a Hae-seong Sanggo delinquent flying far away.

‘Wow.’

Better not mess with him.

I’d forgotten because he’s always smiling—but he really was the best friend of a delinquent king.

[Isn’t he cool? So go exchange numbers with our Three Great Boys! (◕‿◕)]

Here we go again.

I declared firmly,

“If you pop up another quest window even once more, I swear I’ll drop out for real—no more wishes or anything.”

The system fell silent immediately.

Yoo Hee-na muttered incredulously,

“Why does she keep talking to herself?”

‘….’

I pretended not to hear.

‘By the way… how far is this place from home?’

I’d been dragged here in such a daze during the kidnapping that I couldn’t remember how long it took.

Hope the bus service hasn’t stopped yet… Should I take a taxi?

Just then, Yoo Hee-na spoke.

“You… are you really just going to leave me like this?”

Huh?

Yoo Hee-na looked at me anxiously, her entire body tightly bound to the chair.

Ah, she wanted me to untie her.

‘But… do I really have to?’

Wouldn’t Ryu Tae-geon probably take her home himself anyway?

I was feeling a bit spiteful too.

‘Because of her, I’ve had such a rough day.’

Since this whole mess was Yoo Hee-na’s fault, I felt like teasing her a little.

When I ignored her, Yoo Hee-na gradually grew louder, her voice rising in frustration.

“Can you please untie me?”

Still ignoring her, Yoo Hee-na squeezed her eyes shut and yelled,

“Hey! Seriously, stop it! Untie me quickly!”

…Alright, enough joking around.

Well, I guess I could untie her now. Those guys outside were too busy fighting to pay any attention here anyway.

I glanced around, searching for something sharp enough to cut the ropes.

But there wasn’t even a knife or scissors—or anything remotely similar.

Did they seriously take all that stuff out to fight?

“Hurry, hurry, hurry! Untie me fast! Come on! I’m exhausted!”

Her high-pitched voice assaulted my ears.

I looked at Yoo Hee-na with a gentle smile. Heh… what a noisy kid.

Normally, I’d have grabbed her by the collar and shaken her senseless by now, but for some reason, I felt unusually lenient.

Was it because I’d achieved enlightenment long ago? Or because of the relief that things were finally wrapping up?

Or maybe I was just completely drained of energy.

Ignoring Yoo Hee-na’s whining, I scanned the area again.

‘What time is it?’

It was pitch black outside.

My phone had been ruined earlier when some lunatic threw it away, so I picked up a nearby phone to check the time.

11:36 PM

My weekend…

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

I remembered buying the cake around 4 PM… where on earth had my precious seven golden hours of Saturday afternoon vanished to?

Not only had time slipped away, but the cake was gone too.

Ji-eun… Da-hee… are you holding onto my cake well…? And my shopping bag…?

Back in the alley, Yoo Hee-na’s friends had taken all my belongings—but now that everything had spiraled into chaos, I had no idea where those items might be.

They wouldn’t have thrown them away, right…? Friends, I trust you…

“What are you even doing!”

Strange… why did Yoo Hee-na’s voice sound so distant…?

Dazedly, I reached into my hoodie pocket and pulled out my phone.

No—what used to be my phone.

“Damn it…”

Today really was unbelievably unlucky.