Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School

It was the first time I saw Kwon Je-in up close, and tears were welling up in the eyes of many players.
The Eungwang High students were used to it, but the foreign players were different.
The emotional ones covered their mouths in awe, whispering in soft voices.

“Could I get a photo with the Blue Violinist...?”
“Is it okay to take a picture...?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”

Kwon Je-in answered indifferently and freely, and everyone quickly shoved their devices forward.
When Luwobon, who joined late, asked for a promotional photo, Kwon Je-in readily agreed.
Though the student performance was free of charge, it was surprising that Kwon Je-in nodded so easily.

While Luwobon, overjoyed, was left aside, more and more students, surprised by this, looked to Kwon Je-in for an explanation.
“The student who performed Plum Blossom Three Farms, Yao Luchi, is in charge of the music. I really liked their performance. It’s worth promoting just through the performance itself.”
Plop.

Upon hearing Kwon Je-in’s words, Yao Luchi, who had been recording a video with their device, collapsed to the floor.
It seemed like the words had made their legs give out.
Because of that, Kwon Je-in immediately recognized Yao Luchi.

“Blue Violinist...!”
“It’s you. I enjoyed your «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» performance of Dizi.”
“Today, I’m playing the Erhu, not the Dizi. I play the Erhu better! The output of the magical instrument also works better with the Erhu.”

Yao Luchi quickly got up and made a case for the Erhu performance.
Since Kwon Je-in had liked the Dizi performance, Yao Luchi seemed worried that if they only played the Erhu, it might disappoint her, which was why they were so eager.
Yao Luchi emphasized multiple times that though the Erhu wasn’t as mobile or quick to reach maximum output as the Dizi, they were more confident in playing it.
Kwon Je-in listened quietly and then spoke.

“Try attacking with the Erhu performance.”
“Huh?”
“Your explanation piqued my interest.”

It was an unexpected statement, but the spectators reacted quickly.
With a resounding “Oooooh!” the audience in the lobby moved.
The people who were present were mostly from Eungwang High, and they were very familiar with how to act in such a situation, having witnessed many fights before.

Everyone except Kwon Je-in and Yao Luchi, who stood in the center of the Ho Yeon Gwan lobby, stepped back and formed a circle, with even the Chinese student players joining the circle after watching the situation.
Yao Luchi, who had been tuning, was now holding the Erhu and stood frozen, slightly opening their mouth.
“Go all out. Don’t worry about getting hurt.”

Kwon Je-in casually stated as she stood seemingly defenseless, watching Yao Luchi.
Yao Luchi seemed still startled, but as a representative student from China, they soon regained their composure and prepared to play the Erhu.
It was a rare opportunity to face off in a 1v1 with someone who was probably the world’s best magical instrument performer, so Yao Luchi wouldn’t want to miss it.

“I’m going!”
Yao Luchi gathered magical energy in full force and drew the strings of the Erhu.
The speed with which the magical energy surged, and the deep resonance left from just one draw of the strings, was enough to make one's heart tighten. The power of the magical instrument took shape in response to its timbre, and gasps were heard from the onlookers.

That power was now fully directed at Kwon Je-in.
Just before Yao Luchi’s attack hit Kwon Je-in directly, she moved.
Whoosh!

Kwon Je-in instantly materialized the magical violin and bow, taking her stance.
And as the bow she moved skimmed the strings, the melody of the violin swallowed everything.
The timbre flowing from Yao Luchi’s Erhu, the murmurs of the audience, and even the wind outside vanished.

Fwoooosh!
When I came to my senses, only the remnants of the blue magical energy were left in the quiet lobby.
Yao Luchi’s strike had been shattered by Kwon Je-in’s skillful technique.

The audience was so stunned that they could only murmur words like “Wow” and “Amazing,” not even able to shout.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
“Looks like there was no need for a barrier after all.”

Huang Jiho, who had been preparing to activate a barrier just in case, withdrew his hand and spoke.
Kwon Je-in briefly glanced at Huang Jiho and then turned her attention back to Yao Luchi.
“You’re good. I’m looking forward to your Erhu performance.”

“Really? Was there anything lacking or disappointing?”
“There was.”
Of course, from the perspective of the world’s best performer, there were bound to be things lacking or disappointing.

Still, it would have been better to soften her words, but Kwon Je-in was brutally honest.
Yao Luchi didn’t seem disappointed, instead asking earnestly what felt lacking.
After thinking for a moment, Kwon Je-in replied.

“When you walk, do you think about how you breathe in and out?”
“Huh?”
“Playing and using magical energy is the same. At least one side of it should come as naturally as breathing.”

Though I understood Kwon Je-in’s point, it wasn’t something that spectators would take kindly to.
When you hear such words, you can't help but consciously focus on your breathing, which became uncomfortable for some of the audience members.
“Thanks for the advice!”

“I’ll be looking forward to your performance.”
Afterwards, Dong Shao-dan, the head of the Chinese representative team, appeared and greeted Kwon Je-in. The two stepped away for a moment.
It didn’t seem like they had just been called over to say hello; it was likely related to the pledge of the Three Knights.

Huang Jiho, possibly thinking the same, briefly stared at the two as they left.
“There’s a rumor spreading in the player community that the Eternal Lake and the Three Knights’ Pledge are clashing. Could Di Shang have learned about the Eternal Lake while probing the Hojo family?”
The remaining students were just excited from the commotion.

Luwobon, who had been recording the entire sequence, posted the video to his SNS account for publicity, which quickly spread, attracting even more people to the Ho Yeon Gwan lobby.
“...As naturally as breathing.”
Kwon Le-na, who had been watching the magical instrument battle by Qing-ho’s side, murmured.

Kwon Le-na had been focusing on violin practice during the break, and perhaps through this match, she had gained some realization.
Thinking about Kwon Je-in and Kwon Le-na, who were close as teacher and student but not family, I couldn’t help but recall Kim Shin-rok, who had recently reunited with his family.
“Le-na still cherishes her bond with Kwon Je-in. She would probably be even happier if she knew they were family.”

Though I wasn’t in a position to offer advice, such thoughts seemed difficult to bring up as time went on.
It might also be due to the unique personalities of Kwon Je-in and Kwon Le-na, and the heavy past associated with family.
But I wondered if there was another reason.

“Could Kwon Je-in be stepping back because of Yi Yeoreum’s presence?”
Le-na did indeed have a family-like figure, though not by blood—Yi Yeoreum, who was like an older sister, caring for her as if they were true siblings.
Maybe Kwon Je-in had been content with their relationship as a teacher instead of family?

However, there wasn’t enough evidence, and given how unpredictable Kwon Je-in’s feelings were, it was hard to guess.
My thoughts didn’t linger long.
“Thanks to you, a lot of people came, and I even spoke with Kwon Je-in. Thank you.”

Yao Luchi, who had been surrounded by the Chinese players, came to me with a grateful expression.
I could have said that the word would have spread on its own, but no one seemed to listen.
“Jo Yi-shin is always humble, so don’t mind it.”

“I see.”
Yao Luchi seemed to relate more to Huang Jiho’s words than mine.
Qing-ho also nodded in agreement with Huang Jiho’s statement.

“Can I call you Luchi like my sister?”
“Call me however you like. Are you by any chance a disciple of the Blue Violinist?”
Starting with Kwon Le-na and Yao Luchi, everyone began to get closer around me.

The atmosphere was starting to make it feel like any successful performance was all thanks to me, which made my heart heavy.
At that moment, our classmates from the dormitory arrived.
Except for Sa Wol-seum, who couldn’t make it due to being at home, all the dormitory students were present.

“Vice class president, why does it feel like it’s been so long since I saw you?”
“I agree. Even though we’re in the same dorm, it’s hard to see you.”
Mang Hyo-don and Mok Woo-ram greeted me warmly when they saw me.

At least Mang Hyo-don and I had seen each other often while preparing for the exchange match, but I hadn’t had many chances to talk with Mok Woo-ram.
So, I wondered if they came all the way to Ho Yeon Gwan despite the weather.
Most of our dormitory classmates were magical users, so they were used to storms and could easily walk around even in this kind of weather.

But it seemed like, with the weather and personal matters, the gathering would end with just our dorm students.
“Yun Seon is practicing for PlayerZ, and the attention-seekers are supporting from the side. Dok Go-mi-ro is preparing for the stage and managing their condition. Song Dae-seok is on emergency duty due to the typhoon. Min Green is collaborating with the artist Hong Kyung-bok after a long time. Jin Jeong-muk is training in brush calligraphy at Cheonghakdong Seodang.”
Kim Yu-ri is currently hanging out with Ahn Da-in and Renjo-in Karen, and they’ve decided to watch Shadow Theater tomorrow.

It seemed like Ahn Da-in and I were keeping our distance on purpose to prevent rumors from growing.
If Ahn Da-in had come here, the publicity and buzz would have been even bigger, but it would have been painful for all of us, so this was probably for the best.
Thanks to the consideration of the class president, it seemed like a safe viewing would be possible.

“Jo Yi-shin sunbaenim! Long time no see!”
“It’s been hard to see you since the exchange match, and you weren’t in the dorm either, so I came to see you!”
“Oh, right. I don’t see the 1st-year class 0 vice president. Are they living with you?”

Besides our dorm classmates, a lot of younger students showed up.
They all wore hats or hoods, likely because they had rushed over, and some of them were a little wet due to not being used to controlling magical energy.
Being good younger students, they seemed happy just because I was worried about them getting wet.

Also, a sharp-eyed younger student asked me about Eun Ho, and I just mentioned that we had seen each other.
[Yeom Jun-yeol] Yi-shin, I’m disappointed we couldn’t watch Shadow Theater together. I don’t think I’ll be able to go until the weather clears up.
[Yeom Jun-yeol] Do you remember the promise we made? Let’s meet after the typhoon passes.

[Yeom Jun-yeol] (stamp)
The stamp Yeom Jun-yeol sent had a deformed Hongryong, sadly staring at a whirlwind.
After the typhoon passed, I was planning to visit the Dragon Palace anyway, so it seemed like I’d be able to keep that promise.

“Once the exchange match is over, I promised to play PlayerZ with Yeom Jun-yeol wearing the avatar he gave me.”
I also received a few device messages from people who couldn’t come.
I wondered if they were worried about the couple controversy I was going through and sending these messages.

The seats around me were filled with people, and it seemed like the Shadow Theater was almost at full capacity.
Before the performance started, the scene was almost entirely packed.
There were only a few seats left that had a poor view of the stage.

This was probably thanks to Kwon Je-in’s presence earlier.
Then, finally, the Shadow Theater began with nearly 2,000 spectators in the audience.