Episode 21

"you do not say......"

"Regardless of the outcome, Lao Liu has indeed helped us a lot."

"Um."

Benjamin knew very well what his fate would be. Because Sassin's homeroom teacher made Benjamin an intern. The reason for this was that Benjamin had an agreement with Sassin's mother, but that was back in his first year of high school. He couldn't understand what Sassin's homeroom teacher was trying to do.

October 1st

"Luo Zhan?"

"Yes, he was Li Zan's comrade-in-arms, but that was before. Since Li Zan stopped going to the battlefield for reasons from the past, he seems to want to become a reporter, specifically a reporter for the battlefield section."

"I remember he was involved in one of the college entrance exam questions, right?"

"Yes, those two questions were supposedly suggested by Luo Zhan."

"......"

"So when you go there, you'll most likely meet Luo Zhan instead of Li Zan, because he's currently collecting materials in Dongguo and recruiting several volunteers there. It's unclear whether he's recruited them yet, so you should still have a chance."

"Am I going there for an internship?"

"At least you and Sasin can become the next Li Zan and Luo Zhan."

"......"

"I have no problem with Lao Liu. It's okay with Sasin. Even if he doesn't get into university, we can find a way to get him in. That's our condition. What's your opinion?"

"The terms are good, I agree."

"......"

"It's settled then."

"You can see him."

I'd like to see him...

"I'm going back now."

Benjamin didn't thank him. That day, he even thought that it was Old Liu's fault to Sassin, because during a serious illness, Benjamin learned an even more shocking piece of news from Old Liu—he had let Sassin down.

"how?"

"The two of them seem to be having a disagreement."

"Why?"

“Sasin has always said that their homeroom teacher is a good person, but he doesn’t have a very good impression of Sasin.”

"What about the other teachers? What are their impressions of Sassin?"

"......"

"Not a good idea?"

"Not to be mentioned."

"What did he do that made him unpopular with everyone?"

“It’s not about offending him, because it has nothing to do with offending him. There’s no reason for me to feel burdened by him. No, it’s as if he’s become a completely different person since he came back that day.”

"What on earth could have turned him into this?"

"I think you'll understand when you go to the East."

"That's true..."

—The day before going to the East—

"If that's the case, then why did Sasin...?"

"It's probably because he likes to isolate himself. You know, before he met you, Sasin was a different person?"

"......"

Benjamin, who didn't want to see Sassin, started "walking" downstairs at Sassin's house the day before. Two minutes later, Benjamin went home, leaving Sassin no time to discover him. That night, Benjamin started packing his things; it was the only night he couldn't sleep. Then, when someone knocked on the door, Benjamin looked through the peephole and saw that it was Sassin!

What are you doing here?

"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep at night, so I came to check if you were asleep."

"You came over because the lights were on?"

"Um."

"The large bed is ready, please come in."

When Benjamin returned to the house to pack his suitcase, he was asked a very hurtful question:

"I heard Lao Liu say he's going to Dongguo to volunteer tomorrow? I'm really looking forward to that place because my mom, Lena, volunteered there and helped a lot of people. So I think my mom is a hero."

"What heroes are there? In our eyes, those who invaded our country are not heroes. Heroes and volunteers are completely different things. Of course, we are only alive today because our parents were martyrs, that's all."

Actually, Benjamin already intended to apologize when he said those words. Old Liu had told Benjamin that Sassin was someone who could easily get under your skin, and to be careful with his words. How could Benjamin not know that? He just didn't want to say it that way. But Sassin, having started the conversation, couldn't take it back; his mind was filled with thoughts of what to do, what to do, what to do... However...

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said these things, because saying these things on the battlefield last time would make people think I was a deserter or had a mental disorder."

"I'll give you a chance; you can make a promise to me."

"I will come back to see you."

When have you ever been reliable?

"this time."

"?"

“If you say I’m unreliable in general, I won’t be angry. But this is a battlefield. On the battlefield, no one can control their own fate. You are mine in life and in death. Since I’ve promised you, I won’t break my promise. Just trust me once, just this once.”

"......"

"What's wrong? Did I go too far with my promise just now?"

"It's alright, I'll trust you this once, but only this once."

"grateful."

"Come here, let me give you a hug."

Benjamin wanted to say something more, but Sasin said, "I miss you." Benjamin, seemingly out of nowhere, seized the opportunity and said, "I miss you too." After all, it had been a long time since they last hugged or met, and more importantly, they had been arguing back then.

"Did you two have a fight?"

"Um."

What did you say?

"I said some very offensive things."

"......"

"You were right that day. If I didn't know him very well, I wouldn't have said anything too hurtful. But knowing him too well, every time I said something, it hurt him deeply."

"It's enough to just know the general idea about him."

"Yes, I could have accepted my mother's request back then, if she hadn't forced me."

"How long has it been since you last saw each other?"

"About three months."

"You didn't go to live in the house across from Sassin's?"

"without."

"Why?"

"Why stay in the same place when you can just move to another place?"

"......"

Benjamin rarely got this angry. He wondered if he should ask Lao Liu for help. During their only PE class, Benjamin saw the stern-looking Lao Liu. He must be angry; Benjamin hadn't provoked him at all that day, so someone else must have annoyed him. The phone was with Lao Liu, and he knew his lock screen password. Seeing the chat history wasn't surprising. For Lao Liu, Benjamin was his only confidant; it seemed only Lao Liu could tell him what was on his mind.

—After school—

Who made you angry?

"Sassin's homeroom teacher."

"ha?"

"He has solidified a lot of the Sassinian ideas, which is the last thing I want to see. I accidentally saw his notes during the lecture the other day, and they were just like those of a homeroom teacher in my first year of high school. Besides that, there's something else you probably know: the two of them had a pretty unpleasant falling out for a while."

Benjamin shaking his head

"Never mind, it doesn't matter if you don't know."

"Why?"

"If you were to bring this up in front of him, I think he would definitely commit suicide."

"......"

"So, Sasin is not in a good state right now. With a senior high school student and your current situation with him, the thing I was most worried about has come to pass."

"really......"

"I'll go and deal with those two."

Who is it?

“Sassin and that homeroom teacher.”

"......"

The homeroom teacher of Class One looked directly towards the school gate, then turned to look at Old Liu in the subject teachers' office. Meanwhile, Benjamin and his colleague Sassin received a message from two people in the principal's office.

What?

"What's wrong?"

"Those two started fighting."

"Old Liu and that homeroom teacher from Class One?"

"right."

"I was quite surprised that the two of them actually started fighting."

"Not surprising, that's always been their relationship. Just ask Benjamin and the others."

"......"

Benjamin overheard their gossip at the door. He happened to overhear it when he came back to pick up Sassin, because at that time he was worried about one thing—that kid Sassin would definitely be in trouble with Song Ran, Song Ran's boyfriend, and Song Ran's boyfriend's men. This morning he saw a problem student talking about dealing with someone today, but didn't say who. Therefore, Benjamin had been lingering around here. Back on the third Saturday of the second month after the holiday, Benjamin saw the news about volunteer soldiers recruiting in the East.

"Recruiting soldiers and buying horses?"

"So? Interested?"

"May I ask who you are...?"

“I’m the leader of the volunteer team. I was the one who announced the recruitment information above. Since you’ve come, you’re probably interested.”

"yes."

So, what grade are you in now?

"The first semester of senior year."

"That's a pity, because we only want to hire recent graduates."

"Aren't you going to collect them in advance?"

"No, I'm sorry, classmate."

"......"

At this time, Benjamin and Sasin had a good relationship, but a small joke led Sasin to say some very unpleasant things to Benjamin, which was unusual for him.

"I'm back!"

"You're back?"

"I went to a place today."

"Where?"

"Eastern Kingdom".

"!"

When Sasin heard that Benjamin had gone to the Eastern Country, his expression changed drastically. Ever since Lena's death, Sasin had not allowed anyone to mention the Eastern Country or Lena. Old Liu was the first person to say such things to him, and Benjamin was the second, but this was only Benjamin's own opinion. Moreover, Sasin's background had been carefully concealed.

"camouflage?"

"What Lao Liu means."

"Who's pretending?"

“Sasin, I heard he’s from the East.”

"What!"

"Really?!"

"It's just a guess."

"Wow, I thought this matter was settled."

"If Lao Liu finds out about this, he'll definitely issue a serious statement to our class and also make indirect threats. We need to figure out who had such a foul mouth."

"......"

"Where are the Sahin people?"

"She's not here; she seems to have gone home."

“Pull him over and ask him.”

"Stop fooling around!"

It's quite distressing when a leader doesn't listen to his subordinates' advice and doesn't want to reveal his true identity.

"Hey! Little Sasin!"

"?"

"Come here, I have something to ask you. Please come over here."

The moment the leader saw Sassin looking at him with disdain and disappearing with his cigarette money, he ordered his men to block his path. However, Benjamin found someone who really annoyed him there, glancing at Sassin as he passed by. He wanted Benjamin to create some kind of opening, otherwise he wouldn't be able to rescue Sassin. His right-hand men were behind them, and although they were outnumbered, the three of them still had a considerable advantage against those few men.

"That kid over there."

"Um?"

Where are you looking?

"What?"

"What? Are you also quite interested in Sasin's background?"

"Not interested."

"Not interested? If you're not interested, get out of here and stop messing around!"

"However, there's something else I'm very interested in. Do you want to know? Something even more interesting than the background of that classmate you're threatening, named Sasin."

"?"

"fight."

"Fight? Do we know you?"

"You'll definitely recognize me, and we even had a fight back then."

"You've been in a fight? You...who are you?"

Benjamin's right-hand men also directly grabbed Song Ran's boyfriend's subordinates. In response to Sasin's questioning, Benjamin did more than just say, "Go home quickly, or come stay at my place if you can't handle it." Sasin, however, still looked at Benjamin with a questioning gaze.

"who is he?"

"......"

—Three minutes later—

The three thugs who had blocked Sassin also fell to the ground. In Benjamin's words, their heads were utterly vulnerable. However, Benjamin was also injured, though not as severely as theirs.

"The principal is here! Retreat!"

"You can't escape now!"

"What!"

The police car from the local station arrived. The reason the police arrived so promptly was related to Lao Liu's plan. The moment Benjamin saw Sassin in trouble, he sought Lao Liu's help. Although he didn't mention what had happened, Lao Liu's previous request for help was quite effective. Furthermore, having learned about the matter beforehand from his students, Lao Liu was even more convinced of Benjamin's words.

"Old Liu."

"What do you want me to do now? I'm memorizing my lesson plan!"

"Look outside!"

"Outside! What's there to see outside?"

"Got it?"

"Those brats!"

"......"

"I'll stall for time; the rest is up to you."

Hey, Ben!

In the past, Benjamin would have been quite annoying, but this time the situation was quite different because those students were largely approached by Song Ran's people, which explains why Benjamin's attitude towards them was more provocative.

"Boss, you go first."

"Take care of yourself."

This time it was Benjamin's right-hand men who let him go, but none of that mattered, because they considered themselves nothing more than commodities or discarded pawns in Benjamin's eyes.

—One hour later—

"You're awake?"

"here it is?"

"This is a hospital."

"......"

"What's wrong with you? How can you have such a serious stomach problem?"

"Stomach?"

"Yes, stomach bleeding."

"......"

"You always scare me like that, this time you really scared me half to death!"

Benjamin knew the speaker was Sasin, but how did he end up in the hospital? Later, Benjamin remembered feeling unwell after fighting with the group sent by Song Ran's boyfriend. When he came in and saw Sasin surrounded, he had a stomach upset. Later, when fighting their leader, he was punched several times in the stomach. While searching for Sasin, the "Dead Queen" realized he had fallen onto someone's shoulder, then lost consciousness. After that, he saw the hospital ceiling.

"I'm sorry, I startled you."

"That's more like it."

There was a drop of blood from a scallion on Sasin's shoulder that had dripped onto his right side. Looking back now, he realized that he had brought this upon himself, and an apology was the only way to appease Sasin.

"Benjamin, right?"

"right."

"One vial of blood, let's check the vital signs again."

"Okay." No sooner had the nurse who had drawn the blood left than Old Liu came in. He was there to tell Benjamin that from now until he graduated from high school, Sasin would be in almost no danger. This was good news for Benjamin and also good news for Sasin.

"When I'm discharged from the hospital, I'll invite Lao Liu over too. We should at least have a meal together."

"......"

"What's wrong?"

"You'd better think things through before you say that."

"......"

"So? How did you suddenly get a stomach hemorrhage? I've never heard you mention this before."