Golden Mage - Chapter 2

Volume 1, Episode 2

“Hah, hahaha…”

As everyone’s gaze focused on him, Junseong took a step back, giving a sly smile. He tried to adjust his headband, but it was still held in Miji’s hand.

Then, a sharp voice was heard.

“This can’t be true! How can Kim Junseong be compared to our Junhyeok-nim?”

The girl whose eyes turned into hearts whenever she mentioned Lee Junhyeok, named Baek Mihyeon, was pretty, but her snobbish appearance matched her top-class grades just like Junseong’s.

She adored the pro-gamer Lee Junhyeok so much that she strongly denied the fact that Junseong resembled him in any way.

Miji retorted to her appearance, “Come here and see for yourself. See if they look alike or not.”

“Hmph! I’ll compare them one by one!”

She boldly approached Junseong and began scrutinizing his face.

Junseong started sweating as Mihyeon scrutinized his face, looking at him from different angles. After a while, she stepped back slightly with a pale face. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

“This, this can’t be true! Kim Junseong resembling our Junhyeok-nim like this…”

“Hey, am I really similar to Lee Junhyeok?”

“You are! How can you be so much like my Junhyeok-nim… This is unbelievable! …Ah, no! No way! It can’t be true. On closer inspection, you don’t look alike at all! His distinctive sharp eyes! His sharp yet gentle nose! His firmly closed thick lips! And his fair skin!”

Despite Mihyeon’s desperate denial and listing of Junhyeok’s features, all the characteristics she mentioned perfectly matched Junseong’s facial features.

….

The classroom fell silent once again. The students were closely observing Junseong’s appearance.

After a moment of silence, they started discussing among themselves.

“Every day, I didn’t notice since I always kept my head down, but on closer inspection, they do look alike.”

“Could it be that Kim Junseong is not who he claims to be? There’s hardly anything known about Lee Junhyeok. Maybe his name could be fake.”

“Yeah, then our friend who studied with us could have been a celebrity? It’s like something out of a romance manga, right?”

“Yeah, don’t exaggerate. They might just look similar. Junseong does have a slightly sharp but decent appearance, right? Pro-gamer Lee Junhyeok has a different vibe, more sophisticated.”

“Maybe it’s because Lee Junhyeok wears those special glasses? You know, those gold-rimmed ones? Perhaps he uses them to hide his sharp image.”

Junseong was bombarded with comments from the students.

“Why are you all giving me those looks? If you really want to compare, go get Lee Junhyeok’s special glasses! If you have them, I’ll gladly be compared! But suspecting me like I’m some strange guy just because we look alike is just too much.”

The kids fell silent. Mostly, the ones who intervened and stirred up the commotion were those who tried to be funny.

“Ugh, it’s boring. Let’s stop.”

Someone’s bored cry echoed, and the kids returned to their chatter.

“Kim Junseong really looks a lot like Lee Junhyeok. He’s going to be super popular.”

Even those who claimed to be fans of pro-gamer Lee Junhyeok chatted among themselves.

“No way. How can Junseong be compared to Junhyeok? Hmph!”

Among the lively girls teasing Lee Junhyeok, one approached Mihyeon.

“Don’t you think so too, Mihyeon? How can Kim Junseong be Lee Junhyeok? It’s ridiculous. Look at this, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.”

Mihyeon responded to their words.

“It’s not true.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s with me. Lee Junhyeok’s glasses.”

“Gasp!”

Hearing Mihyeon’s words, Junseong’s heart sank in an instant.

“Make sure. Kim Junseong said it too. I should confirm that I’m not similar to Junhyeok-nim.”

The atmosphere in the classroom shifted to the idea that they should compare Junseong wearing Lee Junhyeok’s special glasses.

And…

Junseong let out a deep sigh, not filled with despair or frustration, but rather a self-reflective sigh, as if he had given up.

“Phew, I’ve finished studying for the college entrance exam.”

It was a self-pitying sigh, as if he had given up. Then, he put on the glasses.

In that moment, the students were astonished.

Receiving their amazed looks, Mihyeon exclaimed with disbelief.

“This is unbelievable! The lowly Kim Junseong is Lee Junhyeok!”

And so, Junseong’s identity was unexpectedly revealed due to Miji’s small prank.

To say it was astonishing would be an understatement!

The mysterious pro-gamer Lee Junhyeok, whose identity was kept secret, turned out to be none other than Kim Junseong!

The news quickly spread throughout the school. Thanks to the fame of pro-gamer Lee Junhyeok, almost everyone, especially his fans, soon learned of this fact. It was as if it was intended to happen.

Junseong was troubled by this unwanted exposure. He had been intentionally concealing his identity to avoid having his privacy invaded under the pretext of being a pro-gamer.

However, the news of his identity spread like wildfire on the internet, and it became the number one search term on some websites. It seemed almost like a deliberate act.

As Junseong sat at his desk, he saw all the carefully wrapped gifts on top of it. The empty desk was now filled with envelopes of beautifully colored letters.

He hated such attention and did not want to be bothered by it, as he had debts to repay and studies to pursue in college. For him, having a girlfriend or indulging in the pleasures others enjoyed was a luxury.

He had been pursuing a distant light for nearly a decade, struggling under its shadow since he lost his parents. Naturally, things like having a girlfriend or enjoying what others did were extravagances he could not afford.

Giving up his privacy just for the sake of earning money as a pro-gamer was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

But now, after his identity was revealed on the internet and spread like wildfire, almost all of Junhyeok’s fans knew the truth. It was undoubtedly a major event.

The next day, as Junseong opened the classroom door with a deep sigh, all the girls’ eyes inside the classroom turned towards him.

It was still early, and usually only a few students should have been there, but today there were more than ten girls looking at him with shining eyes.

“Hello! Junseong!”

“It’s Junseong!”

Their usual nonchalant attitude towards him had completely changed.

“Hello.”

As he responded to their greetings, the girls blushed and lowered their heads, seemingly embarrassed.

Junseong frowned as their warm gazes made him uncomfortable.

“Ah, who’s the reason for all this trouble caused by my identity getting revealed?”

As he shot a sharp remark, Miji stood there with a bashful smile.

“I’m sorry.”

Seeing her apologetic expression, Junseong let out a sigh.

“Fine, it’s alright. Let’s just forget about it. But what’s the matter?”

“Huh? Oh, that… um…”

After hesitating for a moment, Miji finally spoke up.

“It’s because of my mistake that things got tangled up like this… So I wanted to apologize and buy you lunch or something… After the college entrance exam…”