Season 4: Chapter 44. Subset vs. Superset (2)
Oh Sang-Gi was the senior who complimented Bubblegum’s appearance. Now, it was all but confirmed that he was connected to the mastermind.
"My senior..."
Thud.
Bubblegum collapsed to the floor. He had seen how Almond’s blade passed right through the senior, and the senior’s personality also instantly changed.
— LOL moment of despair
— The only person who said he was handsome turned out to be a villain...
— That's tragic ngl
— So it was the senior lol
— So what you’re telling me is... no sane person thinks Bubblegum is actually good-looking? Got it!
The senior was the mastermind’s puppet. His role was to deceive, manipulate, and lure students to the true villain. Everything he had said was a lie. All of it... was meaningless.
Bubblegum clenched his fists.
‘That’s how it is, huh?’
Now, he was dead set on tracking down the mastermind and beating the hell out of him.
***
Sword strikes didn’t work. Almond tried throwing talismans, sweeping his legs, and even elbow smashes. However, nothing landed.
"Whoops~ Did someone stick a Post-it on me?"
"Ohoho~ Such long legs! Welcome to the Modeling Club~"
Oh Sang-Gi, the puppet of darkness, kept replying with the same cheerful lines as if nothing ever happened. He was completely immune to any attacks.
"Killing him doesn’t seem to be an option."
Almond finally admitted it.
— You’re just figuring that out now??
— I thought he was gonna set the whole building on fire next lol
— Might be time to give up, man...
They didn’t need to kill Oh Sang-Gi to get to the mastermind. They needed to gain his approval.
‘But how?’
While pondering that, Almond saw something.
"Senior Oh! Did I do well today?"
A girl approached Oh Sang-Gi and asked expectantly.
"Could I... maybe get introduced to that person?"
"Hmm. I’ll have to think about it a bit more."
"Okay."
She returned to her place, visibly disappointed, and resumed her walking practice. From that short exchange, Almond came to a conclusion.
‘So you have to be good at modeling?’
Whatever it was, be it walking or something else, the key was to stand out and win that senior’s approval.
"I’ll focus on making a good impression first."
Ding.
[RubySword has donated 30,000 won!]
[But Almond tried to slash him in half earlier... You think he’s still gonna give Almond a pass?]
— LOLOLOL
— Seriously tho
— Almond slapped a talisman on him, tripped him, and elbowed him too
— Yeah, this ain’t happening
— Just reload a save file at this point LOL
"Can’t we just pretend none of that happened?"
Almond brushed it off and decided to focus on the walking practice.
— LOL just pretend, huh
— Nothing happened, huh?
— You literally tried to cleave him in two??
— Eh, in NutsPunk world, that’s just Monday
— Villain’s POV: Really?
The training was quite easy thanks to the system in place. He just had to speak to the teacher.
"Oh? Walking practice? Of course!"
She happily welcomed him and took her stance.
"Let’s start with footwork~ I’ll guide you."
One-two. One-two. She placed her hands on her hips and demonstrated how to cross her feet gracefully.
"First, match your foot placement. Then coordinate your gaze, posture, and arm flow."
"Got it."
Almond nodded and looked down at his feet.
"One, two... one, two..."
He followed her movements. It looked roughly right. Their body types were different, so the resulting posture varied. Step indicators floated above the floor, helping guide his movement. He simply had to match them.
"One, two... one, two..."
Almond swept his blond bangs aside and focused intently, determined to pass the first time.
"Oooh! Perfect! Perfect!"
Clap clap!
The teacher applauded delightfully. Almond had successfully cleared the first step.
"Teach me too!"
Bubblegum stepped forward. He had cast aside his attachment to being called handsome and now only focused on taking down the villain behind Oh Sang-Gi. Determination burned in his eyes.
"Of course, Jeong Dae-Man."
The teacher turned to him and demonstrated the foot positioning again. Bubblegum swung his red hair back dramatically and began stepping.
"Hut, two! Hut, two!"
— Is this a military drill or a mountain workout?
— Hut-two??? LMAO
— Did he sign up for Diet Boxing by mistake?
Maybe it was his fault, or maybe it was just his build. No matter what he did, Bubblegum didn’t look anything like a model.
"Still, everyone. That should be enough to pass, right?"
He wasn’t too bothered. After all, the students had cheered for him on his first attempt. The bar couldn’t be that high.
— True
— They’ll probably let it slide
— Fair enough
Surely the teacher would applaud even this much walking.
Clap!
"See? She’s clapping ri—"
"No!"
It wasn’t applause. The teacher had smacked Bubblegum across the calf with a pointer stick.
"Huh?"
— LOL what??
— There was a stick!?
— That’s insane lmao
— Whaaat?
"Y-Yes?!"
Where the hell did that stick come from? Bubblegum was dumbfounded, but the instructor’s earlier gentle smile had disappeared.
She snapped coldly, "Here! Right here! Sooo bad. Again. Walk again!"
Bubblegum, still dazed, tried walking again. How could he perfectly perform the task now after getting hit with a stick? His steps began to fumble.
Whap!
"Again! Walk!"
Of course, that didn’t mean the instructor went easy on him.
— LOL
— Insane lmao
— Whiplash!
— Why is this game so brutal to only Bubblegum...?
— Aaaah lmao
Honestly, the game wasn’t just cruel to Bubblegum. This harshness was its intended design. Only Almond hadn’t experienced it yet.
"Okay. That handsome student? You can move on to the next level. Flawless performance."
— LMAO
— Wow
— Big difference, huh
— Class gap
— Is this favoritism based on looks?
— The contrast is unreal lol
Almond advanced to the next stage of walking. It wasn’t just matching footprints anymore. He had to actually walk and maintain proper form.
‘Kind of like that ad shoot.’
He recalled his experience with commercial filming as he stepped forward. Personality-wise, modeling made him feel a bit self-conscious.
‘Just think of it like a rhythm game.’
Those awkward feelings faded away when he moved as if syncing with a rhythm bar. It wasn’t modeling to him. It was just a shape-matching game.
"Bravo!"
Clap clap clap.
The instructor applauded excitedly. The other kids joined in with standing ovations and exclamations.
"That was legendary!"
"Is he walking on clouds?!"
"A golden-haired angel has descended!"
The AI’s praise system kicked into high gear, generating every kind of over-the-top compliment.
— LMAO
— This world goes hard on praise lol
— Polar opposites, for real
— But is Almond the only one who’ll pass??
Almond’s walk was flawless. He casually glanced over to Oh Sang-Gi to check his reaction, but the senior wasn’t watching him. He was focused on Bubblegum instead.
‘Huh?’
Maybe walking well wasn’t the real criterion for catching Oh Sang-Gi’s attention.
***
"Okay! That’s it for today’s class!"
Oh Sang-Gi didn’t approach anyone as class ended.
"Dae-Man, you did well today. Don’t lose heart."
He came over briefly and patted Bubblegum on the shoulder in encouragement.
"You sly bastard..."
Bubblegum, still bitter over the betrayal, just badmouthed Oh Sang-Gi to the viewers instead of thanking him.
— LOL
— Gum-bro is fuming
— This is comedy gold
— Peak Gum rage
Almond, on the other hand, had been closely observing Oh Sang-Gi’s behavior.
‘This... might not be what I thought.’
He thought about the entire structure around Oh Sang-Gi and the mastermind.
‘It feels like a cult.’
It reeked of cult behavior, which meant Almond’s current approach was all wrong. Cults preyed on those with wounds in their hearts or vulnerable psyches. It was a cowardly but effective tactic.
People who could walk flawlessly, earn the crowd’s cheers, or slash others in half without hesitation weren’t their targets. They targeted the socially alienated, the emotionally sensitive, and the self-loathing.
‘Almost fell for it.’
If he just kept walking well, he would’ve become the complete opposite of what Oh Sang-Gi wanted.
‘Wait. Is it too late?’
It kind of felt like it. Could Almond still catch Oh Sang-Gi’s interest? Even Bubblegum hadn’t been invited yet.
"Guys, I think you have to suck at modeling to get Oh Sang-Gi’s attention."
— ??
— Is that an insult to Bubblegum?
— LOL wait, seriously?
— How did you come to that conclusion?
— Hmm maybe?
Almond explained his theory. His past deductions had also turned out correct.
— Makes sense
— Could be true
— Deduction god
— No way this is wrong
Even the viewers accepted it. The real problem was how to perform badly. That was a nightmare for someone highly skilled like Almond.
Ding.
[XiaoLongBao has donated 10,000 won.]
[Bubblegum Coin is skyrocketing~! LOL]
— LMAO
— Winning by sucking? Get Bubblegum now!
— No one sucks as gracefully as him
— Almond might actually fail this time
Everyone initially thought Almond would be chosen and Bubblegum would fail. Now the tables had turned with Almond at a major disadvantage.
"Huh? Are you for real? They pick the person who sucks?!"
Bubblegum picked up the news from his viewers.
"Wahaha! That’s awesome! So that’s why Oh Sang-Gi talked to me... Wait."
He paused, realizing this wasn’t something to be happy about.
"Dammit."
— LOL
— So it’s because we’re all weak...
— Chosen for being pathetic
— Crying emoji...
— Hang in there, They’re All!
"So what about you, Almond? I can’t go alone. I’m not confident on my own."
Even Bubblegum worried about Almond. Almond had done too well today. Reverting his evaluation would take some time. In the game, it meant attending several more Modeling Club sessions. However, Almond couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
"There’s only one way to finish this by tomorrow."
He had come up with a plan.
"Huh? Really?"
"Look over there."
Click.
The Modeling Club door opened, and the NPCs began filing out one by one.
"There are thirty-two of them."
"Uh... what?"
"In the Modeling Club."
"You take twelve and I’ll handle twenty. Roughly like that."
Tap tap tap tap tap.
Almond rushed out after the NPCs.
"W-Wait, what do you mean?! Are you starting a gang fight or something?!"
Surprisingly, Bubblegum wasn’t far off.