Dancing Like Butterfly Wings 🦋 yungi [▶]

19

Once again, there was a change in the curriculum at Cooperstone Institute.

After Namjoon, the rector, eliminated Community Service and left only regular internships, he has now also shifted the Level Three practical exam schedule from mid-internship report preparation to mid-semester, specifically late March and early April. This change came after a major meeting with all the faculty, where they reached a consensus. The rector, the son of Dionysus, did not want to be an authoritarian leader making unilateral decisions without others' approval.

As planned, Yunho applied to take a make-up exam since his current condition did not allow him to participate in the physical combat exam. Mingi would also take the make-up exam to be with Yunho.

Level Three consists of a dozen demigods from twelve faculties and forty majors. Most students participate as regular candidates, while a smaller number register as make-up candidates for their own reasons. Hence, the college takes thirty days just to complete the exams for regular participants. The make-up exams are held in early December after the end-of-semester exams, making the practical exam appear to have two waves.

The first exam is a paired test, where two students are randomly matched by computer to fight against an artificial titan. Each pair is given twenty minutes, and if they fail to defeat the titan within the allotted time, they fail. Successful pairs include Kang Yeosang (son of Aphrodite) and Lee Gahyeon (daughter of Aphrodite), as well as Choi San (son of Fortuna) and Son Chaeyoung (daughter of Poseidon). The failed pair in this exam were Jung Wooyoung (son of Eros) and Choi Yeonjun (son of Dionysus).

The second exam is a duel, or one-on-one combat. The time given is unlimited, as the fight ends when one participant is declared defeated. No matter how strong they are, there will always be a time when someone falls due to exhaustion. This exam continues in several rounds until a winner is determined. After failing the first exam, Wooyoung found a strong motivation to compete harder. He managed to defeat all his opponents in each round but unfortunately faced San as his final opponent. Similarly, Yeosang advanced to the final round. The battle between the son of Fortuna and the son of Aphrodite became the most intense, with Yeosang emerging as the winner of this duel exam. In other words, he was ranked first among the hundreds of demigods.

Level Three students were given a brief respite with a seven-day break after the practical exams. Mingi took this opportunity to bring Yunho to the Underworld, showing him the true nature of the underworld.

It was not much different from what Yunho had learned in the general course of Deity Studies, but everything would still feel different if he visited Mingi's homeland in person.

In the dorm room, Mingi opened a portal to the Underworld and closed it again after he and Yunho stepped into the underworld. At first, Mingi was a bit surprised to see Yunho looking relaxed. Of course, Yunho's clear eyes sparkled with wonder at the environment he had never visited before. But the problem was that the Underworld was always cold, and anyone—god or demigod—who visited would shiver. Clearly, the underworld is located at the earth's core, with no sunlight reaching it—well, unless the portal was opened outdoors during the day. So, they would wear thick coats for a walk in the underworld when sightseeing. Yunho, however, did not need anything like that.

But then Mingi remembered that Yunho came from an equally cold underwater world. So now Yunho's comfort in this place made sense. Yunho seemed well-suited to living in the Underworld. This led Mingi to think about bringing Yunho to live with him here in the future.

Entering Hades' palace, the couple found only emptiness, apart from a few nymphs working as servants.

"I live here with Jooheon hyung, Sihyeon, and Hyungseob. Jooheon hyung's duty schedule is unpredictable. But since he doesn't seem to be here, he's likely on duty." Mingi explained as he walked casually alongside Yunho, showing him around his home.

"Where is your brother stationed?"

"In Tartarus."

"What does he do there?"

"Judges the rebels, of course."

"Wow, that sounds terrifying."

"Exactly. He's so ruthless to those rebels. That's why he's perfect for being there all day. He seems to have found his element there."

"Isn't he afraid of those spirits?"

Mingi wanted to laugh at Yunho's innocent question but refrained. Instead, he merely snorted dismissively. "My brother? Afraid of spirits? It's them who are afraid of him."

Yunho couldn’t be more impressed. He couldn’t imagine how terrifying Lee Jooheon must be. Literally Hades' style.

"Then where are Sihyeon and Hyungseob?" he asked, looking around to admire the beauty of the interior. Hades himself had designed it since the time of the Dark God who abducted Persephone. Although the colors were dominated by dark brown, it didn’t diminish the aesthetic of the vast building. There was still a white ceiling after all.

"I don’t know. But they might not be home for this holiday? It seems they are spending their holiday with friends in the upper world."

"What about Mark, Yuqi, and Jibeom? They don’t live here?"

As they passed the dining room, Yunho noticed several large frames with pictures of Hades displayed on all sides of the room. The cold-eyed gazes in the frames seemed to watch over the large dining table with tall candles and flower arrangements on it. There was also a fireplace on one side. Yunho wondered why Hades' palace needed a fireplace when the god and his entire lineage were used to the cold. But a millisecond later, Yunho thought it might just be decoration?

"No. Mark is in Vancouver, Yuqi is in Beijing, and Jibeom is in Busan. They are staying with their mothers."

"Then where is your father?"

"Why? Are you eager to meet Papa Hades?" Mingi gave Yunho a teasing grin.

"Hades is my uncle, of course I want to meet him." Yunho turned away, hiding his expression and nervousness about the false statement he had made. But even from his demeanor and tone, Mingi could tell what Yunho was really thinking.

"Just say you want to meet your future father-in-law, what’s so hard about it—ouch! That hurts, Phaedon!" Mingi rubbed his bicep where Yunho had just punched him. He didn’t understand how his lover had gotten stronger day by day. "Papa is not here. You’re out of luck. Maybe you can meet him another time."