Cat Mania

38. Seongik's Latest Disciple

"Are you going to reconsider my offer?" Seongik asked.

They were currently sitting in his office.

"No." Cale replied calmly.

Seongik sighed, "I figured." His eyes turned towards the cats. "Is it related to your cats? You can keep them here, you know." Sepngik smiled, holding out a cat snack from out of nowhere.

'Where'd he get that?' Cale wondered, a bit off topic. "That's not the problem."

"Then what is it?" He fed the treats to the cats.

'This is yummy!' Hong thought, eating it.

Cale looked at the kids.

The cats nodded, picking up the signal.

"Huh?" Seongik's eyes widened.

The cats were no longer there, but in their place stood human beings.

'How come their transformation worked fine but not mine?' Cale was a bit annoyed. They weren't stuck with an imperfect technique that left out cat features like ears and a tail.

"The.. the cats..?" Seongik looked up at them, almost taken off his chair.

Cale nodded, "yes, that's them."

The kids stood pridefully in front of him.

Seongik's gaze turned back to Cale, still perplexed by the situation. "Then the reason you requested a meeting with me...?"

"I want to enroll them into the academy." Cale spoke boldly.

Seongik was puzzled, but that didn't mean he lost his brains. "Students at the academy must be backed up by an organization, without any backing, we cannot register them into our program."

"What counts as an organization?" Cale asked, crossing his arms.

"Any verified group consisting of awakened ones." Seongik answered. "But," he looked up at Cale with an ambitious glare, "if you become my disciple, I can guarantee their admission."

"..."

'You sly fox.' Cale thought ironically. 'But what should I do.. Shinhwa won't sponsor any random person, and there's no other person I can turn to. Plus, Kayden and Kartein are unaffiliated awakeners...' Cale looked up at him, done with his thinking. "Fine."

"What?!"

Everyone was caught off guard.

"I'll become your disciple." Cale clarified.

"But, human!" Raon called out. "You can't be under someone! I won't let that happen!"

"That's right!" His siblings agreed. "Father is far above everyone else!"

"What..? Father..? You're a dad, Cale..?" Seongik was, yet again, surprised.

"Yeah." Cale relied, ignoring the kids. "They're my adopted children." He spread that information like it was nothing. "So will you allow them in now?"

Seongik smiled, nodding, he replied, "yes. I will fill out the information quickly. They will start as students in the academy by tomorrow."

Cale smiled, satisfied. "Thank you." He got up from his chair, heading out the door.

'I didn't know he took care of kids, and at such a young age...' Seongik wore a gentle smile, reminiscing about his old days. Then he frowned.

"Why did you do that?" Eruhaben asked, gently smacking Cale on the head. "Are you really going to become that old geek's disciple?" He asked.

The kids waited anxiously.

'Look who's talking.' Cale thought. He sighed. "Yes. It'll only be for a bit until we figure out how to return home."

Eruhaben groaned, as much as he hated it, he knew it was for the better as well. With no background in this unfamiliar world, they needed at least someone's backing.

"Don't worry, human. If that old geezer tries anything on you, we'll make him pay!"

"Yeah!"

"That's right!"

The kids cheered happily, already waiting for Seongik's downfall.

"Yuck!"

There was a small, muffled bang followed along with dialogue from afar.

'Is something happening?' Cale thought.

"What was that?" Ohn asked, curious.

"Maybe they saw a bug!" Hong thought. "Whenever I see ugly things, I also say 'yuck'!"

"Yeah, maybe!"

Ohn and Hong innocently continued their stroll.

"..."

Cale frowned. "Why don't you guys walk around the academy together? I'll go check out the situation." He told them.

"Alright." Eruhaben agreed. Without asking, he took on the role as a guardian.

"Bye, dad!"

The kids waved goodbye as him.

'Is it those bullies again? Suchan, Sucheon, or whatever his name was and his lackeys? I thought he learnt his lesson already.' Cale thought, striding inside the building.

When he entered, he didn't see what he thought he would see. There was a man, with short white hair, red eyes, an innocent yet pretentious looking face.

"Who are you?" Cale asked. He never saw this man inside the academy, he's even wearing a different uniform.

The man smiled, though his eyes didn't show it. "I'm Duke Grayne."

'Duke Grayne? Never heard of it. Well, I don't know anyone in this world anyways.' Cale realized how stupid his question was.

"And you?" Duke asked back.

"Cale Henituse."

"Nice to meet you." Duke extended his hand outward, still holding onto his fake smile. 'Great, a nobody.'

Cale didn't shake it, he thought this man was suspicious. "What are you doing here, in the academy?"

He withdrew his hand, 'I didn't want you touching me anyways.' Duke's smile widened, holding back his real emotions. "My academy, the World Awakened Academy, is visiting this small country's academy."

'The World Awakened Academy? Is it like a worldwide academy? Since Korea's academy is only for Koreans, the World academy must be for everyone.' Cale nodded. "Thank you. I'll be on my way now."

"Yes. Have a good day." Duke excused him, but he really did not.

——-
IM SO SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER

BUT I AM UTTERLY SHOOK BY THE NEWEST CHAPTER OF ELECEED

LIKE WYDM DUKE AND JURION ARE TEAMING UP TO KILL JIWOO????????????