episode_0053

053.

“…Jinhyuk’s team is really in first place?”

Jin Soyeon blinked her eyes repeatedly as she quietly looked at the ranking list. She couldn’t easily calm her amazed mind.

Because she never imagined that Jinhyuk’s team would achieve such a high score.

Dungeon clear time: 25 minutes and 15 seconds.

More than twice as fast as Jin Soyeon’s team.

If she were to compete again against Jinhyuk’s team, could she shorten the time even more?

Quietly pondering, Jin Soyeon shook her head from side to side.

No, it would be impossible.

“Even if I were on a team with Senari and Lee Junghoon, it would still be too fast.”

Senari and Lee Junghoon were powerful ability users.

They were quite famous since their middle school days.

Having grown with full clan support, these individuals were destined to be the heroes of the next generation.

Senari ranked 17th, while Lee Junghoon ranked 29th.

Both of them were in the top ranks at the Union Academy.

However.

“Even though our team members are not to be underestimated.”

Jin Soyeon’s team was also quite formidable.

With rankings of 19th and 46th.

Yet, the difference was still significant…

“…Is it all thanks to Jinhyuk?”

Jinhyuk’s command and tactical abilities were quite impressive.

In places like dungeon strategies, Jinhyuk’s abilities would shine even more.

Hmm… well.

Even though I didn’t expect them to be in first place.

Anyway, Jinhyuk did quite well.

“Jinhyuk’s team cleared it much faster than Siwoon and Daehan.”

Of course, the dungeon exam is not over yet.

There are still many trainees waiting to take the exam.

But is there a team that can clear the dungeon in 25 minutes?

Even Siwoon and Kang Daehan took 37 minutes?

“Oh, they’re coming.”

“Yeah.”

Yoo Seolhyun briefly gestured towards a distant spot.

Several children were gathered in a circle, buzzing with excitement. Familiar faces of a man and a woman were visible in the crowd.

It was Lee Jinhyuk and Senari.

“Wow! Nari, what’s going on? 25 minutes? How did this happen?”

“Our Nari is quite something, huh?”

“Do you know your team is currently in first place?”

“Oh, is it all thanks to Lee Jinhyuk? Even with Senari, it’s too fast.”

“Why did Yoo Seolhyun bring Lee Jinhyuk with her for dungeon strategies? There must have been something after all?”

“Siwoon is talented~! I believed in you! Lee Jinhyuk, you’re the hero of our class!”

“What is this kid saying?”

The children, surprised by the unexpected results, clung to Lee Jinhyuk and Senari, chattering away.

Eventually, Senari raised her eyebrows and raised her voice amidst the crowd of children.

“Hey, kids? Can you please move aside and let us through?”

Senari grumbled as she moved away from the children. Lee Jinhyuk could easily follow her.

“Phew. Anyway, it’s just a fuss. It’s just the end of one exam.”

“Hello, Nari. You did quite well on this exam, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah? Hehe. It was just luck, that’s all.”

As Yoo Seolhyun approached and started talking, Senari briefly widened her eyes, then awkwardly scratched the back of her neck.

It seemed she was quite pleased with Yoo Seolhyun’s praise.

“It may seem like luck, but someone must have worked hard.”

Yoo Seolhyun subtly shifted her gaze and smiled while looking directly at Lee Jinhyuk, who was standing awkwardly beside her.

“Don’t you agree, Jinhyuk?”

“Um.”

With a knowing look in his eyes, Lee Jinhyuk gave a wry smile and shrugged his shoulders.

“I had a lot of monsters I studied come out. Maybe Senari was just lucky after all?”

“Hmm. Well, okay. If you say so, then it must be true.”

Yoo Seolhyun, who mistakenly believed herself to be a future predictor, simply shrugged and smiled without saying anything.

If she had used her future prediction ability, conquering a dungeon like this would have been easier than pie.

Apart from the fact that the conditions for using her ability were strict and she couldn’t see the future she desired freely, she could be considered a really ambitious talent.

Moreover, wasn’t Lee Jinhyuk a master who could even use the sword energy?

It was suspicious how he hid his strength so well, almost ranking last in the entrance exam. But maybe Yoo Seolhyun hoped that his true abilities would be revealed a bit more in this midterm exam.

Thinking about the power of the sword energy he displayed in the dungeon, she didn’t know if he might be stronger than Lee Siwoon. Hmm. So, it’s even more exciting, right?

Stronger than Lee Siwoon, huh…

Honestly, it was hard to imagine.

In Union Academy, where numerous geniuses gathered, there were only a few people who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Lee Siwoon.

Smart, skilled, and with extraordinary abilities?

It was a bit funny that Yoo Seolhyun, a talented rich girl, thought this way, but Lee Jinhyuk seemed a bit unfair, a cheat.

“Lee Jinhyuk, if he were born in a good family, he might have become more famous than Lee Siwoon.”

Come to think of it, the sight of Lee Jinhyuk wielding his sword to save Yoo Seolhyun was still unforgettable.

It was truly a life-threatening moment, vividly etched in her memory.

Honestly, it was quite a cool scene.

If she were an ordinary girl, she might have developed a slight fondness, right?

Well, Yoo Seolhyun wasn’t an ordinary girl.

“Ah, Jinhyuk. Congratulations, first place.”

“What first place. The exam isn’t over yet. There are still many students waiting to enter the dungeon, and this is just the first test.”

“Still, it’s something to celebrate. Honestly, I didn’t know you would do so well in the exam.”

Jin Soyeon congratulated her childhood friend with a gentle voice.

Honestly, she was slightly worried that Jinhyuk might not do well in the exam. After all, he had a history of almost ranking last in the entrance exam for Union Academy. She thought he might not adapt well to Union and could mess up the exam…

“It’s good, this should be fine.”

Come to think of it, didn’t he also get good scores in the practical evaluations and written exams?

Even better than Jin Soyeon.

“…Maybe he’s adapting better to Union than I am.”

Suddenly.

The words she had whispered to Jinhyuk in the past, full of enthusiasm, flashed through her mind.

– Are you worried about academy life?

– Well, our Jinhyuk barely made it through the exam~.

– Ah~ It can’t be helped. Don’t worry too much, I’m ranked 257th, you know?

Oh no, embarrassing.

If she keeps this up, won’t she be caught up by Jinhyuk’s grades?

Then she might be teased by Jinhyuk for a while, oh, why did I say that.

“By the way, during middle school, I helped a lot with practical evaluations, but now I don’t need to do that anymore, right?”

At that time, Jinhyuk was very, very weak in practical evaluations.

So whenever she had time, Jin Soyeon helped him.

Training together, exercising, planning strategies, and performing missions, etc.

But now…

“Actually, Jinhyuk and I don’t really get along these days.”

Until middle school, they trained together and hung out together, but at some point, Jinhyuk wasn’t by her side anymore.

Glancing around discreetly, Jinhyuk realized that he was no longer the one always standing by, but rather laughing and chatting with others.

In the past, it wasn’t like this at all…

Jinhyuk used to almost always look at me more than others, but now, the current Jinhyuk only seems to get along with Yuseolhyun.

Has there ever been a time in the past when Jinhyuk got along with another girl like this?

No, as far as Jinsuyeon could remember, there wasn’t.

Jinhyuk didn’t have any interest in other girls, and they were just fake lovers between Jinsuyeon.

But not anymore.

Their fake relationship was long gone, and they were just childhood friends now.

“….”

Jinsuyeon inadvertently glanced towards Jinhyuk.

He was currently chatting and laughing with Yuseolhyun and Sunari.

Seeing him sharing stories with a bitter smile, it somehow stirred a subtle emotion within her.

It was a feeling that she couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly.

Should she call it bittersweet, or maybe a bit frustrating?

Either way, Jinsuyeon knew well that from Jinhyuk’s perspective, after getting tired of the fake love game with the girl he liked for a long time, he might want to establish a good relationship with another girl.

Jinsuyeon personally felt a lot of guilt and remorse towards Jinhyuk, and she really wanted to apologize to him about it.

But why was she feeling this way when she saw Jinhyuk with another girl now?

Jinsuyeon couldn’t even understand it herself.

Furrowing her brows for a moment, she shook her head slightly.

This feeling, this sensation, what is it exactly?

Is it bittersweet… a bit frustrating… that kind of emotion?

No, it’s slightly different, more negative. A more pessimistic feeling. How should she describe this emotion…

It’s like, a bit… unsettling.

“Seoyeon? Why are you zoning out like that?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not already tired from just taking one test, are you?”

“I was just thinking about the next test…”

“Is the next test a hostage rescue mission?”

“Mm.”

“You’re definitely thinking hard. There are many things to consider when taking a test as a team.”

Jinhyuk nodded as if he understood.

“Anyway, we probably won’t take the hostage rescue test today… but can you give me some tips that might be helpful?”

“…No. It’s okay. I’ll try it on my own this time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

For some reason, she didn’t want Jinhyuk’s help this time. She felt like she shouldn’t accept Jinhyuk’s help. She didn’t know why.

“What’s wrong? How did they clear the level so quickly? Did they use some trick?”

“….”

“Don’t worry too much, Siwoon. They were just lucky.”

“….”

“Hey, Siwoon?”

“….”

In the midst of the crowd, Siwoon looked at Jinsuyeon and Jinhyuk with a calm gaze.

Siwoon recalled what had happened a few days ago.

During the midterms.

Jinsuyeon had called Siwoon aside.

With a serious expression, Jinsuyeon had apologized to Siwoon, saying that if she had any feelings for him, she was truly sorry.

Perhaps she had roughly guessed what kind of feelings Siwoon had harbored on the day he had caught Choi Changwon.

Siwoon had silently looked at Jinsuyeon, then suddenly denied her words and thoughts, and asked one question.

Did she like someone right now?

Upon hearing that question, Jinsuyeon seemed slightly flustered, but she soon smiled and replied that she didn’t like anyone romantically, and that she wasn’t interested in dating at the moment.

But Siwoon knew.

When Ishiwoon and Jin Soyeon were talking at the academy, she unconsciously glanced around, giving away the fact that she was following someone with her eyes.

When she talked about that person, she showed a beautiful smile and a bright expression that was not usually seen.

Jin Soyeon seemed to be paying an unusual amount of attention to one person, showing a much weaker side than usual.

…Ishiwoon knew it all.

“I heard that they broke up because it didn’t feel right as a relationship.”

The look in her eyes was a mixture of various emotions to the point where it didn’t just feel like a gaze towards an ex-boyfriend and childhood friend, so Ishiwoon had to slightly bite his lower lip.

The look in Jin Soyeon’s eyes as she looked at Lee Jinhyuk.

As Ishiwoon, he couldn’t forget it.

No, he couldn’t forget it.

“Lee Jinhyuk, Lee Jinhyuk….”

His fists were clenched without him realizing it, but it took him a while to finally realize it.