Ch.161The Night With the Witch – 1

If asked to describe the benefits of being affiliated with the Superpower Academy, Seojin Baek would say this.

That he can use his personal days without worrying about what others think. Yes, just like today!

Fortunately, Soohyun Kim had managed to keep her Friday schedule clear.

With her wish coupon overlapping, Seojin Baek gladly decided to use his personal day.

Both as an Academy examiner and as an S-rank.

“Um, Chairman. About Soohyun… I wanted to discuss something and get your opinion…”

She was the beloved granddaughter of none other than Minseong Kang.

So with some concern, he tried to subtly bring up future matters.

But what he got in return was Minseong Kang’s hearty laugh. And this answer:

“As long as it’s not harmful to Soohyun, you two should talk it out yourselves. Aren’t you both adults? I don’t understand why you’re asking me about matters between you two, Examiner Baek.”

Instead, Minseong Kang even patted his shoulder, asking him to take good care of Soohyun.

With this implicit permission and consent, Seojin Baek was finally able to gather his resolve.

Right. As he said, they were both adults, so why did he keep having these strange worries?

“Examiner!”

Up ahead, Soohyun Kim was waving both hands and smiling brightly.

Seeing her, Seojin Baek smiled back and approached her side.

“You look pretty today.”

“R-really? Do I look pretty?”

“Yes. Much more than usual.”

It was obvious she had put in extra effort for this important day.

Makeup she rarely wore, a light pink blouse, and a black skirt.

Her usually subdued demeanor had transformed into something vibrant and lively today.

“Examiner, Examiner. This is my first time going out without bodyguards!”

During her time as a severely lacking ability user. Since she was still part of the Kang family.

Above all, because she needed protection, bodyguards were always stationed around her.

Soohyun Kim understood that it wasn’t overprotection.

She had accepted that it was because she was too weak and insignificant.

However, that shield had inversely become a barrier that distanced her from the world.

But now that wouldn’t be an issue anymore. She had someone more reliable than hundreds or thousands of bodyguards.

That “Elder” had rescued Soohyun Kim from his clutches multiple times.

Plus, her skills had now improved to the point where she could subdue ordinary villains in an instant.

“Are you happy about that?”

“Yes. I always felt a bit sorry that they had to follow me wherever I went.”

Soohyun Kim, who was already not particularly outgoing by nature, had lived quietly.

Adding to that the guilt she felt toward her bodyguards, she had become even more withdrawn.

And then being kidnapped and brainwashed by villains was supposed to be her original fate.

“Hehe!”

Now she was happily laughing while nestling close to Seojin Baek.

“I heard there’s a hydrangea festival going on these days, Examiner. I really want to go!”

“Do whatever you want, Soohyun. Today is your day.”

Having received permission, and not entirely without interest himself,

Seojin Baek also wanted to see Soohyun Kim smiling brightly, at least for today.

One of the benefits of becoming an S-rank is having unlimited access to national facilities.

Thanks to that, he could freely use portals that would make others tremble at the cost.

Too much of a benefit, you say? Is it okay to use it for personal gain?

If you understood what an S-rank is, you wouldn’t say such things.

This level of benefit isn’t even a benefit. As long as they can keep them tied to the nation.

“Welcome to Jeju Island.”

The portal manager, after confirming that the user was Seojin Baek, gave an almost 90-degree bow.

A natural reaction given that he was an S-rank and one of the most active ability users recently.

But from Seojin Baek’s perspective, it was quite uncomfortable.

‘I want to bow too. Ugh, this is awkward.’

For Seojin Baek, who was used to either greeting first or returning greetings equally,

This kind of treatment was somewhat unfamiliar.

Jiyoon Han and Rina Lee had suggested that he should get used to it, but.

“Also, from now on, wear glasses or sunglasses, or a hat when you go out. Got it? Why? Obviously to avoid troublesome situations! Does this oppa think getting people’s attention is that great?! Once you experience it, you’ll understand why this advice is so valuable!”

Perhaps because they were in Jeju Island, the sunlight was a bit more intense than elsewhere.

Thanks to that, wearing sunglasses openly wasn’t an issue.

“Soohyun. How do I look?”

“You look cool! But also a bit strange!”

“Do you want to wear one too? I prepared one for you just in case.”

From Seojin Baek’s perspective, he just bought an extra pair of sunglasses while buying his own.

But it seemed to be received quite differently by Soohyun Kim.

She opened her eyes wide, took the sunglasses, and her hands trembled.

“The Examiner thought of me again…”

“…Soohyun?”

“I-I’ll wear them well! Examiner! I’ll treasure these forever!”

No, you don’t have to treasure them forever. Please don’t treasure them.

Whether she knew Seojin Baek’s inner thoughts or not, Soohyun Kim just grinned happily.

The couple headed to where the hydrangea festival was in full swing, holding hands and strolling slowly.

There weren’t any particularly grand events or overwhelming scenic beauty.

But Seojin Baek actually found this tranquility to be perfect.

Every day filled with examinations, training, and battles against villains and monsters.

There was nothing better than this to soothe his unknowingly tired body and mind.

And seeing Soohyun Kim constantly looking at him and smiling,

He realized that he was unconsciously matching her smile with his own.

Taking in a world full of flowers, laughing together with happy people gathered around,

Standing in the center of that world and capturing it in a photograph.

“Soohyun.”

Seojin Baek, sitting down to rest for a moment, carefully opened his lips.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

Honestly, he had been wondering if he should really ask this.

If done wrong, it might seem like he was taking someone’s feelings lightly.

He couldn’t help but worry about potentially hurting her feelings.

“I know you really like me, Soohyun. I’m very grateful and happy about that. But… if you think about it, it’s a bit, you know? What I mean is, you might be confusing affection with goodwill. You might not have thought about it, but things can be different when you actually date someone.”

This was something Seojin Baek had been worried about for a while.

Whether his actions had caused a misunderstanding in Soohyun Kim, igniting too large a flame.

Perhaps the somewhat immature girl had mistaken his goodwill for affection.

And if such a misunderstanding turned into a problem later, wouldn’t it hurt everyone involved?

“What you’re saying is this. The reason I like you might be because I’m mistaking gratitude for your kindness as affection.”

“If I had to put it that way, yes. Ah, of course, I’m not saying it’s definitely like that…”

“Is there a problem with that?”

Soohyun Kim continued speaking nonchalantly.

“I developed feelings for you because you treated me well. As humans, that’s inevitable. And if you only intended to show me goodwill, you would have pushed me away somehow. Not giving me room like you are now.”

After thinking about her words for a moment, Seojin Baek eventually nodded.

Yes. As Soohyun Kim said, if all he felt was goodwill,

If he had no affection whatsoever for Soohyun Kim as a person, he wouldn’t have come this far.

He would have thought that saving her from the Elder and changing her fate was enough.

He would have been satisfied with turning her from The Crimson Witch who killed and hurt innocent people into another Crimson Witch who thoroughly suppressed villains and monsters, and then stepped back.

“I know. Even if it’s not as much as I like you, you definitely like me too. I can feel it. Your feelings.”

A demeanor so different from when they first met.

Blinking his eyes at the change, Seojin Baek finally admitted his defeat.

“And don’t worry. I told you before. I will never force you to make a choice.”

Soohyun Kim moved a bit closer and rested her head on Seojin Baek’s shoulder.

“I know why you keep doing this. It’s because you’re too kind. You’re probably concerned about Rina, that woman.”

“Soohyun. That’s…”

“If I followed my heart, I’d just grab you and declare you mine. I’d want to prevent anyone from even speaking to you, let alone approaching you. But I don’t. Because I shouldn’t. We’re not that deep in our relationship yet, and doing so would only make things more awkward for you.”

Although Soohyun Kim was extremely wary and disliked Rina Lee approaching Seojin Baek,

She was also making efforts not to cross the line she had set for herself.

Reminding herself that if she crossed that line, ultimately Seojin Baek would be the one to suffer.

“When you say things like that, I worry even more.”

“Huh? Why? Did I do something wrong…?”

“No. The more I get to know Rina, the more childlike she seems, but conversely, you seem more mature, Soohyun. It’s the opposite of the impression I had when I first met you.”

“Is that… bad? Should I start acting more childish too…?”

No, no. There’s absolutely no need for that. Rina being troublesome is enough.

His frantic gestures to dissuade her eventually made Soohyun Kim burst into laughter.

“Shall we head back now?”

“Yes! Are we going to the hotel? If so, I could…”

“No. Not the hotel. And not your family’s villa either.”

“Then…”

Soohyun Kim trailed off and began to subtly gauge Seojin Baek’s reaction.

She didn’t think he would break his promise, but she was still anxious.

She had definitely secured a promise, but she worried that Seojin Baek might have forgotten, when…

“Let’s go to my place.”

“…Wh-what?”

“You said you wanted to spend the night together. Let’s go to my place.”

It didn’t take long for Soohyun Kim’s face to turn bright red after hearing those words.

*

It was a night with The Crimson Witch.

Hotter than any other night.