Chapter 115: She Wants to Deny Reality

Outside, Yoo Hee-yeon stood, staring blankly at the sky.

She couldn’t understand where things had gone wrong, where she had made her mistake, and why Lee Hyun-seung continued to help her despite everything. His actions were so strange. At first, he had saved her life, and now, he had pulled her back from the brink of being completely cast out of the guild. Lee Hyun-seung had acted out of his own interests, but Yoo Hee-yeon couldn’t know that. Therefore, she was confused.

‘Why… me?’

Yoo Hee-yeon had hurled unspeakable insults at him, constantly tried to slander and humiliate him with the help of others. She had even tried to fix the outcome of the class elimination match by bribing people, bringing in external artifacts to ensure her victory. The depth of her malice made her actions all the more sinister.

‘He must know about it… he must know what I did…’

It was already publicly known that she had been involved in foul play during the class elimination match. Lee Hyun-seung was bound to be aware of it. On top of that, there were hundreds of reasons for him to hate her. The more she thought about it, the more it became impossible to understand his actions.

‘No… he must feel guilty for stalking me… maybe that’s why…’

Yoo Hee-yeon denied the truth. Though it was almost confirmed that Lee Hyun-seung was not the stalker, she refused to face the reality. She needed him to be guilty of something so she could justify her own behavior.

There was still the final hurdle to overcome. Until the Mana Database inspection was finished, Lee Hyun-seung wasn’t completely innocent. Yoo Hee-yeon muttered to herself, nervously biting her nails.

“He’s still a stalker… he has to be. If he’s not, then I’m a terrible person…”

She knew deep down that her actions were wrong, but she wanted to deny it.

‘I didn’t mean for it to go this far…’

At first, she hadn’t liked how Lee Hyun-seung always came first in academics. She felt like the number one spot, which she should’ve claimed, was always snatched away by him. Then, an opportunity presented itself, and she used it to try and bring him down. She knew she couldn’t beat him, so she tried to drag him down.

If Lee Hyun-seung was out of the way, she would always be number one. She could be recognized by her family, loved by her mother, and respected by her father. She could have remained as the heir of the Artemis Guild.

“Ugh…”

Tears fell from Yoo Hee-yeon’s eyes. She had been foolish. Her mistake was clear. Lee Hyun-seung had pushed through countless hardships, endured her mockery, and even power, to become a new guild member in Artemis.

In the class elimination match, he had saved the lives of his classmates, and even managed to recruit the war warrior Han Seong-gil to his team. Now, the blacksmith association’s president was even on his side.

While everything in her life was crumbling, Lee Hyun-seung was rising higher, heading towards places she couldn’t even reach.

‘It can’t be…’

It was a harsh reality, and once again, she denied it. He was just a criminal in the stalking incident, and all his actions had to be out of guilt. That was the only way to understand it.

If only evidence came out proving he was the stalker, his reputation would crumble, and Yoo Hee-yeon wouldn’t have to feel guilty anymore.

That was her only escape, her only way out.

With her head down, Yoo Hee-yeon slowly, very slowly, walked toward the blacksmith association’s president, Tak Woo-hyun.

Arriving at the blacksmith association, Yoo Hee-yeon walked slowly towards the entrance.

“Who are you here to see?” the gatekeeper asked as she entered.

Yoo Hee-yeon, still looking down, answered in a soft voice.

“I’m here to see the blacksmith association president…”

Because she had her head lowered, the gatekeeper didn’t recognize her face. He asked again.

“Who are you? Could you please tell me your name, affiliation, and position so I can relay it for a meeting?”

Hearing the question, Yoo Hee-yeon hesitated. She couldn’t say she was the heir to the Artemis Guild anymore. She had been stripped of that title.

And she couldn’t say she was a regular guild member either. After all, she was the daughter of the guild leader. It wouldn’t make sense for her to say she was just a regular guild member.

“You need to disclose your affiliation to proceed.”

The gatekeeper urged, and reluctantly, Yoo Hee-yeon spoke up.

“I’m Yoo Hee-yeon from Artemis Guild… My rank is a regular guild member now.”

He flinched.

The gatekeeper was taken aback when he heard Yoo Hee-yeon’s name and immediately opened the door.

“You’re from Artemis Guild. My apologies for not knowing earlier. I should have asked beforehand.”

The gatekeeper didn’t even hear the part about Yoo Hee-yeon being a regular guild member. What he had registered were the words “Artemis” and “Yoo Hee-yeon.”

He guided her with the utmost respect, not because she was the daughter of the Artemis Guild leader, but because of a command from Tak Woo-hyun.

• Thanks to their mercy, Artemis Guild and the association had patched things up dramatically. So, from now on, whenever they request anything, treat them with the utmost courtesy.

Tak Woo-hyun felt that he owed something to Artemis Guild, especially after escaping a crisis thanks to Lee Hyun-seung. Because of this, he had adopted a humble stance, acknowledging his mistakes.

Knock, knock, knock.

Before long, they had reached the blacksmith association’s president’s office. The gatekeeper knocked gently and spoke.

“President Tak Woo-hyun, we have a visit from Artemis Guild.”

There was a brief silence inside before Tak Woo-hyun responded.

“Hmm… There’s a guest already here, so it’s a bit inconvenient right now… but please ask them to wait for a moment. Could you tell me the name of the visitor?”

The gatekeeper responded.

“Yoo Hee-yeon from Artemis Guild.”

A brief murmuring was heard from inside, then Tak Woo-hyun replied.

“Let her in.”

Yoo Hee-yeon, feeling uneasy, turned to the gatekeeper and spoke.

“If he’s busy… please let him know I can wait, or come back another time.”

She was in a position where she needed to apologize to Tak Woo-hyun. Even her father, Yoo Han-beom, had said he would impose whatever punishment Tak Woo-hyun desired on Yoo Hee-yeon.

If Tak Woo-hyun showed even the slightest sign of discomfort, it would be a huge blow to her. For the first time, she found herself trying to read the room with someone she had once looked down on.

“The president says it’s fine. He’s finished with the person inside, and since you know each other, there’s no problem.”

The gatekeeper opened the door and led her inside.

As Yoo Hee-yeon entered the room, she overheard Tak Woo-hyun’s faint words.

‘He’s with someone I know…?’

Tak Woo-hyun had spoken as if he were spending time with a very distinguished person. And now, that person was someone who knew Yoo Hee-yeon? She couldn’t help but wonder if her father or an elder from Artemis Guild had come to meet with Tak Woo-hyun beforehand.

‘Who’s he with…?’

Puzzled, she walked into the room.

“You came to speak with me? Please, take a seat.”

There was a strangely polite tone in Tak Woo-hyun’s voice.

Yoo Hee-yeon didn’t know how to begin. She kept her gaze on the floor, silent, but eventually lifted her eyes nervously to speak.

“I… I came because… well…”

Before she could apologize, her gaze naturally shifted to a man sitting comfortably next to Tak Woo-hyun.

Flinch.

There, Lee Hyun-seung was staring at her.

Lee Hyun-seung smiled and spoke to her.

“Seems like you’ve got something to say to the president? Want me to step aside?”

Yoo Hee-yeon had come with the intention of apologizing to Tak Woo-hyun, maybe even kneeling if she had to. She was ready to look as pathetic as necessary, hoping to receive less punishment and to avoid disappointing her father too much. But now, as her eyes met Lee Hyun-seung’s, her pupils began to tremble wildly.