Episode 298. Lucy & Lumi’s Serious Punch!

Lunchtime.

Right at the moment Lee Hoyeon was deeply enjoying a private meeting with Baek Ahyoung.

Lucy and Lumi got their food from the student cafeteria and sat down at a table.

Golden-brown grilled steak.

The delicious, appetite-stimulating aroma tickled Lucy’s nose, but she couldn’t focus on the food.

Because a big problem had arisen for her right now.

“Lumi. This is serious.”

“Whyyy?”

Yum.

Putting a spoonful into her mouth, Lumi blinked as she looked at Lucy, who was speaking with a serious expression.

“The rivals… are too many!”

“Hmm… Yeah, I guess so?”

Lumi immediately understood what Lucy meant.

Lee Hoyeon.

That man, whom the twin sisters both loved at the same time, was just far too popular.

Honestly, I wanted to proudly announce that he’s dating us… but I was scared of potentially harming him, who was currently soaring in popularity.

Let alone the timid Lumi, Lucy also didn’t want Lee Hoyeon to become uncomfortable.

But now, that kind of consideration was over.

Lucy, her tightly clenched fists trembling violently, grabbed Lumi’s arm and started shaking it.

“At this rate, our presence might disappear. We can’t let that happen…!”

“Ugh, ugh. Lucy. Let’s eat first and then think about it.”

“No way. There’s no time.”

Eventually, Lumi couldn’t withstand Lucy’s insistence, stopped eating, and began to ponder.

Many cadets were secretly watching the whispering twins in the corner of the cafeteria, but the two paid them no mind.

“Lumi. How about we eliminate the rivals?”

“How?”

“…Physically?”

“Stop talking nonsense, Lucy…”

“Sorry.”

Lucy began thinking seriously again.

“I really thought we were in the lead… but it doesn’t seem like it.”

“Actually, Daeun-yang’s attitude was a bit worrying too…”

“Right? I felt the same way! When on earth did you get so close with Daeun-yang? Do you know, Lumi? You guys were in the same group.”

Lucy replied passionately to Lumi’s words.

What on earth was this playboy up to?

Nam Daeun’s expression when she approached during cooking class.

Lucy and Lumi had clearly confirmed it.

It was the face of a woman in love.

“I don’t know either. Me, Hoyeon-ssi, and Daeun-yang… Who was the last person again? Anyway, we were in the same group.”

“Didn’t something happen back then?”

“Hmmmm, no. Rather, Hoyeon-ssi disliked Daeun-yang’s solo play.”

“Hmph. We’re back to square one again.”

As the conversation continued, the twins soon realized something.

The cause wasn’t important.

What was important was eliminating the rivals.

If not that, then they had to get ahead of the rivals.

“Huh? Lucy. Look over there…”

“What is it… Huh?”

Just then, the twins’ gazes focused on one spot.

‘Steak is expensive. Hoyeon told me to use as much as I want, but still, eating something cheaper is probably better…’

It was none other than Nam Daeun, who had come to eat lunch without a care in the world.

Lee Hoyeon had said he was busy today, and unlike at the Academy, the affiliated school where Nam Dahee attended didn’t have shortened classes.

Even if I went home, Scarlet is often not around, and it’s Liliana’s broadcast time.

‘I should spend a long time at the training grounds today.’

In the end, all that was left was spending time alone.

Thanks to her rapidly improving skills, she was receiving more attention, but she didn’t particularly care.

It was only because Lee Hoyeon told her to try it.

Before heading to training, Nam Daeun stopped by the student cafeteria for lunch, got her food, and sat alone at a quiet spot to start eating.

And upon discovering that, the twins started whispering again.

“…Lumi. What should we do?”

“What do you mean? We haven’t even talked to Daeun-yang yet.”

Lumi was slightly flustered seeing Lucy being so proactive today, but Lucy showed no signs of giving up.

“Lumi. That’s why now is our chance. If not now, we won’t get another opportunity to talk. …Let’s go!”

“…Huh?”

Lucy picked up her now-cold food tray and gestured for Lumi to follow.

“Lu, Lucy. What are you doing?”

“What do you mean, ‘what am I doing’?! Because we liked him first, Daeun-yang is in the wrong! She’s like a stray cat or a phantom thief!”

“Uh, uh… Is that so?”

Lumi pondered Lucy’s words carefully.

…Come to think of it, it seemed plausible.

They had always gotten along well with Lee Hoyeon and strengthened their bond, so they couldn’t let the spotlight be stolen by other women who suddenly appeared.

That’s cheating!

“Lumi. Let’s go…!”

“Lucy, but what are you going to say when we get there?”

“We have to say that we liked him first! If you’re going to like Lee Hoyeon, you need to know at least that much.”

Liking a playboy isn’t easy, after all.

Without the same level of resolve as us, it wouldn’t be enough.

In the end, Lucy headed towards Nam Daeun’s table with her food, and Lumi cautiously followed behind her.

Tak- Tuk-

“…?”

Nam Daeun, who was pondering her afternoon training schedule, looked at the two women who suddenly joined her table.

“Hello. Daeun-ah?”

“Ah, hello. Daeun-yang?”

Lucy and Lumi.

They were the Academy’s popular figures, whom she had never properly spoken with.

And they were also women who were very close to Lee Hoyeon.

‘They probably approached because of Lee Hoyeon.’

“Hello?”

However, they weren’t complete strangers, and if they were women close to Lee Hoyeon, there was no reason not to talk to them.

Nam Daeun stopped eating and made eye contact with Lucy and Lumi.

The twins before her seemed tense, their expressions stiff.

“Hmm. The food is delicious today, isn’t it?”

“Y-yeah.”

Seeing Lucy suddenly bring up the food to start the conversation, Nam Daeun chuckled inwardly.

It felt like watching a child who pretended not to be interested but couldn’t look away.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have been so forward during cooking class.’

She regretted it belatedly, but strangely, she had wanted to step forward then.

Perhaps a contrary impulse, triggered by not seeing him for a whole week, had been at play.

Nam Daeun slightly shook her head and looked at Lucy and Lumi.

“You came because you have something to say, right? Feel free to speak comfortably.”

Nam Daeun wasn’t good at conversations in general, and she was even less confident with beating around the bush.

The only thing she was okay with was straightforward conversation.

Therefore, Nam Daeun ‘asked’ Lucy and Lumi to get straight to the point.

“….”

“….”

However, Lucy and Lumi did not interpret it that way.

Because they already saw her as a ‘stray cat’ even before talking, they thought Nam Daeun’s words were a provocation.

In the twins’ eyes, Nam Daeun appeared to be acting smug.

It was as if she was saying, ‘Go ahead, say whatever you want.’

Lumi nervously grasped Lucy’s hand tightly.

At times like this, the only one she could rely on was her older sister, Lucy.

Lucy squeezed Lumi’s hand, which had come into hers, tightly.

Especially at times like this, she, as the older sister, had to take the lead.

“You. Y-you like Lee Hoyeon, don’t you?”

“….”

Nam Daeun looked at Lucy without saying anything.

Because she thought there would be more words coming.

“L-Lee Hoyeon is mine. Don’t even think about touching him…!”

Lucy bit her lip seeing Nam Daeun completely unmoved, and Lumi, beside her, tugged insistently on Lucy’s hand.

“Lucy… H-he’s ours…”

“Ah…! He’s ours! How much we…”

We liked him more. Don’t you know how much fun we had playing by his side all the time?

Lucy blurted out whatever came to mind, as hard as she could.

She explained as much as possible how close she and Lee Hoyeon were, how deep their relationship was.

And Nam Daeun, watching this, had to hold back her laughter inwardly.

It was like watching a cute younger relative come and whine during the holidays.

She could have retorted in kind, saying things like ‘I’ve always been with him too,’ but Nam Daeun just smiled faintly.

Although she loved Lee Hoyeon, she also respected Lucy and Lumi, who had a deep relationship with him even before she was saved.

Nam Daeun had decided to dedicate her life to him.

Therefore, she had no right to cut off other women who had a relationship with him even before that time.

This was even more true for cases like Lucy and Lumi, whom she had seen interacting closely at the Academy.

So Nam Daeun waited for Lucy’s words to finish before slowly opening her mouth.

“Why do you two like Lee Hoyeon?”

“…Huh?”

“…?”

Hearing Nam Daeun’s words, Lucy and Lumi widened their eyes.

Of course, they liked him, but if asked why, it was difficult to articulate immediately.

“…Even though I said I didn’t want it, he saved my life.”

“He also played with me kindly when I was having a hard time.”

“We were always together…”

“He said he liked both of us.”

Lucy and Lumi slowly spoke, thinking of Lee Hoyeon.

Trying to put into words things they hadn’t noticed because they were so close usually was slightly embarrassing.

Their expressions were those of women deeply in love, and Nam Daeun nodded upon seeing them.

“It’s the same for me. He helped me when we were in the same group, and he put in effort for my personal matters too. It’s the same reason you like him.”

It was the same for Nam Daeun.

The reasons she liked him were more than one or two, but she had also gone through incidents similar to those Lucy and Lumi experienced.

“But still. Lumi and I were first…”

“Th-that’s right.”

Lucy and Lumi didn’t stop their cute complaints, but looking at Lumi, Nam Daeun suddenly thought of something to say.

“Right. Lumi.”

“Yes, yes?”

“The group project. I was really sorry about that time. I was going through a really hard time mentally. I wanted to apologize sooner, but I’m sorry it’s only now.”

“Ah. It-it’s okay. I didn’t even mind it, and Hoyeon-ssi will be okay too…”

Nam Daeun was truly grateful for this kind girl.

Back then, she had caused so much trouble for both Lee Hoyeon and Lumi, but this girl let it slide without a word.

She thought there might have been one more person, but she couldn’t remember well.

“Thank you, Lumi. Please continue to take care of me. Enjoy your meal.”

“Yes, yes… Huh?”

“Lucy, let’s continue to get along well too. We’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”

“Huh? Wait a moment. Wait!”

After apologizing to Lumi, Nam Daeun greeted Lucy as well before taking her empty plate and leaving the cafeteria.

The twins blinked, watching Nam Daeun disappear in an instant, before quickly coming to their senses.

Nam Daeun was a formidable opponent, and their plan had failed.

“What should we do, Lucy? Our plan has gone wrong…”

“She’s a tougher opponent than I thought… Hoo. It can’t be helped, Lumi. We have no choice but to go to Plan B… Let’s hurry to the club room.”

Lucy immediately stood up from her seat.

“Lucy, I haven’t finished my food…”

“What time is it to be eating now?! Come quickly.”

“Ah, okay. Yeah…”

The twins, Lucy and Lumi, headed towards the club room, thinking of ways to defeat their formidable opponents.

All they could do was prepare as much as possible.