episode_0004

005

“Huh?”

Did she sense something subtle?

Jin Soyeon blinked her eyes a few times.

As she turned her head, she met the gaze of Lee Siwoon, who was staring at her silently. Even though their eyes suddenly met, Siwoon didn’t look away. Jin Soyeon tilted her head.

“…?”

Not knowing why he was looking at her, a small question mark floated above Jin Soyeon’s head.

But soon enough, he raised his hand and greeted her as if they were close.

“Oh, Siwoon, were you in the same class? Hello?”

“Hello, Soyeon.”

The two exchanged friendly greetings.

Unlike me, Jin Soyeon had a slight friendship with Siwoon.

“But Soyeon.”

Siwoon suddenly stood up from his seat.

The sound of the chair being pushed back echoed in the room.

The students who were surrounding them cautiously made way.

They looked at Siwoon’s unexpected actions with curiosity.

He slowly walked towards me and Jin Soyeon.

Oh, what’s this? Is he curious about our breakup already?

Approaching us like this so soon.

“I didn’t eavesdrop intentionally, but is it true that you two broke up?”

“Huh? Oh, well…”

Jin Soyeon turned her head around for a moment, then glanced at me before answering slowly.

Siwoon’s eyes, which had been cold and distant, showed a hint of curiosity.

“You two were famous as childhood friends since a long time ago, so I was a bit surprised.”

We were quite famous as a subtle couple during our middle school days.

Because we didn’t seem to fit as lovers.

Many students wondered why someone as beautiful as Jin Soyeon would date me.

Especially the male students who secretly had a crush on Jin Soyeon spread rumors that we were only dating because we were childhood friends.

“You two looked good together.”

Siwoon glanced at me for a moment.

Did he really think we looked good together?

Well, I don’t think so.

He likes Jin Soyeon.

“What about me and Jinhyuk?”

With a proud expression, Jin Soyeon straightened her back and glanced at me before laughing playfully.

“No, not really. I’m way out of your league.”

That’s a valid point.

We don’t really match.

But looking at her confident attitude, I feel like teasing her.

“Anyway, that brat…”

“What?”

As I added a comment, Jin Soyeon gave me a menacing look.

“You don’t know how many confessions I’ve received, do you?”

“Oh, yes. It must be nice to be popular.”

“Wow… you sound so annoyed.”

While Jin Soyeon and I were joking around for a moment.

Siwoon raised his eyes with a slightly lowered gaze.

“Even though you broke up, you still get along well. The two of you.”

Oh, I shouldn’t act too friendly in front of him.

Honestly, it’s a bit awkward to see two friends who recently broke up getting along so well.

“It wasn’t a bad breakup. We’ve known each other since kindergarten.”

“Are you childhood friends then?”

I quickly added.

Siwoon quietly pondered the word ‘childhood friends’.

He seemed somewhat envious of our relationship.

But if he has childhood friends too.

He has a lovely lady.

She has a setting of being his ‘fiancée’ that his family arranged.

“What’s up with that possessive attitude?”

“I really don’t get it.”

But then.

“Why is she acting so friendly with Siwoon?”

“Look at that tail-wagging. Ha. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?”

From a distance, the voices of female students chatting away could be heard.

It was a group of female students near the back window.

They were blatantly gossiping about Jin Soyeon.

As if they wanted everyone to hear.

“Isn’t that right? Seolhyun?”

“……”

Among the female students.

“Seolhyun?”

“Did you say Jin Soyeon?”

Shall we call it a power struggle?

There was a girl so beautiful that you could tell at a glance.

Beyond the clothes draped in a chic manner, the girl exuded a noble aura that reminded one of a lady from a drama.

Wow, did she already create a faction on the first day?

“It’s almost the first time that Lee Siwoon has shown interest in a girl.”

Blonde hair cascading in waves down to her collarbone.

Skin as clear as jade, typical of Slavic descent.

A somewhat glamorous figure.

“She’s pretty.”

“Compared to you, Seolhyun, she’s nothing special. Right, guys?”

The girls nodded their heads in agreement, saying ‘That’s right, that’s right.’

It’s a bit ridiculous to say such things, but it’s like a scene from a drama where a lady is being fawned over.

Honestly, it’s quite amusing.

‘Yoo Seolhyun, Yoo Seolhyun.’

Yoo Seolhyun.

An honor student who entered the 7th seat.

She is one of the villains appearing in the Romance Hero Academy.

The daughter of the head of the Gaon Nuri Clan, one of the top 10 clans representing South Korea.

The granddaughter of the high-ranker Spear Demon Yoo Gapryeong, she was one of the aspiring heroes who had built a friendship with Lee Siwoon since childhood.

‘Yoo Seolhyun’s personality is no joke.’

She has a fairly high self-esteem, befitting her noble upbringing.

She shows little interest in things that don’t interest her, but becomes overly focused on things that do interest her.

She has a strong sense of possession and dislikes it when others covet what is hers.

…Well.

To sum up Yoo Seolhyun in one word, it would be as follows.

She is like a villainess that appears in women’s games.

But she can’t be simply labeled as a villainess.

She doesn’t go out of her way to make people’s lives miserable just for fun.

If she doesn’t bother you, she’s harmless.

Yeah. As long as she doesn’t bother you, that is.

‘She’s already showing interest in Soyeon.’

I had somewhat expected it, but it’s probably because of Lee Siwoon.

Because Lee Siwoon and Yoo Seolhyun are childhood friends and also in an engagement relationship.

Oh, of course, it was more of a jokingly made engagement within the family, so neither of them probably takes it seriously.

But still, an engagement is an engagement.

Given Yoo Seolhyun’s strong personality, it would be very uncomfortable for her to know that her childhood friend and fiancé is showing interest in another girl, even if they don’t have romantic feelings for each other.

‘If Soyeon becomes closer to Siwoon, the relationship with Seolhyun will deteriorate.’

It’s like a matter of pride as a woman.

She wouldn’t easily accept that a commoner girl is getting attention from someone who has no interest in her.

Especially because she has a strong sense of pride.

‘Later on, she’ll become a completely hostile NPC.’

It’s a very common development.

The fiancée of a rich family’s son becoming a villainess and developing a hostile relationship with the female lead.

But the Romance Hero Academy is a role-playing game with a fairly high degree of freedom.

That means there is also a route where you don’t have to be hostile towards Yoo Seolhyun and can welcome her as a fellow character.

In fact, many players have recruited Yoo Seolhyun and Lee Siwoon as positive allies in the game.

Of course, it’s not an easy task.

It’s almost impossible in the early stages.

But who am I.

Wasn’t Jin Soyeon from the Romance Hero Academy an old-timer?

She had a track record of successfully completing dozens of conquests from the start.

She even created a 100% all-clear conquest guide and shared it on the internet.

“To face various villains and monsters in the future, it’s best to secure as much power as possible.”

Of course, that included Yu Seolhyun.

As a lady from a large clan and set as the villainess Yeongae, her performance was outstanding.

Not only her personal abilities but also her family background were well-off, so it was necessary to recruit her.

“If I can prevent Yu Seolhyun from completely turning dark, things will be much easier.”

One of the decisive moments where a mischievous lady turns into a villain.

By prioritizing this event and slowly building intimacy and relationships, Jin Soyeon could definitely establish a positive relationship with Yu Seolhyun.

Let’s do well, just like in the game.

Surely, the game and reality are different.

“Hey, what did you just say to me?”

Jin Soyeon’s annoyance surged as she furrowed her brows at the teasing of the Yu Seolhyun faction’s female students.

“What, am I wagging my tail? Wow, you guys are funny.”

“….”

Ishiwoon also glared at them.

The girls flinched when their eyes met Ishiwoon’s.

Some even subtly avoided eye contact.

Yeah, Soyeon is easygoing, but Ishiwoon is burdensome, right?

“If you have something to say, say it straight to my face instead of whispering behind my back.”

Due to her exceptional beauty, Jin Soyeon had received quite a bit of jealousy from women, so she was unfazed by the gossip.

“Do you understand me?”

“Sorry.”

Ah, is she finally stepping in?

“Our girls are very interested in Ishiwoon.”

With a haughty stride, Yu Seolhyun slowly approached Jin Soyeon, who was looking at her with a blank face.

“I’ll apologize on their behalf.”

With a grin, Yu Seolhyun reached Jin Soyeon’s nose.

Although she said sorry, she didn’t seem apologetic at all. Was it because of her unique confidence or that smile?

Either way, from Jin Soyeon’s perspective, it was not pleasant.

“Are you Jin Soyeon? I’m Yu Seolhyun.”

“Yu Seolhyun?”

“You’ve heard of me, right? I’m the third daughter of the Gaon Nuri Clan.”

“Don’t worry too much. It’s burdensome if you do.”

“….”

Covering her mouth with a smile, Yu Seolhyun looked at Jin Soyeon with a puzzled expression.

Jin Soyeon sighed and nodded her head.

It seems she can’t spit on a smiling face.

“Ishiwoon, hello?”

“Yeah.”

Yu Seolhyun casually turned her gaze to Ishiwoon and greeted him.

Ishiwoon seemed uneasy with Yu Seolhyun’s sudden appearance.

After all, she was his nominal fiancée.

“Ishiwoon isn’t the type to be interested in other people’s love lives, but seeing him show interest in you, do you like him?”

“Huh? What?”

As she spoke somewhat mischievously like a villainess, Jin Soyeon blinked her big eyes, looking as if she couldn’t understand.

Just like the protagonist of a reverse harem, Jin Soyeon was clueless when it came to matters of love.

“Yu Seolhyun, you.”

“Why? Oh, was I being clueless?”

With furrowed brows, Ishiwoon and a chuckling Yu Seolhyun, who swept her hair back, created a strange atmosphere.

Gradually, a strange tension filled the room.

I looked at them with a slightly intrigued expression.

It might sound a bit odd to say this, but this situation was quite interesting.

The heroines, heroes, and villains from the game were gathered in one place, creating an intriguing situation.

As a die-hard fan of the Romance Hero Academy, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

“From the first day, the atmosphere in class is so weird. What are you guys doing over there?”

The subtle atmosphere that had been lingering for a while was instantly shattered by a woman’s voice.

“Come on, I’m going to give you some rules, so everyone take a seat. I don’t want to bother, so just sit wherever you want.”

As the homeroom teacher appeared, the students hurriedly began to take their seats.

“Well then, I’ll be off now. And….”

Yoo Seolhyun finally glanced at me for a moment. It was the first time she had turned her gaze to me, who she had never shown interest in before.

“Are you Jinhyuk? Soyeon’s ex-boyfriend.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Haha, ex-boyfriend, how interesting. Anyway, see you next time.”

With those words, she walked towards her group.

“What’s up with her, seriously.”

Jin Soyeon only showed a blunt reaction.

She really is like the female lead and the villainess, huh.

It seemed like I would have to put in a lot of effort if I wanted to improve our relationship.