episode_0040

My goal was to listen to her explanation about the weekend incident and, at the same time, offer Baek Ayun some appropriate comfort so she wouldn’t feel too ashamed.

After all, not only had I caught her stalking someone, but I had also witnessed an intimate scene, and then, a certain act that’s hard to speak of.

If I were in her shoes, I might have torn the bed pillows and blankets to shreds by now and then hanged myself.

How could Baek Ayun be any different?

What’s more, it wasn’t just anyone who caught her, but me. A classmate, second in our grade, with whom our usual relationship wasn’t exactly harmonious.

I, for one, thought our relationship wasn’t too bad…

But that’s just me, since I’m the one who unilaterally teases Baek Ayun.

Baek Ayun, who always throws a fit, screeching, whenever she sees me, must feel differently.

She probably felt like punching me every time she saw me, thinking I was an eyesore. In fact, she did hit my shoulder with her small fist every time.

So, even if she doesn’t hate me, her goodwill towards me probably isn’t that great… that’s the most rational and sound conclusion.

“I liked you, Hyunjin-ssi.”

…I genuinely believed that.

Until I heard her confession, that is.

Even as her pristine white shirt got drenched by the beer I reflexively spat out, inadvertently revealing the silhouette of her underwear, Baek Ayun didn’t flinch.

She merely sat demurely in her seat, gazing up at me.

“…It’s not a mischievous prank, a joke, or a trick to tease you.”

Towards me, wearing a stunned expression, Baek Ayun began her story.

“I genuinely liked you.”

She uttered a single sentence, then paused, hesitating.

“…This is, well. I mean this in a romantic sense, between a man and a woman.”

She hammered the point home, as if to leave no room for escape. She struck it so hard with a hammer that there was absolutely no chance of pulling it back out.

Baek Ayun placed her hand on her chest and continued, taking a deep breath.

“You must be flustered, right? You probably are. I’ve never shown any signs before. I’ve truly, excessively, kept it hidden…”

She was right. I was currently experiencing an unprecedented level of bewilderment.

Baek Ayun confessing to me? And not just any confession, but a confession of true affection?

For me, it was a major incident, no different from Seol Hayeon, my Master-nim, suddenly declaring she would abandon ice magic.

While the weight might be different, aren’t both equally improbable?

Another example would be the same level of possibility as Cheon Soyul switching to martial arts.

Just as she said, I had never once noticed a sign.

No matter how oblivious people say I am, if she had truly displayed her feelings explicitly, there’s no reason I wouldn’t have noticed.

Yet, the fact that I couldn’t perceive any hint of such feelings meant that Baek Ayun had suppressed her emotions that well.

Perhaps her excessive snarkiness whenever we met was part of that. For a moment, such a thought even crossed my mind. I found myself re-evaluating Baek Ayun’s past behavior towards me.

I looked at Baek Ayun, wearing an expression of utmost distress.

She pulled out a few tissues and neatly wiped away the few drops of beer that had splashed near her mouth.

Her calm gaze was far too composed and simple for someone making a confession. There was also a subtly detached, enlightened feeling about it.

She picked up a piece of meat and chewed it daintily. Then, with a gulp as she swallowed, she opened her mouth again.

“Don’t worry. I don’t have the slightest intention of interfering now, after all.”

“…What?”

It was a little difficult to comprehend immediately. Interfering? What was she suddenly talking about? I blinked, and Baek Ayun gave a resigned, wistful smile.

“…At first, I definitely thought you and Soyul-ssi were building a good relationship. Ahh, I can’t believe the seat next to you was empty until early this year. If I had known this, I would have been brave enough to try at least once. Haha.”

Her laughter was heavily tinged with self-deprecation. I blinked, thinking.

What is she talking about?

“But there’s nothing I can do. With things like this, there won’t be any room for me to butt in. Please tell Seeun-ssi I congratulate her.”

“…Baek Ayun.”

“Ah, no. I’m okay. How great could those feelings be anyway? It won’t take that long to get over them, surely.”

“Wait, Ayun-ssi? My words, please.”

“…Anyway, I’m sorry about what happened then. I couldn’t control my lust and caused trouble. It really won’t happen again, so…”

Baek Ayun’s voice began to get watery. I heard small hiccups, and her eyes were trembling pitifully.

I instinctively sensed the danger. I understood that such a misunderstanding had arisen, and I could guess how Baek Ayun’s emotions were unfolding.

“Wait, wait…”

If I actually made her cry here, I would look like too much of a bad guy.

I pressed my forehead and held up a palm. Baek Ayun paused.

I hesitated for a moment, but I had absolutely no confidence in producing the best answer within the short time I had to think. My magical calculation abilities seemed useless in this situation.

So, there was no choice.

I’d just have to give a rough explanation of what happened.

“…There’s one thing you’re misunderstanding.”

With considerable hesitation, I uttered my first words.

“Misunderstanding…?”

Baek Ayun blinked her eyes.

Her impression, as she tilted her head slightly, was slightly furrowed.

Naturally, it was a reaction of not understanding.

I pressed my brows together firmly.

“Yes, a misunderstanding. I don’t know how to explain it, but to put it simply, Ryu Seeun and I are not dating.”

“…What?”

“What happened back then was, how should I say it? A truly laughable situation created by the intervention of some crazy Archmage… And Ryu Seeun and I just happened to enjoy ourselves. That, probably.”

As I uttered the last words, the thought, ‘Did I really enjoy it?’ briefly crossed my mind, but setting myself aside, Ryu Seeun seemed to be dying of happiness at the time, so it probably wasn’t a false statement.

I spoke to Ryu Seeun, who was probably smoking mana weed behind the dorm building by now.

Hey.

You enjoyed getting hit too.

Don’t you agree?

“…So, what happened was.”

I explained the general situation to Baek Ayun. Since the scene had already been exposed, there was nothing more to hide. Of course, I did my best to protect Ryu Seeun’s reputation…

I told her that we went on a date at her earnest request, drank alcohol, and headed to a hotel in a fit of pique.

“That’s how it happened.”

I roughly finished speaking and observed Baek Ayun’s expression. She had been staring blankly, not once picking up her spoon since a little while ago.

“…”

Even after hearing the entire story, she showed no significant reaction. But her eyes, trembling from shock, were clear, indicating she hadn’t just brushed it off.

As someone who had to share a one-night stand story with a junior with a classmate, it wasn’t that I didn’t feel embarrassed at all…

But what could I do? I didn’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings. Especially now that I’d heard Baek Ayun actually liked me.

Ignoring the misunderstanding and vaguely deceiving her was not a choice that would leave me at ease.

‘Look at her face, it’s gone pale.’

But I mustn’t be mistaken. Even with this explanation, the situation wasn’t necessarily improving.

It was just a different kind of shock.

Heartbreak, or discovering the promiscuous private life of the person you have feelings for. It was truly a deadly dilemma. An incomprehensible sense of guilt weighed on me…

Should I carefully wrap a ssam for the shocked girl and feed it to her? I seriously considered this, moving my hand to the ssam basket.

I picked out the freshest-looking one, placed a piece of meat lightly dipped in sesame oil, and then mixed in some kimchi and other vegetables, carefully folding it into a perfect wrap.

It was quite satisfyingly shaped. Then, holding the ssam, I extended my hand towards Baek Ayun with a vague feeling of apology.

“You.”

At Baek Ayun’s next words, I dropped the ssam.

“Did you… do it with Soyul-ssi too?”

“…”

*Thud-thud-thud.*

The ssam fell, along with its contents. The table became messy, but I couldn’t even think of cleaning it up, frozen in the posture of having extended my hand. Silence.

Baek Ayun subtly glanced at me, then quietly parted her lips.

“Right…”

“…”

“As I thought, you must have.”

After that, I had no chance to stop her. Even though she hadn’t finished half her meal, Baek Ayun slammed her hand on the table, grabbed her shoulder bag, and stood up, as if she didn’t care.

She glared at me with icy eyes, as if she wanted to kill me. She snatched the bill.

And only when she finished paying and was about to exit the restaurant did I come to my senses.

Frowning and pressing my temples, I immediately followed her out.

…If she was truly furious with me and deeply disappointed, so much so that she couldn’t stand the sight of me, then letting her go would be the right thing to do.

But the wetness around her eyes bothered me greatly.

With a jingling sound, I opened the restaurant door. She hadn’t gone far. A distance I could catch up to with a slight sprint. Baek Ayun was walking away with heavy steps, as if revealing her emotions.

*Crackle!*

I lightly infused *Cheonrae* (heavenly lightning) into my toes to pick up some speed. Running just enough to be slightly out of breath, I grabbed Baek Ayun’s shoulder.

“Let go!”

My hand was forcefully swatted away by Baek Ayun, who had turned back fiercely, but seeing her panting expression, I knew I had done well to follow her.

The weather was still a bit chilly. Where on earth was this girl, whose clothes were wet, planning to walk by herself?

I let out a deep sigh and took off my jacket. Refusing Baek Ayun’s glaring eyes that said she didn’t need it, I carefully draped it over her shoulders.

Baek Ayun tried to move around, but ultimately couldn’t escape the jacket, and she made a choked expression. It was a complex kind of ‘choked up.’

…If she truly wanted to shake me off, her physical abilities would have easily allowed it.

Of course, I also have ways to temporarily accelerate, but it’s not at a level where I can keep up with the strongest close-combatant.

Yet, she was trudging along with unusually pathetic steps. What could that mean?

At least I couldn’t think of any other interpretation besides ‘catch me.’

Clutching the edge of my jacket tightly in her hand, Baek Ayun looked up at me with resentment.

I gave a weak laugh and opened my mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

*Pause.* At my out-of-context apology, Baek Ayun frowned slightly.

She stared straight into my eyes.

“…What are you sorry for?”

A retort soon followed, and after a brief moment of thought, I answered.

“Sorry for letting you know the guy you liked was such trash?”

The end of my sentence became slightly interrogative because it wasn’t a very confident answer, but fortunately, it seemed to hit the mark, as Baek Ayun let out a twisted, cold laugh.

“You know yourself well. Trash.”

Hmm. But is ‘fortunately’ the right word here? I felt a slight sense of skepticism.

Baek Ayun pulled the jacket wrapped around her shoulders a little tighter to embrace it.

She mumbled, as if choosing her words for a moment, then glared at me with a more furious gaze and spat out a series of biting words.

“…Absolutely the worst. I’m disappointed. How can your private life be so messy? Soyul-ssi and Seeun-ssi, taking two beautiful female students and then saying ‘we enjoyed ourselves’? Ha…! There’s no philanderer quite like you.”

It was a sharp, cutting remark that left me no room to refute. Stop the verbal abuse, the philanderer who hears this gets hurt.

“Womanizer! Debauchee, lecher!”

More titles were added in between. Three of them! Wow, how joyous.

I felt my shoulders increasingly shrink.

I had nothing to say. No room for defense, no chance to refute.

Even so, hearing such words from Baek Ayun still made my heart ache…

Meanwhile, Baek Ayun turned sharply and walked away, as if she had said everything she needed to say.

I let out a silent sigh and followed behind her.

“…Don’t follow me.”

Baek Ayun mumbled in a barely audible voice, and I pretended not to hear, shrugging my shoulders and trotting behind her.

And glancing at Baek Ayun’s profile, she was practically seething. It looked like I’d get burned if I touched her.

I thought for a moment, then blurted out a question.

“Want some iced tea?”

*Pause.*

Wild Baek Ayun froze. Was she tempted?

I watched her, holding onto hope.

“…That damn iced tea…!”

“?”

I raised a question mark at the unbelievable sound that followed. What did she just say?

Baek Ayun spun around and kicked me.

*Thwack!*

“Ack!”

It hurt a lot. Baek Ayun’s spinning kick landed squarely on my thigh, and I couldn’t help but lose my balance.

Look at this, everyone! Oh dear, the close-combatant is beating up the mage!

Baek Ayun shrieked.

“I don’t really like iced tea?! I don’t like it! I only drank it because you kept giving it to me…?! And, don’t exaggerate, you’re a man, for just getting hit by that!”

What, what did she say?

Although I hadn’t been exaggerating, at that moment, I had no time to feel wronged.

Unbelievable words had just brushed past my ears. Who disliked what?

I looked up at Baek Ayun with trembling eyes. And hoping it wasn’t true, I muttered in a quivering voice.

“You’re lying, right…?”

“Hmph! I’m not lying!”

An unequivocal assertion came back. In other words, a definitive confirmation. I made a ‘thump!’ face, feeling a huge shock.

I had thought I found my one and only comrade in the vast Cheongsong Academy.

She wasn’t a comrade. The opponent was a spy, an infiltrator, a stooge, a red. A sense of betrayal surged.

…But my role, which I was semi-forcibly given right now, was not that of an agent interrogating a spy, but a kind citizen helplessly getting beaten by that spy.

Baek Ayun continued her assault, disregarding me who had lost all will to fight.

Her slender leg, carrying a small amount of mana, pounded my side.

“Die! Die! You’re so annoying! I hate being treated like a child all the time, I hate you teasing me about my height, and I hate you always forcing iced tea on me! I really hate youuuu!!”

“Whoa, whoa, wait, Ayun-ssi? Let’s calm down and talk, ack! You hit my bone!”

Having the ability to counterattack a girl who was beating me like crazy in the middle of the street was one thing; actually doing it was another.

I didn’t know what this act was in the middle of the street, but I hoped there weren’t too many people paying attention.

I figured we probably looked like a couple fighting over some trivial reason, but anyway.

“I said, calm down.”

“…!”

As Baek Ayun tried to kick my shoulder with the top of her foot, I reached out and caught her.

Baek Ayun was in an awkward pose, her ankle held captive. She hopped on one foot.

She glared at me with murderous eyes.

“…Let, go…!”

“Oh, wait, wait.”

And then she struggled so fiercely to break free from my grasp that even I was flustered.

My eyes widened.

“Uh, uh-oh?”

…Not for any other reason, but because Baek Ayun, having broken free from my grip while thrashing, lost her balance and fell backward.

*Thud!*

“Squeak!”

Even the sound of her falling was so typical of Baek Ayun. I thought that blankly for a moment, then startled, I got up.

“Hey, are you alr—”

And I tried to approach Baek Ayun and speak to her.

But then I had to tightly shut my lips.

“…Sob, sniffle.”

Because Baek Ayun was covering her eyes with her arm and sobbing.

A wailing full of sorrow. *Waaaaah, hiccup, waaaaah.*

Needless to say, it was the result of various emotions piling up in a short time. Disappointment and resentment towards me, annoyance, anger, despair…

Perhaps even shame for falling by herself was added like a topping.

I was at a loss. I didn’t know what to say in such a situation, and I began to worry that my words might only make her more upset.

“…Hyunjin-ssi…”

And at that point, Baek Ayun pulled on my sleeve.

Calling my name in a faint voice.

I flinched and lowered my gaze. She slightly lifted the arm covering her eyes, and as expected, she was looking at me with tear-filled eyes.

It was a truly pitiful gaze.

“What do I do…?”

She asked me, cutting off the beginning and end of her sentence, and before I could ask ‘What are you talking about?’, she added the rest herself.

“…I guess I still don’t hate you, after all.”

My movements froze.

Baek Ayun continued.

“You’re just still the annoying Hyunjin-ssi. It’s like you only show kindness in useless ways, and just hearing what you’ve done, I should clearly lose all affection for you, but somehow, it just makes me laugh…”

“…”

“…So, Hyunjin-ssi.”

She paused for a moment.

“Tonight, if it’s okay, will you hold me too?”

The smile she wore in the next moment was the most ‘Baek Ayun-like’ smile I had seen throughout my school life, including last year.

Baek Ayun, letting out a faint laugh, tightly clasped my frozen hand.

“I know you see me as a younger sister… How could I not notice when that’s how you always treat me?”

“Ayun-ah, I…”

“It’s okay. Then I’ll think of you as my Oppa too.”

“…What?”

My eyes widened, and Baek Ayun placed my clasped hand on her swelling chest, a shy blush coloring her cheeks.

And with her other hand, she slightly pulled down the collar of her wet shirt.

Her pristine white neck and collarbone filled the center of my vision.

I reflexively flinched and tried to pull back…

*Squeeze!*

I failed without even trying. Baek Ayun had grabbed my wrist and wouldn’t let go.

The full might of the 9th-generation’s strongest close-combatant, which she had been holding back until now, pinned me in place.

“Oppa.”

Looking up at me temptingly, who was sweating profusely as I sensed the danger, Baek Ayun wore a smile like a little devil.

Her light pink lips, curving gracefully, subtly twitched.

A devil’s whisper flowed out.

“Please take your younger sister.”

The little devil—

Or, a succubus.