episode_0053

“Yeonghee seems to have her eyes on you.”

Lime repeated his words as if feeling frustrated.

However, Yujin just blinked his eyes as if he still didn’t understand a word of English.

It was quite some time before he opened his mouth.

“Yeonghee has her eyes on me? Has my time finally come?”

“No, what nonsense. It seems like she’s bothering you!”

Ah~ What a load of nonsense.

I almost misunderstood again.

Yeah, a pretty girl like Yeonghee wouldn’t like me.

“But Yeonghee is bothering me? Has my time finally come?”

“This is ridiculous. Ugh… Actually, the fruit you ate earlier had medicine on it.”

“Medicine?”

What does that mean?

What’s the point of putting medicine on fruit?

Is it a way of saying eat more vitamins to stay healthy?

“Well, that’s something! Do you think Yeonghee finds you so pretty that she even makes herbal medicine for you?!”

“Why? We’re friends…”

Ugh, this is so frustrating!!

Lime felt like he had swallowed 100 sweet potatoes and thumped his chest as if he got stuck in the middle.

Why should I be the one getting cancer while others are taking romantic selfies!

The author must be having a blast!

“Yeah, the medicine wasn’t lethal enough to threaten your life. But if a person had consumed it, they would have suffered from stomach pain as if they had food poisoning.”

“I ate it and I’m fine, though?”

“Well, I purified it immediately.”

It was a poison powerful enough to affect even a hero.

How Yeonghee obtained it, by what means, I don’t know.

But it was undoubtedly deadly to the human body.

“Hmm.”

“That’s not all. During the battle earlier, she subtly waved a whip towards you. If Cheolsoo hadn’t been hit, you might have been instead.”

“Isn’t that just a coincidence?”

“No, that was clearly a malicious attack.”

Yujin crossed his arms and fell into thought for a moment.

Honestly, there wasn’t enough evidence to judge based solely on that.

But Lime wasn’t the type to make baseless claims.

There must have been some suspicious circumstances that led him to tell this story.

“Of course, it’s not as serious as being life-threatening. At best, it could be seen as a prank by the kids. But if you were in the middle of fighting monsters, wouldn’t the situation be different?”

During battles, a small mistake can determine victory or defeat.

Especially when facing a boss-level opponent like the ‘Twin Executioners,’ even Yujin couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

Even if he didn’t die, he could still sustain injuries.

In that sense, it was not something to be taken lightly.

“Um, I understand what you’re saying, Lime.”

Yujin opened his eyes after pondering for a moment.

His face still showed uncertainty.

“Why would Yeonghee bother me? There’s no reason for her to do that.”

…”

For Yujin, it was the most fundamental question.

If Yeonghee were a rival student, he could understand it frankly.

Because if he deteriorated his opponent’s condition, his own rank would rise.

But Yeonghee and he were on the same side.

If Yujin got hurt, it would only harm his scores.

Above all, aren’t Yujin and Yeonghee friends?

There was no reason for Yeonghee, who was a friend, to act that way towards him.

Of course, from Lime’s perspective, who objectively assessed all situations, it was a difficult question.

“Oh, damn. What should I say to this innocent kid?”

Should I tell him that all his friends actually hate him?

Hmm…

That doesn’t seem right? It could really mess things up, right?

“It’s not a joke; could he become incapacitated from shock?”

Lime knew well the significance Yujin placed on his school life.

For Yujin, friends were the goal of his current life.

Even if it would eventually break, Lime wanted to protect that fantasy for now.

He absolutely refused to be the one to shatter it.

He couldn’t bear to see the face of Yujin in sorrow.

“…Well, being manipulated by a villain with psychic abilities like me.”

“Just to harass me, they go that far?”

“Or maybe they were threatened by someone else.”

“Hmm.”

Upon hearing that, Yujin nodded her head.

Certainly, no other reason came to mind.

‘That kind-hearted Yeonghee would do such a thing.’

Sabotaging exams out of fear of other students’ harassment.

Surprisingly common, isn’t it?

Above all, from other students’ perspective, it was a good opportunity to lower Group A’s grades.

Since everyone expected the elite Group A to score high.

“Ugh, boasting about being in a Hero Academy, yet behind the scenes, they stoop to this level due to grades. Disgusting, despicable.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Come to think of it, Yeonghee seemed weak earlier. Maybe she’s dealing with such worries.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Though Lime thought Yujin was seriously mistaken, she kept quiet.

Well, good is good, right?

Anyway, if Yujin became wary of Yeonghee, it’s a success.

She would also continue to be cautious herself.

With Yujin’s level of ability, just ‘being aware’ should be enough to avoid most dangers.

Above all, to Yujin at the moment, it wasn’t as serious as a matter of life and death.

‘Still, it doesn’t hurt to be careful.’

Honestly, Yujin has a very naive side.

This level of caution brings peace of mind.

“Or should I just ask Yeonghee directly? Who’s bothering her? Chulsoo and I can help out together.”

Lime was startled by Yujin’s words.

No, insane.

Asking who’s bothering whom? And what do you mean by helping out together?

“Well, that might be a bit much! Yeonghee hasn’t said anything yet, so wouldn’t it be burdensome for her to receive such a question? In these situations, being a friend means waiting for her to speak first!”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Internally, Lime breathed a sigh of relief.

Even for an indifferent person like herself, asking ‘Is there anyone bothering you?’ to someone who harasses even her beloved boyfriend seems off.

How awkward would it be for Yeonghee?

Even Lime, who is indifferent to human affairs, finds it inappropriate.

‘Ugh, why do I have to go through this.’

Anyway, it’s settled now.

With this, Yujin will pay a bit more attention to Yeonghee.

And who knows, maybe someone will find out.

As a result of Yujin looking out for Yeonghee, will Yeonghee truly feel better?

‘The problem is…who could be making Yeonghee like this?’

To Lime, Yeonghee seems like a submissive type of person.

Would such a person suddenly target Yujin of their own accord?

The likelihood of that happening was very low.

If there was an opportunity, it could have happened anytime before.

There must have been some external intervention and trigger.

There’s a separate figure behind Yeonghee’s change of heart.

That was Lime’s conclusion.

‘Well, I can’t know for sure right now.’

First things first, finish the exam and get out of the island.

Thinking like that, Lime hoped these days would pass without any incidents.

****

Yeonghee was sprawled in a dark space.

Her clothes stripped down to her underwear, baring her flesh.

Though no wind blew, a chill lingered in the air.

Her body trembled, not just from the cold.

It was the fear of what was to come.

“I don’t want this anymore…”

Yeonghee huddled, embracing her knees.

But hiding that fragile body was futile.

And inevitably, the voice echoed.

‘Hate.’

At the sound of the voice from somewhere, Yeonghee’s shoulders trembled.

Once again, a splitting headache struck.

The voice pierced her ears, seeping into her brain.

A sensation dominating emotions regardless of her own feelings.

Resisting only spreads the pain.

In a place where escape was impossible, Yeonghee was left vulnerable to that pain.

“Hate you, hate you so much.”

“No! That’s not it!”

“You can’t stand Cheolsu because you hate him, right? He’s too detestable.”

“No! Cheolsu is my childhood friend! He’s more precious to me than anyone else!”

Yeonghee covered her ears with both hands and crouched down.

But it seemed like even that wasn’t acknowledged.

In the dark space, iron chains emerged and bound her completely.

Yeonghee, stripped not only of her limbs but also of her freedom.

In that state, she had to endure the words fully.

“Hate? It’s hateful. You’ve come to dislike Cheolsu for making Kim Yujin act like that.”

“No… No! I did it for Cheolsu! I didn’t expect any reward!”

“But Cheolsu still did that, didn’t he? Just today, wasn’t he looking at the class president instead? He’s already moved on to another girl. Isn’t that betrayal?”

“T-That’s…”

As if finding a crack in her heart.

In darkness, Inyeong walked out.

He was Jekyll, holding a black coin tied to a string in his hand.

The moment she saw him, Yeonghee’s body began trembling even more than before.

“N-No, please. Don’t…”

Though Yeonghee shook her head from side to side, it was futile.

She couldn’t even close her eyes as if her will had been taken away.

Jekyll began gently shaking the coin in front of Yeonghee.

“Yeonghee, do you hate Kim Cheolsu?”

“N-No….”

His voice was so sweet and soothing.

If she accepted, this pain would disappear.

The coldness would vanish, replaced by warmth.

Yeonghee knew this from experience.

“No, you hate Kim Cheolsu.”

“Ah…”

“You can’t bear it because he’s now ignoring you and focusing on the class president.”

“……”

Initially, she resisted.

Denied it repeatedly.

But after numerous repetitions.

Yeonghee’s will and heart were worn down.

“I’ll ask again, do you hate Cheolsu?”

“Y-Yes… I hate him.”

Yeonghee said, bowing her head deeply.

Oh, there’s no way to stop this.

The voice seeping into her heart.

No matter how hard she tried, resistance was impossible.

“You hate Cheolsu.”

“Yes.”

“So you’ll find a way to hurt him.”

“…Yes.”

“What do you think of Kim Cheolsu?”

“I…”

Yeonghee unconsciously realized.

If she answered here, there would be no turning back.

Her heart would shatter, and someone else’s desires would take over.

She had to endure this much somehow.

“I hate him.”

Clearly, even though-

As if denying her strong will.

Her mouth moved on its own.

What does she think of Cheolsu?

“I hate Cheolsu.”

Suddenly coming to her senses.

The first person Yeonghee’s eyes met was Yujin.

“Yeonghee?”

For a moment, Yeonghee didn’t understand why she was standing there.

The memory of the dream vanished the moment she opened her eyes.

It felt as if she had suddenly woken up from a nightmare.

So Yujin’s surprised expression felt even more perplexing.

“What are you doing?”

At those words, Yeonghee slowly lowered her head.

In her hand, a kitchen knife seemed poised to stab someone.