episode_0076

“Huh… ”

As soon as she regained consciousness, Jin Ye-seo moaned through her teeth as she felt intense pain.

I turned my head stiffly and barely looked around. She was in a bed in a poorly lit infirmary with a strong smell of medicine.

“ugh… ”

I forced my upper body to rest against the head of the bed and looked at my body.

The golden hair, which had always shown off its well-groomed beauty, became tangled and obscured the view.

The limbs exposed by the patient’s clothes were covered in bruises and bandages, so much so that the skin was barely visible.

“Wow… ”

Jin Ye-seo covered her mouth and barely suppressed nausea due to the pain rising from her lower abdomen.

“Oh my… ”

Jin Ye-seo held back the cursing that came out reflexively and traced a vague memory.

Past numbers become clearer with a clearer consciousness.

Her last memory was of herself suffering an ugly, one-sided defeat in a sparring stadium in front of hundreds of spectators.

When I remember that among them are close classmates and a senior whom I respect very much, my pale white face suddenly turns red with anger.

“Ha… ”

The blonde girl let out a deep lament that came from deep within her heart. I clenched my fists so tightly that my palms bled.

On the nightstand next to the hospital bed were several letters that appeared to be from acquaintances.

Jin Ye-seo opened the letter delivered along with the flowers and candy basket that caught her eye first.

“Hi… ”

As expected, when Baek Seo-yeon received a handwritten letter consoling her and wishing her recovery, Jin Ye-seo managed to calm down her anger and smiled faintly.

However, when she saw the letter with a luxurious seal just below it, her mood instantly sank to the bottom.

“… ”

I hesitated for a moment, but eventually moved my free arm and picked up the letter.

Even though I didn’t want to see it, there was nothing I could do.

It was a letter from her mother, the head of the Baekgwang Jin clan of the five families and a three-term representative to the current Supreme Council.

Jin Ye-seo opened the letter with a reluctant gesture. And as the particles are blown into the unique pattern, neat letters gradually begin to be engraved on the pure white letter paper.

‘I heard the news. I received the doctor’s opinion, and he said that if I abstain for a few days, I can fully recover without any aftereffects. So don’t worry too much… ‘

Other than that, it said that he was in a relationship with the daughter of Patcheon and praised himself for recording an excellent rank, and that the family would directly convey a protest to Yoram regarding excessive injuries.

“Ha… ”

It was a move I didn’t like because I thought it made things even more ridiculous, but considering the time the letter arrived, the protest must have already been delivered.

In other words, it meant that the story had already left her hands.

Since 80% of the content was filled with the usual pretense, Jin Ye-seo read the letter without paying attention for long.

The most important, and also the most unpleasant, content was written in a short line at the end of the letter.

‘… Keep in mind that you only have one chance left. I hope you don’t forget the promise we made before entering the cradle… ‘

-Quad!

Jin Ye-seo, unable to bear it any longer, crumpled the letter and threw it in a trash can far away.

I gave in to my anger and frustration and exerted too much force, so the letter ended up rolling on the floor of the infirmary instead of the trash can.

The throbbing pain in my arm only increased for no reason.

Jin Ye-seo sighed in frustration.

Before she entered the cradle, she had made a promise to her mother.

If she loses twice to male students in the ranking match in the first semester of her freshman year, she will break her stubbornness and look for a marriage partner like other family heirs.

And if I can’t choose the right person for myself during my freshman year, I will accept the person my mother chooses without saying anything.

In order to escape the pressure that grew stronger as the years passed, Jin Ye-seo eventually had no choice but to accept her mother’s offer.

This was also a decision made after objectively judging one’s own abilities rather than arbitrariness.

He could boldly say that among those who entered school at the same time, there was no one who could surpass him.

Whether it’s background or accomplishments.

Although Choi Woo-jin, like an irritable monkey, started a fight with her, if she was sincere, she was just an opponent he could easily defeat.

So, if only one year passed, one would be able to experience complete liberation.

But now her plan was on the verge of being ruined by a traveling bell that may have come from nowhere.

“Ha… ”

Unlike Jin Ye-seo, who literally only wanted a one-time stallion to receive seed, her mother still wanted a partner with whom she could exchange and exchange interests within the framework of an engagement.

But Jin Ye-seo still couldn’t understand her mother.

Also, although she was positive about everything about Baek Seo-yeon, there was one paragraph in the same context that she could not understand.

Baek Seo-yeon was selected as the strongest wizard of this generation, succeeding Haewol-hwa.

A spring that does not dry up even if you use a lot of high-level magic. Conversion rate well over two or three times the average. His overwhelming skills are such that he can easily create weather magic on his own, which is only possible when multiple wizards come together.

When it comes to appearance, it’s appearance. If it’s a background, it’s a background. When it comes to personality, even personality.

However, when I first found out that Baek Seo-yeon had a fiancé who loved her so much that she would hang herself, I was truly shocked.

Although there were often people who looked with suspicion at the existence of her fiancé who never showed up, the happiness that Jin Ye-seo saw up close was an emotion that could never come from a lie.

-Far away…

In the empty hospital room, the sound of a blonde female student biting her teeth echoed.

She never wanted to waste time on something stupid.

And now there was only one chance left.

***

“Now, here it is.”

Professor Kwon Chan-yeol, still tired and glassy-eyed, held out a document with his signature.

At the top of the paper I received, I saw the words ‘Mentoring Group Field Experience Application’ written in large letters.

“A field trip to the Hokyung Industrial Research Institute to explore career paths after graduation. It’s a pretty healthy experience. It fits well with the purpose of the mentoring group.”

“Thank you… ”

“But the contents of the application are true, right?”

“… you’re right. But what happened… ”

“No. I suddenly remembered my motive for using this as an excuse to commit disorderly conduct in the past. I wonder if he might have passed down a useless method to his student.”

At the sudden look of suspicion, I feel a prickling sensation in my heart.

It had nothing to do with his concerns, but I could never say that what was written in the application was true.

But am I mistaken in thinking I know who he is talking about?

“Well, you seem to have a sincere personality, so I believe you will do well. Still, I’m glad that I don’t have a bad relationship with my mentor.”

Professor Kwon continued as if it was no big deal.

“When you first designated that child as a mentor, there was some controversy even among the professors. It must have been so polarizing in first grade… ”

He shook his head as if he was tired of thinking about it.

“When the two of them dueled, I thought something was going to explode, but seeing it like this really made me feel special. Did it help to overcome a major crisis in the South together?”

“Maybe that exists too.”

“Yes. Normally, when people go through something like that, their relationship becomes stronger. This guy. But you lied during the consultation.”

A small dissatisfaction suddenly appeared on the professor’s face, which had been showing a satisfied expression.

“What? In the 5th place in the prediction, the amount of particles in the body is 3000 rubin? There has to be a limit to lies.”

“That… Sorry.”

There is no good excuse for the professor’s harsh words.

Now that my exploits in the South are known, anyone who was counseling me at the time would know very well that I made up my achievements appropriately…

” was done. I guess he didn’t want to become an angular stone that stuck out for no reason. I didn’t mean to say anything. There are often students like that. The cradle cannot force it. And who knew that something like that would happen?”

“Well, thank you for understanding… ”

“What is gratitude? Anyway, I understand. Go see it. Don’t get into accidents outside.”

He gestures with his hand and pushes me out of the office.

After saying hello, I grabbed my small luggage and left the main building.

I passed through the flower-filled campus and walked to the main gate.

Soon, someone began to appear standing in front of the large statue at the main gate. Instead of a school uniform, she wore a neat navy blue one-piece dress and stood with a humble posture.

Behind her, a long, black luxury car was waiting for its owner to board.

As I was about to walk over and say hello, Yeon Myeong-ha turned first and came closer to me.

Then he looked at my chest again, and this time he made a pouty expression as if he was dissatisfied with something.

“Why are you doing that? This time I tied my tie properly.”

“No, that’s… It’s nothing.”

Then he turns around and gets into the back seat of the car first.

***

The girl with black hair dreams of happy days again today.

They were lying down in the reed field in the middle of the night and talking about various things.

Jewel-like stars twinkled in the sky, and the distance from him was so close that I could feel his lukewarm breath.

If I turned my head slightly to the side, the face of the boy I loved most in the world was there.

“You know… ”

As she wiggles her fingers and calls out, the boy who was lying blankly admiring the constellations makes eye contact with her.

“Why?”

Trying to calm her trembling voice, the girl carefully brought up the topic she had been preparing all along.

“Woo, when we get married… What should we call each other… ?”

“… You can’t just call me by name… ?”

In response to the boy’s puzzled question, the girl violently shakes her head.

“Well, they say you shouldn’t do that… They say a married couple has their own title… ”

“Really? I don’t care… ”

“… Ugh.”

When he lightly expressed his dissatisfaction with a hint of tears, the boy soon realized his mistake and a look of apology appeared on his face.

“… So what should I say? I haven’t even thought about it.”

“That… In an old book, it says Seo, Seobangnim… How about this… ?”

“Wow. I feel like I’m too old… ”

“… Heung.”

The boy was very displeased, but when he saw the tears welling up in the girl’s eyes, as if he was feeling unfairly treated, he immediately corrected himself.

“Sorry.”

“Then the other thing to say is… ?”

“Another word?”

“Yes. Adults call each other ‘ho’ and ‘honey’… How about this… ?”

“… That might seem okay… ”

The boy was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly with a somewhat manly look.

In response, the girl went one step further and handed him a bold proposal that she had prepared in advance.

“Then let’s practice in advance… ?”

“You really have to practice… ”

“You need to prepare for something like this in advance… !”

“Ugh, I understand… ”

In the face of the pushing force, the boy waved his hands back as if he couldn’t win.

“… Hmm, hmm. Then I do it first… ?”

But the girl could see.

The shame and feeble anticipation on his face.

“W… female… Huh… ”

Even though things went as planned in the end, for some reason, the stuffy lips don’t come off easily.

My face felt hot as if I had been burned, and my vision was spinning and I couldn’t see straight ahead.

I stuttered and repeated the first syllable several times, and finally took a deep breath as if making a big decision.

“W… female… !”

-Ring! Ring!

“Ah… ”

And in front of Baek Seo-yeon, who stretched out her hand in vain, all she could see was the dormitory ceiling in the dark and gloomy dawn.

The mouth sighs involuntarily, and the eyes lose focus and wander in all directions.

After much thought, the words I was barely able to say were dissipated into a mere dream along with the loud ringtone of the receiver.