episode_0084

084

It was already lunchtime.

“Jo, good morning~ Oh, is it already lunchtime?”

Soyeon, who arrived at the academy leisurely, greeted me with a playful expression, twirling her hair into a bun.

As I looked at her with a questioning gaze, Soyeon cautiously glanced around before starting to explain.

“Ahem. As I texted you, the animal hospital opens at 10, right? So, I was a bit late because of that.”

Soyeon coughed twice and scrutinized my face.

She was desperately trying to justify her tardiness, not because she was embarrassed to see my face after the confession incident the other day.

“Well, since I was a bit late, it’s already lunchtime, right? Ahaha…”

She chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of her neck.

The laughter wavered like a lost lamb, gradually fading away.

Before I knew it, the laughter abruptly stopped, and Soyeon glanced at me briefly, unable to meet my gaze.

“Oh, no, really! I was late because I was taking the cat to the animal hospital!”

“Believe me.”

“It doesn’t seem like you believe me…”

“I really do believe you, though?”

I reassured her in a calm voice.

“You wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

“Yeah.”

“You have no reason to lie.”

“Right, I wouldn’t make up lies just because I was late due to taking the cat to the animal hospital, right?”

“Yeah, after the other day, you wouldn’t avoid me because you were embarrassed, right?”

Soyeon’s attempt to swallow her words interrupted me.

I quietly observed Soyeon, and she avoided my gaze with an awkward look.

It seemed like she felt uncomfortable looking at me, which might have contributed to her slower pace.

“…Well, confessing to a childhood friend you’ve known for 10 years and getting rejected must be awkward to face.”

Let’s put ourselves in her shoes for a moment.

If I confessed to a girl I had known for a long time and got rejected, it would be quite awkward to see her for a while.

Maybe the confession would haunt me in my sleep, making me tremble with embarrassment and shame, even stomping on the sheets.

The memory of the first confession lingered in my mind, whether in a good or bad way.

Moreover, didn’t I say something like this after drinking?

– I, I… made you suffer for years without knowing… I didn’t even realize… it’s really shameless to say this now, right?

– From your perspective, I’ve been casually hanging out with other guys all this time… saying this now might… make you feel uncomfortable…

– …I wanted to tell you that I like you. Ah, but, would that be burdensome?

Soyeon was embarrassed enough.

“…”

“…”

Our conversation had gradually quieted down.

An unknown silence settled between the two of us.

Hmm, it’s a bit awkward. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve been with Soyeon, but this level of awkwardness is quite rare.

Well, logically speaking, it wouldn’t be normal for a girl who confessed and a guy who reciprocated the confession to act nonchalantly as childhood friends.

‘But I’m more worried about the future.’

In the game, Soyeon had never approached me first and revealed her feelings so openly.

Romance Hero Academy was a reverse harem game, so it was common for male NPCs to pursue Soyeon as they pleased.

Therefore, it was extremely awkward and sorry for Soyeon to realize her feelings for me and express her liking in this way.

I couldn’t give Soyeon the answer she wanted.

Apart from the universal reasons such as finding it difficult to see Soyeon as a romantic interest or not wanting to argue with the male protagonists, there was another reason why I couldn’t give Soyeon the answer she wanted.

It was because in the worst-case scenario, Soyeon could collapse and never recover.

As someone who felt weak, I had to always consider the worst-case scenario as I would be increasingly exposed to danger if I got involved with the Rebellion members.

“Oh, come to think of it, hasn’t Ishiwoon been quite quiet lately?”

Suddenly, the way Soyeon and I were being looked at seemed different.

It wasn’t just a jealous or envious look, but rather a bit awkward or maybe a bit bitter?

Ever since rescuing Soyeon who had been kidnapped, Ishiwoon had been looking at us with a subtle gaze.

“Uh, Jinhak, it’s lunchtime, let’s go eat first….”

“I thought you wouldn’t come out today, Soyeon?”

Somehow, a blonde mixed-race lady approached Soyeon and casually shook her hand as if she knew her.

With an elegant gait, the rich girl sat down next to Soyeon with a bright smile.

“It’s a relief that you weren’t kidnapped like last time, right?”

Whispering quietly so that others wouldn’t hear, Yuseolhyun smiled deeply, and Soyeon raised her eyebrows.

Soyeon seemed slightly irritated by Yuseolhyun’s provocative words.

“Isn’t that quite sarcastic?”

“Oh my, Soyeon. Isn’t that too much for a lifesaver?”

“You helped me, but only because of the reward, right?”

“Haha, that’s not true. If a friend is in danger, you should help them, right?”

“…Seriously.”

Like a typical heroine and villainess, they seemed like complete opposites.

Although they had only exchanged a few words, there had been hardly anyone who elicited such a reaction from Soyeon.

Yuseolhyun seemed to find Soyeon’s reaction amusing in her own way.

“By the way, why is the atmosphere between you two like this? Did something happen over the weekend?”

“Oh, nothing happened at all?”

“Hmm~?”

Hey, hey, Soyeon.

If you shout like that with a surprised face, it will only make you more suspicious.

Don’t deny it in a rush with your cheeks already flushed, Soyeon.

“I wonder what could have made things so awkward between the two of you.”

“I told you, nothing happened, didn’t I?”

“Oh, did you confess your feelings? Or did you receive one? No, that doesn’t seem likely.”

“…!”

In an instant, Soyeon bit her rosy lips.

Yuseolhyun’s sudden words seemed to have caught her off guard.

Quite sharp, Yuseolhyun.

The observation skills of a villainess don’t disappear, huh?

Or maybe she just wanted to tease Soyeon and make her flustered.

…But with that reaction just now, it seems like Soyeon’s lack of facial expression control has been clearly exposed.

“Haha. Just kidding.”

“T-then, of course.”

“If you had any conscience, you wouldn’t even consider meeting again.”

“You?”

“If you have a conscience, I don’t think you would even think about meeting again. Oh, if you have a conscience, that is.”

Raising the corner of his mouth with a subtle smile, he looked at Soyeon with an amused glint in his eyes.

“Soyeon, you’re not that shameless, are you? Right?”

“Isn’t it much better to seduce a man with a lover than to ruin someone else’s relationship?”

Yuseolhyun hesitated.

Soon, a more determined smile appeared on his face.

A smile more resolute than before.

This might lead to a fight.

It was time to intervene, so I hurried to raise my voice.

But.

“Hey, Jin Soyeon.”

Someone called out to Soyeon first.

Soyeon, who had been in a tense situation with Yuseolhyun, turned her head towards the source of the voice.

There was a tough, red-haired handsome man there.

“You wrote this well.”

He tossed the ointment casually.

Soyeon reflexively reached out and caught the ointment.

“Then I’ll be off.”

Nonchalantly waving his hand, Kang Daehan left the classroom.

I blinked my eyes for a moment.

Out of the blue, what’s with the ointment?

“What’s with the ointment?”

“Oh? Ah, I met Daehan this morning. He had a wound, so I gave him some ointment and a bandage.”

“A bandage?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“Are you talking about the bandage with the penguin drawing that you’ve been fond of since you were young?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

As I asked with a serious expression, Soyeon nodded slightly, looking a bit flustered.

If it’s the bandage with the penguin drawing….

I thought as I stared blankly at the school gate where Kang Daehan had left. Maybe I’m already involved with Kang Daehan without even realizing it?

‘In that case, it might be good to start preparing. That jealous guy might start causing trouble.’

***

“Daehan~.”

“….”

“Daehan?”

“Why?”

This girl who always followed him to the dining area and chattered incessantly was Ju Jiyeon.

As a young lady of the Oh Sung Group, she had fallen head over heels for Kang Daehan.

Although they were in different classes, she almost always followed Kang Daehan around like a shadow, making him think of her as a somewhat annoying girl.

Her face was quite pretty, but it wasn’t Kang Daehan’s type.

Kang Daehan listened to Ju Jiyeon’s words with one ear and let them out with the other while eating with chopsticks.

Then.

“Oh? What’s this?”

“Hey?”

In between their conversation, a strange bandage sticking out of Kang Daehan’s shirt pocket caught her eye.

Ju Jiyeon quickly took out the bandage.

It was a cute bandage with a penguin character drawn on it.

“What’s this? Why is this cute bandage…”

“Oh, damn.”

“Uh?”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my body without permission?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

After sticking out his tongue, Kang Daehan snatched the penguin bandage. Ju Jiyeon flinched and shivered her shoulders. Due to Ju Jiyeon’s mistake, Kang Daehan seemed subtly annoyed.

“Hey, don’t talk to me today, it’s annoying.”

“Okay… I’m sorry, Daehan, please don’t be mad…”

“Tsk.”

Before she knew it, Kang Daehan stood up from his seat, holding the plate as if the taste of the food had suddenly dropped.

Ju Jiyeon only glanced at him timidly.

I didn’t expect him to get so angry just because I took one bandage. If it were the usual Kang Daehan, he wouldn’t have gotten this mad.

But where did that bandage come from?

“Daehan wouldn’t have bought a cute bandage like the penguin one with money.”

Could it be?

“Did he receive it from a girl?”