episode_0136

136.

The next afternoon.

Inside Yoo Seolhyun’s reception room.

“….”

“….”

After discussing various options, Yoo Seolhyun and I decided to seek the help of Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan, and Rok Sanne to capture Soyeon(?).

But before that, I called Baek Yurin a few hours earlier.

Because there was something I needed to ask Baek Yurin.

However.

“You… were alive…?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“You died and came back to life…? Or were you pretending to be dead…?”

“No, um, I came back to life. Through a relic.”

“Is that so…?”

Baek Yurin just looked at me with a blank expression.

Despite hearing that she had died and come back to life, she seemed strangely indifferent.

Was she always like this? Nonchalant face, indifferent expression, casual tone, etc. She seemed rather unaffected.

Wait, what?

I thought she would be more surprised.

Her reaction is more lukewarm than I expected.

Baek Yurin, you even saw my coffin closing.

Why are you so indifferent?

“Didn’t it surprise you at all?”

“…It did surprise me?”

Baek Yurin blinked her eyes for a moment and then answered while tilting her head from side to side.

But saying she was surprised with a blank expression doesn’t seem convincing at all.

Someone might think she’s asking, ‘What’s for lunch today?’ That’s the kind of expression she had.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re back…”

“Oh, well, yeah. Thank you.”

Watching Baek Yurin speak so casually, I felt a slight unease and scratched the back of my neck.

“By the way, Baek Yurin.”

“Yeah, what?”

“Do you believe me when I say I came back to life?”

“Yeah.”

Baek Yurin nodded as if it was obvious, without adding any extra words.

“Well, it could be a lie. Haven’t you thought that I might be fake?”

“Fake…?”

“It’s not, but…”

“Then… it doesn’t matter?”

Baek Yurin looked at me calmly with her indifferent gray eyes and replied casually.

I was slightly taken aback by how calmly Baek Yurin accepted the fact that I came back to life.

If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t have believed it so easily.

After all, after hearing that I came back to life after several months, it would have sounded like a joke.

Didn’t she look at me with a very suspicious gaze when we first met with Yoo Seolhyun?

But why does Baek Yurin accept the fact that I came back to life so easily?

“From the start… inviting me to this mansion… was already endorsed by Yoo Seolhyun, right…?”

“Oh, well, yeah.”

“Yoo Seolhyun… with her personality… she would have thoroughly checked whether you were real or not… It’s a waste of time for me to doubt you now, right…?”

“Hmm.”

That’s true.

It is true.

But it’s somewhat surprising as a human.

Of course, I did say I was a little surprised.

“But what’s the matter…? You said you had something important to tell me?”

Shaking my head, I pushed away unnecessary thoughts.

The reason I called Baek Yurin today was simple.

To hear clearly why Soyeon and I ended up fighting.

And above all, I needed to know about Baek Yurin’s current situation.

To plan ahead.

“I heard the news. Soyeon attacked you, right?”

“Yeah.”

Baek Yurin quietly recalled the incident.

“It seems like she attacked you after finding out you were affiliated with Rebellion… Am I right?”

“Yeah.”

Bae Yurin simply nodded her head.

I let out a deep sigh quietly.

It seems like Soyeon has seen my secret notebook.

Did she find out about all the Rebellion members written in the notebook?

“Then, wouldn’t that guy have been attacked as well?”

At Union Academy, there is not only Bae Yurin but another Rebellion member hiding.

…a self-proclaimed hero maniac.

“Can you explain in detail what happened next?”

“…Sure.”

Bae Yurin nodded gently and began to speak.

“First of all, I think Soyeon is misunderstanding something. It’s true that I was part of Rebellion, but now I have betrayed them and sided with Lee Jinhyuk, your side.”

“…Soyeon believed that?”

“No.”

Well, that’s obvious.

It wouldn’t be convincing to suddenly say you’re an ally in the middle of a fight.

“So, I betrayed one of the Rebellion members.”

“Who?”

“There was a talkative guy. Kim Seohan.”

Hero maniac Kim Seohan.

He was the one who sabotaged the shield control device during Union’s first assessment, putting me, Soyeon, and the other kids in danger.

I’ve been avoiding him until now, but I finally decided to confront him.

“Jin Soyeon seemed to have some idea that he was a Rebellion member… Anyway, I set a trap for Kim Seohan with Jin Soyeon…”

Eventually, Bae Yurin looked a bit disappointed.

“…But I missed him narrowly.”

“So, your identity was exposed…”

“I did hide my face… but it seems like I’m still suspicious…”

Twisting her reddish hair nervously, she continued, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Kim Seohan eventually left the academy due to Jin Soyeon’s constant attacks, but despite being attacked by Jin Soyeon, I haven’t been attacked anymore…”

“…I see.”

“It’s natural to doubt whether I sided with Jin Soyeon or betrayed her…”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

Probably because Soyeon attacked you, likely because of my notebook.

“Well… anyway, it made things a bit awkward for me… Yoo Dahee also seems suspicious of me…”

“Is that so.”

“If it’s Yoo Dahee, she might have evidence that I was active in Rebellion… like photos with the members… If that gets leaked to the media or the internet, I might get kicked out of the house…”

Bae Yurin seemed to be looking at me with her usual indifferent expression, but I could see a hint of uneasiness in her complexion.

“Oh, it’s not just about getting kicked out of the house… I might also get expelled from the academy… and maybe even get a warrant…”

Bae Yurin shrugged her shoulders lightly after muttering quietly.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter.”

Being kicked out of the house, expelled from the academy, or having a warrant didn’t seem to bother her much.

“I was prepared to some extent when I joined Rebellion, and it’s not entirely untrue that I was active in a villain organization.”

“And since my family doesn’t really approve of me learning swordsmanship… it was a chain that had to be broken someday…”

Bae Yurin suddenly rolled her ashen eyes and stared at me intently. My reflection was visible in her hazy eyes.

Taking a step closer, Bae Yurin raised her voice slightly.

“…I only need you.”

“Huh?”

Oh, huh? Out of the blue?

I blinked in confusion at her words.

What does she mean by saying that? I was pondering this when Baek Yurin added something.

“I’ve already memorized the swordsmanship, throwing, and archery techniques you taught me… I’ve achieved more than I expected… When I thought you were dead, I wondered what to do next… But now you’re back alive… So…”

Baek Yurin paused for a moment and then pursed her lips.

“…I have to keep my promise, right? To teach me the swordsmanship that suits me so I can reach a higher level… That promise.”

“You’re still the same.”

Ah, what am I saying again?

She suddenly said there’s no one else but me, and it surprised me for no reason.

Well, that’s just like Baek Yurin.

Looking at her like this, I could feel how obsessed she is with the sword.

Even if she gives up everything else, as long as she has a sword, she’s fine…

Well, she joined the Rebellion to break through the long-standing barrier.

“…Well, I prepared for that. Next, the sword techniques and archery.”

I took out a notebook I had kept in my pocket.

I hardly slept last night because I was recalling the memories related to the self-improvement sword from the IF novel.

“Oh.”

Baek Yurin let out a short exclamation.

She seemed to have her eyes wider open than usual.

Although her expression remained as if everything in the world was bothersome, her cheeks seemed slightly flushed.

Hey, do you seem to like me more now that you’ve realized I’m alive?

“By the way, you mentioned you had achievements, right? How good are they?”

“…Hmm. About top rank?”

“Already?”

“…Yeah. It’s all thanks to you.”

It’s the end of the first year now, but I’m already at the top rank level.

Baek Yurin is indeed Baek Yurin.

She’s growing well with just a few sword-related settings from the IF novel.

“So, what are you planning to do in the future?”

“Me? Well… It depends on what Yudahee does, right? If she thinks of me as a traitor and spreads information, I’ll have to leave the academy for a while.”

“…In that case.”

I looked at Baek Yurin intently and said.

“Do you have any thoughts about being my bodyguard?”

“…Bodyguard?”

“Yeah. I’ll give you a decent reward. If your family ties are cut off, you might be short of money.”

“…Money. Well, I think I can manage somehow.”

Yeah, that’s right.

With skills that can rival the top rank at your age, anyone would want to hire you.

But if it’s revealed that you were part of a criminal organization, you won’t be able to work legally anywhere except in illegal places.

In that case, it’s better for me to take you.

I’ve needed a bodyguard for a long time anyway.

And as long as I’m giving Baek Yurin information about swordsmanship, she won’t betray me.

It’s necessary to maintain a positive relationship with Baek Yurin until I defeat Yudahee.

Because the current Baek Yurin can be a very powerful ally.

“…Bodyguard, bodyguard, hmm.”

Baek Yurin showed a moment of hesitation.

“…If it’s revealed that I joined the Rebellion and it causes trouble for you, would you be okay with that?”

“There are many ways to hide your identity, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Is that so? Then… if things go wrong later on… I might cause you trouble.”

Smart.

At that moment.

“May I come in?”

A familiar voice echoed through the reception room door.

The voice was soft like wool and warm like sunshine. Ah, it’s been quite a while since I heard this voice. It seems like Roksan is here.

“Has time already passed like this?”

“Come to think of it… didn’t he invite other people too…?”

As Baek Yurin and I chatted, before we knew it, it was already the arrival time for Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan, and Roksan.

“Come in.”

“Yes, excuse me for a moment.”

With a sudden movement, the door to the reception room opened.

Beyond the luxurious door, handsome and beautiful men and women caught my eye.

It was Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan, and Roksan.

Seeing them after a long time, I felt a bit glad.

“Seolhyun, are you here? What brings you all here today… huh?”

“Huh? Wait, you…?”

“What, what is it?”

The three people I locked eyes with momentarily flinched and trembled.

“It’s been a while.”

“Y-you are…?”

Roksan’s eyes widened in confusion, with a mix of bewilderment, surprise, and other emotions on his face.

Roksan’s pupils shook as if there was an earthquake.

“Have you been well?”

I casually flicked my hand as if greeting naturally, just like when I first met Yuseolhyun.

“…Jin, Jinhyuk?”

Hey, Baek Yurin, look at that.

That’s a normal reaction.

If someone you thought was dead is alive and greeting you, it’s only natural to be surprised, right? It’s just common courtesy.