episode_0165

165.

Lee Jinhyuk felt a perplexing sensation in his chest.

Suddenly, Jin Soyeon’s words were incomprehensible to him.

As he discreetly glanced at Jin Soyeon’s face, he could see her cheeks blushing ever so slightly, and her lips trembling as if hesitating.

Could it be likened to a high school girl waiting for a response after a confession?

Upon reflecting on Jin Soyeon’s reaction, it seemed more suspicious than he initially thought.

“Oh no. I can’t seem to recall anything significant.”

Lee Jinhyuk scratched the back of his neck, lost in thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind.

There was a faint memory lingering, but it just wouldn’t surface.

In a situation like this, if he were to honestly say, “Oops, sorry, I forgot. What was I supposed to say?” he could predict how she would react, so Lee Jinhyuk swallowed hard.

“Uh, haha… Maybe… something like that…?”

As Lee Jinhyuk hesitated for a moment, Jin Soyeon, who had been subtly observing him, scratched her cheek and forced a bitter smile.

She had sensed his discomfort.

So, he decided to take a step back.

“Well, back then… I rejected your confession because… I had feelings for someone else…”

“Uh, well, yeah.”

Confession?

Oh, right. It came back to him.

It had been quite a while, so he had forgotten about it.

Come to think of it, he had rejected Jin Soyeon’s confession by lying about liking someone else, right?

Jin Soyeon had insisted that she would continue to like him.

It seemed like she was asking if he was still rejecting her confession because of the girl he liked.

But Lee Jinhyuk didn’t have any feelings for a woman.

It was just a temporary lie back then.

“Yeah… that’s right… the girl you like…”

Jin Soyeon lowered her head slightly and muttered to herself in a soft voice.

“The girl… the girl…”

The atmosphere seemed to darken slightly.

“I don’t know who she is, but are you still liking her…?”

Jin Soyeon’s expression and face, which had been embarrassed just a moment ago, began to sink beneath the surface.

The sudden change felt somewhat eerie.

“Who could it be…?”

He snapped his head up.

His smooth hair swayed.

Lee Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon locked eyes.

“Come to think of it, there weren’t many girls you showed that much interest in, Jinhyuk…?”

Although Jin Soyeon was smiling brightly and speaking in a flat tone, her gaze was gradually darkening.

Could it be that the switch had been flipped again?

The light in her eyes was disappearing.

Subtly terrifying. Can you stop erasing the light from your pupils?

“Yuseolhyun? Roksanu? Baek Yurin? Or maybe Seonari? Or is it a girl I don’t know?”

She slowly listed the names of the girls who were still on good terms with Lee Jinhyuk, smiling slyly.

“By now, you could tell me who it is, right, Jinhyuk?”

“I said it’s a secret.”

He was smiling with his mouth, but his eyes weren’t.

Could he say it even after seeing that?

He was a bit worried about accidentally saying something wrong and causing trouble.

Until a year ago, he wasn’t like this.

Since Lee Jinhyuk’s death, he had been showing signs of obsession.

So, Lee Jinhyuk was slightly anxious about what might happen if he said something wrong.

“To be honest, Jinhyuk, you’re free to like whoever you want. And I know I don’t have the right to say this after causing you so much heartache for so long. But…”

Jin Soyeon leaned in closer towards Lee Jinhyuk.

Her dull golden eyes were fixed on him, almost intimidatingly.

To the point where it was a bit overwhelming.

“You know, Jinhyuk.”

Her eyes reflected his face.

“I can’t live without you.”

“It’s quite straightforward, isn’t it?”

Although it was quite embarrassing to say it soberly, Jin Soyeon looked at Lee Jinhyuk with a casual expression, unlike before.

“I don’t want to regret losing you again.”

“….”

It seemed that Lee Jinhyuk’s death in front of her had left a significant trauma.

“Jinhyuk.”

“….Yeah.”

“To be honest, I was going to congratulate you even if you ended up dating another girl. I wanted to congratulate you, but….”

Jin Soyeon gently placed her hand on his chest.

“….When I think about you forming a relationship with another girl and laughing together, it’s a bit hard to bear, isn’t it?”

What was so hard to endure?

She was slightly curious, but she didn’t ask, as it might have been unnecessary to pry.

It was better to just let it go unnoticed in such situations.

“….Especially if you choose Yoo Seolhyun, I might not be able to bear it.”

“Why did Yoo Seolhyun suddenly come up?”

Lee Jinhyuk scratched his temple.

Could it be that she still mistakenly thought that Yoo Seolhyun liked him?

Of course, there seemed to be some goodwill, but it didn’t seem like Jin Soyeon was so wary of it.

“No, I think I just said something silly.”

Jin Soyeon coughed lightly, looking a bit uneasy, but it didn’t seem like she said something silly.

It seemed that there was something Lee Jinhyuk didn’t know.

“Anyway, Jinhyuk. I can continue to wait, so….”

She glanced at Lee Jinhyuk.

“…Understand?”

“Doesn’t that sound a bit like a threat to me?”

“Oh, come on, Jinhyuk. What are you saying? It’s just a misunderstanding.”

Don’t try to pass it off with a fake laugh.

After secretly sighing, Lee Jinhyuk shook his head slightly.

“Persistent women are unpopular, you know.”

“…So, do you dislike me?”

“It’s not that I dislike you, but….”

Honestly, Lee Jinhyuk didn’t dislike Jin Soyeon.

He even cherished her as a childhood friend.

But what about romantically?

There were times when he deliberately tried not to think of her that way, but now there was no need for that.

If divided into like and dislike, he naturally leaned towards liking her.

But was it a bit ambiguous?

Oh, don’t call me indecisive.

Because once he decided to date Jin Soyeon, it seemed like it would be irreversible. And if her obsession grew stronger after they started dating, what would he do?

And didn’t someone say that in life, the longer you postpone death and marriage, the better?

Oh, is that irrelevant now?

“By the way, judging by what you’re saying, you really wouldn’t just sit back if I dated another girl, would you?”

“…That’s impossible.”

Adding the word ‘probably,’ Jin Soyeon awkwardly smiled, making Lee Jinhyuk unable to erase the subtle unease.

Half-jokingly thinking, if Jin Soyeon became jealous and turned into a villain, what would happen?

It reminded him of the time when the future Jin Soyeon, possessed by fear, had swiftly killed the crawling horror with a single stroke.

That was the epitome of the aura of the world’s strongest.

If such a Jin Soyeon turned into a villain…hmm.

It might be really terrifying.

“Phew. The obsession attribute is scary, scary.”

Lee Jinhyuk chuckled dryly, shrugged his shoulders, and shook off the shivers.

“Anyway, don’t worry too much. I don’t really have any thoughts about dating anyone yet.”

He had thought about just saying that he didn’t have anyone he liked, but he decided not to say it in case Jin Soyeon would be more proactive.

“Then one day, you won’t secretly start dating a girlfriend, right?”

“No, that’s… ”

Should I go and see?

The future is something no one knows.

After all, according to Jin Soyeon, one day you could suddenly fall head over heels for someone.

“Well, anyway, I’ll make one promise.”

Lee Jinhyuk raised his luck slowly.

“I won’t leave you alone, won’t let you go astray, won’t give up on you.”

Just as future Jin Soyeon asked.

No matter what the future holds, he won’t leave Jin Soyeon alone.

“So, I’ll leave you in charge from now on, Soyeon.”

Lee Jinhyuk reached out his hand as if requesting a handshake.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but.”

From now on, it’s a future that Lee Jinhyuk doesn’t know either.

He plans to pioneer with Jin Soyeon.

“Yeah, Jinhyuk.”

Jin Soyeon slowly nodded her head and held hands.

The warmth of each other flowed slowly through their fingertips.

It’s warm. I won’t lose this warmth. Never.

Jin Soyeon firmly resolved in her heart, recalling the image of Lee Jinhyuk slowly dying coldly.

For Jin Soyeon, Lee Jinhyuk was a warm presence and a milestone in life.

To avoid wandering again and to walk the path with Lee Jinhyuk for a brighter tomorrow, she wanted to be with him.

“Huh. Is it really over now?”

Lee Jinhyuk thought to himself secretly.

After a year of effort, Lee Jinhyuk was able to complete the ending he wanted.

Yoo Dahee died, Rebellion collapsed, and Jin Soyeon and her companions regained their daily lives.

Of course, the world is still in chaos.

Monsters and villains abound, threatening people endlessly.

But it’s okay.

As long as there is hope in Jin Soyeon, who will rise as the strongest and greatest hero, people will have a ray of hope even in the midst of threats from villains and monsters.

Jin Soyeon is the protagonist of this world… no, the one and only protagonist chosen by me, Lee Jinhyuk. Surely, I will continue to stand firm against villains as humanity’s guardian.

So, shall we take a short break?

Let’s take a break until Jin Soyeon fully grows into humanity’s hero.

Yes. Let’s experience something like a normal school life.

Let’s enjoy a peaceful academy away from the fear of losing our lives to powerful villains and monsters.

The sweet and thrilling school life of Romance Hero Academy.

fin.