episode_0172

172.

“Weren’t you quite famous as a child actor?”

“Oh, haha. A little bit.”

Ha Yua gently scratched her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed, and humbly replied.

“Well, you’re quite pretty. Were you popular during your active years?”

Yoo Seolhyun, with a contemplative expression, scrutinized Ha Yua’s appearance from head to toe, momentarily lost in thought.

The silver hair that glistened and the subtle glow in her eyes.

Although slightly smaller in stature than Yoo Seolhyun, she had a very balanced overall appearance.

As a former entertainer, she had a keen sense of fashion and knew how to stylishly groom her appearance.

And then, like a naive puppy, she followed Lee Jinhyuk around, calling him ‘senior!’ It seemed like she would definitely be popular among men.

Yoo Seolhyun was confident in her looks, but Ha Yua was also on par with her, so she dared to say that.

Could she be described as a fair maiden straight out of a novel?

“Oh no, senior, you’re even more beautiful.”

“Really? Thank you.”

Ha Yua, who praised Yoo Seolhyun as even more beautiful, nodded her head, but for some reason, it felt somewhat insincere.

Of course, Ha Yua’s compliments were sincere, but the girl who followed Lee Jinhyuk around all day like an enthusiastic fan, calling him ‘senior,’ didn’t sit well with her.

It was said that she was actively involved in the Lee Jinhyuk fan club on campus.

She definitely seemed to idolize Lee Jinhyuk.

‘Is it just a simple fan crush, or is it something else….’

Yoo Seolhyun bit her lip lightly.

Already feeling uncomfortable because of other girls, having another girl who liked Lee Jinhyuk was not a pleasant thought.

If she was just an ordinary girl, she wouldn’t pay much attention, but Ha Yua, with her beauty, could pose a threat.

If a pretty girl like Ha Yua showed clear favor towards him as an enthusiastic fan, any man would definitely be flattered.

Although Lee Jinhyuk currently seemed to have no thoughts about dating, it couldn’t be certain that this state would continue.

One day, he could suddenly start dating someone.

‘Lee Jinhyuk… has become too famous since the Gwanghwamun Incident.’

Yoo Dahee, the worst villain in South Korea who caused thousands of casualties and astronomical property damage.

And the young hero trainee who brought down Yoo Dahee with a single blow, Lee Jinhyuk.

Lee Jinhyuk was now the most famous hero trainee in South Korea.

He gained a reputation as the strongest hero trainee for bringing down Yoo Dahee and knocking out Lee Cheong in one go.

He was already receiving secret scout offers from numerous clans, and the membership of his internet fan cafe had already exceeded tens of thousands.

A mere hero trainee had more fans than many established heroes.

‘This is just the beginning. He will become even more famous in the future.’

As time passed, Lee Jinhyuk would become stronger and more famous.

And the number of girls who liked him would also increase.

Perhaps even richer, more beautiful girls than Yoo Seolhyun would set their sights on Lee Jinhyuk.

Good men naturally attract good women.

‘I shouldn’t have hesitated. I wanted to build up more certainty, but if I keep procrastinating, it could be troublesome….’

Although she felt it was a bit premature, considering the current situation, she had no choice but to act more actively.

“Has time flown by this quickly? We might be late for our reservation, Jinhyuk.”

“Yeah.”

In response to Yoo Seolhyun’s words, Lee Jinhyuk checked the time and nodded his head.

“Then, let’s go now. Hayu, see you next time, Lee Cheong.”

“Ah… Yes, senior. See you next time. And also, Yoo Seolhyun senior.”

“Sure.”

Soon, Lee Jinhyuk and Yoo Seolhyun started walking away.

Hayu watched their backs for a moment.

Those two definitely looked good together.

Yoo Seolhyun had exceptional looks, came from a good family, and had money. Moreover, she had been active with Lee Jinhyuk since the first year, taking down monsters, conquering dungeons, and even helping capture Yoo Dahee during the Gwanghwamun incident…

She was quite an impressive person. Really.

“Hayu… Are you okay?”

“Huh? What?”

“Those two. Seeing them meet separately on weekends, it seems like there’s something going on between them.”

Lee Cheong cautiously pursed her lips, and Hayu laughed lightly, shaking her head.

“I was thinking nonsense. Cheong, I’m not a malicious fan. I’m just a fan who genuinely supports the seniors, you know?”

“…”

Lee Cheong pondered Hayu’s words for a moment.

A genuine fan, huh?

Maybe that was true, at least until before the Gwanghwamun incident.

But thinking about how Hayu, who survived thanks to Lee Jinhyuk at Gwanghwamun Square, later blushed and raved about him for a long time… Hmm.

“If she’s a woman who suits Senior Lee Jinhyuk, I approve, I approve.”

“Really? In that case.”

Does she still not realize?

‘I hope she remains clueless in the future…’

Walking with Hayu, Lee Cheong thought to herself.

May this clueless friend not unnecessarily suffer from realizing her feelings.

***

“I heard it’s a somewhat expensive restaurant…?”

“It’s reasonably priced. Why?”

I and Yoo Seolhyun entered the restaurant.

I scanned the interior of the restaurant and couldn’t help but be impressed.

The slightly dim lighting was gently scattered, creating a secretive atmosphere that permeated the restaurant.

It did seem like it would be quite expensive.

Booking a place like this at a reasonable price, it was clear that Yoo Seolhyun was indeed a rich girl.

I had rarely been to such places in my life.

“You have more money anyway.”

“Well, I mean…”

While Yoo Seolhyun could use some of the clan’s assets, I had managed to turn everything I earned through stocks and dungeons into 100% personal assets.

Thanks to that, I had much more cash on hand than Yoo Seolhyun.

And I was quite knowledgeable about unlisted companies and clans.

I was still making good use of future knowledge.

“What’s the point of having money if you don’t use it? You didn’t have time to come to a place like this before.”

“Haha. Maybe that’s true until now. But not anymore, right? We defeated Yoo Dahee and destroyed Rebellion.”

“That’s true.”

Since I had earned a lot of money, I should also enjoy some leisure time.

“Let me show you to your table.”

The approaching waiter began to guide us.

As we walked further inside, we were led to a secluded space.

A rectangular room-shaped space. The interior was filled with beautiful decorations, chairs, tables, and various amusements.

“I’ll leave you here.”

With a nod, the waiter disappeared.

I sat down in a suitable spot inside the room.

“It’s a private room. Quite fascinating.”

“It’s where famous celebrities, politicians, and heroes usually come. Absolute confidentiality is guaranteed.”

“I see.”

Paying some money to use a place like this seemed better than suffering from unnecessary scandals.

“Shall we order some food then?”

After selecting some dishes, we placed our order.

Shortly after, the waiter returned with our food and left.

I spent a leisurely time savoring the food carefully. Mmm~. It definitely tastes good enough for the price.

We chatted intermittently with Yoo Seolhyun.

We shared trivial stories and also discussed strategies for the next dungeon.

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, Yoo Seolhyun took a sip of her drink and sighed.

“Oh… come to think of it, I remember the old days.”

“Huh?”

“Just a year ago, I never thought we would have a relationship where we could have conversations like this face to face.”

Yoo Seolhyun looked at me with a somewhat nostalgic gaze.

It seemed like she was reminiscing about when we first met.

“When you confidently challenged me to a bet, I thought you were quite an interesting person.”

I think the first time we really talked was probably when we were selecting teams for the flag capture assessment?

At that time, I requested a bet from her to build a positive relationship with Yoo Seolhyun and to defeat the monster that would appear in the assessment.

“But I was quite surprised that you could easily defeat the other team members as you said.”

“Because I could foresee their weaknesses through future sight.”

“Hehe. That’s true.”

Yoo Seolhyun chuckled softly as she slowly turned her glass.

“The ability of future sight… it’s a remarkable ability. Being able to foresee the future and change it to the one you desire…”

And then she suddenly called my name.

“Lee Jinhyuk.”

“Why?”

“Why did you help me?”

“Just thought I could be of some help?”

“Is that so?”

Yoo Seolhyun nodded obediently, then stared at my face intently.

And then she said one word.

“…Thank you.”

“Huh?”

A sudden expression of gratitude?

“I heard from Soyeon. I was originally supposed to be the villain, the antagonist who would harass you and Soyeon, right?”

The villain.

That role really suited Yoo Seolhyun.

“Moreover, I said that I would fail in conquering Mount Yeongdeung and be attacked by my siblings, eventually meeting a miserable end.”

“That’s true.”

It wasn’t entirely a wrong statement.

If I hadn’t intervened, things would have proceeded according to the original future.

“But you helped me. You succeeded in conquering Mount Yeongdeung, gave me various information to make me much stronger than my siblings, and ultimately made me a prominent successor of the Gaon Nuri Clan.”

Yoo Seolhyun looked at me with gentle eyes.

“If you wanted to exclude me, you could have done so. You chose to have a positive relationship with me.”

“…”

“If I were in your shoes, I would have chosen to exclude me. Despite it being a future event, I had tormented you for a long time. I would have found a way to bring you down, but you didn’t.”

Suddenly, Yoo Seolhyun smiled faintly.

“So, thank you.”

She added a little more.

“For saving me and not excluding me.”

Yoo Seolhyun’s sincere expression of gratitude made me feel a bit awkward.

Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?