episode_0176

After all the academy classes were over,

“Let’s date, Jin Soyeon.”

A very handsome male student walked confidently towards Soyeon, with all the kids watching, and confessed his feelings with a self-assured expression.

“I’m good enough for you, right? That’s what you think, isn’t it?”

I blinked my eyes, staring at the bold male student’s face.

His name is Rex Green, a transfer student in Union’s 2nd year. He would have been one of the main characters in the protagonist’s group if things had gone as planned. He takes on the important role of the male lead, following the lineage of Lee Siwoon and Kang Daehan, with exceptional potential and background.

His father is the legendary solo ranker Robert Green, who was active in England. He married a Korean woman and is currently residing in Seoul.

Rex, with a slightly exotic appearance inherited from his English lineage, looked quite different. His confident and self-centered personality highlighted a somewhat narcissistic side, but girls just swooned over his good looks and screamed in excitement.

Should we say he has a narcissistic personality due to his good looks and flashy background?

Since his transfer, he has gained fame as one of the top three handsome boys in the 2nd year, spreading his reputation throughout the academy.

“Hehe. What’s your answer?”

Rex urged for a response with a proud face.

He seemed to think that Soyeon would definitely accept his confession.

He probably believed that if he was at his level, she would be more than willing to accept.

After all, he had received love from countless girls thanks to his good looks and impressive background.

This had shaped his current personality.

“Oh my, look at that.”

“Wow, Rex oppa confessing? Jin Soyeon unnie is amazing.”

“I’m jealous. If only I had a confession from such a handsome guy…”

The 1st-year kids murmured among themselves.

It seemed quite exciting for Rex, one of the top handsome boys in the 2nd year, to come to the classroom and confidently confess in front of everyone.

“Huh? They said he’s one of the top handsome boys in the 2nd year, but isn’t our senior Jinhyuk much better looking?”

“…That’s just nonsense.”

Ha Yooa and Mal seemed a bit taken aback by the conversation.

Oh, no, it’s Ha Yooa.

Honestly, he’s more handsome than that guy.

Are you trying to embarrass me? Especially in front of others? It’s a bit embarrassing every time you do that.

“Why are you silent, Jin Soyeon? Are you nervous? Well, that’s understandable. You’re probably the first girl I’ve directly confessed to…”

“Haa.”

Suddenly, Soyeon shook her head vigorously and let out a deep sigh.

Then, she raised her head and spoke abruptly.

“Sorry. I’ll have to decline.”

“Huh, what?”

Rex’s eyes widened in disbelief at Soyeon’s swift rejection.

“Oh, no. What did you say?”

“What’s with that reaction? Really…”

Soyeon seemed puzzled by Rex’s reaction.

“Ah, it’s Jin Soyeon after all. Is she just too pretty?”

“Even Rex oppa got turned down? Isn’t that a bit misandristic?”

“Oh, isn’t it rumored that she likes Jinhyuk oppa?”

“True, she always looks so relaxed when she’s with Jinhyuk oppa. Even when I talk to Jinhyuk oppa, she stares at him so intently.”

The kids whispered and glanced at Soyeon and Rex, gossiping among themselves.

Lex slightly bit his lower lip as if his pride had been hurt.

Being in front of so many kids made him feel a bit embarrassed.

“Jin Soyeon, you…”

“And?”

Interrupting Lex, Soyeon quickly turned her head.

If she had a bored expression just a moment ago, now she was looking at Lex with a somewhat cynical expression.

“Hey.”

“Uh, yeah?”

Taken aback by Soyeon’s sudden change in expression, Lex blinked in confusion.

“It’s quite a nuisance to confess in front of all these kids, you know? If you do this, there will be unnecessary rumors spreading the next day.”

“W-well…”

“I already have someone I like. So, don’t bother me anymore. Got it?”

“… ”

As if hearing criticism for the first time from a girl, Lex fell silent unexpectedly, and Soyeon turned her head with an indifferent face.

Ignoring the shocked Lex and the gazes of many kids, she walked towards me without a care in the world.

“It seems like we’re going to be late for dismissal. Let’s go, Jinhyeok.”

“Huh? Yeah.”

Nonchalantly demanding to leave school together, Soyeon took a step outside the classroom with me.

And a while later.

Inside the classroom, the story of Lex’s confession and Soyeon’s rejection spread like wildfire.

***

“Sigh.”

Returning home, I sat on the sofa, thinking about what had just happened.

“If it were in the past, I would have probably rejected the confession with a sorry face to avoid feeling awkward in front of the kids.”

But the Soyeon from earlier rejected Lex’s confession in such a straightforward manner, almost seeming cynical and not caring about the kids’ gazes.

“She has definitely changed a lot, Soyeon.”

Leaning back on the soft sofa, I immersed myself in contemplation.

“Anyway, Soyeon’s popularity remains the same.”

Confessing in front of the kids is not common, so the number of times she receives confessions secretly is beyond my imagination.

Especially with the rumors about Soyeon’s beauty circulating even within the academy.

Soyeon possesses a beauty that any man would fall for. Just sitting quietly, everyone, regardless of seniority or grade, would blush while looking at Soyeon’s face.

Unofficially voting for the academy’s top beauty, she surpassed competitors like Yuseolhyun, Loksanne, and Hayua to claim the first place.

Undoubtedly recognized as the academy’s top beauty.

“As time goes by, Soyeon’s popularity will only increase, not decrease.”

With heavenly beauty and skills surpassing those of a single ranker, Soyeon is bound to shine even more brightly in the future.

Although she currently avoids attention and hides her skills, once she starts her hero activities after graduating from the academy, her true abilities will gradually be revealed.

Then, Soyeon’s popularity will truly soar to the sky, beyond comparison to the present.

“What? Jinhyeok, what are you doing on the sofa?”

“Oh.”

Eating ice cream in the kitchen, Soyeon’s voice suddenly appeared, and I turned my head slightly.

Soon, Soyeon, wearing a short camisole and pink hot pants, approached me and sat down next to me.

“Why are you dressed like that again?”

“Oh~ Why~ It’s summer, you know.”

Soyeon playfully flicked her clothes, revealing a glimpse of her white skin.

“If it’s hot, turn on the air conditioner.”

“Ugh. It’s a waste of electricity.”

No, when did you start worrying about electricity bills like that?

“Sigh. I didn’t expect Lex to suddenly confess his feelings. It caught me off guard.”

Soyeon abruptly changed the subject.

“Oh. Just out of curiosity, did I really have nothing with him? He suddenly came to confess his feelings to me.”

Glancing at me sneakily, it seemed that Soyeon was equally taken aback by Lex’s confession.

“So, let’s not jump to any strange misunderstandings, okay, Jinhuk?”

Soyeon vigorously defended that Lex didn’t confess because of any flaws or misbehavior.

“Got it?”

“……”

As I silently glanced at Soyeon, she nervously scratched her cheek for a moment.

“No, um, it’s just that….”

“……”

“It’s not my fault that I received a confession because I’m pretty, right? Hmph!”

“Soyeon.”

“Hmm?”

Ignoring Soyeon’s somewhat shameless words, I slowly raised my eyebrows, causing Soyeon to gently set down the ice cream she was eating.

“It seems like you’re quite popular.”

“What about you?”

“Are you only going to do it?”

Considering popularity not just as fame but as romantic interest, Soyeon could be said to have much more than me.

“I’ve seen you receive confessions several times in the past.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“I didn’t think much of it back then, but now….”

“Now, what?”

Until a year ago, Soyeon was just a character in a game and a cherished childhood friend to me.

Although I didn’t completely lack romantic interest in her, I thought it would be better to have fun with the male protagonists rather than me.

However, when Soyeon confessed to Lex today.

I felt an unfamiliar, uncomfortable emotion.

I knew very clearly what this emotion was.

I didn’t want to admit it, but even with memories from a past life, denying this feeling was immature.

Because this feeling was none other than possessiveness or jealousy.

“Um, hm! What, did it bother you? You usually act like you don’t care. But you were worried that the fish you caught might escape….”

“Maybe I was a little bothered.”

“Um, really?”

As I looked up at the sky and calmly replied, Soyeon’s words stopped for a moment.

When I turned my head slightly, I could see Soyeon looking a bit surprised.

It seemed she didn’t expect me to say that I was bothered.

“What, what’s this? Jinhuk, why are you suddenly….”

“Soyeon.”

After the confession a while ago, I had been thinking.

How should I respond to Soyeon and Yuseolhyun’s confessions.

It was true that I had a liking for them, but I was worried about whether it was right to accept their confessions so readily.

And also, who I should choose between the two.

But the more I thought about it, the more I came to one conclusion.

“Since we’re on the topic….”

I looked Soyeon straight in the eyes.

“You confessed to me last time.”

Staring at her intently, Soyeon blinked her eyes and swallowed nervously.

“It seems like you’ve been dragging it out for too long. So I wanted to give you a proper answer now.”

“Out of the blue like this? Isn’t it a bit out of the blue?”

“So what. It’ll be over soon.”

Despite Soyeon looking a bit puzzled by my words, I paid no attention to her reaction and simply pursed my lips.

“Soyeon.”

“Oh, yes!”

After slowly calling her name, I concluded with one word.

“Sorry.”

“……Ah.”

Soyeon’s face, which seemed somewhat expectant and anxious, stiffened in an instant.

In an instant, Soyeon, who had frozen like a stone, soon bit her lower lip lightly with a vague expression.

“Ah, th-that’s how it is. Well… I… I kind of expected that…”

Despite small teardrops forming in Soyeon’s eyes, she ignored them and playfully lifted the corners of her mouth.

“I-I was just trying to lighten the mood, so I was a bit surprised~. Well, since you rejected me last time… Yeah. I didn’t think you would accept me so easily from the start…”

She hesitated with her lips, then slowly lowered her head.

“B-but why do you have to say something like this again…? Are you feeling burdened by the fact that I keep liking you…? So you want me to give up completely… Is that what you want to say… Jinhyuk?”

Upon the second rejection, Soyeon seemed to be somewhat shocked.

She tried to hide her emotions as much as possible, but it was evident that the teardrops were getting bigger.

“I, I…”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry for not expressing myself properly until now. It might have felt like I was playing games with you from your perspective.”

“Oh…”

I took a slow breath and then spoke.

“So I want to make it clear now. Soyeon. I, well, I think I like you. No, I love you.”

“Ah, huh? W-what?”

As I confessed my feelings, Soyeon’s eyes began to widen.

“You said it last time. You can’t imagine a life without me. I feel the same way.”

Soyeon, with whom I had shared more than half of my impressions.

We had eaten, played, laughed, joked, shouted, and spent time together since kindergarten.

How would I feel if Soyeon, who had been by my side all this time, disappeared?

I had thought it was okay to just think of her as a precious childhood friend, but I didn’t know when or how our relationship might crumble.

To continue being with her, I needed to change this lukewarm relationship.

“It’s hard to imagine a life without you by my side.”

“W-what?”

I made a promise with the future Soyeon.

I would never leave her alone.

I didn’t want to see Soyeon reluctantly accept my confession and then fall apart.

And I didn’t want to regret it later.

…Well, I feel a bit sorry for Yuseolhyun, but what can I do. Soyeon is more important than Yuseolhyun.

“Will you be my girlfriend, Soyeon?”

“…”

“Soyeon?”

“…”

Without answering, Soyeon bit her lip tightly and then shivered.

Wondering why she was acting like this, I called her name again.

And Soyeon suddenly hugged me tightly.

“You fool! Of course!”

“Huh, really?!”

“Gosh, are you just joking now that you’ve come? I won’t let you go now, okay?”

“Oh, no, I-I wasn’t joking about this…”

“Anyway! There’s no turning back now, got it?”

“Y-yeah, sure.”

Feeling the warmth of her gentle embrace, I thought to myself.

Ah, well, this is how it’s going to be in the end.

The priest also told me to choose as my heart desires.

I won’t regret this choice.

“…Jinhyuk, Jinhyuk.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Are we official starting today?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“…Is it okay for me to be a little jealous now? Since we’re boyfriend and girlfriend? You can’t mess around with other girls, right? Otherwise, we’ll both be in trouble?”

“…”

Oh, well, maybe I’ll regret it a little…?

***

And the next morning.

“…From now on, since Jinhyuk and I are dating, don’t approach my boyfriend casually, okay? Got it?”

With our arms linked, Soyeon confidently warned Ishiwoon, Kangdaehan, Yuseolhyun, Loksanne, Baekyurin, Sunari, and others with a determined expression…