episode_0178

178.

Inside the study of the church at noon, Roksanne.

“Sigh….”

Roksanne, who had been tirelessly working in her study for a long time, stretched and yawned to relieve her stiff body.

She glanced out the window, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

The dimly fading night sky greeted her.

Oh, it’s already this late.

Should I take a break for a bit?

Roksanne gazed out the window for a moment before slowly leaning back against the chair.

Closing her tired eyelids, she felt the gentle night breeze flowing in through the window, allowing herself a moment of relaxation.

– Can I congratulate them?

Isn’t it Jin Soyeon’s face that comes to mind, smiling widely as she publicly announced her relationship with Lee Jinhyuk?

When she was busy working, she didn’t have time to think about it.

But now, as she rested, the scene of Jin Soyeon blushing and holding onto Lee Jinhyuk’s arm was vividly replaying in her mind.

“….Can I congratulate them?”

Of course, she could.

Lee Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon were both precious friends.

Although Roksanne had always been alone due to her position as a hindrance to Seong Yura and a candidate for the Holy Maiden, with the help of these two, she was able to break free from that role.

And the two of them were almost like the first friends she had ever had.

It was only natural to offer congratulations with a smile to two friends who truly loved each other.

But why did Roksanne’s heart ache slightly?

Despite outwardly smiling gently and congratulating them, an unknown feeling was pressing on her chest.

A sensation of one side of her chest tightening.

It felt subtly unpleasant.

This feeling seemed familiar, as if she had felt it before…

“Roksanne! Roksanne!”

Suddenly, Roksanne’s study door swung open.

At this late hour, there was only one person who would barge in without knocking while calling Roksanne’s name.

Roksanne let out a deep sigh, pursing her lips.

“Haah. Cynthia. How many times have I told you to knock before coming in?”

“More importantly!”

Cynthia, with an anxious expression, thrust her phone towards Roksanne.

Why was Cynthia acting like this all of a sudden?

Was something wrong?

Roksanne looked at the phone screen with a puzzled expression.

There, she could see numerous internet article headlines.

As she carefully read through the titles of the articles, she realized what they were about.

– The Heart-Pounding Relationship Status of Lee Jinhyuk, the Hero of the Gwanghwamun Tragedy.

– “Is Lee Jinhyuk’s Girlfriend a Childhood Friend?” Another Hero of the Gwanghwamun Tragedy, Jin Soyeon!

– [The Birth of the Strongest Childhood Friend Couple♡] Lee Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon’s Love Line.

“What is this? Is it true that Lee Jinhyuk is dating Jin Soyeon?”

“Oh, yes.”

So, the dating news was out already.

Well, Lee Jinhyuk was currently one of the most famous hero trainees in South Korea.

The reporters thirsty for news wouldn’t miss out on this scoop.

“No, Roksanne! If you let Lee Jinhyuk be taken away so easily, what will you do?”

“…Taken away? That’s a strange thing to say.”

There was no question of being taken away.

Roksanne and Lee Jinhyuk were just friends.

“And Cynthia, you seem to be misunderstanding something. I simply value Jinhyuk as a friend. So, I hope you refrain from unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“Haah.”

At Roksanne’s incomprehensible words, Cynthia let out a heavy sigh as if the ground were about to swallow her.

No matter how abnormal Roksanne’s background and her lack of understanding about relationships were, could she really be so clueless about her own feelings?

This sister is really frustrating, Roksanne!

“It’s not just about thinking of him as a friend. I’m getting frustrated just by looking at you.”

“From the beginning, I’m Cynthia. You know my current situation and position.”

Roxanne is a candidate for saint.

As one of the prominent candidates, she had the potential to become the saint representing the church in the future.

In such a situation, love?

She wasn’t interested in love to begin with, and she wasn’t in a position to pursue a relationship.

“It’s frustrating, that’s why. And it’s youth. At your age, you should date and have fun, not just get stuck in the church doing work.”

“Cynthia.”

“I guarantee you’ll regret it later. With your personality, you’ll be agonizing over buried feelings.”

“…That’s not likely.”

Roxanne gently held Cynthia’s hand that was strangely cold and denied her words.

Regret? What exactly?

They are in a relationship, so what could Roxanne regret and suffer over?

“And Cynthia? I don’t understand why you’re so concerned about my relationship with Jinhyeok.”

“Of course.”

Cynthia snapped her fingers.

“Because Jinhyeok is a VIP!”

“What?”

VIP?

How does that matter now?

“Just look at how he donated hundreds of billions in one go after the Gwanghwamun incident. It’s not common for someone to donate that much to the church, no matter how wealthy they are!”

“That may be true, but…”

“Plus, he’s one of the top hero trainees in South Korea. Considering his future prospects, fame, wealth, and foresight…”

Are Cynthia’s eyes laughing like $ signs? It’s strange. Cynthia isn’t someone who is greedy for money, right? If money was her goal, she wouldn’t have come all the way to South Korea to offer her protection to Roxanne.

“…We must definitely bring him to our church’s side!”

“You’re quite materialistic, Cynthia.”

“Oh! You mean for the sake of our church’s prosperity, right?”

“Come to think of it, Cynthia, I heard you received a separate reward from Jinhyeok… Ah, did he give you an artifact?”

Roxanne glanced at Cynthia’s waist.

There was a sword hanging from her waist.

It was the artifact Jinhyeok gave her.

“So, Jinhyeok is generous with gifts? He’s giving out artifacts now, haha.”

“So that’s why, Cynthia.”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that. Ahem!”

Cynthia also avoided eye contact and coughed a few times.

“Anyway! Even if things get more intimate and sticky between you and Jinhyeok, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“Your choice of words is a bit strange, Cynthia. And your motives seem impure.”

“Stop making a fuss. Since we’re here, let’s just snatch it away. It would be a waste to let it slip away like this.”

“…Cynthia. Don’t forget that they are my friends.”

“Hah! Love doesn’t care about friendship. Love is war, right?”

“… ”

Roxanne sighed, feeling tired of responding.

There’s no need to respond to everything Cynthia says.

She’s used to her nonsensical ramblings by now.

“Well, if you wait a bit, won’t the opportunity come? After all, a couple that has broken up once is easy to break up again when they get back together, right?”

“Cynthia, please leave now. I have work to do.”

“Remember what I said, Roxanne! Seize the opportunity when it comes… Ah, oops!”

Roxanne closed the door without a word.

Outside the door, Cynthia continued to mutter, but Roxanne ignored her and sat back in her chair.

Then, she let out a deep sigh.

“Really… Cynthia is something else. Always saying strange things…”

What is she trying to snatch away?

Roxanne is supposed to be an ethical and moral church member.

But is she supposed to engage in such unethical behavior as pursuing her friend’s lover?

Shin Sia’s teasing remarks were taken with a grain of salt, knowing that it was mostly in jest, but logically speaking, it wasn’t something a typical member of the Jung-oh Church would say.

And well… Rock San-neu didn’t have romantic feelings for Lee Jin-hyuk in the first place.

It was becoming increasingly awkward for Shin Sia to keep prodding.

“….”

Seriously.

***

“Yoo-ah.”

“…Yes? Oh, what is it?”

Judging by your expression, you must have heard the news.

“…What’s wrong with my expression?”

Rumors about Lee Jin-hyuk’s love life spread rapidly beyond the academy to all corners of South Korea.

Ha Yoo-ah and Lee Cheong couldn’t help but hear the rumors as well.

Perhaps due to the exaggerated rumors, Ha Yoo-ah didn’t seem to be in the best state.

“It’s like the shocked face of a fan who just found out about their favorite celebrity’s dating scandal.”

“Oh, haha, interesting way to put it. But that’s not the case.”

Ha Yoo-ah continued to smile as usual, but Lee Cheong noticed a hint of darkness in her complexion.

“If you’re a senior, it’s only natural to have a girlfriend, right? Yes, that’s how it should be.”

Many female students had a crush on Lee Jin-hyuk.

Strength, ability, wealth, looks, fame, and so on.

He had it all, truly an alpha male.

“It’s a reason to congratulate a senior on getting a girlfriend, but…”

“But?”

Ha Yoo-ah glanced at Lee Cheong with a slightly serious expression.

There was something unsettling in Ha Yoo-ah’s gaze.

“I, I thought Senior Jin-hyuk would naturally date Senior Yoo Seol-hyun.”

“Oh, well…”

Lee Cheong scratched his cheek.

After all, they were secretly meeting up on weekends for dates.

“Yoo Seol-hyun is acceptable. Good abilities, pretty face, good family background, and decent relationships with men. It’s a bit regrettable for Senior, but I could accept Yoo Seol-hyun.”

Ha Yoo-ah’s expression turned stern.

“But as for Jin So-yeon…”

“What’s wrong with her? She’s talented, beautiful. We’ve been friends since childhood.”

Jin So-yeon was also one of the hero trainees who played a significant role in the Gwanghwamun incident.

And there were even rumors of her fighting with Yoo Da-hee.

Of course, the credibility of those rumors was questionable.

“Her face is pretty. I’ve never seen a woman with that level of beauty even when I was active in the entertainment industry.”

Her beauty was undeniable.

At least in terms of looks.

“But her luck with men isn’t great.”

“Luck with men?”

Lee Cheong raised an eyebrow.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors? Jin So-yeon used to hang out with various guys. Maybe that’s why she’s so pretty.”

“Hmm.”

He vaguely remembered hearing something like that.

But judging someone’s character based solely on rumors was something Ha Yoo-ah disliked, wasn’t it?

“And they’ve already broken up once. They may be childhood friends, but I don’t understand why they’re dating again. What if Senior gets hurt for no reason?”

“….”

Isn’t that too much of a worry?

It’s not something a third party should be concerned about in the first place.

Ha Yoo-ah must be well aware of that fact.

Yet, despite all that, saying such things… hmm.

“Ha Yoo-ah, you…”

“Yes? What is it?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Lee Cheong was about to say something teasing to Ha Yoo-ah, but he changed his mind the moment he saw her face.

There was no point in saying something that would hurt her.

In any case, Ha Yoo-ah seemed to be deeply infatuated with Lee Jin-hyuk.

What’s so great about that senior?

“Ha Yoo-ah. You keep insisting it’s just fan sentiment, but can you really say that looking at your expression right now?”

If there were a mirror, he’d want to show her.

Show her Ha Yoo-ah’s expression right now.

“Perhaps even if you were to start dating Yoo Seol-hyun, you might find excuses to say you don’t belong with Lee Jin-hyuk.”

“Am I… not weird for thinking like this? Right?”

“Weird indeed.”

At this point, it’s severe, really severe.

Could it be that I’m turning into the malignant fan that Hayoua despised so much?

As Lee Cheong briefly examined the state of his best friend, he soon shook his head vigorously.

Well… If Lee Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon start dating and act all lovey-dovey, I might just fall into despair.

A girl like Hayoua doesn’t really need to be so persistent with Lee Jinhyuk.

However, contrary to Lee Cheong’s expectations, Hayoua, who was already burning with jealousy, became even more inflamed upon seeing Lee Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon together.

It seemed that Hayoua was even more tenacious and persistent than Lee Cheong had anticipated.