Finally, Yeon Minha strides toward us. The click-clack of her high heels echoes through the hallway.
Meanwhile, those ominous, crimson eyes continue to scrutinize us.
“Eek…”
“Yena?”
Seeing Yeon Minha, Yena’s face turns even paler, and she quickly spins around, hiding behind me with a swish.
For some reason, Yeon Minha’s gaze grows even more intense…
“…”
Yena’s reaction is somewhat bewildering, but thinking about it, it does seem understandable.
Before the fall of the Jeokhwa Family, Yeon Minha’s reputation was far from flattering, to say the least.
We lowerclass students would never dare to approach her unless we had some elite background.
My own resentment toward her wasn’t much different from theirs. And most of this feeling originates from Yeon Minha’s own misdeeds.
Even if she escaped punishment, her past wrongdoings are recorded in her academic record and remain to this day.
Like a mark.
Of course, I’m not that kind-hearted and moralistic to go digging into someone else’s past.
And while I am currently interested in a different side of Yeon Minha… I can’t just erase her past deeds as if they never happened.
Also, Yena, with her timid personality, has even stumbled in the hallway after clashing with Yeon Minha before.
She had once looked utterly pained when she saw the burns left from my duel with her…
Since the hallway isn’t very long, Yeon Minha reaches us in an instant.
She no longer looks at me.
Her red aura lingers on the brown-eyed female student hiding behind me.
“…Ugh.”
Yena, with a terrified expression, meets her gaze head-on.
It was as if she could feel something akin to the resolve of someone facing a great evil.
“…Hah. What’s this about…?”
Seeing him, Yeon Minha lets out a snort of disbelief.
I could instantly tell her anger was on the verge of exploding.
If this continues, something might go down.
I am the only one who can stop her.
She should no longer bear that stigma.
She has become even more vulnerable now…
“Yena. You go ahead. I’m going to talk with the senior for a bit.”
“But…”
Yena looks at me with a deeply worried expression.
I shake my head.
“It’s fine, just go.”
“Ugh…”
After a second prompt, Yena hesitantly retreats, glancing back at Yeon Minha as if she is reluctant to leave.
Yeon Minha keeps her fierce expression until Yena disappears beyond the stairs.
Seeing her clenching her fists tight, I feel relieved I let Yena go.
If things went awry, she might have slapped her…
“Did you arrive?”
Even as I greet her casually, Yeon Minha’s eyes are filled with discontent as she stares at me.
However, unlike earlier, it feels more like sulking.
The hostility has faded, replaced by her lips pouting slightly forward.
I understand why Yena is scared of Yeon Minha.
But what on earth is bothering this girl?
“Who is she?”
Yeon Minha throws out a blunt question.
“She’s my friend.”
“…I don’t like her.”
I suddenly think about whether someone who pleases Yeon Minha even exists in this world, but I just swallow it down.
“There’s no need for that. She’s a kind friend. Did you not see how she couldn’t even straighten her back in front of a senior…”
“That’s rather bold for someone like her… And usually, kids like that have darker hearts. Why are you so naive…?”
It seems Yeon Minha is still sulking as she continues to grumble.
Then she gives me a look filled with some sort of disappointment.
“…But you two do seem close. Seeing how you defend your friend like that…”
I feel a slight headache coming on.
I can vaguely guess why she was looking at me with that expression.
However, I don’t particularly enjoy this kind of conversation.
I never have, and I don’t now.
It’s not like it’s an issue with an answer, and once you entertain these kinds of complaints, they tend to multiply indefinitely.
Since I’ve dealt with this before… the way to escape is to completely change the topic and atmosphere?
I’m not sure if that will work on Yeon Minha, but let’s give it a try.
First off, this place doesn’t seem right; let’s handle that.
“…I’m just worried about you, that’s why I said that… Huh?”
Letting out a sigh, I firmly grab Yeon Minha’s wrist.
And I drag her down the stairs.
“W-Wait…!”
Yeon Minha tries to protest, but I ignore her.
Fortunately, since she’s light, she follows along easily.
Right next to the main building where classes are held, there’s a spacious garden for relaxation.
I pull Yeon Minha to a secluded nook in the back road, away from prying eyes.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, she breathes heavily, her face flushed.
I finally release her wrist and gesture toward a bench ahead.
Grabbing her chest with both hands, she shoots me a look filled with shame.
“What… What are you doing…?!”
“Let’s sit.”
“Do you think I’ll just give in like that? And I’m not done talking…!”
“Hurry.”
“…Ugh.”
When I adopt a somewhat authoritative tone, she finally flinches and sits down quietly.
She glances at me intermittently, lifting her head.
Now feeling ready to have a proper conversation, I face the bench across from her.
But she shakes her head.
“Not over there… here…”
Yeon Minha timidly taps the space next to her.
“….”
Since she’s come this far without complaints, I can grant her this much.
I turn back and plop down next to her.
With her constantly glancing about, I take the initiative to start the conversation.
“So what brings you here?”
“…I wanted to tell you about something that happened in the student council…”
Finally, Yeon Minha unveils the crux of her visit.
But when she subtly glances at me, she inches closer and sits tightly beside me.
Her familiar daffodil scent is strong enough to notice.
Then, out of nowhere, she leans her head on my shoulder with a thud.
“Senpai?”
“Is it okay if I stay like this for a little? I’ve been really exhausted…”
“…”
Her face bears marks of fatigue, so I can’t say anything further.
In that posture, Yeon Minha begins to explain the happenings of the first meeting to me.
“What? A duel? With Jin Yeseo?”
“Yeah. It seems almost confirmed. The chairperson hasn’t been listening much…”
Then she starts venting about the chairperson, sounding quite annoyed.
“So… do you still not plan to join the student council…?”
“…”
Those earnest, pleading eyes make my heart waver for no reason.
On the surface, she seems calm, but inside, she’s not at ease at all.
Besides, being in a student council with no allies sounds tough.
But no matter how I think about it, the first semester will be difficult.
Surely, I can handle other tasks, but I have my own things to do.
The request I made to Muyeong was just the very start.
It shouldn’t take that long, but it’s unlikely I’ll finish before the student council recruitment ends.
After contemplating again, I finally open my mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
Feeling regretful, my words don’t come out smoothly.
However, Yeon Minha only wrinkles her face for a moment before shaking her head.
“…I see. Then there’s nothing that can be done…”
“But I think I’ll manage by the second semester.”
Upon hearing that, Yeon Minha’s face lights up with joy, unable to conceal her happiness.
“Really…?”
“Yeah. So just bear with it during the first semester. If you need my help, call on me anytime…”
“H-How could you say it’s mentally challenging? What do you take me for? Ugh…”
Accompanying her exuberance, Yeon Minha suddenly clears her throat as if realizing something.
“Um. Got it. Then I should tell them I want to cancel the duel. I’ll go back to the student council and…”
“What are you saying? That’s separate; the duel is the duel.”
“Huh? But you just said the first semester will be tough…”
“Even so, I can’t show myself running away. If I win, I can negotiate other things with the condition of passing on the representative spot.”
I never intended to lose.
In fact, I feel it’s a good opportunity.
Since it’s come to this, I’ll stomp down on Jin Yeseo so thoroughly that she can’t bother me again.
I don’t want to experience another conflict like last time in the hallway.
If I consider that I’ve been putting off the witch story I was curious about, it makes my blood boil even more.
I’ll have to bear the notoriety, but remembering all those annoying incidents makes it feel like a much more reasonable option.
Although my recovery isn’t complete, it should be enough for a student duel.
“Ah, I understand…”
Without needing further explanation, Yeon Minha seems to grasp what I mean.
She nods her head with a devilish grin.
“…Fine. I’ll let you do as you wish. And…”
“Do you have something else to say?”
Unlike just a moment before, Yeon Minha hesitates for a long time before finally speaking up.
And out pops a question that feels incredibly sudden.
“Do you, by any chance, like candy?”
*
Baek Seoyeon trudges out of the conference room later than expected.
Last night, she couldn’t sleep a wink, lost in deep thought.
She pondered over the future and her own treatment.
As dawn broke, she concluded that no matter what, she couldn’t stand before him at this moment.
The boy’s wounds still hadn’t healed.
What good would it do to justify herself in front of someone like that?
That matter should be postponed until she has accomplished everything she firmly promised herself to do.
After confessing all that had happened, she would leave her fate in his hands, the last sinner.
Perhaps, then, she might receive forgiveness.
But if his sorrow hasn’t healed by then… that moment might never come.
“…Huh.”
Seoyeon tightly grips her shoulders as her body trembles.
The mere thought is horrendous, but she vigorously shakes her head, dispelling the nightmare.
In any case, the most crucial thing is that the boy is alive. No greater joy exists in this world.
Moreover, they’ve even enrolled in the same academy, meaning they could be together in the same place for at least two years.
For now, just watching him from a distance is enough. She steels herself.
However, the intruders continuously shake her determination.
Earlier, she inadvertently agreed with that detestable Yeon Minha’s words.
Just seeing him every day in the student council is a tantalizing, sweet fantasy.
There’s no way she could resist that.
“But the heir of the Heukryeon Family… and Yeon Minha…”
“They’re said to be very close…”
“Perhaps even more than that…”
Suddenly, voices from beyond the hallway make Seoyeon stop in her tracks.
The conversations of passing students stoke her anger.
After the brawl in front of the student council room yesterday, strange rumors began to spread, especially among the witnesses.
“Phew…”
Seoyeon should suppress the urge to punish everyone spreading the baseless rumors for their disruption.
Since her heart was still unsettled, she decided to take a brief walk in the garden before the next lecture.
But as she reached the front of a trellis surrounded by blooming flowers, her resolve is once again tested.
She spots two familiar silhouettes and voices belonging to a man and woman.
Her heart intensifies instead of calming down.
Instinctively hiding behind a stone pillar, she can’t tear her gaze away from them.
Yeon Minha seems to bury her head into the boy’s shoulder, as if she were his lover.
The sight of her pretending to be weak feels utterly disgusting.
Seoyeon could never believe that this is the same person who had arrogantly threatened the chairman just moments ago.
“…”
As she’s about to turn around, her unwilling gaze remains fixed on the two.
What could they be discussing so warmly? She grows increasingly anxious.
Ultimately, instead of leaving, Seoyeon boldly decides to close the distance.
“…Fine. I’ll let you do as you wish. And…”
But just as she approaches, their conversation is nearing its end.
After a moment of hesitation, Yeon Minha tosses a brief question at him.
That alone is enough to tighten Seoyeon’s chest.
“Do you, by chance, like candy?”
“Not particularly, but I don’t dislike it. When I was in the military, I often ate glucose candy. It’s handy for quickly replenishing energy…”
“Geez… who asked that? In any case, you do eat it, right?”
“…? Yes.”
“Hmph. So that’s how it is… Got it…”
The male student nods with a puzzled tone, and Yeon Minha looks like she’s resolved to affirm something.
“Why do you ask that?”
“Just curious… I have class soon. I’ll go ahead first…?”
“Wait…”
Yeon Minha hurries away without even properly answering the male student’s question.
The boy tilts his head, following her out of the garden.
Seoyeon stands there, dazed.
She realizes why Yeon Minha suddenly asked if he liked candy.
The Nakseongil Festival is just around the corner.
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