“You, what are you doing here at this hour…! What about morning training…!”
Yeon Minha flailed desperately while speaking.
However, her arms, raised above her, remained unmoving.
She was exposed like a defenseless prey at the mercy of a predator.
Soon, the shame that crept up her face turned her cheeks a bright red.
“What if you get penalized…?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The Masked Male Student abruptly cut off her desperate persuasion.
“Because there’s something more important.”
“Mo-more important…?”
“Yes.”
And then he let out a voice filled with anger.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“I-I’m not avoiding you…”
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
“I swear I’m not avoiding… ugh…”
With her denial, the hand gripping her tightened its hold.
He had no regard for her seniority, forcefully crushing her like a subordinate.
But rather than finding that treatment upsetting, for some reason, Yeon Minha felt an overwhelming sense of stability.
Her ragged breaths regained their pace, and her hazy mind calmed down.
Regaining her composure, Yeon Minha carefully examined his expression.
From behind the mask, a pair of eyes stared at her.
She could see the entirety of that pale sky blue canvas.
The sticky obsession that covered its surface. And the anxiety and sadness flickering beneath it.
“…”
Yeon Minha recalled the fact that Lee Hyun, for some reason, was quite invested in his ranking points.
He had been showing the exemplary behavior of a model student throughout the new semester, convinced not to cause trouble for the Heukryeon and his benefactor.
To keep up with his inadequate amount of study, he diligently did both pre- and post-study. As long as he wasn’t caught up in issues like the Jeokhwa incident, he made it a point to attend all lectures.
Of course, he had never skipped morning training even once.
Yet, here he was, saying that his business with her was more important.
As if losing points for unauthorized absence didn’t concern him at all.
“… Calm down.”
Yeon Minha looked up at him slightly and spoke in a calm voice.
“Are you angry…?”
“Yes.”
He answered her question bluntly.
Yeon Minha had to force herself to ignore the heat rising to her face.
“Why, why…?”
“When someone avoids you for no reason, wouldn’t that make you angry?”
“…”
Satisfaction brimmed within her. And feeling an unnecessary sense of guilt, Yeon Minha subtly shifted her gaze to his chest area.
What caught her eye was his tie, slightly askew to the left again today.
Though it looked quite decent now, it was clear he still struggled with the habit.
Seeing him like that made a smile creep onto Yeon Minha’s lips.
“… I wasn’t avoiding you.”
“Stop saying that…”
“I really wasn’t. When someone is talking, you should listen a bit.”
His fiery spirit, which had been burning like a raging wildfire, finally faltered at Yeon Minha’s calm demeanor.
Lee Hyun hesitated before asking her, albeit in a more hesitant tone.
“… Then why?”
“Um… I-I’ve been feeling unwell lately… I was a bit sensitive… Tired too… So I wanted to rest a bit…”
“You were tired…?”
“Y-yeah! You know? Women go through that sometimes… once a month…”
A wave of embarrassment crashed over Yeon Minha as her words spilled out without thinking. Her conscience pricked like needles.
She took comfort in the fact that it wasn’t a complete lie. The timing was at least somewhat accurate…
“… Ah.”
He looked visibly flustered now. The hand that had been gripping her aggressively had long since lost its strength.
Yeon Minha seized that opportunity to quickly pull her wrist away.
And without acting like anything had happened, she calmly adjusted her clothes and shot him a quick glance.
“Seriously… what’s up with you? I went through all the trouble to get ready…”
“I-I’m sorry…”
His noticeably flustered tone made Yeon Minha stifle a laugh that was about to escape.
The food chain had now flipped entirely upside down.
With a lighter heart, Yeon Minha shook her head.
“It’s okay. I’m sorry too for not saying anything properly… I’ll make sure to let you know next time…”
When Yeon Minha said she was sorry, it was also about the other side of the story, but he had no way of knowing that.
“You don’t need to say such things…”
“If you don’t, will you treat me roughly again?”
“That’s… um…”
“Hmph. Forget it.”
Yeon Minha pretended to be angry and shot him a frustrated glare.
Then she moved closer and began to fix his tie.
“It’s crooked again. When are you going to fix it, huh?”
“I tied it properly…”
“Honestly… what would you do if it’s not me…?”
As usual, with her skilled hands, Yeon Minha tidied up his appearance.
She finished by giving his solid chest a light pat.
“All done. Now hurry up. Isn’t there a rank draw ceremony today?”
“Right.”
“Even if you skipped morning training, you must attend the draw. Hurry up! You’re going to be late at this rate.”
“Uh…”
“Oh, come on. I said I’m fine. Hurry.”
Yeon Minha pushed a still flustered Lee Hyun out the door.
Thinking he had made a mistake, he left the dormitory with a reluctant expression.
Now alone in the empty dormitory, Yeon Minha stood still for quite some time.
“Ugh…”
Eventually, she collapsed against the wall and let out a deep sigh.
Yeon Minha looked down at her wrists.
The clear red handprints still marked her arms vividly.
Like the lingering effects of the violence inflicted upon her.
Though the marks bound her like a solid shackle, she found a strange comfort in that feeling.
“Sigh… How did I end up like this…”
Staring blankly at it, Yeon Minha let out a small lament.
But then she shook her head.
“As expected… what would happen without me…”
Yeon Minha recalled her words to him just now.
“I really should be here.”
“Not Baek Seoyeon.”
The moment she slumped helplessly, her eyes snapped wide open.
There had been a question rising to her throat when Lee Hyun had pried earlier.
In the end, she had swallowed it back down, unable to voice it.
“From now on… I won’t let you take anything from me.”
Slumped, Yeon Minha gently stroked the red handprints as if they were treasures.
*
For the second ranking match, all first-year students were bustling towards Hwayangkwan.
“Hyuna~ over here!”
As I stepped into Hwayangkwan, swept up in the crowd, I heard someone calling my name from somewhere.
I spotted a light-haired girl and waved in her direction, making my way over.
“Hey.”
“Hey~”
“Oh, hey…”
Joining me were Sera, Yena, and Summer, who had already settled in.
Before I could even sit down, Sera jumped into conversation.
“Did something happen this morning? Yena was really worried. She said you never miss class.”
“Sera, you again…!”
Yena shot a glare at Sera, whose face was twisted with resentment.
“I was just feeling a bit unwell.”
“Really? Your ears look a bit red. Do you have a fever?”
“Really…? Shouldn’t you visit the clinic?”
“I’m fine. It’s not that serious…”
I shook my head at Yena’s worried questions, but the emotions that had been settled earlier began to surface again, and I could feel the heat rising in my face.
What expression am I making right now? I’m glad I’m wearing a mask today.
I mean, here I am, freaking out over something trivial and getting all worked up… embarrassing myself completely…
This is truly going to be an unforgettable shame.
“…”
It wasn’t until I barely managed to calm my breath that I could finally take in my surroundings.
Instead of students looking relaxed, I noticed more of my peers anxiously nibbling their nails.
The ranking match scores held the most weight in individual scores.
Moreover, the gap was slowly widening according to each person’s innate abilities.
It would make sense for students to feel anxious at this time.
As I focused my gaze a bit further, I spotted the familiar group that always stuck together.
Sehwa’s younger brother Seunghun, his fiancée Moon Yeowool, the muscular short-haired Choi Woojin, and the lazy-looking Guk Jaeryong who didn’t seem like he belonged to a prestigious family at all.
“…”
It felt somewhat empty, realizing that Jin Yeseo, who usually stuck with them, was nowhere to be seen.
Was she still in the clinic?
“Okay! Everyone quiet down!”
As the clock struck the hour, Professor Shin Jae-yu stepped onto the podium, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention.
And in that fleeting moment.
_Hiss!_
The moment our eyes met, the professor bore a fierce expression akin to that of a predator.
“…”
A chill ran down my spine in an instant.
Was it her turn for morning training today? She was definitely the type to dislike when students slacked off.
If I didn’t have an excuse prepared, things could get pretty annoying…
“Now, let’s start the ranking match draw…”
_BANG!_
As she turned her attention back to proceed with the draw, a loud noise from the entrance drew all eyes.
A blonde girl, bandaged heavily and with a cast on one arm, pushed her way through the door.
“Haah… haah… I’m late… sorry!”
Jin Yeseo appeared, panting heavily.
“It’s okay. We haven’t started yet. Hurry and take your seat.”
“… Yes.”
Professor Shin waved dismissively, as if it were no big deal.
“… Ahem. Now, let’s start the ranking match draw. The rules… everyone already knows, right? I’ll skip that.”
At her words, scattered replies of “Yeah~” filled the room.
The order of drawing would start from the lowest rank to the highest. Random draws would take place for students adjacent to their ranks.
Those selected wouldn’t receive a draw ticket and would move on to the next rank, and the higher the rank of the opponent they defeated, the more points they could gain. The same held true for losing.
One thing was clear; since I was holding onto the top rank, I wouldn’t have to participate in this draw either.
Given that someone would surely draw my name before that could happen.
“Next, Hong Sera. Step forward.”
“I’ll be right back~”
As Sera’s name was called, she waved and stood up to walk toward the podium.
When she scanned her ID in the machine, a ball floated out into the vacuum.
With a confident expression, Sera blew into the particles and waited for her name to be engraved on it.
Then I watched her expression sour.
“Hong Sera. Your opponent is… Shin Muyeong!”
“… Ugh.”
At the name that echoed, both Yena and Summer frowned heavily.
Come to think of it, Yena had faced him directly before. I could recall Muyeong, wrapped in bandages, roaming the ward.
“Come on. Of all the opponents…!”
The light-haired delinquent grumbled for a while even after returning to her seat.
“Joo Yureum… your opponent is…”
“Ha Yena… your opponent is…”
The drawings continued on.
Before long, it was the turn of students ranked around the tenth position. A girl with a refined demeanor approached the podium.
Moon Yeowool stepped up and drew a floating ball from the machine, waiting for her name to be engraved.
Soon enough, she appeared to be in shock.
“Moon Yeowool. Your opponent is… Jin Yeseo!!”
“Aren’t they in the same mentoring group? The… Baek Seoyeon senior’s group…”
“Right…”
Sera and Summer whispered about the peculiar pairing.
Murmurs rippled through Hwayangkwan.
Jin Yeseo sat in her seat, wearing a hard-to-read expression.
Moon Yeowool seemed displeased, her brow furrowed slightly.
Perhaps their ranking match might be postponed. After all, my turn had been postponed due to health reasons, as Yeon Minha had said.
But Jin Yeseo didn’t seem like the type to make such a choice.
If that were the case, she wouldn’t have made the effort to come here in this state.
Her pride seemed to tower high above the heavens…
“…”
Anyway, I was glad I hadn’t encountered Jin Yeseo yet.
No matter what, striking someone who’s all bandaged up like that would feel quite off.
“Ryu Seunghun. Your opponent is… An Sol!”
Then the two familiar names made me turn my head.
As I glanced around, I spotted a girl in round glasses and a bob haircut, her fighting spirit blazing brightly.
An Sol. That’s not the student council secretary, is it?
Always sticking closely beside the Chairperson like a secretary.
Her voice, demanding confidence from the chairperson, echoed in my mind once more.
Seunghun ranked in the top tier among the first-year students.
If he was matched against her, it meant she was quite a formidable contender as well.
But then who would be my opponent?
I turned my gaze decisively forward.
Just on cue, a muscular short-haired male student was settling down at the machine.
There was only one ball left inside.
Meaning the next name would be mine…
“Choi Woojin. Your opponent is… Yoo Jin-hyun!!”
The moment his name reverberated, the muscular male flashed me a grin, baring his teeth.
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