A body frozen like a statue. Meanwhile, a fierce storm raged in his mind.
Despite wearing a mask, his psychotic symptoms had emerged.
At this moment, Lee Hyun felt a bit resentful towards Sa Jaehyeok.
The one who constantly said that maintaining calmness is the most important for a wizard, and ironically, what Lee Hyun lacked the most was also calmness.
Following his advice, he had been participating more diligently in the meditation class.
However, he still couldn’t control the emotions that erupted… Maybe he had been lied to.
“There’s no need to get up. Just stay there.”
Unlike Lee Hyun, the girl with black hair was simply serene.
Baek Seoyeon moved gracefully without changing her expression and sat on the sofa.
As gravity slightly lifted her white skirt, the smooth curves revealed her black stockings, revealing a hint of skin.
The demeanor she showed towards him was purely cold professionalism.
Completely different from the last time she was worried about him, fidgeting nervously.
Lee Hyun easily realized the reason for this difference.
In this reception room, there was no gaze from others at all. Only two people existed in this completely sealed space.
There was no need to adorn herself with her well-known kindness.
Just like when Kwon Yuri had called him at the beginning of the semester.
And… just like that day in the hospital two years ago.
It was only natural to call him anonymously.
Lee Hyun, who designated himself as part of Yeon Minha’s faction, would never respond to Baek Seoyeon’s call.
Feeling like he could no longer endure it, he stood up.
“Stop.”
The waves of unrefined thoughts still raged in his mind.
One thing was certain.
He didn’t know what she wanted from ‘Yoo Jin-hyun’, but that didn’t mean he had to comply with her wishes.
“I said stop.”
Ignoring Baek Seoyeon’s continued suppression, Lee Hyun walked briskly toward the door.
“If you just leave now, it will seriously tarnish the Heukryeon name.”
However, the returning seductive voice stopped his hand just as he was about to turn the doorknob.
_Thud…_
Unknowingly, he grasped the doorknob tightly.
His outline was engraved on the soft metallic material of the handle.
Inside the reception room, a calmness and a tension that seemed about to break hung in the air.
After a moment, Lee Hyun forcefully twisted his mouth open.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“You’ll understand if you listen.”
“Explain.”
“The story is long. It would be better to sit down.”
Yet Seoyeon’s voice remained calm.
Familiarity inevitably calls forth nostalgia, and this again drags him into the abyss of memories.
The only way to escape was to leave this place.
However, he could not refuse the offer from the black-haired female student.
Because she carried the name of Heukryeon, not just as an individual.
“…”
After a considerable amount of time passed, Lee Hyun reluctantly moved toward the sofa again.
As he sat down, Seoyeon secretly swallowed a sigh that came out involuntarily.
Conflicting feelings of relief and tension wrapped around her simultaneously.
Yet maintaining her usual expressionless face, Seoyeon opened her crimson lips.
“I feel sorry that you’re busy with your studies right now. Starting this week, it’s the period for external commissions, right? So…”
“Just get to the point.”
“…”
A dry voice, devoid of any feeling but hostility, cut her off.
Even Seoyeon, who was skilled at controlling herself and masking her emotions, couldn’t help but be shaken.
In her calm golden eyes, ripples surged, and without meaning to, she bit her lips lightly.
Lee Hyun was not looking at her.
Thus, he was completely unaware of her emotional turmoil.
Seoyeon hurriedly calmed herself before speaking in a slightly steadier tone.
“The reason I summoned you today is to discuss the compensation for the Jeokhwa incident that we talked about back then.”
At her words, Lee Hyun recalled the conversation he had with Baek Il-yong during the previous hearing in the Assembly Hall.
He had forgotten, but he definitely had that conversation.
But Lee Hyun shook his head immediately.
“I will not accept it.”
“You should.”
“I don’t want anything from you. Not compensation or anything else.”
“I told you it would be better. I warned you that it could seriously tarnish the Heukryeon name.”
At Seoyeon’s words, Lee Hyun, who had been avoiding her gaze, turned to meet her eyes for the first time.
Hair that sparkled like the night sky.
Eyes dazzling as gold.
A face so small it could fit into one hand. Long lashes and a perfect nose. Features so perfectly proportioned it was as if they were crafted by a god.
All that beauty that had once belonged to him.
The more perfect her beauty was, the more it twisted his insides, and it was only natural for him to avoid facing it.
Seoyeon had been staring at him intently with her cold eyes.
As if she had never looked away.
“We acted within the bounds of legality when we subdued Jeokhwa. They were already traitors who committed grave sins. We had no qualms about exterminating them.”
The black-haired female student continued her explanation as if responding to the unspoken urge.
“However, you were just unlucky to get caught up in that incident. Our attack on you was an act that violated the wizard’s vow, and we at Paecheon have publicly acknowledged our mistake. To express our regret, we’ve come up with this compensation plan.”
“…”
“But if you continue to act this way… we might also feel a bit ashamed about it, don’t you think?”
“Shamed… you say?”
“Yes, shamed. No matter how much we bow this low, it’s still shaming. I might even let slip to your friends about the humiliation I’ve faced.”
Lee Hyun belatedly realized the implications of what the black-haired female student was saying.
For the past two years, she had positively embedded his name in the minds of the students.
Unlike Yeon Minha.
Baek Seoyeon was someone who could exert more influence over the students than even the chairperson of the student council.
Even if Heukryeon returned to the highest council and divided power, Paecheon would still hold overwhelming superiority in the cradle.
If she were willing, crafting words to manipulate him would indeed be easy.
And the person who would take the biggest hit would not be him, but rather Yeon Minha.
As if this was the last word she would say on the matter, Seoyeon reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a box.
It was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. A square shape made of luxurious metal material that looked expensive at first glance.
As she pressed the center of the box with her slender, white finger, the lid opened automatically with a click.
Soon, something resembling a translucent gem about the size of a quail egg appeared.
At first glance, it seemed like a round gem, but upon inspection, it was clear that it wasn’t just a decorative item.
So many fine lines densely engraved the surface and interior of the stone that one would have to squint to see them.
Each line formed several geometric shapes.
While he didn’t understand the meaning, one thing was clear: it was magical in nature.
“This is a newly developed concept of armor from our Dosanjung Precision. It’s made of high-purity stellite with several components mixed in, inscribed with an adaptive three-dimensional magic formula.”
Seoyeon turned the item slightly and showed it to Lee Hyun while explaining.
“Stellite is a mineral that absorbs emitted particles from the surroundings. This product maximizes the properties of such stellite. Once it absorbs particles to its limit, it automatically generates a protective barrier magic that envelops you immediately. It’s a one-time use item, but it can protect you from a tremendous impact at least once.”
After finishing her words, Seoyeon slid the box slightly toward Lee Hyun.
“This isn’t a regular product, and it’s made in very limited quantities exclusively for the direct descendants of Paecheon. Take it. This should be sufficient as compensation for threatening your life.”
Despite Seoyeon’s urging, Lee Hyun did not accept it.
A long silence fell between them once more.
With a voice filled with anguish, Lee Hyun finally spoke.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“I told you before. It’s meant as an apology. It has no deeper intention…”
“…Lies.”
“…”
“Don’t lie to me. Who would fall for that? You could have just wrapped it up as a mere formality. But you’re giving me something so precious that only the direct descendants get? From you of all people?”
Like raindrops named anger, his voice dripped with frustration as if a drought had covered the barren land.
The wave of emotions swirling within him began to spill out through his mouth.
“Don’t you remember what you said at the beginning of the semester? Why are you going this far? Just because I’m a member of the esteemed Heukryeon instead of some unknown miscreant, do you see me differently? Are you trying to play nice now?”
However, Seoyeon merely gazed at him with unreadable eyes.
As if to fully embrace his anger, she shook her head with a wry smile.
Then, in a calm demeanor, she spoke again.
“No. I know you are not such a person.”
“What do you know about me to speak so carelessly?”
“I know well. At least more than Yeon Minha does.”
“You must have done some background research. I need a reason, not nonsense. Answer me.”
He had closed the distance and was now pressing Seoyeon more threateningly.
“Are you out of your mind or just careless? Do you realize what could happen in a secluded room with just a man and a woman? If you are scared of what could follow, it would be wise to state your purpose.”
A ferocious aura enveloped the air, bringing with it a subtle sense of dread that creeped into Seoyeon’s body.
But she offered no resistance.
She simply let it be.
So he could explore and ravage her as he pleased.
“Why? What do you want to do with me?”
Seoyeon instead asked back.
“Do you want to make a mess out of me? Tear my clothes with your own hands? Do you want to make me grovel at your feet like that?”
Her calm voice brimmed with confidence.
She looked slightly up, her dark eyelashes arching over her eyes.
Breath caught in the throat of the masked male student due to her mesmerizing allure, rendering him speechless.
Only then did Lee Hyun recall some memories.
He had never won an argument against Seoyeon before.
“…”
Thus, time flowed on without any further words exchanged.
Their conversation that began in the early evening had gradually been infiltrated by the soft moonlight seeping through the reception room window.
Seoyeon continued to look up at him without blinking.
Her pale skin had taken on a faint blush.
The sound of her thumping heart resonated through her body, her breath becoming irregular without her noticing.
Unarmed against a man who sought to violate her, she remained defenseless, as if to offer herself.
Asking for him to perceive those signals, wishing he would willingly give himself over to his desires.
“…That’s impossible.”
However, leaving only that brief remark, Lee Hyun turned away.
Disappointment washed over Seoyeon’s face, which had barely maintained its composure. She let out a silent sigh beneath her lips.
The masked male student swiftly snatched the small stone that had been lying on the table.
Without even looking at Seoyeon, he said, “I won’t be thanking you. This is literally just compensation, after all.”
“…Okay.”
Seoyeon nodded.
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
And then added softly, “My body is mine to take care of. No one dares to lay a finger on me, and I’ll remain untouched forever.”
There was no response to that. Her words, which could have sounded like a cold warning, carried another meaning beneath their surface.
He stood silently for a moment before finally turning the doorknob and exiting the reception room.
The sound of his steps echoed down the hallway, growing fainter with haste.
When the noise completely faded, Seoyeon finally relaxed and slumped down.
There was something she hadn’t told him.
The item that was initially meant to be compensation for Lee Hyun should have been something else.
There was no need to give such a practical and powerful piece of armor to the heir of a rival family.
Because the ones aiming for his life could very well be their own.
The gift given to him had once belonged to her.
Crafted from the highest quality stellite gemstone, it alone had cost an astronomical sum and was inscribed with family’s unique magic barrier formula.
Only two such invaluable items had been created: one for the head of the household and another for the heir.
Thus, his suspicions were justifiable and understandable.
The only fortunate thing was that he was likely unaware of the upper-class value of such things.
Had he known its actual worth, he would have definitely refused to accept any compensation.
Although it appeared as though she had somewhat coerced him, it was better that he resented her than be hurt himself.
Accepting that hatred, although it would entail tremendous agony, was something she had decided to do until everything was resolved.
However, when she received orders to promptly wrap up the compensation for the Jeokhwa incident and eliminate any excuses for an attack.
Before long, Seoyeon found herself feeling joy she hadn’t even realized she had.
“Ugh…”
Collapsed, Seoyeon embraced herself.
As if trying to gather the lingering echoes of the talk that had seemed so phantasmagorical.
*
Lee Hyun headed toward the pond behind the school, not the beech dormitory.
He walked unsteadily with his head lowered.
His fingers and arms trembled like those of a sick person.
With the glow of the streetlights guiding him along the walking path, he finally saw the pond stretching out before him, beyond several large trees and grassy areas.
So immense was it that the name “pond” seemed utterly inadequate.
He plopped down on the edge.
After sitting there for a while, he suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.
He glared at the box in his palm as if wishing to kill it. Then he clenched his fist tightly, concealing it from view.
As if he would throw it into the dark water at any moment.
“Why… why is this happening…”
Yet throughout the night, no sound broke the stillness of the pond.
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