Chapter 55
Baek Seol-ah didn't seem to be in good shape. The reason I told Lee Hyeonseong about it was simple.
Although I still mentally chewed him out whenever I got the chance and considered him a pathetic excuse for a man.
At this point, Lee Hyeonseong was, after all, Baek Seol-ah's boyfriend. Even if she'd grown much friendlier toward me lately…….
I figured she still considered Lee Hyeonseong closer to her than me, which was an entirely reasonable conclusion.
In other words, I hoped she might be able to say things to Lee Hyeonseong that she couldn't say to me.
“……”
“Did she dump you?”
Tuesday lunchtime, on the rooftop of the academy's main building.
I didn't have much of an appetite, so I substituted a can of energy drink from the vending machine for lunch and glanced back at Lee Hyeonseong while leaning against the railing.
For some reason, he was slumped in a corner with an even more haggard expression than Baek Seol-ah had worn the day before.
In other words, he was obviously dejected. I clicked my tongue as I watched him stare blankly into space without even answering my question.
I hadn't heard the reason, but judging by that reaction, I thought I could roughly guess.
I finished off the half-empty can, and around then, Lee Hyeonseong opened his mouth with a hollow look on his face.
“……Han Taeyang. You know what?”
“What?”
“It'll be 500 days since Seol-ah and I started dating in just over a month. In other words, this relationship has already lasted nearly a year and three months.”
I paused at that decidedly unexpected preamble and turned to Lee Hyeonseong with a distinctly complicated expression.
What was he suddenly talking about? No, what was he trying to say?
When I stared at him with an ambiguous look in my eyes, Lee Hyeonseong soon lowered his head with a hollow laugh devoid of energy.
Personally, I didn't particularly want to see a guy looking so dejected.
Whether or not my expression soured, Lee Hyeonseong continued mumbling in the same thoroughly ragged tone.
“During this relationship that's approaching 500 days, it's not as though we never disagreed or argued……. But at least Seol-ah always expressed her thoughts and feelings honestly.”
“……”
“This is honestly the first time she's put up such a complete wall, so I don't even know what to do. There probably isn't another boyfriend as incompetent as me, haha.”
“That's right. You're an incompetent idiot.”
I didn't particularly want to listen to his whining, so the moment he self-deprecatingly laughed and put himself down, I gave him an immediate response.
Lee Hyeonseong paused for a moment, then looked up at me with a peculiar expression. My unexpected response seemed to leave him baffled and uncomfortable, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
He seemed to have secretly expected me to comfort him or something, but he was sorely mistaken.
As my usual attitude made obvious, I didn't particularly like this guy.
Naturally, Lee Hyeonseong knew that, too. That was why, even after being cursed out to his face, he wasn't all that flustered and merely looked awkward.
Soon, Lee Hyeonseong tousled his hair and continued in an uncomfortable voice.
“After hearing what you said yesterday, I asked her about it right away today……. But she wouldn't answer. She just said it was nothing and told me not to worry.”
“……Is that so?”
“Yeah. I wanted to press her further, but she was so stubborn. Honestly, when Seol-ah gets like that, there isn't anything I can do.”
In short, his girlfriend, who had always honestly told him whenever something was wrong, had clammed up, leaving him too intimidated to try anything else.
I understood that, but I still shot him a pathetic sidelong look and clicked my tongue.
“Useless bastard. If you can't satisfy her in bed, at least be good at taking care of her emotionally. I called you here for that, so what am I supposed to do if you can't even manage it?”
“……Ahem, ahem.”
My tone was sharp, and the content was fairly aggressive as well. Even so, Lee Hyeonseong couldn't find anything to say in response and merely avoided my gaze.
It was only natural. I hadn't filtered anything out, but this was 100 percent fact-based criticism.
“You're especially caustic today, Taeyang……. Though I can't exactly say I have anything to defend myself with.”
“……Good grief.”
I reflexively tried to answer, ‘If you know, then shut up,’ but swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of my tongue, thinking I should at least be polite.
Then I needlessly crushed the innocent can in one hand and tossed it toward the trash can in the corner.
Clang. It struck the very edge of the trash can before bouncing in with a series of little hops.
Lee Hyeonseong and I silently watched the can's journey for a moment, using that refreshing metallic sound as background music.
“Well, what can we do? We just have to wait for now.”
“……Yeah, I suppose so.”
I was probably the first of us to emerge from my thoughts, and I pulled my back away from the railing as I spoke.
In truth, there really wasn't much else to do in a situation like this. It wasn't solely Lee Hyeonseong's fault.
Baek Seol-ah had deliberately chosen to remain silent, so what could we do? Unless we forced her to talk, waiting was the best option.
At any rate, I had also learned that expecting Lee Hyeonseong to play the role of Baek Seol-ah's psychological counselor had been too much to ask…….
Now that things had come to this, it would probably be better to subtly tip off Yoo Eun-bi or simply watch until Baek Seol-ah could sort out her thoughts herself.
Baek Seol-ah wasn't simply foolish, either. She would think things over on her own for a while, and when it became truly unbearable, she would naturally relent.
‘Until then, I suppose I'll just wait while doing what little I can right now.’
In any case, I would have plenty of opportunities to stay close to Baek Seol-ah until all the final exams were over.
Unless her condition grew worse than this, observing the situation was probably the best course for now.
I supposed I should bring her some snacks to replenish her sugar from time to time.
‘She seemed to like things such as cake when we went on our date last time…….’
Then again, what girl wouldn't? Baek Seol-ah was also the type who went crazy for sweet things.
Relying on my own experience and the original novel's character settings, I analyzed her tastes and turned to Lee Hyeonseong.
Though he was thoroughly incompetent, pathetic, and a failure as a man, he was still the conventional male protagonist.
At the very least, he knew how to genuinely worry about his girlfriend……. In other words, he was a relatively less pathetic idiot than some Mr. Kim.
His expression wasn't exactly pleasant at the moment, either. Worry practically covered his entire face.
“……Don't worry too much.”
Since I couldn't bring myself to hate him outright, I decided to be generous and leave him with a word of encouragement.
Lee Hyeonseong had been sprawled on the rooftop floor, but now he lifted his head and looked at me.
I took out my smartphone to check the time and continued speaking.
“We also have a meeting at five to prepare for the practical exam, so I'll take good care of Baek Seol-ah. There won't be any problems.”
“……Yeah. That's reassuring. Thanks, Han Taeyang.”
The worry hadn't completely left his face, but Lee Hyeonseong gave me a bitter smile, looking considerably more at ease than before.
Soon, he got to his feet as if he intended to leave the rooftop as well. When he came near me, he lightly tapped my shoulder and spoke jokingly.
“How come you take better care of Seol-ah than I do? These days, you practically look like Seol-ah's boyfriend.”
“……”
“You've been closer to her than I have for the past few months, too. She's even started talking about you first quite often when she's with me.”
“……”
“Of course, that's just how it sounds. You only got close to her as part of our little game, so you don't actually have any feelings for Seol-ah. Hahaha, ha……”
“……”
“……Hmm. Taeyang? Why aren't you answering? Why are you avoiding my gaze, too……. Wait a second, Taeyang. Han Taeyang?”
I listened only up to that point, then subtly avoided Lee Hyeonseong's gaze and quickly walked away.
Regardless of the situation at hand, this was a somewhat difficult topic for me to answer.
“I'm leaving first, Lee Hyeonseong. Anyway, don't worry about Baek Seol-ah. I'll take good care of her.”
“W-wait……! Taeyang!”
I hurried down the rooftop stairs, leaving him with only those final words. Just in case, I glanced back up at Lee Hyeonseong from one flight below─.
‘Good grief.’
As expected, Lee Hyeonseong seemed suddenly frightened by my vague attitude. His expression was slightly anxious, and he was swallowing hard.
He was showing tension at the faint possibility that he might lose Baek Seol-ah, yet at the same time, he was displaying an ambivalent reaction.
What did that mean all of a sudden?
Ultimately, there was only one conclusion.
‘That was genuine madness.’
At the last moment, unmistakable anticipation and excitement had risen in Lee Hyeonseong's eyes.
At least for now, fear still seemed to outweigh those two emotions and desires.
But the difference wasn't particularly meaningful.
I shuddered inwardly and fled without looking back, avoiding the madman whom no one could possibly rival even in this deranged world.
*****
“Here, eat this.”
“Huh, yeah?”
I arrived at the training room a little early, before five o'clock, and, as expected, handed Baek Seol-ah the snacks I'd brought as soon as I saw her already there.
A mini shortcake and a chocolate shell bun from the franchise bakery on campus, along with milk so the food wouldn't get stuck in her throat.
Baek Seol-ah, who had been stretching in workout clothes that were much easier to move in than her cumbersome school uniform, looked thoroughly flustered.
“What are you doing? Aren't you going to eat?”
“……No, I mean. Yeah, I'll eat it……?”
Even so, I stubbornly held everything out to her, and my forcefulness swept her into accepting it.
As a result, before the other group members arrived, Baek Seol-ah diligently replenished her sugar while nervously watching me. Om nom nom.
Then, after we spent about two hours running a dungeon-clearing simulation in the training room's virtual environment.
“Eat this, too.”
“……”
As soon as Baek Seol-ah came out after washing the sweat from her body, I immediately brought her another assortment of things to chew on.
It was a little lighter than before: cookies, biscuits, jelly, and so on that I had grabbed casually from a convenience store.
I had been able to prepare them because men's showers were relatively shorter than women's.
Baek Seol-ah wiped the moisture from her hair with a towel and gave me a frankly dubious look.
Her golden eyes seemed to be saying, ‘Why is he suddenly acting like this?’
“I'll…… eat it.”
Apparently, she could guess the reason herself well enough, because she obediently picked up a packaged cookie without bothering to voice the question she was holding inside.
A little later, Ryu Chae-eun came out of the shower room and made a noisy fuss about why I was only taking care of unnie, but……
I solved that minor incident by taking out one of the jelly candies left in the plastic bag because Baek Seol-ah hadn't taken it and tossing it to her.
I even deliberately threw it hard enough to hit her in the forehead, but Ryu Chae-eun happily ate it as though that didn't matter at all.
After that, I killed time sitting in a school lounge, watching—or rather, observing—Baek Seol-ah put the snacks I gave her into her mouth one after another.
It wasn't as though I had any more plans, so I could have gone straight back to the dormitory, but since I was there, I shot the breeze while enjoying the air-conditioning.
“……I-I really can't eat any more. You saw how much I've already eaten, right? My stomach is full enough, so you can stop giving me food now. Really.”
“Hmm……”
About thirty minutes passed after that. Since I had been more insistent than she expected, Baek Seol-ah had been putting everything I gave her into her mouth and chewing and swallowing it obediently.
Now, apparently truly at her limit, she even waved both hands and refused the drink I offered her.
Judging by her reaction, she clearly wasn't lying. Just a little while ago, she had even held a biscuit in her mouth for ages, stuffing her cheeks like a squirrel.
I had fed her enough, and her expression looked a little better than it had yesterday, so I decided to be satisfied with that and gave a short nod.
“You can go now. You worked hard today, so go in and get some good rest.”
“Th-thanks.”
As soon as I gave her permission, Baek Seol-ah sprang to her feet as if she'd been waiting for it.
Was she thanking me for bringing her snacks, or for releasing her without subjecting her to any more food torture?
To be honest, it didn't particularly matter to me which it was.
The important thing was that I had succeeded in keeping her from having time to dwell on pointless thoughts.
Of course, once she returned to the dormitory, she would eventually be left alone, so it probably wouldn't have much of an effect……
Still, having someone nearby to take care of her like this was surely better than having no one at all.
‘Or not?’
Well.
Never mind, then.
In any case, Baek Seol-ah seemed to have suffered quite a bit from my imitation food torture, because she hurried out of the lounge.
Perhaps she was worried that I might grab her again, because she kept glancing back at me with a rather tense expression.
I leisurely waved goodbye to her to show that she had nothing to worry about.
And just after Baek Seol-ah disappeared, shooting me a sidelong glance with a faint hint of resentment in her eyes.
“……Wow, are you hitting on Seol-ah unnie right now?”
“Huh?”
With only the two of us left in the lounge, Ryu Chae-eun perched rudely on the table, tilted her head beside me, and said that.
I squinted one eye and turned toward her, while Ryu Chae-eun gave an impish smile and sneered.
“I mean, isn't it obvious? You completely ignore me and all the other unnis and oppas, but you only take care of Seol-ah unnie. What you're doing looks awfully suspicious, Taeyang oppa.”
“……”
“You're still so greedy. Trying to seduce a woman who already has a boyfriend. Well, judging by Seol-ah unnie's reaction, it won't be easy. Pfft.”
Then she gave a mocking laugh as though she were looking at a poor man who had tried his hardest but was ultimately rejected.
Apparently, in Ryu Chae-eun's eyes, my actions today looked like I was making advances on Baek Seol-ah.
Naturally, I didn't give it much thought and merely wore an indifferent expression.
It wasn't as though this was the first time she had done something ridiculous after getting lost in her own thoughts, and this much wasn't enough to get me worked up again.
Of course, if she kept needling me, I would have a hard time suppressing the urge to bonk her on the forehead.
‘……Hmm? Come to think of it.’
A certain fact suddenly occurred to me, and I paused before my urge to make a bump in Ryu Chae-eun's green hair could boil over.
Then I narrowed my brows and fell into thought. It was a vague feeling, as though something I had completely forgotten until now had finally resurfaced.
Since looking at Ryu Chae-eun had made me remember it so abruptly, could it be something related to her?
Following that line of thought, I slowly narrowed down the scope of my recollection.
“Ah.”
Before long, one memory from the previous day brushed through my mind.
I slightly widened my eyes and pulled my smartphone from my pocket.
‘Right. Jeong Jaeha.’
Come to think of it, I had received a text from her boyfriend yesterday. I had been so preoccupied with Baek Seol-ah that I had completely forgotten about it.
I quickly opened the messenger app, entered my message thread with Jeong Jaeha—the one I had read yesterday afternoon without replying—and checked its contents again.
“What is it? Why are you suddenly acting like that?”
I placed a hand on Ryu Chae-eun's forehead as she leaned in to see what was on my screen, physically holding her back while I said,
“Hmm……”
I gave a brief nasal hum at Jeong Jaeha's message saying that he had something important to discuss with me concerning Ryu Chae-eun and asking whether we could meet and talk if I was available.
It was already quite late, so there was no reason I had to answer immediately. With that in mind, I shot a sidelong glance at Ryu Chae-eun, who was tugging at my arm and whining.
‘Good.’
I still had no way of knowing exactly what Jeong Jaeha wanted to ‘talk’ about.
Nor was there any guarantee that my vague guess would match the truth.
Even so, on the assumption that my vague guess was correct─.
I thought quietly to myself.
It was true that Baek Seol-ah, whose condition had seemed fairly poor these past two days, still worried me in various ways.
‘It just so happens that I've been badly craving the chance to teach someone a proper lesson.’
Even if that was the case, so what? That was one matter, and this was another.
I had things to take care of too, didn't I?
I seized the forehead of the thoroughly infuriating Ryu Chae-eun, who was audaciously struggling to overpower me through sheer physical strength despite being a mage, gripping her even more tightly and making her jump in fright as I wore a faint smile.
I found myself genuinely looking forward to my meeting with Jeong Jaeha tomorrow.