Chapter 144
Chapter 144
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Cho Seo-hyun suddenly posed an incomprehensible question to Seong Sua, whom she'd bumped into right in front of the restaurant.
"...What? Are you alone?"
It was a remark no one else would understand, but Seong Sua grasped it immediately and replied.
"...Yeah."
The two stared at each other, lost in their own thoughts.
'What? Weren't they eating together?...Why is Unnie suddenly trying to have dinner with Instructor Seong Su-ho?'
But the inner voices they kept to themselves didn't reach the other.
Cho Seo-hyun fell silent for a long moment, then scratched her head and spoke up.
"Uh... that guy from earlier isn't eating with you?"
"Instructor Seong Su-ho said he had business with Ara later, so he'd eat then."
"Ara? Song A-ra?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing Song A-ra's name, Cho Seo-hyun recalled the conversation from earlier that morning.
(If I end up teaching you and you pick up some weird habits, it might cause trouble for Instructor Cho Seo-hyun.)
(Got it. I'll make time after dinner whenever I can.)
Even with Seong Sua standing right there, Cho Seo-hyun couldn't help smiling faintly as the exchange replayed in her mind.
Seong Sua eyed her beaming expression with puzzlement.
'No way... No, she's not the type to be interested in men....''
Catching the meaningful look on Seong Sua's face, Cho Seo-hyun cleared her throat awkwardly and spoke.
"Ahem... Got it. Take care of your business."
She gave a cursory farewell and turned toward the dorms.
"Um... Unnie."
"Yeah?"
Cho Seo-hyun furrowed her brow, glancing back as if wondering why she'd been called.
Her expression made it clear she had no desire to linger with Seong Sua.
Seong Sua asked cautiously.
"Uh... How's Oppa Kang-hyun doing?"
"...? What kind of question is that? Why are you asking me that?""
"It's just... hard to get in touch with him. I'm worried..."
"..."
Cho Seo-hyun couldn't make sense of Seong Sua's words—and had no interest in trying.
What the heck is she on about...?
She scratched her head again before answering.
"No idea. Probably just busy."
"Okay... Sorry for holding you up."
"..."
Cho Seo-hyun turned and headed for the dorms once more.
As she walked, she mulled over what Seong Sua had just said.
The woman who had dated her brother and effectively stolen him away was now randomly asking about his well-being
Of course, Cho Seo-hyun assumed the two met up every day for lovey-dovey nonsense.
"...Something happen to Kang-hyun? Nah... he's the kind of guy who turns a dungeon into a wasteland with a flick of his finger; nothing could possibly happen to him."
Her brother, Cho Kang-hyun, was a top-tier hero.
The media consensus was that he could hold his own against even the Monster leader without breaking a sweat.
Shaking off her worry for her brother, Cho Seo-hyun gave a wry smile.
"Besides, he's an instructor at the Healing Class. Nothing's gonna happen to him there."
The safest place in all of Korea.
Where the Order's heroes stood constant guard, watching over the cadets' safety and security.
That was the Healing Class.
And Cho Kang-hyun was a hero even the Order didn't mess with lightly.
Still, top-tier hero or not, a sister's concern ran deeper than that.
"...Guess I should shoot him a text."
She typed out a simple line—not too long, not too short—and hit send.
-You doing okay? Getting worried, so texting you.-
Just a casual check-in.
The moment she sent it, thoughts of Seong Su-ho and Song A-ra popped into her head.
"Speaking of, why archery all of a sudden?"
Song A-ra's main weapon was the sword. Sure, anyone could try other arms if they wanted.
But the timing felt so random.
"...I'm curious, maybe I'll stop by."
She wasn't particularly worried about their relationship.
However, as Seong Su-ho had mentioned, he was an assistant instructor, and assistant instructors were not the type to let things slide easily if a problem arose.
Deciding to take a quick look, Cho Seo-hyun headed for the shooting range.
Whoosh.
The closer she got, the louder the arrows slicing through the air became.
Thinking that other people might be around, Cho Seo-hyun hid and scanned the interior of the archery range.
...Just the two of them.
In the vast shooting range, only Song A-ra and Seong Su-ho stood side by side.
Song A-ra loosed an arrow, then spoke up to kick off their conversation.
"Instructor, how do you nock an arrow and fire it off like that so smoothly?"
"Eh... just a feeling."
"Whoa... aren't you flaunting your talent a bit too much?"
Any lingering concerns Cho Seo-hyun had harbored on her way over evaporated as she watched them.
Seong Su-ho raised his bow, nocked an arrow—and released the string without a second's hesitation.
Although the force behind the arrow seemed weak, it nailed dead center on the target 200 meters out.
'Huh... it looked like he fired without even properly looking at the target?'
Cho Seo-hyun had raided dungeons alongside guild archers and felled countless monsters.
Even skilled ones didn't shoot that casually.
The more skilled the archer, the more they exuded an aura of intense focus, their eyes strained with concentration.
Cho Seo-hyeon wondered if it was because Seong Su-ho had already locked onto the target with his eyes since they were in a training facility, but she decided that wasn't it either.
'Seeing how he accurately hit the weapons of the students behind the cadet who was blocking his way during the last training, his eye for detail really is incredible. ...Anyway, I've confirmed it, so let's go.'
Feeling guilty for eavesdropping, Cho Seo-hyun started to slip away.
But just then, Song A-ra brought it up herself.
"Instructor, how do you shoot after just a quick glance? I pour all my focus into aiming and still can't hit dead center like that..."
"You don't use your eyes."
"Huh?"
"...?"
Cho Seo-hyun froze despite herself, ears perked for Seong Su-ho's response.
"The important thing is the sensation in your hands. A single glance is enough for your vision."
"Ugh... the advice of a talented person is so hard to understand." and it simply made her sad that his attitude toward her felt cold whenever they did meet.
Cho Seo-hyun nodded inwardly, watching Song A-ra.
'In anything, vision is the most important. You have to keep looking and looking again.'
That thought triggered a ghost from her past.
(Keep your eyes open! You stupid bitch!)
(Close your eyes? Do you want to die? I'll kill you then!)
'...This is bullshit. Why is something completely unrelated popping up now....'
As she clutched her throbbing head, Seong Su-ho's words filtered in.
"Get in the habit of trusting everything you see."
"Huh?"
With Song A-ra's puzzled tone, Cho Seo-hyun leaned in closer.
""I'm saying you have to trust yourself. If you can't trust the eyes that illuminate your vision, your other organs won't be able to function properly either. That's how I see it.""
His words instantly conjured another line in her mind.
(Doubt yourself! Doubt what you've seen! The body and brain you've had until now are trash! Understand!?)
As she pressed her temple against the pounding headache, Seong Su-ho wrapped up.
"Trust what you see once, trust yourself, and loose the string. Though you're already better than me, so who knows if my advice even fits."
"No way! That's really good advice. Hehe."
Song A-ra beamed at the bashful Seong Su-ho.
Cho Seo-hyun watched them with a somber expression.
If only... I had someone like that by my side...
Cho Seo-hyun felt a secret envy toward Song Ara, and on the other hand, she felt pathetic.
She felt a sense of self-loathing at the fact that she was unconsciously feeling jealous of her own student.
As that sank in, Song A-ra flashed a bright smile and spoke.
"Oh, Instructor Seong Su-ho."
"Yeah?"
"What do you think of Instructor Cho Seo-hyun?"
Cho Seo-hyun snapped back to attention, her eyebrows twitching at the sudden mention of her name..
There is nothing one is more curious about than a conversation about themselves happening in a place they aren't present for..
Seong Su-ho replied without much expression.
"She's passionate."
"Aw, c'mon... Not that."
"...?"
"Isn't Instructor Cho Seo-hyun cute?"
The moment she heard those words, the veins in Cho Seo-hyeon's temples began to throb visibly.
That damn brat...
She hated being called cute more than anything—like being lumped in with kids.
It was the absolute worst thing in the world to her.
As she swallowed her rising ire, Song A-ra unleashed a barrage of "compliments."
"She's cute, right? First time I saw her, I thought she was some kid touring the school!"
Grrrrr!
Ugh! That little shit!
Consumed by fury, Cho Seo-hyun forgot she was hiding and nearly charged out.
But Seong Su-ho's words halted her in her tracks.
"Cadet Song A-ra, you shouldn't say things like that."
"Huh?"
"..."
Seong Su-ho raised his bow, fired an arrow, then continued.
"You can't talk about Instructor Cho Seo-hyun like that. She's the type who spends all day thinking how to teach you better. Calling someone like that 'cute' would be rude, wouldn't it?"
"S-Sorry."
"Not scolding you. Just saying—I wish you'd respect her even out of sight."
He fired another arrow, then went on about Cho Seo-hyun.
"In my eyes, no other instructor here matches her sense of responsibility or work ethic. Wouldn't be exaggerating to say she's devoted herself entirely to teaching you all."
"Yes... I'll be more careful from now on!"
Seong Su-ho placed a hand on Song A-ra's shoulder, looking apologetic as he spoke.
"Right... sorry for overreacting. I ruined the mood."
"No! Not at all! Actually, thinking about it, I was the one... Huh?"
"...? Something wrong?"
Song A-ra tilted her head toward the range entrance and spoke.
"Over there... Feels like someone's there. I swear I heard something."
"...?"
Just to check, Seong Su-ho walked over to the entrance.
And there...
"...? No one's here?"
"Huh... Pretty sure someone was... Huh?"
Song A-ra spotted tiny water droplets on the floor, glinting in the light.
"Huh? Sweat?"
As she glanced around, Seong Su-ho headed back.
"Alright, let's fire a few more and then head out. At this rate, the cafeteria will close."
"Yes!"
Song A-ra dashed back to him, leaving the water droplets behind.