Hong Yeonhwa's Ordeal (3)
Hong Yeonhwa's Ordeal (3)
I had dropped most of my lectures because of the weakened state after the Trial of Calamity Flame, but I didn't skip my mentoring sessions with Lee Ji-yeon.
Thankfully, none of my courses had group projects running at the moment, so skipping was easy.
Attendance could be covered by sick leave, and the missed material could be made up with assignment submissions.
It would be a bit rough since I would have to cram through the piled-up work all at once, but my grades wouldn't suffer, and for that I was genuinely grateful.
Still, Lee Ji-yeon's mentoring wasn't a problem that only affected me—it affected her too.
Clearing my own backlog just meant a little extra suffering on my part, and that would be the end of it, but Lee Ji-yeon's schedule ended up being disrupted along with mine.
Of course, a delay of two or three sessions wouldn't cause any real trouble. Schedules aren't set in stone, and setbacks happen all the time.
But I wasn't a bedridden critical patient, and I wouldn't be out for long, so I decided to go ahead with the mentoring.
In exchange, Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek A-rin—who had just finished a sparring match a moment ago—would accompany me. The official reason was that the Calamity Flame might act up dangerously at any time.
I had already secured Lee Ji-yeon's permission. When I cautiously asked her via text, she agreed, saying it worked out since we hadn't met in a while anyway.
"Did you say you're learning necromancy from Ji-yeon unni?"
We were ambling toward the meeting spot.
Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been savoring the whispering breeze, suddenly looked my way and asked.
"Yes, Taesan is... well known for necromancy, isn't it? I happened to want to learn it too, so I asked her to teach me."
I nodded and raised a hand. In an instant, an undead like a will-o'-the-wisp rose above my palm.
It was an undead drawn from random monsters, shaped like a shimmering, colorless haze.
It wasn't particularly useful. I could make it inhabit a corpse, but I couldn't expect much out of it. Its ability to serve as a meat shield was touch-and-go at best.
'If it's really no good, I'll just use it as kindling for the Calamity Flame.'
The Calamity Flame burns everything, like a farmhouse yellow dog. I could probably toss in all the random undead I'd collected and boost the Calamity Flame's output in one go.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the undead resting on my palm trembled faintly.
"Oh... you've already started? Our Ha-yul really can do anything, huh."
Hong Yeon-hwa, who had bent down to examine the undead on my palm, let out an admiring murmur.
"Hehe."
A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth at her reaction.
The praise of someone who likes me is so incredibly sweet. Even if I recovered my sense of taste and stuffed myself with sugary cookies and cake, I doubt I could taste sweetness like this.
"You've only been mentoring for a little while and you're already handling undead? You really do learn fast."
"I still can't even manage basic magic properly... just how many talents does Ha-yul have..."
Hong Yeon-hwa murmured that, then pulled up the zipper on the thin windbreaker draped over her shoulders.
As the zipper rose, the sliver of ivory skin that had been catching my eye disappeared from view.
Blocked by the windbreaker, even that thick scent of milk suddenly grew faint...
"......"
I pressed my lips tightly shut for a moment. Feeling a shameful pang of regret, I lifted my head, which had been dropping of its own accord.
My eyes met her jewel-like crimson gaze.
Her eyes traced where my gaze had been lingering. Her pupils, which had blinked for a moment, crinkled gently.
Hong Yeon-hwa gave my cheek a gentle pinch.
"Hmm-hmm... just hold out until tonight. Got it?"
"Y-yes..."
"Yeah, good."
These days, sleep wasn't something I feared anymore.
Before, my insomnia was severe, and even if I did nod off for a moment, I'd inevitably suffer nightmares, so I used to hate sleeping. But lately, when I sleep while being held in someone's arms, there are no nightmares or anything else.
When I close my eyes while savoring the gentle warmth and steady heartbeat coming from that softness, I drift off so fast I don't even have time to notice nightmares or insomnia.
I nodded meekly and looked forward to the happiness waiting for me tonight.
"If I have to stop the Calamity Flame from bursting while you're asleep, then I'll have to fall asleep right beside you too, won't I?"
"Shut it."
.
.
.
The appointed meeting place we reached a short while later was a nature park spread across a wide lawn.
Along the park's walking paths, flowers in a rainbow of colors had been planted as a spectacle.
Shadows pooled beneath the scattered trees, making it a perfect park to spread a mat and enjoy a picnic.
'It's close to the dorm, too—maybe I should come with Seo-yul.'
It would be nice just to pack a light lunch and come out for some fresh air.
I observed my surroundings briefly as I stepped deeper inside.
Lee Ji-yeon was seated on a bench beneath the shade of a tree, waiting for us. She was staring intently at a hologram with her chin resting on her hand, the sight carrying a striking atmosphere.
That impression was even stronger because Lee Ji-yeon's colors were natural tones like green and brown. I noticed she had even set the hologram's color to green.
Lee Ji-yeon, who had been gazing fixedly at the hologram, lifted her head at the sound of our approach.
Her green eyes blinked, taking in me and my companions.
I bowed my head in greeting.
After the news spread that I would be missing lectures due to the Trial of Calamity Flame, messages checking on my well-being had flooded in like a tide.
Among them had been a well-being message from Lee Ji-yeon. I had expressed my thanks in the reply, but I intended to say thanks in person now that we were face to face.
Come to think of it, we have built up quite a bit of rapport now. I also still owe her for erasing that debt from China—should I subtly sound her out about the fairy matter?
[Thanks for worrying about me.]
[Luckily my body isn't causing any pro—]
"Eeeek?!"
[—blems...?]
Lee Ji-yeon's eyes flew open in sheer horror.
Right after that, as if she had jumped onto a scorching hot frying pan, she let out a bizarre shriek and practically launched herself off the bench.
Just as I froze rock-solid at the surreal sight, she flailed her arms and lunged straight at me, snatching me up and burying me in her embrace.
My face plunged between her voluptuous breasts.
[?]
A question mark rose above my head.
Hong Yeon-hwa's face contorted sharply.
* * *
If it were up to my heart's desire, I would want to shriek my head off and pass out.
Forcing my eyes open when they wanted to squeeze shut, I stared down at Lee Ha-yul, whom I was holding in my arms.
A sweet fragrance that kept teasing the tip of my nose. A petite frame that transmitted a warm, softly yielding sensation all too vividly.
My five senses were feeding me that kind of stimulating information.
Lee Ji-yeon used her already-opened sixth sense to examine Lee Ha-yul once more.
Through Taesan, she extended her perception to sense vitality energy, even reaching the life force of beings not of the earth. It was an enormously difficult application of the ability, but Lee Ji-yeon could manage it, one way or another.
Through that sense, she examined Lee Ha-yul again.
A hollow vessel. A yawn of emptiness so stark it verged on void, and contents that, even now, faintly but unmistakably, were vanishing as if evaporating...
'What on earth...!'
The vitality energy she had packed to the brim last time was already on the verge of total depletion.
At that fact, Lee Ji-yeon's eyes quivered faintly.
She had overexerted herself to the point that Lee Ji-yeon herself had ached and groaned for a day or two, just to fill that vitality. How long has it been, and he is already scraping the bottom of the barrel again...
Just what on earth does he get up to out there? Does he gamble with his vitality like it's betting money?
She even found herself imagining, with a dizzying chill, that he might suddenly keel over somewhere.
'Calamity Flame...? Could that be having an effect?'
As Lee Ji-yeon was reeling in shock, Lee Ha-yul's condition suddenly surfaced in her mind.
The trial that manifests alongside the changes in Calamity Flame. She had heard he was dropping most of his lectures because of it. The memory of when she sent that well-being message was still vivid.
Calamity Flame... maybe that had an influence.
Considering the nature of the Calamity Flame, it was not impossible. Of the Three Great Families' unique abilities, it was the most damnable one. The Calamity Flame also had the highest incidence of killing its own manifestors.
Of course, she didn't know for certain.
In the first place, no one could be certain about Lee Ha-yul's current condition.
After all, inside a single person's body, two of the Three Great Families' unique abilities had taken root.
Taesan and Calamity Flame.
Abilities that throughout all of history had never once mingled had manifested together in a single individual.
No one knew what kind of interactions might be occurring.
'No, first I need to replenish the vitality energy...'
Lee Ji-yeon shook the thought off. This was not the time to chew on such worries.
First, replenish the depleted vitality. She didn't have the leeway to fill it completely at this very moment, but at least a moderate amount...
"Unni."
It was then.
A chilling call drove itself right into her ear. Lee Ji-yeon's shoulders jolted at the ferocious pressure that felt as if it could freeze her body solid on the spot.
She raised her stiffened head. In contrast to the icy voice, she found a pair of blazing eyes glaring at her as if they intended to burn her to death.
"Unni, you wanna die?"
"Eep..."
"What exactly do you think you're doing right now?"
It was Hong Yeon-hwa, her eyes bleeding a deep crimson glare. Hellfire blazed within those pupils.
Lee Ji-yeon swallowed her breath.
The title of 'unni' and the bare minimum of respectful speech... didn't feel that way at all.
The emotion contained in that glare and voice—which felt ready to rip her into a thousand shreds and burn every last piece—was far too intense.
Gnash! The chilling noise that escaped from Hong Yeon-hwa's tightly clamped mouth made Lee Ji-yeon feel a genuine threat to her life.
If Hong Yeon-hwa attacked? She would resist, but even having attended Siyoram for a year longer, she had no confidence she could win...
"Ji-yeon unni? What's gotten into you so suddenly? Why are you hugging someone without permission..."
Baek A-rin, standing beside her, didn't have an entirely kind look in her eyes either.
At a glance, her expression looked as gentle as always, but Lee Ji-yeon, who had grown up constantly rubbing shoulders with Baek A-rin since childhood, could tell.
Right now, Baek A-rin was displeased. And that displeased gaze was aimed squarely at Lee Ji-yeon.
Suddenly, a childhood memory bobbed to the surface of Lee Ji-yeon's mind.
It was a time before any of them had manifested their unique abilities, but their temperaments were already on full display.
Memories of being tormented by Hong Yeon-hwa—armed with a lively, act-first personality, and a child's unique purity... as well as a child's unique cruelty...
She mounted what resistance she could, but the memory remained of Hong Yeon-hwa staring down at Lee Ji-yeon after she had been tricked and sent sprawling, wearing a pure yet... cruel smile, while Baek A-rin giggled beside her...
Of course, it was only a childhood memory, but the emotions left behind from that relentless torment were still deeply ingrained.
They were definitely good younger sisters, but the memories of being messed with were quite present too...
Lee Ji-yeon's shoulders curled inward. Naturally, her arms drew together, and Lee Ha-yul, still in her embrace, was buried even deeper.
The murderous light in Hong Yeon-hwa's eyes grew even more ferocious.
'...?'
Faced with the intensity that had doubled in savagery... Lee Ji-yeon felt a strange sensation.
She read the emotion contained in the glare that was staring daggers at her, ready to tear her apart.
Anger and animosity.
And then...
'Jealousy?'
Jealousy, envy, coveting...
Lee Ji-yeon failed to notice Hong Yeon-hwa's fist trembling violently as if ready to lash out at any second, and instead blinked blankly.
Jealousy is the emotion of envying someone for being better than yourself.
It was the emotion Lee Ji-yeon had harbored toward Hong Yeon-hwa.
She had been envious of Hong Yeon-hwa. She had been jealous of Baek A-rin. She had coveted her own mother's life.
Lee Ji-yeon had manifested a unique ability, too, but she didn't receive the same plaudits they did, nor was she ever held to similar expectations.
Pretending it didn't bother her, she had been compared with them countless times by the people around her because her own talents were relatively lacking.
Now... that emotion had reversed direction.
Hong Yeon-hwa was fiercely, intensely jealous of Lee Ji-yeon.
"......"
Lee Ji-yeon felt a complex emotion that was hard to parse. It was something deeply difficult to interpret... a strange, simmering heat blooming in a corner of her chest...
- Tap tap
[Um...]
[Could you let go of me now?]
"Ah, ahh, yes..."
Lee Ha-yul, sensing the murderous aura that honestly seemed ready to sock her in the face, hastily tapped her waist.
Only then, wearing a dazed look, did Lee Ji-yeon release Lee Ha-yul from her arms.
- Urrp...?
Lee Ha-yul, who had extricated himself and stepped back, briefly lurched.
[Huh?]
Lee Ha-yul's eyes, which he hadn't been able to close, flew wide open as he hurriedly covered his mouth with both hands.
His stomach felt inexplicably heavy.
In that brief interval, his vitality had been somewhat replenished.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul→Lee Ji-yeon
●●●●○○○○○○(46▷47/100)
｢Successor of Taesan｣ ｢Good Person｣ ｢Loser?｣ ｢Question mark｣