Divine Spirit (1)
Seong Hyun-jin came to a secluded spot behind the annex with Yeonhui, a place few people frequented.
“Sunbae.”
The moment they arrived and took their positions, Seong Hyun-jin spoke first.
“You crossed the line yesterday, you know that, right?”
“……”
Yeonhui bowed her head deeply.
“I’m, I’m sorry, hoobae-nim… I must have lost my mind for a moment…”
“Why did you do it?”
“Well…”
“……No, you don’t have to say it. Honestly, I already know.”
Seong Hyun-jin furrowed his brow slightly as he spoke.
“Still, that’s not okay. Back in our original world, if something like that happened, I’d be the criminal, got it?”
He wasn’t sure about this world, where values hadn’t fully modernized, but in Seong Hyun-jin’s previous life or the Korea Yeonhui had lived in, an incident like that would have been a huge deal. Above all, regardless of legality, it was morally wrong. Slipping someone an aphrodisiac without their consent—worse, disguising it as a fever reducer—was straight-up criminal.
As Seong Hyun-jin reproached her on that point, Yeonhui kept apologizing profusely.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Good thing you know you did wrong.”
With Yeonhui being so meek, it was hard for Seong Hyun-jin to come down too hard on her. He let out a sigh and continued.
“I get why you did it, but you still can’t do that.”
“…Yes.”
…Well, thanks to that, things progressed with Serena, Seong Hyun-jin thought to himself.
It felt a bit rushed, but better than dragging it out. And above all, Seong Hyun-jin himself was more than satisfied. He’d claimed Serena Eldark, a woman who was objectively beautiful and incredibly alluring—how could any man not be thrilled?
So despite his firm tone, the anger he felt toward Yeonhui wasn’t that intense. Of course, he was laying into her sternly to prevent any repeats of her acting on her own…
But seeing her expression softened his resolve again. Unable to say more, Seong Hyun-jin fell into an awkward silence.
“Sob…”
“…Sunbae?”
Suddenly, Yeonhui started sobbing.
“I’m sorry, sob, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, hoobae-nim…! I must have gone crazy…!”
“Uh, uh…”
Yeonhui burst into tears, bowing repeatedly to Seong Hyun-jin as she apologized.
“I knew I shouldn’t have, I knew it…! I just wanted you to look back at me somehow…!”
“……”
“You… sob, you said you didn’t like me because my chest is small…! I can’t do anything about that, sniffl, so I got desperate… sob…!”
Seong Hyun-jin was utterly flustered.
“Y-You were really hung up on that?”
He hadn’t expected her to take it so seriously.
“You… sob, because my chest is small… sniffl, that’s why you don’t like me…”
Body type definitely played a big role in why Seong Hyun-jin didn’t find Yeonhui as alluring as Serena. As he’d thought himself, her chest was on the smaller side by his standards.
“Sniffl, I’m sorry… I did wrong… sniffl, sob…! I’ll never do it again… please don’t cut ties with me… sob!”
But that wasn’t the only reason he’d rejected her feelings. Sure, it was a factor, but the main issue was that to Seong Hyun-jin, Yeonhui was still just a close sunbae—nothing more.
“Sunbae, that’s……”
Seong Hyun-jin was about to explain properly to spare her further heartache, even knowing it would tarnish his own image. By saying her small chest was the reason, he figured she’d naturally distance herself, as any woman would feel hurt hearing that.
“…I guess I shouldn’t have said it like that. I didn’t know you’d get so worked up over something like that.”
“Sniffl… y-yes…?”
“It’s not really because your chest is small that I rejected you.”
Of course, there was some truth to it… but the key factor was their relationship’s progress.
“I still don’t know you that well as a person.”
“……”
They’d grown close enough, but that was only in the ‘acquaintance’ sense. Serena had spent so much time glued to Seong Hyun-jin’s side that he’d had ample opportunity to feel her charm. Being in the same department and class had only amplified that. Especially sharing a bed—Seong Hyun-jin had struggled not to give in.
Apart from her looks matching his tastes, he’d had plenty of time to appreciate her appeal, leading him to be drawn in. But not with Yeonhui.
He was grateful for her help multiple times, but that didn’t equate to spending enough time to feel attracted. Helping her might have looked like interest, but to him, it was just repaying her kindness in good faith.
So relatively speaking, her smaller chest wasn’t the core issue. It was small, sure, but more importantly, he simply hadn’t had enough time to feel drawn to her. It was the same reason he hadn’t made a move on Ciela Teraport despite knowing her feelings.
“Of course, I know ‘third-year sunbae Yeonhui.’ But as for ‘Yeonhui the person’… I can’t know her well. We’ve only known each other for less than two months.”
“B-But… then what about Serena hoobae-nim…”
“The reason I could accept Serena’s feelings so easily wasn’t just her big chest—it’s because I’d had enough time to feel attracted to her. Unlike with you, Serena and I were always together, right?”
Seong Hyun-jin explained.
“It happened because she didn’t have friends, but the result is we spent way more time together. Same two-ish months, but the quality of that time is worlds apart.”
“……”
“And…”
Seong Hyun-jin added one more reason.
“As you know, Yeonhui sunbae, I like strong people.”
“…Yes.”
“Serena’s strong. You know that, right? She couldn’t be weak with that bloodline, and she puts in the effort too. I don’t like strong people who slack off, but I do like weak ones who try hard. So someone strong and hardworking… of course that’s attractive to me.”
Seong Hyun-jin said.
“But you haven’t shown me that side yet. Maybe I just haven’t seen it, but that doesn’t change the fact that I haven’t. And I know your power is special, but I mean pure combat strength.”
He scratched his head.
“Maybe it’s because I grew up under my master, but that’s how I gauge people’s appeal…”
“…I understand.”
Yeonhui had stopped crying and seemed to grasp his words.
“Our relationship isn’t close enough for me to confess to you yet. You’ve been keeping more distance than I thought.”
“Uh… is that how it is?”
“And I must seem weak to you.”
“Ah, it’s not exactly that…”
Actually, it was. Her delicate build and blessing specialized for healer and support roles inevitably gave the impression of physical weakness. Especially since Seong Hyun-jin had zero prior knowledge of academies—he didn’t know how people from other academies stacked up against Terastial Academy.
“…Then, hoobae-nim.”
“Yes?”
So he didn’t know.
“Spar with me once.”
What kind of existence she held at the Celestial Academy, on par with Terastial Academy.
#
“Thank you for lending us the training grounds.”
“No need. I’m the one grateful for the rare spectacle.”
Seong Hyun-jin had come to the ducal training grounds with Yeonhui. Not just them—the word of their sudden spar had drawn the whole group, and even Duke Elcarus Levatein, who’d lent the grounds, was present.
“What’s with the sudden spar?”
“No idea. Seems like Yeonhui sunbae suggested it…”
“…This should be interesting.”
Yeonhui hadn’t challenged him thinking she could win. She’d given up competing with Divine Star Shania, while Seong Hyun-jin hadn’t dodged her and even landed a solid hit. Yeonhui might appreciate his skill even more than he did himself.
Yet she’d proposed this spar to imprint on him that she too was a powerhouse.
That way, he’ll at least look at me again…
It would make him feel even a bit more attracted to her. That was enough.
“Nice training grounds.”
Satisfied with the facilities, Seong Hyun-jin drew his sword—not a wooden one, but his real blade, at Yeonhui’s request. Sparring with wooden swords wouldn’t let him go all out, so she couldn’t show her true strength either.
“Yeonhui sunbae said it’s fine to use spirit power here. So…”
“…Yes, I know.”
Yeonhui said.
“Unlike you, hoobae-nim, I need to use spirit power to fight.”
“…You’re building up my expectations.”
Gripping his sword and assuming a stance, Seong Hyun-jin flashed an intrigued smile.
“Then I’ll look forward to a fun fight.”
Meanwhile, Serena watched the two prepare and murmured quietly.
“Not to be rude, but there’s no way Yeonhui sunbae can beat Seong Hyun-jin…”
“You never know.”
Unlike Serena, Ciela was optimistic.
Serena tilted her head.
“Huh? How could it be uncertain? Isn’t Yeonhui sunbae seriously lacking in combat ability?”
“Yeonhui sunbae’s pretty strong. No—really damn strong.”
“Yeonhui sunbae?”
Serena was puzzled. If she was that strong, why had she left the fight to Serena during Clarice’s rampage?
But Ciela spoke as if it were obvious.
“Yeah, duh? Don’t you know who came as an exchange student with Yeonhui sunbae, Serena hoobae?”
“…The top third-year from the Swordsmanship Department, right? I don’t know much about her…”
“Elena Apocalipse.”
“…From the Apocalipse family?”
“Yep.”
Ciela said.
“Even when I used Shamash Prophecy, she was someone I couldn’t beat no matter what.”
“……Huh?”
“The person who came as an exchange student with her is Yeonhui sunbae. That say it all?”
Ciela glanced at Yeonhui stepping onto the grounds.
“She hesitates to use her power for some reason, but she’s definitely not weak.”
“Hesitates…”
Only then did Serena vaguely realize why Yeonhui hadn’t jumped into the fray during Clarice’s incident. Could Yeonhui have issues using spirit power, like Seong Hyun-jin?
That would explain hiding her strength all this time.
“…Hyun-jin hoobae-nim.”
But Serena soon realized.
“If you’re not serious, you could get hurt.”
The reason Yeonhui hesitated wasn’t some backlash from using spirit power.
Spirit Manifestation.
“The Horned One.”
⟨ Spirit Manifestation ⟩
Yeonhui extended her hand forward.
A spirit slowly materialized behind her.
Serena wasn’t the only one shocked—neither was Ciela, who’d expected Yeonhui’s strength, nor Clarice and Duke Elcarus Levatein, who’d been watching with interest.
“Wait, that spirit…”
“……A Divine Spirit?”
“…Heh, this generation’s Terastial Academy is full of talents.”
Even Seong Hyun-jin, her opponent, was fairly surprised.
“……Whoa, sunbae.”
The reason Yeonhui hesitated to summon her spirit was simply…
“You were hiding something like that?”
She couldn’t reveal such power recklessly.