My Man, Your Man (4)
“……What’s this?”
Seong Hyun-jin asked as if he had no idea what the note tucked between the pages of his notebook was. Well, he actually knew. Who would secretly pass a note like this with any other intention? Anyone could see it was a love letter aimed straight at him. But Seong Hyun-jin had to pretend he didn’t know. He had Serena, and now Ciela too. He had no intention of turning his eyes to another girl so soon, leaving them behind. Besides, he didn’t even know the girl who had handed him the notebook and note all that well, so there was no room for him to feel any affection. And for some reason, he didn’t sense any carnal desire from her at all. Thinking back to the strange lust he’d felt toward a maid whose face he’d only glimpsed yesterday, it was definitely a different vibe.
Is it because I did it with Ciela sis yesterday?
If that was the case, maybe as long as he relieved it periodically, it wouldn’t interfere with his daily life. Just as Seong Hyun-jin was thinking that was a relief, she replied a beat late.
“Read it alone later.”
She said with a slight smile. She probably thought it looked charming, but to Seong Hyun-jin—who already had Serena and Ciela as girlfriends—it didn’t come off as all that appealing. Charm didn’t always come from just a pretty face, but with the stunning beauty of the girls he was already dating or had his eye on, his standards had gotten ridiculously high.
“…You know, I have a girlfriend.”
When she showed no signs of backing down, Seong Hyun-jin gave up pretending and spoke honestly.
“You know I’m dating Serena, right?”
“Of course I know. Who doesn’t?”
“Then what’s this about?”
“What’s the problem?”
She spoke as if she couldn’t fathom what the issue was.
“If you want, it’s fine to date multiple people. You’re not one of those types who only looks at one person, are you?”
“That’s not what I mean. You’re doing something dangerous here.”
“Dangerous? How?”
“Aila.”
At that moment, a voice so chilling it could kill rang out. When the girl called Aila turned her head, Serena Eldark was glaring at her with a ferocious aura.
“……!”
Aila’s confident expression froze in an instant as she’d been chatting with Seong Hyun-jin.
“What are you doing to my boyfriend right in front of me?”
Serena’s vibe was that menacing. Even if only half, the fact that Eldark blood ran through her veins was on full display—the dragon princess’s rage was utterly terrifying. Aila couldn’t help but stammer, glancing nervously at Serena.
“Th-that’s…”
“Do I look like a joke to you? You didn’t think I’d just sit back and do nothing, did you?”
Seong Hyun-jin, sensing Serena might actually do something drastic to Aila if this went on, stepped in to wrap things up.
“Thanks for lending me the notebook, but I can’t accept it like this. Sorry.”
“……Ah, okay.”
Seong Hyun-jin handed back the notebook with the note still inside. The moment Aila snatched it and bolted from her seat, Serena plopped down right where she’d been sitting.
“Didn’t we agree to stay apart during class?”
“I know.”
“Then why…”
“I won’t touch you. I just thought people might bother you while you’re studying, so I’ll stay right here.”
“…….”
Seong Hyun-jin realized that if he told her to leave, it’d just lead to another repeat of the scene from earlier. So he nodded as if to say go ahead, and turned back to his studies. Sure enough, with Serena glued to his side, no other girls approached to fawn over him. Her intimidating presence was so overwhelming that none of them dared come near.
But Serena’s vigilance wasn’t always perfect. Like when she had to step out to the bathroom.
“H-here, eat this!”
“?”
The second Serena was gone, another classmate girl rushed up, shyly shoved a letter and snack into his hands, and fled. Seong Hyun-jin stared at the cookies and letter, inwardly baffled.
This isn’t some ‘90s teen rom-com movie.
The old-school way of expressing affection felt kinda fresh and fun. And the fact that he was the target made it all the more surreal. To Seong Hyun-jin, who remembered his past life, just being in this situation was an amusing experience in itself.
“Haha.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, but the other girls watching interpreted it differently.
“…He laughed?”
“Hersy, looks like you succeeded!”
Thinking Seong Hyun-jin had taken an interest in the girl who gave him the snack, they buzzed excitedly among themselves.
“The gift strategy seems to be working?”
“Maybe he’s low on blood sugar from studying? I’ll try next.”
Even after witnessing Serena’s terrifying display with Aila earlier, these vibrant girls knew nothing of giving up. They started plotting their next moves to win Seong Hyun-jin over, brainstorming what gifts to give based on Hersy’s “success,” and how to write their letters.
Whatever they were up to, Seong Hyun-jin just focused on his studies. He was determined to claim top spot in the department this time, to show Karin he had no shortcomings. Leaving Hersy’s letter and snack aside for now, he was diligently reviewing the lecture notes.
“Oh, Senior Ciela?”
Ciela, whose own class had ended early, had come to the Combat Department first-year classroom. A guy who recognized her asked what brought her there, and she replied as if it was perfect timing.
“Ah, is Hyun-jin still here?”
“Yeah, he is. Our class hasn’t ended yet……but Hyun-jin?”
The boy sounded flustered at how casually and affectionately Ciela called Seong Hyun-jin by name, but she breezed past him into the classroom without a care. Spotting Seong Hyun-jin deep in study, she beamed and quietly approached. Careful not to disturb his focus, she sat one seat away, propped her chin on her hand, and stared straight at him.
The boys were naturally shocked at the sight, while the girls—thinking Hersy’s plan had worked—dropped their pens and half-written letters in dismay. Honey practically dripped from Ciela’s eyes as she gazed at Seong Hyun-jin. Everyone knew that look—it was the same one Serena Eldark had once shown him in front of the Combat Department students. The gaze full of affection, reserved only for a beloved lover.
Senior Ciela….
I knew they were close, but….
Some knew Ciela had unilaterally shown interest in him a few times before. But Seong Hyun-jin accepting her was a whole different story.
“That……fucking bastard….”
A raw curse slipped from one boy’s mouth. It was inevitable. Not only had he snagged Serena Eldark—the most beautiful girl across all first-years, Combat Department or otherwise—but now even Ciela Teraport, the most popular second-year girl. How could envy and jealousy not boil over instinctively?
No matter how focused Seong Hyun-jin was, he couldn’t ignore the growing commotion around him. Only then did he notice Ciela sitting nearby.
“Oh, sis. When did you get here? You should’ve said something.”
“Didn’t wanna interrupt since you were studying.”
The people around buzzed in shock at the “sis” nickname, but neither Seong Hyun-jin nor Ciela paid it any mind and kept chatting.
“You’re really going at it this time, huh?”
“Gotta. If I miss top spot because of note-taking scores again, I’ll feel robbed.”
“Want me to help like last time?”
“…Nah, thanks, but I wanna try alone.”
Seong Hyun-jin politely declined. Serena and Ciela had taught him well last exam—they were both great teachers. The problem was that he’d been too distracted by them to focus on studying. But Ciela, unaware of that, pouted playfully with a whiny tone.
“Why~? Was I a bad teacher?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Seong Hyun-jin scratched his head and murmured quietly.
“It’s more like…you distract me so I can’t concentrate….”
“…….”
Ciela’s cheeks flushed, then turned fully red. She let out a silly “Hehe” giggle, shyly replying.
“Wh-what… You should’ve said so from the start! Got it, I’ll just cheer you on from the side then!”
“Thanks.”
The students hadn’t caught Seong Hyun-jin’s quiet words clearly, but piecing it together from Ciela’s reaction, they all sighed in resignation. The boys grumbled in lament and left, not wanting to watch anymore, while the girls clicked their tongues and ripped up their letters, tossing them in the trash.
Serena Eldark was one thing, but now Ciela Teraport too?
…No way that guy’s ever gonna be my boyfriend.
They realized any chance for themselves would require the world turning upside down.