Cracks in the Bond (2)
To Yeonhui, Seong Hyun-jin was more than just a special junior. Though he himself had no idea, she'd started feeling drawn to him ever since learning he was from the same South Korea as her. Of course, unlike Yeonhui the transmigrator, Seong Hyun-jin was a reincarnator with memories of his past life, still a native of this world... but what mattered to her was that they could share memories of the same world, the same country.
That was why she'd often said she wanted to chat with him, and when he actually showed up at the chapel to talk... to Yeonhui, it felt like the arrival of a savior.
For someone suffering severe homesickness, the appearance of another who could reminisce about old memories together hit harder than she could have imagined. And his looks were right up her alley, too. Maybe because she was on the petite side herself, Yeonhui preferred men who weren't too tall—guys a bit smaller suited her better. She liked soft-featured faces over sharp ones, cute over cool. Not that she disliked handsome men, of course. That was why she'd fallen even harder for Seong Hyun-jin.
The terrifying presence he'd shown at the martial arts festival had sent shivers down her spine. He looked so cute normally, yet harbored that hidden side. Seeing it made her swoon with how cool it was.
If only he'd give me that look someday... for my sake...
Just imagining it made her whole body tremble with excitement. Embarrassing as it was, she'd comforted herself with such fantasies more than once. She was that smitten, yet she'd never mustered the courage to confess—because she could sense Seong Hyun-jin wasn't all that interested in her.
But things had changed now. Hadn't he confronted the Divine Star, one of the Palstar Heroes, for her sake? Hadn't he saved her from the brink of leaving Terastial Academy? Like a knight straight out of a fairy tale.
To such a Seong Hyun-jin, Yeonhui could no longer hide the feelings she'd harbored all this time. In fact, she'd practically confessed in the hospital room already. He'd turned her down indirectly but left room for the future... so all she had to do was wait for him to visit the chapel alone.
That was the situation—until now.
"You're... you're off with another woman right now, ignoring me, Junior...?"
Some bitchy woman was approaching Seong Hyun-jin and striking first. How could she stay sane?
Shadows fell over Yeonhui's face. Her shadowed expression was icy cold, her eyes unfocused and dead as she glared at Seong Hyun-jin and Serena.
"How... how could you do this to me, Junior!?"
"Yeonhui sunbae, wait—this premise is all wrong, isn't it? Cheating? We haven't even started dating yet."
"......What?"
But Yeonhui had made a mistake. Seong Hyun-jin hadn't accepted her feelings yet.
"B-but, Junior... what I said back in the hospital room... Are you saying you didn't get how I felt even after that?"
"I got it, but..."
Of course, just as Yeonhui said, Seong Hyun-jin understood her feelings perfectly. But there was one massive obstacle preventing him from reciprocating.
"But sunbae... I still can't accept your feelings."
"......Why not?"
Seong Hyun-jin was honest to a fault. From his beloved master Karin on down—to Serena Eldark, Ciela Teraport, and even Clarice Levatein, who was just a classmate—all the women around him were quite well-endowed. Every female acquaintance in Seong Hyun-jin's circle had big breasts. Yeonhui was the sole exception: small.
She might not be tiny by average standards, but compared to them, Seong Hyun-jin just couldn't muster any interest in Yeonhui's body.
Her breasts are too small...!
Seong Hyun-jin agonized over how to phrase it. I can't say, "I'm not interested because your breasts are small." No way. And honestly, her breasts were his only issue by his standards—Yeonhui was plenty attractive otherwise. That just made him feel guiltier.
As Seong Hyun-jin pondered, Yeonhui jumped to conclusions on her own and sighed in lament.
"...So you prefer lusting after Serena sunbae's body over my feelings, huh, Junior."
"L-lusting? I haven't done anything yet!"
But you kinda have, Serena shot him a look that said. Seong Hyun-jin broke into a light sweat under her gaze.
"Not you too...!"
"...Lying's no good, you know."
"See!?!"
That only fueled Yeonhui's rage further.
"So you're just another typical guy after all, hypnotized by useless lumps of fat hanging off the chest?"
Enraged that Seong Hyun-jin's heart had gone not to her, but to that bitch, she reached into her bosom.
"Sunbae? What are you pulling out...?"
Yeonhui drew something from her bosom. At the sight, Seong Hyun-jin and Serena both froze.
"Y-Yeonhui sunbae...!?"
Seong Hyun-jin was shocked, of course, but even Serena gasped in panic.
"Gasp......"
It was a small dagger.
#
"S-sunbae? What are you doing right now...!?"
Even Serena, who'd been watching the scene with cool detachment, panicked and tried to stop her.
But Yeonhui drew the dagger from its sheath and tossed the sheath aside.
Is she gonna stab me with that? Seong Hyun-jin tensed up, ready for anything. If Yeonhui acted rashly, he'd have to respond immediately.
But the dagger wasn't aimed at him. She turned the blade on herself, staring blankly into space with dead eyes as she muttered.
"If you won't even look at me, Junior, my life has no meaning. I might as well just end it here..."
"W-wait, that's not it!!"
Seong Hyun-jin broke away from Serena and rushed over. Regardless of the situation, he had to stop her from dying.
Thwack!!
He swiftly knocked the dagger from her hand. As it flew free and clattered to the floor, Seong Hyun-jin sighed in relief and looked at Yeonhui—then flinched.
The woman who'd seemed ready to die moments ago was grinning ear to ear.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Yeonhui threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Seong Hyun-jin was stunned, and even Serena, who'd relaxed at his quick action, gaped in bewilderment.
"Yeonhui sunbae? What are you...?"
But Yeonhui clung to Seong Hyun-jin without letting go, whispering in his ear.
"See? I knew I wasn't wrong."
"Huh?"
"You just fell for a momentary temptation right in front of you, but deep down, you do care about me."
"What?"
As Seong Hyun-jin blinked in confusion, Yeonhui beamed.
"See? You came rushing to save me."
"No, that's just..."
Of course he would—who wouldn't stop someone dying right in front of them? But such common sense didn't register with Yeonhui.
"You tossed aside that bitch and came to save the one you truly care about."
"Th-that bitch...?"
"...Sunbae, you've been calling me derogatory names nonstop."
Serena stood, retying the front of her robe that Seong Hyun-jin had loosened, frowning as she pressed the point.
"He just gave me permission to love him. Right now, I'm his one and only girlfriend."
"Hmph. You just seduced him with that vulgar body of yours. You teased his innocent lusts and got him to say what you wanted to hear."
Even as Serena closed in, Yeonhui's sharp K-style retorts continued unabated. But Serena didn't flinch at the aggression—instead, she counterattacked.
"If it was just about my body, like you say... why would Seong Hyun-jin ask me to call him 'honey'?"
"Honey...? Ha."
Serena's pet name made Yeonhui scoff.
"Junior, you already let that slutty woman call you that?"
"...Huh? Is that a problem?"
"Of course it is. You're meant to spend your life with me."
"......"
Serena clicked her tongue at Yeonhui's brazen declaration, her tone turning icy as she called out the delusion.
"Who decided you're spending a lifetime together?"
"I wasn't talking to you, you lustful lizard."
"L-lizard...!?"
Seong Hyun-jin sighed as the two women's verbal sparring escalated. He gently pried off Yeonhui's arms, which were locked tightly around him.
"Ah...!"
She'd clung desperately, but his unexpected strength shook her loose easily. With Yeonhui off him, Seong Hyun-jin sighed again.
Honestly, these fights exhausted him, and he didn't want to risk cracks in their relationships by saying more. But he knew he had to now. Serena was his girlfriend, after all. Not taking her side here—what kind of relationship would that be?
"Yeonhui sunbae."
He warned her.
"First off, no more calling her 'bitch' or whatever. Got it?"
"...Junior?"
"And I know how you feel, but honestly, I'm not interested in you yet."
"...!"
Seong Hyun-jin laid it out plainly, explaining why.
"That 'useless lump of fat' you mentioned earlier? It's actually one of my favorite things. But you..."
His gaze dropped pointedly to Yeonhui's chest. Blushing furiously at the blatant stare, she shot back.
"Eek... I-I'm not flat! I have some...! It's not a total cliff!!"
"Sunbae."
Seong Hyun-jin said.
"Think about my master, and you'll get why I like those 'lumps of fat.' And why yours falls short."
"......"
Yeonhui pictured Karin. The overwhelming presence that dwarfed even Serena Eldark right here... those breasts. She didn't want to understand, but her mind grasped it instantly.
Seeing her dazed expression, Seong Hyun-jin continued.
"Let's leave it here. This is getting too much."
"...B-but... then you, Junior..."
"Look at yourself first. No guy would accept feelings from someone acting like this."
Yeonhui glanced at the window. Her reflection stared back: a wrecked expression, chillingly vacant eyes. Hands desperately clutching like a stubborn child. The dagger tossed on the floor. Pitiful, even to her. She looked utterly broken in every way.
No matter how pretty her true self was, who would like her like this? Seong Hyun-jin was spot-on.
Realizing it, Yeonhui let out a hollow whimper, staring blankly at herself.
"Ah..."
"...Go home and rest. That's best."
"......"
"And if you're really uncomfortable, consider heading to the Levatein Duchy."
Seong Hyun-jin turned away, pocketing the fallen dagger and lightly tapping Serena's shoulder—a signal not to say more.
"Let's go."
"...Okay."
Serena nodded and followed him past Yeonhui out of the classroom.
Outside, she asked Seong Hyun-jin.
"Is it okay to just leave her like that...? I'm worried..."
"She'll be fine. Yeonhui sunbae's not that foolish. Just... homesickness got the better of her this time."
At his response, Serena recalled Yeonhui's words—that he acted out of care for her. It seemed true. Even now, despite her over-the-top behavior, he was trying to understand.
...He really does care about her.
A twinge of jealousy made Serena grumble.
"...So that's how you got a confession from Yeonhui sunbae first?"
"No, confession's too strong... just a kiss on the cheek or so..."
"A-a kiss...!? That wasn't your first kiss! Mine was just now...!"
"On the cheek, I said!"
"Still a kiss!"
Serena's cheeks puffed out in jealous explosion. Holding back his embarrassment, Seong Hyun-jin answered honestly.
"...A lip kiss was my first, too, just now."
"......"
His innocently sincere reply melted away her jealousy in an instant. She murmured dazedly.
"That was cute, Seong Hyun-jin."
"Don't treat me like a kid. And the pet name's off."
"...Y-you really want me to call you that?"
"No need in public, but when it's just us? Yeah."
Blushing slightly at his insistence, Serena found it easier the second time.
"...O-okay, honey."
Seong Hyun-jin smiled in satisfaction at her shy compliance, then offered an alternative.
"If you hate that, 'oppa' works too."
Serena immediately shot it down.
"We're the same age, honey."
"This won't do..."