Balcony Temptation Interrupted
Before Seong Hyun-jin could even think to refuse, Siela slyly dragged him around the perimeter of the banquet hall instead of heading straight inside with her. Spotting the terrace overlooking the hall from above, he remarked,
“You want to go up there?”
“Yep!”
“If you just wanted to hit the terrace, we could’ve gone through the banquet hall like normal people.”
“Nah. This way, no one will recognize me. If we stroll in through the main entrance, people will swarm us, and it’ll ruin the whole point of not showing up until now.”
“Ah….”
“So let’s climb up here.”
Seong Hyun-jin nodded as if he understood Siela’s explanation.
“But how? It’s pretty high up.”
“That’s why you’ll have to carry me up there, junior!”
“…….”
As Seong Hyun-jin shot her a look that screamed why do I have to go that far?, Siela replied matter-of-factly.
“I’m in this dress, so I can’t climb on my own right now. You’ll have to help me out.”
“...Do we have to go via the terrace?”
“Yeah, so I can actually enjoy the party a little, you know? Quietly. I don’t wanna deal with all those people.”
Siela flashed a mischievous grin, playful yet laced with genuine sincerity. She really did seem fed up with the hassle.
To the hesitating Seong Hyun-jin, she slyly brought up his own words from before.
“You said you’d help me out when I’m in a bind, right? This is exactly that situation.”
“Being famous sounds exhausting.”
“It’s not me being famous—it’s my family. What can I do about that?”
Siela shrugged helplessly, and Seong Hyun-jin reluctantly extended his arms.
“Fine, I’ll carry you.”
“Ah… y-yeah!”
Though she blushed a bit now that it was actually happening, Seong Hyun-jin didn’t hesitate. He scooped her up, supporting her back and thighs. The sudden lift startled Siela, her eyes widening in surprise.
Seong Hyun-jin might’ve been on the slimmer side, but his training gave him real strength. Feeling it firsthand, Siela let her imagination wander, her cheeks flushing deeper.
“Hold on tight—I don’t want you falling.”
“M-mhm….”
Thud!
As expected, Seong Hyun-jin scanned the protruding ledges on the banquet hall’s exterior and scaled them in a flash. Having lived in the mountains, climbing cliffs was second nature to him—scaling a building wall while carrying someone was no big deal.
Gently setting Siela down on the terrace, he dusted off his hands.
“Thanks, junior.”
“No problem. So… what now?”
“I’ll let the servant in charge know first. That way, no one else comes up.”
As Siela turned toward the servant stationed outside the terrace curtains, her dress hem fluttered, revealing her snow-white legs. Seong Hyun-jin’s gaze instinctively flicked there—raw, unfiltered instinct, not deliberate.
“…!”
Siela naturally caught the blatant stare but didn’t call him out. Instead…
Heh heh… so he is interested, huh?
His reactions only boosted her confidence for what she had planned next.
While Siela parted the curtains slightly to chat with the servant about using the terrace, Seong Hyun-jin took a moment to look around. She’d called it a terrace, but technically, it was a balcony—connected to the second-floor windows of the banquet hall, not the ground level.
It was impressively spacious. It had looked big from below, but up close, it felt even more vast, sturdy enough to make him marvel at the engineering. Probably meant as a rest spot for weary partygoers, it featured a simple tea table and a small sofa—a cozy lounge of sorts.
Seong Hyun-jin pressed the sofa cushions and plopped down.
“Ooh, comfy.”
Leaning back in bliss, he spotted Siela returning, apparently done talking.
“They said it’s okay?”
“Yeah, all good.”
Seong Hyun-jin nodded slightly, and Siela sat across from him.
Looking at her, he asked,
“So, what’s up? I should probably head back soon.”
“Because of Serena?”
“Yeah.”
He answered honestly. What other reason would he have to rush back to the banquet?
Siela felt a twinge of bitterness but wasn’t shocked—it was the answer she’d expected.
“Serena looked pretty dolled up, huh?”
“You saw?”
“Nah, just a guess.”
As Seong Hyun-jin gave her a how’d you know? look, Siela explained simply.
“You told her to dress pretty, right? So I figured she did. Probably went all out—am I right?”
“Yeah.”
Seong Hyun-jin affirmed, glancing at Siela. Her dress was lovely, but unlike Serena or Clarice, she wore minimal jewelry and light makeup. Her blue hair paired nicely with the orange gown, yet compared to them, she seemed a touch understated—especially for a banquet, which piqued his curiosity.
“Did you go simple on purpose, senior?”
“You noticed?”
“Why?”
Siela chuckled at his question and explained.
“Sometimes after all that flashiness, you crave something simpler, y’know?”
“Huh?”
Seong Hyun-jin tilted his head, then caught on to who the “viewer” was in her words, his eyes widening.
“...For me?”
“Who else would I do it for?”
Seong Hyun-jin flinched slightly at her bold reply, but Siela pressed on confidently.
“Clarice is hosting, so she’ll go glamorous. Serena and Yeonhui won’t hold back either… so I aimed for the subtle angle.”
“…….”
“Not a fan? Do you prefer the flashy types?”
At her question, Seong Hyun-jin shared his honest take.
“No… both work for me. Actually, like you said, after all the glitz, this feels even more appealing.”
“...Really?”
Siela looked pleasantly surprised, beaming as she propped her chin on her hand.
“Hmm… your guard’s down tonight, junior.”
“Pardon?”
“Normally, you’d play dumb and run off to Serena.”
She grinned teasingly.
“You’re actually paying attention to me today. It’s intriguing.”
“...I’ve always had some interest.”
“Oh? Then why pretend not to notice this senior’s feelings~?”
“……I don’t know you that well yet.”
Siela blinked in surprise.
“You don’t?”
“Sure, I’ve heard stories from the headmaster and you, and there’ve been those incidents… but unlike Serena, who I’m with every day and know inside out, there’s still a lot about you I haven’t figured out.”
Unlike Serena Eldark, with whom he shared classes, year, and section—building daily familiarity—Siela Teraport was still more of an acquaintance. Even if she suddenly showed interest, his limited knowledge of her created a gap. That’s why he could reciprocate Serena’s feelings deeply but not yet Siela’s.
“Don’t we need time for your feelings to really reach me?”
“...Hmm, got it. You know Serena inside out ‘cause you’re together all the time. We just haven’t spent enough yet.”
Siela nailed it. Seong Hyun-jin didn’t deny it, and she stared at him thoughtfully before smiling lightly.
“Then let’s start getting to know each other now.”
“Huh?”
“What do you wanna know first?”
Siela rose slightly from her sofa, perching on the armrest of his and leaning in. Blushing faintly, she whispered in his ear,
“...Wanna explore my body first, inch by inch?”
“……!!”
Seong Hyun-jin jolted in shock, staring at her like she’d lost her mind, but Siela acted innocent.
“Serena hasn’t let you do this yet, right? Poor thing, putting up with it when you’re a full-grown man with a pretty girl around. How long can you hold out?”
Her fingers trailed softly along his arm.
“We gotta fix that.”
Her sticky touch numbed his reason. Come to think of it, her outfit was simple, but her scent was just as intoxicating as the other women’s—no, even better. Less like cosmetics, more like her natural, alluring skin.
Seong Hyun-jin’s senses dulled under the fragrance as Siela pushed further.
“Even if you don’t accept my feelings right now, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Wh-what I want…?”
“Yeah, like…”
Siela tugged at the thin strap holding her dress on her shoulder.
“If you say take it off, I will?”
“H-here!?”
“Terraces are for this. Couples who lock eyes at the party sneak out for secret trysts. Didn’t know?”
“…….”
Only then did Seong Hyun-jin glance at the adjacent balcony. No outright indecency yet, but couples holding hands, kissing… a few were already at it.
“So, junior?”
Siela overlaid her hand on his, her fingers slipping between his with a sticky intimacy.
“Wanna explore?”
“…….”
Seong Hyun-jin couldn’t muster a refusal. The scent clouding his mind was part, but realizing the spot’s purpose made his head spin worse.
Siela smiled at his innocent reaction, leaning closer to whisper,
“Then first…”
“...Back off.”
“...!?”
“!?”
The sudden voice made Seong Hyun-jin and Siela spring apart in alarm, whipping their heads toward the source.
To their shock, there stood…
“Y-Yeonhui senior?”
“...Yeonhui senior, wh-where’d you come from?”
Yeonhui, nowhere to be seen in the banquet hall until now, was there. No clue how she’d appeared, but she was real enough, clad in a pure white dress like her academy uniform—simple yet perfectly suiting her image, and beautiful.
Too stunned to appreciate it, Seong Hyun-jin just hiccuped.
“Hyunjin junior, what if Serena finds out?”
“Uh……”
His reason snapped back. Glancing between Yeonhui and Siela, he turned to Siela.
“S-Siela senior, let’s talk later…!”
“Wait, junior?”
Seong Hyun-jin bolted, vanishing into the banquet hall. Siela stared blankly at his retreating back before whipping around at the culprit.
“...Senior, how long were you hiding?”
“...Is that the point? The point is you prowling after Hyunjin junior like a stray cat. With Serena right there—how could you?”
“Oh? Since when do you care so much about Serena?”
Their glares clashed in the air, fierce as sparking flames, neither willing to yield.
“...What gives you the right to interfere just ‘cause he hasn’t accepted you yet?”
“...He hasn’t accepted me yet either. And that doesn’t mean I’d stoop to seducing him with my body.”
“Ah, is that so? Not like you couldn’t?”
“What!?”
Even after Seong Hyun-jin left, Siela and Yeonhui snarled at each other for a good while. Fortunately, their cool heads prevented it from escalating to hair-pulling pettiness.