Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Episode 20 The Protagonist of the Yuri Game Knows Nothing.
“Chaewon. Another errand for the teacher today?”
“Sorry, Sea. The teacher asked me to deliver this file no matter what.”
“Chaewon really works hard. Is it because you’re class president? Still, the other class presidents weren’t nearly as busy as you.”
“I’m only doing it because I want to.”
When I answered with a smile, Sea opened her mouth in admiration.
“Wow, amazing. Hearing someone actually say that in real life. Our Chaewon is so diligent and pretty.”
“Chaewon’s nothing like you. Don’t even compare yourself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Place your hand on your chest and think about itdesu.”
“Hey!”
After joking around like that, I parted ways with Sea and the others with smiles.
Once separated from my friends, I erased the smile from my face and walked down the hallway toward the faculty office.
‘Becoming class president went smoothly. Now I need to gradually gather power… build my own faction.’
There was only one goal.
Defeat Geum Taeyang!
It was all well and good to swear vengeance against that disgusting harem bastard trying to conquer every heroine in 【Yuri Garden】 just because he’d cleaned himself up a little—
But realistically speaking, the gap between me and Geum Taeyang had already become impossibly wide.
Unlike me, who only regained memories of my previous life six months ago, Geum Taeyang probably recovered his much earlier and prepared ever since.
I couldn’t even imagine how far his influence had spread.
If I moved carelessly, I’d be crushed instead.
‘Besides, Geum Taeyang might already know my identity.’
That day.
The Jackie stray-cat event that originally should’ve become the encounter event where In Yuna and I grew closer.
A probability-based event showing In Yuna’s unexpected side—that despite her lofty atmosphere, she loved cats and cute things in general.
And an incredibly important event where the stray cat Jackie acted as Cupid, giving the protagonist and In Yuna a chance to open up to each other.
After witnessing the Kang Yena incident at the café, I’d already confirmed that Geum Taeyang’s evil influence stretched far deeper than I could’ve imagined.
So this time, I resolved to get ahead of him and raise In Yuna’s affection first.
I bought tons of cat supplies cats would love and prepared perfectly like a general heading into battle.
And yet—
What I saw that day was the cautious Jackie, who normally never acted cute around people like In Yuna, completely melting and showering Geum Taeyang with affection.
It was shocking enough to feel like the ceiling had collapsed.
“Jackie…… you never acted that cute with me…… why…….”
Why did you cry so adorably and rub your head against Geum Taeyang!?
This is discrimination! Betrayal!
Of all people, why would you act affectionate toward Geum Taeyang!?
I was so frustrated and furious I nearly lost my balance and collapsed right there.
But annoyingly enough, the one who pulled me back up was Geum Taeyang himself.
“Sorry about that.”
Sorry!? Was he making fun of me right now!?
“Just so you know, I don’t mean anything bad by it. But what can I do? He likes me.”
The moment I heard that, a flash of realization struck me and I finally understood what Geum Taeyang truly meant.
The thing Geum Taeyang was apologizing for—
The thing that damned reincarnator was referring to when he said “he likes me more”—
Wasn’t Jackie.
“I’ll never hand the heroines over to you! I’ll save In Yuna, Kang Yena, and everyone else from your evil clutches!”
He must’ve had so much fun mocking me!
This absolutely wasn’t just resentment from being humiliated.
It was all for the heroines!
I’d sworn to fight in order to save the heroines of 【Yuri Garden】 from Geum Taeyang, who only looked decent on the surface!
‘Prepare yourself, Geum Taeyang! I’ll definitely crush that smug nose of yours!’
Still, even if I’d resolved to defeat him, rushing in recklessly now would only get me shattered against the massive fortress Geum Taeyang had already spent years building.
The opponent himself was already a terrifying cheat character, and on top of that, he’d accumulated overwhelming resources and connections without wasting any time.
A truly impregnable iron fortress stood before me.
Charging at it with only a spear and shield would just destroy my own body and turn me into cannon fodder.
‘That’s why I need to build my own faction too. I need power capable of toppling Geum Taeyang’s empire!’
Though honestly, even I doubted whether that was possible.
Regardless of Geum Taeyang’s true intentions, he’d definitely already built terrifying influence not just within the class, but throughout the entire school.
Baek Daeji Sunbae, who’d originally been one of the protagonist’s dependable allies in 【Yuri Garden】, was now rumored to be Geum Taeyang’s best friend.
And apparently even the soccer and baseball clubs trusted him too.
The influence those two clubs held at our school was terrifying.
They were nationally famous powerhouse teams that constantly elevated the school’s prestige, meaning their authority within the school was enormous.
Hearing that both clubs trusted Geum Taeyang genuinely made me dizzy.
The dependable oppas who originally swept away Geum Taeyang’s faction like fallen leaves in 【Yuri Garden】 had now joined his army instead!
He completely destroyed the original story!
What happened to the 【Yuri Garden】 I knew!?
Still, not everyone could’ve fallen to Geum Taeyang.
And especially not the student council.
That’s right.
The student council had her.
The cold and noble queen ruling over the school.
If it was the student council where the proud Winter Queen reigned—the cool beauty who stole players’ hearts alongside In Yuna—
Surely!
“Na Chaewon, why are you just standing there blankly?”
“Kyaaah! …Oh, it’s just you, Jihyuk. You scared me.”
“I wasn’t trying to scare you. But why were you spacing out there?”
“Sorry. I was thinking about something else for a moment. Are you heading home now, Jihyuk?”
A male student with drooping shoulders and a sleepy atmosphere.
At first glance, he looked like an utterly ordinary guy you could find anywhere, but I recognized this face from the game.
‘Successfully getting familiar with Seong Jihyuk’s face is definitely a huge advantage. Things are already going well from the start.’
At first glance, he looked like a common background extra with nothing noteworthy.
But—
‘Seong Jihyuk is a hidden helper character from 【Yuri Garden】 who only appears through absurdly low gacha rates! A top-tier support character who seems useless at first but suddenly appears at crucial moments and performs miracles! If I build affection with him, something good will definitely happen.’
The bluebird of happiness, Seong Jihyuk!
“Jihyuk, have you adjusted to class life well now?”
Last time, Seong Jihyuk told me he was shy and lacked confidence, so he worried about fitting into class.
Originally, helping him with this concern and raising his affection was the first major condition for unlocking his support route in 【Yuri Garden】.
“Ah, that problem got solved well. I made a really good friend.”
“……Heeh. I see.”
That’s completely different from the original story.
“He treats even gloomy me kindly and never finds me annoying. He’s a really good friend.”
“I-I see. I’m glad you made a good friend.”
I felt disgusted with myself as disappointment crept over me.
Obviously, it should’ve been a good thing that Seong Jihyuk was doing well.
Yet I couldn’t wholeheartedly feel happy about it, which made me feel incredibly wicked.
“Recently, thanks to that friend, I even got close with some seniors.”
“With seniors?”
“Yeah. At first I was nervous because they were upperclassmen, but they’re all really good people.”
That’s good then.
There wasn’t a single dark shadow on Seong Jihyuk’s face as he talked about them smilingly.
He really must’ve found good friends.
“So are you heading home with that friend again today?”
“No, today I’m heading home alone. My friend has plans.”
“Plans?”
“He’s going on a date with his girlfriend.”
“Wow.”
So there’s already a first-year high school boy with a girlfriend!?
‘Whoever he is, I’m insanely jealous!’
Even in my previous life, I became a corporate employee without ever having time to date, so I satisfied myself through 【Yuri Garden】 instead.
And meanwhile, some guy who isn’t even a reincarnator is dating in high school already… ghk!
‘So damn jealous!’
I could already feel resentment building toward Seong Jihyuk’s faceless friend.
As I hurried toward the meeting spot, the moment a familiar silhouette entered my view, my steps naturally sped up.
“U-Uwaah!”
Before she even had time to react while waving both hands at me, I tightly hugged her.
“Ah, sorry!”
“You suddenly hug me and then apologize?”
“I just ran here, so I’m sweaty.”
Only after remembering my rough breathing and sweat from rushing over did I try pulling away.
But the arms wrapped around my waist refused to let go.
“Yena, can you let go now?”
“Nope~”
“No, seriously, Yena.”
“I love all of your smells.”
Sniff sniff.
Since I couldn’t pull Kang Yena away while she buried her face into my chest and rubbed against me, I ended up letting her enjoy my scent for a while.
“Why are you outside here? Weren’t we meeting at the café just ahead?”
“I wanted to see my boyfriend so badly that I came out early.”
“You’re seriously too cute~”
“Hehehe.”
My girlfriend is way too adorable!
Is it even legal for someone to be this cute!?
She’s basically an angel!
‘Thank you, Taeyang Hyung!’
The reason I could date such an adorable girlfriend was all thanks to Taeyang Hyung.
If he hadn’t acted as the bridge bringing me and Yena together, I’d probably still be ranting with lonely singles about wanting a girlfriend while hating couples.
“So where should we go today?”
“You remember that toast shop nearby, right? They released a new menu item. Wanna try it together?”
“That sounds great! That place was delicious.”
“My friend said this new menu’s incredible too. She recommended going with my boyfriend.”
“Looks like you found a good friend too, Yena.”
“Hehehe.”
Seeing Yena smile so honestly made me smile naturally too.
‘Thank you, Taeyang Hyung.’
Back then, Yena had been like a tiny herbivore trembling nervously whenever she stood in front of others.
Saying all her growth was my achievement would be a lie.
When she struggled, I couldn’t do anything.
I was an idiot who failed to notice her cries for help.
If things had gone wrong, I might not even have been by her side during her hardest moments.
The reason I could stand beside her properly now—
Was all because Taeyang Hyung pushed me forward.
“Jinhyuk, I recently met Taeyang Oppa.”
“Heeh, really?”
“But seriously, I saw something incredible.”
“Something incredible?”
Yena looked so excited she could barely contain herself.
When I asked what happened, she finally opened the mouth she’d been itching to use.
“Taeyang Oppa was on a date with a girl.”
“What!?”
Taeyang Hyung on a date!?
That hyung who was popular but never gave anyone hope actually dated a girl!?
It was hard to believe.
But Yena drove in the final nail.
“And she was unbelievably pretty too!”
“Pretty!?”
“……Why? Do you want to see her?”
“N-No! Not at all! I already have my Yena!”
Seeing her puffed cheeks and pouty lips, I hurriedly showered her with compliments to calm things down.
But—
“You don’t need to praise me that much. I know I’m pretty too. Still, that unni was seriously… on another level? She felt completely different from every other woman I’ve ever seen. Even I almost fell for her, and I’m a girl.”
“Hey.”
What exactly was that supposed to mean?
Even I couldn’t just ignore that.
But seeing Yena’s teasing smile instantly extinguished the flames of jealousy rising inside me.
“Why would I cheat when I already have my Jinhyuk? I’m joking~ just joking~”
“Don’t make jokes like that. I’ve got a small heart.”
“Hehehe. That honestly makes me happy.”
It was good that she’d become brighter and more cheerful, but sometimes she teased me so much my heart genuinely dropped.
“But who was it? The girl dating Taeyang Hyung.”
“You’re interested.”
“Of course I’m curious. If she’s Taeyang Hyung’s girlfriend, then she’s basically my sister-in-law.”
I definitely had to greet her properly.
“Isn’t calling her your sister-in-law way too fast? Ah, her name was probably… In Yuna Unni.”
“Heeh. I see. In Yu… In Yuna?”
No way.
Why was that name appearing here?
That’s the name of the unbelievably cool beautiful senior transfer student Baek Daeji Sunbae told me about after entering second year!