Chapter 104: Ah, How Can I Resist Cheon Yu-hak’s Birthday Party! (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: Ah, How Can I Resist Cheon Yu-hak’s Birthday Party! (5)
Lee Yu-na felt like she was going to lose her mind today, and that wasn’t an exaggeration.
Even with her sticking right by his side, there were girls constantly trying to make a move on him.
From those who used Lilac’s kind nature to lightly threaten him, to those who went as far as feigning injury or self-harming to get his attention.
Of course, she had delicately treated each of them—while making sure to leave a few new “scars” in the process—but by the time the number of girls hitting on him surpassed twenty, even she was reaching her limit.
“Yu-na, are you okay…?”
Still, it was fine.
In the end, Lilac hadn’t accepted anyone’s request to be their partner, and he hadn’t stopped her from rejecting them on his behalf.
Furthermore, as if to cut off any lingering hope, he had gone out of his way to politely decline every single one of them himself.
Lilac was fundamentally kind to everyone, but for those outside the line he had drawn, he made an effort to drop the playfulness and remain serious in his responses.
It was a small habit of his that she knew only because they had been childhood friends for so long.
“Here, drink some of this.”
“Ah, thanks, Lilac.”
He gave a somewhat self-deprecating laugh.
“Everyone’s going crazy. Do they really want to go to that private party that badly? Well, I guess it is something to be curious about, right?”
In truth, Lee Yu-na herself was largely responsible for why he had grown up to be so incredibly dense regarding his own romantic life.
Memories of her younger self surfaced—how she used to sullenly push him away even though she secretly liked it when he approached her with a smile, back when she was always alone.
— Yu-na! The flowers bloomed so beautifully, so I picked some for you!
— Yu-na! It’s a rhinoceros beetle! A rhinoceros beetle!
— My family is going to the mountains to pick chestnuts and mushrooms this time. Come with us!
— Do you like sledding? They say the snow piled up on the back hill, so we can go sledding!
To the little girl who used to wallow in self-pity, saying she preferred being alone because she couldn’t even control her innate talent and had learned the ugly side of the world too early—you were the one who never gave up and kept reaching out.
In a life where she had to endure filthy stares because of her talent, Charm, and her natural looks, you were the only one who smiled at her with the purity of the sun.
— Yu-na! What book are you reading today?
Was that why she had been so sad when she realized that sun didn’t belong only to her?
Was that why she felt such despair when he showed interest in other girls after she finally managed to go to school thanks to his encouragement?
Looking back, she thought she had been under a delusion from some point onward.
To her, who had always been cooped up in her room alone, terrified and cursing the world, he was obviously her everything. But to him, she was likely just one part of his world.
He was a sun—no, a Hero—who reached out equally to everyone around him who seemed even slightly marginalized.
She must have assumed that she would naturally be the most precious person to him, and that she would be the one standing by his side one day.
Even though there was no way she could stand beside someone who had so much to protect and so many people wanting him if she just stayed still.
However, the childhood version of herself had been even stupider and more ill-mannered than she was now.
— Hey, Lilac.
— Yeah? What is it, Yu-na?
She simply couldn’t be honest with her own feelings.
— The other girls said they don’t want to play with you.
— …Huh!? Why!?
— Boys and girls aren’t supposed to play together anyway. If you hang out with them, the other kids will make fun of them.
— Oh…? But no one said anything like that when they were with me?
— The girls who are nice to you are just doing it because they’re really kind. Behind your back, they hate it because they get teased because of you.
She had expressed her jealousy in the absolute worst way possible.
— Please, get a clue.
Lilac had been so shocked by those words that he couldn’t even speak on the way home.
Was her childhood self… a crazy bitch?
Ah, that sounded about right. Yeah. If she had been thinking normally, she should have added, “Except for me, of course.”
On top of being a young elementary schooler, she hadn’t properly recognized her own emotions, and her twisted personality had made her lack any consideration for others.
Even the excuses coming to mind were truly hideous.
“Yu-na?”
“Ah, um. It’s nothing.”
It seemed she had accidentally stopped walking while lost in thought.
Seriously, why did she do that?
She had been devoted to him ever since she realized her feelings, but that didn’t mean the wounds she had inflicted on him disappeared. Because of that, their relationship had never moved beyond being childhood friends even to this day.
No.
Maybe it was because she had been so devoted that she was at least able to stay by his side as a childhood friend.
At the very least, he hadn’t pushed her away.
“Lilac, so who are you finally going to the party with?”
“Me? I haven’t decided yet.”
His beaming face felt momentarily irritating, but she endured it.
It was her fault, after all. And it wasn’t like he had decided to go with someone else yet.
However, his next words were a bit hard to bear.
“What about you, Yu-na?”
His tone sounded no different than usual, but she, having spent so much time with him, was the only one who could tell.
The question he just asked was laced with a subtle hint of rejection.
I see. So you don’t just “not know.”
You’re trying to act like everything is normal, but your gaze and your voice are unnatural.
I don’t know since when, but you’ve realized it, haven’t you? You know, and yet you’re pushing me away.
“…I’m not sure.”
Who else could I possibly open my heart to if not you?
Why are you subtly pushing me away?
I thought I had gotten used to it, but even now, there are times when I regret it and my heart aches.
If our first meeting had been different, would our relationship be different too?
If I had realized these feelings a little sooner, would things have changed?
Who on earth can I even vent these feelings to?
* * *
Once the situation calmed down a bit, I could finally see Lee Yu-na’s state clearly.
Her usually well-kept pink hair was a bit messy, and the hand holding her tea was trembling slightly.
At this point, the possibility that the cause wasn’t Lilac had already flown out the window.
“…It seems Lilac doesn’t want to be my partner.”
“…As if. Who else is he close to besides you? Kim Ga-eul?”
“That would be interesting too. If I enter the party with you, and Ga-eul and Lilac enter together, what kind of mess would that be?”
…Seeing her like this wasn’t very common, even in the original story.
In the original, despite Lee Yu-na’s foul personality, the reason she was called the main heroine until Baek Seol appeared was, of course, because she loved Lilac more than anyone else and was a character devoted to him.
But I believe her popularity was maintained more so because she always showed the strength to stand back up.
Even when other heroines approached Lilac, even when Lilac despaired as if he were about to crumble, even when she was deceived by an enemy and suffered great wounds or was separated from Lilac.
She overcame all of it and eventually returned to his side.
The only time such a woman showed signs of wavering was when she felt Lilac was subtly pushing her away.
“Ah, did Lilac explicitly say he hates you? He didn’t.”
“We’re childhood friends. Even if we want to hide it from each other, we can sense each other’s emotions.”
“So, is your plan to go with me to try and make him jealous?”
“…I wonder. Would Lilac even feel jealous of me? I’d be lucky if he didn’t just smile and say we look good together.”
Man, she’s really spiraling.
I know.
I know how much Lilac thinks of her.
Even if it might not be romantic affection right this second, he definitely cares about Lee Yu-na.
The problem, however, was that I had no way to convey that to Lee Yu-na.
It wasn’t a matter that could be explained with just words, and even if I did tell her, I had no way to answer if she asked what basis I had for saying such a thing.
“…It’s strange.”
“What is?”
“You’re so serious, it’s like you’re someone worrying about your own love life. Honestly, it’s a bit out of the blue. You have to choose between Ga-eul and the Professor too, so isn’t it annoying that I’m acting like this?”
“Oh, so you know you’re being annoying? Well, what, am I supposed to just tell a friend to get lost when they’re crying? Am I a sociopath?”
“I’m grateful, of course. But I just don’t know why you’re going this far for me. At first, I thought you were just a kind kid like Lilac, but you’re not that either.”
Lee Yu-na sipped her drink, her eyes gleaming.
In that instant, her Charm talent activated, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t the same helpless person I used to be.
A sensation of heat gathering in my eyes spread as my awakened Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils saw right through her talent.
Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils.
The eyes I received as a gift from Sun Wukong possessed the power to easily dismantle most charms or illusions.
“Yeah, seeing as you’re fine, you definitely don’t like me either.”
“…Don’t go around doing that kind of crap to people, okay?”
“I only did it because I was certain. Though, I didn’t expect you to be this unfazed.”
I don’t know what she was so certain about, but either way, I didn’t appreciate it.
“Anyway, the partner thing was half a joke. I feel a bit better now that I have someone to talk to. Thanks.”
It was grating.
I don’t know why it was so grating, but a feeling of unpleasantness rose within me.
The emotion of pity, which had taken the place of the mysterious fear and sense of debt I usually felt when looking at her, didn’t sit well with me.
“…Hey, then do you want to do this?”
“Huh…?”
I stopped Lee Yu-na as she was about to leave.
“Whether Lilac has feelings for you or not. I’ll show you for sure.”
“…How?”
“…Like this.”
“Have you perhaps been reading too many romance comics?”
Lee Yu-na looked disgusted by how absurd my suggested method was, but as always, I had a certain level of confidence.
And a short while later.
I sent a text message to Lilac’s number.
[If you don’t haul ass to the park near where you train within 10 minutes, I’m asking Lee Yu-na to be my partner. I’m with her right now.]
Surprisingly, the phone rang immediately, but I ignored it.
In these situations, not picking up the phone beforehand is the way to make them even more anxious.
You idiot. Even in the original, you talked nonsense about not knowing until Lee Yu-na was gone from your side, didn’t you?
Then I should give you a similar simulated experience.
I might not be blonde, or tanned, or a delinquent, but anyway, get a taste of this NTR drift.
You pathetic bastard.
* * *
Soon, Lilac arrived at the park where he usually trained.
He was panting, despite being a Superhuman, showing just how hard he had run.
“…Where’s Yu-na?”
“Look at this guy. Looking for Yu-na first thing. It was a lie, man. Why would I be with her at this hour?”
Lilac looked relieved for a moment, but I immediately followed up with a sly grin.
“We just had tea and parted ways.”
The guy, who had been looking relieved, stared at me as if he’d been hit in the back of the head.
“Why? You said you subtly rejected Yu-na when she hinted at being partners. Then I can ask her too, can’t I?”
“Yeah, that’s true. Uh, right. We’re friends, so that could happen, but what about Ga-eul or the Professor~”
Good. I didn’t think this guy would just say, “Oh? Is that so?” but I was worried he might be too calm. Fortunately, it seems his mental state is quite shaken.
But it’s still not enough. Don’t you dare try to act relaxed, you punk.
“…I guess it looks like I’m joking right now?”
“So-hyun, why are you being so scary?”
“Do you think Lee Yu-na is devoted to you just because you’re childhood friends? Seeing as you rejected her, it seems you’re not entirely clueless anymore.”
“Let’s stop. This is a problem between the two of us. No matter how much of a friend you are, So-hyun, I don’t think it’s something you should get involved in.”
Nope, wrong. You guys are going to crash and burn at this rate.
I became certain today. Even if I block the Baek Seol drift, only the timing will change; if this relationship continues, Lee Yu-na will eventually break.
Perhaps even more severely and cruelly than in the original.
“Why do you think it’s not? It might not just be a problem between you two.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Stop playing dumb, you bastard. What are you going to do if I have feelings for Lee Yu-na?”
Lilac let out a breath, looking considerably shocked.
“…Are you serious?”
“I wonder.”
“I’m not playing around.”
“I told you, I’m not playing around either. Are you her dad? Or her boyfriend? No, you’re just a childhood friend.”
“Even so, if you’re not sincere, I have an obligation to stop you.”
“Bullshit. You don’t call that an obligation, you prick.”
Ah, um, is this how you’re supposed to act like a villain? Why does it feel so natural?
“Fine, what if I am sincere? Are you going to congratulate us?”
“…If you two truly feel the same way, then I suppose I should.”
Lee Yu-na, who is probably hiding and listening right now, is likely on the verge of tears, but don’t worry.
This is part of the plan, and I knew this bastard would pull this crap.
“Why?”
Before Lilac could respond, I hurried to strike his weak point.
“Did you hate feeling indebted to Lee Yu-na because of what she said to you when you were kids that much?”
“…What?”
“Or do you think Lee Yu-na is confusing love with a desire to repay you because you saved her when you were young?”
“You… how do you know that?”
“Hey.”
Nope, not happening. I have no intention of giving you the lead.
“Stop talking shit. Seriously.”
I’m going to keep beating you down for now, so just take it. You bastard.