Chapter 85: Only in Front of You.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85: Only in Front of You.
There are so many characters I dislike in this failed novel.
To be honest, even the protagonist, Lilac, is so frustrating that I don’t particularly like him, and don’t even get me started on the villainous bastards who commit all sorts of atrocious acts.
However, even the psychopathic murderer Choi In-ho, that nuisance of an idiotic pervert trash elf, or the Leader of the Twelve who flips the world upside down for her own greed and smirks with satisfaction—none of them, when I first encountered them in the story, were as detestable as the woman standing before me.
Baek Seol.
The readers called her the true protagonist of The Academy’s Holy Sword Hero.
I called her the root cause of why this novel went to ruin.
She was the woman who claimed Lilac’s first love and the charismatic lady to whom Cheon Yu-hak opened his heart.
Baek Seol, the Student Council President of Leilan Academy, was that kind of person.
At a glance, when she first appeared, she was a cool character. She occupied the “helper” position, assisting the still-lacking protagonist. It’s a popular role.
In the original work, several enemies appeared that the protagonists simply couldn’t defeat.
A prime example was Latis Erbashun, that idiotic pervert elf. He was a piece of trash villain who overwhelmed Cheon Yu-hak and defeated Lilac. He was supposed to be a wall the protagonist eventually overcame, a hurdle to surpass to grow—yet, with her help, he was defeated far too easily.
It wasn’t just him; it was the same for other villains.
The readers who remained were delighted to see her easily tear down the walls that the protagonist couldn’t scale—entities described as insurmountable until graduation. Lilac’s frustrating progress made her refreshing actions feel like a cold drink on a hot day.
Because of that, my friend wanted her to appear more often.
Because of that, she became the protagonist’s first love.
She became the person who always occupied the spot closest to him.
The protagonist’s most trusted partner and the woman he loved.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that for a while after her debut, the novel revolved around her rather than Lilac.
That’s all well and good.
Actually, it’s not good, but I could have accepted it.
After this woman appeared, Lee Yu-na, who suffered the “first love plot drift,” fell into villainy, and Lilac turned into a spineless moron who followed her words almost unconditionally. Cheon Yu-hak lost his trademark aloofness and came to rely on Baek Seol, and she accepted both Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak without rejecting either of them throughout the process.
It was garbage, but fine, it could happen.
— Hm? Haha. What are you talking about?
That crazy woman.
— We’re just senior and junior.
As long as she didn’t pull a insane “drift” at the very end and dump both protagonists.
It was a betrayal so mad that neither the protagonists nor the readers could have imagined it. She claimed she only moved because it was rational and beneficial to help them; she never harbored a bond of comradeship or romantic affection for them until the very end.
And after graduating, she vanished as if she’d gone into hiding and didn’t reappear until the point the novel was dropped.
Of course, having seen the Setting Book, I knew what happened next.
But I could guarantee that if the other readers knew what she became upon her next appearance, they would have clutched the back of their necks and collapsed.
When I asked my friend about it later, what did she say? That she wanted to portray a “sublime flower”?
Don’t give me that shit.
“So, would it be alright if I asked a few questions?”
“No? I don’t think so.”
Because this woman is just another frustrating character you created.
She looked surprised, as if my answer was quite unexpected, but she soon broke into a beaming smile.
“You’re a prickly junior, aren’t you?”
Knowing that the smile was manufactured and the reaction was staged—that her entire persona was an act—made it utterly unpleasant.
“Hey, hey! So-hyun, what’s wrong with you? She’s the one who saved us!”
“Indeed. It’s unlike you to suddenly show such an attitude.”
Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak protested respectively, and the others were looking on in surprise, but what I didn’t like, I didn’t like.
“Sniff.”
Ah, damn it.
I wanted to maintain the serious atmosphere, but it was hard to concentrate because of the sensation of Professor Cathy pressed against my stomach.
“Well, you’re right. This might not be the best atmosphere for a chat. Next time, when I formally invite you to the Student Council, will you show me a smiling face then? It’s a shame for such a pretty face to be so messy.”
“Haha, I’ll show you a smiling face right now. So, could you please not call for me?”
“No, I have things I’m curious about, so I can’t do that. Besides, I’ve developed a bit of an interest in our prickly junior.”
Interest? Don’t make me laugh. Lilac fell for it because she can lie so naturally.
She might be able to fool that dimwit, but she can’t fool me.
In the end, I just stared at her back with a pouty face until she left.
Thinking coldly, I shouldn’t be this hostile, but what can I do? I hate her.
* * *
‘He’s exactly like a cat.’
That was the extent of her evaluation of Kang So-hyun after seeing him in the hospital room.
With his cute appearance combined with his high alertness and sharp vibe, he reminded her of a cat. And her preference leaned toward cats rather than submissive, dog-like people.
She was curious why he was so wary of her, and it was fascinating that her acting, which had worked so naturally on everyone else until now, didn’t work on him.
“Hehe.”
Just by her smiling and walking, not only men but even women passing by turned to look at her.
Well, it seemed there was nothing wrong with her acting after all.
She was curious. How could she tame that little beast holding its tail up so haughtily? Interest welled up within her, wondering what side of himself he would show her once tamed.
To her, the baseless hostility she had experienced for the first time in years was nothing more or less than a rather stimulating and interesting piece of entertainment.
“I should probably thank In-young.”
She had found an unexpected source of amusement in a place she’d visited just out of curiosity.
Villains are useful sometimes.
She hummed a tune to herself as she thought that.
* * *
Do you know this? No matter how momentarily elated or excited a person’s emotions become, they eventually calm down and regain their composure.
And if you’re in a profession like being a Hero, where a moment’s excitement can cost a life, the speed at which that excitement subsides is naturally fast.
What am I talking about?
Cathy.
It goes without saying, but she is a top-tier Hero. No matter how worked up she got, her recovery speed was exceptional; it was like a physiological phenomenon that happened whether she wanted it to or not.
In other words.
She had already regained her composure and was gauging the timing of when to break the hug and pull away.
No, she had excuses for the hug itself. She had belatedly realized her feelings accurately, she felt she owed him her life, and added to the guilt of almost killing him with her own hands, she simply couldn’t help it because she was so happy just to see his face.
Twenty-six years old.
In a life filled with training and good deeds until now, she couldn’t control herself against the rosy emotions she was feeling for the first time.
Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t embarrassed now that she’d calmed down!
‘What should I do…?’
Actually, there had been plenty of opportunities to pull away. She could have let go when the kids first came in, or she could have pulled away awkwardly when the Student Council President entered.
But she was too reluctant. The way he didn’t reject her even while being held in his arms felt like he had forgiven her. The way he occasionally stroked her hair gently felt like he understood her heart.
Also, she felt that if she left these arms, all of this would turn out to be a happy dream, and she would have to face her blood-stained fists and his corpse again.
Numerous “felt likes” approached her as reasons why she couldn’t pull away from him.
Of course, being an adult, she knew she was just looking for excuses. The fear and guilt she felt now were nothing compared to the fluttering in her chest.
Affection for the one who had protected her, who had always lived as the protector.
The pounding of her heart that made her dare to be certain this was affection was the biggest reason she couldn’t pull herself away from his embrace.
The other kids had already left the room, leaving only her and So-hyun, so it was really time to let go.
Just as she thought that.
Rustle. Once again, a gentle hand touched her hair.
‘Ah.’
This was it.
There was an indescribable magic in his touch. From this boy, who was much younger than her, she felt a sense of security as if he would reliably protect her, and a comfort as if he would accept her even if she poured out all her emotions.
She was really about to pull away now, but her instincts kept grumbling that they wanted to stay attached to him and act spoiled.
“Professor.”
So-hyun called her, but she didn’t know how to answer. What voice and what words did she usually use to respond? Was answering always this difficult…?
“It’s okay, Professor.”
It was a soft, beautiful voice, a gentle tone as if soothing a sulking child.
“Could you lift your head? Please?”
Just a moment ago, she had been so terrified of checking his expression, but like a lie, her head slowly lifted.
A doubt flickered in a corner of her mind that her expression might be a mess right now, but she felt like she didn’t care about such things.
“Um, hello? This is the first time we’re greeting each other face-to-face today.”
In his appearance as he playfully greeted her with a soft smile, there was no resentment, no curse. Rather, added to the gentle smile that radiated relief and a hint of affection, his charm—which had always been hidden because he was usually scowling—was felt so vividly.
What should she do?
Her face was so hot.
When they first met, he hadn’t groomed himself at all, but his long eyelashes, large eyes, and face with its attractive structural beauty were completely different from back then.
Rustle.
Ah. The hair. It felt good. It was a gentle touch, not too heavy, not too forceful, as if he knew exactly where she wanted to be stroked and at what timing.
“Our Professor is always so cool, but why is she so like a child today?”
He’s the child I was supposed to protect.
“It happens. You’re human too, Professor. You can make mistakes sometimes, and you can fail. You can’t be perfect just because you’re a Hero, right?”
I couldn’t even protect him.
“It’s okay. Today, I’m safe, and Lilac and Yu-hak are all safe too. It was just a small accident.”
How did this boy know exactly what she wanted to hear?
She didn’t know what kind of expression she was making right now. She just wanted to see the expression of the boy smiling attractively in front of her from a little closer and engrave it into her mind.
“For today, let’s not be the cool Professor Cathy, but just Cathy Noona. It’s okay to cry if it’s hard, and it’s okay to grumble if you’re anxious.”
She didn’t even feel like resisting the magic felt in his red eyes.
“It’s okay to be like that when it’s just the two of us.”
I like him so much.
* * *
Hmm, was that a bit much?
No, when I used to soothe crying kids at the orphanage, this was the most effective method.
When you live in an orphanage, there are so many kids, and among them are those so-called “mature” ones. They act tough, claiming they’re different from the other kids, and try to do everything alone, but how sturdy can a kid really be, no matter how mature they act? In the end, they just cry and sulk alone without showing it.
The effective method for those kids was sharing a secret.
Right, a “secret friend.”
You aren’t usually like this. It’s just that you’re being specially honest for a moment while you’re with me.
If you provide an excuse like that, they eventually end up being honest and teary-eyed because they’re still just kids. Finally, you just have to make eye contact and listen to everything. Since they’re kids, the effect is even better if you give them a tasty snack and stroke their heads.
— I’m going to marry Oppa later!
— What? He’s going to marry me…!
— No, he’s not! Hyung is going to marry me…!
The sight of kids confessing with their fingers colored with crayons was a bit funny.
Anyway, she suddenly regressed into a childlike state, so I tried it thinking it would work well, and fortunately, it did.
But is the effect a bit too strong?
Seeing an attractive woman looking up at me blankly with a flushed, relaxed face is quite nice, but I don’t think this is very good for my mental health.
“So-hyun. Would that be okay?”
“Pardon?”
“Can I let go of my responsibility just for now, just in front of you, and act not as a Hero, but as myself…?”
“Of course.”
“Of course… I see.”
[Achievement Unlocked.]
…Huh?
[Heroine Fully Conquered. Acquired the title: Lady Killer! Congratulations on your first conquest! You have become her most precious person.]
…It’s a bit troubling if you let go this much.
A strange longing was felt beyond her shimmering light-green eyes.
“Thank you.”
No, it’s nothing.
“So-hyun.”
“Yes?”
“Can I kiss you?”
…Excuse me?
What did you say?