Chapter 87: Heart-Pounding Romantic Affairs (End)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87: Heart-Pounding Romantic Affairs (End)
Thinking about it calmly, I had no reason to be so shaken.
Sure, if I had screamed at Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak, “You idiots, Lee Yu-na and Ju Ri-ra like you!” things would have turned into a disaster, but I was innocent.
I felt like I might have done it if they’d arrived just a few seconds later, but regardless, I hadn’t done it yet…!
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry.”
“…Why are you suddenly apologizing? I just asked if we could join the conversation.”
Ah, right. I just apologized reflexively because I was scared. It was like a conditioned response; what could I do?
In this novel, Lee Yu-na was the one I feared most.
“So? You said it was a story about someone’s love life. What were you talking about?”
Ga-eul naturally brought the conversation back to its starting point.
“It’s obviously about Professor Cathy and So-hyun. They were hugging each other so passionately, weren’t they?”
Ha-ni grumbled, sounding somewhat pouting.
…Wait, you’re not jealous, are you? No way, right?
“Right. If it’s a talk about romance, we might be able to help, so why not let us in on it? What’s your type, anyway?”
Ri-ra, how exactly would you be of help? I know you’re trying to keep a poker face, but do you realize how much you’re sweating? You need to calm down.
Anyway, this was getting a bit awkward.
Actually, for kids this age, it wasn’t uncommon to talk about who liked whom or who was the prettiest. In fact, because the subjects were Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak, the conversation had stayed relatively mild; with other guys, things usually got much more explicit.
However, getting caught in the act by the opposite sex—especially those close to you—made things uncomfortable. Even if you had nothing to hide, it just felt wrong.
“It’s a misunderstanding. We were just teasing So-hyun a bit, and he just asked what business we had meddling when we’re all single too.”
“Indeed. He said he isn’t in that kind of relationship with the professor. He merely helped her calm down because she was feeling overwhelmed.”
Fortunately, Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak seemed to share that sentiment, as they tried to make a graceful exit.
“Hmm, I see.”
Lee Yu-na smiled brightly and stared at me.
Why? Please don’t smile like that. It’s scary. I’d rather you just look stern.
“The professor didn’t seem to feel that way, though?”
Excuse me, Lee Yu-na. Didn’t we build up a lot of rapport? Weren’t we on good terms…? Why are you suddenly attacking me?
Suddenly turning the arrows toward me, Lee Yu-na smiled and observed Kim Ga-eul’s reaction.
Wait, is she doing that to help me by making Ga-eul jealous?
I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not like I’m head-over-heels for Ga-eul or anything.
“Well, Professor Cathy isn’t the type to do that. Romance with a cadet? Please.”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Ga-eul who cut her off, but Ha-ni.
Seeing this, Lee Yu-na looked at Ha-ni with a somewhat sly expression, but soon nodded as if she understood something.
“True, Professor Cathy isn’t that kind of person.”
Yu-na, I don’t think that’s it. I mean, I guess it’s more natural to think, ‘Oh, Han-hee has a crush on Professor Cathy,’ rather than, ‘Wait, Han-hee was actually Ha-ni all along!’ but you’re still wrong.
This time, Ga-eul, who had been watching the scene, clenched her fists and looked my way.
As a reader who enjoys the ‘misunderstanding’ trope as much as the academy genre, watching this firsthand was entertaining, but since I was one of the parties involved, it felt a bit strange.
…Parties involved, huh.
Lilac laughed. It seemed that the fact they were all gathered together was more important to him than the content of the conversation.
Cheon Yu-hak was also wearing a faint smile, though he tried to hide it. The boy who always pursued nobility was learning that this kind of atmosphere wasn’t so bad either.
Lee Yu-na looked at Ga-eul and Ha-ni and gave a troubled smile.
Ha-ni and Ga-eul didn’t seem to be in a great mood at first, but once they started talking, they were laughing along, and the atmosphere wasn’t bad at all.
Ju Ri-ra tried to sneak into the seat next to Cheon Yu-hak, but when he glanced at her, she pretended she hadn’t and sat next to Yu-na instead.
And ‘I’ was watching all of this from Kang So-hyun’s perspective.
It felt good to see these kids—who originally would have been at each other’s throats, unable to enjoy a proper youth—chatting like this.
— I’m glad.
For a brief moment, the noise in my head vanished, and the muck settled in my heart stirred.
“Guys, So-hyun is looking at us with a ‘proud father’ smile.”
But thanks to the Hero who couldn’t read the room, the feeling subsided instantly.
“Oh, it’s because you guys feel like my friend’s kids. Why?”
The kids burst into laughter, thinking it was a joke. Even though I was being serious.
* * *
Lee Yu-na didn’t have particularly good intuition.
To be more precise, she had good instincts, but she generally didn’t pay much attention to her surroundings.
The times her intuition sharpened were mainly when she sensed someone’s affection for another. This was partly due to her sensitive sixth sense inherited from her birth, and partly a skill honed because she frequently worried about the eyes directed at Lilac.
And today, she had a rather baffling experience.
She already knew Ga-eul liked Kang So-hyun.
As for Professor Cathy harboring feelings for him without realizing it? She knew that too. She favored him so much that it was a stretch to call it simple affection between a teacher and a student.
However, the affection she felt toward him today came from a very unexpected person.
Kang Han-hee.
His feelings, which until recently had been the deep color of friendship, were beginning to take on a peculiar hue.
Oh?
Even she, who rarely got flustered, was surprised enough for it to show on her face.
“My, my.”
Not that it changed anything. She was fundamentally quite open-minded about the direction of romantic love.
If Lilac had been a girl, would she have not fallen for him? Absolutely not. When someone likes someone, what does gender matter?
And actually, depending on how you looked at it, it wasn’t bad. Both of them were quite pretty for boys, and they were roommates sharing the same room.
However, that was strictly her own perspective; there was no telling if Kang So-hyun would feel the same.
After some thought, she decided it would be best to give him a small heads-up before an accident happened, so she called him out.
She knew all too well that affection was an emotion that could sometimes turn sharper than expected.
“I really didn’t say anything. I know you might be suspicious, but how could I possibly dare to do that?”
“…What are you talking about?”
But the Kang So-hyun she called out began pouring out apologies as if his conscience were pricking him.
‘Come to think of it, he seems especially scared of me, doesn’t he?’
* * *
After parting with the others, she suddenly texted me to meet separately. Thinking she was finally going to finish me off, I apologized immediately, but it seemed that wasn’t her goal.
No, if anyone was shocked, it was me.
“…You think Han-hee likes me?”
Ah, I thought she misunderstood that I liked Professor Cathy, but I was the one who was mistaken, lol.
“Well, even if it’s not ‘love’ yet, there might be a strange level of affection.”
“You… you know Han-hee is a guy, right?”
I tested the waters to see if she’d noticed his gender, but Yu-na didn’t even change her expression as she spoke firmly.
“I don’t think gender is a very important factor when someone likes someone else.”
Ah, fortunately, she hasn’t realized he’s a girl.
While I was relieved my secret wasn’t out, I was also impressed by Lee Yu-na’s conviction that Ha-ni had feelings for me.
“…Don’t misunderstand. I don’t usually make a hobby of spreading other people’s love stories. It’s just that you two are always together in the dormitory, and it would be troublesome if an accident happened, so I’m telling you just in case.”
What kind of ‘accident’ does she think could happen between two guys…? She says some pretty scary things sometimes.
“Well, okay. Thanks for now.”
“Don’t mention it. You seemed like you were going to meddle unnecessarily to push me and Lilac together, so this is the least I can do.”
“I told you, I wasn’t! I apologized reflexively, but I really didn’t say anything, okay?”
“I know. It was a joke. Was it not funny?”
Her face, with a slight hint of a smile, was still cute.
“Hey.”
So, I ended up asking without thinking. About the ending she would face in the original future of this novel.
“Yeah?”
“What if Lilac said he liked another girl…”
The light vanished from the eyes of the girl who had been enjoying her cherry ade with a soft expression.
“Whoa, wait. Hypothetically. Just hypothetically. I’m not saying that happened earlier, so calm down.”
“Ah, hypothetically. Right, that could happen. Yeah. Actually, I’m not sure.”
“…You give a reaction like that and then say you’re not sure?”
“No, I mean, it’s obvious I’d be angry, but I’m saying I don’t know how far I’d break.”
…I see.
Alright. I’ve decided. For the sake of world peace, I have to tell Lilac to run away as fast as he can if Baek Seol ever tries to get near him.
“By the way, you don’t seem very surprised.”
“About what?”
“About Han-hee. You’re quite calm for someone who just heard that a guy might like you.”
Oh, she’s sharp.
Actually, from the perspective of someone who knows Ha-ni is a girl, I just think, ‘Well, that could happen.’
“I mean, you said it’s not confirmed that he likes me, right? It could just be goodwill. Besides, how popular could a guy like me really be?”
I tried to play it off with a joke, but Lee Yu-na looked at me as if I were being ridiculous.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“…Huh?”
“You’re actually not bad at all. You should be more self-aware.”
“I appreciate the high praise, but honestly, it’s not like I have to be careful around women or anything. I’m not Cheon Yu-hak.”
If I forced it, there was the professor, Ha-ni, and maybe Ga-eul—so three? That’s quite a few, but surely it won’t increase any further from here, right?
“…Lilac is a severe case, but you’re more similar to him than I thought, aren’t you?”
…Why the sudden harsh words when we were doing so well? That actually hurts.
* * *
Park A-ram, the Professor of Mana Studies at the Academy, was visiting an orphanage.
“Has everyone been good children?”
“Whoa~ It’s Noona A-ram!”
She didn’t think she was at an age to be called ‘Noona’ anymore, but thanks to her appearance that rarely changed, the children still called her Noona or Unnie.
“Yes, yes, it’s your favorite Noona A-ram. I’ve brought some candy and snacks that are ve~ry bad for your health today.”
“Unnie~!”
“Haha, you guys don’t usually act like this, but your voices change the moment you see presents in my hands! I love how honest you are with your desires!”
Of course, she was joking, and the children were used to her way of showing affection, so they didn’t mind.
“Heehee!”
When she used mana to make the children float in the air, they erupted in giggles.
“Hmm, where is the Director?”
“The Director is sleeping!”
“It’s nap time!”
“…That’s a problem. Why are you guys awake during nap time while the Director is sleeping?”
“I don’t want to sleep!”
“Yeah. I want to play soccer, but he always tells us to sleep.”
“If you don’t sleep a lot when you’re young, you’ll regret it later, you know? You won’t grow very tall either.”
“…Did you sleep a lot, Noona?”
“Me? Well, I think I slept quite a bit.”
“Huuuh~?”
“Then we’re not gonna sleep. It didn’t work for you anyway.”
“Haha, you little brats. Don’t cross the line, okay? You know I’m scary when I’m angry, right?”
“Waaa~ Run away!”
While she was playing with the children flailing in the air, a middle-aged man walked out, perhaps disturbed by the noise.
“Ah, here comes our Director, who is neglecting his duties. Everyone, you mustn’t grow up to be like him, okay?”
“Okay~!”
“…Don’t say such dangerous things. The subsidies have already been cut as it is.”
“Haha, that’s why I’ve come to give you some support in the name of a donation. Bow your head and accept it gratefully.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Shh. The kids are listening. Hurry up and answer back grumpily like usual. Don’t be all creepy like that.”
“Still…”
“I may be an Academy professor, but I’m also a high-ranking Hero, so the money I get is quite decent, you know? Don’t worry. If it were a burden, I would have run away long ago.”
A worn-down orphanage.
It was difficult for a middle-aged man to handle alone, so naturally, labor was needed. The cost of hiring staff, the children’s meals, snacks, and toys… It was true that it was hard to manage on the salary of an Academy professor who didn’t participate in dungeon raids or subjugations, but she never let it show.
This was the place that taught her about human warmth, the place of her memories where she first laughed with someone.
“Hah, anyway, you were quite a decent man when I first met you, but time is a cruel thing.”
“Tell me about it. Awakened people barely age, so how am I supposed to live with this sorrow? Really.”
She knew all too well that eternal youth wasn’t just a blessing, but she didn’t show it. It wasn’t a concept that could be understood just by explaining it.
“Haha, anyway, nothing’s wrong, right?”
“You’ve been asking that constantly lately. Is something wrong with you, A-ram?”
“What could be wrong with me? I’m just asking out of caution. I guess I’m getting old too.”
“You have a lot of nerve saying you’re getting old in front of me.”
“Well, they say the best time to show off your wrinkles is in front of a pupa, right?”
“I’ve never heard that in my life, you brat.”
In fact, ever since she received the warning from the man with the ghost mask, she had been checking on the orphanage every week. The possibility that her precious people might be harmed caused her more stress than she expected.
“Anyway, I’m glad nothing’s happened. I’ll play with the kids for a bit before I go, so don’t worry about me and go back to sleep!”
Fortunately, it seemed that nothing had changed.
The man with the ghost mask must have been talking nonsense just to lure her in. For what purpose would anyone harm such a small orphanage?
She truly believed that.
And that was why she didn’t notice.
That just as much as she worried about them, they also didn’t want to cause her any worry.
She didn’t notice that the Director’s expression hadn’t brightened much, even after receiving the donation.