Chapter 49
Chapter 49
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Confession
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just as she was starting to relax, thinking everything was fine now, Jin Se-jeong doubted her own ears at Yang Woo-bin's bombshell declaration.
"......What?"
She reflexively shot back at him, hoping—even if it was a lie—that he'd say no.
"That I have a fiancée. Yeah, that's right."
But what came back was a confirmation kill, delivered in the most matter-of-fact tone imaginable.
Yang Woo-bin's face, as he announced his engagement, showed not a flicker of emotion—utterly blank.
Her blood ran cold throughout her body, her heart freezing solid upon hearing that the most horrific rumor was true. Yet the guy responsible for this was standing there like it was nothing.
Jin Se-jeong felt like the whole situation was some meticulously scripted play.
She had to think of it that way, or she wouldn't be able to endure this nightmare of a reality.
"......Why?"
A single syllable packed with double meaning: How can you say that to me so casually? and Why the hell do you have a fiancée?
It was a selfish question, too short to convey everything she meant.
But right now, Jin Se-jeong was too drained—mentally and physically—to care.
So that's how her "Why?" reached Yang Woo-bin, and he took it at face value, scratching the back of his head before replying in that same calm tone.
"Why? It's politics, duh. When your family tells you to do it, a guy's gotta obey. That's just life."
"Ah......!"
The fact of his engagement hadn't changed, but his answer somehow ticked every box she'd been hoping for.
It meant his own will had played no part—he'd been forced into it by the family. Ironically, that was a comfort to Jin Se-jeong.
At least it wasn't him falling for another woman and promising her his future. Just knowing that thawed her frozen heart a little.
If it's a forced engagement, I can just kidnap Yang Woo-bin to the Jin family...... no, help him elope. Kinda weird to say it like this, but the Jin family is bigger than the Yangs anyway. We can protect him no problem. I've hated how they treat him for ages. I'm grateful they accepted me, but I only survived because of Yang Woo-bin.
Now that she knew it was forced, her mind—previously blank and stalled—started spinning at full speed.
Dozens of ways to safely whisk him into her...... no, by her side flashed through her head in seconds. Jin Se-jeong began seriously weighing which was best.
Yeah, the best is to train hard until graduation from Dabcheon, grow strong enough to rival a prestigious house head, and protect Yang Woo-bin from the Yangs with my own power...
"You don't have to look so pitiful, like I'm some lamb to the slaughter. I hated getting sold off like this too, so I've been living wild—following my heart, my instincts. You could say I fucked around like a king."
"Huh?"
Just as Jin Se-jeong settled on the direct approach amid her grave deliberations, the most shocking statement yet pierced her ears.
"What...... did you say?"
"They're selling my seed to another family without my say-so, right? For a fat price, all in the name of 'for the clan' bullshit. So I figured out how to screw over this dogshit family: I realized what would piss them off most was selling that precious seed at a premium."
To Jin Se-jeong, whose thoughts shattered again and mind went blank, Yang Woo-bin poured out his story like he'd been waiting for this moment.
The tale—useless to both clan and himself—flowed on uninterrupted, unhindered.
"Yeah, I fucked like a beast. Sprayed my seed everywhere. Probably knocked some girls up. Not to brag, but my face and body could rival any idol or actor. With looks like this, getting them into bed was a piece of cake if I wanted."
It was far too personal, shocking, and provocative a story to share with over a third of Jincheon Class listening.
"No girls in Fanban caught my eye, so I haven't done it since coming to Dabcheon...... But now that I'm in Jincheon Class, good times are coming, right? Hey, if you wanna get fucked, just say the word! Quote you a price—if it's good, I'll pound you senseless!"
His voice—beyond vulgar, indecent, or promiscuous; outright rude—rang clearly across the training grounds packed with cadets.
"That guy, what the hell...... is he saying?"
"I thought he was just a blonde tanned thug on the outside, but a pure childhood friend lover at heart...... No way."
"Un-fucking-believable......"
Yang Woo-bin's sudden confession shocked even the Jincheon Class cadets listening, leaving their minds blank.
"......Ha. Haha."
Of course, the biggest shock hit Jin Se-jeong, naturally.
She'd just wanted to meet her childhood friend, clear up the rumors as nonsense, untangle the annoying mess, and get back to happy days like before. But nothing was resolved.
Why did it turn out like this? I just wanted to hang out with Yang Woo-bin like old times, get along happily. Why...... do I have to watch him spew that horrific crap?
Her heart would thaw just enough to relax, then freeze solid again—only to plunge straight to rock bottom. The cycle left Jin Se-jeong unable to think straight.
She could no longer look at Yang Woo-bin's face—the one that cheered her up from afar—with a smile.
What the hell happened? What awful shit did he go through in those 7 years we were apart that turned my shining Yang Woo-bin into this degenerate......?
Learning her first love was this tainted felt like her heart was ripping apart.
Every word from him was a razor-sharp blade; his gaze seemed laced with filthy experiences she knew nothing of. Jin Se-jeong couldn't look at him anymore and bowed her head.
"You're not the Yang Woo-bin I knew."
"What?"
"The Yang Woo-bin I knew isn't here. All that's in front of me is a weak loser who couldn't hack reality and fell into depravity."
"......Hah."
From this moment, Jin Se-jeong resolved not to see the blonde tanned punk before her as the reliable, bold, thoughtful, warm Yang Woo-bin she remembered.
He was just a man corrupted beyond repair by an unbeatable cruel reality.
"Hoo......"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
With her heart sorted and her next step clear, Jin Se-jeong exhaled the breath she'd held, laced with regret, and strode toward Yang Woo-bin.
The closer she got, the heavier the atmosphere in the hall grew.
But Jin Se-jeong ignored it completely, head still down, approaching until she could touch him with an outstretched hand.
Grab.
She thrust out her hand and seized his thick wrist like a hawk.
"So...... this time, it's my turn to save you. I'm the guidance chief, and it's my duty to straighten out wayward cadets."
Her head stayed low, but her voice held no tremor.
Repaying how he'd saved her in the past—doing everything to save the boy who'd let her live.
That was the righteous path Jin Se-jeong had chosen.
"Let's go to the guidance office first."
She didn't want to expose Yang Woo-bin to all these cadets any longer.
Their gazes—filled with contempt—pissed her off too much; she didn't want to stay.
"We'll go to the guidance office, dye that thug hair back to black, restore that trashy bronze skin to its original milky white. That's where we start. Appearance sets the first impression, after all. Fix the outside, and people won't point fingers when they see you......"
Just as she tugged his gripped wrist to leave the training hall—
Grab.
Someone seized her wrist, just like she'd grabbed his.
"Stop."
It was Fuyuno Tsubaki holding Jin Se-jeong's wrist.
"Yang Woo-bin doesn't need your help. No reason to dye his hair black or change his skin back to milky white. No matter what he looks like, he's Yang Woo-bin. Don't...... tell Yang Woo-bin what to do."
Her gray eyes shot a glare at Jin Se-jeong, sharper than ever before.
"......Ha."
Jin Se-jeong let out a hollow laugh at the raw, unfiltered hostility.