Seo Moon-hyun's Reality
Those words from Ye Woo-jin reached Seo Moon-hyun's ears.
"Since the incident unfolded right in front of the main gate, we've already secured more than enough evidence. They won't be able to deny it. Leave the cleanup to us and go inside to rest with Eun-chae. We can't trouble our guest any further."
At Ye Woo-jin's words calling Seo Moon-jin a guest, Seo Moon-hyun forced out a strained shout.
"A… how could… that bastard… he's… Eun-chae's… friend…"
Ye Woo-jin clicked his tongue at Seo Moon-hyun's garbled pronunciation, his words barely coherent.
"Truly an impressive fellow. Hard to believe someone like him was once considered the most outstanding among the next generation of heroes."
Even before entering the National Hero Academy, Seo Moon-hyun had built a reputation by clearing multiple dungeons alone. The public had even hailed him as a potential top candidate among the next generation of heroes. Seo Moon-hyun himself had taken deep pride in that reputation, and he couldn't accept Ye Woo-jin's words denying it.
How can he dismiss his daughter's friend like this?
Seo Moon-hyun couldn't accept Yee Eun-chae's actions that had reduced him to this state, nor the Ye family's mockery of him. What wrong had he possibly committed to deserve this? He had only done his best to save a friend.
"Hey. Play back the nonsense this guy spouted earlier."
"Yes, Patriarch."
At Ye Woo-jin's command, one of the Ye family's warriors bowed his head and replied, then headed somewhere and returned carrying a square box-like device. Seo Moon-hyun knew exactly what it was. It was a mana-powered recorder that prominent families installed around and inside their estates to store information. When the warrior pressed a button, a holographic image appeared in the air.
[Eun-chae! You betrayed me! A mere wench who was desperate to become my woman dares—!]
The image showed Seo Moon-hyun with an ugly, contorted face screaming at Yee Eun-chae. Then it displayed him hurling abuse at Seo Moon-jin, claiming he should have killed him when he was five. Seo Moon-hyun had no memory of saying such things.
"We will lodge a fierce protest with the Seo family over this matter. Even the Seo family cannot cross this line."
Though the Ye family's influence was lesser than the Seo family's, they were not so insignificant as to be treated this way. Moreover, having secured cooperation from the Yucheon Group, the Ye family now possessed enough power to demand compensation and protest against the Seo family.
"It's a lie! This is a lie…"
Since he had no recollection of saying those words, it had to be fabrication. Seo Moon-hyun couldn't hide his disappointment at the Ye family's attempt to blackmail the Seo family with such manipulated evidence.
"Such lies…"
"We witnessed it firsthand, yet he still claims it's a lie."
"What a truly disgusting and despicable man."
Seo Moon-hyun felt tears of injustice welling up at the barrage of insults directed at him—insults he had never heard before, only praise. To think they would frame a flawless hero like him with such accusations was utterly unbelievable.
Wait, could the Ye family also be under some kind of hypnosis, just like Eun-chae?
Starting with his younger sister Seo Moon-min-hye, Yee Eun-chae, Arian Liberin, and Yoo Eun-chae had all betrayed him as a friend and gone to Seo Moon-jin's house. Even Lee Se-na had been acting strangely, and everyone at the academy praised Seo Moon-jin. It was odd that Seo Moon-jin, not him, was the top student, and suspicious that he was being revered as a hero for stopping villains.
As I thought, my prediction was right.
Seeing the Ye family's behavior today, Seo Moon-hyun became convinced that Seo Moon-jin must have pulled some sinister trick. The villains who attacked Arian Liberin and Lee Se-na were surely under Seo Moon-jin's orders, and Seo Moon-jin was undoubtedly plotting some grand conspiracy beyond his imagination. He had to stop it. In the midst of this, Seo Moon-hyun cleanly refused to think about the words claiming he should have killed Seo Moon-jin when he was five. Now that his reason had returned, he rejected even considering the possibility that Seo Moon-jin was his older brother. His brother Seo Moon-jin had to be dead already—he couldn't be alive.
I have to save them.
The Ye family was even using some kind of mass hypnosis to pin this absurd false accusation on him. He had to open their eyes to the truth. After all, he was the perfect and righteous hero.
"I must… explain… right now… it's all… hypnosis…"
However, with his teeth missing and pain coursing through his entire body, Seo Moon-hyun couldn't form proper sentences. His limbs were broken to the point he couldn't move them, and the agony stabbing through him was excruciating. No matter how strong his will, he couldn't even twitch a finger. This was his reality now.
* * *
"Cheon, I really can't believe someone like that exists."
Yee Eun-chae stared at Seo Moon-hyun with genuine disbelief. The sight of him claiming innocence after spouting such vile words was beyond any common sense.
Even if I understand what kind of man he is, it's impossible to understand his feelings.
He twisted everything to fit his image of himself as the perfect hero. His way of denying reality and cherry-picking facts to suit his own narrative was something she could never follow. The bigger problem was that Seo Moon-hyun originally possessed the power and talent to turn those delusions into reality. That was why his true nature had never surfaced until today.
But even if his true colors showed, they were captured right in front of the Ye family gate.
The Ye family would use this recording to protest against the Seo family. It would be interesting to see how Seo Moon-kang-hyuk responded.
"Understanding him is impossible. It's better to give up trying."
"I agree with you, Cheon. I don't even want to understand someone like that."
Yee Eun-chae openly displayed her contempt for Seo Moon-hyun. She could never forgive such a trashy man for insulting her friends. That was why she had delivered such a merciless punishment. Ye Woo-jin also seemed to want them to leave so he could handle the aftermath, so Seo Moon-jin decided to depart first.
"Eun-chae. Your family seems busy, so why don't we head down for a while?"
"Do you have somewhere to go?"
"No, not really. I just thought we could wander around. If that feels awkward, could you show me how you used to spend your free time before coming to the academy?"
Before entering the academy, Yee Eun-chae had been confined to her home, cut off from the outside world. The family had promised she could make friends freely once she attended the academy, but until then her freedom had been heavily restricted. Still, right before entering the academy, she had been granted some degree of freedom, which she had used productively during her spare time.
"Hmm, of course! But Cheon, it might not be very interesting. Is that okay?"
Yee Eun-chae worried that her way of spending time might bore him, but Seo Moon-jin smiled faintly and replied.
"How could anything be boring when I'm with you?"
Simply gazing at Yee Eun-chae's beautiful face would make any activity enjoyable.
"Ah! Hearing you say that makes me so happy! I feel like anything would be fun and joyful as long as I'm with you, Cheon!"
At her bright smile, Seo Moon-jin took her hand.
"Then, will you show me around?"
"Of course!"
Seo Moon-jin already knew where Yee Eun-chae would take him. Unlike Seo Moon-hyun, who became a hero to make others happy, she possessed a genuinely righteous heart. What she did in her spare time was obvious.
"I'll go get some supplies. Wait here for a moment."
"Got it."
Seo Moon-jin watched as Yee Eun-chae quickly entered the Ye family estate and returned with her smartphone and a light bag slung over her shoulder. The bag was no ordinary item—it was an artifact. It featured various protective functions, along with spatial expansion and weight reduction enchantments, allowing her to carry far more items than its appearance suggested.
Yucheon Group made.
The bag she carried was indeed a Yucheon Group product.
"Cheon, I'm ready. There's a dungeon nearby that needs clearing."
With a slightly excited smile, Yee Eun-chae pulled out her smartphone and showed him the screen. The display showed a dungeon located some distance from Bukhansan Mountain. It was a rather inefficient dungeon—its difficulty was higher than a minor dungeon, yet its byproducts were poor, making it the type that most mana awakeners avoided.
In other words, a place that takes a lot of effort for little reward.
Yet Yee Eun-chae had been clearing dungeons like this one. She tackled them whenever she had time to prevent dungeon outbreaks and spare people from harm. This was how she had spent her free time before entering the academy.