Reunion at the Entrance Ceremony
"Congratulations on getting in! Hehe~ It's so weird seeing you in the academy uniform, Oppa. But it really suits you!"
Seo Moon-min-hye clung to me with a bright smile, offering her congratulations while playfully tugging at my uniform sleeve. She looked incredibly cute and lovable. Up close, her beautiful face was filled with joy, and the soft warmth of her body pressed against mine was intensely stimulating. Her lips, so close I could almost feel them, stirred an overwhelming urge to kiss her.
"Thanks for saying that."
"I mean it! It really does look good on you."
"Haha, if you say so, then it must be true."
After seven years together, Seo Moon-min-hye held a special place in my heart. I remembered every detail of her as if I were seeing her right in front of me. She was the woman I wanted to make mine no matter what, yet I couldn't bear the thought of her being unhappy. What I truly desired was for her to live happily as my woman.
Seo Moon-min-hye would never betray me.
My presence had taken root deeper in her heart than the original protagonist Seo Moon-hyun ever had. The way she clung to me without sparing him a single glance, even though he stood right beside us, was proof enough.
Seo Moon-hyun's pupils trembled uncontrollably as he witnessed it all.
"Min—"
Just as Seo Moon-hyun tried to call out to her again, a crowd of reporters swarmed in.
"Excuse me! Seo Moon-jin, the new student!"
"I'm Park Myung-soo from KBC! Could we get a quick interview?"
"I'm Oh Jae-hee from MBS. Do you have a moment?"
They had caught wind that the heir of Yucheon Group would be appearing publicly at the entrance ceremony, and now they were descending in droves. Thanks to them, Seo Moon-hyun's attempt to reach Seo Moon-min-hye failed.
I had no intention of granting interviews. Academy rules made it impossible anyway.
"Interviewing students during the entrance ceremony is prohibited without the academy's permission. If you wish to speak with me, submit a formal request to the academy. I'll be happy to oblige then."
Using the very rule meant to protect hero candidates from fame-seeking, I escorted Seo Moon-min-hye through the crowd while staying close to her.
"Just a moment! Seo Moon-jin! If you could spare a little time—"
"If you continue to pressure me into violating academy rules, I'll have the reporter in question prosecuted through Yucheon Group."
Some reporters were persistent, living up to their reputation as sensationalist hacks. But once I invoked Yucheon Group's name and the rule violation, even the most reluctant ones backed off. If any of them dared to publish malicious articles about me, I could bury their careers overnight.
"Oppa, the reporters seem to have given up. Let's take a commemorative photo!"
Seo Moon-min-hye linked her arm with mine and suggested it.
"A commemorative photo?"
"Yeah! I want to take a picture with you on entrance ceremony day and keep it."
She pulled out her phone. There was no reason to refuse, so I agreed. I placed my hand on her waist as she extended her arm, resting her head against me.
"Oppa, smile."
I smiled as she instructed, and the shutter clicked. After taking several shots, she showed me the results.
"Hehe~ They came out pretty well! Oppa, don't you think so too?"
"They did. Haha, you look especially beautiful in them."
I meant it. The sight of her leaning against me with that radiant smile was stunning. One day, I would have a photo of her in a wedding dress standing beside me with the same smile.
"Min-hye…"
Seo Moon-hyun approached again, unwilling to give up. Seo Moon-min-hye didn't even look at him.
"You're in the way. Go away."
Her icy voice struck him like a blow. Shock spread across his face, but I deliberately ignored him as well. In this situation, ignoring him was far more effective.
"Hyun-ah…"
Lee Se-na, his childhood friend and healer heroine, looked at him with concern, then glanced at Seo Moon-min-hye and me in confusion. My appearance was far too similar to Seo Moon-hyun's, leaving her unsure what to say to the girl in my arms.
"Oppa, let's go somewhere else."
Seo Moon-min-hye urged me to leave without sparing Seo Moon-hyun another glance. She simply didn't want to face him right now. I knew it wasn't pure hatred yet—just awkwardness she wanted to avoid.
She doesn't hate him completely, but he's still her real brother. Cutting ties isn't easy.
I didn't want her to force herself either—not for her sake or mine.
"That's enough, Min-hye. You don't have to push yourself."
"…Oppa?"
"Just stay by my side. I'll handle it."
Having overheard us, Seo Moon-hyun stepped closer.
"Seo Moon-jin… was it?"
I suppressed my hatred and kept my expression neutral as he addressed me. The memory of being expelled at five years old—and everything before it—remained crystal clear, along with the burning anger. Yet I could maintain that rage while hiding it completely.
"I never gave you permission to use my name. And I'm twenty-two. Isn't it a bit rude to speak so casually to someone older on your first meeting?"
Seo Moon-hyun looked flustered.
"Ah, s-sorry."
His gaze shifted to Seo Moon-min-hye, who was still pressed against me and deliberately avoiding his eyes.
"Um… are you two acquainted?"
Lee Se-na's expression suggested she thought the question was inappropriate. I read his thoughts.
It can't be our older brother. He was talentless. There's no way someone like that could be here, let alone the heir of Yucheon Group.
Typical of him. In his worldview, a useless older brother like Seo Moon-jin could never surpass him as the top-ranked freshman representative or appear as Yucheon Group's heir. Even with identical looks, age, hair color, and eye color, he refused to consider it. Such a thing simply couldn't exist in his world.
His brainwashing runs deep.
Seo Moon-kang-hyuk's indoctrination was thorough, but Seo Moon-hyun's own nature played a large part. He genuinely believed he was the embodiment of justice. He treated everyone kindly and received good evaluations, yet his kindness was nothing more than condescension from someone who saw himself as superior. He had never once tried to find me after I was cast out, nor shown any interest—because acknowledging me as his older brother would mean accepting someone above him.
"You're the worst, Oppa."
Seo Moon-min-hye's cold voice cut through the air.
"Oppa, don't even pretend to know me for a while. If you do, I might really lose control and get angry."
Seo Moon-min-hye, who had been content to leave everything to me, now glared at Seo Moon-hyun with fury. His attitude had shattered her final shred of hope.
It's obvious. He just doesn't want to acknowledge that he's our real older brother.
She saw through him completely.
"What? M-Min-hye? What's wrong? What did I do?"
Seo Moon-hyun, still clueless about his own faults, was genuinely bewildered. In his mind, he had always been the perfect, gentle older brother. Seo Moon-min-hye getting angry at him was simply impossible.
"She seems quite upset. Let's talk another time. Since we'll be attending the academy together, there will be plenty of opportunities."
"W-wait…!"
Seo Moon-hyun reached out, but Seo Moon-min-hye's icy glare stopped him cold. Lee Se-na supported him, looking utterly lost.
At least she isn't blindly defending him and accusing me of being cruel.
Without knowing the full story, she couldn't intervene. But if Seo Moon-hyun had confidently claimed he was innocent, she would have taken his side without hesitation.
I would shatter that trust soon enough. Just not here—doing so now might allow it to be repaired later.
"Oppa, let's go. I don't want to see his face anymore."
"Alright. I understand."
With Seo Moon-min-hye's arm still linked with mine, we walked away from Seo Moon-hyun.
"It's been a while."
A familiar, gentle voice reached my ears. I turned my head.
"It has. Long time no see, Arian."
Arian Liberin, the princess of the Liberin Kingdom, now twenty-one after three years, stood beside me in the academy's female uniform. She had matured beautifully, wearing a soft smile.