Seo Moon-jin's Evaluation
"Take back what you just said!"
Yee Eun-chae was the one who flew into a rage at those words. She was genuinely furious that Seo Moon-hyun had insulted me, her friend. The fact that he made it sound as though she, Arian Liberin, and Yoo Eun-chae had all been swayed by his slander against me only fueled her anger further.
"Retract that statement at once."
Arian Liberin’s expression was equally furious. Especially after the passionate night she and I had shared the day before, she had already disliked Seo Moon-hyun’s clingy behavior. Now that he was making absurd accusations and insulting me, her anger boiled over.
"Take it back."
Yoo Eun-chae rarely showed anger, but her face was clearly displeased. While maintaining a good relationship with Seo Moon-hyun of the Seo family would have been advantageous for her, the way he acted as though we were close and accused me of driving a wedge between them left her no choice but to be upset.
"Huh?"
Seo Moon-hyun looked bewildered by the three women’s reactions, which were even more intense than mine. At the same time, he seemed unable to believe the words that had just left his own mouth.
"Hyun-ah, apologize right now."
Lee Se-na, who had arrived late, also looked momentarily stunned and confused after hearing Seo Moon-hyun’s voice, but she quickly told him to apologize. Seo Moon-hyun himself appeared startled by what he had said, as though the words had slipped out without him thinking them through.
"Ah, sorry. That just came out wrong. Weird… why did I say that? I’m sorry."
Even as he apologized, Seo Moon-hyun looked displeased. His true thoughts were different.
Why did I say that? Did he do something to me?
He didn’t try to justify his own words. Instead, he suspected that I had somehow manipulated him into saying them. It was laughable, but this was exactly how Seo Moon-hyun operated.
To Seo Moon-hyun, his older brother Seo Moon-jin was an obstacle that had to disappear for him to become the perfect successor. Although he didn’t know Seo Moon-jin was his brother, the fact that the top-ranked heir of Yucheon Group had stolen the academy’s top spot, received praise for defeating villain organizations, and was celebrated while Seo Moon-hyun himself was not was an unforgivable source of hatred.
Right now, from Seo Moon-hyun’s perspective, I was a detestable existence who had stolen all the glory that should have been his. To him, it was only natural that Lee Se-na, Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, Yoo Eun-chae, and even Seo Moon-min-hye should all like him instead.
"If you know you’re sorry, that’s enough. Let’s go."
When I made it clear I didn’t want to talk any further and tried to move away with Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, and Yoo Eun-chae, Seo Moon-hyun called out again to stop me.
"Wait a second."
I, along with Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, and Yoo Eun-chae, ignored him completely. None of us had any intention of responding to a vague call that didn’t even specify who he was addressing.
"Hyun-ah, what’s wrong?"
Lee Se-na tried to stop Seo Moon-hyun, flustered by his attitude. But even her intervention didn’t halt him.
"Seo Moon-jin, wait just a moment."
Seo Moon-hyun called out to me directly.
"What now?"
Though I made my annoyance obvious, Lee Se-na looked at me with nothing but discomfort and apology, without the slightest negative feeling toward my attitude. Even she could see that Seo Moon-hyun’s behavior toward me was wrong, and she couldn’t understand why he was suddenly acting this way. Seo Moon-hyun himself was equally unable to understand his own actions.
"…I’m sorry, but could I ask for a favor? Please spar with me just once. I’m begging you."
Seo Moon-hyun, now conscious of his own behavior, bowed his head respectfully as he made the request. The instructors, who had noticed the commotion, had been watching to see whether they needed to intervene. When it seemed the situation was calming down, they clicked their tongues at Seo Moon-hyun’s earlier outburst but looked favorably upon him for bowing and politely asking for guidance.
From the instructors’ perspective, Seo Moon-hyun had said something strange, but he had immediately admitted his mistake and was now humbly asking the stronger person—me—for a lesson. Moreover, Seo Moon-hyun had maintained a good public reputation through various activities even before entering the National Hero Academy. Even Lee Se-na, standing right beside him, had not yet noticed his true nature.
Seo Moon-hyun doesn’t even realize it himself.
His self-delusion had lasted so long that he genuinely believed it was the truth—a convenient ability to choose what he wanted to believe. Lee Se-na would gradually begin to feel the dissonance as well, but the long years she had spent as his childhood friend would prevent her from making a cold judgment. After all, people tend to lose objectivity when it comes to those they are close to. Lee Se-na had spent so much time with Seo Moon-hyun that it would not be easy for her to view him negatively. Everything she had seen from him until now had been an upright, passionate, and righteous image, even if it lacked flexibility.
"A spar, huh."
His request to spar with me was nothing but a nuisance. However, the instructors viewed his actions favorably partly because of the recent villain attack, which made his desire to grow stronger seem admirable. Even though he had made a verbal slip, if I—the one who had defeated the villains just yesterday—refused to accept a request from someone who was bowing his head, there would inevitably be gossip, even among the instructors.
There won’t be any gifts.
With that thought, I nodded.
"Fine. Just once. I have plans with my friends, so I can’t take long."
"Thank you!"
Seo Moon-hyun thanked me and moved toward a nearby open space instead of the main training ground, which was currently in use. The instructors didn’t stop them. If it had been a real fight born of personal grudges, they would have intervened immediately and issued punishment. But what was about to happen was a light sparring match with both parties’ consent. As long as no one else was harmed, the academy was lenient about such matters. Since everyone involved was an adult, any unofficial sparring was considered the participants’ own responsibility.
He probably wants to hurt me.
I could sense the desire Seo Moon-hyun himself didn’t even realize he harbored. He was using the spar as an excuse to try and wound me, but his self-delusion had painted it as nothing more than a pure desire to test himself against the academy’s top student. It was an impressive display of selective thinking.
"Cheon…"
Yee Eun-chae looked displeased that I was going to spar with Seo Moon-hyun. She didn’t like the idea of her friend wasting time on someone she disliked. A subtle possessiveness showed in her expression, but it also meant she truly hated Seo Moon-hyun.
"Eun-chae, Arian, Hyun-ah. I’ll be done soon."
I smiled gently at them as I spoke. Arian Liberin smiled back.
"Please don’t keep us waiting too long."
"Okay. Be careful."
After Arian Liberin and Yoo Eun-chae answered, Yee Eun-chae shot Seo Moon-hyun one last dissatisfied glance before nodding.
"I’ll trust your promise and wait too."
As I received their replies, Seo Moon-hyun’s inner thoughts were filled with murderous intent. Though it didn’t show on the surface—only I could perceive it—he was harboring the desire to kill me for taking away what he considered his trophies.
No, he already wanted to kill me just for being the top student and outshining him.
I had no time to waste on someone like him. With that thought, I drew my sword. Seo Moon-hyun spoke.
"Then let’s start on three."
"Do it."
At my agreement, Seo Moon-hyun began counting.
"One, two, three!"
The moment he reached three, Seo Moon-hyun charged forward with his sword raised. The mana of the null attribute—his protagonist-exclusive power—wrapped around his blade. His movements as he rushed toward me were as fast as those of active heroes. He already displayed strength far beyond the level of an academy student.
Still, it’s nothing special.
His skills had stagnated because he hadn’t been able to perform during the villain attack. No matter how much stronger he became, I would never lose to him.
* * *
It happened in an instant. Lee Se-na stared in shock at the sight of Seo Moon-jin knocking Seo Moon-hyun’s sword aside and pressing his own blade to his throat.
Hyun lost that quickly?
As Seo Moon-hyun’s childhood friend, Lee Se-na knew his abilities well, yet she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Seo Moon-hyun himself looked dazed, as though he hadn’t expected it either.
"Whoa! That’s our Cheon!"
Yee Eun-chae beamed with pride, while Arian Liberin and Yoo Eun-chae smiled as well. They took Seo Moon-jin’s victory for granted, yet they were still impressed by his skill.
"The match is my win."
As Seo Moon-jin declared this and turned away, Seo Moon-hyun stood speechless.
Hyun-ah, why did you do that?
Lee Se-na had been about to comfort him after his defeat, but the memory of him hurling insults at Seo Moon-jin earlier made her hesitate. At the same time, she recalled what her priority should be.
"Seo Moon-jin-nim."
She called out to me.
"What is it?"
"Hyun-ah caused a lot of trouble today. He’s not usually like this… I’ll apologize on his behalf for suddenly challenging you to a spar just now. And… thank you for accepting his request."
As Seo Moon-hyun’s childhood friend, Lee Se-na offered apologies for the parts of his behavior she found unreasonable.
* * *
Lee Se-na’s apology confirmed to me that she was instinctively beginning to sense something off about Seo Moon-hyun. Unconsciously, she had realized that his request to spar hadn’t been born of pure competitive spirit and that he harbored ill feelings toward me. The day she fully became aware of these things, she would have to make a choice.
That time isn’t here yet, though.
With that thought, I spoke to her gently.
"You didn’t have to go that far, but thank you for apologizing anyway."
Seo Moon-hyun’s face twisted with rage for a split second as he listened to our conversation. His usually gentle expression briefly resembled that of a demon before returning to its normal, amiable state. Only I noticed the momentary change.
"Let’s go."
Acting as though nothing had happened, I headed toward a quiet, empty training room with Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, and Yoo Eun-chae. There, I would give them a lecture on mana manipulation.