The Desire to Become Stronger
"Today, he seems a bit better." Lee Se-na felt relieved seeing Seo Moon-hyun greet her with a smile, as if he had improved considerably since yesterday. She resolved to help him regain his stability to the best of her ability after the confusion he had been struggling with lately.
"Hyun-ah, are you heading to breakfast?"
"I was planning to."
"Have you decided what to eat this morning?"
"Hmm? Since it's morning, seolleongtang sounds good, right?"
"Then I'll have seolleongtang too."
Lee Se-na and Seo Moon-hyun chose their breakfast menu and made their way to the cafeteria. As they approached, a somewhat familiar voice reached Lee Se-na's ears.
"Hmm, without Cheon and Aria, it feels strangely empty."
It was Yee Eun-chae's voice. Lee Se-na turned toward the source and spotted Yee Eun-chae wearing a wistful expression. With her long black hair tinged with a violet hue swaying gently, Yee Eun-chae looked as beautiful as ever today. Her ample bosom, which rivaled even Lee Se-na's own in size, could not be concealed even by the academy uniform.
"You're right. Eating just the two of us does feel a little lonely."
Sitting across from her, Yoo Eun-chae also appeared as lovely as usual. Unlike Arian Liberin, who exuded an air of grace and nobility, Yoo Eun-chae radiated a pure and delicate charm that stirred protective instincts, her long silver hair swaying as she nodded with a mysterious air about her. Though the two sat facing each other for breakfast, their expressions lacked the brightness they had shown during lunch.
Is it because Lord Seo Moon-jin and Princess Aria aren't here?
Arian Liberin had instructed everyone at the academy to call her by name rather than "Princess," but Lee Se-na still thought of her as the princess in her heart. Whenever Seo Moon-jin and Arian were present, Yee Eun-chae had visibly brightened. Yoo Eun-chae, too, had seemed shy yet cheerful. Now, however, both women looked somehow forlorn.
Come to think of it...
Arian Liberin had nearly been killed. Lee Se-na wondered if that trauma had made her rely even more deeply on Seo Moon-jin. Honestly, the shock of nearly being assaulted herself had not yet faded. It was no light matter that could be shaken off in just two days.
Lord Seo Moon-jin's rescue keeps coming back to me.
Gratitude toward the man who had saved her in that desperate moment welled up, and she found herself wishing to see him again. It seemed a dependence on him had taken root in her heart as well.
"Se-na-ya?"
While she stood dazed, staring at the table where Yee Eun-chae and Yoo Eun-chae sat, Seo Moon-hyun called out to her.
"Ah, Hyun-ah. Sorry."
Lee Se-na apologized, but noticing Seo Moon-hyun's poor complexion, she asked worriedly, "Hyun-ah... did something happen?"
"No." He shook his head and pointed toward the ordering counter with a smile. "More importantly, let's order the seolleongtang set quickly. We need to eat breakfast before class starts."
"Okay."
Seo Moon-hyun had glanced at the seats beside Yee Eun-chae and Yoo Eun-chae. Sitting there was naturally his role. Holding his seolleongtang, he naturally began heading in that direction.
"Hyun-ah. Where are you going?"
Lee Se-na stopped him.
"Next to Eun-chae and Hyun-ah. There's an empty seat right there, and they're your friends, aren't they?"
Seo Moon-hyun spoke as though stating the obvious, and Lee Se-na's expression darkened slightly, but he could not understand why she looked that way. No—he did not want to understand. He must not understand.
"Um... Hyun-ah... won't they... dislike it?"
Yet Seo Moon-hyun shook his head at Lee Se-na's cautious words, as if the idea were absurd.
"Nonsense. They were a bit sensitive for a while, but they're still friends. What's wrong with sitting with friends?"
Speaking as though lecturing the clueless Lee Se-na, he added, "Let's go, Se-na-ya."
"Ah... Hyun-ah..."
Seo Moon-hyun sensed she was once again falling into unnecessary worry, though he could not fathom why she fretted so much. Fortunately, Seo Moon-jin was not around to interfere. Arian Liberin's absence was regrettable, but once her brief confusion passed, she would surely return to her senses and act as a friend again.
"Good morning, Eun-chae-ya, Hyun-ah-ya."
"Yeah, good morning."
Seo Moon-hyun smiled, believing Yee Eun-chae had accepted his greeting. He paid no mind to the wary look on her face. Yoo Eun-chae also subtly shifted her chair sideways to create distance, but Seo Moon-hyun refused to acknowledge it.
"Hyun-ah-ya. Why did you suddenly move your seat over?"
"What does it matter to you?"
Yoo Eun-chae questioned him in a strangely sharp, guarded tone unlike her usual reserved self. Seo Moon-hyun replied with a hurt expression.
"Putting distance between friends like this is a bad thing. Don't do that."
Though he spoke in a lecturing tone, Seo Moon-hyun believed his actions were correct. Their behavior was wrong, and he was simply teaching them the right way. Therefore, they naturally ought to apologize for their mistake and follow his guidance.
"Hyun-ah."
Lee Se-na hurriedly grabbed his sleeve to stop him and quickly apologized to Yoo Eun-chae.
"I'm sorry. I'll apologize on Hyun's behalf for what he said."
Lee Se-na even bowed her head slightly. Yet Seo Moon-hyun could not comprehend her actions.
"Se-na-ya, why are you doing that? Why are you apologizing?"
Yoo Eun-chae was the one at fault. He had merely pointed out her mistake.
"Seo Moon-hyun, don't talk to Hyun-ah like that."
Yee Eun-chae set down her spoon and glared at Seo Moon-hyun, clearly furious. Seo Moon-hyun could not understand why she was angry.
"Eun-chae-ya. I'm fine. Let's just move somewhere else."
Yoo Eun-chae tried to calm Yee Eun-chae and suggested they leave. Yee Eun-chae shot Seo Moon-hyun one last glare before nodding at Yoo Eun-chae.
"Mm, all right. If that's what you want, Hyun-ah-ya, I'll hold back."
"No, what is this? Why are you getting angry?"
Seo Moon-hyun was dumbfounded. After wronging a friend, they had the audacity to get angry and walk away.
"I'm sorry, truly sorry. Hyun... he's just not himself right now. I'm really sorry."
Seo Moon-hyun could not understand why Lee Se-na kept bowing and apologizing to Yee Eun-chae either. What exactly was wrong with his condition?
Is this all because of Seo Moon-jin's bad influence? Seo Moon-jin is corrupting my friends.
The thought that everything was Seo Moon-jin's fault came naturally, but Seo Moon-hyun pushed it aside for now. He could not afford to be certain of something so uncertain.
No, there might be another problem.
His friends were reacting strangely. Lee Se-na, too, was behaving oddly, unlike her usual self. Realizing that these changes had begun right after the villain attack, he felt he understood.
The villains' schemes might still be lingering.
If so, his task was to help them return to their senses. Acting for his friends was only natural for someone as righteous as him! Convinced of this, Seo Moon-hyun concluded that their condition was abnormal. He decided that once they regained their senses later, they would feel guilty, so for now he would generously overlook everything as if it did not bother him.
I really hate that guy.
Yee Eun-chae genuinely despised Seo Moon-hyun. For the first time in her life, she felt such intense dislike toward someone who was not even a villain. She could not understand why he delusionally claimed them as friends. How could she ever consider him a friend or treat him kindly when he openly showed hostility toward Seo Moon-jin, her very first friend? If not for Seo Moon-jin, he might have remained a tolerable classmate. But that was a meaningless hypothetical. She truly found Seo Moon-hyun utterly repulsive.
What she hated even more was her own weakness compared to someone like him.
Cheon said he would help me. Starting today, I'll train hard under his guidance and make sure I never lose to someone like that.
Once that happened, she would be able to punish anyone who insulted her friends with her own hands. With that thought, Yee Eun-chae moved to another seat, finished breakfast with Yoo Eun-chae, and headed to the classroom together.
"Eun-chae-ya, Hyun-ah-ya. Good morning."
At the classroom entrance, they ran into Seo Moon-jin and Arian Liberin. Yee Eun-chae smiled and replied.
"Cheon, Aria. Good morning."
Though the morning had been unpleasant because of Seo Moon-hyun, seeing the two of them instantly turned it into a pleasant one.