Die with a Smile, Part 5

"...Ha."

In the spacious S-Tier suite of the Labyrinth Exploration NaN dormitory.

Seo Ji-woo sat with her mouth agape, letting a chicken bone slip from her fingers. It was the exact moment Seol Ha-woon's interview segment ended.

"What is wrong with him?"

Of course, PD Kim A-rang had shown her the interview beforehand. But the production team's decision to broadcast it without any filters—editing it to look as dramatic as a movie or a drama—was downright malicious.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz-buzz-buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Her smartphone was vibrating relentlessly.

"Ugh..."

Seo Ji-woo pinched the bridge of her nose.

Right now, her room was an absolute disaster. Sheets of paper covered in scribbled magic formulas she had studied on her own, printed reference materials, magic theory books borrowed from the library, and academic journals published by various schools were strewn everywhere.

But what Seo Ji-woo was currently most focused on was "someone's" personal background.

Indeed, Seol Ha-woon's past was slowly being leaked to the public lately.

Even without her making an effort to dig into his history, countless people fascinated by Seol Ha-woon were tracing his mysterious background and sharing their findings online out of sheer curiosity.

Seo Ji-woo picked up a printed sheet of paper.

Putting everything else aside, the most important detail was the first point.

UDT. 64th Class.

Seol Ha-woon was in the same class as Seo Ji-hyuk.

UDT was a highly specialized unit. Consequently, the number of graduates in each class was very small. In high school terms, it was barely the size of one or two classrooms.

In other words, there was no way Seol Ha-woon didn't know Seo Ji-hyuk.

Yet, he had never let on to her that he knew her brother. Instead, he quietly helped her from the shadows. In the snowfield, and with the dragon scale... A man who was by no means the type to do favors was uniquely kind to her.

There was only one conclusion to be drawn from this.

Seol Ha-woon knew Seo Ji-hyuk.

And because he knew Seo Ji-hyuk, he was being kind to her.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz-buzz-buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

"Ugh, so noisy."

Seo Ji-woo picked up her phone. There were countless messages from high school classmates, the elite mages' group chat, Yoon Hwa-rim, and others, but the one she wanted to see most—from Seol Ha-woon—was nowhere to be found.

"...I wonder if he's up there."

Seol Ha-woon's usual spot was well-known. He climbed the back mountain every single day.

She now had a perfect excuse. Today's broadcasted interview provided the ideal pretext.

Seo Ji-woo left her room.

She took the elevator down, but as she was about to step out of the first-floor lobby...

"...What in the world?"

A man dressed in a traditional martial arts uniform was standing under the moonlight. He drew a longsword, raising it toward the sky to admire the gleam of the blade. It was Lee Jun-ho.

"What are you doing?"

Lee Jun-ho turned his head.

"Just... checking out my spoils."

The martial arts uniform and the longsword. They were all trophies he had brought back from the eastern region of the World Labyrinth.

"Looks good on you. Make sure it lasts."

Seo Ji-woo preferred to offer compliments whenever possible. There was nothing more obnoxious than criticizing someone who had just bought a used car by asking why they bought it or saying they could have gotten something better for the price.

"Ji-woo. What did you think?"

Lee Jun-ho raised an eyebrow with a sly smirk.

"About what?"

"The interview. That hyung looked pretty cool, didn't he?"

He was talking about Seol Ha-woon. Was this guy a fanboy too?

"What are you talking about... But if you look closely, you can see where they cut it. It felt like evil editing."

"Or is that just what you want to believe?"

"Are you crazy?"

Seo Ji-woo knitted her brows. Lee Jun-ho chuckled.

"I mean, he is pretty good-looking. Not quite on my level, of course. And he's ex-UDT."

To Seo Ji-woo, the way he pointedly brought up UDT felt suspicious.

"...Hey. Do you know something?"

Lee Jun-ho swung his longsword in a fluid, sweeping motion. The moonlight scattered across the patterns of the blade.

Seo Ji-woo shielded her eyes with her hand.

"Ugh, cut it out!"

"Why don't you just ask him yourself?"

"...That's exactly what I'm going to do."

Seo Ji-woo was afraid. What kind of memories did Seol Ha-woon hold of Seo Ji-hyuk?

If she could, she would gladly trade this dragon scale—which she had been offered a whopping 500 million won for—just to find out.

"But really, what if he actually likes you?"

At Lee Jun-ho's playful remark, Seo Ji-woo flipped him off.

"Screw you. What is this, a dating show? The more we react like this, the more we're just playing into the hands of the production crew."

"Well, Solo Signal was pretty entertaining."

"...Season 2 was especially good."

The two shared a brief chuckle. Lee Jun-ho spoke up.

"I'm off."

"Where to?"

"To train."

"Take it easy sometimes."

Lee Jun-ho shook his head.

"I have to work harder. I need to prove myself to... well, myself. If I want to surpass that hyung."

Muttering such strange words with a smile made him look oddly like a character straight out of a manga.

"Surpass him? Did wearing that uniform give you eighth-grader syndrome or something?"

It seemed he had been deeply influenced by *Demon Slayer* lately.

I headed up the back mountain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as soon as the broadcast ended. I needed to clear my head.

"Ah... PD Kim A-rang."

A string of curses threatened to bubble up from deep within my chest.

I pulled out my smartphone.

My usual routine after a broadcast was to check public opinion.

This post was perfectly normal. It listed the UDT curriculum and sang my praises.

This was a post listing all of my achievements in the recent survival labyrinth. There were many comments saying that watching me fire the shotgun gave them a massive dopamine rush.

But...

"I can't do this."

Let's skip checking the forums today. Seriously, this is an explorer competition. Why can't they just focus on the rivalry and the labyrinths? Why do they feel the need to inject this kind of cheap drama?

I ran a hand through my hair, looking up at the sky as the night breeze brushed against my face.

...Seo Ji-hyuk and Seo Ji-woo.

Honestly, blaming anyone else was laughable.

My sense of guilt toward Seo Ji-hyuk had simply transferred to Seo Ji-woo, making me want to do whatever I could to help her... No, that was nonsense.

Of course I should blame someone! I should blame Kim A-rang for butchering the interview like that!

Rustle.

I sensed a presence. I looked down. Seo Ji-woo was standing amidst the bushes.

"...What are you doing?"

She scratched herself here and there as if her skin was itching, offering a casual greeting.

"...What do you mean?"

I kept my response brief for now, preparing what to say in my head. I needed to tell her that the interview was a complete hatchet job.

"You didn't reply to my message. I got an offer of 500 million won for the dragon scale."

"Sell it if you want to. Are you a child?"

"Hmm... I guess I won't sell it then!"

Seo Ji-woo smiled. Her face made it clear she already knew something.

"Oh, and also, I got an offer from Emer, but I decided not to go."

Emer. That was the magic school I had heavily criticized for publishing overly pedantic magic texts.

"I did some more research, and their reputation is really bad. Even the academic society says so."

"...And why are you telling me this?"

"Seo Ji-hyuk. You know him, don't you?"

Seo Ji-woo threw a sudden uppercut.

For a split second, my heart skipped a beat.

I stared into Seo Ji-woo's eyes. This wasn't a mere bluff; there was a certain degree of conviction in her gaze.

"You know him. There's no way you don't, since you were in the same class. The 64th Class. The class from hell where only 30 out of 400 selected candidates passed."

I had expected this.

Spending so much time in the same space, I knew I couldn't keep it a secret forever.

After all, the Seo Ji-woo from before my regression had eventually found me out as well.

What mattered was what came next.

I spoke to Seo Ji-woo.

"...I do know him."

"Right? Ha-woon, you're 'that person,' aren't you?"

I knew exactly what she meant by 'that person.'

Once again, the future was trying to repeat itself.

In the future, Seo Ji-woo had asked me if I was 'that person.'

And back then, I had said yes.

I shouldn't have done that.

"In the letters I received, my brother said he had a friend."

Seo Ji-woo pulled a bundle of letters from her coat.

Letters. Those damn letters were the problem.

When I had received Seo Ji-hyuk's letters from Seo Ji-woo in the past, my emotions had flared up in a way that was unlike me, causing me to say things I never should have said.

"Someone he could trust. He said other people mistook him for a Doberman, but he was actually more like a Golden Retriever."

Hearing it again only irritated me. That bastard, comparing me to a dog.

"It's you, right? Seo Ji-hyuk's friend, Seol Ha-woon."

I stared at Seo Ji-woo.

A girl who only spoke the absolute truth.

But if things continued like this, the future would only repeat itself.

I wanted to hide Seo Ji-hyuk's death. I wanted to hide his failure.

I wanted Seo Ji-hyuk to remain a brother she could always be proud of, a soldier who had been faithful to his duty. I didn't want to reduce him to a failure.

The years I had spent with Seo Ji-hyuk, the life of mine he had saved, and the life of his I had saved...

This was my desperate wish.

"No."

"...Huh?"

Seo Ji-woo, who had been half-certain, blinked in confusion, her head tilting to the side.

"I said no. Just because we were in the same class doesn't mean we were close. In fact, because of factional divides, most of us hated each other."

I must never let you find out about Seo Ji-hyuk's death.

I must never tell you how he died, or how he was 'used.'

"Then... why?"

Seo Ji-woo asked. I hesitated, my mind racing to find an answer.

The easiest way out was right in front of me.

"Why else? For the broadcast."

"...What?"

I put on a mask.

Faking an expression was easy enough.

"Have you looked at the internet? Everyone is talking about us. The cameras are going to start clinging to us soon."

I was the only one who knew how Seo Ji-hyuk's life had ended.

"...You know the truth deep down. Why do you think I saved you?"

So, as long as I kept my mouth shut.

As long as I didn't say a word and kept pushing her away forever.

"Let's keep up this dynamic for a bit longer. It's not a bad deal for you either, is it?"

In this lifetime, I might actually be able to keep my promise to protect his sister.

"I'll act like I'm somewhat interested in you. You just keep doing what you're doing. It's perfect right now."

"..."

"Let's make our debut together, shall we?"

Seo Ji-woo was speechless. Dumbfounded disbelief washed over her wide eyes as she stared at me.

"Wow..."

She ran a hand through her hair. Her palms were slick with sweat. She was clearly furious.

"...Ha."

A bitter, mocking smirk spread across Seo Ji-woo's face. Biting her lower lip, she glared at me and raised her middle finger.

"Fuck you."

With that, she spun on her heel and stormed off. Her footsteps heavily trampled the grass as she walked away in a huff.

Why was that?

It felt like I had just looked into a mirror.

I think I finally understood what Seo Ji-hyuk meant when he made that crazy claim that his sister took after me.