Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Efforts to Win the Bet with the Shady Teacher (5)
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Academy life was packed solid with training. It was all to prepare for the Hero Tournament.
As time went on, the mood split right down the middle. Those competing in the Hero Tournament and those sitting it out.
But the non-participants weren't slacking off. They were all cadets dreaming of becoming heroes too, pushing just as hard as anyone.
Weekdays meant training at the academy and nothing else. Fewer theory classes was a nice perk, but the physical grind was still brutal.
It reminded me of my army days. Felt like constant deployment drills every day. Of course, this was still better than that.
"Congrats, Yeon-woo."
After grinding through the week, the weekend rolled around. I met up with Park A-young. She hit me with congratulations the second she saw me.
It was about my spot in the Hero Tournament being locked in.
"I barely scraped by."
"With only eight spots up for grabs, 4th place hardly counts as scraping by."
4th place. Pure combat ranking, no theory scores involved. Juyeon-woo's body was way more impressive than I'd given it credit for.
I sheepishly scratched my head while Park A-young flashed me a thumbs-up.
"Kinda worried about how strong the cadets from the other academies will be."
"The Hero Tournament judges pure real-world skill, so it's a bit different from entrance exams. You'll do great, though."
This meetup was supposed to be me apologizing to her, but here she was comforting me instead. I'd steered the vibe that way on purpose.
"Save that talk for the academy."
I patted my stomach with a smack.
"You come with an empty stomach today?"
We'd linked up around lunchtime. If she'd eaten breakfast early, she'd be starving by now.
Park A-young nodded.
"Haven't eaten a thing."
"Your cheeks look kinda pale. Skipped breakfast too?"
"I never eat breakfast anyway. Slept in a bit today."
Her stomach was completely empty. Perfect time for a filling meal that'd really satisfy. Too bad that wasn't an option.
A guy and a girl meeting up one-on-one? Gobbling down food like a pig was out. Had to keep it classy, something that felt a little date-like.
"Let's head out. I scoped everything out already."
Researching and planning wasn't really my style. But when push came to shove, I made it happen.
I led Park A-young to a pasta place.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Park A-young followed Juyeon-woo to the pasta restaurant. It was a classy spot she'd never been to before.
She'd always wanted to try a place like this, but she had no same-sex friends to tag along with, let alone a boyfriend.
"Whoa..."
Park A-young let out a gasp as she took in the interior. Her eyes went wide like some country bumpkin fresh off the bus to the city. Still, she tried to play it cool on the inside.
No one wants to look like a total rube in front of someone else.
"First time at a place like this?"
"Uh, wh...? No?"
But Juyeon-woo could see right through her. Her awkward gait screamed newbie from a mile away.
She denied it, but he didn't buy it for a second.
Juyeon-woo brushed it off like it was no big deal, regardless.
"Yeah? It's my first time too."
"...You've really never been here?"
"Nope."
He looks like the type who'd come here all the time. Park A-young swallowed the words bubbling up in her throat.
'He's dating Han-seol. And he's never been to a place like this?'
She tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help herself. Right now, this felt an awful lot like a date.
"Order whatever you want. I'm loaded today. Borrowed my aunt's card."
Juyeon-woo chuckled as he placed his order. Park A-young scanned the menu—half of it might as well have been gibberish—and picked a pasta dish.
She eyed people around them digging into their pasta. Would one plate really fill her up? She worried a little. But ordering more wasn't happening.
'...I don't want him seeing me scarf it down like a pig.'
They weren't anything to each other. Juyeon-woo was Han-seol's boyfriend, totally off-limits.
And yet, she didn't want to look ugly in front of him. She wanted to seem pretty.
Park A-young was lost in her whirlwind of thoughts when Juyeon-woo pulled out his smartphone.
"Let's take a pic."
"Huh?"
"Gonna send it to Seol."
It made no sense to Park A-young.
Sending your girlfriend a photo of you with another girl? Was that even allowed?
She shot him a shocked look, and Juyeon-woo tilted his head.
"What? Weird?"
"...Aren't you two dating?"
The academy banned relationships for sure, but everyone snuck around anyway. If she could, Park A-young would love to have a boyfriend too.
"I told Seol I'd be meeting you, right?"
"Yeah. That a problem?"
"...Not a problem, but..."
Park A-young's mind spun in circles.
'Meeting on the sly would be even weirder, huh...'
Openly telling your girlfriend and meeting versus sneaking around. If she had to pick, openly telling seemed better.
Park A-young and Han-seol were friends, after all. It felt like the maximum allowable leeway.
"Okay, look here."
Juyeon-woo stretched out his arm to snap a photo that got them both in frame, sitting across from each other.
Park A-young forced an awkward smile and threw up a thumbs-up. Felt safer than a peace sign, so she went with it in a panic.
"What is this? Your face looks weird."
"...How'd I come out?"
"Check it."
Juyeon-woo held out his phone to show her. There she was, thumbs-up with a bizarre expression that could be a smile or a cry.
"...It does look weird."
No joke, it was genuinely unflattering. Park A-young wasn't thrilled with her looks in general. Her self-esteem was in the gutter.
"Still kinda cute, though."
"...!"
Juyeon-woo said it casually, offhand, then sent the pic to Han-seol.
His passing comment made Park A-young's body jolt. It echoed in her ears on repeat.
'...C-cute? Me?'
Like a frog dying from a random stone tossed its way. Juyeon-woo's off-the-cuff remark flooded her brain with dopamine.
She knew it was just politeness. But she couldn't just brush it off.
It was the first compliment she'd ever gotten from a guy.
Park A-young zoned out as she kept chatting with Juyeon-woo.
They started with how he and Han-seol got close, what they usually did together. But before long, the talk shifted to her personal stuff.
"You have an older sister?"
"Yeah, she's your standard college student. On leave right now, serving in the military."
"..."
When military came up, Juyeon-woo's face stiffened hard. Why the over-the-top reaction...?
'Oh, does he think Seol has to go too?'
Han-seol wouldn't go. Academy cadets and pro female heroes did alternative service instead of enlisting. They worked as state-sponsored heroes.
"Seol's exempt. Well, alternative service, technically."
"Oh? That's a relief, then..."
Park A-young gave him the quick rundown. His expression didn't fully loosen up, though.
You'd think he'd been through it himself.
"Gotta bust my ass to dodge the draft too. I'm dead last right now."
"Isn't everyone guaranteed to become a hero if they make it into the academy?"
"You gotta join a government-registered clan to count as a hero. Means passing the national exam in the end."
"Ah."
As they chatted about this and that, Juyeon-woo's sour mood gradually lifted. He seemed to finally clock that guys didn't have to go either.
"Whose nose is this pasta gonna stick to?"
Their pasta arrived. Juyeon-woo stared at it for a second, then cracked up with that line.
As he went for his first bite, Park A-young hurriedly stopped him.
"H-hey, Yeon-woo. No pic?"
"Pic? Why wou—"
He paused, then grabbed his phone again. Set down his fork and snapped a shot.
"Gotta send this one too if I'm sending pics. Mmm, looks good."
"..."
"Your turn. I'll take one of you."
His lens swung her way naturally. Panicked, Park A-young waved him off.
"Nah, I'm good."
"Come on, pose. Proof you accepted my apology to Juyeon-woo. Hurry up."
"..."
Reminded of why they'd met today, she finally mustered an awkward smile at the camera. Poses and expressions weren't her strong suit without practice.
"Perfect. Looks good."
"...Really?"
"Yeah, I'll send it later."
Juyeon-woo checked it a couple times, then pocketed his phone.
Truth be told, she wanted to see it right now. But asking him to show her felt too bold. After dodging the pic earlier, suddenly acting interested would just seem silly...
Slurp—.
"..."
"Man, this is good. Worth every penny."
Phone down, Juyeon-woo dove into his meal for real. He slurped up the noodles with gusto.
Park A-young couldn't help a small laugh at the sight. The tension melted away, letting her finally eat comfortably too.