Lingering Suspicions
Haah...
Yeon Minha sat alone at her desk after sending Lee Hyun away first, letting out a long sigh. Her gaze refused to leave the small, luxuriously wrapped paper box. It continued to radiate a sweet, mouthwatering aroma in every direction.
...
The more she sensed the sincerity behind it, the deeper she sank into thought. Her mind was consumed by a maddening restlessness that made her bite her nails without realizing it.
The picture that had fallen from Lee Hyun's jacket last night had eventually been returned to its proper place, but the girl's appearance sketched within it remained vividly etched in her memory. Why would he carry such an old drawing so preciously against his chest?
She didn't resemble him at all—not enough to be an older or younger sister. If she were merely a friend, there would be no reason to treasure it that much. And if she was neither family nor friend...
"Girlfriend...?"
Yeon Minha's voice came out completely deflated. Dark storm clouds gathered heavily over her heart.
It was greedy to wish she had been his first woman. She understood that perfectly on a rational level. Carrying a single picture of one's childhood first love was something she could generously overlook. Though resentment surged within her, she was the only one walking beside him in the present.
But the past had a way of causing problems when it refused to stay buried.
No matter how much I think about it...
Every time Yeon Minha imagined the girl in that emaciated portrait, another figure inevitably overlapped in her mind. Long black hair cascading like pitch darkness. Eyes that sparkled like gold, holding all the light in the world. An archenemy who had long since transcended mere rivalry. A mortal foe—if that term wasn't enough, nothing else would suffice.
It was none other than the Paecheon family's Baek Seoyeon.
Grit...
Just imagining it soured her mood so thoroughly that Yeon Minha clenched her teeth. The portrait had been drawn in monochrome pencil, so the eye color was impossible to confirm, but aside from the girl's noticeable thinness, she looked exactly like Baek Seoyeon.
No—rather, it could have been her own face staring back.
Now that I think about it...
Yeon Minha had already heard the story of his past directly from Lee Hyun's lips. He had spent his entire life in a frontier settlement near the northern border. But two years ago, during the demons' great invasion, the village he called home was reduced to ruins by remnants who had slipped through the subjugation force's encirclement.
In that attack, he lost his entire family and all his friends. The only thing left for that pitiful boy was a long scar beneath his eye—the price of trying to protect a friend named "Yeon." If Sa Jaehyuk of the 66th Brigade hadn't discovered him by chance, he wouldn't be alive today.
That was as far as Yeon Minha could piece things together with the information she possessed. Feeling a twinge of jealousy was unavoidable, but if he carried the portrait because he still couldn't forget his tragically deceased first love, she could almost understand it.
Yet Baek Seoyeon's existence kept clinging to her mind like a stubborn burr.
To the world, it was said she only revealed herself after blooming under the Paecheon family head's favor. But Baek Il-yong's proclivities were already an open secret among the upper families. Who would show such affection to a man who scattered his seed across the fields like a farmer, harvesting children like crops only to discard them with cold indifference?
Yeon Minha searched her memory. Baek Seoyeon had first appeared in an official capacity exactly two years ago. That oddly overlapping timeline disturbed her once more.
...
Her thoughts spun faster, racing toward the edge of delusion. Lee Hyun, who cherished an old portrait that looked exactly like Baek Seoyeon. The name "Yeon" he had mumbled every night while hospitalized. The sight of Baek Seoyeon's back as she secretly left the meticulously handmade candy behind and fled like a thief.
Of course, several questions remained unanswered. The veiled identity of Baek Seoyeon's fiancé. The brutal clash between the two at the start of the semester. His strangely evasive attitude toward her.
Even so, she couldn't bring herself to dismiss it all as mere coincidence.
"Ugh..."
A sudden wave of tension and fear made Yeon Minha's body tremble violently. Her vision narrowed. Her heart hammered wildly. No matter how hard she shook her head in denial, the circumstances all pointed to some connection between them.
On the other hand, she hated Baek Seoyeon with a passion. The woman who had already taken everything from her was now reaching her filthy claws toward the last precious thing she had left.
"Haah... What am I supposed to do with... Huh?"
"Mew~"
It happened just as she tried to steady herself with a deep breath. A small creature pushed through the crack of the open bedroom door, letting out a cry. An amber-and-cream-colored cat sniffed around before leaping onto the desk in a single bound. It immediately butted the paper box, knocked the lid aside, and dove in with its teeth bared.
"What—what are you doing?! No!"
"Mew! Meeeow!"
The cat was quickly subdued by Yeon Minha, but it continued struggling with stubborn determination.
"Why are you acting like this?! You're so small, where do you get all that strength...!"
She couldn't possibly surrender what might be crucial evidence. At the same time, she couldn't cast magic on the cat Lee Hyun cherished to drive it away. Wrapping her arms completely around the wriggling creature, Yeon Minha suddenly had an idea.
Among the spirits she commanded, there was one that took the form of a cat. Recalling it, she immediately manifested the spirit. Hers was quite large, so it should have no trouble chasing off something this small.
The air above her shoulder rippled. Soon, a translucent white cat appeared.
But before Yeon Minha could issue a command—
Hiss! Hiss!
Her spirit locked eyes with the small cat, fur bristling in extreme tension. It immediately turned transparent again and tried to slip out of the material realm.
"Wh-what? What is this...?"
Her panicked attempt to stop it was useless. Dumbfounded, she stared at her now-empty shoulder.
The reaction was deeply strange. Though their purpose was to consume spring particles, spirits generally tended to be friendly toward living creatures of the earth. This was only the second time in her life Yeon Minha had seen a spirit display such wariness.
The first time had been when she showed Lee Hyun the caterpillar spirit that had manifested to him.
Why...? Does it take after its master? Wait—!
The rustling sound snapped her back to reality. The small cat had already overturned the box and was happily devouring the treats inside. Crumbs of cookies and candy clung to its mouth, which curved upward in what looked suspiciously like a satisfied smile.
"Mew~"
Thud!
A dull impact somewhere brought Yeon Minha back to her senses. The duel had been a one-sided display of Lee Hyun effortlessly dominating Jin Yeseo from start to finish, yet she had watched with an anxious expression the entire time.
It wasn't concern for Lee Hyun. And it certainly wasn't concern for Jin Yeseo, who was being beaten like dust on a rainy day. The cat was perfectly fine, unharmed, but her worries had remained unresolved for days.
Some indefinable discomfort filled her body completely. Then Yeon Minha suddenly turned her head toward a particular spot in the spectator seats. A female student with black hair was watching the duel without so much as blinking.
Thud!
"...Ugh..."
...
Every time a blow landed, Baek Seoyeon's body seemed to flinch, and the sight only worsened Yeon Minha's mood.
Ding ding ding!
"Duel over! Over! Student Yu Jinhyun! That's enough..."
It was right around the moment the masked male student planted his foot on Jin Yeseo's lower abdomen and pressed down. At the bell signaling the end of the match, he finally stopped the one-sided beating.
"Ah... haeu... ha..."
The once-brilliant blonde-haired, green-eyed girl now lay in tatters on the floor, breathing faintly. Jin Yeseo was immediately carried off to the infirmary by the medical team that rushed in. The masked student turned his head, scanning for someone.
His gaze soon landed precisely on Yeon Minha.
...
He said nothing, simply looking. Yet Yeon Minha could feel the longing in his heart. When she gave a slightly coy wave, he bowed his head in satisfaction and turned away.
Seeing this, Yeon Minha unconsciously let the corners of her mouth lift.
Then suddenly.
The stinging, almost ferocious gaze from beside her made Yeon Minha whip her head around. But Baek Seoyeon, who had been sitting there moments ago, was already walking briskly out of the sparring arena.
...
Having made her decision, Yeon Minha shot up from her seat. She began following after Baek Seoyeon. She couldn't stay sane without resolving this doubt.
***
"Baek Seoyeon."
At the sudden voice, Baek Seoyeon—who had been leaving the sparring ground with her black hair swaying—turned around. From the dark passage, the click of heels approached. The female student was accompanied by Kwon Yuri and Choi I-re, who each greeted Yeon Minha in their own way.
"Minha, hello~!"
"Yeon Minha. What brings you here..."
"Baek Seoyeon. Can we talk for a moment?"
Yet Yeon Minha ignored Kwon Yuri and Choi I-re completely, directing her sharp words straight at Baek Seoyeon. Seoyeon made a troubled face and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but can it wait? I'm on my way to see Yeseo right now. She seems badly hurt, and I'm worried..."
"You're worried about that blonde? What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that..."
"Yeon Minha! Barging in like this—what exactly do you think you're doing?!"
"Stop it...! Stop, I-re..."
Seoyeon restrained I-re, who had flared up on her behalf. She let out a deep sigh and looked at the two.
"You two go on ahead. I'll talk with Minha for a bit and catch up."
"But..."
"It's fine. Go check on Yeseo's condition..."
At Seoyeon's firm insistence, Yuri and I-re reluctantly walked away. With all the students now gone, a heavy silence settled over the passage.
"...So? What is it?"
Seoyeon spoke first. As if she no longer needed to maintain her gentle facade, she glared at Yeon Minha with an icy expression and muttered. The trace of the girl who had looked troubled was gone without a trace. Only thick, sticky hostility poured from her toward Yeon Minha.
...
Yeon Minha met her gaze without yielding. She didn't bother with unnecessary words. Instead, she rummaged in her pocket, pulled out the single item she had managed to protect from the cat's rampage, and hurled it at Baek Seoyeon.
"Catch."
"What the hell do you think you're—huh?"
The moment she reflexively caught the object Yeon Minha had thrown, Seoyeon immediately recognized it. After all, it was the gift she had prepared for him after staying up for several nights in a row.
On her palm rested a small, meticulously wrapped bag of candy. Seoyeon's eyes trembled violently at the sight. She lowered her head and spoke in a low voice.
"This. How did you get this..."