Suspicion (14)
"You—what are you doing here at this hour…! What about morning training—"
Even as she spoke, Yeon Minha struggled desperately. Yet her arms, pinned above her head, refused to budge. She lay exposed and defenseless, like prey caught in the act of violation. Shame crept up her face, staining it crimson.
"If you get disciplined for this—"
"It doesn't matter."
The masked student cut through her frantic persuasion without hesitation.
"Something more important came up."
"M-more important…?"
"Yes."
His voice was thick with anger.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I-I didn't avoid you…"
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I told you, I didn't—hngh…"
At her denial, the hands gripping her tightened further. He refused to treat her as a senior, instead crushing her down like a subordinate. Yet instead of feeling wronged by the treatment, Yeon Minha felt an inexplicable sense of security. Her ragged breathing steadied. Her scattered thoughts settled. Regaining her composure, she calmly studied his expression.
A pair of eyes stared back at her from behind the mask. She could see everything written across that pale sky-blue canvas—the sticky obsession coating its surface, and the anxiety and sorrow rippling beneath.
"…"
Yeon Minha remembered how seriously Lee Hyun had been chasing ranking points. Determined not to burden the Black Lotus or his benefactor, he had spent the entire semester acting like a model student. He studied diligently, reviewing and previewing material to catch up, and never missed a single lecture unless dragged into something like the Red Fire incident. Naturally, he had never once skipped morning training either.
And yet he was saying that being with her mattered more. That skipping training and losing points meant nothing to him.
"…Calm down."
Yeon Minha looked up at him, her voice steady.
"Are you angry…?"
"Yes."
He answered immediately. Yeon Minha had to ignore the sudden heat rising to her cheeks.
"Why, why…?"
"You avoided me for no reason. Of course I'm angry."
"…"
A rush of satisfaction filled her, followed by a twinge of guilt. She lowered her gaze to his chest. There, as always, was his slightly crooked necktie, tied a little off-center to the left. The shape was decent now, but he still seemed to struggle with forming the habit.
The corner of her mouth curled upward before she realized it.
"…I didn't avoid you."
"If you keep saying it like that—"
"It's true. You should listen when someone speaks."
Her calm demeanor finally dampened the wildfire of his temper. Lee Hyun asked, his voice hesitant.
"…Then why?"
"W-well… you see…"
Yeon Minha stretched her words as long as possible, buying time to invent an excuse.
"M-my body's been a bit off lately… I've been sensitive… tired, too… So I just wanted to rest…"
"You were tired…?"
"Y-yeah! That's right… You know how it is with girls… once a month…"
The moment the words left her mouth without passing through her brain, belated embarrassment crashed over her. Her conscience pricked like needles. She comforted herself with the fact that it wasn't a complete lie. The timing was roughly similar, after all…
"…Ah."
He looked visibly flustered. The hands that had been gripping her so roughly had long since lost all strength. Yeon Minha seized the opening, quickly pulling her wrists free. She straightened her clothes with feigned nonchalance and shot him a sidelong glance.
"Honestly… what is this? I went to all the trouble of dressing neatly…"
"I… I'm sorry…"
His flustered tone made her bite back a laugh that threatened to escape. The food chain had completely reversed. Yeon Minha shook her head, her heart considerably lighter.
"It's fine. I… I'm sorry too, for not explaining properly… I'll definitely tell you next time…"
Her apology carried another meaning he couldn't possibly know.
"You don't have to go that far—"
"If I don't tell you? You'll just manhandle me again?"
"That's… I mean…"
"Hmph. Whatever."
Yeon Minha put on an exaggeratedly annoyed expression and glared at him with narrowed eyes. Then she stepped closer and began loosening his necktie.
"It's crooked again. When are you going to fix that, hm?"
"I tied it properly…"
"Honestly… what would you do without me…"
With practiced hands, she fixed his appearance the way she always did, finishing with a light pat on his solid chest.
"There. Now hurry up and go. Isn't there a ranking match lottery today?"
"Yes, there is."
"Even if you skipped morning training, you still have to attend the lottery. Go quickly. You'll be late at this rate."
"But…"
"Oh, for goodness' sake. I said it's fine. Go already. I need to get going too."
Yeon Minha practically chased the still-hesitant Lee Hyun out. Convinced he had made a mistake, he left the dormitory with clear reluctance.
Now truly alone in the empty dorm, Yeon Minha stood dazed for a long while.
"Haa…"
She finally collapsed against the wall with a deep sigh. Looking down at her wrists, she saw vivid red handprints still marking her skin—lingering traces of the violence done to her. The marks bound her like iron shackles, yet from them she drew a strange sense of comfort.
"Aigoo… how did I end up like this…"
She stared at them for a moment before shaking her head.
'Honestly… what would you do without me…'
She recalled the words she had just said to him.
"…As expected, I need to be here."
'Not Baek Seoyeon.'
Her drooping figure suddenly perked up, eyes gleaming. When Lee Hyun had questioned her earlier, there had been another question that nearly escaped her throat—one she had ultimately swallowed.
"From now on, I won't let you take anything from me either."
Sitting on the floor, Yeon Minha gently stroked the bright red marks as if they were precious treasures.
***
For the second ranking match, all first-years crowded into Hwayang-gwan.
"Hyun-ah~ Over here!"
As I stepped into the hall, swept along by the crowd, I heard someone calling my name. I spotted a bleached-haired girl waving and made my way over.
"Hey."
"Hey~"
"Ah, hello…"
Sera, Yeoreum, and Yena were already there. The moment I sat down, Sera spoke up.
"Did something happen this morning? Yena was really worried. She said someone who's never missed a day suddenly didn't show up."
"Sera, you—!"
Yena shot Sera a reproachful glare while the latter snickered.
"…I just wasn't feeling well."
"Really? Now that you mention it, your ears look a bit red… Do you have a fever?"
"Really…? Shouldn't you go to the infirmary?"
"I'm fine. It's not that bad…"
I shook my head at Yena's concerned question. The emotions I'd managed to suppress began rising again, heat prickling across my face. What kind of expression was I making right now? I was grateful for the mask today, at least. Getting worked up over nothing and even jumping to the wrong conclusion… It was the kind of embarrassment that would haunt me for life.
"…"
Only after steadying my breathing could I take in my surroundings. More students looked anxious, biting their nails, than those wearing relaxed expressions. The ranking matches carried the heaviest weight in personal scores. On top of that, gaps in natural talent were beginning to show. It was only natural some felt uneasy.
Looking farther ahead, I spotted the usual group: Ryu Sehwa's younger brother Seungheon, his fiancée Mun Yeoul, the muscular, short-haired Choi Woojin, and even the slick-looking Guk Jaeryong, who didn't quite fit in with the other prestigious family heirs.
"…"
Something felt missing—Jin Yeseo, who was always with them, was nowhere to be seen. Had she not been discharged from the infirmary yet…?
"Alright, everyone quiet down!"
At the exact hour, Professor Shin Jae-yu stepped onto the stage and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. For a split second, her eyes met mine—and the female professor's expression turned fiercely predatory.
"…"
A chill ran down my spine. So today's morning training had been her shift. She was known for hating students who slacked off. If I didn't come up with a good excuse beforehand, this could get troublesome…
"Then we'll begin the ranking match lottery—"
—Bang!
Just as she was about to start the draws, all eyes turned toward the entrance as the doors flew open with a loud crash. A blonde girl covered head to toe in bandages, one arm in a cast, pushed her way inside using her entire body.
"Huff… hah… Sorry I'm late…"
Jin Yeseo appeared at last, panting heavily.
"It's fine. We haven't started yet. Go find a seat."
"…Yes."
Professor Shin waved her hand dismissively.
"…Ahem. Then let's begin the ranking match lottery. I won't bother explaining the rules since you all know them, right?"
Scattered "Yes~" responses echoed throughout the hall. The order started from the lowest rank and worked upward. Students drew opponents from those immediately above or below them in ranking. The chosen opponent wouldn't receive a draw, and the process moved to the next rank. Defeating a higher-ranked opponent yielded greater points—losing worked the same way.
What was certain was that as the current first-place holder, I wouldn't be participating in the draw. Someone would pick me before it came to that.
"Next. Hong Sera. Please come forward."
"I'll be right back~"
Sera waved and headed to the stage. After scanning her ID at the machine, a single ball floated out from the vacuum chamber. With a confident expression, she infused it with particles and waited for a name to appear on its surface.
Soon, I saw her face contort in disgust.
"Hong Sera. Your opponent is… Shin Muyeong!"
"…Eugh."
At the name echoing through the hall, Yeoreum and Yena both grimaced. Come to think of it, Yena had faced him once before. The image of Muyeong walking around the ward covered in bandages resurfaced.
"Ugh, seriously. Of all people…"
Even after returning to her seat, the bleached-haired troublemaker kept grumbling.
"Ju Yeoreum… opponent is…"
"Ha Yena… opponent is…"
The draws continued. Before long, it was the turn of students in the top ten. A girl with a prim expression stepped onto the stage and stood before the machine. Mun Yeoul pulled out a ball and waited for the name to appear.
Soon, her face twisted in surprise.
"Mun Yeoul. Your opponent is… Jin Yeseo!!"
"Aren't they in the same mentoring group? The one with Baek Seoyeon sunbae…"
"Right…"
Sera and Yeoreum whispered as they watched the peculiar pairing. Murmurs spread throughout Hwayang-gwan. Jin Yeseo sat with an unreadable expression. Mun Yeoul's brow furrowed slightly, as if something displeased her. Perhaps their match would be postponed. Yeon Minha had mentioned it was possible to delay for health reasons during my own time. But Jin Yeseo didn't seem like the type to make that choice. If she were, she wouldn't have dragged herself here in that condition. Her pride was sky-high, after all…
"…"
Either way, not having to face Jin Yeseo again was a relief. No matter what, hitting someone wrapped head to toe in bandages would feel unpleasant.
"Ryu Seungheon. Opponent is… An Sol!"
Two familiar names rang out, and I turned my head. Scanning the area, I spotted a girl with a bob cut and rimless glasses burning with fighting spirit. An unusual foreign name. An Sol… wasn't she the student council secretary? The one who always stayed by the president's side, assisting him like a secretary. Her voice demanding confidence from the president echoed in my mind.
Seungheon was a powerhouse ranked in the single digits among first-years. Facing him meant she was formidable in her own right.
Then who was my opponent?
I looked back toward the stage. Right on cue, a muscular, short-haired male student took his place before the machine. Only one ball remained inside.
That could only mean one thing.
"Choi Woojin. Opponent is… Yu Jinhyun!!"
The moment the name echoed, the muscular student turned to me and grinned, baring his teeth.