Friction (5)
The blonde girl stepped forward in my place as I stood there, stunned and stuttering. "Uh, uh…?"
"Hey. You gonna shut your damn mouth or what? I've been listening to this crap long enough…"
Her sharp reaction caught me off guard. The one who jumped in to defend me was the same golden-haired first-year who had given the freshman oath as class representative earlier. Her name was Jin Yeseo, if I remembered correctly. The pair of eyes staring at me burned fiercely, as if facing a mortal enemy.
Beside her stood a muscular male student watching me with clear interest. Across from them was the girl with the refined, almost ladylike features I'd noticed before, and next to her, a kind-looking boy who seemed completely lost on how to handle the sudden tension.
That boy's face felt strangely familiar. I hadn't noticed it from a distance yesterday, but up close, his features unmistakably resembled Ryu Sehwa noona. Come to think of it, his surname was Ryu as well. Noona had specifically asked me to get along with her younger brother…
"Some nobody who crawled out of who-knows-where dares to—"
"Stop… just stop it…!"
When the atmosphere looked ready to boil over, Baek Seoyeon stepped between us, waving her hands to intervene.
"Haa…" The students awkwardly returned to their seats at her command. Only then did Baek Seoyeon let out a light sigh, her expression turning slightly troubled.
"…I'm sorry, juniors. Shall we call it a day here? It seems I need to clear up some misunderstandings with my junior, Yoo Jinhyun. Oh, and just so you know, Minha and I aren't on bad terms at all. I have no idea why such rumors started spreading…"
"You can't, sunbae! Who knows what that guy might do if you stay alone with him…!"
"Hehe, thank you for your concern. But there's nothing to worry about. You can relax…"
Jin Yeseo's protest was gently cut off by Baek Seoyeon 's soft laugh. Her tone carried absolute confidence in her own strength. In the end, the welcoming gathering dissolved, and the students filed out of the salon.
Now, only Baek Seoyeon and I remained in the space.
She had said we needed to clear up misunderstandings, yet she sat there in silence for a long time. Only after lifting her now-cold teacup and taking a sip did she finally speak.
"…So. From the way you talk, it seems you've completely chosen your side, junior?"
Her voice was still filled with that bright, gentle smile and kind tone. But now it stabbed at me like a blade of ice.
"…I'm not sure what you mean by 'choosing a side,' but I don't particularly feel like getting close to you, sunbae."
"Really? How convenient. Truth is, I never wanted to get along with trash like you anyway."
The friendly atmosphere from before had completely vanished. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had stopped the others from mocking my appearance.
"Calling someone you've just met 'trash.' I can't believe those words came from Baek Seoyeon sunbae's mouth. It's almost as if you know me well…"
"Know you well? Of course I do. Very well. You're from that garbage dump called the 66th Brigade, aren't you? Did you really think I wouldn't know?"
My words were cut off before I could even finish.
"Our family's intelligence network reaches even into the military. Did you think that was all? I also know you had a private meeting with the headmaster before enrollment. My, how impressive for someone so young…"
"…Don't insult the commander and my noonas. They aren't people who deserve to hear that kind of talk…"
"Why not? They're trash, aren't they? The commander comes from a prestigious family yet acts like a complete thug and scoundrel, and those women are so obsessed with him that they've abandoned their families for over a decade to rot away in the borderlands. Isn't that right?"
"…"
"Yoo Jinhyun. I know all about you too. You enlisted in the 66th Brigade most recently, but your cruelty doesn't fall short of that thug commander at all. The rumors among captured criminals were quite something. They called you the strange bastard who wears a mask on his face."
Every word Baek Seoyeon spat out was covered in thorns.
"Not only do you mercilessly kill those who surrender, but you also have no qualms about laying hands on civilians—so much so that you nearly faced a court-martial. And that Sa Jaehyuk kept covering for you every single time? Really, what a perfect match of commander and subordinate…"
"…"
I had known for a long time that the 66th Brigade didn't have the best reputation. We weren't regular army; we mainly dealt with demonkin and guerrilla rebels. Because of that, we frequently had to hunt down demonkin who had purged all their demonic energy to disguise themselves as humans, or rebels hiding among civilians.
Eye-witness accounts of those operations, combined with the commander's eccentric personality, had quickly twisted into distorted rumors that spread everywhere. And because the commander never bothered to correct them, those rumors eventually became treated as fact.
When I asked him about it, he simply waved his hand dismissively and disappeared into his tent. According to the explanation my noonas gave me later, the rumors actually made enemies fear us in advance and greatly reduced annoying incidents, so he was rather pleased with them. Of course, it would be a heavy blow if we ever wanted to enter central politics, but they had given up on that long ago, they said with deep sighs.
In my case… honestly, some of it was true. I could swear on my life that I had never touched an innocent person, but it was also true that I had given myself over to the boiling rage that erupted whenever I faced criminals and scum.
But even so, if she had investigated the commander and the 66th Brigade even a little more thoroughly, she could have easily learned the truth behind the rumors. Or perhaps she never had any intention of doing so from the beginning.
If she knew about my origins and my private talk with the headmaster, she could roughly guess what stance I would take. There was no need to objectively evaluate someone who would clearly stand on the opposite side. No need to show her good side, either.
The fact that she had already shown a tolerant attitude toward me in front of the other students was more than enough. If I fell for it, great. If not, it wouldn't harm her in the slightest.
At least I could be grateful that the information she had on me was limited to what happened after I received my new name…
"…I don't know what information you've heard, but I have never once laid a hand on a civilian. I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak so carelessly when you don't even know the full story."
"Well, of course you'd say that. I wasn't expecting an answer anyway."
Baek Seoyeon shrugged her shoulders lightly, as if she found it amusing.
"Still, junior, you seem sharper than I expected. At least you won't starve to death wherever you go."
"…Was this always your true personality?"
"Who knows? You don't need to know that."
Her voice had returned to perfect calm.
"What? Got a problem with it? Then why don't you go complain to your other friends? Maybe it'll make you feel a little better. Though I doubt anyone would actually believe you."
Suddenly, a conversation from the past flashed through my mind.
"I was never in that village from the beginning. I'm the daughter who received the family head's utmost love. Because of that, I was raised so preciously that I've never once left the capital."
"Everyone who knows my whereabouts is dead. Even if you run your mouth, not a single person will believe you. Of course they won't. Who would believe the words of a country bumpkin like you?"
"…Don't worry. I have no intention of telling anyone."
Whether it was this conversation or the one back then.
"…You're not as stupid as I thought. Still, I wonder if Minha will accept you even if you show her such loyalty? I don't know what happened, but she seems to be struggling lately. Well, do your best until the end."
Baek Seoyeon gave me her signature refreshing smile.
"And as your senior, let me give you one piece of advice. It would be best not to do anything unnecessary. It will only shorten your lifespan."
"…"
I didn't answer. I simply left the reception room.
"Did you hear anything from inside?"
"Not a sound. It must be soundproofed or something."
"…If he lays even a single finger on my sister, I'll kill him right away."
A few students hadn't left and were still lingering in the hallway. The reason was Jin Yeseo's stubbornness as she ground her teeth.
"How can someone's personality be like that? That's the way you treat someone who invited you out of kindness…"
"I've never seen anyone so arrogant and clueless in my entire life. I need to teach him some discipline in a spar someday…"
"Ugh, why are you two like this too? Seriously…"
Mun Yeoul and Guk Jaeryong chimed in with displeased expressions, agreeing with Yeseo. Beside them, Ryu Seungheon wore a troubled look as he tried to calm them down.
"Hmm, I thought he seemed pretty decent, actually. Isn't that better than panting like a dog just because a senior called him? I actually gained some respect for—"
"If Seoyeon unnie calls you, you should gratefully bark like a dog. He's just as rude as she is, so maybe he doesn't even know what manners are?"
"This bitch is starting again…"
"Hey? The door's opening…!"
Woojin and Yeseo were on the verge of growling at each other. Yeoul, who had been watching the entrance, whispered urgently to them.
The one who emerged was the masked male student, who somehow looked drained of energy in his steps.
"Hey. You, stop right there. Just what the hell were you—"
The moment Yeseo moved to block his path and snap at him, the masked student completely ignored her as if she didn't exist and walked right past.
Left speechless by the absurd behavior, Yeseo could only open and close her mouth without making a sound.
"…Pfft."
Having seen the scene, Woojin couldn't hold back anymore and let out a light laugh.
The masked student, who had been about to walk past them, suddenly paused. He turned back around and approached the group. He only stopped once he stood directly in front of Seungheon.
"…Hm?"
It seemed the masked student had some business with Seungheon. He stood there hesitating for a long moment before finally extending his right hand in an extremely stiff motion. His voice, when it came out, was filled with awkwardness.
"Um… hello…"
"…?"
"…Let's… get along well…?"
"Uh…? Oh. Yeah. Let's get along. Nice to meet you too…"
Seungheon reflexively took the hand the masked student offered. Seemingly satisfied with the returned handshake, the masked student quickly disappeared from their sight.
"…Is he seriously a weirdo?"
Yeoul stared at the empty space he had left behind and muttered in a dumbfounded voice.