Physical Union (2)
The main ceremonial hall of Hwayang-gwan was once again plunged into utter chaos. Even those familiar with the relationships between students would normally expect someone to choose a different mentor. By naming Yeon Minha as his mentor, Jin Yeseo had essentially declared open war on everyone else present.
From beside Seungheon, the sound of teeth grinding sharply could be heard. Yeseo was glaring at the masked male student on the stage with eyes full of fury.
Then, just as quickly, she changed her attitude and began pondering something.
"Crazy bitch," Woojin said flatly, watching Yeseo display symptoms that bordered on bipolar disorder. "You really can't predict what she'll do next…"
Seungheon offered a bitter smile as he watched the masked student descend from the stage. On the opposite side of where they stood, Baek Seoyeon and Yeon Minha presented a stark contrast.
Baek Seoyeon wore a faintly lonely smile. At first glance, it seemed as though she was slightly disappointed that the top-ranked junior had chosen someone else. In contrast, Yeon Minha had her face scrunched up in clear displeasure. It was the kind of expression one might wear after hearing a deeply insulting remark.
To them, this event was little more than a formality. Students from prestigious families usually built rapport with seniors from the same background before the mentor selection ceremony. But looking at Yeon Minha's rotting expression, it was obvious this had been a one-sided nomination with no prior conversation whatsoever.
"What is he thinking…?" Seungheon muttered.
Jin Yeseo had briefly drawn attention as a new student recommended by the Heukryeon Sa family, but the general consensus was that he was an eccentric who had failed to live up to the hype. Rumors that he was an extremely ugly man wearing a mask to hide his face, or that he had a sinister personality and was blackmailing an innocent female student into following him around, were just the beginning.
The best way for him to reverse those evaluations would have been to ride the momentum of his first-place ranking, build connections through his mentor, and steadily produce good results in various exams and assignments. But of all people, he had chosen Yeon Minha.
Seungheon had heard the rumors about her even before entering the academy. Unlike the gossip surrounding Jin Yeseo, most of what was said about her was true — that was the crucial difference between them.
She had an arrogant personality that pierced the heavens, looked down on and despised students from lesser families or provincial backgrounds, and even among those from prestigious families, she would mercilessly cast aside anyone who displeased her. While she herself would never admit it, quite a few students quietly agreed with her behavior. That was also why Yeon Minha had not completely lost her standing yet.
Even so, those same people tended to avoid getting personally close to her. One only had to look at the fact that not a single high-ranking new student besides Jin Yeseo had chosen her as a mentor. The backlash against her was so severe that absurd rumors had recently begun to spread — claims that she would stare blankly into empty space or occasionally show signs of fear.
There was no way someone like that would get along with Jin Yeseo, who was openly known as an eccentric. Moreover, he wasn't even a direct descendant of the Heukryeon Sa family. From his behavior so far, the prevailing theory was that he had come from some remote province and had somehow caught the eye of someone important enough to gain admission to Yolam.
His personality, his origins — every single factor was something Yeon Minha was known to hate, going far beyond mere dislike. While they did share the common ground of standing in opposition to Baek Seoyeon, the connecting links between them were far too weak. At this point, rather than a reversal of evaluations, it seemed far more likely that things would spiral in an unfavorable direction.
"Seungheon. Who are you going to nominate?"
"I'm choosing Senior Yuseong. He's from a family with many ties to our Da-in Heavy Industries. And Yeoul said she absolutely refuses to have a female senior, so…"
Seungheon answered Woojin's sudden question.
"What about you? Oh, right — you said Senior Yeon Minha, didn't you?"
"I did, but the situation has changed a bit. Right now…"
"Hey. If you nominate Seoyeon unnie, I will seriously kill you."
Yeseo suddenly cut into their conversation.
"Bullshit. I'm doing it with my sister, so mind your own business," Woojin dismissed her in a single sentence.
"With your sister? Why all of a sudden?"
"Ah, well, she said she'd rather die than let me choose Senior Yeon Minha. There's a joint project going on with the Paecheon Baek family right now, and she threw a fit, yelling about how she'd have to take responsibility if anything went wrong… I seriously thought I was looking at a madwoman."
Woojin scratched the back of his head roughly.
"It looked like that side would've been way more fun, though…"
"…Well, I guess it can't be helped. But you really are weak when it comes to your sister…"
"What a shame. I was planning to kill you the moment we faced each other in the joint sparring session. Choi Woojin. Did you just get really lucky?"
"But this bitch has been going on and on since earlier…"
"Stop… just stop it!" Seungheon intervened, separating the two.
By now, round tables had been set up throughout the hall, each laden with various refreshments. Those who had already secured their mentors were chatting with their seniors, while the rest mingled among themselves, each searching for a partner they would have to work with for the next year.
Suddenly, Seungheon's eyes caught the masked male student approaching the table where Yeon Minha sat.
I had successfully placed in the top ten percent on the entrance exam. But that was merely the condition required to begin. Whether my carefully laid plans would proceed smoothly would determine the success of everything that followed.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't worried about failure, but the only path before me was the one where I somehow made it work.
Light, comfortable greetings were being exchanged all around. The entire hall was filled with a warm and friendly atmosphere. Within that, I slowly made my way toward my target.
Soon, I spotted a lone female student sitting at a table in a relatively quiet area. Even her displeased expression somehow looked beautiful and alluring. The increasingly strong floral scent wafting from her was enough to hint at her talent.
Yet the closer I drew, the more the thorns hidden within that flower began to reveal themselves. Her arrogant, aristocratic mindset and her nasty habit of looking down on others as beneath her feet were impossible to hide in her demeanor. Her slightly disheveled hair seemed to symbolize her instability.
Her face was filled with emotional unrest and deep fatigue that even fine makeup couldn't conceal. Her hazy, red pupils suddenly stared at something invisible in the empty air. Then, with visible effort, she forced her gaze forward again — the desperate struggle was palpable even from here.
I met Yeon Minha's eyes the moment she sensed my presence. The previously empty gaze instantly filled with disgust directed at me.
"…"
For a split second, the urge to return the exact same look surged through me. In that moment, the mask that could never leave my face felt slightly resentful.
The round table was quite large, yet right now, there was no one near us except Yeon Minha and myself. The only thing I could feel was the stinging heat of several hundred pairs of eyes glancing our way from all around.
I had definitely heard that the big guy wanted to nominate Yeon Minha as well. But for some reason, he was currently being grabbed by the ear by a female student who looked remarkably like him and was enduring a long lecture.
From my perspective, that was actually fortunate. To ensure the smooth progress of my plan, it was better to minimize any potential interference.
This was the third time Yeon Minha and I had encountered each other. We had exchanged glances once during the entrance ceremony, and I had stepped forward in place of the frightened Yena on the stairs. None of those memories were particularly good, but I greeted her with as much courtesy as I could muster.
I also recalled the advice given to me by Chaewon noona — the one with the worst personality among my sisters — and steeled my resolve. The most effective form of provocation, she had said, always began with well-packaged politeness.
But my polite greeting was cut off mid-sentence by the rude question Yeon Minha tossed out.
"…I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean."
"Naturally, it's because I wish to receive guidance from such an esteemed senior…"
I swallowed a breath inwardly. Every gesture and word from her carried an extraordinary power to make people harbor ill will. The impulse to shut her up by smashing her jaw was overwhelming, but I barely managed to suppress it with the satisfaction that her reaction was exactly as I had intended.
"…My apologies. Of course I had no choice but to nominate you, Senior. I heard that the relationship between my sponsor's family and yours is rather amicable."
Yeon Minha's voice was thick with hatred. I had heard that her relationship with the Danjang family wasn't particularly bad, but it seemed that only applied to direct descendants. A sponsored student like me was apparently beneath her notice. It was irrational, yet in its own way, strangely thorough.
Yeon Minha ground her teeth as if she were looking at her mortal enemy.