Rooftop Apologies

The rooftop of the academy's main building was usually kept locked, but security wasn't always airtight.

After all, most students at the academy were awakeners who could easily break a simple lock.

For that reason, it wasn't uncommon for the door to be left wide open during lunch periods. The idea was to discourage students from damaging school property and encourage them to come and go quietly.

Still, it wasn't exactly common knowledge, so only those in the know used it as an unspoken spot for secret meetings or quiet breaks.

"......Want something to drink?"

"......"

"Or maybe some snacks?"

I was one of the students who frequented the rooftop. It was spacious, open to the sky, and the view from up high wasn't bad at all.

I hadn't come here much lately, but today I was counting on its secluded nature.

Saying it like that might make people misunderstand and think I was up to something inappropriate that shouldn't be done on school grounds... but today, that wasn't the case.

I simply laid out an assortment of snacks I'd bought at the cafeteria—sandwiches, bread, triangular kimbap, chips, drinks, and the like—in front of one female student, presenting them like an offering.

And that female student was, of course—

"Who are you?"

"......Ahyeon, come on. Why are you being like this?"

It was Seo Ah-hyun, who had clearly gotten the wrong idea after witnessing my scuffle with Yu Eunbi in the alley that morning.

She stood with her arms crossed, her expression openly sulky as she deliberately avoided my gaze.

She wouldn't meet my eyes at all.

All I could do was swallow a groan.

"I told you, it wasn't what you think. Nothing happened. Seriously."

"......Hmph."

No matter how hard I tried to explain, the puffiness in Seo Ah-hyun's cheeks showed no sign of deflating.

Whatever I said, she simply ignored me with the same stubborn attitude.

It was incredibly frustrating from my perspective, but even I couldn't deny that the situation at the time had looked somewhat suspicious.

After all, being in a mount position wasn't exactly innocent. I was aware it was easy to misunderstand.

I'd only reacted in the best way possible because I thought the thing pressed against my back was a dagger.

Seo Ah-hyun, who hadn't seen what led up to that moment, remained grumpy all the way through lunch.

I'd even sent her soothing, coaxing texts during class, but she never replied.

The fact that she'd come all the way up to the rooftop when I called her during lunch was already a small victory.

The "bribes" I'd brought to cheer her up didn't seem to have much effect either.

Seo Ah-hyun simply kept turning away from me, only occasionally spitting out sharp words.

"You think everything's fine as long as you bring me food? Don't underestimate a girl's heart, you womanizing bastard."

"......Ahem."

At least her prickly formal speech had returned to her usual casual tone, which was a relief. But still.

Judging by the content of her words, it was obvious she was still quite upset with me.

'This is awkward.'

I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

Over the weekend, I'd been on a date with Baek Seol-ah and hadn't been able to pay attention to Seo Ah-hyun. She'd generously understood that much.

But then the very next morning, she'd seen me on top of another woman.

From Seo Ah-hyun's perspective, it was more than enough to feel hurt. Even if she believed my explanation.

"I'm sorry, Ahyeon."

In the end, I had no choice but to apologize to her again. Even if I hadn't done anything wrong, the world operated on the principle of equivalent exchange.

Since I'd tormented her freely in bed and planned to continue doing so, the least I could do was yield to her during the day.

We didn't need to say it out loud. It was an unspoken rule we both understood about maintaining our relationship.

Thanks to me playing the role of the sinner from start to finish, the atmosphere softened considerably.

Before long, Seo Ah-hyun glanced at me with one eye that still carried a trace of displeasure and said,

"Do you really feel sorry toward me? Han Taeyang."

"Yeah, I really do."

"......Really? Then."

Her sulkiness seemed to have decreased somewhat as she plopped down on the bench.

She patted the spot next to her with her right hand, then pointed at her own cheek with the same hand.

"Kiss me ten times. As an apology."

"......"

"Hurry up."

She made a rather brazen demand, her expression completely unembarrassed as she urged me on.

On the contrary, she tapped her cheek with her index finger as if this was the bare minimum I owed her.

I was momentarily stunned by the unexpected command, but it only lasted a second.

Soon enough, I let out a light chuckle and sat down beside Seo Ah-hyun.

She swept her flowing hair ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behind her ear, creating the perfect condition for me to easily kiss her cheek.

"......You've gotten pretty honest, Seo Ah-hyun. To the point where you can make demands like this without even blinking."

I said with a sly smile, brushing her cheek with my fingertips.

Seo Ah-hyun, seemingly convinced I would fulfill her request, closed her eyes calmly and replied with full confidence.

"I've always been good at expressing affection. Unlike my ex, who never appreciated it until the very end."

The words she deliberately added at the end... probably carried a small expectation and timid worry that said, 'You won't be like that, right?'

"......Hmm, is that so?"

Noticing the obvious subtext, I lowered my head to dispel her unnecessary anxiety.

And then.

"If I don't want to get dumped like that guy, I guess I should keep showing my appreciation. Just like I have until now, and forever after."

With that slightly mischievous, teasing remark,

I immediately did exactly as she wanted.

Chu—

Once, twice, three times. I lightly kissed her cheek, and by the time her face gradually flushed red, I kept going.

Four, five, six. Even after that, I persisted endlessly, making her body flinch.

"Ah, hng. W-wait. That's enough. Stop. I've received ten, s-so stop now......"

"Nope. Not yet."

"......Hyaht."

I pressed her down onto the bench as if I were going to pin her there, her face now burning bright red. Ten times? As if.

After kissing her more than twenty times, Seo Ah-hyun finally begged me with a face melted by happiness, saying she'd been wrong and pleading for me to stop.

"Hmm."

It was 4 PM, right after the school day's activities had ended, during homeroom.

I glanced at my phone screen, which was flooded with messages, and pondered for a moment how to reply.

Seeing her this embarrassed made me want to tease her even more, but...

Overdoing it always backfired.

'I might actually get hit.'

Hadn't I already paid the price during lunch? Even after she'd tried to stop me, I'd showered her cheeks with far more than ten kisses.

I rubbed my still-tingling cheek—where she'd pinched me with a generous amount of mana—and sent a simple reply.

I deliberately made my text sound a little downcast, just enough to be noticeable but not obvious.

I'd decided to hold back on outright teasing, keeping it subtle enough that Seo Ah-hyun wouldn't catch on.

'......Ah, she's cute.'

In the end, I'd walked the perfect line and successfully made her anxious instead.

A satisfied smile rose to my lips.

There was never any chance I'd completely stop teasing her.

As long as my intentions weren't obvious and I didn't go overboard, there was no reason not to try.

Whenever ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I teased her gently like this, I always got such satisfying reactions.

In a way, this was partly Seo Ah-hyun's own fault. Her reactions were always top-tier.

As a result, I sent her a single sad emoji and ended the chat with Seo Ah-hyun.

Call it revenge for those burning red cheeks.

"Alright, everyone, pay attention."

Around that time, Park Seongchan, the homeroom teacher for Class B standing at the podium, finally spoke up.

He scanned the thirty-odd students of Class B, who were gathered in their seats for homeroom.

For a bit of background, Cheonun Academy didn't normally have a dedicated homeroom period.

That was the official rule. There was a morning assembly at 9 AM, but after that, everything followed individual schedules...

The reason we were all gathered like this for homeroom was something else.

'The final exams are coming up soon.'

It was early June, and the weather was starting to get muggy. The final exams were right around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the corner—especially the practical portion.

The written exams, which carried relatively less weight, were spread out across different subjects in July, but the entire grade's practical exam ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was held separately.

Today was the day they would announce the content, date, and whether it would be a group evaluation.

'I'd rather do it alone if possible.'

I thought to myself as I received the handout being distributed by Park Seongchan.

I didn't completely hate group evaluations, but still, if I had a choice...

Taking the exam alone was a bit more comfortable for me. It wasn't so much a matter of personal preference as it was because of the image I'd built up at school.

For various reasons, I wasn't exactly in a position where cooperating with other students came easily.

And unfortunately—

"Tsk."

This practical exam was a group evaluation. Since the midterms had been individual, it wasn't exactly an unexpected result.

While Park Seongchan continued explaining the characteristics of the dungeon that would be used and the evaluation criteria, I flipped to the back of the handout.

In the case of group evaluations, the back page usually listed the members of each group.

Hoping I'd been grouped with people I got along with at least decently, I scanned the names.

"Uh......"

I immediately made a sour face.

It wasn't exactly bad, but it wasn't particularly good either.

A truly ambiguous lineup.

'......Ryu Chaeeun......'

Out of nearly two hundred fellow second-years, in a group of just five people, not only were two original heroines included—

But one of them had to be Ryu Chaeeun. I frowned slightly and lifted my head.

And right then, my eyes met those of a female student who seemed to have been checking the back of her handout as well.

"......"

"......"

Soft green hair. Uncommon twin-tails. Light green eyes and slightly narrowed eyelids.

A figure with curves that were clearly visible even through her uniform—an undeniably superior body.

Privately known as the only early high school graduate among the current second-years at Cheonun Academy, and the only one among the original main cast who was a nineteen-year-old junior—

'What are you looking at?'

The moment our eyes met, she let out a small laugh and mouthed the words. Asking why I was staring at her like that.

"Hah."

I couldn't help but let out a dumbfounded chuckle.

......That kid really.

She'd been the same cheeky brat since last year, without fail.

I seriously want to give her a proper lesson with my dick.

'Softshell turtle.'