Hero's Qualifications (2)
Baek Yuha walked with excited steps. A goofy grin clung to her lips without end.
"Field training with Woojin... hehe."
Right now, she had pulled ahead of her constant rival Han Sua, comfortably holding the top spot in her year. It was recognition for rescuing a civilian in a back alley and thwarting the upstart villain group Vengeance's bank heist.
Of course, Baek Yuha wasn't entirely thrilled about it. Letting that bastard slip away in the alley had come back to bite her in the form of the bank attack.
And to top it off, even as he fled, the creep hadn't forgotten to mock her as a hero. It was humiliation worse than what her friend Cat's Eye had endured—enough to make even her boil with rage.
Unlike the public's praise, she only felt ashamed of her immature handling of the situation.
Anyway, high-ranking students naturally got all sorts of perks. Being able to pick their Hero Management Bureau branch first was nice enough, but for Baek Yuha, the real prize was priority in choosing her training partner.
And she knew exactly who she'd pick from the start: her childhood friend, Kim Woojin.
Of course, the partner's consent was required, but that didn't worry her much. Kim Woojin would never refuse her request.
That guy... always so bad at being honest... heh.
Baek Yuha was convinced of it. Though he'd never said it outright, Kim Woojin had entered the general track to support her materially and morally in the future. Secretary, sidekick, controller, bureau staff—all prime jobs for assisting heroes up close.
And Yoram Academy's general department was the fastest route to landing those gigs.
She felt a twinge of pity that he'd given up his hero dreams against the harsh wall of reality, but she was nothing but grateful for his thoughtful sacrifice.
The conflicts between them over the past few months? Now just a bit of ancient history, at most. If anything, it was a good thing. Like how the ground hardens after rain, her bond with Kim Woojin was now rock-solid.
"Sua?"
"Haven't seen her since earlier? Maybe she went to meet him?"
"What? You don't think she's really..."
Baek Yuha's brow furrowed slightly at the sudden chatter. But she shook it off just as quickly and resumed her light steps.
God, what nonsense.
As if Kim Woojin would ever confess to Han Sua. What? Show up in the middle of class and drag her off? And Han Sua even came to the general classroom herself? Yeah, right.
That hallway encounter last time was just a minor hiccup. Han Sua must've been feeling off that day. Kim Woojin had come looking for her, spotted Han Sua by chance, and couldn't just walk past without helping.
Someone must've exaggerated it from there. Rumors were always like that.
Besides, that guy had never spared her a second glance in that way—he was hopeless when it came to romance.
"Come to think of it, I wonder if he spent all the money I gave him...?"
Baek Yuha, having brushed it off, turned to a new worry. She'd been feeling a bit guilty about that lately.
It was her duty to manage her man's finances. Yet she'd been clueless until he'd awkwardly brought it up himself.
"Should I ask later...? Nah, that'd hurt his pride... Or maybe slip some into his uniform pocket on the sly..."
As she mulled it over, Baek Yuha arrived at the general classroom door. Spotting a familiar figure in the back row, she waved happily.
"Woojin!"
Instantly, all eyes turned to them. Not all gazes were friendly—jealousy, envy, or something similar poured her way—but she couldn't care less. If anything, the stronger those feelings, the better.
Part of why she came to see Kim Woojin herself was to bask in them.
"...Yuha."
Caught in the sudden spotlight, Kim Woojin looked embarrassed and gave a small wave back. As she approached, he said awkwardly,
"You come here too often, don't you? You'll have all the general kids memorized soon."
"Pfft, it's only once a day. And it'd be great if they remembered me. Might as well get more famous. My childhood friend's a celebrity, right?"
"What? A C-rank hero at best..."
"Hehe~"
Kim Woojin shook his head like he couldn't win. Soon, they walked side by side down the hall.
Unable to hold back any longer, Baek Yuha cut to the chase.
"Woojin. You hear about field training starting next week?"
"Prof mentioned it earlier. Everyone's buzzing about it. Man, what's so fun about it...? Just sounds like a hassle."
"Uh-huh, I see~."
Baek Yuha nodded eagerly, grinning ear to ear. She pulled a folded paper from her pocket and held it out to him like it was the most natural thing.
"You know partner requests are due today, right? I already put my name down. Just add yours here and..."
"Huh? My name?"
"Huh?"
Baek Yuha stopped dead in her tracks. Only then did she sense something was off.
Kim Woojin blinked wide-eyed.
"I'm already pairing up with someone else."
And Baek Yuha's eyes lost their sparkle.
***
Han Sua dragged her soggy steps forward. Field training was Yoram Academy's crown jewel. She'd been counting down the days since enrollment.
But her expression now was far from bright.
No issues with the training site itself. Though she'd fallen to second behind Baek Yuha, her score was still sky-high. She could easily apply for a bureau branch with her preferred hero.
The problem was her partner.
Han Sua let out a deep sigh, her eyes dark as night.
Last night's declaration had hit like a bolt from the blue.
...To think I'd have to share my long-awaited moment with that creep.
"What's his scheme this time...?"
A disguised villain infiltrating a bureau branch? What else but dirty work?
Not that she could talk. She was already knee-deep in Hwaryeon's shadows.
And hadn't she herself recently hacked Yoram's internal database?
She'd once dreamed of changing it all with her own power. Only after growing up did she realize how naive and impossible that was.
...Maybe the one truly unqualified is me, just playing hero behind a mask, too spineless to act.
"Still... I want to go."
She murmured, sighing with sorrow once more.
"...Is Baek Yuha in on it too?"
Word was, they'd been childhood friends.
"No..."
But Han Sua shook her head. Even to her, Baek Yuha seemed the textbook model hero.
As if someone like that would dip into villainy.
...Which makes it all the more infuriating.
"A villain discriminating like that... what the hell?"
Han Sua ground her teeth.
Special treatment from a psycho? Big whoop. But the blatant favoritism stung.
Treating one like a rare winter flower, the other like a street mutt...
"Tch..."
She was the heiress of Korea's top conglomerate. One of the year’s hyped top three freshmen, the hero Psyche.
Her getting snubbed anywhere? Unthinkable.
Only one person treated her like dirt.
"Haa..."
She sighed again, shuffling along like she was leashed to an invisible chain.
Soon, Han Sua winced.
Two people she loathed were together in one frame.
One was Kim Woojin. Hiding his villainous side behind a normal face—a total nutcase. Lately called Marionette, apparently. Even leading some villain group called Vengeance.
No solid proof yet, but that man was capable of anything.
Standing before him was Baek Yuha. Hero Flame Mist.
Han Sua's brow twitched again. Kim Woojin was treating Baek Yuha way too chummily.
They were rivals for first and second, and with this mess, her feelings toward Baek Yuha soured further. All she felt was bitter misery in contrast to Baek's position.
"I'm already pairing up with someone else."
"Huh...?"
Their voices carried over.
Han Sua saw it instantly: Baek Yuha's hands trembling like aspen leaves the moment Kim Woojin spoke.
He seemed oblivious.
A sudden idea flashed in Han Sua's mind. Something to ease her own grudge a bit.
Right now, she had nothing to fear.
A faint smile crossed her face as she hurried to Kim Woojin's side. She slipped her arm through his with a friendly tug.
"Woojin? There you are?"
"Huh?"
"Come on, let's go! Requests are due today, remember?"
Han Sua pretended to pull him along by the arm.
Only then did her gaze land on Baek Yuha. She gave a slight smile and a greeting.
"Yuha's here too? Hi."