Chapter 24. Han Se-ra (4)
‘Finally...’
That thought crossed her mind. It was finally here—the inevitable. If it hadn’t existed at all, that would be one thing, but since it did, she’d always known she’d have to face it someday and overcome it. The final boss had made its grand entrance.
‘I was prepared for this.’
Jin Yu-ri repeated the words to herself like a mantra. In truth, she’d already steeled her heart. Han Se-ra, Lee Dojin’s fiancée. She’d heard from Lee Sea that she’d be returning to Korea soon, and yesterday she’d even experienced what could be called the opening skirmish.
Put simply, Lee Sea herself had told her about running into Han Se-ra after so long.
‘Even so, does Sea like her more than me?’
They’d grown close after spending so much time together. If she asked Lee Sea, she’d probably get an answer closer to “friend” than “fellow classmate.” But even then, it was hard to compare with Han Se-ra, whom she’d known since infancy.
“Hmm...”
Jin Yu-ri pondered deeply. Setting aside what Lee Sea or Lee Dojin thought, what advantages did she have over Han Se-ra, just between the two of them?
Wealth? Even leaving aside whether that truly decided superiority, Han Se-ra’s family was insanely rich too. Sure, if she tallied up assets item by item, Jin Yu-ri might edge ahead, but once you passed a certain level, it didn’t mean much.
Family prestige and reputation? That was a clear win for Han Se-ra. Mu Shin Han Tae-gang. Bangbyeok Olivia Wynn. The daughter of two heroes revered not just in Korea but worldwide. Jin Yu-ri was a disciple of one of the 36 heroes, Sword Queen Charlotte Tate, but that was just a recent student-teacher bond, not blood family. And the name of the top guild, Eternal, outshone even Daemyeong Group.
‘My talent, then?’
She couldn’t be sure she had the edge there either. An Immune Body wielder who handled three triggers. Her potential for growth was undeniably massive, but Han Se-ra was no slouch.
‘They say when she entered Jeil High, her talent was rated just below Professor Lee’s.’
She hadn’t matched Lee Dojin, the greatest genius in National Academy 1 history, but the gap wasn’t huge. Han Se-ra had inherited the talents of both Han Tae-gang and Olivia Wynn, and as long as her growth didn’t stall, she was expected to reach or surpass the level of the 36 heroes.
After the Great Rift, when Lee Dojin’s talent dimmed, Han Se-ra’s progress had slowed too—or so she’d heard. But from Jin Yu-ri’s investigations, there might be a hidden reason.
‘Some say she deliberately held back her visible achievements...’
If that was true, no one knew her true talent and ability level now. Factoring that in, Jin Yu-ri couldn’t confidently claim superiority in talent either.
Personality? She was supposedly flawless—approachable yet refined. Hard to claim victory there.
And the fifth and final: that overwhelming beauty she’d glimpsed in the school trip photo Lee Sea took. No contest. Utter defeat for Jin Yu-ri.
The only resistance she could muster was refusing any qualifiers before the word “defeat.”
In conclusion... Wealth: top-tier both sides. Prestige: Han Se-ra wins. Talent: inconclusive. Personality: probably... no, very likely Han Se-ra. Beauty: ...she didn’t want to dwell, but defeat.
‘...What is this?’
Even scoring herself across five categories, she had zero areas of superiority. Realizing this, Jin Yu-ri unwittingly pouted, even as new comments piled up on her phone screen.
You two look amazing together......
I was serious, so my heart hurts......
But if it's someone like that, I can accept it......
Goodbye......
‘She really is pretty in person too, huh.’
Jin Yu-ri grudgingly admitted it. The photos were already stunning, and Lee Sea said those didn’t even capture her fully. But sitting there stewing only fueled her frustration, so she carefully, oh-so-indirectly, left a comment that wouldn’t give her away.
“Hoo, haa...”
Taking deep breaths to barely suppress her rising anger, Jin Yu-ri closed the community app. Staring longer would just make her madder; better to do something productive. She opened her messenger and tapped the top chat.
Studying for exams?
That person you went to see yesterday? Han Se-ra? Was it her?
No meaning behind it, just curious!
Anyway, what'd you do yesterday? Got any pics? Wanna see haha
Se-ra unnie's in them too
Was this the right move? Doubting herself, Jin Yu-ri hit send anyway. She needed to gauge the enemy’s current strength. She vowed to face it bravely, without flinching. Soon, a reply came from Lee Sea.
Didn't pick special ones
Just the ones we took together, for real
“Ah...”
Even after reading the message, Jin Yu-ri couldn’t bring herself to reply. She just stared at the photo on her screen.
A prettily decorated café interior. A selfie of two women leaning close across the table. One was Lee Sea. The other...
The blonde, blue-eyed woman she’d seen in a photo before—Han Se-ra.
‘Is this for real?’
Jin Yu-ri repeated the hollow words in her mind. She’d been blown away by the previous photo, but this one seemed even prettier. And one more realization.
‘Sea’s pretty too...’
Her rival and friend Lee Sea turned out to be prettier than she’d thought. Sure, if you asked who was the beauty queen, it was Han Se-ra, but Lee Sea held her own glow no matter who she stood next to. A strong presence, self-assured—that’s how to put it.
“...”
Speechless, Jin Yu-ri pushed her phone to the edge of the desk. Nothing about this pleased her. Time to study.
Her final thought: ‘But she and the professor aren’t actually lovers.’
The community buzzed otherwise, but she knew they were on the verge of breaking off the engagement. Still, she couldn’t just rejoice.
‘Is the professor hurting...?’
That, she hated. Frustrated by her unrequited feelings, Jin Yu-ri dove back into studying. Two hours later, Lee Sea realized she’d been ghosted and started fretting.
“We’re... probably going to break off the engagement, right?”
Han Se-ra stared steadily at Lee Dojin with unwavering eyes.
One second, five seconds, ten. He said nothing.
Gazing at him with bitter sorrow inside but showing none outwardly, Han Se-ra continued.
“What’s with that face? Breaking off doesn’t mean we never see each other again.”
“What?”
Only then did Lee Dojin respond. Surprised, flustered... and maybe pleased?
Han Se-ra silently condemned him in her heart. Coward.
She understood. Perfectly. But understanding didn’t erase the hurt. Unwilling to accept this easily despite knowing him so well, she masked all her emotions with practiced ease and spoke lightly.
“I told you, right? I might not live up to what you expected. Get what that means?”
“Friends and fiancées... are different?”
“Yeah, that.”
Han Se-ra nodded calmly. Fiancée. A promise of marriage. Even without that, they’d been friends for over twenty years. They could keep sharing friendship, staying close. Offer advice, support. But only up to that point. No further.
“Can’t be helped. Things are what they are. Don’t feel bad.”
She smiled faintly, waiting for his response. An explanation that she had it wrong. A shout that he’d given his all too. A shameless plea for just a bit more time.
But he said none of it. None of the words she craved. He just looked at her, steeling himself inwardly.
‘Worse than before...’
Two years ago, before she left to study abroad, their last meeting. They’d argued fiercely for the first time, voices raised. She’d lashed out coldly, sharply. He’d countered icily, “What do you even know?”—more refusal to open up than rebuttal.
Even then, she’d gained something. Confirmation he was hiding something. A glimpse of his unspoken heart, shown only to her.
But not this time. She picked a fight, and he wouldn’t engage. Had two years been that long? Had the wounds she’d torn open finally healed?
‘If so... by whom? Because of what?’
Suppressing the chill in her gut, Han Se-ra endured as Lee Dojin replied.
“You know it too, but absolutely, none of this is your fault.”
“I know. You messed up pretty bad, huh?”
“Yeah. Can’t even apologize properly. Don’t deserve to say I’m sorry.”
“You’re shameless when you think about it. You knew better—why’d you do it?”
“Yeah... pathetic, right?”
Han Se-ra felt she couldn’t hold out longer. No more talk, or she’d snap. That wasn’t her goal. Breaking off didn’t end everything. Even with the magical engagement oath complete and no delaying, there was a future after.
Words she couldn’t say yet—but would someday, wanted to, had to.
Time to end this. More talk would only worsen things.
But then—coward all along, lips pressed tight—Lee Dojin forced out the words.
“Just one thing I want to say. Might not get another chance.”
“What? You sure about it?”
“Yeah. Thought about it... a long time.”
“...Okay?”
Han Se-ra knew him too well. He knew her too. They both knew. She knew what he’d say. He knew she already sensed it.
It came in a low voice.
“I messed up, so we’re breaking off, but freeloading even after that’s too shameless, so—”
“So what? When Dad calls you, we make it official right there, and after that, never meet again?”
The question slipped out sharper than intended. Lee Dojin murmured back.
“That’s... me showing you final courtesy.”
Slap!
Han Se-ra hadn’t even realized she’d done it. Never imagined her palm striking his cheek like this. But it happened, and unwanted words spilled from her lips.
“You’re... such a coward.”
“...I know.”
Han Se-ra schooled her expression. No vulnerability shown. She just asked.
“This... answer honestly?”
“What?”
“If ‘that incident’ hadn’t happened... would we have avoided breaking off? Continued after? Dojin, you... wanted that, right? No beating around—straight up.”
She paused. Then, in a quiet voice, colorless tears of blood tracing her eyes, she pleaded flatly.
“Did you... like me?”
Lee Dojin answered.
“No. Never thought that way.”
Han Se-ra knew. That answer was a lie.