Relationships (5)
I was on my way back to my parked car after leaving Cheon Seo-hui's house.
Relying on the streetlights that cut through the dark alley, I walked slowly, turning over the last words she'd left me with.
"Drive carefully."
After I'd asked why she kept looking after me so well and finally gotten an answer, she'd casually tossed that farewell my way as I left.
Nothing more, nothing less — just a short reminder to drive carefully.
Honestly, it was so brief it was almost hard to assign any real meaning to it.
But it was more than enough to melt the ice that had frozen over my heart.
This must be what people mean these days when they talk about getting hit with unconscious flirting.
My future is looking scary.
Looking back, Kim Yubin from my past life had been exactly that type.
Tossing out casual remarks that shook a person's heart without even trying.
Then, at some point — once she was sure of herself — she started charging in like a bulldozer with broken brakes.
Back then I'd still been clueless about romantic relationships, so I'd been completely helpless against her…
If nothing else, seeing how similar their personalities are, I couldn't help thinking Cheon Seo-hui would end up the same way someday.
…Imagining that suddenly made my stomach turn.
I really need to teach her properly…
Even so, I couldn't just sit back and watch her speed out of control.
Meanwhile.
Clunk. Around the time Dohyeon had just left the house.
Seo-hui stared blankly at the shopping bag in her hands, then carried it to the sink and pulled out the contents to check.
Inside were six containers of side dishes…
…He even wrote the dates.
On every lid, the date made and the name of the dish had been carefully written out.
It wasn't a difficult thing to do — but it wasn't something ordinary care would produce, either.
"……"
And that wasn't all.
She picked up one of the containers that had caught her eye and cracked it open. Just as the name on the lid promised, plump shrimp soaked in a delicious-looking soy sauce marinade came into view.
It was something she'd once mentioned in passing — that she'd like to try it sometime.
He remembered that…
Realizing Dohyeon had deliberately made it with care, Seo-hui couldn't close her mouth.
The other side dishes were the same.
Every single one was a dish she'd mentioned offhand, or something she'd thought she wanted to eat again.
He'd prepared them all deliberately, thinking only of her.
"……"
After putting away every last container filled with Dohyeon's care, Seo-hui threw herself onto the blankets in the dark master bedroom. Looking up at the star-shaped glow-in-the-dark stickers she'd stuck on the ceiling as a child, she recalled his words.
The way he'd answered her petulant question about why he kept looking after her so well — casually, yet completely serious.
"Because I like to. Just… I do it because I like to."
Seo-hui knew full well what he'd meant by saying that.
No matter how clueless she was about romantic relationships, she could still tell whether someone was confessing or not.
He just felt sorry for her. Pitied her. So he was concerned. Something like that, right?
She knew that for certain.
…She was sure of it.
And yet — thump-thump. Thump-thump. For some reason, her heart had been pounding since earlier.
How hard was it beating that the sound even echoed in her ears?
Am I actually going crazy?
She clapped a hand over her chest and desperately tried to calm her racing heart.
Quitting the lessons in a fit of anger.
Refusing to answer Dohyeon's calls.
Hadn't all of that been because she'd been disappointed in him for confusing her?
And yet here she was, getting shaken all over again just because he'd brought some side dishes and said he was concerned because he felt sorry for her.
There was no reed more flexible than this.
Stop thinking about it…!
Seo-hui tried to erase Dohyeon from her mind.
But unfortunately, the human brain could not carry out the command don't think about it.
The more she tried to scrub him from her thoughts, the more he kept surfacing… and all the kind things he'd done so far began floating up on their own.
"Because I like to. Just… I do it because I like to."
Dohyeon's low voice buzzed in her ears.
Because I like to.
Maybe because the room was dark, it felt like someone had put a recorder on inside her head.
Just… because I like to.
At the endlessly repeating voice, Seo-hui bit her lip hard and squeezed her eyes shut completely.
I do it because I like to.
Then the image of Dohyeon smiling gently appeared before her eyes.
"!!!"
Even though it was pure imagination, her breath caught and her heart dropped.
Ah, no…
Seo-hui shook her head hard, denying her own feelings.
There's no way.
She told herself she'd simply mistaken Dohyeon's actions for romantic interest on her own.
There's no way he'd like a girl this bad-tempered and selfish.
Dohyeon was kind to everyone, after all.
Why would he like someone like me when Choi Yeonjeong is right there?
There was nothing more pathetic than mistaking a little kindness for being special.
Not wanting to go through that miserable experience, Seo-hui stubbornly stabbed and tore her own heart to shreds over and over.
Until it worked. Continuously.
Some time later. At the Academy, where classes were in full swing.
In the Second Training Ground used by the Magic Department—
"Han Nakyeong!"
Nakyeong, wearing the Magic Department's training robe, stepped forward at the teacher's call.
"Begin immediately."
It was time to demonstrate the results of last week's combat magic application assignment.
Moderately flashy.
Under everyone's attention, she drew up a bit of mana. Her robe fluttered as she began pouring something out in a rush.
Flutter, flutter. Butterflies made of her distinctive, ominous purple mana.
Flutter, flutter. Dozens — hundreds — of purple butterflies flew freely as if alive, filling the training ground completely.
The students watching couldn't help but gasp in admiration.
"Holy shit… is this even possible?"
"She's insane…"
"She's controlling every single one of those?"
Even the teacher guiding Han Nakyeong was equally astonished.
Truly monstrous mana control.
A mage's skill depended on how delicately they could handle mana.
Even a fireball — classified as low-level magic due to its relatively easy method — could display power equivalent to high-level magic depending on the user's skill.
In that sense, Nakyeong was already a mage of considerable caliber.
And she was only a first-year.
If only I had talent like that…
The teacher privately envied Nakyeong's gift and stopped the evaluation.
"…Okay. That's enough."
Having received a perfect score without even needing to be asked, Nakyeong quietly returned to her seat under the weight of every gaze in the room.
A deeply satisfied smile hung on her face.
Not because she'd gotten good results on this evaluation…
But because she would soon be able to meet the person she loved.
"Dad!"
"Oh. My daughter, you're here?"
The moment homeroom ended, Nakyeong hurried over to Dohyeon's office some distance away.
Thanks to Dohyeon recently taking a break from Seo-hui's private lessons, she'd been going home with him every day.
"Is class hard?"
"Mmm. I wish vacation would come soooon…"
Seizing the opportunity, Nakyeong pretended to act cute and clung tightly to Dohyeon, drawing in a deep breath.
The scent of the perfume she'd personally chosen for him and the fabric softener fragrance mixed with his body heat, creating a dizzying aroma.
…Nice…
If she had her way, she'd want to tie him up like this and sniff him for the rest of her life…
But sadly, it was a wish that could never come true.
"Heheheung…"
Climbing into the car side by side with Dohyeon, Nakyeong casually tugged the hem of her skirt a little higher on his side and fastened her seatbelt across her chest.
It was one of the routines she never forgot whenever she got into Dohyeon's car.
Even though he never so much as glanced her way.
"Ah. Right! I need to go grocery shopping today."
"Yeah? Should we stop by on the way?"
Dohyeon, mid-drive, immediately tried to turn the car around at her words.
But Nakyeong shook her head and said they should go home first.
"Let me just change clothes and we'll go together."
Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if they went shopping in her uniform.
But when they walked around in casual clothes side by side, people often mistook them for a young couple — so she deliberately decided to stop by home.
It was one of the ways she satisfied her own little selfish desires.
"There was something on sale today…"
As Nakyeong — who handled the household — flipped through online flyers looking for things to buy—
"…Hey, Nakyeong."
Dohyeon brought something up in a strangely cautious tone.
"……?"
Glancing at him, Nakyeong quickly scanned his demeanor.
Anxious eye contact and restless hands…
She had a pretty good idea what he was about to say.
"So, uh, are you getting along well with your friend?"
Sure enough. A question about Cheon Seo-hui.
Again. Cheon Seo-hui.
Swallowing the coldness that rose at that hateful name, Nakyeong brightly pulled up the corners of her mouth and answered.
"Seo-hui? We're getting along fine. We even had lunch together today."
"Ah… Really?"
A tone of disappointment slipped out of Dohyeon's mouth before he could stop it.
You're disappointed that I'm close with her?
Catching that emotion without missing a beat, Nakyeong was inwardly displeased — yet on the other hand, satisfied.
As long as she was friends with Cheon Seo-hui, Dohyeon would never be able to cross the line.
Still, it was annoying how he kept subtly probing, so she deliberately continued the topic.
"But why about Seo-hui?"
"Uh, uh? No, just. Wondering if she's doing okay…"
Nakyeong decided he'd been scolded enough and smiled faintly.
"Dad! I'm all changed!"
"Yeah. Just a second…"
Arriving home and quickly changing clothes, Nakyeong found Dohyeon busily tapping his fingers on his phone for some reason.
Who is it?
He hadn't been active on the mom cafe recently, so he was probably texting someone.
She couldn't ask outright, so she pretended to drink water and secretly peeked at the screen.
It was Choi Yeonjeong, just as she'd feared.
Ah… that fucking thieving rat bitch.
Nakyeong reflexively crumpled her face, then deliberately pretended not to know and spoke to Dohyeon.
"Who are you texting so hard?"
"Hmm? Aah. Yeonjeong. About the next filming schedule. Just a sec?"
Recently Dohyeon had been meeting Yeonjeong often.
Without the slightest idea that he'd fallen for Choi Yeonjeong's schemes.
Selling her fame to seduce an innocent man. Crazy bitch.
Having long since figured out Yeonjeong's all-too-obvious plan, Nakyeong cursed her inwardly while quietly waiting for her husband's business to finish.
Not interfering in outside affairs was part of being a good wife, after all.
Won't someone accidentally kill Choi Yeonjeong for me…
Playing the roles of both daughter and wife at the same time required quite a bit of patience.