Due to the interview with reporters, Arna entered the hall late, her stomach growling with hunger.
However, the after-party atmosphere was far from what she had expected. The entire hall was filled with an awkward, icy tension, as though someone had thrown cold water over everyone.
“Did something happen during the event?” Arna grabbed a male student and asked about the frigid atmosphere.
She finally got the news, albeit a little late.
“Wait, there was an argument?”
The subject of the argument was none other than Shin Yoon-seong. It seemed he’d had some kind of verbal spat with Vice Captain Kang Tae-hoon here in the hall.
“Well, Kang Tae-hoon almost drowned someone or something.”
“To drown someone… what do you mean?”
“Like, he accused Shin Yoon-seong of doing something he didn’t do.”
The male student recounted every word of their conversation without a single error to Arna.
“What… what did you say…?”
Arna was astonished after hearing the entire situation.
Shin Yoon-seong hit Kang Tae-hoon with a spoon first? Even more shocking was the fact that all of this was a lie fabricated by Kang Tae-hoon.
Shin Yoon-seong hadn’t even laid a finger on Kang Tae-hoon.
“Since Kang Tae-hoon came back to school, his temper has just gotten worse. He wasn’t like this before.”
“…”
That was true. While Shin Yoon-seong wasn’t exactly one to act first, he was certainly not the kind of person to fabricate lies and slander others. At least, not in Arna’s memory of him.
“Earlier, I thought I was looking at a psychopath. He had his eyes wide open and was yelling at the top of his lungs. I thought some Hollywood actor had come to visit or something.”
Why had Kang Tae-hoon done all this to target Shin Yoon-seong? Perhaps he was trying to create a legitimate reason to knock Shin Yoon-seong down.
What vendetta did Kang Tae-hoon have against Shin Yoon-seong?
There was no reason for Shin Yoon-seong to be a target.
“Ah.”
Then, something suddenly came to mind.
Around the time Kang Tae-hoon returned to school, he kept challenging Arna to sparring matches every day.
And someone had been consistently hindering Kang Tae-hoon every time.
That person was Shin Yoon-seong, who kept stopping Kang Tae-hoon.
Could it be that Kang Tae-hoon hadn’t forgotten that?
“Phew, Shin Yoon-seong is done for. Unfortunately, he got on Kang Tae-hoon’s bad side. Even though things seemed fine this time, imagining what might happen in the future… sigh.”
Kang Tae-hoon is a fierce predator. Once he starts going after his prey, he won’t let go until the end. You should be prepared for the worst.
“You would rather jump off the rooftop instead of dealing with someone like Kang Tae-hoon for the rest of your life, right? That’s probably the easier way out.”
“…”
Because of this, Shin Yoon-seong was now in danger.
In trying to protect Arna, Shin Yoon-seong ended up becoming the target.
Arna had been so happy thinking she had escaped Kang Tae-hoon’s attention. Now, she wanted to smack herself on the head.
“So, where are those two now…?”
“Ah? They definitely went to the military administrative office with Assistant Seo Dan-ah.”
Tap—
At those words, Arna immediately turned around and left.
Leaving the delicious food presented before her behind.
“Student Shin Yoon-seong has already left.”
Rushing to the military administrative office, Arna found out Shin Yoon-seong was already gone. Assistant Seo Dan-ah said this.
“Do you happen to know where he went? I’m in a bit of a hurry…”
“Even I don’t know…”
After that, Seo Dan-ah hesitated to say more.
“Urgh…”
Arna started getting increasingly anxious. Could he be caught somewhere by Kang Tae-hoon?
“Oh, didn’t I see him earlier? Shin Yoon-seong…”
Just then, a student typing on a keyboard raised their hand. It was a girl with glasses.
The girl continued.
“I saw him briefly on my way to the restroom. He was heading to the rooftop on the elevator.”
“Oh, the rooftop…?”
The word “rooftop” reminded Arna of something the male student had said earlier in the hall.
—If you’re going to be harassed by someone like Kang Tae-hoon forever, why not just jump from the rooftop? Isn’t that the easier way out?
“EEEEEEEEEEEK…!”
Arna let out a sudden scream. Surely he wasn’t planning to jump, was he? Shin Yoon-seong? That’s absurd!
However, if this were true, she needed to get there and stop him.
“Thank… thank you!”
Leaving a hurried thanks behind, Arna rushed down the hallway. She then pressed the button for the elevator.
“Ugh…”
Why was the elevator taking so long today? Eventually, Arna gave up waiting and decided to take the stairs.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Huh… Huh…”
If Shin Yoon-seong jumps off the rooftop, half of the responsibility would lie with Arna. In a way, it all started with her. Due to her repeatedly rejecting Kang Tae-hoon’s challenges to sparring matches, poor Shin Yoon-seong got dragged into this mess. If she had accepted the challenge from the start, none of this would have happened.
“Damn… damn… damn!”
She couldn’t let Shin Yoon-seong die like this. Otherwise, he might haunt her dreams every night.
She couldn’t be constantly chased by the ghost of a spoon.
Clang—
Arna forcefully pushed open the iron door leading to the rooftop.
“Hey!”
Just as the student in the administrative office said, Shin Yoon-seong was on the rooftop. He was seated in his wheelchair, quietly waiting in front of the railing.
“…”
Arna’s shout seemed not to have reached him. Shin Yoon-seong stood up from his wheelchair. Had he finished contemplating everything? He began extending his hand toward the front.
“No…no NO NO NO!”
Arna quickly ran and tightly hugged Shin Yoon-seong around the waist, preventing him from stepping forward any further.
“You can’t choose that option no matter how difficult or painful life gets!”
Shin Yoon-seong, who was always expressionless and mischievous, appeared to Arna as someone who had no problems. She thought he only lived to torment her for fun. But Shin Yoon-seong was ultimately human. Everyone is the same. In the face of overwhelming difficulties, humans can become weak, sometimes even wishing to run away.
This was Shin Yoon-seong’s moment of fragility.
“So, please let me help you! I’ll do my best to help, no matter what! I’ll do anything! Just talk to me…”
Taking Shin Yoon-seong off the roof won’t solve all the problems right away. He could still choose the same path again someday.
It was necessary to continue giving him hope, to be there beside him.
“That’s it! Chest! I’ll let you touch my chest! Isn’t it said that touching a woman’s chest can lift a man’s mood?”
Arna was willing to offer her chest for Shin Yoon-seong. After all, a man’s ultimate gift was a woman’s chest. That’s what she learned from Baek Joo-hee.
“So… please don’t give up on that precious life of yours!”
It seemed Arna’s earnestness paid off. Shin Yoon-seong finally turned to look at her.
“Are you spouting nonsense since when?”
“What…?”
A calm voice. It was the usual voice of Shin Yoon-seong that Arna knew. He didn’t seem like someone ready to jump off this roof.
What’s going on? Did she misunderstand this? Arna blinked a few times cautiously before asking for confirmation.
“Were you really… planning to jump off here?”
“Jump off? Me?”
Shin Yoon-seong looked at Arna with a disdainful expression, as if asking what nonsense she was spouting.
After that, he easily shook off Arna, who had clung tightly to his waist.
“Are you just making up stories? What gave you that idea?”
“…”
Goodness. All of this was a misunderstanding. Before she even had a chance to scream, Arna ended up sitting down in shame. She sat there, wiping her face, embarrassed.
This was the moment a dark history of a hero was born.
“Why isn’t anyone believing me! I really got hit by a spoon!”
In the outdoor training center, Kang Tae-hoon was shouting at the top of his lungs to vent his frustration.
“Huff… Huff…”
But no matter how loudly he shouted, the oppression in his chest wouldn’t go away easily.
“In front of everyone, he was lying so casually… how can there be such a piece of trash?”
He had never encountered such a crazy guy before. Not only did he start the fight, but he also made Kang Tae-hoon look like a liar.
Ironically, the liar was Kang Tae-hoon himself.
At the administrative office earlier, things were even worse. When Assistant Seo Dan-ah asked questions, Kang Tae-hoon only shrugged his shoulders, pretending he knew nothing. The audacity was so shocking that even Kang Tae-hoon stuck his tongue out at it.
“Damn it!”
Ultimately, Kang Tae-hoon was left looking like a fool.
It was pointless to appeal his victimhood since he’d done enough bad things for people to label him a troublemaker. Without solid evidence, Kang Tae-hoon would forever be the perpetrator. In a way, it was karmic retribution.
“Damn this training center! Why isn’t there even one CCTv camera?”
It was as if Kang Tae-hoon was now also blaming the training center. If they had CCTV, it could’ve proven Shin Yoon-seong’s wrongdoing. Frustrated, Kang Tae-hoon kicked at the dirt on the ground.
“Urgh…”
But his foot just hurt. Making a scene here would only harm Kang Tae-hoon even more. He had nothing he could do in this situation.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
It was infuriating. Extremely infuriating. Kang Tae-hoon screamed toward the moonlit night sky, roaring as though trying to tear his throat apart.
“That damn spoon… if I see you again… ah…!”
Bang—
Just as Kang Tae-hoon was mentally preparing himself, someone slammed him on the back of the head. He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was. That same spoon again. And again.
“Hey, bastard! Less than an hour has passed since we last parted ways! Where in the world are people who act this way? Are you really a psychopath? Huh?”
Kang Tae-hoon asked the spoon, his eyes filled with bloodshot rage. Droplets of saliva flew as he spoke.
“Fine. Since you showed up, prepare to have your skull crushed. I’ll make it so you can’t even eat rice anymore!”
Swooosh—
“Hey, check that out.”
At that moment, some students happened to be passing by the outdoor training center. They pointed at Kang Tae-hoon in the middle of the training ground, who had drawn his sword.
“He’s talking to himself out here. What the hell is he doing?”
“Maybe he’s drunk or something. Let’s just keep walking. Look, he’s holding a sword now.”
Naturally, their words reached Kang Tae-hoon’s ears. He roared loudly.
“I’m not drunk, you bastards! And can’t you see this spoon? Huh?”
“KYAAAAAA! Let’s go! That guy seems mentally unstable!”
“No, that’s not it…!”
Kang Tae-hoon was now being treated as a psychiatric patient.
All because of a simple spoon.
