Chapter 47

“Hmph. What a waste of time.”

“Did you expect Kang Tae-hoon to win…? Even so, wasn’t that too anticlimactic?”

“If he was just going to surrender, why did we even have this evaluation match?”

“Shut up. It’s Shin Yoon-seong. Him pulling weird stunts isn’t anything new.”

The evaluation match ended with Kang Tae-hoon’s victory.

It was an utterly predictable result. The audience gathered here must have all come expecting Kang Tae-hoon’s triumph. No one really thought that I would win, I’d bet. Not even my mom would have expected that.

It was that clear a difference in abilities.

“Hey, Shin Yoon-seong.”

But strangely, the victorious Kang Tae-hoon didn’t look particularly happy. If anything, the loser’s side – me – seemed more at ease.

“What’s up? The evaluation match is over, so is there something else you want to say?”

“…”

At that moment, Kang Tae-hoon’s eyebrows twitched, as if annoyed by my casual inquiry.

Kang Tae-hoon let out a low voice.

“Is there something I did wrong to you…?”

That was somewhat unexpected. The usual Kang Tae-hoon would have already been brandishing his sword, claiming he couldn’t accept the result of this match. But this Kang Tae-hoon was quite composed.

He seemed to be trying to keep his rising anger in check and attempt a conversation.

Of all things, Kang Tae-hoon is holding back his anger. That’s somewhat admirable.

“I don’t know if you’ve done anything wrong to me. Was there anything?”

“!”

But that calmness didn’t last long. After hearing my answer, Kang Tae-hoon’s eyes widened, his teeth clenched as he stepped forward aggressively.

“Stop. The evaluation match is already over.”

Seo Dan-ah, the teaching assistant, blocked Kang Tae-hoon.

“Move! You damn bastard! I’m going to cut out your tongue and fry it in oil today!”

“I can’t allow that. As I said before, the match is over. If you continue to cause a fuss, I’ll report it to the higher-ups immediately.”

“Kkk…”

Kang Tae-hoon flinched. The fact that he can’t draw his sword easily suggests there’s something holding him back.

What, did his dad scold him or something?

Remaining glued behind Seo Dan-ah, I addressed Kang Tae-hoon.

“I don’t get why you’re mad. Shouldn’t winning be enough?”

“Winning was the obvious result! The most important part is missing!”

Indeed, Kang Tae-hoon had something more important than victory – beating the crap out of me until I couldn’t move. That was his goal in this evaluation.

However, with the evaluation officially over now, even that goal has slipped away.

In the end, it’s all for nothing. His victory is nothing but scars.

“Still, the record of you defeating me remains. That’s what stays on your career. You can be a little happier about that.”

“Shut up! Capturing someone like you is no great achievement to boast about! Just a C-ranked guy like you!”

“Umm… You’re right. I admit that.”

Kang Tae-hoon is an awakened individual on the level of Arna. Winning against me in an evaluation wouldn’t count as a significant achievement.

From Kang Tae-hoon’s perspective, it’s no different than taking down a random lesser monster. That’s how insignificant I am.

“And! Why are you hiding behind that girl all the while just flapping your gums! If you have something to say, stand here properly and say it!”

I continued to cling behind Seo Dan-ah. Even she gave me a slightly awkward look, not understanding why I wouldn’t move.

But I had no other choice. Seo Dan-ah is my lifeline here.

“The moment I step out, you’ll hit me, right?”

“Of course!”

“Then it’s better if I don’t come out.”

“Kaaaaah…!”

Kang Tae-hoon let out a scream and frantically scratched his hair – he seemed pretty distressed.

“What’s wrong with you?! Beating me sneakily from behind with a spoon wasn’t enough? You’ve also turned me into a liar! And you had the nerve to take the credit? What kind of person are you, really?”

Well, the evaluation is over, and I have nothing more to do with Kang Tae-hoon. We even secured the important no-contact order, along with the medical fees.

At this point, I’ve decided to just come clean.

“I didn’t like how you were cozying up to Arna.”

“What? Cozying up to Arna? I was?”

“That’s right. Haven’t you applied for evaluations against Arna several times?”

Hearing that, Kang Tae-hoon let out a laugh.

“Hah! So you were freaking out this whole time because of that? Are you in elementary school or something? Are you jealous or what?”

“Jealous… Maybe that could be the case.”

There should only be one villain who gets to tease Arna, and that should be me. No other villains are necessary.

Even if there are, I’ll stop them. Just like now.

No one else should get close to Arna.

Clack—

Suddenly, there was a sound from the spectator stands. It sounded like a drink can falling to the floor.

What’s this? The evaluation ended quite a while ago. Are there still people left?

I looked toward the source of the sound.

“Oh.”

At the spectator stands, there was one person left who hadn’t left. It was Arna.

Her eyes were wide open, and her hands were pressed against her mouth as if she had received a major shock.

Tat—

After making eye contact with me, Arna quickly fled from the arena. She started sprinting without looking back.

Why is she running off like that?

“Shin Yoon-seong.”

Looking at the departing Arna, Teaching Assistant Seo Dan-ah spoke.

“Do you like Arna?”

“Excuse me?”

This is such an unexpected question. Asking if I like Arna out of nowhere. Shaking my head, I denied it.

“There’s nothing like that.”

“Then maybe the things you said earlier could be a bit misleading.”

Misleading? Let me think about what I said just now.

“Jealous… Maybe that could be the case.”

“Oh.”

Right, that was it. It was indeed a line the parties involved might misunderstand.

But is it really a big deal over just one line?

“I think you should go after her.”

Seo Dan-ah subtly hinted. Letting it be could escalate into a bigger misunderstanding.

After nodding in agreement, I decided to follow Arna.

“Young Master! Where are you going? We’re not done talking!”

“We’ll continue this later via DM.”

I waved my phone at Kang Tae-hoon, indicating we’d touch base later.

Kang Tae-hoon shouted furiously.

“Hey! Don’t you need to at least follow me back!”

“…”

*

“Huff… huff…”

Running suddenly made her breathing heavier. Arna decided to pause for a moment to catch her breath.

“Huff…”

It was strange. Though she only ran a short while, she was already panting heavily. What’s more, her entire body was tingling with heat. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

Arna used to be able to run for dozens of minutes without feeling tired, yet her physical state felt unusual today.

It was really strange.

“Jealous… Maybe that could be the case.”

“!”

Recalling those words she heard in the outdoor stadium, Arna lifted her hands to touch her cheeks.

They were very warm. It felt like she had a cold; her entire face was burning.

“That person… feels jealous…”

At first, she doubted her ears. Shin Yoon-seong jealous? She still couldn’t believe it.

He was always sincere in tormenting her. His teasing was cruel without any trace of affection. It was the ordinary path of a villain.

“…”

But.

All of it stemmed from love.

She realized the feelings he’d hidden.

“Ahhh…”

She liked Arna.

Though secretly grateful for the revelation, she was also somewhat annoyed.

In this world, are there men who express love like that? Isn’t teasing the one you like something only elementary school kids do?

It’s overly infantile.

“Anyway, what should I do now…”

It was unclear how she should face Shin Yoon-seong from now on. She’s figured out his feelings. Acting the same way as before would be impossible.

Inevitably, she’d be aware of him. Everything – his words, actions, everything…

“Aaaaaaaaaah…!”

Suddenly, it felt like she was carrying a great burden.

Isn’t there a saying, once someone declares their feelings, the rest lies in the recipient’s hands? That was exactly Arna’s situation.

At some point, she would have to give a response. That’s common decency between two people.

But she had no idea what that response should be. Her heart was too confused to decide anything right away.

It feels a bit pitiful to reject him outright… But accepting his confession, it’s not like she’s particularly attracted to him either…

Turning enemies into lovers overnight. Even with an American mindset, it’s not an easy step.

Being Shin Yoon-seong’s girlfriend. She could hardly imagine such a thing.

“Wait…”

Girlfriend…?

She almost forgot. Shin Yoon-seong already has a proper girlfriend – Choi Soo-eun, studying in the Medical Division.

She almost made a big mistake!

“…”

But why did he try courting Arna despite having a clear girlfriend?

What’s his intention?

Is he trying to date two at once?

“Breath… breath… Arna…”

Before long, Shin Yoon-seong arrived, following her unexpectedly. The wind of an unexpected suitor startled Arna, and her entire body jolted.

“Kyaaa…! When did you come here…!”

“I just wanted to say a few words.”

Shin Yoon-seong immediately grabbed Arna’s arm, but she tried to push his hand away.

“No, no… I have nothing to say to you…”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s all a misunderstanding. Everything is a misunderstanding.”

Misunderstanding? Arna blinked.

“Wh, what do you mean…?”

“Therefore, everything you’re imagining is completely wrong.”

“Misconception…? But you said earlier that you were jealous of… Kang Tae-hoon.”

“Ah, you mean that.”

Shin Yoon-seong began scratching his head, contemplating how to explain.

Then, it seemed he came up with the right explanation and clarified to Arna.

“To put it simply, it’s like a toy.”

“J, toy…?”

“Yes. Think about it: if someone grabs a toy you were playing with joyfully for a while, wouldn’t you naturally feel envious?”

“…”

After hearing those words, one corner of Arna’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t funny at all, but it made no sense.

It wasn’t that kind of jealousy? Not the romantic jealousy often seen in shojo manga?

Then was she running away out of embarrassment in the arena earlier?

And was she blushing while indulging in her own wild imaginations?

Worrying about what to do next?

Were all these just her solo performance?

“…”

The heat that had surged through her moments ago had completely subsided now. The sweat had dried, and her mind was unusually clear.

Soon, Arna’s fists began to tremble.

“So, Arna, you’re no different from a toy…”

Puck—

Arna immediately landed a punch squarely on Shin Yoon-seong’s face.

Something even Kang Tae-hoon couldn’t accomplish.

“Don’t play around with a woman’s heart lightly!”