Chapter 72

The investigation at the birthplace was over, and Kim Ha-neul said he would guide everyone to the next destination. Since the next place, Busan Port, had already been announced, there wasn’t much suspicion, and we simply nodded in agreement—though I couldn’t have guessed he’d do something like this behind my trust.

The horizon stretched endlessly, vast and unbroken, seagulls hovered over the sea, and despite it being a weekday, many people were enthusiastically enjoying the ocean.

I glanced at the boy—or rather, the group—standing beside me with a nonchalant expression.

We had dropped off our luggage at the accommodation earlier before the investigation at the birthplace because it might’ve been too heavy to carry around. But when we briefly mentioned stopping by the accommodation again, everyone seemed to have grabbed a small bag with some additional items.

At the time, I thought they’d just picked up some last-minute necessities, but now that we were here, even someone not paying much attention could guess what kind of things might be in those bags.

They probably brought items for playing at the beach, but the most shocking thing was that they hadn’t told me about this until we arrived.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me? I wouldn’t have opposed if you wanted to have fun. Heck, as the leader, it isn’t even me—it’s you, so I wasn’t going to throw a tantrum.”

Could this be some sort of bullying? Their plan to leave me sitting at the shore while they played around… Surely, the protagonist wouldn’t resort to such petty antics, would they?

Overwhelmed by the betrayal of realizing the protagonist would stoop this low, I was suddenly picked up and forcibly moved away from Kim Ha-neul by a woman in a hoodie.

It wasn’t as if I had intended to physically lash out; I merely planned to express my trivial grievance about not being informed. However, screaming to stop or struggling to break free from her embrace would’ve only made me look ridiculous, so I stayed quiet until we were at a distance from Kim Ha-neul, where she finally let me go.

“So, what’s with the theatrics?”

“Hmm, let’s call it a precaution. I just don’t want Kim Ha-neul getting a bad reputation in front of others.”

She doesn’t want Kim Ha-neul to get a bad reputation?

Far from invoking anger, her concern for his public image gave me a strange sense of joy.

Her words implied that what she’s doing has nothing to do with being infatuated with the protagonist. After all, how could we talk about loyalty like ‘friends’ when we’ve barely known each other for so long?

She would likely either torment or flirt with the protagonist. The honesty of her words—about not wanting to bother or harm me—calmed even the tiniest bit of anger I felt towards Kim Ha-neul or the group for this whole plan.

“Was your ‘secret’ from earlier—roughly speaking—about Kim Ha-neul? Just say ‘Okay’ or ‘Yes.'”

Maybe not.

Perhaps her thoughts were leading somewhere entirely different. Despite that, my eyes sparkled with anticipation, and the hooded woman’s slight nod seemed to reciprocate that expectation.

“Okay. Understood. Let’s pretend this never happened.”

Turning a bad situation into a good one is standard practice. Though initially determined to press the matter, I quickly forgot it all, celebrating the arrival of a trustworthy person in my life.

“Hmph, why does that conclusion follow? Aren’t you upset that Kim Ha-neul didn’t tell you anything before coming here?”

“Just… I no longer feel the need to be angry at my friend for considering someone else her friend.”

She had seemingly prepared to say something to stop me, but she appeared confused by how casually the situation had resolved. Meanwhile, I opted to provide a vague but satisfactory explanation.

Considering someone a ‘friend’ just a short while after meeting them—while others might find that hard to believe—it seemed clear that my counterpart would interpret it however felt right to her… or so I thought.

“Friend…? Are we already friends… friends? Hmm, I got it completely. From now on, I’ll treat you more casually because you’re supposed to be angry at someone I like but aren’t.”

Could this pride she showed be termed self-congratulatory? She apparently viewed her offering friendship as a trade-off to ensure I didn’t get angry at the person she liked, so she began speaking informally to me—a first for her.

Though it resembled the Student Council President’s behavior in maintaining formality with others but resorting to casual speech with close acquaintances…

There was a difference. While the President likely reserved casual speech for those she deeply cherished, Han Ye-seul was probably far more lenient, treating almost everyone informally if deemed a ‘friend,’ making her far more approachable.

Since I had no desire for the affection of ‘lover’ level and only needed ‘friend’ level from these people, Han Ye-seul’s slight personality change was, in fact, a pleasant surprise.

“Yeah, feel more relaxed. Be casual.”

A heroine whose role could shift between good and bad depending on the protagonist’s choices—Han Ye-seul.

If she were to turn Kim Ha-neul, who seemed to have ulterior motives towards Yoo In-na, into her love interest, it could be a definite win for me, so her offering friendship was something I could easily accept.

The aspect of her pride—offering to become a friend in exchange for her not to get angry at someone she liked—didn’t really bother me.

As long as it didn’t harm me, I was okay with her maintaining her pride.

“If either of us doesn’t know how to be proper friends and make mistakes, feel free to point them out. I’ll work on it.”

“Because of the, uh, training?”

Being an idol doesn’t mean one lacks friends; normally, idols in training form bonds with their cohort. But someone with poor social skills might not even form those relationships.

That is, Han Ye-seul knew her lack of social skills stemmed not from the training but from something deeper, but it was worth asking nonetheless.

A person brimming with self-confidence in most areas yet lacking in confidence when it came to friendships…

“Pretty much.”

The familiar scent returned. The same smell I associated with being too aloof for friendships due to perceived superiority.

This fragrance—capable of throwing balance off—promptly upended my original intention to simply cheer for Kim Ha-neul.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you get to know that person.”

They say a man understands another man’s heart.

If I help her, capturing Kim Ha-neul’s heart would be as easy as eating cold porridge.

“Huh? There’s no need for you to go through so much trouble… Besides, I intend to maintain only a healthy relationship during this activity.”

It appeared she feared backlash from fans more than anything else, as she rattled off excuses. To reassure her, I raised a thumb, signaling trust.

If I, as a man, offered advice on how not to snatch Kim Ha-neul’s heart?

Then it would imply Han Ye-seul had no chance from the start—a foregone conclusion.

On the first day of the school trip, I gained a more important quest than acquiring the fragment of supernatural power left by the revolutionary of Busan or any system-related objectives. It was the terrifying quest to help my newfound friend in this world navigate her romance.

*

While Han Ye-seul kept Erica away from Kim Ha-neul to prevent any trouble, Kim Ha-neul stared at their retreating forms as a girl approached him.

“Did we fail?”

Her plan to captivate Erica by exposing her beautiful figure at the beach.

Sure, there were other members of the group considered to be at the top tier within the school, and Yu In-na might have struggled to compete, but it didn’t matter because Kim Ha-neul had temporarily separated those competitors.

But that’s past tense. Surprising Erica with the reveal failed when she immediately got angry about not being informed.

Realizing this, the woman trembled with anxiety and soon directed an icy glare towards the boy who orchestrated the plan.

“Didn’t I tell you to mention that I even prepared a swimsuit for Erica, just in case?”

“Hey, she’d reject that outright. You know how Erica feels.”

Kim Ha-neul countered, indignant. Suggesting revealing swimwear to someone like Erica who detests showing her skin was a recipe for disaster, likely leading to a headbutt instead.

“But wouldn’t she be grateful that I cared enough to prepare it?”

“She’d likely think you’re just trying to torment her. …Maybe you’re pretending not to notice because you want to see her in it.”

Why does he revert to being an idiot—or worse, a pervert—whenever it comes to Erica? In other matters, he’s generally reasonable.

Carrying strange desires that Erica would never reciprocate, his imagination wandered, which was likely why Erica disliked her.

– Though neither knew the real reason Erica disliked In-na. They both kept silent about [a certain incident].

They merely knew the rift between them somehow involved Erica’s [older sister].

“If Erica wears it, she wouldn’t show it to you.”

“Then she’d show it to someone else?”

“She wouldn’t show it to anyone—but especially not you.”

As they exchanged meaningless dialogue,

an agreement had been reached—it was decided Erica would assist Han Ye-seul.

Through this unusual quadrilateral relationship—a strange alliance developed: Yu In-na aiding Erica in courting Kim Ha-neul, and Han Ye-seul helping Kim Ha-neul with In-na.

It was a small event in the midst of the school trip where terrorism had been foretold, and its end remained uncertain.