Chapter 74

The light was bright.

At the beach, Kim Ha-neul was playing volleyball, and his appearance was much brighter than usual. Though it might have seemed like an optical illusion, I knew it wasn’t, because I’d experienced something similar before.

His supernatural ability, Radiance. Though his ability was simply known for making his body emit light, it was rumored to have the added effect of increasing women’s favorability toward him.

However, to me, the sparkling lights were merely beautiful, and no notification popped up indicating any rise in favorability. Was the assumption wrong, or was his ability simply ineffective on me?

While contemplating this briefly, someone who had been using their ability in a way that went unnoticed by others walked over, not Han Ye-seul, but directly toward me.

“Did you also come to watch?”

“Yeah, can I sit next to you?”

Recognizing who she was, I asked in a calm tone of voice.

I had wondered where a few of our group had gone, but now I understood.

I patted the spot next to me, but instead of sitting there, she glared at the space between Han Ye-seul and me.

Knowing who she was, I understood why she seemed to be showing jealousy toward Han Ye-seul. I glanced to the side, hoping Han Ye-seul would move, but instead, she grabbed my arm gently without even turning her face away from Kim Ha-neul.

Resorting back to polite speech, yet this possessive behavior seemed odd given that she already had someone she truly liked.

Realizing she liked Kim Ha-neul, I was startled by her behavior, but nothing compared to the woman standing behind us.

Without a parasol or the shade of a building, the summer sun was scorching. Yet compared to the heat radiating from the woman behind us, this sun felt like a firefly.

Jokingly comparing the sun to a firefly might sound absurd, but the woman’s presence was that intense—hot like her fiery red hair.

“It’s a little warm here, isn’t it?”

Han Ye-seul’s casual response was the epitome of a rising star, defying any expectations of what a celebrity should act like.

Though I thought she shouldn’t behave so confidently when dealing with the student council president, I was reminded of the truth: Han Ye-seul had feelings for Kim Ha-neul despite having her own romantic interest elsewhere.

Of course, Han Ye-seul’s behavior of jealousy wasn’t directed at me but at the student council president, who was already dating Kim Ha-neul.

Knowing what the student council president wanted, I wished I could help move things along, but my arm, which was firmly held by Han Ye-seul, wouldn’t allow it.

“You should let go of him now.”

The intense gaze coming from behind me felt directed not only at my arm but at Kim Ha-neul, too.

“What do you mean let go? I don’t have anything to let go of, this or that.”

Though her comment seemed directed at my arm, it was clearly about her attraction to Kim Ha-neul.

It’s a visual novel world, but until now, I’d never witnessed anything resembling a catfight between heroines over Kim Ha-neul. As this realization dawned on me, my eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Though there had been disputes between Inna and the student council president about me before, they were closer to arguments rather than a true catfight.

“Erika’s skin is delicate; even a slight grasp might leave a mark. That’s why I was telling you to let go of the arm.”

“…Is that true?”

I thought back to the time when Inna fiercely grabbed my arm while arguing, only to later feign concern. However, knowing it was part of a test to confirm the loss of her abilities after my memory loss, I didn’t feel particularly upset.

At the student council president’s comment, Han Ye-seul seemed flustered, releasing her grip on my arm. Checking it for any redness, she exhaled deeply when there was none.

“You’ve done a good job controlling your strength. I commend you.”

“Huh?”

Before Han Ye-seul could react, the student council president swiftly stepped in, inserting herself between us.

In a flash, she sat down between us.

Even though Han Ye-seul’s physical abilities were ordinary for one without bodily-related supernatural powers, and my ability wasn’t active at that moment, her speed was unmatched.

Taking advantage of Han Ye-seul’s momentary lack of focus and strength, she acted deftly with the wisdom and insight of her strategic nature.

Plopping down with a soft thud, the student council president’s striking appearance contrasted with her usual composed demeanor.

Wearing a tight black one-piece swimsuit that clung to her figure, she captured everyone’s attention.

Though it seemed strange that she hadn’t joined the others in the water, I guessed she had changed into her swimsuit before approaching us.

Any doubts were pushed aside as I caught myself staring too openly and quickly turned back to face forward.

There, frowning with irritation, was Inna, and beside her, Kim Ha-neul trying to calm her down.

Unaffected by the shifting sands, Kim Ha-neul exuded superior physical prowess regardless of gender differences.

Surely, his Radiance ability concealed more than what met the eye—beyond the superficial charm of light and the assumed physical enhancement.

Considering this, the situation felt absurd: a heroine getting dragged into conflict with the protagonist simply because she was close to another woman.

Initially, I thought she was the perfect heroine—excelling in both cooking and looks—but now it seemed laughable.

However, if Kim Ha-neul’s intentions weren’t merely to use Inna as a trophy, the one he sees as the true heroine might be her.

Contrasting perspectives emerged: me thinking the true heroine was Rao Ha, while Kim Ha-neul might view Inna as someone on the path to becoming the true heroine.

Only time and observation would reveal who was correct.

“…You, I didn’t know until I heard the rumors, but you truly have a knack for upsetting people.”

“I didn’t know either when I saw you on TV. But now I can see it—so do you.”

The common thread between the conversations here and the situation over there? My inability to intervene without causing chaos.

Quietly closing my eyes as if in a moment of escape, I pretended to drift off to sleep.

“Excuse me, it seems like Erika is asleep. Let’s lower our voices a bit.”

“…I see. You do know some manners.”

Whether pretending to sleep had worked or not, they began whispering softly, careful not to awaken me.

What fool would fall asleep under such a blazing sun?

As this thought crossed my mind, my eyelids began to droop slightly.

*

The world loves you.

Anyone who confronts Inna comes to understand the depth of that statement. Kim Ha-neul, despite his attempts to situate her, was fully aware of her power.

A more complete supernatural ability user than the association officers tasked with controlling ability users, stronger than even a revolutionary-in-training inheriting fragments of the revolutionary spirit of Busan’s revolutionaries, stood before him—Yinna.

“Didn’t you say you’d be fine?”

“Calm down. We’re just having a conversation.”

“Calm down… Could you stay calm if the person you liked was talking to someone clearly superior to you?”

“It might be hard to stay calm, but the person isn’t necessarily superior to you. It’s just that our directions are different.”

The boy glanced over toward where Erica sat, seemingly unaware of the ongoing situation, her eyes closed.

She wasn’t just resting her eyes—her head swayed lightly back and forth.

A clear sign that she had indeed nodded off.

Here for a school trip to enjoy the beach, she had fallen asleep. And at a place where teachers couldn’t disturb us, making it the perfect time for fun.

Was this her “my-pace” lifestyle? Though seemingly unaffected by others, Erica was, in truth, deeply influenced—an unusual charm, if anything.

‘This is troubling…’

This charm, however, caused nothing but trouble for Kim Ha-neul—not due to Inna’s complaints, but because of the woman beside Erica.

Han Ye-seul.

Although she lacked strength in her freshman year, almost leading to a bad ending without help, she began to gain strength by the end of her first year, eventually evolving into an unstoppable powerhouse.

While the student council president, who was essential for collecting unparalleled information in the primary scenarios starting in sophomore year, seemed indispensable in battles, there was a limitation to her influence, especially as the shadow of uncertainty darkened the nation in the second main story.

Thus, gathering additional strength was vital.

Ideally, the members of the Dawn Society, including Erica with her renewed vigor driven by a desire for vengeance in the future, would have to come together to survive the sophomore year scenarios.

However, if Inna held Han Ye-seul back, and Han Ye-seul managed to revive Erica by approaching her, things could go awry.

Because the school’s talented individuals, rather than uniting under the student council president, would scatter.

“For now, I’ve found that she doesn’t like the sea, so let’s leave it at that. Don’t worry; next time, I’ll make sure you two get some alone time.”

“…I’ll trust you this one time, but if you’re wrong this time…”

“Trust me.”

So, he would have to intervene again, balancing carefully between the situations, even if it meant risking another misunderstanding.

Though Kim Ha-neul’s usual smile remained, his eyes carried a chill that didn’t match the bright weather.

Even from a distance, the sleeping girl felt the shiver that ran down her spine.