Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Bloodthirster and Jin Soyeon (4)

***

“Blood… blood.”

Droplets of blood were slowly trickling down.

They slid down the cold, sharp blade and reached the fingers of Jin Soyeon, who was still gripping the sword tightly.

The warmth of the fresh blood and the sensation of piercing through the abdomen overwhelmed Jin Soyeon’s thoughts.

Ah.

What have I…

What have I just done?

“I-I… I didn’t, I didn’t mean…”

Jin Soyeon, her face pale as snow, stared at her trembling hands, which were still clutching the sword. Startled, she let go of the weapon.

Is that man really Jinhyuk?

Then, did I just… did I stab Jinhyuk?

I only meant to scare him, not… not this. Why? Why did it turn out like this…?

“Wh-what, wha… Ah…”

Confusion.

Her mind was clouded.

The blood staining her hands, the sharp sensation of piercing his belly, and the warmth she once held in her arms—realizing all of it belonged to Lee Jinhyuk threw her into turmoil, rendering her completely incapable of thinking.

It felt like her mind had short-circuited altogether.

She could only tremble helplessly, as if she’d been struck by lightning.

“Ugh… It’s… really, it’s fine. Calm down for now, Soyeon, calm down… Just bring plenty of healing potions… This kind of wound will be okay…”

“Jinhyuk, how can you…?”

“Haa… Haa… And why are you more panicked than I am when I’m the one who got stabbed…?”

“Ah… uuuh…”

Lee Jinhyuk, enduring his pain with great difficulty, gently patted Jin Soyeon’s trembling shoulder and forced a smile.

But perhaps because of that effort?

The twisted expression on his face and the sight of blood dribbling down from his wound triggered old memories for Jin Soyeon—memories of Jinhyuk’s stomach being pierced through in the past.

To Jin Soyeon, that memory was a trauma.

And now, it was vividly playing out before her eyes once more.

But there was one critical difference this time—unlike before, when Yoo Dahee was the one who stabbed him—this time, it was Jin Soyeon herself.

With her own hand.

Directly.

“Ugh… Uuuuh…”

“Soyeon?”

“Uh… Uhhhhh!”

Jin Soyeon suddenly retched.

She could no longer tell if the sticky blood on her hands was Jinhyuk’s or someone else’s.

But the mere thought that some of it might be Jinhyuk’s made her feel sick to her core.

She hunched over, dry-heaving, trying to purge the contents of her stomach while her eyes filled with tears and her nose ran uncontrollably.

Her entire body shook with an indescribable fear.

“Wh-What’s happening all of a sudden, Soyeon, why are you…?”

“Hey! Hey! Lee Jinhyuk!”

Before she knew it, Yoo Seolhyun and the others rushed over.

Yoo Seolhyun, Roxanne, Lee Siwoon, and Kang Daehan were all running in to check on Lee Jinhyuk’s condition.

After carefully inspecting him, it seemed like the wound wasn’t fatal.

Of course, if it had hit any vital organs, he would’ve already had one foot in the grave by now.

Granted, even though the stab missed vital points, an ordinary person would have still been in a lot of danger.

But Lee Jinhyuk wasn’t an ordinary person.

He was someone aspiring to be a hero—an aspiring superhuman who was on a different level compared to regular people.

“Jinhyuk, are you okay?! Your wound…”

“Ugh… Well, I guess getting stabbed a second time makes it a little less surprising… Ha, ha, ow!”

“Ha! From the fact that you’re talking nonsense, it doesn’t look like you’re going to die anytime soon.”

“Uh, yeah…”

He was pretending to be tough.

But the truth?

It hurt like hell. Seriously.

It hadn’t hurt this much the first time, but now it was excruciating. Maybe the fact that he was still conscious this time was making it worse.

“…Hmm. Still…”

“Cynthia?”

Cynthia, who had been closely observing the wound, quietly nodded to herself before finally lifting her head to look at the rest of them.

“If we treat it quickly, there shouldn’t be a major issue. It looks like all the critical organs were missed.”

Even though someone had just been stabbed with a sword, Cynthia’s tone was almost unnervingly calm.

Well, given her extensive experience in the hero world, she was no stranger to injuries caused by weapons. After all, sword wounds were not particularly rare in her line of work.

Unlike the time when Yoo Dahee had blown open his stomach to the point his guts were spilling out, this wound could be healed with enough healing potion.

“Here, here’s the healing potion. It’s the best-quality one. This should definitely work…”

“Alright, then, shall we pull the sword out first?”

As Roxanne quickly handed over the top-grade healing potion, Cynthia rolled up her sleeves and reached for the sword handle.

Lee Jinhyuk’s expression stiffened as he realized what was about to happen.

Wait, hold on.

She’s going to pull the sword out?

Without any anesthesia? In a filthy place like this, with dust flying everywhere?

Granted, treating the wound quickly was definitely the priority, and with healing potions, hygiene wasn’t the biggest concern…but still…

“It’ll hurt a bit.”

And with that, she yanked the sword out. Holy…!

“Hrrrk… Ahhh!”

A bit, my ass!

Damn it… it hurt like hell.

Tears almost welled up in his eyes from the sudden pain.

“It’s done.”

Cynthia immediately doused the wound with healing potion.

As soon as the potion met the wound, it started bubbling up, and the injury began knitting itself back together. No matter how many times he saw it, the effects of healing potions always amazed him.

“It wasn’t caused by any magic-inflicted damage, so it should heal quickly.”

“Ugh, I-I see.”

“Well, this is the best-quality potion, after all. Roxanne must think very highly of you if she gave it to you without hesitation like that.”

“Ci-Cynthia…”

“Oh dear, there I go again, talking too much. Alright, I’ll stop.” Cynthia chuckled lightly, seemingly trying to lighten the mood with her playful teasing.

Meanwhile, Lee Jinhyuk bit down on his lip, still grimacing from the lingering pain, and subtly shifted his gaze.

That was when he spotted Jin Soyeon and Yoo Seolhyun, standing some distance away.

“Jin Soyeon.”

“….”

Jin Soyeon, who had collapsed weakly onto the floor, stared blankly in his direction.

Yoo Seolhyun had been calling her name several times, but Jin Soyeon remained unresponsive.

She looked completely dazed, like half her soul had already drifted away.

“Jin Soyeon, snap out of it! Hey, Soyeon!”

“…I…”

“What?”

“…I… I stabbed him… It was me.”

“Hey! What the hell are you saying?!”

Jin Soyeon bit down hard on her lower lip as she muttered to herself, her shoulders trembling violently.

“I almost killed Jinhyuk…with these hands…”

Her trembling hands rose to her face as she buried it in them.

“I almost killed Jinhyuk again… H-heuk… And I didn’t even recognize him like an idiot… Heuk…”

Large teardrops started rolling down her cheeks.

“A fool like me… should just die…”

Slap!

The sound of a fierce slap echoed in the air.

Jin Soyeon’s head snapped to the side.

She raised a trembling hand to her reddened cheek, eyes wide in surprise as she looked up.

It was Yoo Seolhyun, standing before her with her hand still raised.

“…S-Seolhyun…?”

“Phew. What are you even saying.”

“…”

“Enough with the useless self-blame, seriously.”

“…”

“Jin Soyeon, just look over there. Jinhyuk’s fine, so stop thinking about doing anything stupid, alright?”

“…”

Jin Soyeon slowly turned her head, this time looking at Lee Jinhyuk.

He was staring back at her with worried eyes, though much of his wound had been healed thanks to the healing potion.

“Does he look like he’s blaming you?”

“No…”

“Then stop wallowing in self-pity and go do something about it—whether it’s apologizing or whatever. Just do something.”

“But… I almost killed Jinhyuk.”

“Well, considering all the trouble I’ve gone through because of you, I can probably take at least one stab.”

“Really?”

Yoo Seolhyun spat out a scoff at the ridiculous words coming from Lee Jinhyuk’s mouth.

Was this guy seriously cracking jokes after getting stabbed?

Unbelievable.

“Come to think of it, the local police should be showing up soon.”

Lee Jinhyuk exhaled deeply and slowly stood up.

Though the wound hadn’t completely healed, the top-grade healing potion had worked its magic enough that he could at least stand and walk.

“So, Soyeon…”

Lee Jinhyuk walked up to Jin Soyeon and stood in front of her.

Jin Soyeon hesitated for a moment, staring up at him in confusion.

But just like usual, Lee Jinhyuk wore a faint smile on his face.

“It’s time to go home.”

“Ah…”

He extended his hand towards her, as if inviting her to stand.

Jin Soyeon hesitated for a moment, before slowly reaching out her hand towards his.

And then suddenly.

She stopped midway.

It was only then that she realized her hand was stained with dark red blood.

Her hands were covered, drenched in the blood of others.

How many people had she cut down with these tainted hands?

Hands that had slashed, killed, and destroyed countless people now seemed no different from those of a wretched villain.

What could Lee Jinhyuk possibly think of her, seeing her like this?

Could she even dare to take his hand with these bloodstained fingers?

Dirty, filthy hands like hers?

“Why are you hesitating?”

“My hands… they’re covered in blood… Ah.”

“What’s the big deal?”

Without hesitation, Lee Jinhyuk grasped her bloodstained hand and gently lifted her to her feet.

Then, wiping the blood-streaked mess of her face with his hand, he smiled bitterly.

To anyone else, she would’ve been a horrible, grotesque sight. But to Lee Jinhyuk? It didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

He reacted as if she had merely gotten some dirt on her face while playing at the park.

“Jeez, just look at your face. Go take a shower already. You stink like crazy right now.”

“Jinhyuk…”

Even though I’ve changed so much, you still joke around with me, like you always have.

Even though I’ve become nothing short of a villain.

I’ve hurt so many people, letting rage fuel my actions.

Even though it was a mistake, I almost caused you grave harm.

But you…

You’re always…

Always by my side…

‘Your actions always give me comfort, Jinhyuk. I really… can’t imagine living without you. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be able to stand it.’

So, this is a shameless request, but I’ll say it anyway.

Please.

Don’t leave me alone anymore.

Please.

“…Heuk.”

“Huh?”

“…H-heuk, huh…?”

“Hey, hey?! What’s going on? S-Soyeon?”

“…H-heuk! H-heuk! I really, really missed you, Jinhyuk… Heuk!”

Out of the blue, Jin Soyeon burst into tears.

As if a dam in her heart had been broken, she started to cry uncontrollably.

“H-heuk! I… I was so lonely and so… heuk! So alone all this time! Heuk! I thought you died because of me, and… Heuuuuk! All I could think of was revenge… heuk… Heuuuuk!”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough—come on! What kind of scene is this to make in front of people at our age?”

“H-Heuuuuk! Huuuuuuuuuuuu!”

Jin Soyeon, sobbing uncontrollably, and Lee Jinhyuk, desperately trying to calm her down, were quite the sight.

Yoo Seolhyun and Lee Siwoon, who watched the scene unfold, exchanged somewhat complicated looks.

And then both of them thought the same thing.

That the connection between those two… couldn’t be changed.

‘They really do suit each other… Haa.’

Lee Siwoon gazed up at the sky, feeling a slight pang in his chest.

‘Maybe… it’s time to give up…’

After witnessing such a display, he had to admit that continuing to hold onto any lingering hopes was foolish. There was no place for him to wedge himself between those two.

But unlike Lee Siwoon, Yoo Seolhyun…

“….”

…said nothing, simply watching the two from a distance.

***

“Wow, that was a surprise.”

In the private office of the Poongwol Clan in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

“I mean, I’m genuinely shocked. Sure, the guy’s getting old and fragile, but still.”

Standing beneath a ceiling wide open to the sky, her mouth smeared with blood and hair the color of ash, Yoo Dahee chuckled brightly.

She wasn’t alone.

With her were several members of Rebellion.

“No matter how much we ganged up on him, for a man they once called the Legend of the Past Generation to fall this easily…”

“Haa, haa, haa…”

Before the girl stood a middle-aged man, panting heavily, half-collapsed.

The man was Goo Hwan-hyung, once a legendary hero of South Korea, and a former Single Ranker who had stood shoulder to shoulder with the most powerful figures of his generation decades ago.

End of Chapter