Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 170
Chapter 170
Epilogue: Living Together is a No! (2)
***
Soyeon was smiling brightly, her lips curved upward, but there was an eerie chill in the air.
Her warm, golden eyes now held a cold, icy glint.
Then, she stared at my face intently for a long moment.
It was as if she had just caught her partner cheating and was processing the scene—it made me scratch my cheek awkwardly.
Huh, maybe that was a strange comparison?
Anyway.
“Let me explain how this came to be…”
I tried explaining everything that had happened to Soyeon, who was standing in front of me with her arms crossed, looking extremely displeased.
How much time passed like that?
Soyeon, who had been silently listening, pursed her lips.
“Hoo. I’ve heard your story.”
Soyeon let out a short sigh, then shifted her golden eyes to Baek Yoorin.
“Yoorin, it’s really unfortunate that you were kicked out of your home.”
Honestly, I did feel bad when I heard about her getting cut off by her family.
“And Jinhyuk… I understand why you hired Yoorin as a bodyguard and why you want to help her.”
Her voice trembled slightly with unease.
“I understand, but…”
She suddenly snapped her head up, staring directly into my eyes.
Her gaze was full of displeasure.
It was almost sharp enough to sting a little.
“So, you’re saying the two of you are going to live together?”
Soyeon’s upper lip twitched like a thin sheet of paper.
“I know I have no right to interfere with your actions. But, Jinhyuk.”
Soyeon closed the distance between us with a step, her lips parting slightly as if she had more to say.
“I confessed my feelings to you, and you did say you’d give me an answer later, didn’t you?”
Another step forward.
“In this situation, living with another girl, regardless of the circumstances, isn’t that a bit much?”
“It’s only until I can arrange for other guards. And it’s Baek Yoorin, Baek Yoorin! What could possibly happen?”
“Still…”
Before I knew it, she was practically right in front of me.
Isn’t she standing a bit too close?
Honestly, it’s starting to make me feel a bit uncomfortable. Couldn’t she move back a little?
“An adult man and woman living together without any supervision? And a pretty girl like Yoorin?”
“Well…”
If we’re only talking appearances, sure, Yoorin is extremely beautiful.
Although Yoorin wasn’t very talkative and was generally expressionless, unlike Soyeon, she secretly had her admirers.
Guys tend to like a pretty face, after all.
“Jinhyuk, I’m just worried about you. You’re famous these days, right? What if word gets out through the paparazzi that you’re living with another Academy trainee?”
That could indeed become an ethical issue.
The Union Academy is the most prestigious in the country, and its rules are strict.
Other people might not see the situation in the best light.
“So, wouldn’t it be better to ask Seolhyun for help, even if it’s temporary…?”
“Jin Soyeon.”
Suddenly.
Baek Yoorin, who had remained silent until now, cut in.
She looked between me and Soyeon alternately.
“What?”
“You two… are not dating, right…?”
“Ah, no, that’s…”
Soyeon hesitated for a moment, pursing her lips, and Yoorin continued without missing a beat.
“Then, as you said, it’s not your place to interfere with his actions, right…?”
“Wha-what?”
“Even if you two are kind of in a ‘some’ relationship, you’re not actually together yet, are you? Being this overbearing… doesn’t that seem a bit unreasonable…?”
The brashness of Yoorin’s words left Soyeon swallowing nervously.
“And, Jin Soyeon.”
Yoorin paused before speaking again.
“You really don’t have to be so worried. Even if I live with Jinhyuk… nothing you’re concerned about is going to happen.”
“Hmph. How can you be sure of what I’m worried about?”
“Well…”
Yoorin tilted her head slightly, as if contemplating something, then made a circle with one hand and extended her index finger with her other.
Then, without hesitation, she mimicked pushing her index finger into the circle.
That gesture… Wait, she’s not—
“I mean, me and Jinhyuk aren’t going to have—”
“Whoa, whoa!”
I hurriedly clapped my hand over Yoorin’s mouth.
She looked up at me in confusion.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Please, stop saying weird things. Have some decency.”
“But it wasn’t weird at all. I was just saying we wouldn’t—”
“Stop it already.”
With my hand still over her mouth, Yoorin only mumbled and hummed through the muffled silence.
“Geez, seriously.”
“…”
“Soyeon?”
“…Huh? N-no! I-I wasn’t thinking anything strange!”
Soyeon, who had been oddly quiet until now, suddenly jolted at my voice, like a thief caught in the act.
I blinked at her, bemused.
“…? I just said your name. Why are you so jumpy?”
“Ahem!”
Turning her slightly reddened face away, Soyeon coughed to clear her throat.
“You just called me so suddenly, I was s-simply startled, that’s all.”
“…”
Despite her claim that it was nothing, her flushed cheeks hinted that Yoorin’s earlier comment might’ve influenced her thoughts.
However, I didn’t press the issue further.
No need to steer the conversation back to that topic.
“A-anyway! I’m against the idea of you two living together. Let’s find another solution. Wouldn’t it be better if Yoorin stayed at our place instead?”
“But then I’ll be vulnerable until I move to a new place.”
I was hiring Baek Yoorin to guard against any potential attacks from villains.
“Why not rely on Seolhyun for a little while—”
Soyeon didn’t seem willing to back down.
Well, I guess that’s understandable. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t have accepted it either.
I guess there’s no other choice but to suggest a compromise.
Honestly, I didn’t want to have to say this so soon, but here we are.
“Soyeon.”
“Uh. Y-yes?”
“How about… you stay with me too? Just until I make the move.”
“!”
Soyeon’s face registered complete shock.
“Me-me too?”
“Yes. That way, I’ll be safer, and you’ll feel less worried. Doesn’t that make sense?”
“…Are you really okay with that?”
“On one condition.”
I spoke with a calm voice.
“If you get permission from your mom.”
“That’s—”
“Yoorin and I don’t have guardians, but you do. If your mom agrees, then you can stay with us temporarily.”
I raised my finger.
“But.”
Looking her squarely in the eyes, I continued.
“If your mom doesn’t give you permission, then you have to promise not to interfere any further in this matter. Deal?”
“…”
“If you’re not confident, then forget it.”
“…Pfft.”
Suddenly, Soyeon grinned, looking like she just had a brilliant idea.
What the—what’s with her?
“Make sure you don’t change your mind, Jinhyuk.”
“Hmm?”
“Hold on, I’ll call her now.”
Soyeon looked supremely confident.
She quickly dialed her mom overseas.
Wait. Don’t tell me she honestly thinks her mom will say yes?
I can’t imagine that being likely, though.
Even if we’re childhood friends, what kind of parent would be okay with their daughter living in the house of a boy, especially a single-parent family?
Soyeon’s mom had raised her on her own since she was little, and I’d heard she was incredibly protective of her beloved daughter. There’s no way she’d allow this…
“Alright, got the permission.”
“Huh?”
“If you don’t believe me, you can speak to her yourself.”
Soyeon, grinning triumphantly, held out her phone towards me.
I stared at it for a moment before taking it reluctantly.
“Hello?”
“Oh, Jinhyuk! How have you been?”
“Ah, yes. It’s been a while, ma’am.”
Soyeon’s mother greeted me warmly, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, despite the explanation I knew she must have heard.
“So, did Soyeon explain everything?”
“Yes, she did. You’re looking after each other, right? I feel relieved.”
“Eh?”
“Jinhyuk, listen. I’m not ready to be a grandma yet, okay? Use protection.”
“E-Excuse me? What are you talking about, ma’am?”
The unexpected advice left me flustered beyond words.
Wait, what kind of conversation is this?
“Come on now, Jinhyuk. I know what’s going on. Honestly, I approve. But remember, you kids are still students, so no making Soyeon a mother just yet, alright?”
“M-ma’am? Wait! I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding! Soyeon and I—”
“No need to be shy! I already know everything. Soyeon talks about you all the time, you know?”
What? What kind of stories has Soyeon been telling her?
“And Jinhyuk, I heard you’re quite famous these days! Took down that villain Yoo Dahee, getting offers from top clans, earned a lot in stocks, too… Oof, maybe I should stop here. I’m rambling! Haha.”
“…”
“Anyway, take care, alright? Bye-bye now!”
“Ma’am? Wait—Ma’am?!”
The line clicked off.
I was left dumbstruck.
What stories had Soyeon been feeding her mom?
When I glanced over, Soyeon was smirking smugly.
“Looks like I’ll be packing my things. Take care of me for a while, okay, Jinhyuk?”
“…You?”
Before I could say anything, she darted out the door.
I sighed deeply.
‘Why was this allowed so easily? Shouldn’t her mom have opposed this?’
Then it hit me.
Her mom knew about my current fame, my financial status, and everything else.
From her perspective, if Soyeon married someone like me, she’d be marrying into wealth and influence, with no issues about sharing an inheritance, enduring in-law troubles, or worrying about other marital headaches.
Wait a minute…
Does this mean I’m actually… kind of a catch?
“…Jinhyuk? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no, nothing.”
In response to Yoorin’s curious question, I scratched the back of my neck.
“It just feels like I keep making irreversible choices.”
Though, I had to admit, living with a beauty like Soyeon did stir a bit of excitement.
On the flip side, given how Soyeon had been eyeing me lately, I seriously started worrying something might actually happen between us.
If she were to, say, pounce on me—what would I even do?
Hah, it’s kind of funny for a guy like me to be concerned about something like that.
“Well, whatever. We’ll deal with it.”
It’s not like I dislike Soyeon, after all.
If I didn’t have some feelings for her, I wouldn’t have even suggested this.
***
That night.
4:34 a.m.
Near Lee Jinhyuk’s residence.
“It’s tonight… Tonight, I’ll end this, Lee Jinhyuk.”
A man was pacing outside of the house.
It was none other than Choi Woon-yoon, once known by the villain moniker “Mist Mage.”
He had lost the villain Yoo Dahee, whom he followed loyally, and held a deep grudge against the one responsible for her death — Lee Jinhyuk.
“No matter how strong Lee Jinhyuk is, he’s helpless when he’s asleep.”
His power had been proven when he defeated Yoo Dahee, so Choi was aware that a direct confrontation wouldn’t end well for him.
But if he attacked while Jinhyuk was asleep?
Even the strongest man is vulnerable when unconscious.
Sure, there might be some security measures, but they wouldn’t stop the Mist Mage.
After all, his ability allowed him to turn his body into mist.
It was easy for him to bypass surveillance systems and sneak into any place undetected.
“Alright, here we go.”
Choi transformed into mist and silently entered Jinhyuk’s home.
He had already checked the CCTV and security systems.
Now, all he had to do was sneak into Jinhyuk’s bedroom and deliver the attack.
Just as he was about to return to physical form to survey the area, he transformed back into mist and prepared for the final assault.
‘Lee Jinhyuk, you’ll pay for killing Yoo Dahee—you’ll—huh?’
“…Who?”
A soft, unfamiliar voice reached his ears from behind.
Was… was someone awake at this hour?
But… even if they were awake, why were they outside?
I was sure to avoid all the surveillance systems… so how?
“Tough luck, kiddo—urk?!”
“Shh.”
As he attempted to re-mist, a sword sliced into Choi’s shoulder without mercy.
“Ugh, ugh, urgh!”
“Quiet… it’s late…”
What kind of crazy person stabs someone in the middle of the night? Who is this?
Turning his head slightly, Choi’s eyes widened in shock as he saw a beautiful girl staring at him with an emotionless face from the shadows.
That girl was—
Baek Yoorin, the genius of the Baek family and a formidable talent in her own right.
But why was she in Jinhyuk’s house?
“Yoorin, stabbing someone out of nowhere isn’t such a good idea, is it?”
“!”
Another girl with a dark, flowing hair casually approached from the shadows.
Her cold eyes were enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
She radiated an aura similar to Yoo Dahee’s—cold, calculating, deadly.
“Look, you’re getting blood on the yard.”
Her freezing gaze locked onto him.
Even though Choi Woon-yoon was a notorious villain, he had no confidence in taking on this girl.
No, this was insane.
He had no chance against her.
Dammit.
Time to retreat.
Without hesitation, Choi turned into mist, trying to escape into the air.
“Where do you think you’re going, mister?”
But apparently, this girl was in no mood to let him go.
Seemingly ignoring the normal rules of physics, she reached out into the air and yanked him down, gripping the misty form of Choi.
“Ahh?!”
Grabbing mist like it was nothing… how?!
What is even happening right now?
“You don’t look like just a petty burglar… Probably a villain. So what, may I ask, brings you to Jinhyuk’s place?”
Pinning Choi to the ground, Jin Soyeon stomped on him without hesitation.
“Careful with your words from now on. It’ll save you a lot of pain, don’t you think?”
“Hiiik!”
Pressed under Soyeon’s killing intent, Choi Woon-yoon’s face paled as he writhed in agony on the floor.
Watching the scene from a distance, Jinhyuk quietly mused to himself.
Wow.
With both Baek Yoorin and Jin Soyeon here, this place feels incredibly secure.
Imagine having a High Ranker and a Single Ranker in your house? Man, I almost feel sorry for any villain who chooses to break in here.
End of Chapter.