Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 173

Chapter 173

Afterword: A Date With Yoo Seolhyun? (3)

***

“Not at all, I should be the one thanking you. I’ve received so much help from you. Without you, I probably would’ve had a hard time.”

It felt a bit embarrassing to just sit there listening to Yoo Seolhyun express her gratitude, so I returned the sentiment by thanking her as well.

And it wasn’t like I was just making something up.

In reality, Yoo Seolhyun had truly helped me a lot.

Equipment and items that aren’t easy to find, money, manpower, crucial information, and more. I obtained so many things through her.

If I had to pick someone who was the biggest help aside from Soyeon, it would undoubtedly be Yoo Seolhyun.

For me, Yoo Seolhyun was not only a good business partner, but also a companion who fought against the Rebellion with me, and a reliable friend.

“And since it’s come up, why don’t I give this to you… Here, take it.”

“Huh? What are these papers?”

I pulled out the documents I had brought and handed them to Yoo Seolhyun.

She tilted her head in slight confusion but accepted them readily and started reading through them carefully.

“…This is…”

“It’s information I gathered through my future foresight ability. Of course, the future might have drastically changed because I saw it quite some time ago, but there’s no harm in being prepared, right?”

Originally, one of Yoo Seolhyun’s closest aides was about to betray her soon, preparing to stab her in the back.

While this event would drag Yoo Seolhyun into a deep pitfall, so much had changed from the original timeline that this incident might not even happen anymore.

But as I mentioned, there’s no downside to being prepared.

“…This person… betraying me? I never suspected they might be connected to my other siblings.”

“Nothing’s 100% certain, so just keep it in mind.”

“Still, I don’t think you’re giving me this kind of information for free… So, what do you want, Lee Jinhyuk?”

“Hmm, what should I ask for this time?”

It was valuable information.

It didn’t just cover betrayal but also exposed the weaknesses of her siblings, competitors within the Gaon Nuri Clan.

It was information Yoo Seolhyun probably couldn’t get even if she paid good money for it right now.

So, she looked at me tensely, curious about what grand favor I might ask for in return.

“What I want is…”

I quietly watched Yoo Seolhyun’s anxious expression for a moment and then chuckled.

“Nothing.”

“…What?”

“Nothing. I’m giving it to you for free. It’s not even concrete information anyway.”

“…No, but still…”

Yoo Seolhyun’s expression became a bit flustered as I told her it was free.

I shrugged and followed up.

“Hey, we’re friends, right? Sometimes friends can give things for free. But don’t get too used to it—next time, I’ll charge you the full price.”

“…”

Yoo Seolhyun has gone through a lot because of me up until now, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give her good information for free at least once.

During the case involving Soyeon’s kidnapping, the raid at Busan’s Ouroboros, the catastrophe at Gwanghwamun, and more.

She helped me even when I made unreasonable requests, lending clan forces without hesitation.

Of course, I had compensated her properly, but regardless, I still felt grateful toward Yoo Seolhyun.

“…Friends, huh.”

Suddenly, Yoo Seolhyun mumbled my words back at me and glared down at her glass. Then she gulped down the rest of her drink in one go.

“Hoo… Yeah. I guess we are friends.”

She slammed the empty glass down on the table with a sharp clack.

“Lee Jinhyuk.”

“What? What’s with you?”

A small smile curled her lips as she spoke in a breezy voice.

“This information… I’m really grateful, but it’s full of detailed information about our clan’s internal affairs. Even stuff that outsiders definitely shouldn’t know about.”

“Uh… well…”

Wait, you aren’t going to press me on this, are you?

I just gave you useful information for free.

Are you seriously going to grill me about this?

“I’m in a somewhat tricky position since, well, I’m technically a member of the clan. Hmm~ What should I do with this…?”

“If you don’t like it, you can just give it back.”

Yoo Seolhyun chuckled playfully, glancing over at me.

From the way she was acting, it seemed like she was just joking.

Ah, seriously. Her personality…

“Oh, right.”

She clapped her hands together as if she’d come up with a good idea.

“I know! What if you weren’t an outsider anymore?”

“…?”

Wait, what?

What did she mean by not being an outsider anymore?

Was she asking me to join the clan? That didn’t explain the intense look in her eyes and her unusual expression. Could she—?

“Lee Jinhyuk. You know, I think we could create a lot of synergy together. We already do. And we’ll be even better moving forward.”

She added, in a seductive tone, “Don’t you think it’s kind of a waste to just end things as business partners?”

“You’re an amazing hero, but you barely have any solid backing. And the people who dislike you will inevitably target your weaknesses. All it takes is one slip-up for public opinion and the media to turn against you.”

No matter how strong a person is, an individual can’t win against an entire organization.

“When you start fully embracing your role as a hero, lots of people will try to tear you down. You know how dirty the hero industry can be, right?”

“Yeah, no doubt.”

I nodded.

I was already aware of how rotten the industry could be. Yoo Dahee’s parents had been killed by powerful figures within the hero establishment when I was a child, after all.

“People in power are conservative, and conservatives are always closed off. They won’t welcome the rise of another powerful figure who could take their slice of the pie.”

Yoo Seolhyun stared straight into my eyes.

“Those young, promising heroes who used to be full of potential but suddenly disappeared without a trace? That’s pretty common, really.”

“Hmm.”

“So, when the time comes that other people attack you for whatever reason, who do you think will be able to stand by your side and help you?”

She grinned.

“Will it be Jin Soyeon, someone who’s unquestionably strong? Or maybe Roxanne, who, as a candidate for the Holy Saintess, must remain rigorously neutral?”

Yoo Seolhyun implied that those two alone wouldn’t be enough.

“I’m almost solidified as the successor to Gaon Nuri, one of the representative clans in South Korea. If I felt like it, I could influence the media. I have connections everywhere— in politics, entertainment, and the hero world—and I’m backed by an extensive network. I can protect at least one person from outside attacks.”

If Yoo Seolhyun becomes the head of her clan in the future, the kind of power she will wield would be immense.

“Ah, of course, with your future foresight ability, connections, and strength, you could probably handle everything on your own if you wanted to.”

Yoo Seolhyun gently stretched out her hand.

“But do you really need to take such a difficult path? When there’s a simple solution right in front of you?”

Her hand lightly touched the back of mine.

“Lee Jinhyuk. I believe we can support and benefit each other. You as a hero, and I as the head of a clan.”

“You…?”

She softly stroked the back of my hand.

“So, becoming more than just business partners wouldn’t be such a bad idea, would it? Lee Jinhyuk, what do you think?”

Becoming more than just business partners.

There wasn’t even a need to think about what that meant.

I suddenly fell silent.

I swallowed dryly, hesitating.

The words were so sudden that I didn’t know how to respond right away.

“…I…”

“Oh, don’t feel like you have to answer right now. It’s sudden, isn’t it? Take your time and think it through, and give me a reply later.”

Yoo Seolhyun interrupted me, standing up from her seat.

“Shall we get going? We’ve finished eating, and it’s getting late.”

“…Right.”

Yoo Seolhyun leisurely strolled toward the exit of the restaurant.

Even though she’d thrown out such bold, confession-like lines with an air of poise and composure, her cheeks were oddly flushed. She was probably embarrassed, though she put on a nonchalant front.

“Phew, seriously.”

I sighed as Yoo Seolhyun and I parted ways, each going in different directions.

I walked through the night streets, lost in thought.

Is this the peak of my life?

I knew Yoo Seolhyun had some interest in me, but I didn’t expect such a direct confession today.

I mean, at one point, she even said she wasn’t particularly fond of my face.

“Seriously… haah.”

I scratched the back of my neck in frustration.

What exactly should I do about this?

Well, it’s not like I’m in a bad mood. I’m just baffled that someone like Yoo Seolhyun would say something like that to me.

Until I reached my home, I walked with a dazed expression, not quite grounded in reality.

And then, when I finally arrived, Soyeon noticed the goofy look on my face and burst out in a jealous rant, asking, “Why do you look like that? Don’t tell me something happened with Yoo Seolhyun?”

But regardless, my mind was completely consumed by Yoo Seolhyun’s… confession.

***

“…Uh… ugh… ah, seriously.”

Once Yoo Seolhyun arrived at her private bedroom, her shoulders shivered in embarrassment as she smacked her pillow in frustration.

The mature, composed demeanor she’d shown when talking to Lee Jinhyuk had completely vanished.

Now, she was just a young woman blushing with embarrassment.

“…Am I crazy? I didn’t mean to say it like that… What? ‘You wouldn’t be an outsider anymore’? ‘Do you want to form a deeper relationship’? What was I thinking, spewing nonsense like that?”

She had planned to read the situation a bit more carefully and offer a more well-thought-out line, but instead, what had slipped out was so cringy.

It made her toes curl just thinking about it.

Did Lee Jinhyuk laugh at me behind my back?

“Haah, for real… I suddenly went into overdrive… what a disaster.”

With a deep sigh, Yoo Seolhyun collapsed onto her bed.

“Who knew being sincere could be this hard…”

It had seemed so easy in her head.

But when it came to saying it face-to-face with Lee Jinhyuk, her emotions had surged so strongly, she could hardly remember what she even said.

But she couldn’t help it, could she?

After all, Yoo Seolhyun had never experienced something like this before—liking someone as a romantic partner or confessing her feelings, let alone being in a relationship.

In the end, Yoo Seolhyun was just another amateur when it came to love.

End of Chapter