Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Afterword: Let’s Date (2)

***

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

An awkward silence descended among the children.

The uncomfortable stillness seemed to weigh heavily on the atmosphere.

Everyone appeared to be taken aback by Soyeon’s unexpected confession.

However, Soyeon simply tightened her grip on my arm with a bright smile, seemingly unconcerned with their reactions.

As if she wanted to assert our relationship even more strongly.

“You all can congratulate us, right?”

Out of nowhere, Soyeon glanced at the other girls, curling her lips up teasingly as she spoke.

Her expression was almost provocative.

In response, I noticed the chopsticks in Yoo Seolhyun’s hand slightly bending with a creaking sound.

Uh, um.

“Oh my, you two are dating again?”

“Yeah, that’s what happened.”

“Well, that’s great.”

Yoo Seolhyun smiled.

Though her face displayed a seemingly congratulatory smile, her eyes were as cold as the northern winds.

It was enough to give me the chills.

“Should I be saying congratulations on the rekindling?”

Yoo Seolhyun gently set her bent chopsticks down on the table.

“By the way, Soyeon. Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Couples who get back together usually break up again.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Even searing words from Seolhyun couldn’t dampen Soyeon’s spirits. She snorted and shrugged her shoulders with ease.

“Really.”

Soyeon’s golden eyes flashed momentarily.

“Thanks for the concern, Seolhyun.”

“Hehe. Thanks? For what.”

Haha, Hehe… Soyeon and Seolhyun laughed together.

Girl fights can be terrifying.

Anyway.

Not wanting to get involved with those two, I turned my gaze towards the others.

Lee Siwoon approached me with a calm voice, offering his congratulations.

“Anyway, congrats, Jinhyuk. So, you two are back together.”

“Ah, well, things just happened this way.”

I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.

Siwoon once had a crush on Soyeon.

Though he seemed to have moved on from those feelings now, news of us dating might still stir up complicated emotions.

But looking at Siwoon’s face, he seemed rather composed.

Maybe he’s completely over her now?

Siwoon gave me a faint pat on the shoulder before smiling faintly.

“I always wondered when you two would get back together.”

“Really?”

“Soyeon’s always had her eye on you.”

“Mmm.”

“She couldn’t stand it whenever you talked to another girl.”

With a wry smile, Siwoon shrugged.

“What? So you two are finally dating again? Well, good for you, I guess.”

Kang Daehan, who had been munching on his meal, glanced at me and offered a grudging congratulation.

Daehan didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic, likely because he never got too close to Soyeon in the original story. There seemed to be a slight disinterest in his tone.

Though, he probably had some level of affection for Soyeon.

“So, Jin Soyeon decided to get back together with you, huh?”

Joo Jiyeon smiled slyly.

Given she considered Soyeon a rival, it seemed our renewed relationship didn’t sit well with her.

“Congratulations, Jinhyuk.”

“Ah.”

Next to me, Roxanne, who had been quietly seated, beamed with a gentle smile.

But for some reason, her face appeared slightly shadowed.

Hmm. Am I imagining things?

“I will pray for the Lord’s blessing upon you both.”

“Thank you. It means a lot coming from the Saintess candidate.”

“But Jinhyuk…”

“Yeah?”

Roxanne hesitated for a moment, glancing around cautiously before speaking in a careful tone.

“Living together with Soyeon, without any supervision, is… well… never mind, forget I said anything.”

“What?”

Though it seemed like she was about to say something, Roxanne quickly waved her hand as if dismissing it.

Something felt odd, but I didn’t bother pressing her for more.

“Anyway, the soup’s getting cold. We should start eating…”

“Wait, Jinhyuk.”

Just as I was about to begin my meal, Soyeon picked up a side dish with her chopsticks and extended it towards me.

“Say ah~.”

“…….”

“Won’t you do it? Ah~?”

“……Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

What’s with her today?

Soyeon’s sudden display of affection left me feeling embarrassed.

Was she publicly trying to flaunt our relationship?

Could it be because of Yoo Seolhyun?

The way she kept glancing toward Seolhyun seemed to confirm that suspicion.

But we’re in the Academy dining hall right now.

All the cadets here are probably watching our ridiculous act. Aren’t you even a bit embarrassed?

“Come on, this is a bit…”

I tried to refuse out of embarrassment, but Soyeon hung her shoulders low and pouted her lips.

It was as if her whole body was screaming, ‘I’m upset.’

“Are you embarrassed? Your girlfriend is doing this for you and you’re embarrassed, Jinhyuk?”

“Hey, hey.”

She even started sniffling, pretending to be sad.

“Wow. The goddess of the Academy is going that far for him, and Lee Jinhyuk is acting all smug.”

“Man, I’m so jealous. We need a spear; someone get a spear.”

“Jinhyuk, you’re garbage. Ugh.”

Some of the kids who had been in the same class as me during our first year started making a fuss, laughing like they were enjoying the show.

“Alright, I’ll eat it, okay? I’ll eat…”

Chomp.

“Is it good?”

“Mmm.”

Well, it had to taste good.

The quality of the food at the Academy dining hall is among the best in Korea.

“It’s even better because your girlfriend gave it to you, right?”

“……Could you stop acting like a disgustingly sweet couple? Honestly, it’s a bit much.”

“What’s the big deal between us~? I’ve always wanted to do something like this.”

Soyeon shot another quick glance at Yoo Seolhyun before letting out a small laugh, while Seolhyun’s eyebrows twitched.

From my perspective, it was a little uncomfortable to keep rubbing this in Seolhyun’s face.

Especially since she had confessed to me recently.

It was pretty clear that Soyeon’s playful behavior was intended to provoke or irritate Seolhyun.

Even if she didn’t know about Seolhyun’s confession, she must have sensed the strange atmosphere between the two of us lately.

“Alright, now it’s your turn to say ‘ah~.’”

Soyeon suddenly opened her small lips.

“?”

“What’s with the confused look?”

“No, it’s just, all of a sudden…”

“Now, you have to feed me.”

“Are you serious?”

I’ve never done anything like this, even in my past life.

“……Ha. This is just ridiculous.”

The girl with twin-tails, Sunari, who had been silently watching, muttered in disgust.

From her point of view, it was probably a sickening display.

“Right, Seolhyun?”

“Hehe. Why? I think it looks nice.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Of course~.”

Seolhyun’s words said it looked nice, but her eyes were sharper than ever.

“It looks really nice.”

Sunari swallowed nervously, stealing glances at Seolhyun while quietly gnawing on her food.

“Oh, um, let’s not fight…”

Roxanne seemed busy trying to keep the peace between Soyeon and Seolhyun, while Siwoon and Daehan continued eating.

And Baek Yoorin…

“As lively as always, I see…”

As usual, she observed us with her usual bored expression, casually sipping her water.

“Well… It seems like things are only going to get louder from here.”

***

“Ha… That girl, Jin Soyeon. She’s so annoying.”

Back at her home, Yoo Seolhyun wiped the smile she wore at the Academy clean and threw her bag down irritably.

Her expensive bag hit the wall with a loud thud.

It fell limply onto the floor.

“She’s so irritating.”

Jin Soyeon’s brazen provocations.

Acting all cozy like some lovey-dovey couple—it was truly a sight.

Every time she laughed and pestered Seolhyun with her childish antics, it made her blood boil.

“And that idiot Jinhyuk…”

Choosing Jin Soyeon over her—it made her seethe with frustration.

Didn’t it feel like she lost to Soyeon?

No, she had lost.

That strong-willed girl had bested her.

It stung, knowing she had been defeated by Soyeon, who, aside from her looks and strength, had nothing else going for her as a woman.

Seolhyun’s pride was deeply wounded.

Her pride was precisely why she couldn’t help but react so vehemently when it was hurt.

“Haa… seriously…”

After venting her frustration for a while, Seolhyun collapsed onto her bed, exhausted.

She turned her gaze upward, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“…It was my first confession.”

She had been flat-out rejected.

The fact that she had lost to Soyeon and been turned down by Jinhyuk wounded more than just her pride.

And somewhere deep inside…

She felt disappointed.

“…It was my very first confession.”

Seolhyun muttered to herself a few more times before letting out a deep sigh.

Honestly, she could have predicted it.

After all, Jinhyuk never really showed much interest in her.

He seemed to like her to a certain degree, but only as a friend, nothing more.

It hadn’t developed into anything deeper.

…She had tried to catch his eye in various ways, as a woman.

But it didn’t seem to have left much of an impression on him.

If it had been anyone else, they might’ve fallen for her easily. But Jinhyuk was a different story.

“…Is this my first experience with unrequited love?”

Her first confession.

Her first love failure.

For Seolhyun, it left her with all kinds of complicated emotions. Truthfully, it didn’t feel good. Not at all.

“Should I give up?”

Looking at how clingy Soyeon was being, it didn’t seem like she would ever let Jinhyuk go again.

The way she clung to him was irritating to watch.

“Give up, give up…”

She really wanted him.

Really.

Just thinking about how she lost him to someone else made her desire for him even stronger.

And at the same time, she felt angry.

It felt as though someone had taken something that belonged to her.

Yoo Seolhyun had always been the type to get what she wanted, ever since she was a child.

And she had decided Jinhyuk was something she had to have.

Yet now, she’d lost him so easily.

Hmm?

Lost him?

Had he been taken?

“Taken from me? Haha. Right, I did lose him.”

That girl, Jin Soyeon.

After all that time apart, now she was back.

When you think about it, isn’t she being a bit shameless? She harassed Jinhyuk for so long with her boyfriend issues, and now she’s pretending to be all pure and innocent.

Plus…

There’s something oddly thrilling about the fact that he’s not mine anymore, isn’t there?

‘Come on, Yoo Seolhyun. Since when do you give up so easily? You’re not that type of person, are you?’

You get what you want.

Whether it’s people or things.

Does it matter if they belong to someone else?

It doesn’t, right, Yoo Seolhyun?

Isn’t that right?

“…Besides, the look on Jin Soyeon’s face when I steal him would be something worth seeing.”

Seolhyun laughed quietly.

Ah, just thinking about it lifted her mood a bit.

Yeah. Yoo Seolhyun. Stop pretending to be all proper and clean. You’re not like that. You always get what you want, no matter the means.

“Couples that seem inseparable always break up for any number of reasons.”

Seolhyun’s lips curved into a smile.

Her true nature as the villainess she was born to be was resurfacing.

That wicked side, which had softened over time, was waking up once again.

End of Chapter