Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Why You? (2)

Another peaceful morning at the academy.

“Sigh.”

I quietly turned my head.

Jin Soyeon was letting out a deep sigh.

She didn’t look well.

She was resting her chin on one hand and staring blankly into the air.
Th i s was c o p ie d f r om ki ng m t l .org

“Hey, Soyeon? Not feeling well today?”

Kim Seoyoon, who had been chattering away like a sparrow, paused to look at Jin Soyeon and raised a questioning eyebrow.

“No, it’s just…”

Jin Soyeon hesitated for a moment, chewing on her lips, before responding with a faint smile.

“…I just didn’t sleep well.”

“Really?”

It seemed true that she hadn’t slept well.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

Soyeon’s behavior was different from usual.
T h i s w a s c opi ed fr om k i n g mt l . o r g

Her actions, tone of voice, eyes, and expressions were all slightly different.

It was a subtle change, but as her long-time childhood friend, I could tell.

Something bad had happened to Soyeon.

Normally, I might have been slower to notice.

But considering what had likely happened at Soyeon’s house last night, I was keenly aware.

“Hey, our Soyeon, couldn’t sleep because of something, huh? Oh, were you on the phone with Siwoon late at night?”

“Of course not. I’ve just had trouble sleeping lately.”

Kim Seoyoon’s chatter and Jin Soyeon’s bitter smile.

Jin Soyeon seemed to want to avoid causing unnecessary worry to those around her, so she was trying to brush it off.

But I couldn’t let her do that.

It might just be my imagination, but if it wasn’t, things could get complicated if left unchecked. I needed to press Soyeon for more information.

“It looks like you have a lot on your mind, not just trouble sleeping.”

“Huh?”

As I quietly started the conversation, Jin Soyeon and Kim Seoyoon turned their attention to me.

Kim Seoyoon blinked a couple of times, then grinned mischievously as if she had a great idea.

She started chattering loudly like a magpie, ‘Oh? That’s the intuition of a childhood friend for you!’

Ignoring the babbling Kim Seoyoon, I continued speaking.

“Is it really just trouble sleeping? Isn’t there something else on your mind?”

“What’s this all of a sudden? It’s nothing.”

T h i s w a s c o pied f ro m k i n g m t l. or g
“You always do this. Whenever something’s wrong, you try to handle it all by yourself.”

Before Jin Soyeon could make another lame excuse, I quickly interrupted.

She looked a bit flustered, stealing glances at my face.

I didn’t stop, raising my voice slightly.

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“Because you always do that, you end up suffering more later. So if something’s bothering you, just say it. Don’t keep it to yourself.”

“Uh, well…”

After a few more words from me, Jin Soyeon hesitated. When I kept maintaining eye contact, she finally sighed deeply and began to speak.

“Sigh… I didn’t want to say anything because it would just make you worry.”

“What? Soyeon, did something happen?”

As Jin Soyeon cautiously started speaking, Kim Seoyoon’s expression turned worried.

“Well, actually…”

Jin Soyeon told us about what had happened the previous night.

Someone had thrown a stone with profanity written on it into her yard.

Kim Seoyoon, who had been listening quietly, immediately erupted in anger.

“Wha? Who the hell does that?”

Kim Seoyoon furrowed her brows furiously, expressing her anger like an erupting volcano.

“Complete psycho, right? How did they even find out where you live… sigh.”

Shaking her head, she suddenly grabbed Jin Soyeon’s shoulders and nodded sympathetically.

“Oh, our Soyeon must have been so scared. Don’t worry, I’ll help you. Let’s catch that psycho!”

“Uh, Seoyoon? Calm down a bit.”

“Let’s call the police! Whoever it is, they need to be punished!”

“Seoyoon, lower your voice. Everyone’s watching.”

“Huh? Oh.”
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Kim Seoyoon glanced around.

Sure enough, the other students were watching us.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, she scratched the back of her neck.

“Sorry, I got carried away.”

I had expected Kim Seoyoon to react like this.

It was predictable, so I wasn’t surprised.

In fact, I was grateful for her outburst.

Because thanks to her, the male protagonist, Lee Siwoon, would have overheard it.

“Soyeon.”

T hi s w a s cop i e d fr o m k i n g m t l . o r g
Suddenly, Lee Siwoon stepped out from the group of students and walked towards us.

He came close and spoke up.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but…”

He hesitated before continuing.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course. It’s no big deal. Nothing happened, and I’ve experienced things like this before. I’m used to it, I guess?”

Jin Soyeon tried to act strong, brushing it off.

Lee Siwoon bit his lip slightly, remaining silent.

He seemed to be contemplating why Jin Soyeon had been targeted.

Soon, his expression turned slightly sharper.

He seemed to conclude that it was because of him.

“Is it because of me?”

A short but direct question.

He seemed to think that one of the girls who liked him had done it out of jealousy.

Not entirely wrong.

The culprit was likely one of the girls who had a crush on Lee Siwoon.

But if we consider the game’s context, the mastermind behind the crime was someone else.

I couldn’t be sure yet, but if this incident followed the game’s pattern, it was definitely that person.

“No, it’s not that.”

“But…”

“It’s not your fault, Siwoon. The real problem is the person who did it. So don’t worry about it.”

Despite Jin Soyeon’s words, Lee Siwoon’s eyes remained calm.

His usual near-expressionless face showed a slight twitch in his eyebrows, indicating he was quite angry.

He couldn’t help but feel bad, thinking that the girl he liked was being harassed because of him.

“What happened, Soyeon? Are you okay?”

“Who would do such a crazy thing?”

Several other students approached.

It was Kim Yuseong and Choi Changwon.

They were both secretly fond of Soyeon.

Especially Choi Changwon…

“Did you see who it was?”

“No. It was in the middle of the night… no one was there when I went out.”

“I see. Shouldn’t you report it to the police then?”

“I tried that before, but it didn’t help much.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Choi Changwon sighed and glanced aside.

“Who would do such a thing to you, Soyeon…”

“Could it be them?”

“Hmm? It’s gotta be them, right?”

“No way, really?”

“Yeah, I bet it was them.”

Several students’ gazes naturally turned to one spot.

In that direction was the largest group of girls in our class.

And in the center of that group was a familiar face, looking our way with an unreadable smile.

“Why’s everyone staring?”

It was Yoo Seolhyun.

Her lips were curved up, but her eyes were not.

“Hey, what’s your problem?”

Sunari, beside her, scowled like a crumpled piece of paper.

“What are you staring at?”

“N-no, just…”

“Are you suspecting our Seolhyun?”

“No, it’s not that…”

It was a well-known secret that Jin Soyeon and Yoo Seolhyun didn’t get along.

Most of the kids had picked up on it.

So they naturally glanced at Yoo Seolhyun’s group, but Sunari’s fierce glare made them shrink back.

Everyone knew that crossing Yoo Seolhyun, who held significant influence and formed strong cliques, was not beneficial.

Moreover, Yoo Seolhyun was the third daughter of one of Korea’s top clans.

Getting on her bad side could cause problems when trying to get a job in a clan later.

Korea’s hero industry ran on connections and power.

So, few dared to confront Yoo Seolhyun openly in our class.

“Yoo Seolhyun. Is it really not you?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Really, is it not you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Standing up to Yoo Seolhyun was one of the few people on Soyeon’s side.

“Still haven’t fixed that habit?”

“Ha. I was wondering what you were talking about. Funny, Lee Siwoon. What have I done?”

T h i s w a s co p i e d fr o m kin gm t l. o r g
It was none other than Lee Siwoon of the SL Group.

“I knew you were subtly bothering Soyeon. I didn’t think you’d cross the line.”
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“You sound so sure it was me.”

“Considering your history, it’s likely.”

“What?”

Unlike her usual relaxed, languid smile, Yoo Seolhyun responded quite emotionally.

It seemed Lee Siwoon’s words had struck a nerve.

‘Hmm.’

I observed the situation quietly.

Watching the two argue.

Judging by the actions of the person who stirred up this conflict, it seemed almost certain.

The method of creating division and escalating tensions was similar to the actions of that person from the game.

“It probably wasn’t Yoo Seolhyun.”

“…”

I spoke up to intervene.

“She wouldn’t have had a reason to target Soyeon. And it’s a crime. She wouldn’t go that far just because she doesn’t like her.”

I shrugged.

“If someone was willing to throw a rock at her house, they would have done worse at the academy. And Yoo Seolhyun.”

“Hmm?”

“Haven’t you been telling your group not to spread strange rumors about Soyeon?”

“Well, sorta?”

Yoo Seolhyun seemed to remember her promise to me and was trying to keep her group in line.

“It’s more likely that someone else acted on their own or another group did it.”

“…”

“Just my thought.”

“…”

Objectively, my words lacked credibility.

But it didn’t matter.

Whether they believed me or not wasn’t important.

What mattered was stopping the argument before it escalated.

If Lee Siwoon and Yoo Seolhyun continued to clash, it would waste time, just like in the game.

“…Hmm. Well, for the record, I had nothing to do with it. Sure, my group might have acted on their own.”

As the situation calmed, Yoo Seolhyun sighed and spoke in a cool voice.

“I can’t control everything my group does, can I?”

She glanced at Lee Siwoon, then walked back to her group.

Lee Siwoon watched her retreating figure for a moment but said nothing.

I had something to discuss with Yoo Seolhyun about this incident, so I sent a text message discreetly.

She paused, read the message, and gave me a quick glance before walking away.

“…”

A brief silence fell among us.

I opened my mouth.

“Anyway, we don’t know who the culprit is, but we’ll help you out. Right, Lee Siwoon?”

“…Yeah.”

Lee Siwoon nodded with a slightly sunken gaze.

“Yeah, Soyeon. I’ll help too. Don’t worry too much.”

“Me too. I’ll help.”

At Choi Changwon’s words, Jin Soyeon gave a bitter smile.

“Thanks, but… midterms are coming up. Don’t worry about me.”

“Don’t worry about it. As long as we do well in the practical exams, right? Only Jinhyuk cares about the written tests, anyway.”

“Jinhyuk, you…”

“I’ve already finished all the second-year material, so it doesn’t matter.”

I responded nonchalantly to Jin Soyeon’s words.

And I quietly thought to myself.

I had no intention of dragging this out.

If it dragged on like in the game, more victims would suffer, and Soyeon would struggle more.

Though such hardships could serve as a stepping stone for the future, Soyeon seemed to be under a lot of stress these days. I couldn’t let her suffer more.

I didn’t want to see Soyeon suffer.

Soyeon was my childhood friend in this life and my favorite character in my past life.

I just wanted Soyeon to have a good ending with someone like Lee Siwoon, without too much suffering.

***

T h is w as co p i e d f r o m k in g m t l . o rg
‘Is it already lunchtime?’

Lunchtime had arrived.

I hadn’t intended to tell my classmates about what happened last night, but Lee Jinhyuk had noticed, so I had no choice but to confess.

…Really, Jinhyuk.

Jin Soyeon smirked secretly.

He’s so clueless when it comes to girls, but sometimes he’s sharp like this.

Why is he so sensitive about things like this?

Can’t hide anything from him, can’t hide.

…Though he’s helped me a lot in the past.

In the past.

Yeah, something similar happened before.

Back then, I tried to handle it alone, but Jinhyuk’s help resolved it safely.

I’ve received a lot of help from Jinhyuk.

“Soyeon, what are you doing? Let’s go eat lunch.”

“Wait a minute.”

Wanting to spend some time with Jinhyuk, I turned to look at him, but he was quietly leaving the classroom.

“Jinhyuk, let’s go to the cafeteria together.”

“Sorry, I’m going to the snack bar.”

“Again?”

With that, Lee Jinhyuk disappeared.

What’s with him, always like that?

Jin Soyeon watched him for a moment, then stood up.

No, I can’t let it go this time.

Today, I’m going to confront him.

“Where are you going, Soyeon?”

“Sorry, I’ll have lunch at the snack bar today.”

Ignoring Kim Seoyoon’s call from behind, I hurried after Lee Jinhyuk, not wanting to lose sight of him.

But… huh?

That’s not the direction of the snack bar.

Puzzled, I followed Lee Jinhyuk secretly, wondering why he was looking around as if checking for followers.

Like someone wary of being tailed.

‘What’s he doing?’

I followed Jinhyuk, moving quietly.

I never thought I’d use the stealth techniques I learned in class here.

Where is Jinhyuk going?

‘This is… the Tactical Training Center for Large Monsters? Why here during lunch?’

We arrived at the Tactical Training Center.

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Lee Jinhyuk cautiously headed to the rooftop.

He entered the code to open the firmly closed rooftop door.

How does he know the rooftop code?

Before I knew it, Jinhyuk opened the door and went inside, closing it behind him.

I quietly approached and put my hand on the doorknob.

Just as I was wondering why Jinhyuk went to the rooftop alone.

“Oh, you’re already here?”

“Lunch at the cafeteria sucks today.”

‘Huh?’

I faintly heard Yoo Seolhyun’s voice through the rooftop door.

‘Huh? Why are they on the rooftop?’

End of Chapter.