Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 66
Chapter 66
I Have Something to Say (4)
“…Well, anyway, there’s one more thing I want to give you.”
I ignored Soyeon’s subtle reaction and slowly reached out into the air.
Soyeon tilted her head, watching me curiously.
She seemed puzzled as to why I suddenly raised my hand.
Soon, a crack appeared in the air.
It split open like a crack in a glass window.
From within the subtle fissure, a sword handle popped out.
As I gripped the handle tightly and pulled, a sharp blade began to emerge.
“Huh? A sword from thin air? How… how is this possible?”
“There’s an artifact that allows you to store items. I was able to obtain it thanks to my foresight ability.”
“A-An artifact…?”
She seemed quite shocked.
Her mouth opened slightly in surprise.
It looked like she was even more astonished than when I told her about my foresight ability or when she realized I had become a millionaire.
“An artifact… and you even have a sword… That’s… that’s amazing.”
“Well, anyway, would you like to take a look at this sword?”
“Huh? Oh, sure.”
Soyeon, still somewhat dazed, accepted the sword.
At first glance, it appeared rather ordinary, but just looking at it gave the illusion that it could slice through your skin with its sharpness.
That was to be expected since this sword was a remarkable weapon.
In the game’s lore, it was classified as a “Masterpiece,” a weapon wielded by a character known as the Vigilante.
The Vigilante was not a character that appeared in the game.
He was never directly featured, only mentioned, so he remained somewhat shrouded in mystery. However, it was established that he had reached an extraordinary level at a young age.
He might have even been stronger than Yoo Dahee in her early days.
After all, there was a backstory where even Baek Yoorin, the apprentice of the Sword Emperor, was completely defeated by the Vigilante a few years ago.
As a result, Baek Yoorin held a deep grudge against the Vigilante.
“…This is a fine sword.”
While I was lost in thought, Soyeon carefully examined the sword, murmuring a brief but sincere compliment.
Though its simple design made it look somewhat plain, Soyeon, being a swordsman herself, seemed to notice that it was an exceptional weapon.
The Vigilante had used this sword to cut down many villains, so its performance in battle was certainly proven.
It was a sword too valuable for an archer like me to use.
“Y-You’re really giving this sword to me?”
“Yeah.”
Soyeon’s eyes widened, and she stammered slightly, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“But… it looks really expensive… I don’t think I can accept something like this…”
As a swordsman, she seemed quite tempted by the sword, but she quickly shook her head, resisting the desire.
Though she couldn’t know its exact price, she could tell it was an incredibly valuable weapon.
Even if we were close friends, accepting something this expensive would naturally make her feel burdened.
If it were me, I probably would have refused too… Wait, no, I would have accepted it. If a friend who won the lottery offered to buy me a car, I would have taken it without hesitation.
Wouldn’t most people accept it if someone who had won a huge amount of money offered to buy them something?
So why was Soyeon refusing so adamantly?
“Don’t worry about it. You know I have a lot of money. It’s not exactly pocket change, but it’s close.”
“But…”
Soyeon, that sword is actually stolen.
It’s stolen goods.
“I actually bought it as a birthday present for you.”
“R-Really?”
“Even though there’s still quite some time until your birthday, I’m giving it to you early because there might be another incident like the one that just happened. Think of it as a protective gift.”
Like it or not, the main storyline of Romance Hero Academy had taken several unexpected twists and turns.
It was impossible to predict when, where, or how something might happen.
There might even come a time when Soyeon would have to fight a dangerous villain alone outside the Academy.
This sword, along with the tracking bracelet, would help her handle unexpected situations to some extent.
“Still, just accepting something like this… It feels a bit…”
“Think of it as a kind of bribe. I’m giving it to you so you can save me if I’m ever in danger.”
“……”
“So don’t overthink it. It’s just a sword, after all.”
“…Jinhyuk.”
Suddenly, Soyeon lowered her head.
For some reason, the atmosphere felt off.
While fiddling with the bracelet and the sword I had given her, Soyeon let out a deep sigh.
Then, she slowly began to speak.
Her low, somber voice echoed in my ears.
“…Actually, there’s something I heard.”
“Huh? What did you hear?”
I tilted my head slightly at Soyeon’s hesitant words.
“…I heard you and Yoo Seolhyun talking on the roof of the Academy building.”
She heard me talking with Yoo Seolhyun?
What exactly did she hear?
Th i s w as c o p ie d f ro m k i n g mt l .o r g
“About how you planned to help with the stalker incident, why you were trying to set up Siwoon and me, and…”
Soyeon bit her lip for a moment.
She looked down slightly, hesitating.
After a brief pause, Soyeon took a deep breath and continued.
“…And also that you liked me since we were young.”
T h i s w as c o p i ed f ro m king m t l. o r g
“Huh?”
“…I heard everything.”
Soyeon closed her eyes tightly as she spoke, leaving me momentarily stunned.
T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l . org
‘…She overheard everything I said to Yoo Seolhyun on the rooftop during the stalker incident? About how I had a crush on Soyeon and was trying to set her up with Lee Siwoon to get over her?’
Looking back, I did say some pretty embarrassing things to convince Yoo Seolhyun. I never imagined she’d overhear all of it.
Well, uh. How should I put it? This is kind of embarrassing.
“Jinhyuk, ever since then, there’s been something I’ve wanted to say to you.”
Soyeon slowly lifted her head and looked me straight in the eyes. Her amber eyes trembled slightly.
I could clearly see an unknown guilt and remorse in them.
“S-So…”
Soyeon swallowed nervously, her eyebrows furrowing as she spoke slowly, her expression full of guilt.
“I… I’m really sorry…! I-I didn’t know, and I asked you to do something strange like pretending to be my fake boyfriend…!”
“……”
“I never really thought about how you must have felt taking on that request… I… I’m sorry…”
“……”
“You must have been really struggling… I, I just kept laughing and joking around without knowing anything…”
Th i s w a s c o pied f r o m k i n g mt l .o r g
“……”
As I listened to Soyeon’s apologies, I quietly observed her face.
‘Soyeon, you’re misunderstanding something again.’
She seemed to be mistaken because of the intense performance I gave on the rooftop.
Th i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m ki n gm t l. o r g
She probably feels guilty for asking me to pretend to be her fake boyfriend, thinking it was hard for me because of my feelings for her.
T his w a s c op i ed f rom k i n g m t l . o r g
I suppose it makes sense. She did ask someone who supposedly had a crush on her to pretend to be her boyfriend while she was off laughing and chatting with other guys. It would naturally make her feel guilty.
If she were a more brazen person, she might have thought, ‘Well, it’s not like you refused. I didn’t hold a knife to your throat. You agreed to it, didn’t you?’ But Soyeon was a genuinely kind person.
She was the type to apologize sincerely for something most people would have just brushed off.
‘Is this what she wanted to talk about today?’
Does she feel guilty because she thinks I suffered for a long time because of my feelings for her and the fake relationship?
‘Good grief.’
I smiled wryly to myself.
Soyeon was glancing at me, apologizing earnestly. A mischievous thought crossed my mind, but given the situation, I decided not to tease her.
“So… I don’t think I can accept this sword.”
“Huh?”
“It feels like you’re doing too much for me, Jinhyuk. It doesn’t seem like it’s just out of kindness.”
Soyeon hesitated, trying to return the bracelet and the sword to me. When I didn’t take them and just stared at her, she slowly spoke again.
“Even though we’ve been friends since we were little, this feels like too much… And… it feels like I’m taking advantage of your feelings…”
“Haah.”
I let out a deep sigh.
Ah, so this is why she’s been refusing.
“Soyeon.”
“Yes?”
I thought for a moment about how to explain this.
It was obvious she wouldn’t believe me if I suddenly said, ‘Haha, what I said on the rooftop was just a lie~!’
So I decided to come up with a simple and straightforward explanation to convince her.
Something that would make her stop feeling unnecessary guilt and burden.
She’d probably stop worrying if I said this, right?
“It’s true that I secretly liked you back in the day. You’re pretty, after all. Any guy would naturally be drawn to you.”
“Oh, I-Is that so? Uh, yeah.”
T hi s wa s co p i e d f r o m k i ngm t l. or g
Was she flustered because she suddenly heard that I liked her?
Soyeon stammered, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
She seemed very flustered, unable to make eye contact, her gaze darting around.
She might have suspected that I liked her already, but hearing it directly from me must have embarrassed her.
If it were the usual Soyeon, she might have joked, saying something like, ‘Ah! This body’s popularity!’ But even she wasn’t joking around in this atmosphere.
Thi s w as c o p ie d f rom k i n g m t l .o r g
“So when we were pretending to be in a fake relationship, it was a bit hard for me at times.”
“Yeah… I’m sorry.”
“But it’s not your fault. If anything, it was my fault for not refusing your request.”
As I said, Soyeon wasn’t to blame.
It was my responsibility to accept her request, and besides, I didn’t suffer because I didn’t actually like her romantically.
“Around the time we entered the Academy, I did ask to end the fake relationship because I was a bit exhausted.”
“……”
Soyeon bit her lower lip and showed a troubled expression.
Not wanting to see the guilt on her face any longer, I tried to put her at ease with a gentle smile.
“But now I’m fine.”
I shrugged as if it was all in the past.
“I found someone else I like.”
“…Huh?”
“I don’t like you anymore.”
“…Is that so?”
To lighten the mood, I decided to speak more casually.
“Hoo… But I didn’t expect you to find out. Ah, this is a bit embarrassing.”
I laughed playfully, trying to brush it off, and patted Soyeon’s shoulder lightly.
“It used to be hard watching you hang out with other guys, but I’m okay now.”
“……”
“The truth is, setting you up with Lee Siwoon wasn’t out of lingering feelings, but more like I wanted to confirm my own emotions. Plus, it seemed like Lee Siwoon was interested in you, so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.”
“……”
“It’s all in the past, Soyeon. So you don’t need to feel so guilty. I’m not bothered by it, so you shouldn’t be either. Okay? Let’s not make things awkward over this.”
“…Yeah, okay.”
“As they say, wounds are healed by new love… Ah, what am I even saying? Haha.”
After ending my silly joke, I stood up from the chair.
“Ah, it’s already this late.”
I placed the sword and bracelet firmly in Soyeon’s hands.
“And remember, these are just gifts. So don’t overthink it. I have plenty of money, and I don’t have much to spend it on anyway. Ah, did that sound obnoxious? Anyway.”
“……”
“Well, I should get going now.”
“Ah. Wait, Jinhyuk…”
“Oh, it’s too late. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
Before Soyeon could try to refuse again, I quickly cut her off and hurried out of the room. Soyeon, can’t you just accept the gifts and say thank you?
I need you to help me clear low-level dungeons and monsters during the break so we can level up and farm some artifacts.
“……”
When I glanced back, I noticed that Soyeon seemed slightly restless.
She even looked a bit confused.
***
Inside the room Lee Jinhyuk had just left.
“……”
Jin Soyeon stood silently, staring at the door through which Lee Jinhyuk had just exited. She replayed their conversation in her mind.
She had thought that Lee Jinhyuk must have suffered a lot from the fake relationship.
But contrary to her expectations, he didn’t seem particularly bothered, which was a relief.
He even laughed it off, saying it was all in the past, just a memory now.
It was proof that his feelings for her had become nothing more than a distant memory.
It didn’t seem like he was pretending—he genuinely seemed to feel that way.
And hadn’t Lee Jinhyuk said it himself?
That he didn’t like her anymore.
That he had found someone else he liked.
The fact that Lee Jinhyuk wouldn’t suffer because of her anymore was truly good news.
Lee Jinhyuk should experience a proper relationship with a nice girl at least once.
In that sense, it was great news for both of them that he no longer saw Jin Soyeon as a romantic interest.
Now they could truly just be friends.
She had been worried that their long-standing childhood friendship might crumble, but now she didn’t have to worry about that.
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k in gmt l. o r g
As long as Lee Jinhyuk didn’t see Jin Soyeon as a romantic interest anymore, their friendship would continue.
Yes, yes.
It was really a relief.
It was truly a relief that Jinhyuk had moved on from his feelings for her and liked someone else now…
At that moment.
– I found someone else I like.
Ouch.
T hi s w a s c op i ed fr o m k ing mt l . o r g
– I don’t like you anymore.
Ouch.
“Jinhyuk doesn’t like me anymore…?”
The fleeting thought crossed her mind, and she murmured it out loud.
Then, huh?
That’s strange. Why all of a sudden?
Why… why does it… hurt so much in my chest…?
End of Chapter.
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The MOMENT I saw his internal dialogue of “She would probably stop worrying if I said this, right?” I just KNEW he was gonna say something stupid (which, to be fair, I only think it’s stupid because I know what kind of novel this is)