Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Love (1)

‘Ah.’

Jin Soyeon drifted gently through the flow of consciousness.

Beyond the scattered fragments of memory, she slowly reached out her hand.
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When she cautiously retraced her very first memories, it always led back to her childhood.

Was it when she was attending kindergarten?

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Back then, Jin Soyeon didn’t smile as much as she did now, nor was she particularly altruistic.

Her gaze was always sharp, her expression cold, and she was quick to push away any kids who tried to approach her.

She resembled a hedgehog, bristling with sharp quills.

Like a hedgehog trying to defend itself.
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‘The old days…’

Jin Soyeon had grown up in a single-parent household.

Her mother had raised Jin Soyeon alone at a young age, without a father.

However, her mother was always busy with work on weekdays, returning home late at night, and often spent weekends napping, exhausted.

It was an environment where it was difficult for a child to receive much attention or love, unlike in an ordinary family.

Moreover, the fact that she came from a single-parent household became a significant weakness.

To the kids in kindergarten, Jin Soyeon was nothing more than easy prey. Because children, while innocent, could also be infinitely cruel.

They instinctively realized that Jin Soyeon was someone who couldn’t be properly protected by adults.

The boys would poke and tease her for no reason.

It was the childish behavior of boys who didn’t know how to express their embarrassed feelings toward a beautiful girl they had never seen before, so they resorted to teasing.

The girls, on the other hand, were busy ostracizing Jin Soyeon out of jealousy for her appearance.

Seeing boys they secretly liked showing interest in Jin Soyeon annoyed them greatly.

Moreover, Jin Soyeon often rejected the advances of handsome boys without hesitation, which made her even more disliked by the girls.

All they thought was that she was showing off or acting too full of herself.

‘It must have been really tough.’

The kids all bothered Jin Soyeon for various reasons.

Whether mixed with kindness or malice, in the end, bullying was still bullying.

As a result, Jin Soyeon naturally developed an aversion to interacting with other kids.

Although she hadn’t always been cold from the start, the bullying she experienced deeply affected her behavior and attitude.

At first, she was simply a quiet, aloof, and pretty girl, but over time, she became increasingly harsh and distant.

With all the hard feelings she harbored toward the kids, she often lashed out more aggressively than necessary, and at times, she even ended up fighting with them when she couldn’t hold back her anger.

As a result, Jin Soyeon became isolated in kindergarten.

Being ostracized at school and half-neglected at home, her mindset and behavior gradually solidified in a negative direction.

Environment played a significant role in shaping a child’s disposition and personality.

In Jin Soyeon’s little world, where only negative experiences piled up, it was only natural that she would veer toward a bad path.

It wasn’t that her mother didn’t care, but her job kept her too busy to pay close attention to Jin Soyeon’s needs.

Jin Soyeon, in turn, never told her mother about the things that happened in kindergarten, and the kindergarten staff were more focused on keeping things quiet rather than making a big deal out of it.

The other children weren’t overtly bullying Jin Soyeon either, so the teachers often thought, ‘It’s just a little spat between kids,’ and let it go.

In truth, they had learned through experience that helping a child without a father often didn’t bring much reward.

Thus, the vicious cycle continued.

Jin Soyeon’s heart was slowly being consumed by malice.

She could instinctively feel the bitter, dark emotions quietly taking root deep inside.

Absorbed in that malice, one day…

A boy transferred into her kindergarten.

His name was Lee Jinhyuk, and it didn’t take long for him to blend in with the other kids.

His friendly and altruistic nature made him quite popular among the children.

Unlike Jin Soyeon.

‘The first time I met Jinhyuk… well, he was a bit, you know.’

At that time, Jin Soyeon didn’t like Lee Jinhyuk very much.

His ever-smiling face and attempts to act chummy with her were annoying.

No matter how many times she made it clear she wasn’t interested, he never stopped smiling and kept trying to help her in his own way, which was infuriating.

Normally, people would get angry or give up after a while, but Lee Jinhyuk never learned how to quit.

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Even after being cursed at, he would just shrug it off and continue to offer his help whenever she needed it.

When she lost her indoor shoes because of the girls’ pranks, he helped her find them. When she forgot to bring her supplies, he shared his. When other kids teased her, he rushed over and scolded them on her behalf.

Lee Jinhyuk didn’t just help Jin Soyeon; he even worked on improving her relationships with the other kids.

He sought out the ones who bullied her and earnestly persuaded them to make things right.

Moreover, he continuously tried to get Jin Soyeon to blend in with the others.

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Just by having this one boy enter her small world, many things slowly began to change.

Kindergarten, which had been a miserable and difficult place, became much more enjoyable with the boy around, and the dark, lonely house she returned to was brightened whenever the boy came to visit her.

Isn’t it amazing how just being with someone else could make such a dark world seem bright?

Lee Jinhyuk, calling themselves “neighbor friends,” invited her to his home, where she experienced the warmth of an ordinary family.

His mother and father treated Jin Soyeon like their own child, showering her with the love and attention she hadn’t received from her own mother.

From Lee Jinhyuk, she learned how to form bonds with others. That even if you fight sometimes, you must make up in the end. She learned how to play, laugh, and joke with friends. She learned how to smile warmly instead of frowning. She learned that helping those in need was a good thing.

Jin Soyeon grew up watching Lee Jinhyuk’s every move from a young age.

To a little chick who hadn’t learned much from her overworked mother, Lee Jinhyuk became a guide, a role model.

At the same time, he was her standard for distinguishing right from wrong, for determining what was good and what was evil, for knowing what should and shouldn’t be done.

Lee Jinhyuk became a point of reference, firmly rooted in Jin Soyeon’s heart.

Suddenly, Jin Soyeon thought:

‘I want to be like Jinhyuk.’

And so, Jin Soyeon began to imitate him.

When he helped others, Jin Soyeon helped too.

When he dreamed of becoming a hero, Jin Soyeon dreamed of becoming a hero as well.

When he set his sights on Union Academy, Jin Soyeon did the same.

Lee Jinhyuk was her family, her friend, and her role model. She wanted to look at the same things he did, walk the same path he did.

She wanted to be someone who could always smile and get along with others, someone who could offer help when it was needed.

Just like he had done for her.

She wanted to live the life of a hero alongside Lee Jinhyuk, helping others together.

But when she thought Lee Jinhyuk had died…

Jin Soyeon realized.

The sense of loss that she would never see him again, the fear of seeing him collapse, bleeding, the guilt that he had come to rescue her and ended up dying—these things forced her to realize something.

The feelings she had for him weren’t just admiration, affection, or gratitude.

The desire to be like him, the wish to walk side by side with him, to be together with him—these emotions were far too big to be confined under the label of “childhood friend.”

Her affection and fondness for him weren’t just those of a childhood friend.

At that moment, Jin Soyeon felt as if her world had collapsed.

Everything she had built up until then crumbled into an unrecognizable mess.

The thought that she could no longer talk to Lee Jinhyuk, laugh with him, or share silly jokes made her heart burn black with despair.

She had never imagined a life without him by her side.

Lee Jinhyuk had always been there.

It was only natural, and it had to be that way.

But now Jinhyuk was dead?

She would never talk to him again?

He wasn’t by her side anymore?

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Those thoughts spun chaotically in her mind, making it hard to even breathe.

Her heart pounded wildly, her arms and legs trembled uncontrollably, and it was difficult just to stand.

Her mind grew hazy from the overwhelming sense of loss and guilt, and she felt as though she might vomit.

It was only when she lost him that she fully realized.

Lee Jinhyuk wasn’t just someone who should always be by her side—he was far more important to her than she had thought.
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More than family, more than a friend, more than a role model, she harbored feelings for him that went beyond all that.

He was someone she absolutely couldn’t lose.

Jin Soyeon had come to a clear realization.

Lee Jinhyuk was her family, her friend, her mentor, and also the person she loved.

Lee Jinhyuk was half of her life, the partner she was meant to walk alongside in the future.

‘Ah, I…’

The feelings she had hidden deep inside her heart.

The emotions she had dismissed as mere admiration.

They weren’t just admiration.

They were far too precious to be called affection, too heartbreakingly sweet to be called mere fondness.

Jin Soyeon had tried to conceal these feelings under the guise of friendship for a long time, but now she would no longer hide them.

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She would acknowledge the true nature of her feelings for Lee Jinhyuk, which she had harbored for so long.

She didn’t want to have regrets anymore.

She didn’t want to lose him.

She wanted to be with him.

And so, Jin Soyeon decided to be honest with herself about the feelings she had been tiptoeing around.

She liked Jinhyuk.

No, she loved him.

‘…I miss you.’

At that moment, as she thought this.

Finally, Jin Soyeon was able to open her eyes.

And beyond the lingering remnants of her consciousness, she could see Lee Jinhyuk once again.

***

“Huh?”

“…Jin, Jinhyuk?”

“S-Soyeon! You’re awake?!”

As her heavy eyelids lifted, through her blurred vision, she saw Jinhyuk’s face.

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“…Jinhyuk, where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital! Do you even know how long you’ve been unconscious?”

Lee Jinhyuk’s voice was filled with surprise as he made a fuss.

“Hold on, hold on a sec. I’ll go get the doctor and nurse.”

She watched him press the call button in a hurry.

Seeing Jinhyuk’s face again after so long made a strange warmth rise on her cheeks.

Thump!

‘Huh? What’s…?’

Thump, thump!

‘What… what’s going on? Why am I feeling this way?’

Why was her heart pounding like this?!

Why was she trembling so much? What was this? Did something break?

Realizing that she liked—no, loved him—her foolish heart trembled uncontrollably, unable to calm down.

Having never vividly felt the emotion of love before, Jin Soyeon couldn’t adjust to it. She found herself awkwardly fidgeting, cursing her helpless heart.

“Soyeon? Are you okay? Do you feel any pain?”

“N-no, I’m… I’m fine!”

How embarrassing! I bit my tongue!
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Jin Soyeon, you idiot! What’s wrong with you?

It’s Jinhyuk! It’s just Jinhyuk! …Don’t make such a big deal out of it. Act normal, calm down, calm down.

But wait, haven’t I been asleep for a while?

What if my face looks terrible?

Is there a mirror around here?

…No, no! Wait!

Why am I even thinking about that?!

Just act normal, like usual!

“I called the doctor and nurse, so just hang on a little longer, okay?”

“Mm, okay…”

Her face flushed a little just by looking at him, and Jin Soyeon swallowed nervously, turning her head slightly away.

“If only you’d woken up a little earlier, you could’ve seen Yoo Seolhyun too. It’s a shame.”

“…Yoo Seolhyun?”

In an instant.

The heart that had been pounding with joy suddenly tightened.

End of Chapter.