Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Love (4)

“……”

On a warm summer day, Lee Jinhyuk and Roxanne strolled through the Union Academy campus for a while.

They walked in silence, following the pleasant breeze, until they arrived at a park filled with greenery and beautifully maintained flowers, bathed in a greenish-blue hue.

In the park, couples and cadets were scattered about, enjoying their time.

Lee Jinhyuk and Roxanne silently sat on a bench under a sunshade.

A slight awkwardness hung in the air.

‘…This feels a little awkward.’

Lee Jinhyuk stole a glance at Roxanne’s profile as he thought to himself.

To be honest, he wasn’t close enough to Roxanne to casually chat and laugh with her, so sitting together like this made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

However, unlike Lee Jinhyuk, Roxanne didn’t seem to feel any awkwardness. She just quietly watched the other people in the park.

“Um.”

Suddenly, Roxanne spoke in a quiet voice.

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

Roxanne gently shifted her gaze.
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Her two blue eyes, reminiscent of the ocean, looked directly at Lee Jinhyuk.

“Thanks to you, we were able to stop Seong Yura’s evil deeds. Really, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to capture her on my own.”

Roxanne then bowed her head, sincerely expressing her gratitude.

Her soft pink hair cascaded down as she bowed, revealing her fair face beneath. She really is pretty.

Lee Jinhyuk scratched his chin as he silently looked at Roxanne.

“You don’t need to thank me. Besides, you already thanked me last time.”

Honestly, from Lee Jinhyuk’s perspective, receiving thanks from Roxanne felt a bit uncomfortable, maybe even guilt-inducing.

After all, he hadn’t really cared whether she was being tormented by Seong Yura or not.

In fact, he had been planning to abandon her.

If Jin Soyeon hadn’t been kidnapped, he wouldn’t have bothered to capture Seong Yura. He would’ve just let her be, despite knowing full well that Roxanne would end up in despair.

“I didn’t have the chance to properly thank you before.”

Roxanne lifted her head slightly, meeting his gaze.

Her clear, innocent eyes had a way of pricking his conscience.

Ugh. Please don’t look at me with such pure eyes.

“And I also wanted to repay you.”

“Repay me?”

“Yes. If there’s anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“……”

Repayment… huh.

Considering Roxanne’s personality, she probably wasn’t just saying that.

If it wasn’t something that would harm others, she’d likely do her best to fulfill any request he made.

So, what should I ask for?

Lee Jinhyuk pondered for a moment before letting out a small laugh. A few things crossed his mind, but then he shook his head.

No, instead of focusing on immediate gains, let’s think long-term.

“Then.”

“Yes?”

“How about you treat me to a meal sometime?”

“Huh?”

Roxanne widened her eyes in surprise, tilting her head in confusion.

She had told him to ask for anything he wanted, so she hadn’t expected him to ask for something as simple as a meal.

“A meal?”

“Yeah. That’s good enough.”

“But, isn’t that too… small of a request?”

Roxanne felt that it was too trivial a request, considering the gravity of what had happened.

Ah, she’s reacting just as I expected.

“Then, one more thing.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Let’s be friends. Of course, just as friends.”

Lee Jinhyuk tossed out the suggestion half-jokingly, but he genuinely wanted to become closer to her.

After all, Roxanne was destined to appear as a major antagonist in the Saintess corruption arc.

In other words, she had the potential and abilities to play a significant role in the later stages of the story.

It wasn’t just her abilities either—her background was also impressive.

She was a key figure in the church, which had several special ability users under its banner, all united under divine blessings.

Now that Seong Yura had been captured, Roxanne’s faction would surely begin to regroup.

Moreover, Roxanne had played a major role in Seong Yura’s capture, and she had secured several pieces of evidence from the vault, which held the weaknesses of corrupt clergy members who had allied with Seong Yura.

With Roxanne’s character, she would likely lead the charge in rooting out corruption, and her supporters would undoubtedly grow.

Roxanne had a powerful charm that drew people to her, regardless of gender or age.

If Roxanne became an ally, she would prove immensely useful in the future.

Until now, he had ignored her because of Seong Yura, but that was no longer necessary, right? Sure, it might seem a bit shameless, but who cares?

“Friends… friends…”

Roxanne quietly muttered the word “friends” to herself, as if she were savoring it.

“Friends, huh?”

Her voice was cautious as she shot Lee Jinhyuk a shy glance, as if checking for his reaction. Lee Jinhyuk blinked in confusion.

What kind of reaction is this?

“Why? You don’t want to be friends with me?”

“Oh, no, it’s not that.”
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Roxanne hesitated for a moment, her expression a bit awkward, before smiling shyly.

“…This is my first time having a friend.”

“Really?”

Huh.

Was there a part of Roxanne’s character where she didn’t have any friends?

I’m not sure. I remember most of the important details, but not every nuance. Roxanne wasn’t even a main character.

‘But now that I think about it… it makes sense.’

Roxanne was an orphan and had been bullied by Seong Yura from a young age, so she probably hadn’t had many chances to make friends.

Even at Union Academy, she had been an outcast because of Seong Yura, right?

Geez, this girl has been through a lot.

She must’ve had a hard time being stuck with that psycho. Seong Yura probably couldn’t stand to see Roxanne getting close to anyone else because of her possessiveness.

By the way, what happened to Seong Yura?

She seemed busy with her trial, but there hasn’t been any news lately.

“By the way, how’s life at the academy these days?”
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“It’s much better… Everyone only bullied me because of Seong Yura.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

That’s not entirely true, is it?

Some of the girls bullied you out of jealousy because of how you looked.

The boys didn’t really bother Roxanne, but the girls, oh boy, they were relentless because they couldn’t stand how much attention she got from the boys.

“Well, as long as things worked out.”

“Yes… Thank you for worrying about me.”

Roxanne smiled softly.

Her serene smile made her look like a delicate flower.

Lee Jinhyuk imagined what would come next. Wow, the boys in Class 3 are going to have some fierce competition. They’ve all probably fallen for that smile of hers.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Back when you saved me at Yuksung Mountain, why were you there in the first place?”

“……”

Uh, well.

Lee Jinhyuk scratched his cheek, feeling a bit awkward.

Saying it was a coincidence wouldn’t be believable, and he couldn’t exactly tell her he was there looking for relics.

“I just, uh, had some business there.”

“Business…?”

“Sorry, it’s kind of personal, so I can’t really say.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for asking something strange.”

“It’s fine. I get why you’d be curious.”

Does she find the situation a bit suspicious?

Lee Jinhyuk subtly observed Roxanne’s expression, trying to gauge her thoughts.

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While Lee Jinhyuk and Roxanne were having this conversation…

Not far away, someone was secretly eavesdropping on them. That someone was Jin Soyeon.

Jin Soyeon was partially hidden, sneaking peeks at the two.

It felt a bit pathetic, almost like stalking, and she was starting to feel a bit of self-loathing. But this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

After all, the atmosphere between the two seemed surprisingly good.

Sure, there wasn’t any romantic tension between them, but the words and tone Lee Jinhyuk used were really bothering her.

‘He asked her to get a meal? Said he wanted to be friends?’

Jin Soyeon carefully mulled over what Lee Jinhyuk had said, her reaction turning sour.

‘What’s with those lines? Lee Jinhyuk isn’t the type to say things like that to girls.’
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Lee Jinhyuk had never shown unnecessary interest in girls before. So, what was with that cliché pickup line from the 80s?

Telling a pretty girl he wanted to get closer to her—that’s half a confession, isn’t it?

It might have been an overreaction, but Jin Soyeon had never seen Lee Jinhyuk show this much interest in another girl before, and it was making her feel all kinds of uneasy.

‘Could it be that the girl Jinhyuk likes is actually Roxanne?’

Suddenly, Jin Soyeon couldn’t hide her growing anxiety.

Unconsciously, she began biting her fingernails in a nervous habit.

She had thought she still had plenty of time to make her move on Lee Jinhyuk, but if he was already starting to show interest in the girl he liked, it could be a problem.

Maybe she didn’t have as much time as she thought.

She could lose him to another girl if she hesitated any longer.

There really might not be much time left at all.

‘…But right now, I don’t have any other options.’

“Oh, hey.”

“Ah!”

It seemed she had been caught!

At some point, Roxanne and Lee Jinhyuk’s gazes had turned in her direction.

Jin Soyeon awkwardly looked at them, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Oh no! What do I say?

She let out a small cough to clear her throat and approached them.

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“Soyeon?”

“Ah, uh, yeah! Hi?”

“What brings you here…?”

“I was just walking by and saw the two of you, haha.”

Her excuse was a bit clumsy, but Roxanne just blinked, as if she had accepted it.

She seemed a bit suspicious, but she didn’t press the issue.

“Soyeon, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine now. Back to normal.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Jin Soyeon also sat down on the bench.

“So, what were you two doing here? Were you on a date? I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

“A date? No, nothing like that.”

Lee Jinhyuk gave her a look, as if asking what nonsense she was spouting.
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“Oh, it’s already this late.”

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“Go ahead and head back, Roxanne.”

“Alright. I’ll see you both later then, Jinhyuk, Soyeon.”

Roxanne said goodbye and walked off into the distance.

As Lee Jinhyuk watched her leave, he casually leaned his chin on his hand and murmured,

“Did you… follow me?”

“Huh? No! Of course not!”

Thump.

But she couldn’t just admit the truth, so Jin Soyeon quickly denied it. If she told him she had been following them, he might think she was weird.

…Although, yeah, following him was kind of weird.

“It seemed like you were hiding though. I barely noticed your presence.”

“That’s because you two were sharing some private moment together in the park, so I got curious…”

“Private moment? What are you even talking about?”

“Hey, hey~ No need to be embarrassed. You said you liked someone before, Jinhyuk, and I thought maybe it was Roxanne.”

Jin Soyeon subtly tried to probe him.

What would Lee Jinhyuk say?

He probably wouldn’t tell her directly. He’d try to brush it off like usual, right? Knowing Jinhyuk, I can practically see it coming.

“…Eh. You caught me.”

“Huh?”

What did he just say?

“Yeah, it’s Roxanne.”

“W-Wait, really?”

Jin Soyeon’s eyes widened in shock, unable to hide her astonishment.

Not only had Lee Jinhyuk openly admitted it, but she couldn’t believe he actually liked Roxanne.

“Why… why Roxanne?”

“Well, she’s pretty.”

“…”

I mean, I’m pretty too.

At least as pretty as Roxanne.

Maybe even more.

“And she’s kind.”

“Th-That’s true…”

I don’t think I have a bad personality either.

Honestly, no one’s ever said I have a bad temper. But compared to pious Roxanne, I might come up a bit short…

“…So you like Roxanne, huh? That’s surprising.”

Jin Soyeon had known that Lee Jinhyuk liked someone, but hearing it directly from him was quite a shock.

No, to be honest, it wasn’t just a little shock—it was a huge one.

The fact that his heart was with someone else, not her, caused a wave of emotions to well up inside her.

She didn’t want to imagine him smiling brightly at another girl instead of her.

Her eyes started to sting.

For some reason, she felt sad, upset, and bitter.

“Roxanne… is a good girl… Yeah, a good one.”

She was talented, had money, and her background seemed solid.

And unlike Yoo Seolhyun, Roxanne had a very sweet personality, so she could give her a passing grade as Lee Jinhyuk’s girlfriend.

Though just because she passed didn’t mean she accepted Roxanne.

“But, I was lying.”

“Huh?”

“Liking Roxanne. That was a lie.”

“What…?”

“Did you really believe that? Haha, how could I like someone I’ve only just gotten to know?”

Annoying.

I really thought he was serious. Ugh, seriously!

“So, who do you like?”

“Why are you so interested in my love life?”

“I’m just curious. Why are you hiding it so much?”

“It’s a secret. I’ll tell you once I start dating her.”

“……”

That guy…

Could he actually be hiding the fact that it’s really Roxanne?

Maybe, after casually saying it, he changed his mind and tried to cover it up. That seems entirely possible.
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‘…He’ll only tell me once he starts dating her? I can’t wait that long. No, I won’t wait.’

Lee Jinhyuk’s popularity was skyrocketing.

He had grown closer to girls like Yoo Seolhyun, Roxanne, and Sunari.
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And now he was keeping the identity of the girl he liked a tight secret, as if it was someone I already knew.

After today’s conversation and seeing him with Roxanne, Jin Soyeon made up her mind.

She couldn’t afford to drag things out any longer.

Whether it worked out or not, she had to make her move.

“Jinhyuk, can I visit your house sometime soon?”

“My house? Why all of a sudden?”

“It’s just been a while since I’ve been there. Is that okay?”

“Uh… It’s not a problem.”

“You mentioned your place got a makeover recently, right? I’ve been curious to see it.”

“Sure, why not? I don’t have anything urgent going on today. And it looks like the ranking matches aren’t for a while.”

When Lee Jinhyuk agreed to let her visit, Jin Soyeon clenched her fists in determination.

‘Honestly, I was planning to wait until Jinhyuk started liking me again to confess, but given the situation, there’s no choice.’

She had to confess first and get him to see her in a new light!

Lee Jinhyuk would probably be shocked, but Jin Soyeon couldn’t afford to wait around like a fool. There were too many girls around him—too many pretty girls.

‘A confession, yes, confessing… He’ll probably reject me, and things might get awkward for a while, but it’ll be fine… Just the fact that I confessed will make him think about me more.’

So, go for it, confess!

It might be brazen, but it’s better than sitting back and letting him get stolen away by some girl I don’t know.

‘…And, well, there’s always the slim chance he might accept.’

Though that chance was slim, you never know with these things, right?

End of Chapter.