Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Love (6)
“Uh, uh, um, yeah?”
Jin Soyeon stammered, her eyes wide in shock.
Her heart pounded erratically, unable to calm itself, and she could feel her mouth going dry.
Was this what it felt like for your blood to completely drain away?
Her beautiful golden eyes were filled with confusion, and her mind was adrift, like a refugee boat lost at sea.
‘What… what did Jinhyuk just say?’
Had Lee Jinhyuk already figured out what was in her heart?
Or was this just another one of their trivial, playful jokes like the ones they used to exchange in the past?
But the atmosphere felt different this time.
Far too different.
Jin Soyeon gripped the hem of her skirt tightly and bit her lower lip, her face clouded like a looming storm.
She had no idea how to react, so she hesitated, unsure of what to do or say.
“Uh, um… that is…”
She swallowed dryly and tried to force her stiff face into a smile.
But all that came out was an awkward, unnatural grin, as her facial muscles were too tense to cooperate.
“Wh-what are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“……”
“Are you messing around again? That joke’s really not funny, Jinhyuk, ahaha.”
“……”
“Haha… ha… haa.”
Th is w a s c o p i ed f ro m k i n g mtl . o r g
“……”
Her laughter abruptly died out.
Trying to laugh it off, Jin Soyeon bowed her head slightly and let out a long sigh.
She had tried to brush it off like a silly joke, but it didn’t seem like the right moment for that. She quickly changed her approach.
Jin Soyeon raised her head slightly.
She glanced cautiously in Lee Jinhyuk’s direction, but he just idly shook his beer can and stared at her, expressionless.
His unreadable eyes were fixed on her face, making her so nervous that she clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly.
Maintaining her silence for a moment, Jin Soyeon finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
She couldn’t dodge this anymore, not like it was some kind of joke.
“…I must seem shameless, huh?”
With a bitter smile, Jin Soyeon started speaking quietly, avoiding his gaze.
Her voice was filled with a sense of helplessness, almost as if she had given up.
“I know how selfish it is of me to have these feelings now.”
“Soyeon.”
Jin Soyeon clenched her fist tightly, her hand trembling slightly.
“…I’ve done a lot of terrible things to you, like that fake dating thing.”
She had asked her childhood friend to pretend to be her fake boyfriend just because she was too annoyed to deal with the other boys. That favor was the root of all this.
Her heart ached as she thought about how much distress Lee Jinhyuk must have gone through because of her foolish request.
“I didn’t know… that having these other girls around you would feel like this…”
T h i s w as c o pi e d fr o m k i n g m t l .o rg
Jin Soyeon clutched her chest tightly.
She never imagined that just seeing the person she liked spending time with other girls could cause her heart to crumble into pieces.
It had only been a few weeks since she realized her feelings for Lee Jinhyuk, but every time she saw him laughing and chatting with other girls, her heart ached painfully.
It felt like needles were prickling her, and she couldn’t help but feel jealous, wondering if Lee Jinhyuk might fall for one of them.
Even though she had no right to be jealous.
“I… I made you feel this pain for years… without even realizing it… Now, for me to say this… It’s really shameless, isn’t it?”
Her golden eyes, now moist with unshed tears, looked up at Lee Jinhyuk slowly. The emotions in her eyes were a mix of guilt and sorrow.
“For you… after all this time, after I spent so many years thoughtlessly hanging out with other guys… hearing this from me… must make you feel terrible.”
Even though he had forgiven her, the fact that she had hurt him for years didn’t change.
For someone like her to suddenly confess these feelings was nothing short of pathetic.
But when she thought Lee Jinhyuk had died, Jin Soyeon realized the truth.
Lee Jinhyuk wasn’t just a childhood friend; he was something more.
The fact that they had been together for over ten years wasn’t because of friendship—it was because she had harbored feelings of love all along.
And after experiencing the fear of losing him once, she knew that staying as just childhood friends wouldn’t be enough to keep them together.
That’s why Jin Soyeon had made up her mind.
Th i s w a s co pi e d f r om ki n g m tl . o r g
Even if it was a bit selfish and shameless, she would go all the way.
Living with regrets after losing him—she only needed to experience that once.
“…You know, I think I’ve liked you all along. It took me a long time to realize it, though.”
Jin Soyeon mumbled, her lips trembling slightly as she spoke.
“A-Actually, let me say this clearly. I like you.”
“……”
“I-I like you… Yeah, that’s it.”
“……”
“I was going to tell you later, but… with how things are now, I think I can’t afford to wait.”
“……”
She had received countless confessions herself, but this was her first time confessing to someone else.
She hadn’t realized how nerve-wracking and difficult it would be.
Jin Soyeon glanced cautiously at Lee Jinhyuk.
T h i s w a s c opi e d f ro m kin g m tl . or g
He didn’t say anything. He just stared back at her in silence.
‘So it’s come to this, huh.’
Lee Jinhyuk let out a quiet sigh to himself.
He had expected something like this, but he hadn’t thought Jin Soyeon would go this far.
‘I didn’t think she’d actually confess.’
He had prodded her a bit, mentioning it directly to see how she’d react, but Jin Soyeon hadn’t avoided it. Instead, she faced it head-on and confessed with a serious expression.
If this had been the usual Jin Soyeon, she would’ve laughed it off as a joke.
But today, she was different.
She had chosen to face it directly.
‘I figured she might like me, but…’
It wasn’t just because of her character setting.
Since she had woken up in the hospital, her gaze, words, and attitude toward Lee Jinhyuk had clearly changed.
Whenever Lee Jinhyuk was with other girls, she would nervously glance over at him, and when their eyes met, she would awkwardly smile it off. She had also stopped hanging out with other boys as much.
It was as if she was constantly trying to gauge his reactions.
That behavior was strikingly similar to that of a teenage girl experiencing her first love.
Someone who had just discovered what it meant to like someone, unsure of how to handle her feelings.
That was exactly what Jin Soyeon looked like.
If it hadn’t been Jin Soyeon, he might not have noticed the changes so clearly.
But Lee Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon had been together for over ten years.
Even someone like Lee Jinhyuk couldn’t have missed such a significant change.
Moreover, Lee Jinhyuk had been keeping a close eye on Jin Soyeon, the main character of this world, to watch for any changes, just in case.
So it would have been difficult not to notice.
After all, Jin Soyeon had been acting noticeably different lately.
‘Even just today, her behavior has been so different.’
When she discovered the alcohol earlier, he thought he was screwed.
Knowing her usual personality, he expected her to nag him endlessly. But instead, she had sighed and let it go.
If that had been the only thing, he might have brushed it off, but then she even said she wanted to drink, which made it pretty clear.
At this point, it would’ve been strange if he didn’t get it.
Lee Jinhyuk wasn’t some oblivious idiot character from a subgenre.
Well, he could be a bit dense sometimes, but…
‘This is complicated…’
Lee Jinhyuk was honestly a bit flustered by Jin Soyeon’s confession.
It wasn’t that he disliked her, but it was hard to say that he had romantic feelings for her either.
When they were younger, he probably had some affection for her.
T h is w as c o p i e d f r om k i ngm t l . o r g
But after regaining his past life’s memories, Jin Soyeon felt more like a favorite character or a childhood friend than a romantic interest.
Still, regardless of all that, he had no intention of accepting her confession.
Because from now on, he would be facing off against the Rebellion members head-on. Getting into unnecessary conflict with someone as influential as Lee Siwoon wasn’t a good idea.
When Jin Soyeon was kidnapped, it was Lee Siwoon’s bodyguards who had helped him greatly.
Lee Siwoon’s connections would undoubtedly be useful in dealing with Rebellion, something Lee Jinhyuk had come to realize keenly.
Thi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g m t l .o r g
If he deepened his relationship with Jin Soyeon now, it would likely cause friction with Lee Siwoon.
T hi s w as c o p i e d f r o m ki n g mt l. o rg
Lee Jinhyuk wasn’t in a position where he could afford to be resented by the male protagonist for no reason.
He hoped that Jin Soyeon would get closer to people like Lee Siwoon and Kang Daehan.
‘Though she doesn’t seem to have gotten close to Kang Daehan yet. I thought they’d connect by now.’
Kang Daehan’s character setting was that he had taken a liking to Jin Soyeon when they met as kids, so in the game, they had quickly become friends.
Maybe Kang Daehan still hadn’t realized that Jin Soyeon was the girl he met back then.
Geez, Kang Daehan can be pretty dense too.
“Soyeon.”
“Yeah…”
Breaking the silence, Lee Jinhyuk called her name.
Jin Soyeon responded weakly, her gaze lowered. She instinctively realized what he was about to say.
“I appreciate your feelings, but I’m sorry.”
“…Ah.”
For a moment, Jin Soyeon’s eyes trembled.
But she quickly forced a bitter smile, acting like everything was fine.
This w a s c o p ied f r om k in g mtl . o rg
“Y-Yeah, I figured… It’s okay… I kind of expected this…”
She had expected it.
Thi s w as c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l .or g
She knew Lee Jinhyuk would reject her.
She already knew, so this shouldn’t shock her. Yeah, she had confessed with the expectation of being turned down.
What’s there to be shocked about now?
Just confessing was already the goal.
Whether Lee Jinhyuk liked it or not, he would now be more aware of her.
But still.
It hurt a little, just a little.
Ah, so this is what it feels like to be rejected.
She hadn’t expected much, but hearing it firsthand was a different experience.
Now that she thought about it, Jin Soyeon had always been the one rejecting others.
So this was her first time being rejected. It felt… strange, in a way. Yeah, strange.
Was this how they all felt when she rejected them?
If so, she felt a bit sorry.
She hadn’t expected it to hurt this much…
“You might be mistaking this for the suspension bridge effect. I helped you in a dangerous situation, so you might be confusing that for—”
“It’s not a mistake.”
Jin Soyeon suddenly locked eyes with him and spoke firmly.
“It’s not a mistake, so don’t say that, Jinhyuk.”
“…Okay, I’m sorry.”
“D-Didn’t mean for you to apologize…”
No, he had every reason to apologize. He had insulted her feelings by dismissing them as mere confusion, and that was wrong.
Jin Soyeon, trying to break the heavy atmosphere, forced a faint smile.
“…Ahaha, I probably said something silly because of the alcohol.”
“……”
“All I wanted to say was, um…”
She hesitated briefly, then raised her voice.
“…I just wanted to tell you that I like you. Ah, but was that too much?”
“Soyeon. I told you I already like someone else.”
“Yeah, I know. But hearing it directly does sting a bit. Not that I didn’t deserve it.”
Knowing that the person you liked had feelings for someone else was always painful.
But she hadn’t confessed just to give up.
For Jin Soyeon, today’s confession wasn’t an ending; it was more of a beginning. Yeah, a declaration of war to Lee Jinhyuk.
She had confessed with the expectation of rejection, so she could boldly proclaim her feelings.
“…I don’t know who that person is, but you’re not dating them yet, right?”
So until then, wasn’t there still a chance?
“So until that time comes… is it okay if I keep liking you?”
“It’s only going to hurt you more, so maybe you shouldn’t—”
“Ah, ah. Not listening~.”
Jin Soyeon playfully covered her ears and shook her head.
“You know I’m stubborn, right?”
And so are my feelings for you.
“So I’m just going to like you… Ah, was that a little too shameless? Haha.”
“Jin Soyeon.”
“Don’t get all awkward just because I told you I like you. You said you used to like me too, so don’t ignore me on Monday, okay?”
Jin Soyeon, who had seemingly regained her usual self, quickly blurted out everything she wanted to say and jumped up from her seat.
No, she hadn’t actually returned to her usual self.
She was just pretending.
“It’s getting late, so I think I’ll head home first. See you later, Jinhyuk.”
“Where do you think you’re going after drinking?”
Jin Soyeon, unable to handle staying there any longer, awkwardly laughed and waved her hand.
“I’m already sober~.”
“Hey, Jin Soyeon! Wait!”
Without even looking back, Jin Soyeon quickly walked away.
Lee Jinhyuk could only let out a deep sigh.
‘Even if I tell her, I doubt she’ll give up easily. This might get tricky if Lee Siwoon sees her like this.’
Maybe I should actually date someone else to make her give up?
Th is wa s c opi e d f ro m k i ng mt l .o r g
But Lee Jinhyuk wasn’t scummy enough to start dating another girl just to make Jin Soyeon back off. It was just a passing, frustrated thought.
***
“…Ah, I really got rejected, didn’t I?”
Back at home, Jin Soyeon lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling while hugging a penguin plushie tightly.
“I knew it wouldn’t work… but still… I had a little hope.”
Jin Soyeon stared at the full-length mirror.
A beautiful face stared back, but the girl in the reflection wore an expression of mixed frustration and loneliness.
Drip.
“Ah.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Jin Soyeon was startled by the sudden tear.
“W-Why am I crying? This is silly…”
Crying over something like this… How embarrassing.
It really made her feel like she was dealing with a breakup.
“How pathetic… I’m such an idiot…”
She knew that Lee Jinhyuk’s heart had already moved on.
She knew that he liked someone else.
But clinging to him like this felt so pathetic and embarrassing, yet she still didn’t want to give up.
No, she couldn’t give up.
“…But what if Jinhyuk actually starts dating someone else?”
Lee Jinhyuk dating another girl?
For a moment, a dark thought flitted through her mind.
The thought was so disturbing that Jin Soyeon was startled and quickly shook her head side to side.
W-What am I thinking?
No matter what, I shouldn’t be having thoughts like that.
“…”
Jin Soyeon stared blankly out the window.
The moonlight, as always, scattered its fleeting, mysterious glow across the night.
End of Chapter.s
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