Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Kang Daehan and the Jealous Villainess (2)

It was now lunchtime.

“Go-good morning~ No, wait, it’s already afternoon!”

Jin Soyeon, who had finally shown up late to the academy, greeted us with an awkward smile, twirling the ends of her hair around her finger.

When I gave her a look that seemed to ask why she was so late, she glanced around nervously and began to explain.

“Ahem. Well, as I mentioned in the text, the animal hospital didn’t open until 10 a.m., so I ended up being a bit late.”

Jin Soyeon cleared her throat a couple of times, sneaking glances at my face.

She was trying hard to make it clear that her tardiness had nothing to do with being embarrassed to face me after her confession the other day.

“Since I was already late, I figured there was no point rushing, so I slacked off a little and now it’s lunchtime. Haha… ha…”

With a strained laugh, she scratched the back of her neck.

Her laughter, which had started off hesitant, soon faltered and died down, like a lost lamb unsure of where to go.

When I glanced at her again, she was avoiding eye contact, clearly feeling awkward.

T h is w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i ngmt l . o rg
“I-I’m serious! I really was late because I had to take the cat to the animal hospital!”

“I believe you.”

“You don’t look like you believe me though…”

“I really do believe you.”

I spoke calmly.
T hi s wa s co p ie d f r om k i ng m tl. o rg

“You wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

“And you have no reason to lie, either.”

“R-right, I wouldn’t lie to you over something like being late.”

“Exactly. It’s not like you’d delay your arrival just because you were too embarrassed to face me after what happened the other day…”

“Ugh.”

Jin Soyeon’s gulp interrupted my words.

I quietly watched her as she nervously averted her gaze.

It seemed like the embarrassment of seeing me after her confession had indeed contributed to her tardiness.
T h i s wa s c o p ie d fr o m k i n g mt l. o r g

‘Hmm… Well, if I think about it, she did confess to her childhood friend of 10 years and got rejected. It makes sense that she’d feel awkward.’

Let’s put myself in her shoes for a moment.

If I had confessed to a girl I’d known for years and gotten flatly rejected, I’d probably feel pretty humiliated seeing her for a while.

I might even find myself reliving the confession every time I tried to sleep, cringing with embarrassment and burying my face in my pillow.

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f rom k i n gm t l . o rg
First confessions tend to stick with you, whether in a good way or a bad way.

And considering she even said something like this when she was drunk:

– I-I… I made you feel this pain for years… and I didn’t even realize it… For me to say this now… It’s really shameless of me, isn’t it…?

– From your perspective, I’ve been hanging out thoughtlessly with other guys all this time… So saying something like this now… You must feel terrible…

– …I just wanted to tell you that I like you. Ah, but… Was that too much?

It was no wonder she was feeling embarrassed.

“……”

“……”

Somehow, our conversation had died down.

An odd tension descended between the two of us.

Ugh, this is awkward. It had been over 10 years since I’d known Jin Soyeon, but this level of awkwardness was rare.

Then again, it’s only natural. It’s not like things can just go back to normal between a girl who confessed and a guy who rejected her, even if they’re childhood friends.

‘Still, I’m worried about what comes next.’

In the game, there was never a situation where Jin Soyeon confessed her feelings like this.

Since *Romance Hero Academy* was a reverse harem game, it was usually the male NPCs who became obsessed with her.

That’s why I was caught off-guard and felt guilty about her expressing her feelings for me so openly.

I couldn’t give her the answer she wanted.

It wasn’t just because I couldn’t see her as a romantic interest or because I didn’t want to fight with the male protagonists. There was another reason I couldn’t give her the response she wanted.

The worst-case scenario was that because of me, Jin Soyeon could break down and never recover.

With how weak I was, the more I got involved with the Rebellion members, the more danger I would be exposed to. I had to constantly be prepared for the worst.

‘Oh, speaking of which, Lee Siwoon has been really quiet lately, hasn’t he?’

It felt like the way he looked at Jin Soyeon and me had changed recently.

It wasn’t just simple jealousy or envy anymore. His gaze seemed more… complicated, maybe even a little bitter.

Ever since I rescued Jin Soyeon after her kidnapping, Lee Siwoon had been watching us with a strange expression.

“Uh, Jinhyuk, it’s lunchtime now. Should we go get something to eat—”

“You finally decided to show up, Soyeon?”

Suddenly, a blonde-haired girl waved lightly at Jin Soyeon, acknowledging her presence.

With graceful steps, the rich girl approached and sat down beside us with a bright smile.

“At least you didn’t get kidnapped again like last time, right?”

Yoo Seolhyun leaned in and whispered quietly, so no one else would hear. Her grin widened while Jin Soyeon’s brows furrowed.

Yoo Seolhyun’s comment seemed to irk Jin Soyeon just a little.

“You’re being awfully sarcastic.”

“Oh, come on, Soyeon. Isn’t that a bit harsh to say to the person who saved your life?”

“I do appreciate the help, but didn’t you only save me because you wanted a reward?”

“Haha, of course not. When a friend’s in danger, you have to help them, don’t you?”

“…Right.”

It was a perfectly antagonistic exchange, just like a heroine and a villainess.

Even though it had been a brief conversation, Jin Soyeon rarely reacted like that to anyone.

Yoo Seolhyun, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy provoking her just for fun.

T h is w as c o pi e d fr om k ingmt l . o rg
“But anyway, what’s with the atmosphere between you two? Did something happen over the weekend?”

“N-nothing happened!”

“Hmm~?”

Hey, hey, Jin Soyeon.

Shouting like that with such a startled expression just makes you look more suspicious.

And don’t blush and start stammering. That’s not helping either.

“I’m just curious what could’ve happened to make things so awkward between you two.”
T h i s wa s c o pi ed f r o m k i n g m t l . o rg

“I told you, nothing happened!”

“You didn’t, by any chance, confess or get confessed to, did you? No, that couldn’t be it.”

“……!”

Yoo Seolhyun’s sudden remark made Jin Soyeon clamp her lips shut.

She was clearly taken aback by the suggestion.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i n gm t l.or g
Sharp observation, Yoo Seolhyun.

As expected from the villainess, her perceptiveness was on point.

Or maybe she was just saying it to mess with Jin Soyeon.

…But judging by Jin Soyeon’s reaction, she probably figured it out.

Jin Soyeon wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions.

“Haha, I’m just kidding.”

“Of-of course you are.”

“After all, you’ve been hanging out with random guys all this time, so it’d be weird to suddenly rekindle any old flames now.”

“You—”

“If you have any decency, I’m sure you wouldn’t even think about getting back together. I mean, if you *do* have any decency.”

Yoo Seolhyun smiled, her lips curling upward as she gave Jin Soyeon a teasing, amused look.

“You wouldn’t be that shameless, would you, Soyeon?”

“At least I’m better than someone who seduced a guy in a relationship and ruined things for him.”

Yoo Seolhyun flinched for a moment.

But then she smiled again, this time with an even more lingering grin.

Uh-oh. These girls are about to fight.

It was about time for me to intervene, so I prepared to step in.

But then—

“Hey, Jin Soyeon.”

Someone else called out to her first.

Jin Soyeon, who had been locked in her verbal sparring match with Yoo Seolhyun, turned her head toward the source of the voice.
T hi s w a s c o pi ed f r om k i n g m t l . o r g

Standing there was none other than Kang Daehan, with his striking red hair.

“Thanks for this.”

He casually tossed a small bottle of ointment.

Jin Soyeon instinctively reached out and caught it.

“I’m off.”

With a casual wave, Kang Daehan left the classroom.

I blinked, confused.

Ointment? What ointment?

“What’s with the ointment?”

“Huh? Oh, I ran into Daehan this morning. He had some injuries, so I gave him some ointment and band-aids.”

“…Band-aids?”

“Yeah, why?”

“…Are they the same penguin-patterned band-aids you’ve been using since you were a kid?”

“Uh, yeah.”

When I asked with a serious expression, Jin Soyeon nodded, looking a little flustered.

Penguin-patterned band-aids, huh…

I stared thoughtfully at the door where Kang Daehan had just left. Could it be that the two of them were already connected somehow?

‘If that’s the case, I’d better start preparing. That jealous girl might become a real pain.’

***
T hi s w a s c o p i ed f r om k i ng mt l . o rg

“Daehan~.”

“…….”

“Daehan?”

“……What?”

The girl who had followed him all the way to his lunch spot, chatting non-stop, was Joo Jiyeon.

The young lady of the OhSung Group, she had fallen head over heels for Kang Daehan.

Even though they were in different classes, she constantly trailed behind him, which Kang Daehan found rather tiresome.

Sure, she was pretty, but she wasn’t his type at all.

Kang Daehan just continued eating his lunch, barely listening to what she was saying.

But then—

“Huh? What’s this?”

“Hey?”

Joo Jiyeon had noticed something sticking out of the front pocket of Kang Daehan’s shirt.

She casually pulled out a small band-aid.

It was the penguin-patterned band-aid, all cutesy and adorable.

“What’s this? Why do you have such a cute band-aid…?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

“Huh?”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my stuff?”

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Kang Daehan clicked his tongue and snatched the band-aid back from her. Joo Jiyeon flinched, her shoulders trembling. She realized she had messed up, and Kang Daehan seemed genuinely pissed.

“Don’t talk to me today. I’m not in the mood.”

“O-okay… I’m sorry, Daehan, don’t be mad…”

“Tsk.”

Kang Daehan stood up, carrying his tray, clearly having lost his appetite.

Joo Jiyeon could only glance at him nervously.

She hadn’t expected him to get this angry over a band-aid. Normally, Kang Daehan wasn’t the type to get so worked up.

But where had that band-aid come from?

“There’s no way Kang Daehan would buy a penguin band-aid.”

No way.
Thi s w a s c op i e d f r om k i n g m t l . o r g

“Did he get it from a girl?”

End of Chapter.