Breaking Up With the Heroine in an Otome Game

3 – Welcome to Union Hero Academy (1)

004.

It was the first day of school at Union Academy.

We moved towards our assigned classes.

Glancing around, I could see numerous students chatting and laughing in the vast corridor.

The atmosphere was filled with the excitement of fresh new students.

“hehehe, we ended up in the same class again, huh?”

While walking down the hallway, Jin Soyeon spoke up with a cheerful voice.

“I’m not sure how many years we’ve been in the same class now~. Ah~ it’s so tiresome~.”

She hummed a little tune through her nose and lightly nudged me in the side.

It seemed she was in a good mood about being in the same class again.

Come to think of it, because of our childhood friends setup, Jin Soyeon and I had been almost consistently assigned to the same class since elementary school.

“But compared to the middle school section, this place is enormous, isn’t it? How much further do we have to walk after even taking the school shuttle bus? I almost got lost during the entrance ceremony, you know?”

“The total area of Union Academy is probably a little bigger than Yeouido.”

“Wow, seriously? No wonder it’s the top hero training facility in the country.”

In the setting, Union is a prestigious academy famous even throughout the world.

There are countless facilities and amenities, such as artificial dungeons, combat training grounds, simulation centers, training facilities, special security rooms, internal artifact research zones, magic societies, medical facilities, a history museum, apartments for faculty members, and dormitories for students.

The number of people constantly living here is equivalent to that of a small city.

“Here’s Class 1-1 for first-years.”

After walking for a few more minutes, we finally arrived at our classroom.

I took a slow, deep breath in my mind.

I was feeling quite overwhelmed in many ways.

1-1, the class assigned to us at Union Academy, was not ordinary.

That’s because Jin Soyeon, the male protagonists, and I were all gathered in this class.

1-1 is the main stage of the Romance Hero Academy, so to speak.

As soon as I opened this classroom door, we would be plunged into the real story.

“Ah, wait a moment.”

“Hm? Why?”

At that moment, Jin So Yeon slightly blushed and hesitated.

“I need to go to the restroom…”

“Suddenly? Are you nervous or something?”

“Well, not exactly nervous… Anyway, you go inside first, Jin Hyuk.”

“But won’t you get lost by going alone? You have a poor sense of direction.”

“That’s not true, okay?”

Jin So Yeon was embarrassed by the comment about her sense of direction, but soon pouted her lips in a displeased way.

What is that, is she trying to act cute?

…Well, it is cute.

“You know, when you were young, you got lost on an errand, and cried until I found you…”

“Ah!”

As I tried to tease her with a black history from her childhood, Jin So Yeon hurriedly cut off my words.

“Anyway! I’ll be right back, so keep our seats, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Jin So Yeon looked at me sharply once and then walked towards the restroom with a confident stride.

I watched her retreating figure for a moment before shifting my gaze. Thanks to So Yeon, I started feeling a bit relieved.

Phew… Well, that’s good.

Let’s go inside.

I swallowed my dry saliva and grasped the doorknob.

As I slowly opened the door, the view inside the classroom unfolded.

A clean interior and a spacious classroom.

The semicircular layout of the classroom centered around the teacher’s desk reminded me of a university lecture hall. It’s the kind of classroom I’ve only seen in video games. The facilities do look good, definitely.

‘Where should I look…’

The classroom was quite noisy.

Numerous children were gathered in groups of three or five and chattering.

Since there were quite a few trainees from the same school, it was quick for them to gather.

Trainees who already knew each other enjoyed lively conversations.

Some of the children still hadn’t lost the awkwardness but shared conversations in an effort to build rapport.

Among them,

There was a particularly noticeable group.

Centered around a male student with a cold, chilly appearance, a group of boys and girls gathered around talking in a circular formation.

I glanced at the face of the male student over there.

Then, I could see a faint bluish tint to his hair and the gaze of his eyes that smoldered with intelligence.

It was reminiscent of an artwork that had been painstakingly sculpted one stroke at a time as a half-serious joke.

His looks were truly nothing but exquisite.

‘It’s Siwoon Lee.’

The heir of the SL Group, Siwoon Lee.

He looked even more handsome up close.

Good-looking, talented, from a great family…

I think I know why his female fans like him so much.

Honestly, I’m a bit envious.

“Siwoon, remember the time we saw each other at the GB Group event? My name is Hanna Kim, and my father…”

“Are you one of the top 10 swordsmen’s disciples? Are you close with Yurin Baek?”

“Congrats on being the top student in the entrance exam, Siwoon. You really are amazing!”

Was it because he was the heir of one of Korea’s leading conglomerates?

Numerous students clung tightly by his side, constantly wagging their tails in servitude.

I sighed in many ways at the sight of these kids passing wind just to get even the smallest bean of favor.

I wonder how old they are to be acting like this.

“Yes, Hanna. How’s your father doing?”

“Ah! Yes! Maybe you can come to our house some…”

Siwoon Lee was calmly responding as if he was already familiar with the kids’ reactions.

When he gave a small nod accompanied by a faint smile, the girls seemed to be elated just by that.

I stared at Siwoon Lee for a brief moment before turning my gaze away.

There was one more important male protagonist in this classroom other than Siwoon Lee.

It was Daehan Kang.

The second male lead.

*Sigh*

“Uhm, Daehan?”

“Huh?”

“So that’s..”

Over there in the farthest seat.

A redheaded Gang Daehan was sitting.

He was dozing off with his legs propped on the desk, head nodding as he leaned his chair back.

The shabbily untied tie and the unbuttoned collar evoked an idler’s image.

“I am… Cha Hwayoung…”

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“Hey!”

When the brown-haired girl next to him continued talking, the waking Daehan responded somewhat irritably.

As for setting his character, Gang Daehan dislikes anyone who interrupts his nap regardless of gender.

“What, what do you want? It’s noisy, so get lost.”

“Ah, um, I-I’m sorry.”

Surprised by Daehan’s scolding, the girl hastily apologized with a cold sweat on her face.

He snorted once and fell asleep again with a snore.

“Stupid. I told you not to talk to Daehan for no reason.”

“Yeah….”

The friend next to her patted Cha Hwayoung, who looked a bit disheartened, as consolation.

“But it’s good to talk to Daehan, hehehe.”

“…You’re really hopeless, Cha Hwayoung. Do you like him that much?”

“Uh, yeah. He’s cool.”

With her cheeks slightly blushing, Cha Hwayoung smiled shyly.

Despite hearing the verbal abuse, she seemed not to care at all.

It’s a reaction I can’t understand at all.

Wow, is that possible?

Is that the life of a handsome guy?

Damn it.

‘Anyway, that Gang Daehan guy… His fiery temper is just like in the game.’

Should I say it’s befitting the bloodline of the hero who represented Korea?

He has a very arrogant, self-centered, and grumpy personality.

Though many female fans hated his seemingly hooligan-like appearance, he was popular in various ways because of his warmth only towards his girl.

Something like being as quiet as a mouse.

“…. Snoring.”

Kang Daehan had fallen asleep without realizing it.

There weren’t many students around him.

They were just sneaky about watching Kang Daehan’s every move.

Their awkwardness was quite noticeable.

‘Well, their family is quite scary.’

The legendary Black Shadow Clan, founded by a heroic figure.

But the founding story of the clan is not so great.

It’s because the beginning of the Black Shadow Clan was by force, integrating and establishing the group with characters not much different from villains.

Although it’s been relatively quiet lately, compared to other clans, an atmosphere of respecting the powerful is strong and somewhat scary.

‘I hope Siwoon Lee and Daehan Kang can have a good relationship with Jinsol Yeon, anyway.’

If they could recruit those two as allies, it would be of great help.

Their talent and abilities are so great that it’s mouth-watering.

And their family background is really strong.

They are both well-known to corporations and representative clans.

In case of emergencies, they can be of great help in many ways.

“Oh? Jinhyuk~ Hi.”

At that moment, a male student approached, tapping on my shoulders.

“It’s amazing. I saw you at the class assignment yesterday, but I can’t believe you passed all the Union exams.”

He stuck close to me, pretending to be friendly.

“You were just average in practical exams, weren’t you?”

This muscular male student with a short sporty haircut was named Kim Yoo-sung.

“But, you know what? The Union is not a place where you can hang in there just because you have good test scores. Jinhyuk must be struggling, huh?”

Unfortunately, he and I had some interaction since we both went to the same middle school.

This guy was a typical hyena-like character.

The type of person who tramples on others who are easy targets to boost his self-esteem and laughs.

It was Kim Yoo-sung’s nature to cling to the strong and belittle others.

‘If I hadn’t broken up with Soyeon, I would have ended up leading the way in bothering me by clinging to Siwoon Lee or Daehan Kang, who later became jealous.’

It was fortunate that I could cut off the superficial romantic relationship from the very beginning of the academy.

“Isn’t that right?”

“Whatever. Let go of my arm.”

I untangled myself from his comradely grasp.

Ugh, why is this guy hanging on to my shoulder in the first place?

“By the way, are you still dating Soyeon?”

“None of your business, is it?”

Kim Yuseong casually mentioned JinsuYeon.

This guy has been paying attention to my relationship with JinsuYeon since before.

How we don’t go well together, he couldn’t understand why we’re dating, he’s envious, and so on.

“You’re quite mean. Honestly, I’m just curious. How long have you and Soyeon…”

“Hey, what now?”

Suddenly.

A familiar voice interrupted from behind.

“Oh, Soyeon, hi.”

“Hi.”

Before I knew it, JinsuYeon, who had finished her business, came close by.

“But why is my name mentioned, Yuseong?”

“Well, just…”

Kim Yuseong hesitated a bit in his answer.

He apparently couldn’t outright ask why we’re dating in front of JinsuYeon.

So I stealthily primed the conversation.

It was a good opportunity.

“He was asking if we’re still dating.”

“What?”

As I calmly answered, JinsuYeon frowned slightly and glared at Kim Yuseong.

“What’s the point of knowing that?”

“Well, I was just curious.”

Kim Yuseong could only respond with an awkward smile to JinsuYeon who stared daggers at him.

“On the first day, you’re so interested in someone else’s love life…”

“We broke up.”

Moment.

“Well, we just decided to stay as friends.”

When I interrupted Jin So-yeon’s words and revealed the fact that we had broken up, Kim Yu-seong blinked his eyes as if surprised.

He seemed to have never imagined that we might have broken up.

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry for asking.”

“Don’t worry about it. We didn’t break up on bad terms.”

I chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well, we were childhood friends and it just felt weird after dating for so long. Right, So-yeon?”

“Ah, yeah. That’s true.”

Jin So-yeon frowned slightly and twirled her hair around her finger.

She seemed somewhat unhappy.

Was it because I revealed our breakup on the first day?

From Jin So-yeon’s perspective, that could make sense.

Pretending to be a couple had been a good defense against annoying guys, but now it wasn’t possible anymore.

“I don’t think it was necessary to reveal it on the first day. It might make others gossip.”

“Still, it’s better to make things clear and move on.”

That’s because, you see.

There was someone who needed to be informed, listening attentively with both ears perked.

That Jin So-yeon and I were no longer in a romantic relationship.

“Isn’t that right?”

“Whatever you say.”

Behind Jin So-yeon, who replied indifferently, there was a young male student staring intently at us from afar.

Surrounded by countless trainees, only the male student’s gaze chased us, Jin So-yeon and me.

It was Lee Si-woon.

“……”

“Si-woon, what’s wrong?”

“……No, it’s nothing.”

“Eh?”

The chattering female student suddenly spoke to Lee Si-woon with a questioning look.

The look on his face as he continued to watch one spot seemed to evoke a curious emotion.

But even after answering, Ishiwoo glanced sideways at this side.

Well, he had no choice but to do so.

It must have been nerve-wracking to know that we had broken up.

‘From the first day, knowing that Soyeon and I had broken up would make it easier for him to approach Soyeon.’

In fact, we attended the same school as Ishiwoo during middle school.

Of course, during middle school, we hardly ever spoke to each other properly, but as someone who knew Ishiwoo’s character, I knew that he harbored a crush on Jin Soyeon from long ago due to a small incident.

He must have hesitated to approach her so far because I was Jin Soyeon’s lover.

But now, isn’t it different?

Right, Ishiwoo?