Breaking Up With the Heroine in an Otome Game

53 – Midterm Exam (5)

“…Is it true that Jinhyuk’s team is in first place?”

Jin Soyeon blinked her eyes rapidly as she quietly stared at the rankings. The sense of astonishment couldn’t easily subside.

Because she couldn’t even imagine that Jinhyuk’s team would achieve such a high score.

Dungeon clearance time: 25 minutes and 15 seconds.

More than twice as fast as Jin Soyeon’s team.

If Jin Soyeon were to take the test again, could she reduce the time more than Jinhyuk’s team?

Quietly pondering, Jin Soyeon shook her head from side to side.

No, it would be impossible.

“Even if I were on a team with someone like Seonari or Lee Junghoon, it would still be too fast.”

Seonari and Lee Junghoon were powerful anomaly users.

They were quite famous since middle school.

Grown with full clan support, these individuals were not exaggerating when they were referred to as the heroes who would take responsibility for the next generation.

Seonari ranked 17th, Lee Junghoon 29th.

Both were in the top tier at the Union Academy.

However.

“Considering our capabilities, our team is not to be underestimated either.”

Jin Soyeon’s team had considerable strength.

With rankings of 19th and 46th, it was substantial.

Yet, despite this, the difference was evident…

“…It must be thanks to Jinhyuk after all.”

Jinhyuk’s command and tactical abilities were quite commendable.

In places like dungeon strategy, Jinhyuk’s abilities would shine even more.

Well… even so, I didn’t expect to be in first place.

Anyway, not bad at all, Jinhyuk.

“You managed to clear it much faster than Siwoon and Daehan did.”

Of course, the dungeon exams were not over yet.

There were many trainees waiting to take the test.

But would there be a team that could clear the dungeon in 25 minutes?

Even Siwoon and Kang Daehan took 37 minutes, after all.

“Ah, they’re coming over there.”

“Yeah.”

Yoo Seol-hyun glanced briefly and gestured towards a distant place.

Several children were gathered in a circle, chattering excitedly. Familiar faces of boys and girls could be seen in the crowd.

It was Lee Jin-hyuk and Seo Na-ri.

“Wow! Na-ri, what’s up? 25 minutes? What happened?”

“Our Na-ri is quite something, huh?”

“Do you know your team is in first place right now?”

“Oh, is it thanks to Lee Jin-hyuk? Even if Seo Na-ri was there, it’s too fast.”

“Why did Yoo Seol-hyun bring you along for dungeon conquest during the exam? Now I see, there must be something.”

“Talent-loaded Lee Si-woon! Amazing! I believed in you! Lee Jin-hyuk, you’re the hero of our class!”

“What is this guy saying?”

The children, surprised by the unexpected results, clung to Lee Jin-hyuk and Seo Na-ri, making a fuss.

Soon, Seo Na-ri raised her eyebrows and raised her voice amidst the crowd.

“Ugh, kids? Can you move aside and let us through?”

Na-ri grumbled as she easily stepped out of the crowd. Lee Jin-hyuk could follow her effortlessly.

“Phew. Anyway, it’s just making a fuss. It’s just the end of one test.”

“Hello, Na-ri. You did pretty well on this exam, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah? hehehehe. It was just luck.”

Approaching, Yoo Seol-hyun spoke, and Seo Na-ri briefly widened her eyes, scratching the back of her neck as if embarrassed.

She seemed quite pleased with Yoo Seol-hyun’s praise.

“It seems like someone worked hard rather than just luck.”

Shifting her gaze to Lee Jin-hyuk, who was standing plumply beside her, Yoo Seol-hyun smiled.

“Isn’t that right, Jin-hyuk?”

“Yeah.”

As if understanding everything with a glance, Lee Jin-hyuk shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile.

“There were a lot of monsters I studied coming out. Maybe it was luck, following what Na-ri said?”

“Well, okay. If you say so, it must be.”

Since Yoo Seol-hyun mistakenly believed Lee Jin-hyuk had precognitive abilities, she simply nodded and smiled without saying anything more.

If he had used precognition, conquering a dungeon like this would have been easier than a piece of cake.

The conditions for using abilities were strict, and apart from not being able to freely see the future he desired, he could truly be considered a talented individual.

Moreover, wasn’t Lee Jinhyuk capable of even using the Sword Qi?

Though it was suspicious how he concealed his strength, entering the academy almost at the bottom, Yoo Seolhyun couldn’t help but anticipate that his true capabilities might be revealed a bit more in this midterm exam.

Thinking about the power displayed by the Sword Qi in the dungeon, he might be stronger than Lee Siwoon. Huh. So, it’s even more anticipated?

Stronger than Lee Siwoon, huh…

Honestly, it was hard to imagine.

Within the Union Academy, where numerous geniuses gathered, there were only a few who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Lee Siwoon.

Smart, skilled, and possessing extraordinary abilities?

It was a bit amusing that Yoo Seolhyun, a talented and wealthy girl, was thinking this way. But Jinhyuk seemed a bit unfair, like he was breaking the rules.

“If Lee Jinhyuk were born into a good family, he might have become even more famous than Lee Siwoon.”

Come to think of it, the image of Jinhyuk wielding the sword to rescue Seolhyun in the dungeon still hadn’t faded.

It was a truly critical moment, so it remained vivid and distinct in her memory.

To be honest, it was quite a cool scene.

If she were an ordinary girl, she might have developed a bit of a liking for him?

Well, Seolhyun wasn’t an ordinary girl, though.

“Ah, Jinhyuk. Congratulations on being first.”

“What first? The exam isn’t over yet. There are still many waiting to enter the dungeon, and this is just the first test.”

“Still, it’s worth congratulating. Honestly, I didn’t know you’d do so well in the exam.”

Jin Soyeon congratulated her childhood friend with a cool voice.

Honestly, she had been a bit worried that Jinhyuk wouldn’t perform well in the exam. After all, Jinhyuk had entered the Union Academy almost at the bottom. She thought he might not adapt well to the Union and might fail the exam…

“It worked out well. If it’s at this level, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

Looking back, didn’t he also receive good scores in performance evaluations and written exams?

Even better than Jin Soyeon.

“Maybe he’s adapting to the Union even better than I am.”

Suddenly, the words she used to comfort Jinhyuk in the past flashed through her mind.

– Are you worried about academy life?

– Well, our Jinhyuk barely passed, so it’s understandable to worry~

– Ah~ It can’t be helped. Don’t worry too much; I’ll take care of you. You know I’m ranked 257th, right?

Ugh, embarrassing.

Is Jinhuk going to catch up with his grades at this rate?

If so, Jinhuk is going to be teased for a long time. Ah, why am I even saying such things?

“By the way, back in middle school, I subtly helped a lot with practical evaluations. But now, is there even a need for that?”

At that time, Lee Jinhuk was very, very weak in practical evaluations.

So, Jinsuyeon helped him whenever there was time.

Training together, exercising, devising strategies and executing them, and so on.

But now…

“Frankly, Jinhuk and I don’t really get along these days.”

Until middle school, the two of us trained together and hung out, but at some point, Lee Jinhuk wasn’t around.

If you glance around, you can realize that while he always used to be by my side, Lee Jinhuk is now laughing and chatting with someone else.

In the past, it wasn’t like this…

Jinhuk used to look at me more than other guys, but now he’s just close with someone like Yuseolhyun.

Did Lee Jinhuk ever get along with another girl like this before?

No, according to Jinsuyeon’s memory, he didn’t.

Lee Jinhuk didn’t have any interest in other girls, and he was just a fake boyfriend for Jinsuyeon.

But not now.

Lee Jinhuk and the fake relationship are nothing more than childhood friends.

“…”

Jinsuyeon unintentionally looked toward Lee Jinhuk.

He was currently chatting with Yuseolhyun and Sunari, exchanging jokes with a bitter smile that seemed to say he didn’t mind.

Looking at him, Jinsuyeon felt a subtle emotion, something that couldn’t be precisely expressed.

Should she call it a mix of relief and frustration, or maybe a bit of suffocation?

In any case, Jinhuk might be tired of the fake dating game with the girl he liked for a long time and might want to build a good relationship with another girl.

Jinsuyeon personally felt a lot of guilt and regret towards Lee Jinhuk, and she wanted to apologize regarding that.

But why does Jinsuyeon feel these emotions now, seeing Lee Jinhuk with another girl?

Even she didn’t understand it well.

She furrowed her brows for a moment and shook her head.

What is this emotion, this feeling? What is it exactly?

Is it a kind of refreshing but somewhat frustrating feeling?

No, it’s somewhat different from that, more like an unpleasant feeling. A more negative emotion. How should I describe this emotion…

Well, it’s a bit…

“Soyeon? What are you daydreaming about?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, it’s not like you’re tired already from just taking one test, is it?”

“I was just thinking about the next exam…”

“Is the next exam a hostage rescue mission?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s definitely worth considering. There are many things to think about when taking a team exam.”

Jinhyuk nodded as if he understood.

“Anyway, we probably won’t have a hostage rescue test today, but… can you give me some tips that might be helpful?”

“…No. It’s okay. I’ll try it alone this time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

For some reason, she didn’t want Jinhyuk’s help this time. She felt like she shouldn’t accept Jinhyuk’s help. She didn’t know why.

“What’s up? How did their team clear it so quickly? Did they use some trick or something?”

“…”

“Don’t worry too much, Siwoon. They were just lucky.”

“…”

“Hey, Siwoon?”

“…”

In the midst of the crowd, Siwoon gazed at Jinsuyeon and Jinhyuk with a calm expression.

Siwoon fixed her gaze on the two and replayed in her mind what had happened not long ago.

A few days before the midterm exams.

Jinsuyeon called Siwoon separately.

Jinsuyeon, with a serious expression, apologized to Siwoon, saying that if Siwoon had any special feelings for her, she was truly sorry. Perhaps she had sensed what kind of emotions Siwoon had harbored when Siwoon apprehended Choi Changwon.

Siwoon stared at Jinsuyeon silently for a moment and then, unexpectedly, denied her words and thoughts while asking one question.

“Do you have someone you like right now?”

From Noble mtl dot com

Upon hearing that, Jinsuyeon seemed slightly surprised, but soon smiled and said that she doesn’t have anyone she likes romantically and that she currently has no interest in things like dating.

However, Lee Siwoon knows.

When Siwoon and Jin Soyeon converse at the academy, she unconsciously scans her surroundings, chasing someone with her eyes.

When talking about that person, she reveals a beautiful smile and a bright expression not usually seen.

Jin Soyeon, as if focusing on only one person, shows a surprisingly vulnerable side.

…Lee Siwoon knew everything.

“I heard you broke up because it didn’t feel like a romantic relationship.”

It was not just a gaze directed at an ex-boyfriend and childhood friend; there was a mixture of various emotions in her eyes that made it feel anything but ordinary. Siwoon had to moisten her lower lip slightly in response.

The gaze with which Jin Soyeon looked at Lee Jinhyuk.

As Lee Siwoon, it was unforgettable.

No, it couldn’t be forgotten.

“Lee Jinhyuk, Lee Jinhyuk….”

Unconsciously, her fists clenched tightly, but it took Siwoon a while to realize it.