Choi Seo-yoon, carrying her meal tray, sat beside me, exuding a faint, pleasant fragrance.
As she took her seat, the surrounding students’ gazes converged on us. Some whispered among themselves, while others blushed with excitement.
Lee Seo-jun and Seo-yoon.
The two most popular and attractive individuals in the school were sitting together. It was only natural that such a scene would draw attention.
Caught between them, I couldn’t help but wonder—how did I appear in their eyes?
I’d rather not think about it. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good.
“Hello.”
She looked at me and greeted me warmly, her eyes forming an friendly crescent shape.
That smile made me feel the same discomfort as before.
It was like knowing someone was acting with a hidden agenda yet choosing to play along.
Still, putting aside the pretense, her smile itself was undeniably beautiful.
“Ah, hi.”
“We’ve met before, right? With Seung-ah.”
“Yeah, I remember. Wasn’t that two days ago?”
“Yes, exactly. We bumped into each other in the hallway. Your reaction back then was memorable.”
My reaction? Did I do something unusual?
“I didn’t expect you to be close enough with Seo-jun to eat lunch together.”
Choi Seo-yoon glanced subtly at Lee Seo-jun as she murmured.
Right, she likes Lee Seo-jun.
“We’re not that close, actually.”
At my words, Seo-jun laughed.
“That’s not true. We’re close.”
“Really?”
[Choi Seo-Yoon’s interest in you has increased.]
[Choi Seo-Yoon’s interest level in you has risen.]
[Choi Seo-Yoon’s interest level: Lv. 1]
[You have received 2,000 points as a reward.]
…What was that?
Interest level? The same thing that appeared for Lee Seo-jun popped up for Choi Seo-yoon.
Was it just because I was close to Seo-jun?
“When did you two become close?”
“About two days ago?”
“Two days… I see.”
She nodded thoughtfully as if pondering something.
“So, how did you two get close?”
Choi Seo-yoon asked Seo-jun, seemingly needing a plausible reason to accept the situation.
“We were teamed up for the Dungeon Exploration class.”
“Oh, Dungeon Exploration…”
Seo-yoon glanced at me briefly.
“Ah, that…”
She trailed off, seemingly hesitating over something.
What’s she trying to say?
“Kim Shinwook-sunbae?”
I heard Seojun stifling a laugh.
Choi Seo-Yoon, looking slightly flustered, quickly corrected herself.
“Kim Shinwoo-sunbae!”
“…Kim Sun-woo.”
“Oh.”
Seo-yoon bowed her head apologetically.
“Sorry. I’m not bad at remembering things; I just got mixed up. I remembered your face clearly, though.”
“…It’s fine.”
“You’re not mad, are you?”
“No, don’t worry about it.”
“…You seem upset.”
I wasn’t upset, but hearing that was almost enough to make me annoyed.
When I turned to look at her, she lowered her head again, her bright brown hair cascading forward.
“But why?”
“No, I just thought you might be upset about something.”
Upset? Not really.
“Not really, no.”
“Really? You’ve had a serious expression, so I was wondering.”
“It’s nothing.”
At my words, she smiled and nodded.
“Oh, by the way, about the Dungeon Exploration—you mentioned it was team-based. Did the school assign the teams?”
“No, we picked them ourselves.”
At Seo-jun’s response, she tilted her head.
“Then did Sunbae suggest forming the team?”
“No, Sun-woo did.”
Seo-yoon glanced at me again.
She seemed to have an idea of what was going on but couldn’t bring herself to say it outright.
So I spoke up first.
“First-years like me might not know this, but the school has a bonus point system.”
“A bonus point system?”
“If someone with a high rank and someone with a low rank form a team, the higher-ranked student earns bonus points.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.”
Seo-yoon glanced back and forth between Seo-jun and me, finally nodding as if the situation made sense now.
After lunch, we stepped outside.
It was 1:30 PM, leaving 30 minutes before the afternoon Dungeon Exploration session began.
Choi Seo-yoon was still chatting energetically with Seo-jun.
“Wow, so you solved that in just one minute?”
Her eyes flicked to me, filled with astonishment.
“I can’t believe it… Is that even possible?”
“I get it. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself.”
“Then doesn’t that mean you have incredible talent in support magic? That’s practically legendary. Support magic is so difficult—it’s amazing!”
…Legendary, my foot.
The idea of these genuinely talented people calling the lowest-ranked student a prodigy was absurd.
“Sunbae, you’re in the Manifestation Department, right? Why not switch to the Support Department?”
This was the second time someone suggested this.
But my quick resolution of that barrier wasn’t due to any particular talent—it was entirely thanks to my trait.
As proof, I’m good at interpreting magic formulas but utterly incapable of creating them.
“I’m not talented in support magic. Manifestation is the right place for me.”
“You don’t seem untalented in support magic to me.”
Seo-yoon’s remark was met with Seo-jun interjecting.
“Let it go. Even when Teacher Jang Ancheol suggested he switch, he insisted Manifestation suited him.”
“…Such a shame.”
Seo-yoon muttered to herself with a note of regret.
Of course, I could understand where they were coming from.
They didn’t know I had a unique trait and simply assumed I was squandering exceptional talent.
“Oh, what time is it?”
Suddenly remembering something, Seo-yoon checked her student planner.
“1:33… I should get going. I need to prepare for class.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Yes, take care, seniors!”
Choi Seo-yoon bowed politely to both Lee Seo-jun and me before walking off somewhere. Watching her retreating figure, I noticed her suddenly pause mid-step.
Turning back, she approached us again. I assumed she had something left to say to Lee Seo-jun, but unexpectedly, she stopped right in front of me.
With her trademark artificial smile, she spoke to me.
“Senior, can I reach out to you later via the student notebook for something I’d like to ask?”
1:50 PM
Ten minutes before the next class, the classroom of first-year Class A was buzzing with chatter.
The door opened, and in walked a girl with light brown hair. As soon as she entered, every student’s attention turned to her. The male students, in particular, wore expressions of eager anticipation.
“Hey, Seo-yoon’s here.”
“Seo-yoon, is it true you had lunch with Lee Seo-jun?”
“Seriously? Did you really eat with him, Seo-yoon?”
As soon as Choi Seo-yoon appeared, the students bombarded her with questions. While it could have been an annoying situation, she answered each question with a smile.
“Are things going well between you and Lee Seo-jun? So jealous!”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing like that. We just had a meal together.”
“And the other guy at the table… That second-year senior? Isn’t he the one at the bottom of the school rankings?”
“Kim Sun-woo, right? Yeah, I think that’s him.”
“Why is that guy eating with Lee Seo-jun?”
Even with the occasional odd question, she graciously entertained them all.
This feels like the norm.
Enjoying the attention, Choi Seo-yoon thought to herself.
Normally, her bright smiles and friendly demeanor would leave people desperate to grow closer to her. The boys in the room were no exception, vying for her attention in every possible way.
But for some reason, those two were different.
Lee Seo-jun and Kim Sun-woo.
She could understand Lee Seo-jun.
He was the top student at the school, with outstanding skills and looks, surrounded by equally impressive female students. It wasn’t shocking if she failed to catch his eye.
But Kim Sun-woo? That was a mystery.
Bottom of the class, plain in appearance, and lacking any significant strengths. While he seemed to have some talent in support magic, it wasn’t even his primary focus. He didn’t appear to have a girlfriend, either.
And yet, despite her efforts to be kind and approachable, Kim Sun-woo seemed bothered by her presence.
At first, she had assumed his unease stemmed from the recent incident where malicious footage of him had circulated online. Such an event would trouble any ordinary teenager.
But it wasn’t that.
He simply found her uncomfortable.
Why?
Uncomfortable? She had never experienced such a reaction before. How much effort had she put into gaining people’s approval?
Her pride felt wounded.
“Could he be… into guys?”
The thought made her seriously pause.
Thinking back, he did often appear alone, but his recent friendship with Lee Seo-jun added weight to her theory.
“…No, that’s not it.”
She dismissed the idea. If he were interested in men, he would have shown more emotion around Lee Seo-jun. Instead, his interactions were detached, maintaining a polite distance.
It was clear—his association with Lee Seo-jun was purely practical, taking advantage of the top student’s status for his own benefit.
“Agh, why am I even thinking about this?”
Annoyance bubbled up as she sighed, covering her face with her hands.
“Seo-yoon, are you okay?”
Oops. She hadn’t realized she had spoken her thoughts aloud.
Feeling embarrassed, her face flushed red.
“What’s this? She’s blushing. So cute.”
“You’re worried about Lee Seo-jun, aren’t you? Right?”
“Come on, spill it. I want to know!”
“Alright, it’s almost 2 PM. Once the clock strikes, everyone will enter the dungeon, so get ready,” instructor Jang Ancheol announced loudly to the group of 50 students gathered at the mountain behind the school.
My teammates and I began stretching, preparing for the afternoon dungeon exploration class.
“Ugh, let’s just get this over with quickly.”
“Yeah, the sooner, the better.”
“But wait, we’re in second place right now, aren’t we? Where’s the first-place team?”
Jeong Jintae suddenly asked, seeming to remember something.
I pointed to a distant figure standing with crossed arms.
“Over there.”
“Yoo Ara’s team? Ugh, first place is a tough climb.”
I nodded in agreement.
It would be a challenge. Yoo Ara’s team had two mid-ranked students, while our team consisted of three from the bottom tier.
The speed gap alone was enough to make it difficult.
We’d have to come up with a plan. There was still time before the semester ended to figure something out.
As I pondered strategies to secure first place, a small notification window popped up before me.
[Character ‘Choi Seo-yoon’ feels irritated with you.]
[You have earned 1,000 points as a reward.]
…Huh?
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