NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 121
Hah…
Having sent Lee Hyun off first, Yeon Minha sat alone at the desk and sighed.
She couldn’t take her eyes off a small, exquisitely wrapped paper box that exuded a sweet, delectable aroma all around.
…
The more she felt the care behind it, the deeper she fell into contemplation.
Consumed by overwhelming anxiety, she involuntarily chewed her nails.
Although she had returned a drawing that fell from Lee Hyun’s jacket last night to its rightful place, the image of the girl in it remained vividly clear in her memory.
Why did he treasure such an old picture so dearly?
If it was a sister or a younger sibling, they bore no resemblance to him at all.
There was no reason for him to hold onto it so closely if she were just a simple friend.
And if she wasn’t family or a friend…
A girlfriend…?
Yeon Minha let out a gloomy voice that was already deflated. Dark clouds loomed in her heart.
It was too much to wish she was his first girlfriend. Logically, she understood that very well.
Keeping a drawing of a first love from childhood could be something one could overlook quite boldly.
Even though hurt feelings bubbled up, after all, she was the only one walking alongside Lee Hyun now.
However, when the past doesn’t stay in the past, it always stirs up trouble.
No matter how I think about it…
Whenever Yeon Minha imagined the skinny girl from the drawing, for some reason, another person always popped up in her mind.
Long, black hair cascading down like a dark curtain, and eyes that sparkled like golden light containing all the brilliance of the world.
An arch-nemesis, no less. So much so that calling her a sworn enemy was an understatement.
That person was none other than Baek Seoyeon of Paecheon.
Clack…
Yeon Minha gritted her teeth as discontent brewed from the mere imagination.
Though the drawing was simply in monochrome, and she couldn’t discern the eye color, the girl portrayed looked strikingly like Baek Seoyeon, excluding the fact that she was quite gaunt.
No, it could even be said that, if anything, it resembled her…
Speaking of which…
Yeon Minha recalled that she had already heard about Lee Hyun’s past from his own lips.
He had spent his entire life in a pioneering village near the northern outskirts.
However, two years ago, during the great demon invasion, the village he lived in fell to ruins after being attacked by remnants that slipped past the besieging forces.
In that ambush, he lost both family and friends.
All that remained for the poor boy was a long scar under his eye, earned while trying to protect a friend named “Yeon-i.”
Had it not been for the chance encounter with Sa Jaehyeok from the 66th Brigade, he would likely not be alive today.
And this was as far as Yeon Minha could understand with the gathered information.
It was unavoidable that a hint of jealousy arose, but it wasn’t too hard to understand why he wouldn’t forget a first love who tragically passed away and kept that drawing.
However, Baek Seoyeon’s presence continued to stubbornly cling to her mind.
Although it was rumored that she only revealed herself after receiving favor from the head of Paecheon, Baek Il-yong’s tendencies were a well-known secret among the upper families.
Who on earth would give such affection to someone who sowed seeds across the fields like crops and coldly discarded them?
And Yeon Minha searched her memories.
Baek Seoyeon first appeared in public exactly two years ago.
The oddly overlapping timing only muddled her mind further.
…
Her spinning thoughts raced toward a dizzying end.
Lee Hyun, who held tightly to a dusty portrait that looked just like Baek Seoyeon.
The name “Yeon” he muttered every night when he was hospitalized.
Even the view of Baek Seoyeon’s back as she sneaked away after leaving homemade candy.
Of course, questions yet remained unsolved.
The veiled fiancé of Baek Seoyeon.
The horrific clash at the start of the semester.
And his strangely avoidant behavior regarding Baek Seoyeon.
Yet still, she couldn’t dismiss all this as mere coincidence.
Ugh…
Suddenly overwhelmed with tension and fear, Yeon Minha’s body trembled.
Her vision narrowed, and her heart raced wildly.
No matter how she shook her head in denial, the circumstances hinted that there was some kind of relationship between them.
On the other hand, she felt quite repulsed by Baek Seoyeon.
That woman had taken everything from her, and now she was reaching for the last precious thing she had.
Hah… How do I… huh?
At that moment, as she took a deep breath to calm herself, a small creature pushed its way through the slightly opened bedroom door, letting out a cry.
An orange and cream-colored cat sniffed around and immediately jumped onto the desk in a flash.
Then it knocked into the paper box, sending the lid flying and bared its teeth.
Wha, what are you doing…! No way!
Meow! Meow!
The cat was immediately subdued by Yeon Minha, but it was still thrashing about wildly.
Why, why is this happening…! Small as it is, what’s with all this strength?
She couldn’t just give away what could become a valuable piece of evidence.
But she also couldn’t use magic against Lee Hyun’s beloved cat.
Wrapping her body around the squirming cat, Yeon Minha thought of a plan.
Among the spirits she had, there was certainly one who could take on a cat form.
Remembering that, Yeon Minha immediately summoned the spirit.
Her cat was quite robust, so she figured it would easily drive off the little one.
The space above her shoulder shimmered, and soon a translucent, white-furred cat appeared there.
But before Yeon Minha could even give the spirit a command…
Siiik! Siik!
The little cat locked eyes with her spirit, becoming tense and bristling its fur.
It promptly made itself transparent and attempted to escape the material realm.
Wha, wa? What’s going on right now…
Caught off guard, Yeon Minha found it useless to try and grab it.
Dumbfounded, she stared at the empty spot where the spirit had just been.
That reaction was bizarre.
Though its goal was indeed to siphon the particles of the well, spirits typically tended to behave favorably toward earthly beings.
Today marked the second time Yeon Minha had seen such a wary attitude from a spirit in her life.
The first occurred when she had shown Lee Hyun the larval spirit.
Why on earth…? Did it take after its master…? Wait!
Then, at the sound of rustling, Yeon Minha snapped back to her senses.
The little cat was already flipping the box and eagerly eating the snacks inside.
With cookie and candy crumbs all over its face, it looked like it was smiling with contentment.
Meow~
*
Puh!
A dull impact sound rang out from somewhere, jolting Yeon Minha back to reality.
Throughout the duel, Lee Hyun easily overwhelmed Jin Yeseo, but she watched with a constantly anxious expression.
Her worry wasn’t for Lee Hyun, nor for the beaten Jin Yeseo in the rain.
Though the cat was fine, her thoughts were unresolved for days.
Some vague feeling of discomfort, even she couldn’t articulate, filled her body.
Yeon Minha suddenly turned her head toward a certain section of the audience.
A female student with black hair was watching the duel without blinking.
Puh!
…Ugh…
Each time a strike echoed, Baek Seoyeon’s body seemed to twitch, unsettling Yeon Minha even more.
Ding ding ding!
“Duel ended! Terminated! Yoo Jin-hyun! That’s enough…”
Just as the masked male student stepped on Jin Yeseo’s lower abdomen, the bell signaling the end of the duel rang out.
Only then did he cease his one-sided attack.
Ah… Hah… Ha…
The once radiant girl with golden hair and green eyes now lay raggedly on the floor, exhaling faintly.
Jin Yeseo was swiftly taken away by the medical staff, while the masked male seemed to be looking for someone.
At last, his gaze landed precisely on Yeon Minha.
…
He simply stared silently, but she could feel the longing in his eyes.
When she shyly waved at him, he seemed satisfied with just that and lightly nodded before turning away.
Unbeknownst to her, Yeon Minha couldn’t help but curl the corners of her lips upward.
Then suddenly, she felt an intense, blazing gaze from the side, and Yeon Minha whipped her head around.
However, Baek Seoyeon, who had been sitting just moments ago, was now hastily exiting the dueling grounds.
…
Resolved, Yeon Minha sprang up from her seat.
She began to chase after Baek Seoyeon.
It was unbearable to stay sane unless she solved this mystery.
*
“Baek Seoyeon.”
Caught by a sudden voice, Baek Seoyeon, with her black hair flowing, turned back as she was leaving the dueling grounds.
From beyond the dark hallway, the click-clack of heels grew closer with a female student approaching.
Kwon Yuri and Choi Ireh, who were walking with her, greeted Yeon Minha in different ways.
“Minha, hey~!”
“Yeon Minha, what brings you here?”
“Baek Seoyeon, can we talk for a moment?”
However, Yeon Minha ignored Kwon Yuri and Choi Ireh and shot straight at Baek Seoyeon.
Seoyeon looked troubled and shook her head.
“Sorry, but how about later? I’m on my way to check on Yeseo. She seems rather hurt…”
“You’re worried about that blonde one? What nonsensical nonsense…”
“Yeon Minha! What’s with the sudden interruption?!…!”
“Stop…! Stop it, Ireh…”
Seoyeon stopped Ireh who was about to retort on her behalf.
She let out a deep sigh and regarded both of them.
“You guys can go ahead. I just need to have a brief talk with Minha before I leave.”
“But…”
“It’s fine. Just check on Yeseo’s condition…”
At Seoyeon’s insistence, Yuri and Ireh hesitantly moved away, disappearing from sight.
Almost immediately, a heavy silence descended over the now-empty hallway.
“…So, what is it?”
The first to speak was Seoyeon.
She seemed to abandon any facade of gentleness, glaring at Yeon Minha with a chilly expression.
The trace of the girl caught in between was nowhere to be found.
Seoyeon only emanated a stickiness of animosity directed at Yeon Minha.
…
Yeon Minha refused to back down, locking eyes with Seoyeon. She didn’t bother to speak any further.
Instead, she rummaged through her belongings and threw something at Baek Seoyeon.
It was the only thing she managed to protect from the cat’s attack.
“Catch.”
“What the hell are you doing… huh?”
Just as Baek Seoyeon unwittingly caught the item Yeon Minha had thrown, she instantly recognized what it was.
It was a small, carefully wrapped bag of candy that she had painstakingly prepared over several sleepless nights.
Seeing it, the muscles around Seoyeon’s eyes twitched violently.
Her head lowered as she murmured in a hushed voice.
“This… How did you…?”