After another busy day drew to a close.
Three female students from the Hero Department sat chatting in a quiet classroom.
Plant Lady, a hero whose hair was perpetually overgrown with leaves, murmured languidly.
“Ah…the afternoon sun truly is the best…*Yawn*…”
Having luxuriated in the photosynthesis for a while, she eventually turned her head and inquired of the blonde student beside her.
“Yuha. Now that I think about it, where do you keep going alone after classes these days?”
“Uh, uh?”
Flame Mist, her eyes wide with bewilderment, stammered in response.
“J-just…to the General Department for a bit…”
“The General Department…? Why there…?”
“Why else would she go? To see *him*, obviously.”
Cat’s Eye, a hero with twitching feline ears, answered on Flame Mist’s behalf.
Her sarcastic tone clearly betrayed her displeasure.
“Him?”
“Oh, you know, that childhood friend she supposedly promised to marry or something. She’s only acting like this because he got into the General Department this year.”
Flame Mist shot her a brief glare, issuing a warning.
“I told you not to talk nonsense.”
“Honestly. Didn’t you say he was furious with you and made a huge fuss just recently? That he didn’t even answer your calls for months?”
“I told you it wasn’t like that. Don’t you dare say anything to Woojin. It’s my fault for not realizing how much he was struggling.”
“…”
At the resolute reply, Cat’s Eye pursed her lips even further.
Even from their perspective, their friend Flame Mist was, in many ways, an exemplary hero.
Only yesterday, she had dramatically rescued an innocent citizen from the clutches of a villain, an act that was still the talk of the school.
Just moments ago, Flame Mist had been expressing fierce indignation over her failure to apprehend that very villain.
Yet, to see such a hero groveling before a powerless civilian, as if on a leash, was naturally infuriating.
Cat’s Eye and Plant Lady were her long-standing friends, having witnessed Flame Mist’s emotional turmoil firsthand, even before their enrollment in the Hero Department.
The past few months, in particular, had been exceedingly difficult; she would attend school with eyes swollen from sleepless nights and weeping.
On several occasions, unable to bear it any longer, they had risen to confront the man, only to be met with Flame Mist’s vehement refusal, forcing them to back down.
And despite all that, her protectiveness knew no bounds.
She hadn’t even shown them a single photo, let alone introduced him, which was utterly baffling.
“She’s truly devoted, isn’t she…”
Plant Lady clicked her tongue, looking utterly fed up.
“I still don’t get it…Is the guy really that handsome…?”
“Woojin…? Well…he’s just average, I guess…”
At Flame Mist’s nonchalant reply, Plant Lady tilted her head, even more perplexed.
“What exactly is so great about him, then?”
“That’s…”
Before she could answer, Flame Mist shot to her feet as if she had spotted something.
Her face was instantly alight with a radiant smile, as if her previous mood had never existed.
She rushed to the classroom door, stopping abruptly before someone.
The man stood a full inch taller than Flame Mist.
Both Plant Lady and Cat’s Eye immediately recognized his appearance.
Plant Lady let out a short, complex gasp of admiration.
“…Wow.”
A flower had, by then, bloomed fully in her hair, and her cheeks were flushed with a shy blush.
‘Woojin…? Well…he’s just average, I guess…’
Cat’s Eye replayed Flame Mist’s earlier words.
Finally grasping their true meaning, she mumbled with a dazed look.
“That crazy b*tch.”
By now, Flame Mist’s gaze was fixed solely on the man, as if her friends were utterly insignificant.
“Hehe, what brings you here so suddenly? Without any warning.”
“…Nothing much. Just, you know, what we talked about, and a few other things…”
“Right, right, I see!”
The man’s somewhat indifferent, even awkward, demeanor grated on Cat’s Eye’s nerves.
This was *Flame Mist*.
She had not only garnered media attention even before her enrollment at Cradle but had also become the youngest to qualify as a provisional hero.
Along with Psyche of Hwaryeon Group and Saint Snow White, she was hailed as one of the ‘Triumvirate of Future Justice.’
Cat’s Eye’s assessment of Flame Mist was that she was a hero without a single flaw in either skill or character.
Thus, it was only natural for her to feel a surge of anger at the way this man was treating her.
What was so special about a mere pretty face?
“Um, Yuha. Could we perhaps go somewhere a bit more private? I have something I need to talk to you about…”
“What is it you need to talk about?”
“Huh?”
The man’s apparent hesitation, as if he were trying to gauge their reactions, displeased Cat’s Eye even further.
Unable to bear it any longer, Cat’s Eye swiftly interjected herself between them.
“Ahyeon? What are you doing right now?”
“Well, what is it you want to talk about?”
She asked the man pointedly, leaving a bewildered Flame Mist behind her.
At this, he opened his mouth awkwardly, his face visibly flustered.
“That is…”
“Doesn’t sound like anything honorable, does it? Seeing as you’re hesitating so much.”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that…”
“If it’s nothing much, then couldn’t you just say it here? Hmm?”
She continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“There are only three of us in the classroom, at most. Or is it something embarrassing that we shouldn’t hear?” Hmm?”
“Ji Ahyeon! What is wrong with you? I told you Woojin isn’t that kind of person!”
Flame Mist snapped at Cat’s Eye, her tone unmistakably furious, unlike her usual self.
Then, turning to the flustered man, her expression instantly softened as she spoke reassuringly.
“Are you alright, Woojin? She’s just being a bit strange today. Just tell me. It’s fine, they’re my close friends. So? What’s going on?”
“Well…it’s like this…”
The man squeezed his eyes shut as if grappling with deep internal conflict.
After a considerable pause, he finally spoke, his voice faltering and sheepish.
“…Can you lend me some money?”
“Ha!”
Cat’s Eye let out a hollow laugh, as if finding nothing amusing.
‘I knew it. He was exactly the type to exploit women, relying solely on his looks.’
But he had underestimated people, and severely so.
Even if Flame Mist was kind, she wasn’t so naive as to be unable to discern such ulterior motives.
By now, she must have seen through that scoundrel’s dark intentions.
“Okay!”
“What? Hey, Baek Yuha! Wait a minute…”
And Flame Mist nodded vigorously, completely unbothered.
Without even responding to Cat’s Eye, she swiftly pushed her aside and stepped closer to the man.
“Why? How much do you need?”
“Well, ten million…no, if possible, around twenty million won…?”
Cat’s Eye’s jaw dropped in utter disbelief.
Even with the special scholarships provided to Hero Department students, that was an astronomical sum, far beyond anything conceivable.
How utterly devoid of common sense must he be to brazenly demand such an absurd amount?
And Flame Mist immediately began to calculate.
“With the money I have…and a special loan for hero scholarship students…yes, I think that might work. When do you need it by? If it’s urgent, for now, you can take this…”
“W-wait a minute!!”
Cat’s Eye, finally snapping back to reality, barely managed to stop Flame Mist, who was about to hand over her card.
Then, hissing like a cat, she confronted the man with the handsome but seemingly empty face.
“Hey! What kind of scumbag are you? How much of a pushover do you think our Yuha is to ask for such an outrageous amount—!”
“Ahyeon.”
And a chilling voice stopped Cat’s Eye just as she was about to unleash a torrent of insults on the man.
The intensity of it was so fierce, it was as if she were facing a villain.
Flame Mist, who had approached from behind Cat’s Eye, spoke in a voice so low it was barely audible to her alone, each word clipped and sharp.
“I told you Woojin isn’t like that. Sometimes in life, a man just doesn’t have money. Don’t wound Woojin’s pride.”
“No—!”
“It’s alright, Woojin. They just worry too much for no reason. Let’s go for now!”
Flame Mist smiled brightly at the man, as if nothing had happened, and approached him.
Then, without a backward glance, she naturally linked arms with him and disappeared down the corridor.
“Hmph…”
Cat’s Eye merely stared blankly at the space where they had been.
****
“Woojin. You’re not upset, are you? I’m sorry. I don’t know why they’re acting like this…”
“…No. I’m the one who should be sorry…”
Yuha offered her apology in a dejected voice.
If anything, I was the one who felt awkward.
Honestly, I had assumed that a hero would effortlessly earn hundreds of millions of won.
It seemed that as students, they still faced various restrictions.
So, I had cautiously brought up the subject, thinking such an amount might be acceptable…but I hadn’t anticipated Yuha’s friends being there.
“Are you really okay with just this…? Don’t feel pressured, you can ask for more. If you need it, I can always…”
“No, it’s fine. I just misstated the amount earlier.”
I hastily shook my head.
After some haggling, I had received only a tenth of the amount I had originally intended from Yuha.
Honestly, I worried if even this was an excessive burden…but for now, there was no other option.
From my faint memories, it seemed that during this period, I had cut off all activities and immersed myself in the Hero Department entrance exams like a recluse, without any thought for the consequences.
I never imagined I would run out of money completely…
“…Um, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? It’s only natural for me to help.”
“What do you mean? I’ll definitely pay you back within a month.”
“Oh, come on, I told you you don’t have to pay it back! Just spend as much as you want.”
Yuha shook her head emphatically.
Of course, I fully intended to repay her, and several times over.
With my knowledge of the future, it was certainly achievable.
Still, it was truly pathetic.
How long had it been since I vowed to change Yuha’s perception of me this lifetime, only to already come begging for money so sheepishly?
It was no wonder her friends were so hostile; to anyone, I must have looked like nothing short of a swindler…
“Woojin, you idiot. If something like that happened, you should have told me sooner. I had no idea…”
Yet, Yuha actually seemed quite pleased.
Honestly, I had thought she would be in a bad mood, having let a villain escape yesterday.
Perhaps a villain like me hadn’t left much of an impression?
I needed to reconsider my next move.
While it was a relief not to be caught, seeing the person who had glared at me as if to kill me last night now smiling so brightly, left me feeling a little strange.
In some ways, Yuha felt almost unfamiliar…
‘Ugh.’
I shook my head decisively.
What could I do? I had to adapt.
‘Snap out of it, Kim Woojin. You’ve already decided to become Yuha’s archenemy, haven’t you?’
It was while I was passing down the corridor, lost in such thoughts, that a peculiar sight suddenly unfolded through the open doorway of a classroom.
I spotted someone.
Their hair, as black as obsidian, gleamed with a rich luster.
Their ruby-like eyes, perfectly cut, sparkled brilliantly under the afternoon sun.
It was an extraordinary beauty, captivating enough to steal one’s breath away with a mere glance, coupled with an expressionless face that seemed to embody an inherent, born-with arrogance.
[Humming]
[Important Character Alert]
[Psyche]
[First-year student, Hero Department, Cradle Special Education Institute for Superhero Training]
[Heiress of Hwaryeon Group]
[C-rank Hero]
[Real Name: Han Sua]
[???]
[Event Calendar]
[New Important Event Created!]
[April 9th, Cradle Field Training Attack Incident]
“That’s…”
