Chapter 53 (Continued)

 

Yoo Doha, who had been lying on the sofa with a book covering her face, reacted. She wasn’t asleep.

 

Yesong leaned on the sofa’s backrest, looking down at Doha.

 

“Yoo Doha, aren’t you curious? To see the leader’s perfect image break?”

 

Doha sat up and put the book down. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

 

She glanced at me with half-open eyes, then quickly averted her gaze when our eyes met.

 

“…I am a little curious.”

 

It was the first time I’d seen Doha so embarrassed.

 

‘Even Doha?’

 

All three female officers were staring at me. It was unnerving.

 

What was so fascinating about the idea of my meticulously maintained image as the leader shattering?

 

“……”

 

An unsettling atmosphere pervaded the room.

 

It seemed like everyone was having strange thoughts.

 

Whatever they were thinking, it was necessary to change the mood to preserve my image.

 

“Ha Yesong, come here.”

 

“Yes, sir. …Ow!”

 

I lightly tapped Yesong on the head with a textbook.

 

Yesong, who hadn’t strengthened her body with magic, let out a short cry.

 

“Stop making weird comments about me.”

 

“Heheh.”

 

Yeseong brushed off the warning with an innocent laugh.

 

“Anyway, the more perfect someone seems, the more you want to see their flaws. It’s not just the Leader. Our dear Baek-seo is the same!”

 

Yeseong’s target shifted to Baek-seo.

 

“Me?”

 

“Is there anyone as perfect as Baek-seo at Ahsung High?”

 

I agreed with that.

 

In my first year, I didn’t really like Baek-seo, or rather, I was closer to disliking her.

 

But now, I couldn’t think of anyone as perfect and kind as Baek-seo.

 

“Hehe, not really.”

 

“Come on, being too modest is also a flaw.”

 

While Baek-seo and Yeseong chattered away, I suddenly imagined Baek-seo losing her composure.

 

‘Hmm.’

 

Baek-seo, with a flushed face, bewildered and flustered.

 

‘L-Leader…! W-What should I do…!?’, desperately clinging to me….

 

‘…That’s too cute.’

 

I must be crazy.

 

It was shockingly adorable, so much so that I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t imagined it before.

 

I could easily picture myself confidently shouting, ‘Just trust me!’, and risking my life to help Baek-seo.

 

‘Wait, hold on…’

 

I shook my head to clear my mind.

 

‘If I keep imagining things like this, I’m no different from Ha Yeseong…!’

 

I didn’t want to have strange thoughts about Baek-seo.

 

Baek-seo was good just the way she was.

 

‘Come to think of it, have I ever seen Baek-seo lose her composure?’

 

At the beginning of the semester, the day Baek-seo burned herself.

 

That day, well, it didn’t really feel like she lost her composure.

 

Even on the day I inadvertently showed her my naked body.

 

‘I’m curious.’

 

What would it look like for Baek-seo to lose her composure?

 

Could she even lose her composure in the first place?

 

……

 

The evening sky was dark.

 

I had to cut down on space ability practice to focus on preparing for the final exams. Because of that, I was repeatedly doing space leaps intensely under the idea of ‘short but intense’.

 

Soon, I returned to the Ahsung High campus and reached the building with my personal study room.

 

I hid in the shadows of a narrow alley next to the building so that the students wouldn’t see me.

 

“Huff, huff…. I’m dying….”

 

Loosening my tie a bit, I breathed heavily.

 

Repeatedly performing space leaps in one go was like sprinting at full speed without taking a breath. I had been doing that for an hour, so it was exhausting.

 

Sweat poured from my entire body.

 

It felt like heat was escaping from me.

 

“You’ve been doing space leaps quite intensely, kid.”

 

Geumyang appeared, riding the cracks.

 

She was wearing the Ahsung High uniform I recently bought her.

 

I looked at Geumyang, still trying to calm my breathing.

 

I could feel the backlash of using my unique ability approaching.

 

“You must be really tired….”

 

I urgently grabbed Geumyang, hugging her tightly.

 

“Hold on, kid?”

 

My legs were weak, and my weight shifted onto Geumyang.

 

With her small frame, Geumyang staggered backward, forced to retreat, while I followed her unsteady steps.

 

Thud. My arms encircling Geumyang touched the building’s outer wall. Lowering my head, I hugged her, taking deep breaths.

 

There was a faint scent, but I didn’t have the time to notice it.

 

I felt a soft touch on my waist. Geumyang was hugging me back.

 

“Huff, huff…. Whew….”

 

As I felt the penalty transferring to Geumyang, my breathing gradually stabilized.

 

“…Feeling better now?”

 

Geumyang’s calm voice echoed in my ears.

 

“Yeah…. Thanks.”

 

I released Geumyang and looked down at her.

 

Her face was calm.

 

Her sharp eyes were fixed on me.

 

“Don’t overdo it. If you overuse your ability, it’ll be like last time.”

 

“I’m short on time.”

 

I replied, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

 

I had to prepare properly for the final exams too.

 

I couldn’t lose to Baek-seo.

 

“Anyway, I’m fine now.”

 

“I’ll be at your house.”

 

“Got it.”

 

Good.

 

I planned to practice space leaps again diligently after finishing studying in the reading room.

 

Since the penalty would surely come, I would just hug Geumyang like I did earlier as soon as I got home.

 

Some of my strength returned. I left the dark alley, waving to Geumyang.

 

“There should be something to eat in the fridge, so help yourself…. Hm?”

 

Geumyang had already disappeared.

 

* * *

 

While preparing side dishes for Ahn Woo-jin at home, Oh Baek-seo suddenly recalled what Ha Yeseong had said earlier that day.

 

Woo-jin always tried to maintain a poker face, but his emotions often showed. Other students didn’t seem to notice, but Baek-seo could tell.

 

But if Woo-jin experienced such a rapid emotional change that he couldn’t maintain his poker face….

 

─ ‘…I’m sorry.’

 

For instance, the time Woo-jin fell into Baek-seo’s shower.

 

The embarrassed face and apology he gave still lingered vividly in Baek-seo’s heart.

 

“What am I thinking….”

 

Baek-seo touched her cheek and tried to clear her mind.

 

“All done.”

 

She finished cooking.

 

Imagining Woo-jin enjoying her food made her lips curl into a smile.

 

She packed each side dish—braised fish cakes, stir-fried anchovies, and bulgogi—into separate containers and left the house.

 

Currently, Woo-jin was studying in the reading room. So, she decided to put the side dishes in the fridge and leave him a text message. With that in mind, Baek-seo entered the house next door.

 

At that moment, for some reason, she felt moisture on her skin.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Huh?”

 

In front of the open shower room door.

 

A naked woman with a towel around her neck, Geumyang, came out of the shower and made eye contact with Baek-seo.

 

“…….”

 

A heavy silence filled Woo-jin’s house.