Hong Yeon-hwa’s perception of Lee Hayul rested on viewing him as a fragile child that must be protected, one so perilous that if you took your eyes off him for even a moment, catastrophe might ensue.

His delicate appearance played a part in this. Honestly, those who would get the impression of steadfastness from one glance at Lee Hayul were likely few and far between.

More than that, the persona Lee Hayul had shown while living together had helped to shape that perception.

Although it was her own fault, from the very first encounter when they collided, Lee Hayul had shown a helplessly rolling figure.

And then,

The sight of him clutching her sleeve, hanging his head low and following her closely, curled up in a corner all throughout the freshman welcome party.

And also, also! The scene where he lost consciousness after accidentally bumping into a Japanese student, due to her mistake.

While unconscious, he suffered through a nightmare, groaning in pain to the point where it seemed he could barely breathe,

…and when he was taken into her arms, he slowly calmed down, cuddling and burrowing into her embrace in terror…

After the lectures began,

Always watching his surroundings, choking in the middle of a self-introduction, and not knowing how to react when given candy, expressing gratitude,

And if left alone during lunchtime, he’d be found in some corner munching on something like a chocolate bar.

Then one day he came back after being hit by a certain professor… when she internally thought of revenge, he eerily caught on and clung to her, whining not to do it…

And the cute appearance of him handing her a crumpled piece of candy as if it were repayment, worried whether she would like it or not, and carefully observing her response.

Anyway, because of his past conduct, Hong Yeon-hwa couldn’t think of Lee Hayul as anything but an exceedingly fragile entity.

He must be protected.

The sense of guilt mingled with his usual demeanor to craft this perception. Lee Hayul seemed to her like a piece of fine art, delicate and liable to shatter at any moment.

Somewhere along the way, Hong Yeon-hwa came to believe that she simply had to protect him.

“Hmm… Indeed, you assessed that accurately.”

However, this notion cracked somewhat after the last duel.

In the tranquil café on a Tuesday morning,

Next to the window with the sunlight streaming in and at a fairly large table where several people could comfortably sit, an especially prime spot,

Hong Yeon-hwa, along with Baek Ahrin and friends who had also finished dungeon exploration early, gathered to chit-chat.

Excluding the unspeakable circumstances, Baek Ahrin listened seriously to Hong Yeon-hwa’s story and heavily nodded.

She took a small sip of the Deluxe Chocolate Edition (₩15,900) on the table, wetting her mouth and preparing what to say next.

All eyes, including Hong Yeon-hwa’s, were on Baek Ahrin’s lips, eagerly anticipating her response.

After a brief silence to gather her thoughts, Baek Ahrin spoke.

“So, what you’re saying is that the fairy you thought you had to take care of showed a powerful side, and that got your heart racing?”

“Motherfucker.”

“Ahahaha!”

There was a variety of reactions.

The friends listening to the conversation burst into laughter, loud enough to send the café shaking. If not for the noise-canceling magic, they would have been a major disturbance.

Hong Yeon-hwa cursed and clenched her fist. She wanted to tear out the laughing friends’ hair as she buried her head in the table.

“Eh, wasn’t that it? Never mind then.”

Baek Ahrin’s nonchalant words followed her wide-eyed response to Hong Yeon-hwa’s reaction. Her upturned lips clearly displayed her emotions.

“Why are you swearing? It’s possible for people to make mistakes…”

“Quit the bullshit and listen. I─”

“Ahaha! Fairy, fairy…! My sides…”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s speech abruptly ceased, along with the ominous twist building in her fist. A cold silence settled around her.

“…Yeon-hwa?”

Shin Seo-yul, who had practically been choking on laughter, soberly lifted her gaze. She saw Hong Yeon-hwa’s face, heavy and troubled.

She wasn’t grinding her teeth, nor was she clenching her fists or contorting her face.

– Woosh

Instead, flames erupted.

…

“Aww, come on! But the conclusion’s pretty much the same, right?”

“You wanna get hit more? Bring me that damn face, bitch.”

“No no! It’s not a joke, listen for real!”

Shin Seo-yul desperately waved her head, a lump seemingly hanging there, her physical abilities explosively increased by the crisis of life, to the point of leaving afterimages.

Hong Yeon-hwa crossed her arms and tilted her head, a gesture signaling she might be willing to listen. Shin Seo-yul exhaled in relief.

“Let’s recap. Yeon-hwa, you made several—huge!—mistakes on your first day with Lee Hayul, right?”

“Gah…”

The cruel truth stabbed her under the ribs. Wounded deeply, Hong Yeon-hwa grasped at her chest and bowed her head.

“Let’s skip the unspeakable atrocious deeds you did to him, but through those instances, Lee Hayul revealed a helplessly fragile side to you, and you let that perception root deep inside—That’s what you meant.”

Shin Seo-yul paused to sip her drink, savoring the sweet fruit flavor that filled her mouth, then continued.

“People say the first impression is crucial. For you, Yeon-hwa, Lee Hayul’s first impression was ‘I’m sorry, fragile, must be protected,’ and you were smitten at first sight.”

“What bullshit are y─”

“But with that mindset, as you lived and took classes together, that impression deeply entrenched itself even further. And then!”

Thump! As she continued, Shin Seo-yul suddenly bulged her eyes out and slammed the table, enough to make even Hong Yeon-hwa flinch.

“Through the recent duel of great interest, the perception was shaken. The Lee Hayul you thought you had to protect actually had incredible hidden strengths… And!”

She hadn’t finished her point. Caught up in her own excitement, Shin Seo-yul bubbled with fervor, rendering Hong Yeon-hwa’s expression mildly sour.

“It means that the young man who seemed fragile and cute turned out to have such abilities, a reversal of charm that shook your heart, Hong! What do you think? How about this deduction by the great Shin Seo-yul?”

“Wahhhh.”

Baek Ahrin, who had been listening with interest, applauded enthusiastically. The other friends joined, slapping their flippers in applause.

“Hmm! This is it!”

Enjoying her own praise, Shin Seo-yul’s shoulders rose with skyrocketing self-esteem. Conversely, stealing a glance at Hong Yeon-hwa, just in case.

Though mixed with seriousness, it was a statement made in jest. Naturally, she expected Hong Yeon-hwa to retort with a call to stop spouting nonsense.

“?”

However, contrary to expectations, Hong Yeon-hwa propped her chin on her hand-knuckle and fell deep in contemplation.

‘…First impression.’

Regardless of the puzzled looks she received, Hong Yeon-hwa was lost in thought.

She had been intent on pulverizing the bastard who dared to challenge Lee Hayul to a duel. Since Lee Hayul intervened, she held back, but her seething rage did not subside.

During the duel, Lee Hayul’s unexpectedly strong performance had taken her aback.

Gone was the frail figure tumbling on the floor; instead, stood a swordsman brimming with potential who precisely predicted and dodged and parried attacks, even mixing in counterattacks.

After that.

He manifested his hardened physique, and then his Qi, even smashing the sword of a fellow student who clumsily attempted hand-to-hand combat with him.

She was speechless at the sight of him holding a sword enveloped in a clear Qi, fragments of broken blades reflecting and scattering light.

Special admission. A student chosen by the Principal herself in an unprecedented move. At some point, Hong Yeon-hwa had completely forgotten what that meant.

And then…

Sweat on his face from the intense duel, rough breathing, cheeks flushed beautifully from being overheated…

And that small smile lifting the corners of his mouth, unlike his usual sullen expression, as he looked her way and placed his hand beside his face.

“Umm.”

Her face suddenly flushed with heat. Hong Yeon-hwa was typically warm-bodied, but inexplicably, without even manifesting her unique ability, she felt suddenly hot.

She coughed to break her train of thought and picked up a drink from the table. Her throat cooled a little with the cold and sweet beverage, somewhat quenching the heat.

“Wow… really intense.”

Ignoring the exasperated voices around her, she recalled a concern that had been nagging at her.

‘Hayul… had low magic power.’

Both hardened physique and Qi. The proficiency to use them freely during the duel was surprising, but this meant a less noticed detail.

She remembered the Qi flickering inconsistently, on the verge of dispersing, right after breaking the opponent’s sword. Not just a lack of manipulation skill, but a phenomenon of lack of magic fuel… magic power.

Lee Hayul hadn’t been introduced to magic for very long. Counting from his awakening, it had been barely a month. His magic power must be scraping the bottom.

‘Compensation.’

Mistakes committed from the day of the welcome party until now. She spouted about making amends somehow but had yet to properly compensate.

At best, she had handed him candy or occasionally paid for a meal.

Now it came to her. What was currently lacking for Lee Hayul, the perfect thing for him, something he would surely appreciate.

Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes twinkled with anticipation, thinking she could at last offer him a bit of compensation.

And potentially, she harbored the hope of seeing that previous smile once again.

…

A moment later.

“What the fuck?”

The news struck like a sledgehammer that Lee Hayul had vomited and collapsed on the street.

The imaginations of a joyous Hong Yeon-hwa crumbled spectacularly.

* * *

Liana blinked her eyes.

Just yesterday dawn. After dumping a drunk stupid Atra back in her quarters, she returned home.

Pondering over how to persuade the stubborn Atra, she retired to bed a bit later than usual and woke up tardy.

She had a late breakfast and then sat down orderly in the attached yard, engaging in leisurely magic training.

These had become her regularly peaceful and mundane days recently. She would probably have skipped or haphazardly had lunch, prepared for tomorrow’s lecture, and taken up some personal research before falling asleep.

Such would have been the case if not for the call about Lee Hayul spraying vomit and collapsing in the middle of the street.

Shaking off the paralysis of her thoughts, she rushed pell-mell to the infirmary. After smoothing out her disheveled hair, she scanned around the health room.

On the bed lay what seemed like a white caterpillar. More precisely, it was a white blanket rolled up tightly… judging by the feel of it, it was Lee Hayul wrapped up in the blanket.

In her haste, she hadn’t heard what exactly had happened.

‘…Is there nothing physically wrong?’

She examined him with magic, but nothing seemed amiss. Liana looked puzzled for a moment, then glanced into a corner of the infirmary.

There stood Atra, leaning against the wall. Though her behavior looked similar to usual, her expression was off. It was that of someone who had lost an entire country.

“What happened?”

“…Nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing? He vomited and passed out just like that?”

Liana posed the question baffled.

“Come on, tell me honestly. Did you do something weird?”

“I don’t know. Just, all of a sudden he… started retching and then…”

“Atra, did this happen right after you met with him?”

Atra stuttered out an answer. Her tangled words made it clear she too was confused.

‘What?’

The question deepened.

So, Lee Hayul vomited and fainted upon meeting Atra? Just like that? Any reason why?

‘I have no idea…’

This was unexpected. Liana sighed heavily and approached the bed. He must be conscious, he should’ve heard the recent conversation.

She intended to ask him directly.

There were no abnormalities in the body, according to the resident healer.

But there might be emotional instability. In such cases, one must not provoke Lee Hayul, instead initiating a calm and gentle conversation.

Liana was confident.

She had always treated Lee Hayul kindly and gently, unlike Atra. And Lee Hayul, feeling that kindness, had willingly received her touch without resistance.

More tender than usual, Liana tuned her voice and spoke.

“Student Lee Hayul? May I talk with you for a moment─”

– Rustle

The twist in the blanket grew more intense. After a moment of squirming, a slight distance formed between Lee Hayul and Liana.

“…Huh?”

It was a clear sign of rejection. An unexpected move. Liana’s mouth involuntarily dropped open.

“Do you… dislike me, too?”

– Thump

As if in agreement, the blanket twitched. A second confirmatory sign of rejection, proving it was no coincidence.

Liana’s body stiffened.