About an hour had passed since Baek Seo-jin began waiting outside. Finally, Moriya Yuka and Kang Yu-ra erged, followed by Han Se-hee and Lee Ha-yeon.
The mont he saw them, Baek Seo-jin hurried over.
"Se-hee, Ha-yeon! Are you both okay? Yuka, Yu-ra, are you alright too?"
Baek Seo-jin called Moriya Yuka and Kang Yu-ra by their nas with a sense of familiarity. In his mind, the two were already his close friends.
"Baek Seo-jin."
When Moriya Yuka addressed him by na, Baek Seo-jin’s face lit up as he responded eagerly.
"Yes, Yuka. Are you safe?"
"Yeah. How long have you been waiting here?"
"? I’ve been here the whole hour. I was worried about you all."
"I see."
Moriya Yuka gave a brief reply and turned away, but Baek Seo-jin interpreted her behavior as shyness.
‘She must’ve tried to gather information for
but wasn’t successful.’
If she had uncovered anything, she would have told him imdiately to win his favor. Since that didn’t happen, he assud her subdued deanor was due to her failure.
In truth, Moriya Yuka wasn’t dispirited at all, but Baek Seo-jin was convinced she was masking her disappointnt, and that he had perceptively seen through it.
Kang Yu-ra, walking silently beside her, appeared similarly downcast in his eyes, further confirming his assumptions.
"Ha-yeon, Se-hee."
Turning to his long-ti friends—who, in his mind, had harbored unrequited love for him for years—he called out to them warmly.
"Don’t talk to us right now."
Lee Ha-yeon snapped at him sharply. Grabbing Han Se-hee’s hand, she quickly walked away, leaving Baek Seo-jin montarily stunned.
‘Ah, I was too hasty.’
He realized he had forgotten where he was standing in his concern for them.
‘I’m right in front of Kim Ho-jun’s office.’
The foolishness of his misstep hit him like a brick wall, filling him with embarrassnt.
Watching Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee walk off in a direction entirely different from Moriya Yuka and Kang Yu-ra, Baek Seo-jin hesitated before cautiously following them.
‘That’s a signal to follow.’
He convinced himself that they were discreetly telling him it wasn’t safe to talk here and that they should speak in a more secure location.
***
"Impressive."
Stepping outside, Moriya Yuka couldn’t help but marvel at Baek Seo-jun’s imnse power.
‘He altered the flow of ti inside and outside the room, allowing us to spend over 30 hours inside while only an hour passed outside. If he had set it that way from the beginning, we could’ve spent 60 hours inside.’
The ability to stretch ti by a factor of sixty was incredible. Even though aging didn’t occur inside, which ant physical training wouldn’t yield direct results, the extended ti could be used in countless other productive ways.
‘For now, he’s given us ti to decide…’
Moriya Yuka’s thoughts shifted to the “grace period” Baek Seo-jun had granted them.
He hadn’t summoned them to his bed that night. Instead, he left the decision entirely up to them, telling them to co to him whenever they felt ready.
They could go that very night or wait for a later ti, but Yuka couldn’t help feeling that delaying wasn’t truly an option.
"Yu-ra."
"Y-Yes?"
When Yuka called her, Kang Yu-ra flinched and responded nervously. Her red eyes darted slightly, as if trying to gauge Yuka’s intentions. The sight reminded Yuka of an adorably timid rabbit, making her almost laugh. She couldn’t help but think of her own nickna.
Back in Japan, people referred to her as kitsune (きつね, fox). In that context, the bond between her and Kang Yu-ra felt like the friendship between a fox and a rabbit.
"You’re planning to visit Master’s room tonight, aren’t you?"
Kang Yu-ra’s startled expression and wide eyes confird Yuka’s suspicion.
"Do… do you think it’s that obvious?"
"Yes, it’s very obvious. Your thoughts are practically written all over your face, Yu-ra."
Seeing Yu-ra blush furiously and lower her head in embarrassnt only made Yuka find her more endearing.
‘I can’t let her go alone.’
Yuka wasn’t about to fall behind Yu-ra, but her decision wasn’t purely competitive. She genuinely didn’t want to let her shy friend face this alone.
She resolved to accompany Yu-ra to Baek Seo-jun’s room that very night. There was no point in dragging this out unnecessarily.
‘After all, we’ll be learning directly from him every day from now on.’
With that thought, Yuka gently took Yu-ra’s hand, smiling as she spoke.
"Yu-ra, let’s go to Master’s room together tonight."
"Y-Yes, Yuka. Alright."
"Good. And let’s grow stronger together—you for your revenge, and
to protect what’s important."
"Yes!"
Before the villains’ inevitable attack ca, both of them were determined to beco as strong as possible.
Yuka sought to protect her family, while Yu-ra fought to achieve her revenge.
‘When the ti cos, I’ll help Master carry out his vengeance as well.’
Once Yu-ra’s revenge was complete, Baek Seo-jun’s own vendetta wouldn’t be far behind.
‘When that mont cos…’
Moriya Yuka realized what she truly desired.
She wished to hold Baek Seo-jun in her arms, offering him peace and comfort beyond strength, and allowing the weight of his struggles to lt away in her embrace.
***
After following Han Se-hee and Lee Ha-yeon to a secluded area, Baek Seo-jin quickly approached them from behind.
"Se-hee, Ha-yeon," he called softly, flashing them a warm smile when they turned to face him.
‘Good, they’re not hurt.’
While gathering information about Kim Ho-jun was important, Baek Seo-jin’s primary concern was ensuring that his friends were safe and unhard. Defeating Kim Ho-jun was crucial, but it ant nothing if his loved ones got hurt in the process. His goal, after all, was to save the woman he loved most, Seomun Ye-jin.
With a sweep of his hand, Baek Seo-jin cast a magical barrier to ensure their conversation wouldn’t be overheard.
"There, now we don’t need to worry about anyone listening."
Understanding that they’d been hesitant to speak near Kim Ho-jun for fear of being overheard, Baek Seo-jin smiled gently at them, trying to ease their nerves.
"Baek Seo-jin," Lee Ha-yeon said, calling him by na.
"Yes, Ha-yeon," he replied, nodding.
Though he wished she’d call him "Seo-jin-ah" like she used to, her role as the heir to the Angel Guild likely made her more formal and guarded. He couldn’t rember exactly when she’d last addressed him informally, but he knew it had happened. There was no doubt about that.
"I have important information," Lee Ha-yeon stated, her tone serious.
Baek Seo-jin clenched his fists tightly.
‘As expected!’
He was certain Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee, who cared for him deeply, had gone to great lengths to gather information for his sake.
‘So Yuka and Yu-ra weren’t disappointed because they failed to find anything!’
It wasn’t that Moriya Yuka and Kang Yu-ra had co up empty-handed. Instead, they had likely stepped back to let Ha-yeon and Se-hee—who were closer to Baek Seo-jin—deliver the information first.
The thought of the won vying for his favor filled Baek Seo-jin with a small sense of pride as a man.
"What kind of information?" he asked softly.
"It’s about an upcoming villain attack," Lee Ha-yeon said.
Baek Seo-jin’s expression hardened instantly.
"Villains?"
"Yes, and it’s possible that a large-scale attack by SSS-class villains is imminent. While we don’t know the exact date yet, we do know their target: us."
"By ‘us,’ you an…?"
"Seomun Ye-jin unni, , Se-hee, Yuka, and Yu-ra. The five of us. They’re planning to abduct us, just like Gye Un-jik did five years ago."
"How did you find this out?"
"I ca across the information by chance. But trust , it’s legitimate."
Baek Seo-jin didn’t hesitate to believe her.
"I trust you, Ha-yeon. I won’t ask how you obtained it."
It was clear they had worked hard to bring him this information, and he was grateful for their efforts.
"Thank you, Ha-yeon. And Se-hee, thank you as well. I appreciate it."
Noticing Han Se-hee shyly turning her head away, Baek Seo-jin assud it was out of embarrassnt and thought she looked adorable.
‘I won’t let the villains target my friends.’
No matter who ca for them, Baek Seo-jin was determined to protect them. He wouldn’t allow himself to fall, no matter what.
‘Could Kim Ho-jun be the one behind the villains targeting the academy?’
The thought was increasingly plausible. For the villains to plan such a bold assault on Kangin Academy, they had to have powerful backing.
If Kim Ho-jun, the academy’s dean, was their supporter and mastermind, it all made sense.
If that were true, it was a dire situation. Baek Seo-jin would need to relay this information to Choi Kang-in and alert all his allies imdiately.
***
Imagination and reality are often vastly different.
But Baek Seo-jin had yet to realize that truth.
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