Chapter 186 – Will It Snow for Christmas? (1)
“We need a strategy!”
Kim Chae-eun declared.
Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun looked at her puzzled.
“…?”
“What strategy?”
It was the week before the end of the 2nd semester at the academy.
In a quiet cafe nearby.
The three girls rented a seminar room in the cafe to meet.
To be precise, it was Kim Chae-eun saying they needed a strategy.
Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun had followed her call, but…
“Christmas is coming up soon.”
“So?”
“What do you mean so? Ga-eun, what are you going to do for Christmas?”
Kim Chae-eun suddenly stabbed her with a question.
At that, Moon Ga-eun’s expression noticeably filled with bewilderment.
It was as if…
She had been caught planning something secretly.
“W, what? I, I don’t have any plans.”
“Liar.”
“H, hey! I’m not lying! Then what are you going to do, Chae-eun?”
At the counter-question laced with slight injustice, Kim Chae-eun confidently said,
“I’m going to spend it with Jae-hyun.”
“…What?”
“…!”
The rock she casually threw struck the two at the same time.
At Kim Chae-eun’s answer, Moon Ga-eun as well as Kang Juyeon looked at her with shaken eyes.
Spend Christmas with Do Jae-hyun.
While this may be nothing to others…
To them, it was a bombshell declaration.
Because Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun also had thoughts of spending Christmas with Do Jae-hyun.
“W, what? Jae-hyun agreed to spend it with you?”
Had she already stolen the march?
At that thought, Moon Ga-eun anxiously asked.
Her first Christmas date ever.
If things went wrong, it could end without her even trying…
It was a crisis that it could finish before she could even attempt it.
However, Kim Chae-eun slowly shook her head.
“No. I haven’t even asked him yet.”
“Phew…”
“…….”
Sighs of relief filled the seminar room.
There was still a chance.
It was a sigh that came out unknowingly at the thought that there was still an opportunity.
Moon Ga-eun’s actions did not match her words that she had no plans whatsoever.
At that, Kim Chae-eun snorted.
“See. You guys were also thinking of spending it with Jae-hyun.”
“…….”
At her bulls-eye words, everyone quieted down.
Different places, same thoughts.
The three all had similar plans.
It was a moment when Kim Chae-eun’s words, ‘a countermeasure was needed’, were quickly understood.
Knocking the table a couple times, Kim Chae-eun brought up new words.
“I think we need to be more honest with each other.”
“…Honest?”
At Kang Juyeon’s repeat question, Kim Chae-eun nodded her head.
“Yes. Just take right now for example. We were hiding it in our hearts and almost had overlapping schedules without realizing it.”
Everyone slowly nodded their heads at those words.
What if all three made the same suggestion on the same day?
This was a disaster among disasters.
Especially since it involved a plan regarding Do Jae-hyun.
While of course it’d be good if one got chosen…
Given Do Jae-hyun’s personality, he likely wouldn’t just pick one person.
He would probably make a choice where no one got hurt, even if he had to take the blame.
‘Like suddenly going monster hunting alone…’
Monster hunting on Christmas?
Just the thought itself was a horribly crazy idea, but Do Jae-hyun doing it was very much a possibility.
Rather, the probability of that was higher.
Discussions like today were definitely necessary to prevent such a catastrophe.
“We’ve fought together since the underground dungeons to the recent Villain subjugation. And I think we know each other just as well. Even when we feel like rivals at times, there’s still a bond.”
After saying that and closing her eyes for a moment, Kim Chae-eun opened her eyes and got to the main point.
“I’m interested in Jae-hyun. Romantically.”
“……!!”
“And I’m guessing it’s the same for you two. Am I right?”
While the words were too direct, they were also necessary words.
Something they were all already aware of.
And for a fairly heavy topic that couldn’t just be glossed over lightly.
So at Kim Chae-eun’s words, Moon Ga-eun slowly nodded her head in agreement.
However, it looked like only Moon Ga-eun sympathized.
Kang Juyeon, who had quietly listened to Kim Chae-eun’s words.
After seeing Moon Ga-eun nod her head…
She called out to her with a slightly blank expression.
“…Ga-eun.”
“Huh?”
“Do…Do you like Jae-hyun?”
“…….”
A sudden silence flowed in the seminar room.
Suffocating stillness and invisible flames engulfed the small space entirely.
Big trouble.
One wrong answer here and she’d be grilled alive.
She was already considered one of the best fire abilities, and combined with the intense anger, she had no confidence in blocking those flames whatsoever.
“Ah, no. Didn’t you hear what Chae-eun just said? She was talking about having interest, not liking someone.
Desperately trying to dodge the question while concealing her fluster, Moon Ga-eun said.
With her brows furrowed a little, Kang Juyeon said.
“…Isn’t that the same thing?”
“It’s not! Liking someone means you have to be ready to confess anytime an opportunity comes up. Like the heroine confessing in dramas. But I absolutely can’t confess now. Can you?”
At the question, Kang Juyeon briefly hesitated before burying her head and answering,
“…No.”
“Right? Phew… Anyway! I’m in that state too. Just interested, just interested.”
Kang Juyeon nodded her head as if in understanding.
But not long after, she cocked her head.
Something was strange.
Isn’t having interest eventually meaning it could develop into feelings of love anytime?
Or was there really a boundary between romantic interest and feelings of love?
Having thought up to there, Kang Juyeon raised her head.
At that, as if sensing she’d been stabbed, Moon Ga-eun was oddly avoiding her gaze for some reason.
Kang Juyeon’s forehead creased once more.
“…Traitor.”
“W, what?”
With a voice full of injustice, Moon Ga-eun rebutted.
“Yet you said you didn’t like Jae-hyun. If I had pressed you for an answer back then, you would have dodged and said no too. You even made fun of me for not having dated before…!!”
In truth, Kang Juyeon had also concealed her feelings all this time.
It was obvious enough that even her longtime friend Moon Ga-eun, let alone Kim Chae-eun whom she hadn’t know for long, noticed.
But she had fooled herself, insisting it wasn’t like that…
However, a lot of time had passed now, and her feelings had grown deeper.
Now, there was no reason or need to hide it anymore.
Having thought up to there, the slightly embarrassed Kang Juyeon turned her head away.
“I’m…just interested. Not that I like him.”
“Ack! You’re totally taking advantage…!”
Jab jab-
As the two bickered, engrossed in their own conversation.
Before they realized, the inside of the seminar room had filled with cold air.
Frost gradually appearing on the walls and table too.
At the strange phenomenon that came out of nowhere, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun, who were squabbling, turned their heads.
“Hehe. It’s nice chatting, but shall we come up with a strategy now?”
It was Kim Chae-eun.
Though her face was smiling, cold air billowed out around her with force.
At that overwhelming atmosphere…
Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun nodded their heads unconsciously.
“…Yeah.”
“L, let’s do that!”
It’s truly universal across times that nice people are scary when angry.
***
Ippotranslation
***
The second semester has come to an end.
The final evaluations for this semester were replaced with final exams, assignments, and performance evaluations.
The villain raid and subjugation operations that the students experienced during the semester gave them excessive fatigue. Because of that, the administration judged that it would be too much to conduct evaluations related to duels again.
<Interim Duel Tournament Results at the Academy (12/23)>
Instead, an interim duel tournament was held at the mist field for applicants to duel freely.
The ‘festival’ and ‘dueling tournament’ that were originally scheduled for the end of the 2nd semester.
It was a tournament that somewhat replaced the large-scale events that were canceled due to the villain attack and subjugation.
I was too busy to participate, but I heard that Park Jin-woo and some of our circle members participated.
“Huh?”
For a moment, my eyes widened in surprise when I saw the results.
<Winner – Camila Flores>
The name listed as the winner was very familiar.
Camila Flores.
The American Holder from the California Academy I met when Park Jin-woo forcibly called me out.
More than that, she was the first female Holder that Park Jin-woo showed interest in.
As this tournament was an interim festival-like event, the American exchange students were also able to participate.
But still, seeing her name as the tournament winner was surprising.
She already showed an active desire to improve when we first met, and it seems her skills were also considerable.
“…Do you know her?”
A familiar voice was heard from the side.
It was a cold but now subtly affectionate voice.
Crimson hair and beautiful looks.
And…
‘Uh.’
For a moment I almost turned my head unconsciously.
Kang Juyeon’s outfit in front of the student council building today…
It was more daring than I thought.
A short dress going up to her knees.
Although her arms were covered, her shoulders were exposed from the off-shoulder style.
Above all, the color of the dress… Was red.
An off-shoulder red dress.
An outfit with a Santa-like feel that would catch anyone’s eye.
Unlike Kang Juyeon’s usual style, a daring yet charming outfit that suited her more than anyone else.
‘I’ll be in big trouble if Kang Woo-hyun finds out I was with Kang Juyeon looking like this.’
If we get caught together with Kang Juyeon as she is today?
I didn’t even want to imagine how Kang Woo-hyun would react.
I hope there are no reporters who would take pictures of us today…
“Ahem, when did you get here?”
“Just now. Who’s that person you were looking at?”
Kang Juyeon pointed at the paper I was staring intently at.
She seemed curious about the unfamiliar foreign name that caught my attention.
“Ah, her name’s Camila Flores… She’s an American Holder who came as an exchange student, she’s kinda close with Jin-woo.”
“…Park Jin-woo?”
“Yeah. I met her briefly before, and I saw that she won the interim duel tournament today. Surprised me.”
Of course, the interim tournament results weren’t the only thing posted.
With the semester ending and the year coming to a close, many posters were put up in the Academy’s student council building.
Starting from New Year’s greetings by key figures like the Chairman, professors, and student council president, recruitment posters for graduating senior classes, trade proposals for various used equipment, etc…
Various posters were continuously being posted.
Among them were also posters related to me.
<Academy’s Official ‘Circle of the Year’>
– Anti-Villain (Leader: Do Jae-hyun/1st year)
– Review: The Anti-Villain circle was first established this 2nd semester, achieving unbelievable results in less than 6 months since its activities began. First of all…
<2nd Semester Top Rankings by Grade>
*1st Years (Overall: Do Jae-hyun)
– Warrior: Park Jin-woo
–Mage: Kang Juyeon
– Assassin: Do Jae-hyun
… …
“Congrats on being first in our grade.”
Kang Juyeon, also looking at the posters beside me, spoke.
Despite her curt tone, I could now tell it was a congratulations with full sincerity.
“Thanks.”
I didn’t say meaningless words like ‘I thought it would be you.’.
Because this semester, my grades were overwhelmingly superior in terms of achievement and growth.
Proportional results according to my hard work.
I decided to fully enjoy it as such.
“Shall we get going?”
“…Yeah.”
Leaving the posters behind, we turned our bodies.
December 24th.
Christmas Eve.
It was the day I had dinner plans with Kang Juyeon.
