NOVEL NEXT chapter 0
0 – A Heroine and Her Boyfriend in a Women’s Game
001.
“Welcome to the Union Hero Training Academy.”
I looked up at the platform.
The neatly dressed principal was reciting his speech.
I listened to the principal’s words for a moment and then quickly surveyed the surroundings.
As I did so, the vast auditorium came into full view.
Numerous students sitting quietly.
Instructors standing in orderly poses.
Banners hanging in the distance.
[ 2023 Union Academy Freshman Entrance Ceremony ]
All of these things were familiar to me, but at the same time, they were also unfamiliar.
“Now, the representative of the 20th Union Academy freshmen, Lee Si-Woon, please come forward.”
Could it have been then?
The principal called out the name of a male student.
Si-Woon Lee walked straight up to the platform.
The gaze of trainees and outsiders was fixed on him.
It was as if arrows had pierced him, all eyes focused in an instant.
But Si-Woon simply swept his gaze over the crowd with a dull expression.
He did not care for the eyes of thousands of people.
“Hey, look over there. That’s Lee Si-Woon, the Si-Woon.”
“Si-Woon Lee, as in the grandson of the SL Group?”
“Well, yeah, but he’s really handsome.”
“That’s right. He looks much better in person than in photos, huh?”
Whispers.
I heard whispers in my ears.
It was the female students sitting a little further away.
They were chattering like birds, looking at Si-Woon.
Compliments about his good looks, saying he’s a rich heir, calling him a genius.
Their faces mixed with admiration and goodwill.
“Wow, damn. Even as a guy, I can say he’s seriously handsome.”
“If I stood next to him, I’d look like a total squid, huh?”
“Life is so damn unfair. He’s got talent, comes from a wealthy family, and he’s good-looking… sh*t.”
The male students clicked their tongues with sullen faces.
In contrast to the female students, they couldn’t help but voice their jealousy.
Well, it’s understandable.
Lee Siwoon was practically perfect in every aspect.
Appearance, family background, talent, ability…
From a guy’s perspective, it’s only natural to feel envious.
To put it in a half-joking manner, Lee Siwoon was a character who would typically appear in a female-oriented genre.
‘Lee Siwoon…’
I looked at Lee Siwoon, who had started to read the oath on the stage and scrutinized his face in various ways, absorbed in thought.
Lee Siwoon.
Top incoming freshman of the 20th Union Academy.
The grandson of one of the top five conglomerates in South Korea.
One of the students of the Sword Master and soon to be recognized as one of the top talents in Union Academy.
His face is obviously the best among the male students of the academy.
From what I remember, he must have won first place in the popularity poll for male characters twice in a row, right?
“Huh? Wait a second. Is that Kang Daehan?”
“Kang Daehan?”
A female student, who had been looking at Lee Siwoon, opened her eyes wide in surprise and pointed at a male student’s chin while tapping her friend’s shoulder next to her.
I also shifted my gaze and stared at the male student standing far away.
“Haah~ Oh, man…”
In that place, a male student with dyed red hair was lazily sitting, yawning as if he were somewhat annoyed.
The sight reminded me of what’s referred to as a “bully” or a “rascal.”
However, Kang Daehan is not an ordinary bully.
No wonder since he is from the legendary hero, Kang Chulwoon’s bloodline.
“Kang Daehan… is he from the Heukyeong Clan?”
“The Heukyeong Clan has a bit of a bad reputation, you know.”
“Still, it’s one of Korea’s representative clans, right?”
Kang Daehan.
The 20th Union Academy New Student, ranked 5th.
The second son of national hero Kang Cheolwoon.
Inheriting his father’s lineage, he is known for his rather violent temperament and beast-like senses.
His actual combat ability is expected to be on par with Lee Siwoon as a double-headed chariot.
However, due to his poor written test scores, he was admitted as the 5th student in the academy.
Even though opinions are divided among his female fans, he has gained remarkable popularity in some areas.
Seeing his fastidious and tough image, many female fans like him, calling him a “beastly man” or a “bad boy.”
It seems that he has taken the 1st to 3rd place in the male character popularity polls several times.
‘Who would have thought I’d see those guys in person?’
Lee Siwoon and Kang Daehan.
I know those two well.
I can confidently say that I know them better than any other person here.
Because they are the most important ‘male heroes’ in this world.
“Jinhyuk.”
While I was sitting and staring blankly at the male protagonists, lost in thought.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
A sweet voice gently stroked my ear.
As I followed the source of the clear and refreshing voice, I immediately caught sight of a silhouette.
“Ah~.”
A female student looking at me with a slightly playful expression and teasing eyes.
“Are you perhaps looking for a pretty girl?”
I slowly observed the face of the female student who was laughing hehehe and showing endless familiarity.
A cluster of hair as if from the night sky.
Skin as white as ivory and as smooth as a newborn baby.
Sparkling pupils and slender eyelashes.
“I never tire of seeing this face for over ten years now.’
Her beauty melts a man’s heart just by quietly observing her.
She’s like a work of art that a famous painter poured his life into.
Elegant enough to evoke the imagery of the Moon Palace’s beautiful fairy.
“Well, to steal the hearts of numerous male protagonists, she would need at least that much beauty.”
How should I put it?
Could it be called a beauty that is full of “causality”?
“……”
I quickly sorted out my absurd thoughts and pondered the beautiful female student in my head.
The girl’s name is Jin Soyeon.
She is one of the many aspiring heroes who entered Union Academy at 257th place.
However, it is difficult to consider Jin Soyeon as just a beautiful-faced aspiring hero.
After all, Jin Soyeon would later become the academy’s top hero, receiving love from numerous male protagonists.
“What’s wrong? Why are you like that?”
At the same time, she is the one and only female protagonist (heroine) of this women-oriented game ‘Romance Hero Academy’.
“Is there something on my face?”
And she is my one and only girlfriend.
“No.”
That’s right.
I was reincarnated as an NPC in a women-oriented RPG game that I played in my past life.
“I just took a look.”
However, I was reincarnated as the defeated childhood friend NPC ‘Lee Jinhyuk’, who was sadly withdrawn from the stage after being tormented by jealous male characters.