Breaking Up With the Heroine in an Otome Game

11 – Preparing for Performance Evaluation (4)

012

The upcoming weekend.

I sent messages to Yoo Seol-hyun and Seo Na-ri, saying that I had something to say about the performance evaluation.

Seo Na-ri seemed a little displeased about being called out during her precious weekend time, but when Yoo Seol-hyun gladly accepted, we were able to make an appointment.

The meeting place was a newly opened cafe.

The strawberry piece cake they sold here would become Yoo Seol-hyun’s favorite snack in the future, so I was planning to let her try it today.

Tingling~

With a small ringing sound, a woman entered.

She swept her luscious, gold-dusted hair back and scanned the inside of the cafe before quickly spotting me.

With a small handbag on her shoulder and the hem of her shallow long-jacket fluttering, the sound of her footsteps tapped against my ears.

Wearing casual clothes made her look like a freshman female college student.

There was an adult atmosphere that could not be felt in the academy uniform. She walked toward me gracefully, with a posture reminiscent of a model working.

The men in the cafe glanced furtively at her back, only to be scolded by their girlfriends who caught them.

Yoo Seol-hyun peeked at their reaction and chuckled with her hand covering her mouth.

She had the kind of personality that enjoyed such cheeky reactions.

As if she wasn’t someone who came from a villainous character background.

“You came early?”

“I just got here.”

At Yoo Seol-hyun’s words, I nodded coolly in response.

“She didn’t even recognize me?”

That’s when a familiar voice rang in my ears.

It seemed like someone was there, ah right, they must have come together.

Their small stature made them hard to see.

“Seonari.”

“Hmph.”

Seonari, with pigtails, looked annoyed with arms crossed.

She seemed to have noticed my delayed reaction.

She was supposed to have a complex about her height.

I should avoid mentioning it directly.

“So, what should we order to start with? Since I called you all here today, I’ll at least treat you to a piece of cake.”

The girls chose Americano and a double shot of espresso.

“What’s with the espresso? Isn’t it too much even if you’re eating it with cake?”

“Why do you care what I drink?”

Seonari reacted angrily.

I wonder why she’s like that when she can’t even handle bitter stuff.

Yoo Seolhyun grinned at her reaction.

“Espresso does have a nice aroma. Isn’t that right, Nari?”

“Uh, yeah! That’s right, Jinhyuk doesn’t know this taste because he’s picky!”

Seonari hurriedly took a sip of her espresso, only to let out an indecipherable exclamation, “Uk, euh…”

Yoo Seolhyun asked with wide eyes, “Is it good? Should I order you another?” and Seonari hesitated for a moment.

Even though she didn’t want to drink anymore, she seemed unable to refuse Yoo Seolhyun’s offer, so I let out a snicker and steered the conversation away to help Seonari.

“Okay, everyone, can you take a look at this for a moment?”

I took out several materials prepared for this performance evaluation and put them on the table.

“Hmm?”

Yoo Seolhyun quickly scanned the materials.

“The first opponents we’ll face are Handongwon, O Seongun, and Gomirae. You know that, right?”

“Hmph. What a bunch of nobodies.”

Seonari snorted with a confident expression.

Her confidence came from being ranked 17th.

“Nobodies… these guys were also pretty big deals in their own neighborhoods.”

“Nobodies are still nobodies.”

Well, that might be possible.

After all, they aren’t even named NPCs.

In many ways, they are bound to fall short compared to you, who had a certain weight, and the female villain Yoo Seol-hyun. Be it combat prowess or tactical execution.

But this world is not a game, it’s reality.

Whether they are named NPCs, extras, or even protagonists, one cannot be careless.

Also, while I acknowledge that you guys are stronger than them, it’s definitely not an “overwhelming” strength.

At best, you’re only at the same student level.

Therefore, many variables could have been created depending on how the opponents would approach it.

Especially since I, who have little use as a combatant, am included in this team.

“Everyone is above the upper-middle tier. They use bows, swords, and spears, with an overall good balance. You already know their supernatural abilities, but Han Dong-won’s ability may be slightly different. What you guys need to keep in mind…”

I explained various things about the opposing team.

Supernatural abilities, power, martial arts, compatibility, positioning, tactical plans, etc.

What we had to do and what we should do in the future.

“Interesting.”

How much time had passed?

Yoo Seol-hyun, who had been quietly listening, tapped her coffee cup lightly and spoke.

“You seem to have prepared more than expected, huh?”

She looked at me with a broad smile.

“No wonder you’re ranked first in theory. Listening to this, it feels like you are a tactical advisor.”

“When we had team tactical evaluations in the middle school division, I was always assigned the operator role.”

Sadly, since I lacked the talent to be a hero, I had to at least play the role of a commander to score high in practical evaluations.

In the old days, I used to analyze opponents’ habits, compatibility, weaknesses, specialties, etc., by breaking down training videos or sparring videos frame by frame.

Now, I could recall my past life memories and know almost everything about the Romance Hero Academy’s setting, so planning strategies was much easier.

There were a lot of behind-the-scenes stories related to various characters in official novels and fan works.

“It’s good that you analyzed diligently, but you might have overworked yourself unnecessarily. Yoo Seol-hyun and I would be more than enough without resorting to various tricks.”

Seonari spoke with a slightly annoyed expression.

“That might be true for now. But who knows what the future holds?”

The Han Dong-won team itself is not a big problem.

It’s just a rehearsal to see how much the game’s setting and the analyzed information would apply in reality.

“Even if you two alone defeated the Han Dong-won team, what about the next team? And the team after that?”

“Anyway…”

“In the end, we’ll have to face teams like Lee Shi-woon or Kang Dae-Han, right?”

“…”

Seonari clenched her mouth shut.

Even the male protagonists didn’t seem to be a pushover.

“And with someone like me who’s a weak link, it’ll be harder if we just fight thoughtlessly, won’t it?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Ugh. Why did I so readily admit that I’m a weak link? …Though it’s true.

“In the past, what turned the tables on unfavorable strategies and situations were good tactics. If we face either Lee Shi-woon’s or Kang Dae-han’s team in the final round, we’ll be practically out-powered, right? So, let’s get tuned up in advance and improve the ability to execute tactics.”

“You’re quite confident about making it to the finals?”

As Yu Seol-hyun added her remark, I nodded my head and replied.

“Of course. I made a bet, remember? I said I’d at least make it to first or second place.”

“Alright, I’ll look forward to it.”

“Just make sure you follow my orders, okay?”

“Aha. Of course.”

Yu Seol-hyun smiled faintly and recited while looking at the scattered pieces of paper on the table.

“Actually, I didn’t have much expectations for you, but after seeing the material you brought today and listening to your explanations, I think you might be somewhat decent as an operator.”

She picked up a fork and gently cut off a small piece of cake.

“Of course, mere theoretical talk is unnecessary. I hope you show me your skills in actual combat. I’m starting to wonder whether what you said will really work or not.”

She takes a bite after poking it with the fork.

“So, in the first game, show me what you’ve got. I’ll follow your orders.”

Eventually, she puts the fork down.

Before we know it, she has finished her cake.

Judging by the slight satisfaction on her face, it seemed that she liked the strawberry cake from this cafe.

And thanks to the delicious snack, I had been quietly listening to my words.

“Anyway, I’ve said what I had to say. Do you guys have any questions or anything you want to say?”

“Oh, wait, I need to go to the bathroom for a second…”

Seonari, who had looked a bit pale, quickly raised her hand.

Her face seemed somewhat bluish.

It seemed like she might have a bit of an upset stomach.

“……You should really cut down on espresso.”

“Sh, shut up, Woah! Uh, sorry, Seolhyun, just a second!”

After giving me a sharp look, Seonari quickly apologized to Yu Seolhyun and hurriedly ran off.

Thanks to that, only the two of us were left.

Yu Seolhyun stared at my face and then opened her mouth with a slightly mischievous expression.

“Ah, by the way, how have you been lately?”

“What do you mean?”

What is she trying to say now?

“You’ve been hanging out with Soyeon and Ishiwoon a lot lately.”

“Why does that matter?”

“I just thought it might be a little awkward for you since Soyeon is your ex-girlfriend and she’s been hanging out with another guy right after breaking up with you.”

At Yu Seolhyun’s words, I laughed inwardly.

I’d rather they hung out together even more.

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Doesn’t it bother you that Soyeon is always around Ishiwoon?”

“Why should I be bothered?”

“I heard a rumor, you know. That you two are engaged.”

“What?”

Yu Seolhyun’s eyebrows quivered slightly.

Since the engagement would be a secret.

She must have been surprised by my words.

“Where did you hear that?”

“I don’t know? I think I heard it from someone else.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And don’t be too upset about it. It’s natural for people to gossip about you and Ishiwoon, given your wealthy backgrounds and knowing each other since childhood. People love connecting romantic storylines between others.”

“……”

Yu Seolhyun glanced at me as she twisted a strand of her hair.

“Well, something like that……”

Just as Yu Seolhyun was about to continue speaking.

“…Jinhyuk, what are you doing here?”

“?”

A familiar voice wrapped around the two of us.

Yoo Seolhyun and I unwittingly turned our heads.

Upon identifying the source of the voice,

“What is this? Why are you here?”

“I asked first.”

Jin Soyeon looked at us with a stern expression.

“What are you two doing here?”

***

The situation was absurd for Jin So-yeon.

What on earth had brought these two together in a café on a weekend?

Jinhyuk, who recently didn’t even have time to hang out with Jin So-yeon with the excuse of always being busy, was secretly(?) meeting up and sipping coffee with Yoo Seolhyun?

This was betrayal, betrayal!

What the hell, Jinhyuk!

When I suggested coming to this café together not long ago, you said you were too busy?

You had no time on weekends because of the performance evaluations.

Was the reason you were busy because you had to meet Yoo Seolhyun?

“Aha…♪”

Yoo Seolhyun raised the corners of her mouth slightly and gave a mysterious smile, as if enjoying herself.

“Hi Soyeon?”

“Yeah. But what were you doing with Jinhyuk?”

“Jinhyuk said he had something to tell me, so I came out for a moment.”

“Jinhyuk did?”

For a moment, Jin Soyeon’s gaze shifted towards Jinhyuk.

She was curious about what Jinhyuk had to say to Yoo Seolhyun.

Something to say?

To Yoo Seolhyun, separately?

If it was just ordinary talk, they would have had the conversation at the academy.

What on earth could they have to talk about separately on a weekend like this?

Wait a minute.

Could it be…?

– Actually, I’ve got a girl I like.

Why does the conversation Jinhyuk had a month ago suddenly come to mind?

“Yoo Seolhyun. Don’t say weird things. We just got together because we have something to talk about for our performance evaluation. Look at this.”

“Oh.”

Lee Jinhyuk took out a few documents he had put away after explaining, waving them in front of Jin Soyeon.

“And it’s not like we met alone. We got together with Seonari too.”

Soon after, Lee Jinhyuk gestured towards an empty chair.

Sure enough, there were leftover coffee cups and plates on the table near the empty chair.

“So don’t get too upset.”

“…I’m not upset, okay? And what do I have to be upset about?”

“You asked me to come here together last time, but I refused. Isn’t it because of that?”

Lee Jinhyuk shrugged once as he said this, and Jin Soyeon secretly let out a deep sigh. This guy is great except he’s really… slow.

“What? Jin Soyeon, when did you get here?”

“Nari.”

Seonari, who had returned from the restroom in the meantime, acknowledged Jin Soyeon.

“Then we’ll leave first. Nari, let’s go.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Have a good chat between you childhood friends. Well then.”

Yoo Seolhyun quickly gathered her coat and handbag and left the cafe, and Seonari followed her after hurriedly eating the remaining cake.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell between Lee Jinhyuk and Jin Soyeon for a moment.

“…I should get going too.”

“Sit down.”

As Lee Jinhyuk, who had nothing to say, tried to sneak away, Jin Soyeon frowned and insisted that he sit down.

No, she forced him.

“Aren’t you going to give me some of your time?”

“No, I’m busy!”

“Hah.”

Jin So-yeon suddenly snorted.

Busy?

He always says he’s busy.

Isn’t he just busy with me?

“Hey, Lee Jin-Hyuk. Be honest with me.”

“What?”

“Do you have any hard feelings towards me? Why have you been acting like this lately?”

Jin So-yeon bit her lips slightly and glared at Lee Jin-Hyuk.

No matter how much she thought about it, Jin-Hyuk’s behavior didn’t make sense.

She knew he was busy, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was subtly putting distance between them.

Maybe Jin So-yeon had done something to upset him.

Or there was another reason?

“… That’s just great.”

At Jin So-Yeon’s sullen expression, Lee Jin-Hyuk let out a bitter laugh.

He resembled an uncle trying to console his tantrum-throwing nephew.

…That’s precisely why it didn’t sit well with her.

Lately, Jin-Hyuk seemed to be subtly maturing.

“So-Yeon.”

“What, why?”

With a gentle smile, Lee Jin-Hyuk pulled out a large amount of A4-sized paper with densely written text on it from his bag.

It was a lot more than what he had shown her before.

It seemed to be related to performance evaluations…

“As you know, I am very lacking in talent as a hero.”

“Well, not that much.”

“I felt it myself. During middle school, I could manage without talent, but the Union isn’t like that.”

“…”

“I want to have fun when I can. I want to hang out with you, play games after school, and go out on weekends.”

“…”

Lee Jin-Hyuk laughed bitterly.

“But I realized that if I follow others, playing when they play and working hard when they work, I couldn’t catch up to them. So recently, I’ve been focusing solely on training and studying. I was afraid that if I spent too much time with you, I might get distracted, so I kept a little distance. But I guess it must have seemed odd from your perspective. Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay…”

Jin Soyeon scratched her cheek.

Indeed, it would have been difficult for her to concentrate fully if Jin Soyeon was always by her side.

“And also.”

“?”

“We were once separated, and if we constantly stick together, it doesn’t seem right, does it?”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, Jin Soyeon blinked her eyes. What was this person talking about?

“Why should you worry about that?”

“Well, it’s just bothering me. You might be able to date someone later on, and I don’t want to cause any trouble for you due to my presence.”

“I’ve told you many times that I’m not interested in dating.”

“Heh, you say that, but you seem to be getting along well with Lee Siwoon these days.”

“…That’s only because you’ve been absent recently.”

“What did you say?”

“Wow, I spoke quietly to myself, but did you really not hear it or are you just pretending not to?”

I actually heard it.

But I pretended not to.

Jinhyuk smiled secretly to himself.

“Anyway. Since it was brought up, let me ask you once more – you really don’t have anything going on with Lee Siwoon?”

“What are you talking about? I told you before, didn’t I? There’s nothing like that.”

“Hey, just tell me once. You know I’ve read a lot about relationships and am good at giving advice, right?”

“I told you there’s nothing.”

Seriously, what is he talking about?

Why is Jinhyuk like this?

“Siwoon is really good-looking, rich, and outstandingly talented… What does he lack?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Siwoon seems to be interested in you too. Do you want me to help you?”

“I’ve said no, how many times do I have to say it?”

An indescribable something boils inside at Jinhyuk’s words.

Jin So-yeon was getting more and more annoyed by his attitude, trying to keep linking her with Shi-woon.

“Honestly, with someone like Shi-woon…”

“Hey!”

Bam!

Jin So-yeon slammed the table hard. Lee Jin-hyuk, who was taken aback by her sudden action, immediately regretted it, thinking to himself, ‘Ah, I went too far again.’

“Why don’t you tell me? Are you interested in Yu Seol-hyun?”

“Huh? Me? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

At Jin So-yeon’s sudden words, Lee Jin-hyuk looked puzzled.

“You asked me to break up after our academy entrance day.”

“Well, so?”

“But you said you had someone you liked then.”

“Did I?”

Lee Jin-hyuk had a question mark floating above his head.

“By any chance, was it honestly Yu Seol-hyun?”

“I thought you were making some sense, but there’s no way. Yu Seol-hyun and I, hahahaha. It’s ridiculous.”

“That’s the exact feeling I just had! Why do you keep trying to match me up with Shi-woon?”

“Not if you don’t want it.”

“I’m pissed off…”

“I said I was sorry? I’ll pay for everything today, so please calm down.”

Lee Jin-hyuk scratched his jawbone and casually opened his lips.

“What do you want to eat? Cake? Parfait? Coffee?”

“…Just an Americano is fine.”

“Agh, that’s a bummer with just coffee. If you don’t have anything else to order, I’ll order for you.”

At that, Lee Jin-hyuk picked up the menu, and Jin So-yeon thought silently in her head.

– No, it’s just bothering me. You might get into a relationship later on, but it will be troublesome in many ways if there are problems because of me.

This could apply not only to Jin So-yeon but also to Lee Jin-hyuk.

What if Lee Jin-hyuk had fallen for Yu Seol-hyun at first sight during admission and then informed Jin So-yeon to end the fake relationship?

What if he had deliberately distanced himself after admission because it interfered with getting close to Yu Seol-hyun?

The reason he left Jin So-yeon alone and went out of his way to join Yu Seol-hyun’s team during the evaluation… could it be…?

‘…..’

Upon reaching that thought,

‘…Annoying.’

Jin Soyeon could feel something unknown writhing inside her heart.