Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game

It was our first day at Union Academy.

We made our way to the class we had been assigned.

Glancing around, I saw the vast corridors filled with numerous students sharing cheerful conversations.

The atmosphere buzzed with the freshness of new students.

“Hehe, we ended up in the same class again?”

As we walked down the hallway, Jin Soyeon initiated a conversation with a bright voice.

“I’ve lost count of how many years we’ve been in the same class. Ah~ I’m so tired of it already~.”

She hummed a little tune and playfully poked my side.

She seemed pleased to be assigned to the same class.

Come to think of it, because of the ‘childhood friend’ setup, Jin Soyeon and I had almost always been in the same class since elementary school.

“Compared to middle school, this place is huge, isn’t it? How much further do we have to go even after taking the internal shuttle bus? I almost got lost during the entrance ceremony!”

“The total area of Union Academy is slightly larger than Yeouido.”

“Wow, that much? No wonder it’s the best hero training institution in the country.”

According to the settings, Union is a famous academy even on a global scale.

Artificial dungeons, combat training fields, simulation centers, physical training facilities, special security offices, internal relic research complexes, magical societies, medical facilities, history museums, apartments for officials, dormitories for students, and so on.

The number of facilities and equipment was too vast to count.

The population living here permanently was equivalent to a small city.

“Here’s Class 1-1.”

After a few more minutes of walking, we finally arrived at our classroom.

I took a deep breath in my mind.

My heart was aflutter for various reasons.

The 1-1 class at Union Academy was anything but ordinary.

After all, it combined me, Jin Soyeon, and the male protagonists.

Class 1-1 could be considered the main stage of Romance Hero Academy.

Opening the door to this classroom would plunge us into the heart of the story.

“Ah, wait a second.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

Suddenly, Jin Soyeon hesitated with a slight flush on her cheeks.

“I need to use the bathroom…”

“Out of the blue? Are you nervous or something?”

“Not nervous, but… anyway, you go in first, Jinhyuk.”

“What if you get lost on your own? You have no sense of direction.”

“I do not~!”

Jin Soyeon, stung by the comment about her sense of direction, pouted her lips in displeasure.

What’s with that? Is she trying to act cute?

…She is indeed cute.

“When you were little, you got lost on an errand and I had to find you crying…”

“Ah!”

As I teased her about her embarrassing childhood memories, Jin Soyeon hurriedly cut me off.

“Anyway! I’ll be right back, so save me a spot, got it?”

“Sure, sure.”

Jin Soyeon shot me a sharp look and then headed off to the restroom with a haughty stride.

I watched her go, and feeling my tension ease thanks to her.

Whew… that’s good.

Let’s go inside.

I swallowed hard and grabbed the doorknob.

Opening the door slowly, the classroom interior unfolded before me.

With its clean design and spacious layout, the semi-circular classroom unexpectedly reminded me of a college lecture hall.

I had only seen this kind of classroom in the game, but it sure looked like a high-quality setup.

‘Let’s see…’

The noise inside the classroom was quite loud.

Many students were clustered in small groups, chatting away.

There were many students from the same schools, so it was easy for them to stick together.

Students who already knew each other were happily blooming in conversation.

Some still seemed a bit awkward but were trying to make friends by starting dialogues.

Among them…

There was one group that particularly stood out.

Centered around a male student with an icy-cold appearance, a circle of boys and girls gathered, buzzing with various conversations.

I glanced over at that male student.

I could see his hair tinged with a faint blue and his eyes filled with melancholy.

It was almost as if a craftsman had painstakingly sculpted him, detail by detail, into a work of art.

Such an appearance could only draw admiration.

‘That’s Lee Siwoon.’

The young master of the SL Group, Lee Siwoon.

Up close, he was even more handsome.

Handsome, capable, from a good family…

No wonder he has so many female fans.

I feel a bit envious, honestly.

“Siwoon, did you see that event by GB Group last time? I’m Hanna Kim, and my father…”

“Are you friends with Baek Yurin, one of the top ten swordsmen’s disciples?”

“Congratulations on being the top student, Siwoon. You’re really amazing, aren’t you?”

Was it because of his status as the young master of one of Korea’s leading conglomerates?

Numerous students clung to his side, wagging their tails eagerly.

The sight of these kids trying to score even the tiniest crumb of favor made me sigh for various reasons.

They were acting so sycophantic at such a young age.

“Yeah, Hanna. How’s your father doing?”

“Ah! Yeah! Maybe you can visit our house sometime…”

Lee Siwoon responded to the students with a composure that suggested he was used to such attention.

The girls burst into giggles just from his slight nod and subtle smile.

I watched Lee Siwoon for a moment before turning away.

There was another important male protagonist in this classroom besides him.

That was Kang Daehan, the second male protagonist.

“Yaaawn.”

“Um, Daehan?”

“Huh?”

There, at the far back of the room, sat Kang Daehan with his red hair.

He had pushed his chair back and propped his legs on the desk, nodding off.

The way he had carelessly loosened his tie and opened his shirt reminded me of a lounger.

“I’m… Chae Hwayoung, and I…”

“Hey.”

Interrupted by a brown-haired girl who kept talking to him, Kang Daehan woke up with an irritated response.

True to his character, he disliked anyone who disturbed his nap, regardless of gender.

“What do you want? It’s noisy, so buzz off.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”

At Kang Daehan’s harsh words, the girl looked startled, breaking into a cold sweat as she quickly apologized.

He snorted disdainfully before falling back asleep.

“You idiot. That’s why I told you not to bother Kang Daehan for nothing.”

“Yeah…”

The friend beside her patted Hwayoung’s shoulder, offering some comfort.

“But still, I’m happy I even got to talk to Daehan… Hehe.”

Despite being scolded, Hwayoung giggled, her cheeks slightly blushing.

I simply couldn’t understand such a reaction.

Wow, really?

Is that what being handsome gets you?

Damn it.

‘And Kang Daehan… He’s just as hot-headed as in the game.’

As expected of the bloodline of a hero who represented Korea.

Arrogant, self-centered, and prickly.

Many female fans disliked him for his thuggish appearance, but his popularity was high because of his warmth towards his own woman.

Such a sassy character.

“…Zzz.”

Kang Daehan had fallen asleep again.

There weren’t many students around him.

They were just sneaking peeks at him, slightly uncomfortable.

‘Well, his family is quite scary.’

The HanYoung Clan, founded by a legendary hero.

But the background of the clan’s founding wasn’t so rosy.

It was established by overpowering ability-users who were almost like villains themselves.

Though it’s been quiet lately, compared to other clans, it maintains a strong top-down culture and is a bit frightening.

‘Lee Siwoon and Kang Daehan… Anyway, I hope they form a good relationship with Jin Soyeon.’

Recruiting these two as allies would be a great help.

Their talent and abilities were beyond words.

Plus, their families were very solid.

A conglomerate and a leading clan, after all.

They’d be helpful in any case.

“Oh? Jinhyuk~ Hi.”

Just then, a male student patted my shoulder and approached.

“Wow. I saw your class assignment yesterday, but it’s really amazing. You actually got into Union.”

He chuckled and slung an arm around my shoulder.

“Your practical skills were so-so, right?”

The student with the short sports haircut and muscular build was named Yuseong Kim.

“But what can you do? Union isn’t a place to survive just on written test scores. Jinhyuk, you’re going to have a hard time, right?”

Unfortunately, we had some interaction since we came from the same middle school.

He was the typical hyena type of person.

He liked to stomp on those who seemed weak to boost his own ego.

For Yuseong Kim, clinging to the strong and looking down on others was in his nature.

‘If I hadn’t broken up with Jin Soyeon, he would’ve been the first to join Lee Siwoon or Kang Daehan in tormenting me out of jealousy.’

It was fortunate I could cut off the superficial relationship right at the start of the Academy.

“Isn’t that so?”

“Yeah, whatever. Unhook your arm.”

I shrugged off his arm-hold.

Ugh, why do guys get all clingy?

“Are you still dating Soyeon?”

“None of your business, right?”

Yuseong Kim slyly mentioned Jin Soyeon.

He had been a bit concerned about me and Jin Soyeon dating for a while.

Unsuited, wondering why we were together, envious, and all that.

“It’s a bit disappointing to hear you talk like that. Honestly, I’m just curious. How long have Soyeon and you been…”

“What?”

All of a sudden.

A familiar voice interjected from behind.

“Oh, Soyeon. Hi.”

“Hey.”

Jin Soyeon had returned from her errand and come close.

“Why is my name coming up, Yuseong?”

“Uh, just…”

Yuseong Kim hesitated a bit in his reply.

Apparently, he couldn’t openly ask why she was dating me in front of her.

So I took the opportunity to mention it.

“He was asking if we were still together.”

“What?”

As I casually responded, Jin Soyeon frowned slightly and glared at Yuseong Kim.

“Why do you care about that?”

“Oh, just curious.”

Jin Soyeon shot a blunt look at Yuseong Kim, who could only respond with an awkward smile.

“You’re very interested in other people’s relationships on the first day…”

“We broke up.”

Suddenly.

“I mean, we decided to just stay friends.”

Interrupting Jin Soyeon, I revealed the fact that we had broken up, causing Yuseong Kim to blink in surprise.

He clearly hadn’t imagined we would have broken up.

“Oh, I see. Sorry for asking about something unnecessary.”

“Don’t worry about it. We didn’t break up on bad terms.”

I shrugged nonchalantly with a smirk.

“We were childhood friends and have been dating for so long that it just felt like we didn’t see each other as romantic partners anymore. Right, Soyeon?”

“Ah, yeah. That’s right.”

Jin Soyeon twisted her hair around her fingers after frowning slightly.

She seemed somewhat displeased.

Was revealing our breakup on the first day not to her liking?

Well, from Jin Soyeon’s perspective, it could be.

Pretending to be lovers was a good barrier against annoying guys, but now that was no longer an option.

“I don’t think we needed to announce it on the first day. It’s just going to stir up gossip.”

“But it’s better to clear the air about these things.”

Because, you know.

There needed to be a clear message for someone currently standing with perked ears, listening in.

The fact that Jin Soyeon and I were no longer a couple.

“Right?”

“Do what you want.”

Behind Jin Soyeon’s indifferent reply.

There was a male student staring intently at us from a distance.

Though surrounded by other students, his gaze was fixed on me and Jin Soyeon.

It was Lee Siwoon.

“…”

“Siwoon, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

A chattering girl turned her questioning eyes to Lee Siwoon who had been staring in one direction.

She seemed to sense something odd about his focused gaze.

But even after responding, Lee Siwoon continued to sneak peeks over here.

Well, he had to.

The news that we had broken up would have caught his attention.

‘The first day, and he learns that Soyeon and I have split. It’ll be easier for him to approach her now.’

We had attended the same middle school as Lee Siwoon, after all.

Though we hadn’t spoken much back then, I knew from his character setting that he had been secretly in love with Jin Soyeon since back in the day.

It must have been hard for him to approach her while I was still her boyfriend.

But now that wasn’t the case, right?

Isn’t that right, Lee Siwoon?