NOVEL NEXT chapter 7
7 – Preparation for Practical Evaluation (1)
008.
A huge mansion in Hannam-dong, Seoul.
High walls like a castle and 24-hour operating CCTV cameras were installed all around.
In addition, private special security guards wearing black suits were always on standby within the compound.
This was one of the villas of the Yoo Gapyung family.
Only a few people, including Yoo Seol-hyun, and some servants were living there.
“Hmm.”
In the spacious room, Yoo Seol-hyun took a sip of her tea and recalled what had happened at the academy.
A month had already passed since Yoo Seolhyun entered Union Academy.
During that time, many things had happened, but what piqued Yoo Seolhyun’s interest the most was the relationship between Lee Siwoon and Jin Suyeon.
‘It seems like it’s the first time Lee Siwoon has taken an interest in a girl.’
Yoo Seolhyun and Lee Siwoon.
The two had known each other for a long time.
It was due to family circumstances, but they could be considered childhood friends. That’s why Yoo Seolhyun couldn’t help but feel surprised all of a sudden.
Lee Siwoon, who had been like a guardian to girls, had become so actively interested.
It was completely different from when he first met Yoo Seolhyun.
He wouldn’t even talk if there was nothing important to say.
The few times they did have conversations, his expression was always indifferent.
He had been like a wooden statue, and Yoo Seolhyun had been awestruck by his demeanor.
‘Could he really be interested?’
At first, she thought it was just a momentary fascination, but was it not?
A perplexing emotion briefly rose in Yoo Seolhyun’s heart.
From her perspective, it was difficult to understand.
Jin Suyeon was simply a girl from a humble background. She wasn’t born with a prestigious pedigree or outstanding psychic abilities.
Her grades were decent but one could say that’s all there was. There was no other factor for Lee Siwoon to be interested in. Her family, ability, talent, or anything.
‘Her face… is it because of her face?’
The only somewhat plausible reason was her beauty.
Even Yoo Seolhyun, who had appeared in social circles occasionally, had hardly seen such a beautiful woman.
The smooth, black hair reminiscent of dark satin, and the contrasting fair skin were enough to make even Yoo Seolhyun, who had seen numerous beauties growing up, admire her.
What about her long, straight legs and curvy figure? Wasn’t it attractive even to another woman?
However, somehow.
It wouldn’t be like Lee Siwoon to be interested solely in appearance.
That’s because, despite having seen many beauties since he was young, he had always remained calm and uninterested.
Then why would Lee Siwoon be attracted to Jin Suyeon?
Moreover, from the very first day at the academy.
“……”
When was it that Yoo Seolhyun was able to have a proper conversation with him?
Their relationship only developed to the point of exchanging conversations after several months, perhaps because, whenever they met, his curt answers seemed to indicate a lack of interest.
But Jin So-yeon, from the first day…
No, that’s not right.
I heard they went to the same school during middle school.
Then it would be fair to think that he had been interested in her since their middle school days. I don’t know what happened between them at that time, though.
Ah, but didn’t Jin So-yeon have a boyfriend during middle school?
A childhood friend named Lee Jin-hyuk.
So, he had a crush on a girl who already had a boyfriend?
Someone like Lee Shi-woon?
“…”
Yoo Seol-hyun laid her body down on the soft, fluffy bed.
She slowly looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment.
After pondering for a while, Yoo Seol-hyun couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically. The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt.
“…I can’t believe you, Lee Shi-woon.”
Pride.
Yes, her pride was hurt.
From Yoo Seol-hyun’s perspective, Lee Shi-woon’s behavior was quite unpleasant.
Even though he had never shown any interest in her as a woman, he fell head over heels for a girl from a commoner background?
…It’s as if she lost out to Jin So-yeon, isn’t it?
That’s quite humiliating.
Yoo Seol-hyun, who lacked nothing in terms of ability, talent, family background, and appearance, had been by his side for a long time, yet he didn’t even give her proper attention.
But why was he so interested in Jin So-yeon, who had nothing?
There was a time when she tried to seduce Lee Shi-woon in a subtle way, but it didn’t work.
But why did it work for Jin So-yeon?
Even though she didn’t like Lee Shi-woon romantically, it was a considerable humiliation to be pushed aside for Jin So-yeon.
And that too, for someone who had a lover not too long ago.
Ah, wait a minute.
‘Come to think of it, Jin So-yeon… She broke up on her first day at the academy, didn’t she?’
It was a little noisy from the first day.
Because a beautiful girl like Jin So-yeon was now single.
It must have been good news for some of the boys who fell for her at first sight.
However, due to the appearance of Lee Si-Woon, who was waiting for a chance, most of the men lost their will.
‘The breakup… the breakup…’
It seemed that Lee Jin-Hyuk and Jin So-Yeon had decided to remain friends.
As childhood friends, there was no awkward atmosphere between them.
Even now, they maintained a close relationship.
As if they never broke up.
But, well?
Could a couple who had been in a relationship for years become just friends without a trace of lingering feelings?
To begin with, Lee Jin-Hyuk was secretly stealing glances at Jin So-Yeon.
And Jin So-Yeon, in turn, seemed to be somewhat bothered by Lee Jin-Hyuk’s attention.
‘…Ah.’
For a moment, an inexplicable smile appeared on Yoo Seol-Hyun’s lips.
‘What to do? A slightly amusing idea came to mind.’
If Yoo Seol-Hyun approached Lee Jin-Hyuk, how would Jin So-Yeon react?
Would she sever her attention since they had broken up, or would she display displeasure while keeping an eye on Yoo Seol-Hyun, or perhaps show an unexpected reaction?
It was quite exciting to imagine how Jin So-Yeon would react.
Hopefully, it would be more interesting than what Yoo Seol-Hyun had imagined.
If it’s not fun, it’s unavoidable to make it fun.
‘I shouldn’t do this…’
But it couldn’t be helped.
Yoo Seol-Hyun had always been this way.
***
It seemed as if it had been over a month since she entered Union.
“That’s it for today.”
Although they had been through various practices so far, it hadn’t been easy.
The more they trained, the more painfully they felt it.
She didn’t have an ounce of talent to be a hero.
“We will end today’s training with this.”
At Hong Da-Ye’s words, the children smiled here and there.
“Now, everyone. Team evaluations are scheduled for next Wednesday.”
“Team… evaluations?”
“Yes. Form your teams. Heroes don’t work alone. Of course, there are heroes who work solo, but most operate in teams. It’s because they can make up for each other’s shortcomings. Having a teammate is definitely advantageous in combat, evasion, and survival.”
The trainees listened carefully to Hong Daye’s words.
“Form your teams of three freely within the class and submit them by Monday’s closing ceremony.”
“Are we supposed to choose our teammates ourselves?”
“Yes.”
Hong Daye looked at our faces once before opening her lips.
“I’ll tell you beforehand that this evaluation will assess a multitude of things like tactics, strategy, combat, adaptability, teamwork, and role performance.”
“…”
“Teaming up with high-achieving members might seem good, but it could actually hold you back due to each member’s outstanding abilities. You might also lose opportunities to shine on your own.”
“…”
“It’s a good idea to consider various factors like combinations, synergy, and gimmick execution when selecting your teammates. The type of test will be announced on the day of the evaluation.”
In other words, don’t just blindly choose teammates with high combat skills.
It’s better to form a team considering numerous situations.
Of course, a team formed by Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan, and Yu Seolhyun would be the strongest.
“Any more questions?”
There were no answers. The trainees seemed to be already thinking about who to team up with.
“If there’s nothing else, let’s call it a day.”
“Yes!”
With those words, the students turned their heels.
On their way to the classroom, the kids endlessly exchanged conversations about potential teammates and practices.
“Hey, let’s team up.”
“No, thanks? I am planning to team up with Han Seong.”
“Wow, I want to team up with Lee Siwoon. We’d definitely win if we were on his team.”
“I can do well too if you pick me as a teammate.”
Everyone is trying hard to find teammates.
“Soyeon, do you want to team up with me?”
“Hmm… I wonder.”
“Come on, what do you say? Huh?”
“Heh, let me think about it.”
Jin So-yeon seemed quite busy.
Since Jin So-yeon’s current ability was quite passable.
Her overall balance was good, so she could contribute to any team. Plus, with her pretty face, she was popular among the boys.
“Hey, choose me as a team member. I have an above-average ability in gravity control. I can definitely help.”
“You know I’m specialized in the electrical field. I can handle almost any situation…”
The place was buzzing with activity.
All those kids over there were eagerly promoting themselves to form a team with Lee Shi-woon. How many were there, really?
However, Lee Shi-woon ignored the kids’ pursuit and walked towards someone.
And that someone was none other than Jin So-yeon.
“So-yeon.”
“Huh? Oh, Shi-woon. You’re lucky, everyone seems to want to team up with you. You can just pick whoever you want, right?”
“Do you want to be on my team?”
“Uh, what?”
Jin So-yeon blinked her eyes.
“With me?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t you think the other kids might be better than me…? To be honest, I don’t think I’m good enough to be on your team.”
“But we’ve teamed up a few times back in middle school. With this being a team performance evaluation, I think our cooperation is important too.”
“Oh, really? Well, I’d be grateful if you chose me.”
In the original game, Lee Shi-woon didn’t invite her first.
It’s because I was Jin So-yeon’s boyfriend.
But now we are just childhood friends.
Lee Shi-woon didn’t hesitate anymore.
‘Fortunately, Shi-woon invited her first.’
I nodded to myself.
This performance evaluation is quite significant.
I wanted to advance Jin So-yeon to the finals with powerful support as much as possible. The reason being that this performance evaluation will initiate the main story, and there is a critical task to accomplish in the finals.
‘Alright, now I should… Huh?’
“Hello? Lee Jin-hyuk.”
Out of the blue, Yoo Seolhyun approached me and started a conversation.
I slightly tilted my head inwardly.
I never thought she would be the one to initiate a conversation with me first.
“We’re in the same class, but we’ve hardly ever talked, right?”
“Yeah. But why?”
“Ah, I just had something I wanted to ask.”
Yoo Seolhyun gave a faint smile and licked her thin lips.
“Do you have someone to work with?”
“Well…”
Why ask when you know the answer?
After a month of training, she should know that I am not as competitive as the other kids.
“If you don’t have a team, would you like to team up with me?”