Episode 72: Yang energy (2)
Cheon Yeoul’s mood had been soaring higher by the day.
The Apostle battle, which she had been most worried and nervous about, had safely concluded.
Jung Haein, who had been lying in bed, had also gotten up energetically—just as she had known him to be, just as she had hoped.
Now, the matters she had been concerned about were mostly settled, and for the time being, things would be peaceful.
Whenever he was preparing for an important event, she never bothered or clung to him.
It was a rule she had set for herself.
But with how relentlessly busy things had been lately, she was starting to grow weary of holding back.
“Hee.”
Finally, she could put down her responsibilities and fully savor the moment—her whole body felt it.
While Jung Haein had been bedridden, the women had all, as if by agreement, brought various elixirs.
Rare medicines that promoted regeneration, accelerated recovery, and invigorated the body.
But the problem was…
‘Look at this…’
Every single one of them also happened to be useful for… other purposes.
Cheon Yeoul immediately realized it.
As someone adept in sacred arts and healing, she knew all too well what effect this combination would have.
And as fate would have it, circumstances were falling into place perfectly.
Yu Hana had gone into closed-door training.
Kang Arin, despite being in the same class, avoided interacting with Jung Haein at Gaon, citing her beliefs.
Something about not wanting him to get caught up in rumors with corporate heirs.
Ha Sion was in a different class altogether, meaning she wouldn’t interfere in this situation.
Most importantly, no one seemed to fully grasp exactly what effects these elixirs would have.
Which meant…
There was only one person who could truly take advantage of this situation.
‘Opportunity.’
By the time he realized the energy overflowing inside him, it would already be too late.
Of course, with his outstanding abilities, he could probably stabilize it quickly, but at the very least, it would take a day.
Cheon Yeoul—this was the opportunity of a lifetime.
A chance to pick the ripest, most delicious fruit before anyone else.
“Saintess, you seem to be in a good mood today?”
Noticing her cheerful expression, a priest working at the church smiled brightly and asked.
Cheon Yeoul curled her lips slightly.
“I’m going to eat something delicious today.”
“Oh! Really?! Saintess, me too! Buy me some too!”
An innocent reaction.
She could have just brushed it off, but instead, she firmly cut him off.
“Absolutely not.”
With a small smile lingering on her lips, she stepped out lightly.
The path to school felt exceptionally refreshing today.
And so, she quietly waited at his designated seat—by the window, in the corner.
Then—
Swiiik.
The door opened, and in walked the person she found endlessly lovable.
‘Come here!’
Her heart fluttered with anticipation, pounding with excitement—
“…?”
But then, Jung Haein suddenly changed direction.
Heading straight toward a certain girl with sickly chick-colored hair.
Cheon Yeoul’s face stiffened. Her heart sank in an instant.
Her vision grew dizzy.
Watching him greet the girl so warmly…
She despaired.
This was an emergency.
She had cooked the porridge, only to have a dog snatch it away.
Then, as her gaze drifted towards the front of the classroom—
Her eyes instinctively sought someone.
Kang Arin.
At some point, she had also turned her head toward the back.
Her expression was one of near shock. Her lips slightly parted.
‘….’
Cheon Yeoul’s eyes narrowed.
So, you knew all along.
She wasn’t the only one who had noticed.
She had been mistaken—there was no way they wouldn’t know.
They had all just been pretending not to.
“Tsk.”
Clicking her tongue softly, she smirked.
***
When will this finally end…?
As the threat of drowsiness made it harder to stay conscious—
“…Oh my, it’s already this late.”
Instructor Do Han-seong, who had been continuing the lecture with a half-dead expression, finally spoke. At that moment, faint sighs of relief escaped from various spots in the classroom.
“That will be all for today’s class.”
I wanted to applaud his decision.
Of course, only in my mind.
“First-year students likely have no scheduled activities this afternoon…”
He paused for a moment, scanning the classroom.
“But it’s a different story for those participating in the mentor-mentee program.”
Instructor Do Han-seong gave a slight smile and gestured with his hand.
“Participants should gather in the auditorium by 5 PM.”
I could make a rough guess.
The exchange match.
It was probably related to that.
The team compositions hadn’t been officially announced yet, but those paired as mentors and mentees were automatically on the same team. That was likely a fixed arrangement.
They were probably calling us to finalize the additional team members.
The time was currently 12 PM. There was still plenty of time left.
It was an awkward hour.
Going home would mean having to leave again soon, and heading straight to the auditorium would be far too early.
At times like this, eating lunch was the most efficient choice.
“…Snore.”
“?”
A faint breathing sound came from beside me.
The perfect nap posture.
She was enjoying her nap more comfortably than anyone else.
I gave her a gentle shake.
“Wake up.”
“Eh…”
She barely opened her eyes before shutting them again.
“Come on, wake up.”
“Eh…”
When I shook her gently once more, she reluctantly sat up.
Half-lidded eyes, disheveled hair, and slightly parted lips.
She still didn’t seem fully awake.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from the front.
“Alright, everyone, well done today. Keep up the hard work this week as well.”
With that final remark, Instructor Do Han-seong wrapped up the class.
Students began getting up one by one, leaving in small groups.
Yet, Yoon Chae-ha remained sitting there with a dazed expression.
Her blank look was so amusing that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I glanced at her and casually murmured,
“Should we do our mentor-mentee session today?”
The moment I said that, her eyes snapped wide open.
“Today?”
It seemed like she was finally fully awake.
So sluggish and powerless most of the time, yet the moment an interesting topic came up, her eyes shone with excitement.
It was like she usually ran on low power mode, only to instantly react the moment someone dangled a toy in front of her…
Like a cat.
“Yeah, but first, let’s eat. What do you want?”
Yoon Chae-ha pondered for a long time before answering.
“Anything.”
“Ramen?”
“Not that…”
“Tonkatsu?”
“…Not that either.”
“….”
She said ‘anything.’
“Hey, just come out already.”
I pulled her up naturally, grabbing her wrist as I did.
“Ah….”
Just as I was about to step out with her still half in my grasp—
-Thud.
A shadow blocked the doorway.
“Haein!”
A familiar voice, bright and lively.
Looking down, I saw Ha Sion waving with a cheerful smile.
“Come with me to my grandpa’s house today—”
Her gaze naturally drifted to the side.
To Yoon Chae-ha’s wrist in my grip.
And to me, pulling her along.
Sion’s smile remained unchanged.
“Today’s going to be tough. We got called in for the exchange match.”
“Oh… really?”
“Yeah, and all the seniors went to the association today, so even if you go, no one’s there. Not a single person.”
“Oh, I see. I really didn’t know that.”
Sion’s lips were still curved into a smile, but the atmosphere had shifted ever so slightly.
A brief silence.
“Oh, right. Haein, hold on a sec.”
Her hand reached for my arm—the one holding Chae-ha’s wrist.
And then, she pulled me aside, forcing me to let go of Chae-ha.
Sion stared intently at the small ornament hanging from my wrist.
A Vitality Bracelet. The one she had given me as a gift.
“…Hmm, looks fine.”
She tapped the bracelet lightly with her finger and muttered.
“Why?”
“Oh, nothing… Mine went into a slight overcharge? Or what do you call it, an overflow state. I was just wondering if yours was the same.”
…To be honest, I did feel a bit of overflow.
I’d been sensing a strange tingling on my wrist for a while now, and having Sion touching it like this only made it more uncomfortable.
I needed to calm it down somehow.
Carefully, I pulled my arm away.
“Sion, we haven’t eaten yet. Wanna join us? Chae-ha, are you okay with that?”
She gave a small nod, as if she didn’t really care.
But Sion shook her head slightly.
“Nah, I don’t really feel like eating. You two go ahead.”
“Alright.”
And with that, I left Sion behind and headed toward the school cafeteria with Yoon Chae-ha.
As we walked down the hallway, Chae-ha suddenly asked,
“…What’s your relationship?”
“With who? Sion?”
“If the girl we met at the door was Sion, then yeah.”
“We’ve been close since we were kids.”
“…That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Chae-ha thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Hmm… That makes sense.”
By the time our conversation wrapped up, we had arrived at the cafeteria.
Lining up at the kiosk, the menu selection screen popped up.
I actually knew what Yoon Chae-ha liked the most.
She just didn’t know it herself yet.
Without hesitation, I tapped an option on the screen.
“Grilled mackerel? That’s going to smell fishy.”
She made a slight face, pretending to pinch her nose.
It was her turn to order now, but—
-Beep.
I quickly added a second dish—cheese tonkatsu.
“…? What are you doing?”
“Eat the cheese tonkatsu.”
“How do you even know what I want to eat…?”
“Just eat what you’re given.”
Yoon Chae-ha started grumbling behind me, her voice a constant murmur.
I could see her cheeks puffing up slightly in frustration.
Smirking, I walked over to pick up our food.
Since it was lunchtime, the cafeteria was already packed with people.
After finding a suitable seat, I placed our food in front of us.
Still grumbling, Yoon Chae-ha stared down at the tonkatsu.
“…What is this?”
“Enjoy. It’s on your mentor.”
“…Well, thanks. I’ll eat it.”
She sighed and shot me a glare, but I simply picked up my chopsticks and pulled a small piece of mackerel apart.
Then, without warning, I popped it into her mouth.
“…Mm?!”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
As an unfamiliar texture spread across her tongue, she froze.
According to her own claims, she absolutely despised the smell of fish.
And yet…
After a few seconds of quietly rolling the food in her mouth, she began chewing slowly.
The tender, flaky mackerel practically melted on her tongue, and her expression subtly shifted.
A gentle, savory flavor filled her mouth, accompanied by a smooth texture.
Not a trace of the fishy smell she hated.
Yoon Chae-ha parted her lips slightly, then closed them again.
And in a voice so soft it was barely audible, she muttered,
“…It’s not fishy.”
But I already knew.
She was destined to love fish.
She just had never eaten it before.
And if it weren’t for me, she probably never would have.
She slowly picked up her fork and turned back to her tonkatsu.
Her movements were hesitant, almost reluctant.
At that moment, I naturally pushed my plate toward her.
“Wanna switch?”
“…?”
“You can have this.”
“…Then.”
She hesitated briefly before smoothly pulling my plate toward her.
“…Thanks.”
And just like that, our plates were exchanged.
She didn’t show it outwardly, but her chopsticks were moving faster and faster.
I quietly cut into my cheese tonkatsu.
To think she had a tongue practically designed to love fish, yet she was set up to hate its smell…
Honestly, whoever came up with that setting was cruel.
Living her whole life without knowing this taste? She would have lost out on half the joy of living.
And then—
-Poke. Poke.
“…Hey.”
“Hm?”
“…How do I eat this?”
She had completely flipped the fish over with her chopsticks.
She wanted to eat it but had no idea how to deal with the bones.
“…Seriously?”
I let out a small chuckle and pulled out a fresh pair of chopsticks.
Then, without a word, I started deboning the fish for her.