How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

Liberate the tower? That’s nonsense. I shook my head at the uneasy doctrine and said,

“That’s a strange religion.”
“Right? But it was hard to refuse, so I ended up taking the flyer…”

“What?!”

“I also lost my number… they called to confirm it.”

I spoke seriously to the troubled Min Jae-yoon.

“Let’s block the number.”

Everyone agreed.

I kindly blocked the cult’s number on his behalf.
…Anyway, I can’t tell if Min Jae-yoon is soft or hard.

***

[Fragment of the story has been added!]

[Currently collected story fragments: 9]

– Genius Commander of the Academy: 3

– ???? ??? ???? ?? (Locked): 6

[Story Fragment / Unverified]

empty

Even if one has the bloodline of an Awakened, it doesn’t mean they will inherit 100% of the awakening traits. While the likelihood of inheriting these traits genetically is high, there are many children born without the qualities of an Awakened.

Thus, in middle schools nearby where many Awakened reside, an environment is formed where young Awakened and non-Awakened mix together.

In such an environment, the jealousy and admiration towards Na-yuri, who was particularly outstanding, naturally led to her isolation.

At that time, the person who approached Na-yuri alone was Choi Gyu-ri. Choi Gyu-ri quickly became Na-yuri’s only and most precious friend.

Therefore, there is a memory that remains tinged with regret.

If there is a moment that Na-yuri regrets the most in her life, it would undoubtedly be that moment.

“That’s your friend? Hmm… she’s cute.”

The moment Na-yuhan took an interest in his friend, Choi Gyu-ri.

Na-yuri struggled to keep her wayward brother, Na-yuhan, and Choi Gyu-ri from meeting. However, that very effort seemed to pique the interest of the perceptive Na-yuhan.

It couldn’t have been a coincidence; Na-yuhan appeared before Choi Gyu-ri as if by chance.

Na-yuri was wary of him, but Na-yuhan ignored her and simply looked at Choi Gyu-ri.

Choi Gyu-ri smiled brightly.

“Hello, I’m Choi Gyu-ri!”

It was during the exam period in April, when cherry blossoms were scattering in the wind. Amidst the falling blossoms, her pure smile resembled that of an untainted cherry blossom.

Seeing her smile, Na-yuhan seemed unexpectedly flustered and blushed slightly.

“…I’m Na-yuhan.”

Of course, to Na-yuri, it seemed like he was just pretending to be in love. How laughable.

After that, Na-yuhan began to loiter around them, specifically around Choi Gyu-ri. “What’s the game? If you’re just messing with Gyu-ri…” “It’s not like that.”

Na-yuhan acted as if he was truly, truly in love.

Surprisingly, he stopped all the shameless things he had been doing until now.

He cut ties with numerous lovers and the delinquent friends he had hung out with.

It was as if he had transformed from a moment of wandering into a model citizen, and at first, Choi Gyu-ri, who was tense and wary of Na-yuhan, gradually began to lower her guard.

“Your brother seems like a better person than I thought…!”

This change in Na-yuhan’s dramatic behavior, especially towards Choi Gyu-ri, likely contributed to her impression.

“Do you really… like Gyu-ri?”

“Yeah.”

It was hard to believe, but yes. It seemed like Na-yuri’s brother, Na-yuhan, was truly in love.

At least, in that moment, Na-yuri believed that.

“Yuhan oppa!”

“Oh, is Gyu-ri here? How was your day?”

“I made plans to go to the movies with some friends along with Yoori! They’re friends I just met, but they seem like good kids!”

“…Gyu-ri, I don’t think that’s a good choice.”

However, as Choi Gyu-ri grew closer to Na-yuhan, Na-yuri felt an inexplicable unease.

An unexplainable instinct whispered to Na-yuri.

“Oppa is worried about Gyu-ri, but does Gyu-ri dislike him?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Then you should listen to oppa. Don’t get close to those guys. You too, Yoori.”

“…Why should we listen to you?”

“Gyu-ri, don’t be like that. He’s just worried about you!”

Na-yuhan was gradually narrowing Gyu-ri’s options.

Na-yuhan didn’t want Gyu-ri to meet others, to disagree with him, or to distance herself from him too much.

Eventually, Na-yuhan began to act as if Gyu-ri was his possession.

Despite that, the way he looked at her felt like he was gazing at the most adorable thing in the world, which left Na-yuri utterly confused.

“Gyu-ri, I don’t think that’s right.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Gyu-ri. Do you dislike oppa? Is that why you’re acting like this?”

“No, that’s not it—”

“Then do as I say. It’s all for your sake.”

As time went on, Choi Gyu-ri became more attentive to Na-yuhan’s moods.

Even while blushing in front of Na-yuhan, if a stranger greeted her, she would turn pale and glance nervously at Na-yuhan.

Na-yuri thought it was so… so strange.

“Gyu-ri, don’t you think it would be better to break up with Na-yuhan?”

“Why? Your brother has become a good person now.”

“But he seems to want to control Gyu-ri more and more.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Choi Gyu-ri frowned at Na-yuri’s words, as if displeased. In her love-clouded vision, nothing else seemed to register.

“He doesn’t let you meet other people, and he always demands you be with him…”

“…You’re jealous because you think you’ll lose your brother, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Still, Yuhan oppa is mine. So don’t try to pull me away from him under the pretense of advice.”

At that moment, Na-yuri realized that something was going wrong. She had to stop Na-yuhan.

However, Na-yuri was an utterly clumsy person compared to Na-yuhan.

“Stop tormenting Gyu-ri!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re in love. Gyu-ri has devoted everything to me, and I don’t own her.”

“That’s… weird!”

“What’s weird? There are forms of love like this in the world.”

“If you don’t stop, I’ll make you stop even by force!”

“Well… Ah, Gyu-ri. Come here.”

In the midst of the argument, Na-yuhan welcomed Choi Gyu-ri as if he had been waiting for her. Gyu-ri, in anger, slapped Na-yuri across the cheek.

“What are you doing?!”

“…Gyu-ri, this is for your sake—”

“If you do this again, we’re cutting ties! Got it?!”

“……”

Hearing those words, Na-yuri became frightened. Both the drastically changed Gyu-ri and the situation were terrifying.

But what scared her the most was the possibility that Gyu-ri’s words might actually come true.

Choi Gyu-ri was Na-yuri’s only cherished friend. She was the kind girl who had first approached her at the school where she had entered with a fluttering heart.

Afraid of losing her, Na-yuri kept silent.

In that moment, Na-yuri regretted her decision for the second time in her life.

She hated herself for being so weak that she had made such a choice.

[You haven’t been coming to school lately. The teacher is worried. Of course, I am too.]
Gyu-ri had started to speak less, interact less with Na-yuri, and even stopped coming to school frequently.

Nevertheless, Na-yuri wanted to maintain her connection with Gyu-ri and kept sending messages.

Again and again.

[Oppa told me not to contact you anymore.] [Stop sending messages.]
Until Gyu-ri cut the thread of their connection first.

And that night, Gyu-ri committed suicide.

“Did you hear? Choi Gyu-ri, she committed suicide at school.”

“How tragic… Why did she suddenly do that?”

“Isn’t it because of Na-yuhan? She became strange after meeting that guy.”

The chatter among the students buzzed around her.

Na-yuri thought every moment felt surreal.

The white chrysanthemums on Gyu-ri’s desk, the teacher’s announcement of Gyu-ri’s death, and the photo of Gyu-ri at the funeral that had finally arrived.

All of it felt unreal.

She came to her senses only when her hated brother placed his hand on her shoulder.

He whispered, “Are you hurt?”

In that moment, Na-yuri felt her vision go white.

When she regained her senses, she saw Na-yuhan rolling on the ground covered in blood. Yet he was laughing loudly.

“No matter how much you hate me, or try to kill me, this one thing will never change.”

He tenderly stroked the wounds he had received from attempting to die with Choi Gyu-ri.

“Gyu-ri chose me. She finally gave me everything. Even her death! This is the completion of our love.”

Since that day, Na-yuri has hated Na-yuhan more than anything else in this world.

***

Na-yuri sat up with a frown, waking from a long-forgotten dream of the past.

Whenever she had this dream, she would always wake up in the early morning and spend the night awake.

She gently brushed the hair away from Kang Na-hyun’s cheek, who was lying beside her.

“…I won’t let that happen this time.”

Absolutely, this time, there will be no failure in protecting my friend.

Na-yuri knew that Kang Na-hyun was hiding some secret.

But I hope you have nothing to hide from me.

I hope you rely entirely on me, trust me, and lean on me.

“So… please trust me.”

With that wish, Na-yuri gently stroked Kang Na-hyun’s cheek.

In the room, where the moonlight shone beautifully, Na-yuri touched her as if she were a precious treasure, carefully moving to put on slippers before stepping outside, trying not to wake anyone.

The moment she stepped out, Kang Na-hyun’s eyes opened cautiously.

***

…Did I wake up for no reason?

I tossed and turned, recalling Na-yuri’s earnest voice and gentle touch.

“Please trust me.” I already trust you.

But from Na-yuri’s perspective, she might think I can’t be trusted because I have many secrets.

…After all, I’m pretending in front of Na-yuri.

Maybe it was because my thoughts were so tangled that I could hardly fall asleep.

I quietly got out of bed, thinking I might go to the hallway to catch my breath and put on my slippers.

The well-kept white door opened softly.

I opened the window in the hallway to breathe in the cold outside air.

It seemed to help clear my mind a bit.

“…Na-hyun?”

As if she had noticed me, I heard Na-yuri’s voice from below.

“Yuri?”

Na-yuri seemed to be taking a walk in the garden, looking up at me through a gap concealed by well-maintained green trees.

She asked as she looked at me, “Are you having trouble sleeping?”

“Yeah. A little. …Can I walk with you?”

“Of course! I’ll come up.”

Before long, Na-yuri quickly came to where I was.

We slowly walked together through the quiet night garden.

Perhaps due to the magic of the night, unlike during the day, there was no special conversation between us.

Only the faint sound of humid wind rustling the leaves could be heard.

“…If we walk a bit, there’s a bench where we can rest. Do you want to sit there?”

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

We walked in silence until we sat side by side on a neatly maintained bench.

Still, no words passed between us.

I just blankly gazed at the night garden scenery, and Na-yuri seemed to follow suit, staring straight ahead in silence.

We were calm and quiet.

It was Na-yuri who broke that silence.

“…Na-hyun. Do you remember the promise we made a while ago?”

“Yeah. We said we’d watch and see if Yuhan was really a bad person, right?”

“Yeah.”

Na-yuri paused for a moment and then carefully spoke.

“After observing, I’ve decided that the current Na-yuhan is a person who can improve. I’ve decided to keep an eye on him.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“Yeah.”

I smiled at her.

Following my smile, she gently smiled back.

Perhaps Na-yuri was determined not to tell me that Na-yuhan was a vessel.

A thin layer of falsehood flowed between us.

I suddenly thought that it was quite sad.

Is that why?

“Yuri.”

“Yeah?”

“What if I’m not as kind and gentle as you think I am?”

The reason I impulsively threw that question at her was:

“Don’t worry. The Na-hyun I’ve seen is truly a kind person.”

At those words, I felt a weight settle in my chest.

No, the me you see is just a fake shell wearing a sunny exterior.

That’s why I’m afraid you’ll distance yourself from me when I show my true self.

You’ve already become someone precious to me.

But,

“…what if that’s not all there is to me?”

“…?”