NOVEL WEB Chapter 216
The Utopia party members, who had been arguing and bickering with each other for a while, suddenly scattered as if on cue.
Ichika was left alone, staring blankly into the air.
The only question on her mind was, ‘What are they thinking?’
Shin Se-hee had declared that she would confess her feelings to Jin Yuha as soon as he returned, effectively issuing a declaration of war. It was a sudden and unexpected move.
Although they hadn’t been friends for long, Ichika had a good idea of what kind of person Shin Se-hee was.
‘It doesn’t seem like she just blurted it out without thinking.’
Shin Se-hee was fundamentally calculating and cunning. She knew how to play the long game and would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
That was why Ichika had wanted to befriend her in the first place – because she knew that if she were to become an enemy, she would be the most troublesome.
However, as she didn’t know much about the other party members besides Shin Se-hee, the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
‘Hmm, I don’t know.’
In situations like this, it was better to see for herself.
“Guys.”
Wriggle.
Sssssssssss─
At Ichika’s call, five shadows rose from the ground beneath her feet.
“From now on, go to each of the party members and observe what they’re doing. Then report back to me.”
The five shadows dispersed, each heading towards Yoo-ri, Kang Do-hee, Shin Se-hee, Lim Ga-eul, and Sophia.
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Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! KWAANG─!!!!
A series of loud noises echoed through a personal training room.
Kang Do-hee was inside, wildly swinging her fists and destroying the hologram monsters.
“Damn it!”
Bang!
“It!”
Bang!
“Doesn’t!”
KWAANG!
Fzzzzzzzz!
The illusions that formed the monsters flickered and then disappeared with a crackling noise.
The damage had exceeded the limit, causing the artifact that projected the holograms to break completely.
A heavy silence fell upon the training room.
Haa─
Haa─
Kang Do-hee stood there, sweating profusely, glaring at the empty space as if she wanted to kill something.
Although she had been arguing with the Utopia party members earlier, the person occupying her thoughts the most right now was Shin Se-hee.
“That flower-brained bitch. What the hell is she up to now…?”
She said she would confess her feelings to the Little Fool when he returned from his personal request?
“Hah, what a crazy bitch…”
It was laughable nonsense. Where was the guarantee that Jin Yuha would accept her confession?
Did she not care about the potential fallout, or about the internal affairs of Utopia?
She truly was an egotistical snake.
‘I never liked her from the start…’
KWAK─
Kang Do-hee bit her lip and clenched her fists tightly.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Yoo-ri was sitting on a bench by the academy’s fountain, hugging her shield.
“Do you think Shin Se-hee will really confess?”
Given Jin Yuha’s personality, it was unlikely that he would accept her confession. He was always focused on the tasks and plans that lay ahead.
But what if he did accept her feelings?
Yoo-ri stared blankly at the Aegis, the shield that Jin Yuha had gotten for her from Lina.
Even so, she knew that she wouldn’t leave Utopia or turn her back on Jin Yuha unless he pushed her away first.
She had vowed to protect him with her life at any moment, and that promise was made to her own conviction.
It was a promise that had to be kept regardless of Jin Yuha’s feelings for her.
But…
“I still don’t like it…”
Just imagining Shin Se-hee by Jin Yuha’s side made her feel nauseous.
To be honest, she was jealous. So jealous that she felt like going crazy.
The thought of someone else being by Jin Yuha’s side made her want to do something to that person.
She could understand why Shin Se-hee had revealed her feelings in front of everyone.
Yoo-ri hugged her shield tightly.
.
.
.
Lim Ga-eul had come straight to her room after a heated argument with her juniors. There were already several empty green bottles rolling around on the floor.
Gulp, gulp, gulp─
She grabbed the neck of the soju bottle and chugged its contents.
The alcohol burned her insides and the intoxication rose.
She wasn’t usually a heavy drinker, but she felt like she needed to drink to get through this.
“Ugh, it’s bitter!”
Thud.
Roll, roll, roll.
Another empty bottle fell to the floor and rolled away. No matter how she thought about it, she felt angry and wronged.
“You didn’t clean your room? What the hell? Pathetic? Is that something a junior should say to a senior?”
Gulp, gulp, gulp─
Typical of her, she couldn’t say a word when they were arguing earlier, but now she was letting it all out.
“And! What else? A confession? Who’s confessing to whom? Shin Se-hee to Jin Yuha?”
Hic!
Lim Ga-eul hiccupped, her face turning bright red.
“And where in the world is it acceptable for the car behind to overtake when the one in front hasn’t even moved yet?!”
She picked up the bottle like a sword and stabbed it towards the sky, shouting at the top of her lungs like a true drunkard.
“Waaahhh─!!!!”
Then she burst into tears.
A mix of complex emotions swirled inside her, eventually spilling out as tears.
“I don’t like it!!! I don’t wanna!!! Why are you taking my junior away from me??? I will never, ever allow it!!! Never!!!”
Lim Ga-eul rolled around on the floor, flailing her arms and legs.
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.
And then there was Sophia.
She was the only one who hadn’t invited Jin Yuha to her room.
Of course, that was because her room had a large photo of him taking up an entire wall. It was a high-quality print of Jin Yuha in a fit of rage.
Sssssss─
Sophia caressed Jin Yuha’s face with longing fingers.
But the words that escaped her mouth were the opposite of her actions.
“How dare you? How dare you even think of confessing to Jin Yuha? Who do you think you are? Do you really think he would accept you?”
The usually cheerful and saintly Sophia was nowhere to be seen.
“It’s impossible. Not Kang Do-hee, not Yoo-ri, not Shin Se-hee, not Lim Ga-eul, not Ichika. No one can monopolize Jin Yuha… He belongs to everyone. He has to belong to everyone. I will never allow it…”
All that remained was a woman consumed by sticky, damp obsession.
“So, Shin Se-hee. I cannot forgive you…”
As she said this, Sophia lifted her phone with cold, emotionless eyes.
.
.
.
“Wow…”
Ichika was amazed as she listened to the reports about everyone’s situation.
Kang Do-hee didn’t vocalize her true feelings, but she expressed her anger through violence.
Yoo-ri sat hugging her shield for hours, looking like someone suffering from depression.
Lim Ga-eul drank and made a scene, shouting her true feelings for all to hear.
…Sophia, muttering to herself in front of a large photo, seemed a little dangerous.
Even after observing everyone, Ichika still couldn’t understand what they were trying to do.
‘I know they all have genuine feelings for the savior.’
And she herself…
‘I wouldn’t like it if Shin Se-hee monopolized the savior either.’
And the person who caused all this trouble in the first place…
Shin Se-hee sat in front of the computer with her arms crossed, saying nothing.
“Hmm, the screen just looks completely white to you?”
Ichika wanted to check the monitor to find out what Shin Se-hee was planning, but the shadow shook its head.
It seemed that Shin Se-hee had already taken precautions against being spied on.
Then…
The shadow that had been observing Sophia urgently delivered a message.
“What? Sophia contacted the savior? And she contacted the others too?”
It was at that moment that Shin Se-hee started typing.
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【Sophia】 ─ Jin Yuha~ I’ve been calling you, but… Why aren’t you answering? Are you inside a gate right now? Please reply as soon as you get out of the dungeon!
【Sword Demon】 ─ Hmm? Sophia? Sorry, I can’t talk right now. I can only text.
【Sophia】 ─ Oh, I see. I would’ve preferred to talk, but… I guess it can’t be helped. I contacted you separately because I have something to tell you, Jin Yuha.
【Sword Demon】 ─ Hmm? Separately? Did something happen while I was away?
【Sophia】 ─ …Yes. Actually, the thing is…
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