Chapter 88

< Chapter 88: Field Trip (3) >

Including Ha Si-yeon, six female students were deeply immersed in discussing their love interests.

“I think Jin Hansan senior is the coolest among the seniors.”

“I definitely like senior Gang Hyuk. He’s so manly, isn’t he?”

“Ah~senior Gang Hyuk is nice.”

Everyone was excited, everyone except Ha Si-yeon.

“Um……”

Ha Si-yeon, who had no particular interest in such talks, was just quietly observing.

They were initially talking about the abilities of 2nd to 4th-year seniors, but somehow the conversation had shifted to their looks.

“But aren’t there decent guys in our class too?”

“I agree.”

“Except for his personality, I think Choi Ji-hoon is the best.”

“Right. A prince charming style, and even the eldest son of the Suseong Group!”

They moved on to talk about the 1st-years after discussing the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd years.

“Ah, that doesn’t matter. I rather like Chul-jin. You’re not going to eat the face, are you?”

“Jisu knows something. Personality over appearance~”

The atmosphere heated up.

“What about you, Si-yeon?”

“What?”

Ha Si-yeon crunched on a cookie and tilted her head.

“Do you like Choi Ji-hoon? Or Kim Chul-jin?”

“Huh? I like both?”

Ha Si-yeon answered with an innocent face.

“Greedy girl….”

“No, I think she doesn’t understand…? Si-yeon! Not as friends. As men.”

“As men?”

Ha Si-yeon pondered for a moment, putting a piece of cookie in her mouth.

“Um. I’ve never thought of them that way, so I don’t really know.”

“What?”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

They’d been friends for over 10 years, but she’d never seen them as men.

“These fools. How could Si-yeon even consider them?”

A girl clicked her fingers.

“There’s Kang Seo-yul.”

“Ah!”

Everyone exclaimed.

“Right. I totally forgot about Seo-yul because he’s in a different league.”

“It’s strange to include a god in a human conversation.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They all laughed.

“Isn’t he truly the best in the world in terms of appearance?”

“True. My standards have risen because of Seo-yul, it’s a big problem.”

Even in appearance-conscious Korea, Kang Seo-yul was exceptionally handsome.

“What do you think, Si-yeon?”

“Seo-yul? He’s good-looking. And nice.”

Even Ha Si-yeon, who had no interest in dating, could see that Kang Seo-yul was handsome. Last time, she even had a hallucination that his face was glowing.

“Right?”

“With such a godlike man beside you, how could you notice other men?”

They all looked at Ha Si-yeon with envious eyes.

“He’s getting stronger and stronger. And the only dual-attribute holder in the world.”

“If you catch Seo-yul, you even get the Golden Tiger!”

“Seo-yul is just a safe asset.”

Suddenly, a girl asked Ha Si-yeon with bright eyes.

“But really, Si-yeon, what’s going on between you and Seo-yul?”

“Huh?”

“Seo-yul is famous for not talking to others. Kind of like an ice prince?”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Ha Si-yeon opened her eyes wide. Her image of Kang Seo-yul was light-years away from an ice prince.

“Yeah. The only people who can converse with Seo-yul like you are probably you and Shin Jia?”

“Maybe Choi Ji-hoon and Kim Chul-jin at best?”

“Um. I see.”

Ha Si-yeon nodded, understanding that it might be true.

“I think Seo-yul likes you, Si-yeon.”

“Huh?”

Ha Si-yeon’s eyes widened.

“His gaze when he looks at you is especially soft. How should I put it?”

“Oh, I think I know what you mean.”

“Honey dripping eyes?”

“Yeah, yeah! That feeling!”

They all cheered.

“No way.”

Ha Si-yeon waved her hand. Knowing Kang Seo-yul’s identity, it was an absurd idea to her.

“Seo-yul and I are just……”

Ha Si-yeon’s words were caught.

“Uh, well…”

What should she say? Mentor and pupil? A secret pact to save the world later? Considering Kang Seo-yul’s true identity, calling it an ordinary friendship felt wrong too.

Unable to lie, Ha Si-yeon finally answered.

“…A little special relationship?”

And that answer was enough.

“Kyaaak!”

“Did you hear? They’re in a flirtatious relationship!”

“What! Ha Si-yeooooon!”

“It’s like a common-law marriage, not just dating!”

“Jisu, earlier you were talking about personality….”

“What’s personality? Are you going to eat personality? Ah, Ha Si-yeon, I’m so jealous!”

The atmosphere became more and more heated.

* * *

The next morning.

For some reason, I made my way to the first-floor lobby through a chaotic atmosphere.

Goldie is still sleepy, sleeping in my arms.

The lobby was filled with students preparing to leave the hotel.

Among them was a group of female students, including Ha Si-yeon.

“Si-yeon, look, he’s coming.”

“Have a fun date.”

“It’s not like that….”

Ha Si-yeon replied with a sad face and sighed softly.

“Seo-yul, hello….”

She then greeted me with a weary expression.

“Hey. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?”

Why does she look so tired?

“… Yeah. A little. I talked a lot with the kids.”

“Aha.”

She must have lost track of time talking all night.

How youthful.

I just fell asleep.

…I wasn’t that close to the kids in the same room either.

“Do you want to rest a bit if you’re tired?”

There’s nothing worse than going out to have fun while you’re tired.

“No, I’m fine. I’m physically fine.”

“…Really?”

Physically fine but tired? How’s that?

“Good, then. Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

I left the accommodation with a light step.

“But are you sure it’s really okay not to go with the others?”

“Of course~”

Ha Si-yeon quickly returned to her bright nature, smiling broadly.

“What matters besides going to Monster Park?”

Today’s destination is Monster Park in Australia.

Not only is it a zoo boasting the largest size in the world, but it’s also famous for its leisure facilities for superhumans.

Admission tickets were the issue, but Miss Maiden gladly provided them.

“Yaaawn.”

Goldie in my arms yawned widely, blinking his eyes.

“You awake?”

Goldie looked at me with a bewildered expression and nodded his head slightly.

Then, as if sulking, he buried his face in my chest.

“You get cuter every time I see you.”

Ha Si-yeon muttered, looking at Goldie like that. Her eyes seemed to say she wanted to stroke him.

Come to think of it, Si-yeon hasn’t touched or held Goldie yet.

“Want to hold him?”

“Huh? Really? You didn’t let the other kids touch Goldie.”

“That’s because the kids were too eager. You’re an exception, Si-yeon.”

I recalled the day I took Goldie to school. The kids’ eyes were filled with madness. Pure madness, wanting to touch Goldie no matter what.

If I let one kid touch him, others would rush over, and then another one, and then the other half of the kids.

It was an endless cycle.

Eventually, I had to ban the kids from touching Goldie.

It seemed too stressful for Goldie.

But now, it’s just Ha Si-yeon and me, so it doesn’t matter.

“…I’m an exception.”

Ha Si-yeon muttered with a strange expression.

“Why? Don’t you want to?”

“No, no, no!”

Ha Si-yeon shook her head with all her might. She seemed to want to hold Goldie no matter what.

I gently stroked Goldie’s head.

“You have to listen to your sister, okay?”

Sleepy Goldie clumsily nodded his head.

“Here.”

I handed Goldie to Ha Si-yeon.

Goldie immediately buried his face in Ha Si-yeon’s arms.

“Wow….”

He must be really sleepy.

Well, he did use a lot of energy during the test.

“He’s so soft.”

She stroked Goldie’s fur and smiled tenderly. Goldie was still blinking his sleepy eyes and yawning intermittently.

I looked at the two of them, lost in thought.

Today, I plan to use the cherished and saved Succubus trait, ‘Sympathy’.

I recited the information about [Sympathy] stored in my mind.

[Sympathy]

[A very rare trait born from the Succubus’s pure emotion. It can only be used on one person.]

[Physical contact with the target for more than an hour allows for sympathy.]

[When the two sympathized individuals are within a certain distance, the ‘magic power’ of both increases by 1 rank.]

In this world, Succubus differs from the commonly known Succubus; it is rather wholesome.

Known for being a powerful evil species with magical power, the way the Succubus absorbs energy (magic power) from the opposite sex is through physical contact.

‘Sympathy’ is one of those traits carried out through physical contact.

Unlike other aggressive traits, it’s a somewhat peculiar complementary trait.

Sympathy.

That is, responding, a complementary trait that doesn’t suit evil, raises the ‘magic power’ of both the caster and the target.

I had a hard time deciding whether to use this sympathy on Jia or Si-yeon.

After a long consideration, I decided to use it on Ha Si-yeon.

The immediate need for magical power is Ha Si-yeon, not Jia.

Physical contact for an hour can be done by just holding hands, so it’s not a big problem.

We’re not even romantically involved. Strictly speaking, it’s almost like a master-disciple relationship.

I should talk to her about it later, depending on the situation.

“Did you bring the tickets?”

Before getting in the taxi, Ha Si-yeon asked me.

“Of course I brought them.”

I casually checked the Monster Park tickets in my pocket.

[Monster Park Main Hall Admission Ticket]

[Couple’s Exclusive Ticket]

I couldn’t get regular tickets as they were sold out, so I ended up with a couple’s exclusive tickets, but obtaining them was what mattered.

* * *

Ha Si-yeon and Kang Seo-yul, who arrived at Monster Park, decided to take a tour of the annex before heading to the main building.

Giraffes, elephants, monkeys, etc.

They passed by the ordinary animals that could be seen in Korean zoos, one by one. The monsters that could only be seen in Australia were fascinating.

And now they are standing in front of the tiger cage.

“Goldie, look over there. Your friends are there!”

Ha Si-yeon pointed to the tigers in the cage.

Goldie peeked into the cage from Kang Seo-yul’s arms, then quickly turned his head.

It seemed like a sullen expression.

“Goldie?”

“It seems like he doesn’t want you to compare him to those animals.”

“Meow.”

At Kang Seo-yul’s words, Goldie cried in a touching voice.

It seemed like he was insisting that only his brother understood his heart.

Then he glared at Ha Si-yeon and quickly turned his head again.

“Ah, uh, Goldie? It’s not like that. This sister is…”

Ha Si-yeon pleaded with Goldie in utter confusion.

Ha Si-yeon continued to come closer in the direction that Goldie moved, but each time, he firmly turned his head to the opposite side.

“Humph.”

Ha Si-yeon drooped her shoulders in a very sad expression.

She had unintentionally said something wrong and seemed hateful to Goldie.

Kang Seo-yul looked at Ha Si-yeon and smiled slightly.

“Goldie, forgive her since she says she’s sorry.”

Kang Seo-yul said, petting Goldie. Goldie cried softly. He looked at Ha Si-yeon with an expression that said he was reluctant but had no choice, then,

“Meow.”

While nestled against Kang Seo-yul, he lifted his front paw and patted Ha Si-yeon’s sulky head.

“Goldie?”

At the soft touch of the jelly, Ha Si-yeon lifted her head. Goldie was smiling his usual angelic smile.

“Goldie…”

Ha Si-yeon rushed to Goldie with an emotional expression.

Goldie was a master of push-and-pull.

“Shall we move on now?”

Kang Seo-yul checked the time and casually said.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

It was time to move on to Monster Park.

Monster Park was quite far away, so they had to take a bus.

On the way to the bus stop, Ha Si-yeon sneaked a glance at Kang Seo-yul, who was walking next to her.

He was definitely handsome.

Even in Ha Si-yeon’s eyes, who had been labeled as “romantically challenged” throughout her school days, he was truly incredibly good-looking.

Using her friends’ words, he was not of this world in terms of beauty.

‘Of course, being a half-breed of celestial and elf races, it’s natural.’

Both were races known for their beauty. It was only natural that Kang Seo-yul, a half-breed of both, looked like that.

As she stared at Kang Seo-yul, she suddenly recalled what her friends had said last night.

‘Seo-yul likes me?’

They said things like he had honey dripping from his eyes, and his treatment of Ha Si-yeon was very different from how he treated others.

She had heard it all.

‘…I guess that’s how it looks to others.’

It wasn’t incomprehensible.

If they were ordinary 20-year-old students who didn’t know about the relationship between Kang Seo-yul and Ha Si-yeon, it would be natural for them to think that way.

‘But it’s not like that.’

However, knowing Kang Seo-yul’s secret, Ha Si-yeon thought those words were absurd.

Would they have been able to form such a relationship if she hadn’t accidentally seen Kang Seo-yul’s heavenly wings that day?

It was unlikely.

‘Well, if it were someone like Seo-yul, I would welcome it.’

Even just looking at his appearance, Kang Seo-yul was close to Ha Si-yeon’s ideal type.

He was mature yet witty, always dedicated to training, never wasted time, had a clear mind, and was even just.

‘If Seo-yul was just a regular 20-year-old boy…’

Wouldn’t he have been the perfect groom?

Ha Si-yeon, who had finished thinking that far, suddenly shook her head vigorously.

What was she thinking right now?

‘Uh. Maybe it’s because I talked about romance and Seo-yul all night.’

Or maybe it was because she was tired.

Her thoughts were flowing in a strange direction.

‘Let’s not think strange thoughts. There’s no way that emotion can exist between Seo-yul and me.’

When she had shaken off all those unnecessary thoughts,

The two had already arrived at the bus stop.

“Tickets will be checked.”

In response to the guide’s fluent English, Kang Seo-yul answered in equally fluent English.

“Here.”

Kang Seo-yul handed over the tickets.

The guide, receiving the tickets, spoke with a bright smile.

“Monster Park main building admission ticket. Couple tickets are confirmed. You may board.”

“…Huh?”

Ha Si-yeon’s eyes grew as big as lanterns.

‘…Couple? Did I hear English wrong?’

Ha Si-yeon’s pupils trembled with confusion.

< Chapter 88: Field Trip (3) > End.