[Yoo Seowoo]
Yoo Seowoo was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, known for his amiable nature. Since childhood, he held positions as both the class president and vice president, all the while keeping his parents’ identities as the CEOs of a renowned entertainment agency a secret. He starts to develop feelings for Daun, only to step back upon realizing her affection for Hamin.
As the name registered, the image of a boy emerged in the character description. His platinum hair shimmered in the sunlight, and his mysterious platinum eyes captivated attention. He seemed remarkably good-looking, prompting Sihyun to consider entertaining doubts before the collision.
Knowing he was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Sihyun would have done anything to avoid a collision. Even if it meant getting injured or hitting a wall, anything to avoid entanglement with the main characters.
Was getting injured the logical choice here? Being involved with the key characters could lead to kidnapping. Already in an unfamiliar place, it seemed better to break a bone than face threats from unknown individuals in an unknown situation.
Sihyun, who had set aside regrets, glanced at Seowoo. He didn't intend to get involved with one of the Four Heavenly Kings or situations likely reserved for the protagonist. He couldn’t fathom why he found himself in a situation like 'colliding with one of the Four Heavenly Kings' that usually befits a female protagonist.
Or perhaps, it might not have been him who was supposed to collide with Seowoo today, but Daun. However, in his attempt to evade Daun, he had rushed forward and collided with Seowoo instead...
It was like avoiding a ghost only to encounter a tiger. Sihyun, seeing Seowoo half sprawled beneath him with a bemused expression, got up and shook his head.
The only relief was that the person he collided with wasn't the insufferable Hamin, but Yoo Seowoo, which wasn't significantly different. After all, being one of the Four Heavenly Kings remained unchanged.
"...."
Should he cover his face? Or perhaps, knock him unconscious? Would his attack even work? His opponent was from the Four Heavenly Kings, known for their combat skills.
Prolonging eye contact might lead to an uncomfortable situation later, like meeting in school and hearing, 'Hey, weren’t you the one who collided with me in the alley...?' Not that as a non-protagonist, he was likely to hear such words. It was all so unpredictable.
"Are you okay?"
Seowoo, speaking up instead of the speechless Sihyun, helped him to his feet after stumbling. He seemed like a genuinely caring person, brushing off the dust from Sihyun’s clothes and inquiring about his condition. Sihyun could only glance awkwardly at Seowoo, wondering if he should flee at this moment.
"Kang Sihyun!" Daun's angry call echoed nearby, bringing back Sihyun's memory of why he had run so desperately. Stiffening, he turned around, though Daun wasn’t in sight yet. Somehow, he felt she would arrive any moment now.
With the Four Heavenly Kings in front and the irritated female lead behind, Sihyun contemplated his dire situation, observed by a concerned Seowoo.
"Are you being chased by someone?"
"Excuse me?"
"Shall I help?"
"Pardon?"
It was a series of perplexing events. The bewildered look directed at Seowoo and Daun’s enraged cry reached Sihyun simultaneously. Alternating gazes between them, Sihyun tried to sort out which mess was lesser.
If it was Daun, it meant getting soaked in the rain and dragged into various incidents. For instance, scenarios like encountering a braggart from the Four Heavenly Kings claiming, 'You lost to me in the entrance exam,' or facing a cold guy saying, 'You annoy me.' Those sorts of situations.
But if it was Yoo Seowoo asking for help... he had no clue how to assist. What exactly did he expect Seowoo to help him with? Perhaps just asking Seowoo to step aside and running in the direction he had come from was the better choice.
"Just, if you could step aside, and I’ll run that way."
"...."
As soon as the word came out to pull out the "horns," Seowoo smiled. He often wore a pleasant smile, yet he didn't yield. He seemed to want to hear a plea for help.
He was described as kind and affectionate. The descriptions of the characters seemed off. Or maybe it was only reserved for the female protagonist.
"It looks fun. Want to run away together?"
"No."
Sihyun, lost in thought, reacted immediately to the absurdity with a bewildered expression. He couldn't grasp why it was necessary to go to such lengths instead of simply stepping aside.
"Just step aside, please?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Well, do you like it here?"
"...Ah, yes."
Couldn't strike back at that. It's serious, yet she's playing around. Sihyun, tired of formalities he only used out of courtesy, sighed and rubbed his forehead, feeling exasperated. Seowoo's laughter intensified.
"Kang Sihyun!"
The suddenly closer voice brought impatience. Frankly, there was a way to push Seowoo aside and escape. But it was clear that doing so would only lead to trouble.
Humans have premonitions, and Sihyun was particularly intuitive. Especially when it came to ominous feelings, so he sighed and spoke with a resigned tone. It was just for this time.
"How are you going to help? Please don't hit or anything, it's better if you don't get caught, just stepping aside would be best."
Speaking in an even tone, revealing his thoughts, Seowoo smiled faintly, narrowing her eyes. She might as well be one of the Four Heavenly Kings; at least her appearance was outstanding.
"Have you seen a movie?"
"Yes?"
"Like pretending to be lovers, kissing while evading surveillance scenes?"
"……."
Without any response, seeing him, Seowoo approached, jokingly asking for some reaction. Just when his guard was up, holding the bag strap.
"Kang Sihyun!"
Daun's voice became even closer,
"Run!"
Abruptly, Seowoo grabbed Sihyun's wrist and started running.
Dragged along by Seowoo, who started running suddenly, Sihyun, wearing a bewildered expression, resumed the annoying jog with a feeling of 'whatever'. Both pairs of feet pounded the ground.
Still, despite thinking that his athletic background wouldn't let him fall behind, Yoo Seowoo was either faster than him or not trailing behind. Instead, she adjusted her pace to match his slightly faltering steps.
Only after turning a couple more corners and entering narrower alleys at two intersections did Seowoo, who had let go of Sihyun's wrist, pat the thin wrist she had held.
"It should be fine around here. Are there any marks?"
I was out of breath, panting heavily, while Seowoo, who had been pulling me, only seemed slightly breathless. Taking my hand back from Seowoo, indicating I was okay, I straightened up against the wall, trying to catch my breath.
Despite my track background, if Yoo Seowoo looked fitter than me, her Four Heavenly Kings buff was quite impressive. Or maybe Kang Sihyun was a sprinter and although he had superior instantaneous speed, his stamina was lacking.
Anyway, since my original stamina was better, I quietly caught my breath. While Seowoo checked the outside as she waited for her breathing to return to normal, Sihyun, feeling stifled, loosened his tie and lowered his head.
As I breathed in the air of March, the suppressed air touched my lungs. My blue eyes quietly settled in the unexpectedly mild feeling.
When I got hit by the car, it was in the midst of winter, so the air then was bitterly cold.
Lost in fleeting thoughts, Kang Sihyun shook his head and emerged from contemplation with a deep breath. As he shifted his steps toward Seowoo, scanning his surroundings, there was no trace of Daun's voice or presence. Relieved, Sihyun let out a sigh of reassurance.
"What's the connection between you two?"
"The person you were chasing?"
"Yes."
"Just a friend."
"If just a friend, why were you so scared?"
"...Because something was wrong."
Hmm. At Sihyun's muttered reply, Seowoo hummed softly. Sensing discomfort in Sihyun's meaningful gaze, he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Why?"
"What do you mean?"
"You kept staring."
"Well, it's nothing."
Beautiful, that's all. Sihyun's expression crumpled at Seowoo's casually added remark. Seowoo noticed Sihyun's subtle disgust at being able to say such things without flinching and let out a brief chuckle. The faint laughter resembled classical music.
"What are you going to do now?"
"What can I do? Just try to attend school properly. Thanks for helping."
Even though he could have escaped alone from the start. With this added jab, the platinum-haired boy amused himself again. Sihyun, swallowing his sigh at the unchanged demeanor, adjusted his bag and gave Seowoo a brief nod.
Though more a bother than a help, considering the debt from the collision, Sihyun decided to consider this as settling the score and planned to pretend not to know anything from now on.
"Thank you for helping, but now let's go our separate ways. Since we were strangers anyway, I'd appreciate it if you didn't acknowledge me in the future."
Saying only thanks and demands, he swiftly left the alley. Satisfied with a farewell no neater than this, a voice suddenly stopped Sihyun in his tracks.
"Weren't you a new student at Choa High School?"
"...."
Seowoo casually mentioned the school's name, causing Sihyun to abruptly halt, feeling slighted.
He just blurted out someone else's school name without realizing. Well, technically, Yoo Seowoo and I were from the same school, but still.
"Why?"
To express his reluctance to get involved further, Sihyun wrinkled his nose and responded, shrugging, as Seowoo pointed at his name tag.
The white name tag engraved with the name 'Yoo Seowoo' came into view again. It was something he had already confirmed.
"I'm also a student there."
"Oh, I see. That's nice."
"It might be fate. Want to go together?"
"No, thank you."
It might be fate indeed. Even if it were fate, it was undoubtedly a bad one. Rejecting firmly, even with his refusal, Seowoo, with an unchanged expression, moved his red lips.
"I want to go together, Sihyun."
"....?"
At the sound of his name, Sihyun's pupils dilated. Wondering why he knew his name, Sihyun looked at Seowoo with questioning eyes. Seowoo warmly smiled and tapped his name tag with long fingers. Sihyun glanced at his chest.
'Kang Sihyun.'
Come to think of it, there was also a white name tag on his chest.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
