The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

“Points! I earned shop points too!”

「400,000 P」

Baek Yeoul felt incredibly happy as she looked at the number displayed on her smartwatch.

With these points, she could buy a delicious lunch and even get the cracked screen on her smartphone fixed.

Maybe she could buy the socks she had her eye on at the store, and then… and then…

Humming a tune, she was on her way home.

Thud-.

“Ugh!”

Something caught her leg, and Baek Yeoul tripped forward.

Of all things, she had tripped on a broken paving stone.

What bad luck.

“Ouch, my knee’s scraped….”

Baek Yeoul often stumbled or bumped into things and got hurt.

It was clearly because of the concept of “Misfortune” she possessed.

Baek Yeoul hated her own ability.

When she awakened, everyone congratulated her, saying she had become someone special, but she thought this kind of “special” was worse than nothing.

People around her kept experiencing unfortunate events, and because of that, they kept distancing themselves from her.

Today too, she was sure she would embarrass herself during the group project, just like always…

“400,000!”

Baek Yeoul took out a bandage from her bag and slapped it onto her knee, shouting in delight.

A bird flying overhead was so startled that it pooped on her shoulder, but she didn’t care.

“I earned 400,000 points!”

400,000 points was the minimum amount required to apply for a special class.

The special class offered a custom curriculum designed to help control and enhance one’s abilities, while also awakening new powers.

For Baek Yeoul, who was struggling in many ways because she couldn’t control the concept of “Misfortune”, it was a lecture she desperately needed.

The only worry was…

‘Seo Ga-eul will definitely be in the special class….’

Swoosh-.

Baek Yeoul reached into her bag and took out a photograph.

It was a picture of her and a girl smiling with their arms around each other.

Although the girl’s face was covered with black marker ink, Baek Yeoul could still remember her face vividly.

They had been classmates from kindergarten to middle school for most of their time together.

‘What does Han Nam-jin even see in her? Sure, she’s pretty, rich, and smells good, but that’s it.’

Baek Yeoul grew irritated and blamed the absent boy for no reason.

From their first meeting, Han Nam-jin and Baek Yeoul had been bound by a bad fate, and Han Nam-jin was utterly smitten with Seo Ga-eul.

‘What a fool. It’s all for nothing.’

Seo Ga-eul was famous for being kind, pretty, smart, and talented.

But Baek Yeoul knew Seo Ga-eul’s true nature better than anyone.

Baek Yeoul couldn’t forgive Seo Ga-eul.

Even if it had made her endlessly miserable.

“Seo Ga-eul is the worst b*tch ever.”

# # #

“Seo Ga-eul is my light. My love. The lighthouse of my life! Butterfree, Slowbro, hometown of birds─.”

Singing while scrubbing myself clean, I felt much better.

I mean, yesterday I earned 400,000 points from the group project and got all the attention!

Even emotionless psychopaths would be so happy they’d start dancing from joy at this point.

“400,000 points!”

With these 400,000 points, I could apply for the special class and approach Seo Ga-eul, handing her this handkerchief I’ve cleaned and upgraded.

“Starting today, you’re my girlfriend! Got it?”

If I confessed like that, bold and fiery, how could Seo Ga-eul not fall for me?

She might even be so overjoyed that her legs would give out.

“Don’t you think so, Ying-ying?”

……….

……

No response came.

My cheerful house was just quiet and still.

“Coming home is great and all, but it’s so quiet.”

Suddenly, I missed my friend, Ying-ying.

I ended up never finding out what Ying-ying tasted like, which was a shame.

It would’ve been nice if Seo Ga-eul had sent Ying-ying back in time with me too.

“We’ll definitely meet again.”

Ever since the day Seo Ga-eul came to me, I believed in fate.

Just as Seo Ga-eul was my destiny, I was certain Ying-ying was a part of my fate too.

“We’ll definitely meet again.”

But the important thing was Seo Ga-eul.

“Who’s that handsome guy in the mirror? It’s me!”

I wondered which woman wouldn’t fall for my smile, with teeth as white as pho noodles, but maybe Seo Ga-eul had some strange tastes.

Maybe instead of liking a nice, handsome guy, she preferred a scavenger crawling around in a dump.

To prepare for that, I had a backup plan.

That backup plan was Baek Yeoul.

I heard that Baek Yeoul had been in the same class as Seo Ga-eul from kindergarten to middle school.

Surely, she would know what kind of guy Seo Ga-eul liked, and which losers she’d dated.

The thought of going to school and asking Baek Yeoul about Seo Ga-eul made my tailbone tingle.

“Well, I’m off to school.”

I greeted the empty house and headed off to school.

The breeze was warm.

Ah, spring is here.

The spring of my life that I had never experienced before.

# # #

When lunchtime came, after enduring the boring morning classes, we decided to use the second-place prize from our group project.

It was five 「Noble Dining Coupons」.

Team “No Leftovers Day” decided to enjoy a nice meal together at the high-end student cafeteria.

I was especially excited about this because I had prepared something special for today.

A food container!

“Hey! Tae-sung! Keep watch for me!”

“Nam-jin, again?”

“Yeah!”

I was planning to stuff as much buffet food as I could into the container I brought!

I’d eat it for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow!

Man, isn’t that the epitome of a well-prepared, resourceful man?

Baek Yeoul, who was hovering around me with a flushed face, blurted out in a small voice.

“Hey! If you get caught taking food, you’ll be banned from the Noble cafeteria forever!”

“Idiot. Just don’t get caught.”

「Name: Baek Yeoul

Status: 《Frustrated》 – Wants to argue against your flawless logic, but can’t think of a comeback, so she feels frustrated!」

Thud-thud-thud-.

I filled up four food containers with meat dishes.

I was so full, I didn’t even need to eat.

Right now, I was the winner in life.

“Hey, friend….”

Just then, Candy Maker Choi Chang-sik approached me.

What could he want?

“…Could you give me one of those food containers?”

One of the containers I took a huge risk to pack?

The situation called for a fierce rebuttal, but I nodded generously.

“Sure. Take it. But you’ll have to wash it and return it later.”

Candy Maker Chang-sik could create endless amounts of candy.

In the post-apocalyptic world to come, no one would be more valuable than him, so it was crucial to score points with him now.

“T-thank you!”

Chang-sik was really happy as he tucked the food container into his pocket.

I had many questions, but I kept my mouth shut because everyone had their own circumstances.

So the meal began.

We were talking about starting a group chat and studying for the exams together when I noticed that Baek Yeoul, who had seemed emotionally unstable all day, kept sighing.

“What’s up? Yeoul, need to pee?”

“…No!”

“Then what? You’ve been sighing nonstop.”

“Um…”

The kids who had been chatting away turned their attention to Baek Yeoul, who nervously shifted her red face before finally gathering the courage to speak.

“My mom and dad want to invite you all over. It’s the first time I’ve ever earned this many shop points from a group project….”

It was like a shy elementary school kid inviting classmates to a birthday party.

Everyone exchanged glances before Geum Tae-sung was the first to nod.

“As long as it doesn’t clash with my part-time job, I’m in.”

“I’d love to go! Isn’t your family’s headquarters the Baekdang Foods’ main branch? I bet we’ll get to taste some amazing desserts!”

“….”

Only the quiet Oh Deok-soon hesitated, unable to answer.

Geum Tae-sung turned to her.

“Deok-hee, you should come too. Honestly, you and Nam-jin played the biggest role in our success. It’d be fun if we all hung out together.”

“Oh… okay, I’ll go….”

Even quiet, reserved Deok-soon couldn’t resist a handsome guy’s suggestion.

I understood her feelings all too well.

If Seo Ga-eul had said to me, “My parents aren’t home tonight. Want to come over?” I’d have nodded without thinking, purely on reflex.

Speaking of which, where was my beloved Seo Ga-eul?

“So, everyone’s coming to my place today, right? Nam-jin, you too?”

I was fiddling with the handkerchief I had received from Seo Ga-eul when my gaze found her.

She was sitting down with her tray, glowing like the center of attention, among all the students.

Out of the crowd, she shone like a spotlight was on her, and I, as if enchanted, stood up and approached her.

“Ga-eul.”

“Hm? You are?”

“What is it?”

“Ga-eul, do you know him?”

“Never seen him before. His uniform’s different too.”

There were a bunch of pretty girls around Seo Ga-eul, but they all blended into the background like Hyang-dan next to Chun-hyang.

In this moment, it felt like it was just me and Seo Ga-eul.

“Why?”

Her gentle yet slightly teasing question made my heart race.

Even my prefrontal cortex felt hot, like melting butter.

Eventually, I quietly held out the handkerchief I was holding.

“Thanks for lending me this.”

“Oh, the handkerchief. So, it was you? The tiger-print underwear guy.”

“Pffft, him?”

“That was hilarious.”

Did Seo Ga-eul actually remember me?

Is this the ultimate green light?

It was totally worth wearing those tiger-print undies that day.

When I bought them, I wondered if they were worth 10,000 won, but they definitely were!

“But the handkerchief looks a little different from when I gave it to you.”

“Oh, I stitched a little heart pattern on it.”

Seo Ga-eul, can you feel my heart?

Seo Ga-eul brightened up as if she was truly touched and proudly showed the handkerchief to everyone around her.

“Look at this. Isn’t the embroidery great? Have any of you ever received something like this?”

“Great handiwork.”

“Ga-eul’s really popular.”

Laughter filled the air, creating a cheerful atmosphere.

Soon, Seo Ga-eul smiled softly and said, “I really liked this handkerchief, so thank you for giving it back. You even decorated it nicely. Every time I see this, I’ll think of you.”

“Really? Then, Ga-eul, how about we have a meal together to repay the favor?”

Every time she saw it, she’d think of me.

This was a clear signal of love, wasn’t it?

Since our hearts were already aligned, there was no need to drag things out.

“Wait, was that a date proposal?”

“Did Seo Ga-eul get hit on by another guy?”

“Didn’t Wang Ja-hyun confess to her last week…?”

Murmurs and chatter filled the air, but what the others said didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered to me was Seo Ga-eul’s answer.

I focused on her with the power of the 《Emotion》 ability I had gained from Seo Ga-eul herself.

From my experience so far, 《Emotion》 was specialized in detecting gaps in a person’s guard.

Surely, Seo Ga-eul’s heart would have a gap, having been asked on a date so suddenly in front of so many people.

That gap was my target.

In other words, my flirting just now was like a surprise attack.

But 《Emotion》 provided no information about Seo Ga-eul.

Was she really unaffected by a public date proposal?

“I’m sorry, it’s just that this is the first time I’ve been asked to a meal in front of so many people, so I’m a little surprised. Honestly, I’m flustered and can’t make a decision right away.”

Flustered?

Acting like her heart didn’t skip a beat when it did.

Feigning shyness, Seo Ga-eul covered her mouth and smiled.

“There’s a party at our company building tomorrow. I’ll give you an invitation, so can you give me your serious answer then? By the way, your name is…?”

“Han Nam-jin. Nam as in man, Jin as in truth. You should at least remember the name of the guy you’re going to choose.”