The Support Ate it All

Hong Yeon-hwa and Kim Ho each bought a cup of coffee at the convenience store and sat side by side on a nearby bench.

Perhaps because they had talked over coffee here before, the atmosphere felt a bit less tense.

Hong Yeon-hwa fiddled with her paper cup before speaking.

“Th-Thank you. For setting up that one-on-one match…”

Judging from the conversation between Wang Cheon-sam and Kim Ho, it seemed that Wang Cheon-sam not only used a fake name but also hid much of his true abilities.

If Kim Ho hadn’t made the request, Wang Cheon-sam would have continued to conceal his strength during the match.

In that case, while winning and gaining points might have been easier, she would have remained a frog in the well.

On the other hand, even though she had gone through some difficulties this time, she had gained quite a bit.

Kim Ho nodded his head slightly.

“It was nothing. How was it, facing an assassin?”

“…It was difficult.”

Hong Yeon-hwa answered honestly.

As someone who always attacked relentlessly during combat, it was almost the first time she had been forced into a defensive position for so long.

If the duel battle hadn’t been in a volcanic area that favored her…

Although she managed to turn the game around with her strategy in the latter half, it was actually possible because she had been quite lucky in several ways.

And if the fireball hadn’t fallen at just the right moment…

She likely would have been overwhelmed and lost the match.

Curious about how such a skilled opponent had gone unnoticed until now, Hong Yeon-hwa asked.

“Uh, Wang Min-soo? Or was it Wang Cheon-sam? What’s his real skill level?”

“He’s slightly below the level of a promising student. About a half-step to a full step lower.”

“…He’s not a ‘promising student’?”

“Yes.”

This information shocked Hong Yeon-hwa.

If she struggled this much against an assassin who was a step below the promising level, then against a true promising student-level assassin, she might not just be pushed into a defensive position but could lose the match the moment it began.

To avoid such an absurd defeat, she needed to start preparing and improving her skills now.

So, Hong Yeon-hwa sought advice from Kim Ho.

“How do you deal with an assassin…?”

“You just have to watch carefully and dodge.”

“…That’s a bit much.”

Kim Ho made an absurd suggestion without batting an eye.

Of course, for him, dodging a barrage of attacks would be a simple task.

Still, wouldn’t it be better to give advice that matched her level so she could at least attempt it?

Perhaps realizing this, Kim Ho took a sip of his coffee before speaking.

“I noticed you weren’t using any defensive magic.”

“Oh, that’s because…”

Up until now, she hadn’t just neglected defensive magic; she hadn’t even been interested in it.

She thought it was more advantageous to throw another fireball rather than waste time setting up a shield.

But now, the situation changed.

She had faced various opponents in both duel battles and strategy battles and in some cases, she had realized that attacking alone wasn’t always the best strategy.

It was time to address the areas she neglected.

“If you have any skill recommendations…”

“Try learning something from the armor or barrier categories, whichever suits your style.”

“Which one is better…?”

“If it were me, I’d learn both.”

Now that she thought about it, there didn’t seem to be a need to choose just one.

She had heard that it was quite common to layer barriers on top of armor.

“Thank you. I’ll look into it.”

“One more thing. Go for the ones with long casting times.”

“…Ah!”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyebrows shot up at Kim Ho’s added remark.

These were powerful spells with the drawback of long casting times.

In a battle where every second counted, a lengthy casting time could be fatal.

However, for someone like Hong Yeon-hwa who had an exceptionally fast casting speed, it wasn’t much of a problem.

She could use powerful magic with relatively few drawbacks.

Defensive magic with long casting times.

I should look into spellbooks when I get back.

With that, her path for the near future was decided.

But there was one more thing Hong Yeon-hwa wanted to ask.

In some ways, this question was even more important than the previous one.

It was about the relationship between Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in.

However, she hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Is this… something I should even ask?

The other party was Kim Ho, and even if the other party wasn’t Kim Ho, it seemed like a tricky question to ask directly.

But she couldn’t keep this to herself forever.

The curiosity that had started during the midterms was still lingering in a corner of her mind and tormenting her.

Hong Yeon-hwa desperately wanted to resolve this curiosity.

Besides, the fact that she had brought this up with her older sister and ended up getting a slew of fiery back-smacks played a big role in her decision.

That was a complete misunderstanding!

It wasn’t about me!

It was really about someone I knew!

It was about Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in!

For the sake of her unjustly sacrificed back, she was determined to get to the bottom of this.

So, Hong Yeon-hwa steeled her resolve.

After carefully choosing her words, she finally spoke.

“So… you know Seo Ye-in, right?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you… think of her?”

“She’s special.”

Seo Ye-in was special to Kim Ho.

After receiving a piece of the puzzle and putting it together, Hong Yeon-hwa continued to ask questions carefully.

“Then, are you two… dating… by any chance?”

“We’re not dating.”

“Oh… really?”

“Why do you ask?”

When Kim Ho asked her back, Hong Yeon-hwa felt a twinge of guilt.

Prodding into someone else’s love life was indeed rude.

So, she decided to ask just a little more, and if he seemed uncomfortable, she would quickly apologize.

“Well, during the midterms… at night… you slept with Seo Ye-in, right? You two put your sleeping bags together…”

“Yeah, we did.”

“Seeing that, it seemed like you two were pretty close…”

“If you mean close, then yeah, I guess we are. But at that time, we just did it because she said she slept better that way.”

Kim Ho answered nonchalantly.

The main reason, he explained, was to help Seo Ye-in sleep well and manage her condition.

It made sense that if they considered each other special, there wouldn’t be much resistance to it.

With that, most of her questions were answered, but there was still one crucial thing left.

“So… did it really help her sleep better?”

“Well, that’s what she said.”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s mind grew complicated again.

What on earth could be the reason?

Was his body somehow made of pillows?

But why could she feel nothing while sitting right next to him?

Thoughts spiraled one after another in Hong Yeon-hwa’s mind.

Then, without thinking, one of them slipped out of her mouth.

“Then… can I try it, just once?”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“?”

“?”

Hong Yeon-hwa blinked as she retraced the words she had just spoken.

Then she gasped and took in a deep breath.

Her face turned as red as her hair.

Oh no! I must be out of my mind!

Asking if she could just stick close to him once!

Did those outrageous words really come out of her mouth?

Hong Yeon-hwa wanted to slap her own mouth repeatedly.

But clearing things up was more important right now, so she quickly added,

“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that when I saw Seo Ye-in fall asleep as soon as she leaned on you, I got curious if it was really that comfortable, that’s all…”

“……”

Kim Ho silently stared at her.

His gaze was as if he had discovered a strange creature.

Hong Yeon-hwa wanted to jump into a river of lava.

Why did I say that?

How am I supposed to face him now?

Isn’t he going to think I’m weird?

Are people going to start talking about how I asked if I could stick close to him?

How am I supposed to go to school now?

While Hong Yeon-hwa mentally kicked at an imaginary blanket, Kim Ho seemed to have sorted out his thoughts and asked calmly,

“How do you plan to check?”

“……Huh?”

“How do you plan to check if it’s really that comfortable?”

Was he actually agreeing to this??

It was a development she hadn’t anticipated at all.

But by now, the conversation had gone too far to stop.

Hong Yeon-hwa averted her gaze. She started looking around as she spoke.

“Maybe… if I lean on your… shoulder…?”

Kim Ho seemed to think for a few seconds before nodding slightly.

“Go ahead, lean on me.”

“Huh, huh?”

“Lean on me.”

“…Really?”

“I’m curious too.”

This was the first time Seo Ye-in and Kim Ho had slept together like that.

And it was also the first time Kim Ho had discovered he had such an effect(?).

But it wasn’t clear if it only worked on Seo Ye-in or if it would work on others too, so he figured it was a good opportunity to experiment.

“Well, then…”

Hong Yeon-hwa hesitated for a moment. She was wondering if this was the right thing to do, but it was too late to back out now.

Besides, she was just a step away from satisfying her curiosity.

She just had to set her embarrassment aside for a moment and try leaning on him.

Hong Yeon-hwa who was still sitting on the bench slowly inched closer to Kim Ho.

And when she was almost right next to him, she cautiously tilted her head to the side.

Her head touched his firm shoulder.

Oh, this…?

It was surprisingly comfortable.

It was hard to put into words, but it was unexpectedly comfortable.

Considering that she was in a somewhat awkward position, it was even more surprising.

J-Just a little more…

Hong Yeon-hwa decided to revise her initial plan of just lightly resting her head.

She moved even closer to Kim Ho, then leaned her head against him in a much more comfortable position.

And when she closed her eyes,

This is really comfortable, isn’t it?

Was this why Seo Ye-in fell asleep in just five seconds?

If she stayed like this any longer, she felt she might doze off as well.

But unfortunately, that moment didn’t last.

Kim Ho suddenly got up from the bench.

Because of that, Hong Yeon-hwa almost toppled over to the side.

“Hello.”

“Mhmm, hello.”

Judging from the conversation, it seemed he was exchanging greetings with someone.

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And that someone’s voice was very familiar.

Hong Yeon-hwa quickly opened her eyes and her face immediately turned pale.

Someone who should never have been there was standing before her.

It was none other than her older sister, Hong Ye-hwa.

It seemed she had just stopped by the convenience store to buy something and was on her way out when she spotted Kim Ho and Hong Yeon-hwa.

The two of them were cuddled up close together.

“…….”

There was a gentle smile on Hong Ye-hwa’s lips, but her eyes were anything but warm.

She fixed her gaze on Hong Yeon-hwa and slowly gestured for her to come over.

Despite breaking out in a nervous sweat, Hong Yeon-hwa obediently approached her sister.

As soon as she did, Hong Ye-hwa placed a hand on her shoulder like a sister showing affection and spoke softly to Kim Ho.

“Sorry, I need to have a little chat with her. I’ll be taking her with me.”

“Yes, I understand.”

When Kim Ho bowed his head, Hong Ye-hwa lightly waved her hand before starting to walk away.

Hong Yeon-hwa who was being practically dragged along kept glancing back and silently pleading for help.

But Kim Ho only stood there and watched them grow distant.

After all, this wasn’t something he could interfere with.

Soon, a cold voice whispered in Hong Yeon-hwa’s ear.

“…. Someone you know?”

“N-No, Unnie, it’s not like that…”

“Mhmm, enough. Just follow me.”

Any explanation could wait until they got home.

Dark clouds loomed over Hong Yeon-hwa’s future.

***

TN: Loll. Well, this could be from a skill he has, like Monarch or something. But it also could be just because they like him.