11 Virtues A Hero's Civilian Friend Must Uphold (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“What? I was waiting for K to come.”
The woman, sounding thoroughly disappointed, glared petulantly at Seon Jin, who was resisting her by gripping her own gun barrel and pushing backward with all her strength.
“Well, you’ll have to do for now.”
—I like you too.
With a bright smile, the woman crossed her arms, grabbed Seon Jin by the shoulders, and tossed her backward.
Anticipating it perfectly, Seon Jin dropped to one knee and immediately yanked the chair the woman had been sitting on, swinging it around.
The chair struck the woman’s head with a brittle crack and shattered uselessly—but the impact didn’t seem to faze her at all.
Na Eun quietly shuffled backward, avoiding the blindingly fast exchange between the two superhumans—something her eyes couldn’t possibly follow.
Moreover, this was the first time she’d seen Seon Jin fighting so desperately up close, and she was nearly out of her mind with shock.
The two figures, once tangled together, swiftly broke apart and began tearing through the hall, their attacks gouging marks into the building’s walls from the sheer force of their recoil.
The sounds of their collisions were so powerful they echoed everywhere—utterly unbelievable for mere human combat.
Seon Jin raised one hand and curled her fingers; instantly, surrounding objects began swirling midair as if obeying a command.
The woman wrinkled her nose in clear distaste.
“Ugh, I hate this stuff.”
“Just die already.”
“I hate that too—life’s way too good in this world.”
Despite Seon Jin’s exasperated tone, the woman just giggled merrily as if she found something terribly amusing.
Soon, every table and statue in sight surged toward the woman, but with light, casual motions, she batted them all aside while still laughing.
“Gotta go now! Next time, make sure you tell K to come see me—I’m absolutely dying waiting!”
“Die.”
“How cold.”
The woman, who had shown no warmth at all just moments before and had attacked as if ready to kill, suddenly vanished without a trace—leaving only Na Eun and Seon Jin in the now completely wrecked room.
“Seon Jin…?”
In the sudden quiet that followed the woman’s disappearance, Na Eun cautiously called out to her friend, who stood with her back turned, guarding her.
“…Let’s go.”
Seon Jin extended her hand without meeting Na Eun’s eyes.
She effortlessly pulled Na Eun to her feet before the girl could even register her amazement—Na Eun’s knees had gone weak and she’d nearly collapsed.
But then Na Eun’s face turned deathly pale as she noticed the blood pouring steadily from Seon Jin’s lower abdomen.
“Seon Jin, you’re—”
“It’s nothing.”
Na Eun didn’t know much, but blood gushing nonstop from below the waist certainly didn’t qualify as “nothing.”
Then it suddenly hit her—Seon Jin had been resting at home with a leg injury.
Instinctively, her eyes dropped downward—and sure enough, she saw Seon Jin walking with a faint, awkward limp. Na Eun felt like fainting.
“Why… why did you come when you’re in pain…?”
You’re in so much pain. Surely there are other heroes besides you—why did it have to be you?
Na Eun had almost died for sure if not for Seon Jin just moments ago, yet her traitorous tongue was already turning shameless again.
Seeing Na Eun on the verge of tears, Seon Jin tugged her hat down and said,
“…We don’t always get deployed at the same time. The assigned personnel changes too.”
Don’t worry. We heal from stuff like this in just a few days.
At school, she’d make a huge fuss over the slightest ache—but now, with wounds that could easily be fatal, she remained utterly composed.
Na Eun’s lips trembled as she draped Seon Jin’s arm over her own shoulder.
Seon Jin shot her a questioning look, and Na Eun choked out,
“Your leg hurts, right?”
I’ll help you walk. At that, Seon Jin gave a slightly bewildered chuckle, then nodded.
“Yeah, okay.”
Seon Jin headed straight for the nearest elevator.
When Na Eun hesitated and asked, “Is it okay to take this?”, Seon Jin replied firmly, “It’s fine with me. But if you’re ever alone and something like this happens, always take the stairs—got it?”
Having just witnessed Seon Jin levitate and command objects like a servant, Na Eun didn’t argue further and silently stepped into the elevator.
Inside, the elevator descended slightly faster than normal, wrapped in silence.
Na Eun couldn’t think of what to say to Seon Jin.
They’d spent endless time together even without Seung Joo around, so they’d never felt awkward—but strangely, words wouldn’t come out now.
After a while, Seon Jin spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Huh?”
Caught completely off guard, Na Eun’s eyes widened.
“You must’ve been really scared.”
Wondering if Seon Jin could possibly be serious, Na Eun looked up at her for the first time that day.
Though Seon Jin’s face was tightly covered by a mask and hat—she was noticeably taller than Na Eun—her downward gaze clearly conveyed her emotions.
Recognizing the genuine guilt in her friend’s eyes, Na Eun cried out in shock,
“Why are you apologizing?”
I should be thanking you!
“…”
Seon Jin didn’t answer the question.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, revealing the hotel exit. Outside, chaos reigned even more than inside.
Fire trucks and police cars were intermingled, and reporters from every news station hurried back and forth, scrambling to file breaking updates on the new terrorist attack.
“Na Eun!”
The moment they stepped outside, Na Eun turned toward the familiar voice calling her name.
Tears she’d held back earlier filled her eyes again.
“Mom! Dad!”
Her parents, who’d been anxiously pacing outside, fearing the worst, rushed over and tightly embraced her.
“Thank you, thank you so much…!”
Relieved beyond words that their daughter was safe, Soo Hyun scolded her gently.
“Where on earth did you go?!”
“I’m sorry… I was looking for you and Dad.”
“Your mom and I were rescued right away—by that young man!”
You should’ve prioritized your own safety in a situation like this! What were you thinking, doing something so reckless?
Even as her mother scolded her, Na Eun instinctively looked up.
Her eyes met those of someone dressed head to toe in black, who’d just helped another person down from the second floor.
She knew without being told—the “young man” her mother mentioned was him.
‘Is it just your parents here?’
‘You’re awfully selfish.’
Remembering that mocking, sarcastic voice, Na Eun let out a defeated sigh.
“Please! Our daughter’s right over there!”
“Save her! She’s the bride getting married today—!”
Na Eun looked over to see Seon Jin in the distance, clutching her blood-dripping abdomen.
An elderly couple—the bride’s parents—were desperately grasping Seon Jin’s shoulders, pleading.
Na Eun’s lips trembled.
“…We confirmed the body inside.”
If she wanted to make it absolutely clear that rescue was pointless, this was the only way.
At Seon Jin’s quiet words, the couple—who’d just been begging desperately for help—froze.
“…Really?”
“That can’t be… Are you absolutely sure you checked properly?”
After repeatedly denying the confirmed fact, they finally shouted,
“Go back in and check again!”
“There’s no way! Are you just saying that because you can’t be bothered to save her right now?!”
The bride’s father looked ready to grab Seon Jin by the collar.
Alarmed, Na Eun hurried forward—but Seon Jin, who’d been silently bowing her head, stopped her with a look.
“I’m sorry.”
To the two parents, who finally broke down sobbing after failing to accept reality, Seon Jin murmured an apology—as if she’d rehearsed it countless times.
“…I’m sorry.”
News reports always praise heroes.
Online, people never fail to shower existing real-life heroes with admiration and respect.
Hee Won, who’d silently approached, gently gripped Seon Jin’s shoulder and began guiding her away—
clearly signaling it was time to withdraw.
Behind them, anguished wailing filled the air.
Seon Jin hunched her shoulders as if bearing all the blame herself, while Hee Won hurried along with an irritated, fed-up expression.
Na Eun stared blankly at Seon Jin’s retreating back.
The shining hero, universally celebrated—the one she’d always imagined from afar—
was nowhere to be seen here and now.
[This is the timeline separator]“There’ll be no early dismissal after finals this time. We’ll have regular classes until 5 p.m., so keep that in mind.”
The teacher’s thunderbolt announcement sent the classroom into an uproar of complaints.
Though worried about tomorrow’s final exams, the students had been eagerly looking forward to the long-awaited, sweet taste of freedom afterward—only to have their hopes utterly shattered.
The homeroom teacher glared at the whining students who cried, “This is outrageous! It’s child abuse!”
“Quiet down! You’ve all seen the news, right? These days, absolutely do not wander outside—stay only at home or school.”
The sudden decision to hold regular classes during final exam week seemed clearly linked to the recent Seoul hotel bombing incident.
The students argued that if that was the case, staying home would be safer—but the teacher shot them down with, “Like you’d actually stay home once your exams are over,” leaving them with no retort.
Once homeroom ended, students began packing their bags one by one to head home.
As Na Eun stood to gather her pencil case and books, Seung Joo, seated in front, turned around and called to her.
“Na Eun, mala tang?”
Seung Joo suggested grabbing mala tang on their way to the academy after class, and Na Eun hesitated, glancing sideways.
Beside her, Seon Jin, who’d just removed a hair roller from her bangs, noticed Na Eun staring and asked,
“What?”
“You’re coming too, right?”
“Of course. Have you ever seen me skip mala tang?”
Na Eun, thrown by Seon Jin’s tone—as if it were the most obvious thing in the world—stammered,
“…But you’re not even feeling well…”
The day after that incident, Seon Jin had come to school as if nothing had happened.
Remembering wounds that looked severe enough to require a month’s hospitalization, Na Eun had been shocked—but Seon Jin acted perfectly calm.
She explained that repeatedly being hospitalized or absent would risk exposing their identities to those around them.
“You and I may be careless, but normally, we disguise ourselves thoroughly,” Seon Jin and Seung Joo had said with a laugh—but Na Eun couldn’t bring herself to smile back.
“Then skip the academy at least. I’ll tell them for you.”
At Na Eun’s worried words, Seon Jin sighed and shook her head.
“Nah. If I skip again, I’m seriously dead with my math teacher.”
Generally, it was easier to skip the academy than school.
Seung Joo and Seon Jin, who missed classes as casually as eating meals, had long been marked as troublemakers by the academy teachers.
Compared to them, Na Eun was so diligent that many teachers clicked their tongues and asked, “Why are you even friends with them?”
Of course, they still cared deeply—despite scolding them every time they skipped, the teachers always made sure to give them make-up lessons—so neither Seon Jin nor Seung Joo actually disliked the academy.
“The college entrance exam is coming up soon. We have to study.”
For any ordinary Korean high school senior, that statement would’ve been perfectly obvious—but now, it no longer sounded that way at all.
“Is studying really that important right now?”
Unable to hold back any longer, Na Eun finally blurted it out—and both Seung Joo and Seon Jin froze, mid-packing.
Seung Joo’s eyes widened as if she’d just overheard something unbelievable.
“Seon Jin, did you hear that? What Na Eun Yoon just said.”
“Yeah. Guess I’ve lived too long.”
Na Eun glared at Seon Jin, who muttered like someone who’d seen it all—she never thought she’d hear those words, “What’s so important about studying?” from Na Eun Yoon’s mouth.
“Don’t joke around—you’re hurt! Do you really have to study to the point of ruining your health?”
“You’ve got some nerve. The one who chugged caffeine and ended up in the ER?”
Na Eun immediately wilted under Seung Joo’s scolding—she’d once overdosed on high-caffeine drinks during sophomore finals (three a day!) and landed in the emergency room.
Just remembering the worry she’d caused her parents and others still left her speechless.
It had also been the first time Jae Kyung had ever seriously gotten mad at her since they started dating.
Seeing Na Eun lower her head, unable to say more, Seon Jin reached out and gently touched the top of her head.
“Don’t worry. We’re way tougher than you think.”
“But even if you’re tough, it doesn’t mean you don’t get hurt.”
“…”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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Wow! Finally a glimpse of the Center Directors scolding >.<