I Don’t Want to be an Ojakgyo (132)

It would’ve been normal for the training hall to be empty because it was a weekend, but a group of boys were situated in the middle of the hall. Seeing the red pattern on their uniform, they were from the red class.

Usually, I would’ve just ignored whoever was in the hall, but I saw a familiar face in the group that stopped me from entering.

“…..so I’m purposefully avoiding her so I could give her time to reflect on her mistakes.”

It was Eric.

I stopped walking and hid behind a wall to listen to her voice.

“She was crying and begging, saying that she was sorry and it was her fault, so I pitied her and didn’t break up with her.”
“Seriously? That Shuraina did? Seriously, whenever I hear her stories from you, I’m shocked….. I didn’t see her like that, but she’s incredibly…. Hmm.”

Eric was there, spouting some incredible amounts of bullshit. I couldn’t help but scowl. Honestly, I was generally numb when it came to rumors, but it was different when it was from Eric.

“She needs to be grateful that I dated someone like her. Do you know how hard it was for me to try and understand that personality of hers? It pissed me off when she nitpicked at my words like that.

At his words, a bunch of his friends shot back.

“Honestly, she doesn’t have any charms, she looks gloomy, and it’s gross seeing her sweat so much as she exercises. And her tone is just annoying. She should be grateful that I held back and kept dating her but instead she keeps crawling up my nerves. She can’t even use the sword properly and she insists on practicing.”
“……..even if it was a game, you confessed first. You shouldn’t say something like that.”

Then, one of his friends looked uncomfortable as he spoke up. The others began to group against him.

“Hey, why are you bringing that up? Man, lighten up. Stop acting like you’re nice.”
“I knew her a bit when I was young, you know? She liked me a lot ever since I was little, and I just decided to do some charity. She probably doesn’t even have anyone to date in her life other than me. Honestly, who would liek someone like her?”

Eric snickered loudly as he spoke just as loudly.

“The thing I hated the most when I went out with her was….”
“Annoyi…..”

I carefully watched Eric and his friends talk about me. Something felt like it was boiling in the pit of my stomach and slowly coming up. It was weird. I’d never cared about people talking about me, but I felt incredibly betrayed when Eric did it. Maybe it was because I did think of him as important at one point in my life.

But suddenly, my sight grew dark and someone covered my ears. The high-pitched, loud voice of Eric’s, because of the person behind me, grew quieter and quieter so that I couldn’t hear.

I could smell soap from the person who was almost hugging me from behind as they blocked my ears. It was a familiar scent, one that was usually from swordsmanship students–from the people I knew, Hylli and Swanhaden smelled like this.

I wondered who it was when the person who blocked my eyes and ears quietly whispered into my ear.

“Don’t look at something like that.”

It was Swanhaden’s voice. His voice and tone were always snarky, but now it was low and serious.

“I like how you frown when you’re trying your best. I like your high ponytail when you’re practicing the sword, and I like your concentrating, sweaty form, too. Your half-lidded eyes are so mysterious and beautiful that I can’t even look at them properly. I like how you obsess over money and how well you eat all the time.”

Instead of Eric’s taunts, the only things I could hear were my compliments.

I thought it was Swanhaden, but I guess I was wrong. Was it Yves pretending to be Hylli?

I held up my hand to my face to see what was covering my eyes. It was Swan’s lamb-shaped sleeping mask.

I could also see Swanhaden, still blocking my ears. Oh my god.

“…..you are Swan, right?”
“No.”
“Okay, that’s what I thought.”

Swanhaden seemed like he couldn’t look me in my eyes in embarrassment or even shame, so I decided to pretend I didn’t know who it was. Why did you say all that if you were going to be so embarrassed?

Anyway, that Swan blocked my ears and was kind of cringey, but he showered me with compliments which made me feel better. It was weird getting comforted by Swanhaden, but it wasn’t a bad kind of feeling.

So I didn’t try to move Swanhaden’s hands from my ears. I could feel an incredible amount of murderous rage that Swanhaden was suppressing, but I could feel that he was trying to not direct it to me.

“Should I make him your dog?”

Swanhaden said softly. I was briefly tempted when he said that if I wanted, I could make him run a lap around the academy like a dog while naked, but I slowly shook my head.

“I have a request.”

When I spoke quietly, Swanhaden nodded, he lowered his upper body to put his ear near my mouth. I was slightly surprised when I saw his thoughtfulness–something I’d never imagined I’d see from Swanhaden.

“If you have a glove for a dueling request, let me borrow it.”

Swanhaden responded with actions more than words. He suddenly jumped up the nearby wall and disappeared, then returned with an armful of sharp but small rocks.

Then, he put those rocks in his dueling request clove and handed it to me.

“Slap him with this.”

For reference, it’s a trend to slap a glove on the face of the person you want to duel with. I held the glove with a bunch of rocks inside and looked at Swan. He looked down.

Swanhaden told me that if I accidentally killed Eric, then he would revive him and that I didn’t need to worry. I could kill as much as I wanted. I didn’t really know how to react to Swan’s words as I pondered over it for a bit.

I awkwardly returned Swanhaden’s cheer and approached Eric. I could hear his loud, angry voice again.

“……….so I’m getting sick of her. I’m going to make use of her a bit more and then break up with her.”

Eric was so concentrated in his story that he didn’t even know that I was here.

“Eric.”
“…….mm?”

Thwap!
I hurled the glove towards the left side of his face.

“I request.”

Thwap!

“A duel.”

Get wrecked by someone you look down on.

---

The time between the moment Shuraina straightened her sword and Eric’s attack was brief.

Her high orange ponytail gently swayed in the wind, and her crimson eyes shone with calm yet deep emotions. Shuraina, who didn’t really smile often, smirked in front of Eric.

Eric, on the other hand, was incredibly taken aback right now. First, the fact that Shuraina had heard him twist things around and make stories shocked him.

Second, he had thought that Shuraina would take a step back, but instead she had taken out her sword and had requested a duel. Moreover, he had been taken aback by the glove slap.

“You, you, you can’t vent your anger out like th…!”

At Shuraina’s attack, Eric reflexively took a few steps backwards.

He was embarrassed at having been caught spreading bad rumors about Shuraina and was in a whirlwind of emotions. He couldn’t concentrate on the duel. So at first, he stumbled on his words as he tried to stop Shuraina, but it was no use.

Honestly, Eric had heard time and time again that Shuraina was talented with the sword, but he could never admit it due to his jealousy. But now that he was being forced to face her, he was scared. He was scared, most of all, that he would be completely defeated by Shuraina, and that his pride would collapse. He was also embarrassed about how his friends would witness his shame.

So, Eric tried to give up on the duel. If he did, then his friends would boo him, but he would be able to keep a bit of his pride, after all.

But,

“Eugh.”

Shuraina frowned as she was hit by Eric’s attack. He, who was just trying to defend and give up, was surprised when he got a hit in. She had been hit on her arm, so Shuraina wrapped her hand around the injured area and took a step back.

‘Wait, she’s not that skilled either.’

Eric thought that the rumors had embellished it. Shuraina’s actual skills were nothing, he thought.

Shuraina had requested the duel and the people witnessing had gotten heated, so he had accepted it at first.

Eric, with a confident smile on his grin, threw his own glove at Shuraina. Shuraina, with a careless expression on her face, let the glove hit her face instead of avoiding it.

“You must have a lot of feelings pent up against me. Go ahead. I’ll go easy on you.”

Eric held up his sword with an overconfident tone. As soon as he said that he’d go easy on her, Eric’s friends worried if he really had a death wish, but it was incredibly amusing and his actions were so funny that they hyped him up. Eric had no clue about this.

Shuraina grinned as soon as he agreed to the duel.

If he didn’t accept, then things would have become complicated. Thank goodness he had fallen for her weak act. She had only allowed herself hit just so he would accept the duel.

When she got hit, Shuraina could feel an incredible amount of murderous intent coming from Swanhaden, but she mouthed, ‘I didn’t get hit.’ towards him. Swan gave up on running towards her. Instead, he cross his arms against his chest and directed the murderous intent towards Eric.

Shuraina immediately increased her speed and strength and ran towards Eric.

At the sudden increase in power and speed, Eric couldn’t help but be shocked.

Thanks to the muscle training that she had done with Hylli ever since she was young, Shuraina was just as powerful as the boys in her class. Moreover, her smaller body allowed her to be quicker, and her delicate, fine skills added onto it all. Her strength, skill, speed, and balance were all top notch.

Eric’s offer to go easy on her was completely useless as he was attacked again and again by Shuraina’s fast attacks. She was flexible, and the moves she used were witty and well-placed. When she was attacked, she tilted the power from the attack to lessen the impact, then attacked with double or triple the power.

Shuraina shoved Eric with her sword. When he fell back a few steps, she used that opportunity to attack quickly. When Eric tried to nullify Shuraina’s attacks and came close to her, she stepped back faster than he could reach her and attacked him–with her foot.

Eric couldn’t think of anything as he was hit without an opportunity to attack. It was basically one-sided. He was embarrassed and ashamed. But damn, the places he got hit hurt so much.

When he gazed at his friends, they all looked disappointed. Eric was so infuriated that he grit his teeth and tried to land an attack at Shuraina, but even that was useless.

---

T/N: when did swan get so slick?????????????????????????????????????????

---

Previous | TOC | Next