05. Deal with the Devil (9)

“The person Seohee Yoon likes is me?”

“Uh.”

“Really? Why are you so sure?”

It was hard to believe, but Byung-jun’s voice was so firm. It was as if she was saying the obvious.

But couldn’t Byung-jun be mistaken about something? Maybe she’s not talking about romantic feelings, she’s simply liking her friends… I didn’t throw away a single possibility.

However, Lee Byung-jun frowned at her as if asking what she was talking about.

“Isn’t that obvious? It’s obvious that Yoon Seo-hee treats only you specially. Is this she asking really seriously?”

“Then seriously. She says she gets special treatment?”

No matter how much I think about Seo-hee treating me specially, I can’t guess at all.

Looking at my expression like that, Byungjun didn’t hide his bewildered expression.

“When you enter the classroom, you are the first to look for you, the first to greet you, talk to you whenever you have time, look only at you from time to time, and don’t let anyone touch the sword you made. But you really didn’t know?”

“I thought we were just close friends….”

“If that is a friend then I have no friends, you bastard!”

Lee Byung-jun got angry as if he would grab me by the collar at any moment, but I couldn’t control myself and grabbed him by the back of the neck.

“There must have been something that I could see especially well because I was sitting next to you, but I’m just not saying it openly, but my classmates must have guessed it roughly, right? Yoon Seo-hee likes you.”

“But I was the only one who didn’t know?”

“Yeah, I’m dumbfounded too. I rather thought you knew Seohee Yoon’s heart but pretended not to know.”

I shook my head as if it was nonsense.

“It can’t be. If I knew, why would I pretend not to know Seo-hee’s heart?”

“I thought it was because you dated Baek Ji-soo!”

“… ? Some? Who and who?”

“You and Jisoo Baek… no?”

The expressions on both of us became bewildered at the same time.

What do you mean? Do you mean the one I know? It seems that Byung-jun misunderstood at will, but I couldn’t possibly understand what kind of leap of thought had taken place.

“Why is Jisoo’s name suddenly appearing while talking about Seohee?”

“Weren’t you two like that? Obviously at the fair… And Baek Ji-soo’s treatment of you wasn’t quite as good as Yoon Seo-hee, right?”

“Jisoo is me?”

“You’re famous for never letting a man approach you, let alone talk to them, but you talk well and hold hands at fairs.”

The hand… It wouldn’t have been I remember holding on to the sleeves.

Even so, I guessed that Baek Ji-soo was not shy about me. Still, I thought it was because of my position as a colleague and friend who shared the same purpose.

Could Jisoo be me too?

… Ah, please That’s not it. Anyway, that went too far.

And the important thing now was not Baek Ji-soo, but the fact that Yoon Seo-hee liked me. How to do this.

Is it really true? Yoon Seo-hee didn’t openly say that she liked me, so couldn’t Byung-jun or the other kids be a little mistaken?

I don’t know. Byung-jun seems to be convinced, but the truth is still unclear. So would he be sure if he asked himself?

“Hey Seo! Is it me who you like?”

… Are you crazy There’s no way I could ask such a thing outright. It’s a situation where I secretly steal a confession scene and get caught.

Involuntarily, I let out a sigh of despair. I think it would be hard to see Seohee’s face, but now I don’t know what kind of face to look at.

Lee Byung-jun grunted and said to me, who was only sighing.

“What is such a complicated expression? It’s honestly a good thing. A guy like Yoon Seo-hee likes you, but if Baek Ji-soo isn’t even like that, you can just go out with him, right? It just looks envious to me.”

“Isn’t that easier said than done? Ugh… done. Lunchtime will be over soon.”

I slapped Byungjun on the shoulder and went down the stairs. When she returned to the classroom, Yoon Seo-hee had arrived first. She greeted me with a smile as if nothing had happened, so it was to the point where I felt that it was my illusion that her eyes met at that time.

Of course it can’t be. For some reason, I couldn’t make eye contact with Yoon Seo-hee and awkwardly exchanged greetings.

–

Afternoon classes. Sword making.

I was shutting myself in the studio and hitting the hammer.

Kka-ang!

There are only three students including me who are studying sword making. There were more than this at the beginning of the semester, but everyone changed majors after realizing the bleak prospects of swordmaking.

There were obviously four before the vacation, but then another one fell….

But even though there were only three workshops inside, it was as noisy as the alchemy workshop used by alchemy students next door.

The fire burned hot and the sound of a hammer hitting iron reverberated throughout the workshop.

I was lucky that the afternoon class was sword making because I needed something to focus on and clear my mind.

Kang! Kang! Kang!

Lesson content is freely produced. The other students were forging with large automatic hammers, but I was hitting the iron with the hammer I was used to.

In the past, I wanted to know how to use it, so I learned how to use a grinder and a welding machine.

And machines exist to take the place of humans.

If humans can do what machines can do, there is no need to use machines.

Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!

Heated metal is beaten with a certain force at a speed comparable to that of a machine. The round metal flattens on the anvil and takes the shape of a long sword.

Recently, his physical stats have risen to the level of the combat department, so he is able to do these things.

After forging is finished within an hour, the grinding stone is brought in and the grinding work begins. One side of the blade sharpened with a pleasant sound.

Two other students in the studio were watching the scene with their eyes wide open.

“Wow, Kim Yi-jin, you… Has it changed a lot?”

“When did you hammer so fast?”

“Um, is that so?”

A boy with a very ordinary look and a tall boy with impressive upper body muscles.

The two are fraternal twins from Class 4, Kanghyeon and Kanghyeok. Surprisingly, Kang Hyuk, who is tall and rugged, is the younger brother. It’s Iranian, so it doesn’t mean much.

The two are the heirs of a private iron workshop, and they are taking this class to make magic weapons imprinted with magic. The older brother specialized in magic imprinting, and the younger brother specialized in weapon production.

Kanghyun nodded his head and said.

“The speed has increased, but the hesitation is gone. Don’t be monotonous in the past, this isn’t it! He broke what he was making while doing this.”

“… hahahaha. It was then.”

At that time, I was in such a big slump that I couldn’t figure out what to make. No matter how I made it, I was dissatisfied with all the results because it did not satisfy my eyes.

Coming to think of it like this, it seems like a long time ago, but it was only two months ago.

“The ability to make swords was real. What the hell happened?”

The reason why I was able to make the sword to the end. It was because I let go of my stubbornness and obsession and realized what I really needed to make a sword.

The reason why….

“Just, what. I was lucky.”

“Luck?”

“Yes.”

They didn’t understand my words, but they went back to their places and focused on their work.

I also thought while grinding the stone.

It’s definitely luck.

That day, I ran into Yoon Seo-hee in an empty classroom.

It was a bit of a drastic meeting with her, but she wouldn’t have the relationship she has today if she hadn’t met her that day.

We wouldn’t have said a word to each other except that we were in the same class, and I wouldn’t have made golden eggs. Maybe they got a failing grade and were expelled from school, never to see each other again.

In that sense, Yoon Seo-hee is a precious person to me. Even if she doesn’t have to frame her as her friend, it doesn’t change that she is a precious person to me.

‘Dating? I… With Seohee?’

The words Byeongjun said do not leave my mind.

I know that Seohee might like me. Then what about me?

What do I think of Seohee?

Until now, I’ve always thought of them as friends, and I’ve never thought of a relationship beyond that. It was the first time I had a friend, so I was satisfied enough with this relationship, and I didn’t want anything more than that.

But what if Seohee wanted more? What if you’re not satisfied with being friends?

Then I… What should I do?

‘I don’t know….’

It’s frustrating. I was thinking of erasing my thoughts, but instead, only my thoughts piled up.

Aside from this, there were piles of things to worry about. What to do with Kertatus, what to do with the traitors of mankind, what to do to prevent future destruction.

“… ….”

Can I date in the first place? Is it okay to waste time when the situation is so serious?

Heated the polished sword to an appropriate temperature and immersed it in oil. Cheeik! When I drew a line on the hardened sword, it slipped well without any resistance. It meant that it was hardened well.

I couldn’t concentrate at all, but the quality was good. Since I made it in my thoughts, is it the sword of my thoughts?

At that moment, the bell rang signaling the end of the afternoon class. I haven’t finished it yet because I haven’t attached the handle, but I can make it next time.

I was about to return to class after hanging up my work gloves and apron, but my cell phone vibrated briefly.

I don’t have a few people to message me. Who are they? When I took out my phone and checked the screen, it was a message from Baek Ji-soo.

[There is something I want to discuss today. I’ll go to your house.]

Since when did my house become a gathering place? And my doctor doesn’t even ask?

It doesn’t matter. I went back to class thinking about what to make for dinner tonight.