Chapter 73: Yeon-woo is a Good Boy "A simple 'thank you.' That's all I needed. If I don't get it, I'll just hand over my own quota and toss the rest."
No one answered Yeon-woo.
The silent stares fixed upon him would have been enough to make anyone without nerves of steel buckle, but he didn't seem to care about the heavy atmosphere at all as he sat there with an air of arrogance.
He was perched atop a crate filled with fragile potions, one leg crossed over his knee, bouncing his foot rhythmically—a posture that grated on everyone's nerves.
However, no one could call Yeon-woo out for his lack of manners right now.
The delinquent behavior he'd shown since his self-introduction made it clear: if this brat didn't hear a 'thank you' right now, he really would throw the supplies away.
"Thank you…"
"Oh, please, it was nothing. But you don't have to use honorifics. You could have just said it casually."
The crowd's eyes sharpened at Yeon-woo's insolence. He was the one who demanded the 'thank you' in the first place, yet now he was playing it off with such feigned nonchalance.
It was even worse because the person who had bowed her head and used formal language to a junior was Scarlet.
In a situation where consumables were impossible to find, Yeon-woo's supplies were vital to the Red Team. Since no one else would step forward, Scarlet had bowed her head for the sake of the team.
She was still terrified of Yeon-woo, but her strong sense of responsibility drove her to do her duty as team leader.
However, she clearly hadn't fully overcome her fear; the moment their eyes met, Scarlet flinched and shrank back.
Yeon-woo's eyebrows twitched at her reaction, but he quickly returned to a smiling face.
"Ah, also, there are a few things I'd like to ask for."
"… …"
Even though Scarlet said nothing, Yeon-woo continued as if he'd already received an answer.
"Let me choose which matches I participate in. And… since it would be an abuse of power for me to decide the entire roster, just let me pick exactly one partner for every match I'm in."
"… …"
"You arrogant little shit!"
An impatient second-year male student tried to step forward, but Scarlet raised a hand to restrain him.
Scarlet calmed the crowd and looked back at Yeon-woo.
"C-Can I… ask… why?"
While she looked like a perfect leader when calming the others, Scarlet transformed into an incredibly timid person the moment she turned to speak to Yeon-woo.
Seeing her flip between extremes only in front of him, her close friends and classmates mistakenly assumed Yeon-woo held some kind of blackmail over her.
"To make sure you win."
"… …?"
"Exactly what I said. I'll win for you. I mean, I—phew—I trust your skills, Senior Scarlet. From what I've seen, you're a capable leader who coordinates the team well. Though I don't know why you hate me so much?"
"I-I… don't… hate you…"
Yeon-woo shrugged at Scarlet's answer, which clearly contradicted her behavior, and continued.
"Anyway, I trust your skills. And Senior Alex, and Chieri-shin—ah, sorry—Senior Chieri. There are plenty of decent people among the first-years, too. But."
He paused, scanning the seniors before his gaze landed on the male senior who had just snapped at him. Yeon-woo smirked.
"The rest of you are pretty pathetic, aren't you?"
"… …!"
Murderous intent flared from the seniors at Yeon-woo's cocky remark, but perhaps because Scarlet had stopped them earlier, no one dared to act.
"F-First…"
Scarlet stammered, looking like she was on the verge of tears. Her eyes darted around before she leaned in to whisper something to her close friend, Miyuki.
"First, there's something I want to say to you."
Using Miyuki as a mouthpiece, Scarlet delivered her message to the person standing right in front of her.
"Contrary to what you say, everyone on our Red Team is wonderful. They are all teammates I am proud of, and I chose them because I believe in them."
The nearby seniors cheered, wearing touched smiles.
Whether it was the joy of being recognized or a renewed fighting spirit, the heavy atmosphere Yeon-woo had created shifted instantly.
If she hadn't been relaying her words through Miyuki, Scarlet would have looked every bit the protagonist.
Miyuki, who had been nodding while listening to Scarlet's further whispering, looked at her friend for a moment with a tilted head before speaking again.
"Please trust our Red Team a little more. They might seem lacking in your eyes right now, but if you trust and wait, they'll show you the results you want. Because we are students of Yggdrasil."
As she spoke with pride in being part of Yggdrasil, the other seniors nodded with newfound confidence.
Watching this process with half-lidded eyes, Yeon-woo acknowledged that Scarlet was indeed impressive.
Honestly, he thought the words themselves were nothing special, but in things like this, the messenger mattered more than the message.
It was a testament to how much trust and faith people placed in Scarlet—a result of the track record she had built over a long time.
As the seniors were celebrating, Miyuki raised her hand to quiet them, as if she wasn't finished, and looked at Yeon-woo.
"Thank you for getting the consumables. Thanks to you, we were able to solve the problem. And please don't forget that you are one of us. We can't win unless we move as a team, not as individuals."
"I think someone else was the first one to treat me like I wasn't part of the team."
"And I'll grant the conditions you asked for."
Miyuki ignored Yeon-woo's sarcasm and finished her statement.
The other seniors started buzzing in surprise at the news that his conditions were being met, but Scarlet shook her head and spoke up.
"He solved our problem, so he should be rewarded accordingly. And he said he'd win. Didn't he make that declaration because he's confident in his skills? Th-That's…"
After speaking confidently to the crowd, Scarlet looked back at Yeon-woo, turned back into a total pushover, and whispered to Miyuki while gauging his reaction.
"Granting these conditions is a stretch for me too. So, you have to produce results to match."
"Don't worry about that. I told you, I'll win."
Hearing Miyuki's words, Yeon-woo stood up.
"Take them. Let's work hard and crush Black and White."
Thinking Yeon-woo's smiling face was incredibly punchable, the seniors began gathering the consumables he had brought into one place.
A long, tedious meeting followed, covering match assignments, strategies, training schedules, and estimated consumable usage.
Usually, the senior leadership would decide these things on their own, but the Red Team included the first-years and allowed for a free exchange of opinions.
During the meeting, Yeon-woo said nothing except for when he was picking his matches, while Scarlet led the group with her natural charisma.
Once the meeting ended and everyone dispersed, Angelica cautiously approached Scarlet as she was about to leave.
"Um… Sister."
"Yes, Angelica. What is it?"
Scarlet, who had been close with Angelica even before coming to Yggdrasil, greeted her brightly.
Angelica glanced around before speaking as if she'd made up her mind.
"It's… about Yeon-woo."
"H-Huh? Oh… okay…"
The moment Yeon-woo's name came up, Scarlet tensed, staring intently at Angelica's small mouth.
"Yeon-woo… he's not usually like that."
"Not… usually?"
"He's actually very kind. He's funny, and he has a great personality. But today… I think something must have happened to upset him."
Knowing Angelica's usual temperament and how good of a person she was, Scarlet stared blankly as the girl praised Yeon-woo.
"I just didn't want you to think too poorly of him. Yeon-woo is like a hero who's always helping others and being a source of strength."
Has she ever praised a man like this before?
Scarlet searched her memories and was shocked.
Being somewhat timid and unfamiliar with men, Angelica usually got scared and tried to avoid them.
Yet here she was, defending Yeon-woo like a girl in love.
At Angelica's active defense of him, Scarlet gave a small smile and patted her head.
"Yes, don't worry. I don't hate that person."
It was a warm smile that put people at ease, but Angelica clearly heard Scarlet refer to Yeon-woo as 'that person.'
For Scarlet, who liked people and was friendly with everyone, not using a name was a clear sign of how much distance she felt from him.
"You'll see eventually…"
Angelica left with a bittersweet smile, and Scarlet's face hardened as she realized she had made a mistake.
Why?
Why do these negative emotions surface whenever I'm in front of that person?
Scarlet felt a surge of fear at her uncontrollable emotions.
She had seen firsthand today how arrogant he was and how much he disrespected his seniors.
However, it wasn't malice directed at people; it was more like he was throwing a tantrum.
Scarlet had always observed people and tried to understand their hearts.
The experience and observation skills she had built up allowed her to see through Yeon-woo's heart, and she didn't believe that acting superior and ignoring seniors was his true personality.
The tantrum of a handsome, grown man.
In a way, it was behavior that could be seen as cute, or just childish acting out.
When he first said he wanted to join the Red Team, he had been polite and respectful. He was clearly acting this way because he was upset after seeing her avoid him. She was the one who had messed up first.
Even as she understood his actions, the unpleasantness swirling in her mind forced her to ignore that understanding, leaving her utterly confused.
"Hey~ Team Leader~"
Willas, who had been talking to Mer in the distance, waved at Scarlet.
Though they were rival team leaders, Mer was indifferent to the tournament, and Willas acted friendly as if such things didn't matter.
"Thanks. You saved my life."
"…Saved your life?"
"Clyde is a total bastard."
When Scarlet looked confused at Willas's words, Mer cursed Clyde under her breath.
"It was a strategy… of sorts. A bit dirty, though. Clyde bought up all the consumables around Yggdrasil."
"Clyde did that?"
"Uh… you didn't know? How could you not know?"
Willas tilted his head as if it were strange not to know, while Scarlet could only blink, unable to keep up with the conversation.
"Isn't Yeon-woo on your team?"
"Huh? Oh… yeah, he is."
Why was his name coming up all of a sudden?
Scarlet's eyes wavered, but Willas didn't notice and continued in a cheerful voice.
"Me and this girl were freaking out because we couldn't get any supplies."
"I was fine."
"That's because you don't care about your team. Your friends were practically crying."
"I'm fine."
"I told you, you're the team leader, so you can't just be 'fine.'"
After a brief bicker with Mer, Willas looked back at Scarlet and continued.
"Yeon-woo said he knew we were struggling because of Clyde and gave us consumables. To my team and hers."
"… …"
"My eyes nearly popped out when he suddenly dropped off several crates of every kind of potion. He's really something. How did he even know Clyde was going to pull something like that?"
"I still hate him."
"Is there a reason to hate him? He's handsome, has a good personality, and from what the teachers say, he's talented too. If I were a girl, I would've fallen for him instantly."
"Ugh—gross. I'm gonna barf."
Willas and Mer's banter continued, but their words no longer reached Scarlet's ears.
'Yeon-woo is like a hero who's always helping others and being a source of strength.'
Angelica's words echoed in Scarlet's mind, and her body stiffened.
He hadn't just helped the Red Team; he had helped Blue Lagoon and White Rim as well.
When Clyde pulled a cowardly stunt, he appeared like a hero to help everyone.
A character that treats everyone with fairness without boasting about it—she had no choice but to respect that.
The fact that she viewed him with such baseless unpleasantness made her feel incredibly small.
*
At that same moment, Yeon-woo, the "fair hero" Scarlet was admiring, was meeting with Clyde.
"Aww~ You spent all that money and got absolutely nothing for it~ Were you expecting something? You were, weren't you? Hey, hey. What were you thinking when you were hoarding all those supplies? Were you buying them while imagining the desperate faces of the team leaders? Man~ that's pathetic~ But what a shame it was all for nothing, huh~?"
"You brat…"
Yeon-woo was taunting Clyde with everything he had.
Fairness? Such a thing didn't exist in Yeon-woo's mind.
He had ruined Clyde's scheme solely to make him feel like garbage. After making a complete spectacle of himself to mock Clyde to his heart's content, Yeon-woo was eventually chased away by the Black Dragon team members.
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