Chapter 27
“…”
“Cinderella’s best, which is hard to apply to everyone.”
“…”
“A best that might not be my best.”
Sehyun’s eyes gleamed indifferently.
“Of course, Cinderella didn’t have the power to save herself. She had no other choice. But what if she had other abilities? What if she did?”
“…”
“If she had an amazing talent for healing, the opportunity and the will to try something at the training center, would she have just endured everything?”
Sehyun stared at Jieun, who shook her head as if trying to escape.
“Sh-She would have. If it were Cinderella…”
Even as she spoke, Jieun felt doubtful.
Would she really have?
If Cinderella had such abilities, would she have just endured and waited for someone else to save her?
“Really?”
Sehyun asked again.
“…”
Jieun opened her mouth but couldn’t speak. It was as if someone was choking her, preventing any words from coming out. No, she couldn’t speak.
She didn’t think Cinderella would have done that. At least, if Cinderella had been in her situation, she didn’t think she would have made the same decision.
“You know,”
Sehyun started speaking.
“I still regret it. That I abandoned myself in the name of endurance until someone saved me.”
Her calm, steady voice echoed through the room.
Jieun looked up at Sehyun as if someone had forced her to lift her head.
Sehyun was staring blankly ahead, as if looking at nothing.
“Of course, I was locked up, so there was no way out. And I was secretly hoping that Shin Jooho would kill me.”
“…”
“Even though I know that, I keep asking myself these days. Was what I did truly my best? Did I rationalize my helplessness in the name of doing my best? Was there really no way for me to save myself…?”
“…!”
Jieun’s eyes widened at Sehyun’s words. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Sehyun’s calm words contained explosive revelations.
That Sehyun had been assaulted by Shin Jooho, that she had been confined, and that there was a time when she had wanted to give up on her life.
“S-Sehyun…”
Jieun, stunned, called out Sehyun’s name in a daze.
She hadn’t expected this.
To Jieun, Sehyun had always been a rational and hardworking person.
Someone with a strong and beautiful resilience in the face of adversity.
But that person was saying…
That there was a time when she had desperately wished for death.
Jieun froze, stammering Sehyun’s name.
But Sehyun continued speaking, unfazed.
“I overheard your brother, or whatever he is, talking outside the dormitory just now. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it just happened. I had a feeling, actually. You always said you fell, but you never fell once when you were with me.”
“…”
“And I know the difference between a wound from falling and a wound from being hit better than anyone. I pretended not to know because I thought you didn’t want me to know.”
“…”
“But the reason I’m telling you this now is…”
Sehyun straightened her back and paused. She looked at the worn book in Jieun’s arms and spoke slowly.
“I want you to know too.”
I hope you don’t realize it too late, like me.
“…”
“That the prince who will save me, the fairy who will transform me, is ultimately within me.”
Just waiting for your sincere call.
The expression drained from Jieun’s face.
“I was being presumptuous. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“…”
“But I don’t regret it. I would have regretted it more if I hadn’t said anything.”
Sehyun let out a soft breath after she finished speaking.
She had said everything she wanted to say. Whether Jieun accepted it or not was entirely up to her.
Sehyun didn’t want to interfere with that.
Jieun looked at Sehyun with wavering eyes and then lowered her head.
The sheets crumpled under Jieun’s hand.
“And I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell that guy about me. I don’t really care, but if you do, it will make things difficult for him and you. Shin Jooho is a crazy bastard, so if things don’t go his way, he’ll blame others. And it will most likely be your brother, or whatever he is, and you.”
Sehyun said calmly and started drying her hair with the hairdryer she had brought. Jieun’s brows furrowed as she stared blankly at the Cinderella book.
‘That the prince who will save me, the fairy who will transform me, is ultimately within me.’
Her head was spinning.
…Why had no one ever told her this before?
No, why hadn’t she thought of becoming her own prince or fairy?
And why was Sehyun telling her this instead of confronting her?
Jieun looked up and stared at Sehyun’s back as she dried her hair. She bit her lip softly.
Bang!
The large Dongwoo was sent tumbling across the floor.
“U-Ugh!”
A soft moan escaped his lips. The others, watching from below, stared in shock.
Dongwoo was famous for his large build.
He had been a gym trainer before becoming a Guard, and his massive muscles were intimidating.
Dongwoo, of all people, was sprawled on the floor.
“Ha, seriously.”
Dongwoo, lying on the sparring ring, looked up at the shadow cast over him.
He saw a clean face and smooth hands.
“Good work.”
A clear voice, as indifferent as the expressionless face.
“…Ha.”
Dongwoo sighed in disbelief and got up with Sehyun’s help.
“It was a 5-second knockout today.”
Sehyun just smiled at his words. Dongwoo glared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter.
He couldn’t be happy about being humiliated like this in the sparring ring at the age of forty.
Especially by a young woman like her.
But he could still laugh because…
“Your attack pattern is too similar to yesterday’s. It’s good to take the initiative, but you take too long to attack after the initial strike.”
It was because of Sehyun’s following words.
Sehyun had accurately pointed out the flaws in his attacks, flaws he wasn’t even aware of himself. Her words were helpful.
Of course, he had been offended at first.
He didn’t like being lectured by someone of the same grade. It was the same for the others.
“It’s offensive to be told what we did well or badly by someone of the same grade!”
Someone had protested. Sehyun had replied calmly,
“Yes, it can be offensive. I feel offended sometimes too. But it’s better to be offended now than to get your head ripped off by a monster because you’re unaware of your weaknesses.”
He couldn’t find anything to say in response to that.
More than anything, the more he thought about Sehyun’s words, the more he realized the fatal flaws in his attacks.
And,
“Weren’t there any flaws in my performance?”
It was because of her attitude of readily accepting criticism, regardless of what was said.
Sehyun listened attentively to what others said, and she always came back improved, no matter how long it took.
People were gradually influenced by her attitude, and their skills improved significantly, even among those of the same grade.
Some had already reached D-grade. As people’s grades increased one by one, they started to find hope.
“I have nothing to say. I got beaten up in 5 seconds, how can I talk about flaws? But when did you get so strong?”
Dongwoo asked, rubbing his aching back.
“By working hard.”
“What kind of bullshit is that? Like saying you got first place in the entire school just by reading the textbook?”
“If you read the textbook enough, you can get first place.”
Sehyun smiled wryly and pointed behind her. The people who were waiting in line to spar with her came into view.
Dongwoo shook his head.
“Right, I guess you can’t help but get stronger if you spar with those people every day… By the way, where’s that healer you always have with you? I haven’t seen her for a few days.”
“Ah… I think she’s not feeling well.”
“Oh, I see. She was pushing herself too hard with the healing. Tell her to get well soon!”
Sehyun nodded lightly at Dongwoo’s gruff words.
“Come down, mister! Do you think this is a cafe where you can chat all you want?”
Hyeryeon’s curly hair bounced as she jumped up and down.
“Alright, Spring. Geez.”
“Who are you calling Spring!”
Hyeryeon yelled back.
“Oh my, Spring can talk now. I guess anything is possible in a world where monsters appear!”
“Oh, come on!”
“Hahaha.”
Dongwoo, who had recently found joy in teasing Hyeryeon, burst into laughter and stepped off the ring. Hyeryeon stepped onto the ring at the same time.
“I will definitely win today!”
Hyeryeon declared, her eyes burning with determination.
She hadn’t won against Sehyun in the past few days. It wasn’t a 5-second knockout like Dongwoo, but she still lost by a large margin.
“Likewise.”
Sehyun greeted her lightly.
“Excuse me.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to the source of the sudden voice.
A familiar group entered the sparring room.
A man with a ponytail, an exceptionally tall man, and a woman in a red jacket. They were C-grades. Some of them looked familiar.
“What is it?”
Dongwoo, who was drinking water below the sparring ring, walked towards the C-grades.
“You know access to the individual training rooms is restricted, right?”
“Yes, we do. So?”