A new morning had dawned.
He wished that the rising sun of a new day could wash away the fatigue, memories, and emotions of the previous night. But instead, he started the day with those remnants still clinging stubbornly to him.
What would happen next?
As Baek Woo Jin made his way to the Grand Martial Arts Arena, the first thing that crossed his mind was how Shin Ye Hwa might act from now on.
Confessing love felt like a gamble. If successful, it could lead to a deeper relationship, but if it failed, it could result in a relationship even worse than before—no, maybe worse than that of strangers.
She had failed in her gamble. She had confessed desperately, but the one who was supposed to respond to that confession had already left, so she had staked everything on a game with zero chance of winning and had lost it all.
The reason she became obsessed was because she lost everything. Not only was the path to a romantic relationship blocked, but the close childhood friendship they once had was now on the verge of becoming worse than a relationship with a stranger, and she found that prospect unbearably dreadful.
“The odds of her not becoming obsessed are…”
Many things had already changed. In fact, ever since he inherited the martial arts of the Drunken Immortal instead of the Sword Immortal, much had begun to diverge from the novel.
Shin Ye Hwa’s confession was no exception. The method and timing of her confession were both different, and his response to rejecting her confession was even more resolute.
So, if he indulged in a bit of wishful thinking, it wasn’t entirely impossible that she might give up without becoming obsessed.
“He-Hello, Woo Jin-ah…!”
…or so he had once thought.
That was before he saw Shin Ye Hwa approaching him as soon as he entered the vicinity of the sparring stage and acting like they knew each other well.
“I, I have a favor to ask you, j-just one!”
What kind of request could she possibly have, with her face so flushed and her words stumbling over each other?
“H-how about we, uh… pretend yesterday never happened?!”
“Oh.”
That was refreshing.
He never imagined that she would pull out the classic “let’s pretend it never happened” card.
“I-It’s just… I think I was a bit too hasty yesterday. I should’ve thought more about how to confess and, um… how to bring it up, you know….”
…
…
And she rambled on and on while she was lost in her own world of excuses. But Baek Woo Jin couldn’t help but frown.
She immediately lowered her head at that.
“I-I’m sorry.”
When she looked up again, her face seemed ready to burst into tears at the slightest touch.
“I rushed in without thinking. I didn’t even consider what would happen if my confession failed….”
The first thought that came to Shin Ye Hwa’s mind as she returned to the dorm in a daze was about her relationship with Baek Woo Jin.
Now that her confession has been rejected, what will happen? Could they just go back to being friends?
It was impossible to go back to being friends after a confession between a man and a woman.
After sobbing for a long time, the only solution she could think of was to pretend the confession never happened.
Though it was impossible in a practical sense, if Baek Woo Jin would only agree, she wanted to return to being friends again.
“I know it doesn’t make any sense. But…”
Finally, the tears she had been holding back spilled over.
“I can’t even imagine living without you…!”
In every future she envisioned, Baek Woo Jin was always there. Even in the moments when she mistakenly thought she liked Baek Moo Hyeok, this remained true.
Even when she imagined a sweet future with Baek Moo Hyeok, somewhere in the picture, Baek Woo Jin was always present.
The moment she tried to erase the existence of Baek Woo Jin from the various futures in her mind, she felt like she couldn’t breathe, and as if such a future simply couldn’t exist.
Baek Woo Jin watched her as she spewed out words with a completely despairing look on her face.
What would happen if he rejected her proposal here too?
She was trying to speak as she usually did, but her eyes which had been lifeless since before Baek Woo Jin stepped down from the stage yesterday still showed no signs of life.
“What if I don’t want to pretend this never happened?”
So, what will you do then?
It was a simple question. But it didn’t seem simple to Shin Ye Hwa. She started to tremble violently and her face turned deathly pale.
“I-I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Haa, haa!
Her breathing began to grow rough. Her mind felt as if it had been painted pitch black, and she bit her lower lip so hard that blood began to seep out.
This is worse than I thought.
She was pushing herself to the edge of a cliff with nothing but her imagination.
He could already picture what would happen if he left her like this. She might either take her own life or develop an unhealthy obsession with him.
Neither scenario painted a picture with a good ending.
“Calm down.”
Fearing that she might soon start hyperventilating, he patted her shoulder and guided her breathing.
Once she had somewhat calmed down, Shin Ye Hwa grasped Baek Woo Jin’s hand that rested on her shoulder.
“I-I’m sorry. I really messed up. So, please….”
Let’s just pretend it never happened, okay?
Her trembling was transmitted through his hand.
If he didn’t want her obsession or her death, the answer was already clear.
“Alright. Let’s pretend it never happened.”
As soon as the words she had longed to hear came out of Baek Woo Jin’s mouth, the instability in Shin Ye Hwa’s expression rapidly began to fade.
“Th-Then we’re still friends, right? Just like before, still childhood friends, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Watching her smile as if she had regained the whole world, Baek Woo Jin couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for her. She was desperately trying to hold on to their friendship.
She knows it best herself.
She knew that once a broken relationship is pieced back together, it can never be the same as before.
Sooner or later, she would realize this on her own and naturally distance herself.
And until that day came, he would simply play along and wait.
If he could manage that, he could keep their relationship at a comfortable distance and avoid the obsession scenario.
“Heh, hehe.”
Thank goodness…
Shin Ye Hwa sighed in relief.
Now I have another chance!
There was only one reason she was so desperate.
She couldn’t imagine a future without Baek Woo Jin. At the same time, the thought of watching him fall in love with another woman while they remained friends was worse than death.
I have to prepare thoroughly.
She hadn’t been prepared enough. She hadn’t even considered the basics, like whether Baek Woo Jin saw her as a woman or, if he didn’t, what she should do about it before confessing her feelings.
So she made up her mind.
Under the guise of being friends—which was a relationship that wouldn’t seem strange even if they were always together—she would thoroughly investigate Baek Woo Jin’s preferences and mold herself completely to his liking.
If she could just get another chance, she was willing to endure any embarrassment. Now, in her eyes, there was only Baek Woo Jin.
He’s the same Woo Jin after all.
In the end, after she managed to get the chance she wanted, she felt relieved that, despite some changes in Baek Woo Jin, there were still parts of him that remained the same.
As she looked up at Baek Woo Jin, who gazed down at her with pity, she smiled as brightly as she used to.
This time, she vowed not to rush.
It was the same bed but with different dreams.
The eyes of the two people, which looked alike but had completely different thoughts, met in the air.
***
From the round of 64, to the round of 32, and then to the round of 16.
The number of matches each day had decreased, but none of the spectators felt any disappointment.
The reason was simple. As the survivors progressed, their matches became more intense and thrilling with each passing day.
Today, the audience’s interest was especially high.
“Today’s finally the day when the Dragons and Phoenixes will be decided!”
“I can’t wait to see who will be crowned as the Dragons and Phoenixes.”
The winners of today’s matches would secure their first goal: the positions of Dragon and Phoenix.
Each grade had ten spots reserved for the Dragon and Phoenix. The eight who advanced to the quarterfinals would automatically secure these positions, while the remaining two spots would be filled by those who won the consolation matches after being eliminated in the round of 16.
All of the participants had been hailed as prodigies within their sects or clans. None of them wished to suffer the humiliation of reaching the Dragon and Phoenix positions through the consolation matches.
“Hmph!”
“Argh!”
The first to secure a spot among the Dragons was Hwangbo Jun Geol.
After his match with Baek Woo Jin, he regained his focus and his movements now were even more fierce than in the preliminaries. With overwhelming force, he crushed his opponent and claimed one of the coveted Dragon positions.
The second to become a Dragon was Baek Woo Jin.
“Haaah!”
His opponent was a side-branch daughter of the Peng clan who swung a large sword with a fierce spirit.
She unleashed the Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade. This was one of the Paeng clan’s most formidable techniques. But even though she attacked with relentless ferocity, her attacks didn’t faze Baek Woojin in the slightest.
Their abilities were a terrible match. As the saying goes, “Softness overcomes hardness.” The delicate intricacies of the Drunken Immortal Sword Technique and the Drunken Immortal Steps effortlessly deflected the overwhelming force of the Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade and made the opponent lose strength.
“Tch!”
When his frustrated opponent swung her blade in a larger motion than usual, the match was over.
Just as the blade came down with a force that split everything in its path and shattered the arena floor, Baek Woojin’s sword was already at his opponent’s throat.
“You were too hasty.”
“Ah…!”
His opponent, who had been seething with anger, blushed deeply upon seeing Baek Woo Jin offering advice with a bitter smile.
“Uh, um… then maybe we could, train together next time…!”
It was her first confession and a moment of vulnerability for someone who had only ever known martial arts.
Baek Woo Jin sheathed his sword and stepped back. He then narrowed his eyes before replying,
“I don’t think I can.”
She was thoroughly rejected.
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