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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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Chapter 70
“Oooh…!”
Shit.
“Shut up. Don’t say anything.”
“Ooohhh!”
“Shut up!”
“Oooooooohhh!!”
I knew it. Damn, why did they have to come at this exact moment?
I tried to escape, but I realized it was too late. Both me and Selena. We were too busy sorting out our messed-up relationship from the start that we only now managed to get it together.
It’s embarrassing. My face feels like it’s burning up. But even so, I didn’t let go of Selena’s hand.
She must feel embarrassed too. If I let go first, the closeness we just gained could slip away again. I didn’t want that.
“What’s going on?! How is this even possible?! You were cold to each other!”
“Aaah! We should’ve confessed again if we knew this would happen!”
“It’s not possible, you bastards, the train has already passed. Dream on.”
I thought Selena’s feelings had disappeared. I thought I had neatly sorted them out during my military service.
There was no more pain, no more regret. I thought it was just a fleeting first love.
But now it seems like they haven’t disappeared after all, just forgotten.
Maybe because the military life was so hard. There wasn’t even time to think about it amidst the damn war.
Maybe Selena was there in the warmth I vaguely dreamed of while on the battlefield.
Then, coming back to the academy and facing her again, maybe that’s when those feelings resurfaced. Or maybe there was always some lingering regret.
I couldn’t push Selena away, apologizing and confessing in turn.
Whatever it became, one thing was certain. Me and Selena. Yeah, we’re really dating now!
“Tell me! Tell me!! Karl, did you confess again?!”
“That’s―”
“I did it. This time….”
Selena, with her face turning red, speaks up first. I’m a little surprised. Saying that after rejecting my confession in the past must be embarrassing.
“Selena, you did?!”
“Ugh. It’s just too unconscionable to be asked out by Carl again….”
“Wow. That’s crazy. Hey, Karl. You do realize this is historic, right?”
What the fuck are you talking about all of a sudden? Alexander.
“Selena has been confessed to hundreds of times.”
“Including us in those hundreds?”
“Oh, let’s not dwell on painful pasts! It’s all in the past! Anyway! The academy’s first love, Selena, only confessed to you!”
Was that the case? That’s pretty amazing. Glancing at Selena, she’s already lowered her head. Although I can’t see it, she’s probably blushing intensely, right?
Selena, who seems to want to die of embarrassment, whether she’s visible or not, and those four guys seem overjoyed.
They were shouting ‘Ooohhh!’ like crazy, and now they’re suddenly crowding around me.
“So. When’s the wedding?”
“Fuck off, you crazies. Isn’t it too early to talk about weddings?”
“Oh, come on! If a man and a woman are in love with each other, they should get married!”
Geez. I’ve never heard even my parents push for marriage like this.
No, wait, guys? Weren’t you all the ones rejected by Selena? Why are you all acting so normal?
Where did all the guys from romance novels who used to obsess and regret go? Instead, you guys are cheering on like characters from a boys’ comic!
“Karl, want me to sing you a congratulatory song? I’m confident in my singing.”
“Are you guys really in your right minds? Weren’t you all rejected by Selena?”
“Well, it’s the pain of first love. But we are men! We have to overcome that pain! We should wish for the happiness of our first love!”
“That’s right! The Lord himself said it! Frustration makes a man out of a man!”
What the hell is the genre of this world? Romance, fantasy, or comedy?
Hmm. They’re all definitely not in their right minds. If I stay here any longer, I’ll go crazy too!
Without further ado, I grabbed Selena’s hand and swiftly made my way to the opposite side of those four.
* * *
After finally escaping from those damn four guys who kept shouting ‘Ooohhh!’ and catching my breath.
“Uh, um. Karl.”
Selena, who was still catching her breath, speaks up.
“Um, are you really… okay with this?”
“What do you mean? What’s with the sudden question?”
“I-I’m just… a little flustered. I never imagined you would accept it so easily.”
Ah, right. It makes sense that Selena might feel a little like that.
I scratched the back of my head for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.
But no matter how much I think, I couldn’t come up with anything cool. Honestly, I don’t even know myself.
‘I never even thought I’d date Selena.’
Selena dumped me! Now I hate this woman! It’s not like that. Seeing her dump me made me realize she probably doesn’t like me.
So, I thought it was right to distance myself from her, to avoid making her uncomfortable.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Selena would apologize and confess first.
“I was just, like, too desperate. I didn’t even know I said it… I really didn’t expect you to accept it. So, actually, I wanted to ask earlier, but then, just a moment ago…”
“The four of them interrupted. They have the worst timing ever.”
Phew, I take another deep breath. I’m still out of breath, and I need to tidy up my thoughts.
Why did I do that? Why did I accept Selena’s feelings without any hesitation or doubts?
Even if there’s some part of me that blames Selena for me going to the military, I wouldn’t have accepted her feelings if I was angry or resentful.
Regardless of the reason, why did I hold Selena and comfort her quietly?
“We’re the same.”
“Huh?”
“You’re just like me. Selena.”
I chose the military to distance myself from her. And spent three long years there.
I thought I would regain my composure if I endured some hardship. Honestly, who knew there would be a war.
And Selena, on the other hand, chose the academy to get closer to me. She chose graduate school.
What a coincidence, she decided to spend three years there as well. Until I graduate, she decided to endure.
“They say people meet similar people. And that’s how they last long. Looking at it now, I think I know why I did the crazy thing of publicly confessing to you.”
“Why did you do that?”
“You and I are alike. I was sure that you’re a really good person to be with.”
And there’s another reason I didn’t tell Selena.
I didn’t tell her, but there was another reason. I felt comforted by her. She helped me through a time when I would have been very lost and very hard on my own.
Even if it was just a word of encouragement from someone who knew nothing about me. I’m grateful that she, and no one else, said that to me so I could take a step forward.
I can definitely say this. Military life was hard, and I got many scars during that process. But it was never Selena’s fault.
It was my decision and my actions. It was the weight of responsibility that I should bear.
I don’t want to blame her. Selena was just part of the process.
Blaming Selena here would make everything I’ve been through seem even more meaningless. Even if it was painful and tough, I didn’t want that.
“Honestly, look. Selena.”
With a playful smile, I took Selena’s hand.
“If someone I like suddenly confesses their feelings to me, why would I dislike them? Of course, I’d think it’s right! I’d just grab them without hesitation. Now, I’ve become the guy who monopolized the first love of all the male students at the academy.”
I wanted an ordinary life. More accurately, I wanted to spend time like everyone else.
Among them, a life that included first love, some pain, then dating, and finally meeting a lifelong partner and starting a family.
“I mean, Selena. I don’t feel sorry for you or anything. Or there’s no other reason. It’s simple. I still like you. That’s why I went as far as publicly confessing in front of everyone back then.”
“Honestly, the public confession… it was a bit too much, Karl….”
I admit. I really have nothing to say even if I have a hundred words.
“Still, I’m glad. I thought you might feel sorry for me for applying to grad school.”
“…Speaking of which, is it too late to drop out of graduate school? I’ve really thought about it several times, and it just doesn’t seem like graduate school is the right fit for you.”
I’m exaggerating a bit, but academy graduate school is just as hellish as the military.
Even in the military, they at least give you breaks, maintain work hours and personal time, but in grad school, isn’t it confirmed slavery until you finish your master’s degree?
“Umm….”
After a brief moment of contemplation, Selena nods slightly.
“I think, I’ll just go with it.”
“Selena?”
“I want to stay at the academy with you. Don’t worry. I can do it. And it feels right.”
It feels right? What does?
“A woman who is dating a Medal of Honor recipient. Unfortunately, I’m too far from the military, so I think I should at least get a master’s degree!”
It’s risky, Selena. Saying something like that could imply that a military woman could become your rival. You always have to be careful with flags!
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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