Fated to Die in an Academy Novel – Chapter 141

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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I was checking my preparations when a pair of safety glasses I hadn’t used since my style change caught my eye.

“…Come to think of it, these were also a gift from Mother.”

In my recovered memories, there were many instances of my mother playfully giving me gifts, and these safety glasses were one of them.

-So-hyun, you have to wear these glasses later~ Promise Mommy!

When I asked her why, she smiled wryly and said they would help reduce the number of people who would cling to me in the future.

Looking in the mirror, I was handsome, but I didn’t think my face was that popular with girls.

Even before I was transmigrated, my friend used to complain that I looked like a pretty boy, and now, my features were even more delicate.

I didn’t have a masculine, rugged look. Rather, I had a slender build, as if I hadn’t even gone through puberty yet.

“But I think I’ve grown a bit taller.”

Feeling nostalgic, I tried on the glasses after a long time, but they still didn’t seem to suit me.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away. I put the glasses back in their case and carefully placed them in the drawer.

“I’ll be going now.”

At least I still had something that had memories of my mother.

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Kim Ga-eul arrived at the meeting spot early and checked her appearance.

Not bad. In fact, it was very good.

Her makeup was better than usual, and her outfit was stylish without being over the top.

Although it wasn’t a date for just the two of them, that was exactly why she had to put in more effort.

If it were just a casual hangout, she wouldn’t have cared as much, but she needed a chance to be alone with Kang So-hyun to resolve a certain suspicion that had bloomed within her.

In her dream the other day, she saw the hazy memories of that day.

A nostalgic dream where a boy reached out to her when she, as a child, was trembling alone after getting lost while throwing a tantrum.

The boy who played with her with a mature attitude definitely had brilliant blonde hair.

After checking later, the only child with blonde hair at the party that day was Yoo-hak, the host.

She had thought that boy was obviously Yoo-hak.

But there was a part of the dream that made her unsure if that was really the case.

His eyes. Yes, his eyes.

The boy who was so kind to her in the dream definitely had red eyes.

The one with orange eyes was the black-haired boy who glared at her sullenly.

Was the dream influenced by her decision to like So-hyun? Was that really so?

Once she started doubting, many strange things came to mind.

His expression, his clothes.

Maybe, just maybe, if the dream was real, this was a chance to turn things around.

She thought she didn’t have a fateful encounter with So-hyun like the others, but maybe she was wrong, and this was a classic misunderstanding trope from a shoujo manga.

Her heart pounded.

Seriously, right? He forgave her for bullying him, and he even told her not to worry about it anymore not long ago.

But on top of that, what if he was her fated person with a shared childhood memory?

She couldn’t help but have such expectations.

The era of Kim Ga-eul might finally be coming…!

Even as she tried to calm herself down while telling herself that it might be her delusion, her heart still kept pounding fast.

She had steeled her heart at the party and signaled that she was okay with being second, but what if there was a chance that she could actually become the main girl!?

This was bad.

Her face was relaxing, and she couldn’t control her expression, even though nothing was confirmed yet.

Huu, calm down. Today, just confirm it. Don’t add any unnecessary comments, just confirm it… Heh… hehe.

As she was thinking that and waiting, there were about 30 minutes left until the meeting time.

Just as she was thinking that she came too early, a car approached from a distance.

Hmm? A car? Why was it stopping in front of her?

She didn’t know much about cars, but the passenger seat of the rather luxurious-looking black sedan opened, and the person she was waiting for appeared.

It was So-hyun. He was handsome today too. It worried her that he seemed to be getting more handsome every day.

If he had just stayed a loser, she would have been the only one who liked him…

The moment he got out of the car, his sweet floral scent made her feel like she was melting.

“Oh? You’re already here? It’s hot today, so why did you come so early?”

He seemed a bit surprised. Well, it was still 30 minutes before the meeting time.

At first, she was pleased that he was concerned about her, even though he also came early, but as she continued to watch him, a strange, unidentifiable discomfort started to creep in.

His slightly flushed cheeks, as if he had just been exercising intensely, and his damp hair, as if he had been sweating…

And the fact that he got out of a black car strangely stimulated her imagination.

Then, the driver’s seat opened, and a familiar person got out of the car.

“Ah, was Ga-eul the one you had plans with today?”

Vibrant blonde hair and a neat outfit with a design that revealed her figure without being vulgar.

The woman who naturally got out of the car and stood next to him was Professor Cathy.

The professor didn’t like her much because of the incident at the beginning of the semester, but it had gotten a bit better recently.

“It’s gotten a lot hotter lately. Ah, it’s quite hot today. Should I give you a ride to your destination?”

She said that and naturally took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from So-hyun’s forehead.

…And the way So-hyun just accepted it without refusing made her strangely uncomfortable.

“No, that would be too much trouble.”

“What’s so troublesome? Between us, I mean.”

…Why did it feel like she was emphasizing the words “between us”?

Was my rival not one, but two today…?

“Hmm, so are you two meeting alone today?”

“Ah, no. Han-hee is coming too.”

“Hmm, I see. Ah, then you’ll have to wait a bit longer. If you don’t want to get in the car, how about we go to a cafe? I’ll treat you.”

She naturally placed her hand on So-hyun’s shoulder again.

So-hyun, not flustered at all, accepted the touch and shook his head.

“It’s okay. You have plans later, don’t you, Professor?”

…I didn’t think I was mistaken. It was like… a warning.

Honestly, she couldn’t beat Professor Cathy in terms of looks, wealth, or skills.

That was why she thought it was okay to be second.

But today, just for today, she didn’t want to lose.

Even if this was a fight between a lion and a cat, she didn’t want to lose…!

“Unnie.”

Then, the back door of the sedan opened, and another person got out.

It was Inspector Na-hyun.

“Ah, Na-hyun, sorry. Were you waiting?”

“No, it’s nothing. I just forgot something. So-hyun.”

“Yes, Noona.”

“Here. You’re meeting your friends, right? Buy them something delicious. There’s no limit, so don’t worry about what you want to buy.”

She handed him a small card. But it was black.

“…I don’t think I’ll need a card just to meet my friends.”

“You never know. You don’t know what might happen.”

Her red eyes, similar to his, pierced me.

“You think so too, right? Ga-eul, was it?”

“Yes, yes, Unnie.”

“Hmm, you’re not scared of me because I was too harsh last time, right?”

“Yes…? Yes!”

“Good, now that we know each other properly, call me unnie when we’re not at the academy. And greet me when you see me, okay?”

Where did all my courage go? I wanted to look down at the ground.

While So-hyun was hesitating while thinking “Is that so?”, the warmth in her eyes, which had been directed at him, disappeared as she turned towards me.

She mouthed something, and strangely, I could understand its meaning instantly.

‘I’m watching you.’

“Well… Use it if something happens.”

“Yeah, okay.”

The two, finally satisfied, got in the car and left.

“…Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah? What?”

“Why did you come with those two?”

“Ah, they decided to help me with my morning workout a while ago, and they gave me a ride when I said I had plans today.”

Aha, so that was why he looked a bit tired.

It wasn’t the worst-case scenario. If he had said that he had been defeated by an older woman’s embrace, or if he had dodged the question, I might have wanted to cry, but it didn’t seem like that.

I felt a bit discouraged, but what could they do to interfere now? Well, what was important was that I was going to have fun with So-hyun now.

I could play with him without being interrupted.

“Oh, what? There’s still 15 minutes left until the meeting time. So-hyun, you said you were working out, so why are you here so early~”

Han-hee approached us from a distance, but… Well, I wouldn’t lose to a guy, right?

Sometimes, he looked prettier than me, and he was the closest to So-hyun, so they played together often, and he was a better cook than me, and come to think of it, he looked prettier than me, but! He was a guy!

“Hmm, I, Kang So-hyun, am glad that no one is late for our meeting.”

“Why are you talking like that~?”

Today, my rival was you, Han-hee.

So what if I was boosting my self-esteem against a guy? I wanted to win sometimes too!

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Today’s meeting was arranged quite suddenly.

Ga-eul just asked me for some time, so I said okay, and then she suggested we hang out with Ha-ni.

Judging by her determined expression, I had an inkling of what she was thinking, but for some reason, I had a bad feeling that Ga-eul was going to mess up big time.

We had to go back to the academy tomorrow, so she should have just asked me directly.

Did she think I wouldn’t come if it was just me?

Anyway, the three of us arrived at the aquarium.

It wasn’t a holiday or a busy season, so it was relatively quiet, and it seemed like we could look around comfortably.

“So, where should we go first?”

I asked without much thought.

“Sea otters!”

“Dolphins, of course~”

Their opinions were split, and the locations were in opposite directions.

“…Dolphins are popular, so it’s best to see them last, right?”

“Ga-eul~ The dolphin show is popular, so it’s hard to get good seats. Considering we need time to buy snacks, it’s better to see the show first and then the rest.”

…The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

What? Why were they so serious about this aquarium trip? I was just going to look at whatever was closest to the entrance.

“What about you, So-hyun?”

“Ah, right. You can decide. Where do you think we should go first?”

So suddenly? I had to decide?

Hmm, I was more inclined towards the sea otters.

They were closer to the entrance.

Surely Ha-ni wouldn’t be upset about this.

“Then let’s go see the sea otters first. They’re closer to the entrance.”

“Heehee!”

“Hmm~?”

I said it without much thought, but Ga-eul looked incredibly happy, and Ha-ni grumbled as if she was bored.

What was this? Was I in a dating sim and not a novel? Where could I check the favorability ratings?

But soon, Ha-ni also smiled playfully.

“Then shall we go?”

Ga-eul flinched as she took my hand and started leading the way.

“Hey, hey, why are you holding his hand?”

“What’s wrong with it? Can’t friends hold hands?”

…Ha-ni, you know, right? Guys don’t hold hands.

“Hee.”

And they definitely don’t interlock fingers!

“I’m just kidding. It’s just a prank between friends. You should hold his hand too, Ga-eul. We’re friends, right?”

“…Ugh.”

There was what happened with the professor earlier, and now this. Why was everyone so competitive today…?

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T/N – Fuck! I didn’t expect to be fed dog food in this chapter. Riajuus should just go explode!

On another note, so Ga-eul caught on that the kid who comforted her was probably the MC, huh? Though it’s cute that she thinks she has a shot at being the main girl, she’s not even close. Sorry Ms. Butt. 😂

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.