Chapter 64: Unwanted Attention

A short while later, the sound of a chair scraping softly against the floor echoed through the lecture hall.

“All right, everyone. That concludes today’s class.”

The professor calmly packed his books and documents on the desk, adjusting his glasses before lifting his briefcase. With steady steps, he made his way toward the exit. One by one, the students followed suit, the quiet classroom slowly turning noisy with conversations, laughter, and the rustling of bags being zipped shut.

As soon as Elias finished organizing his things, a small group of female students approached his seat.

“Elias! Do you want to go to the cafeteria with me?” one of them asked eagerly.

“No, come with me instead!” another quickly added.

“Elias!! You’re so handsome!”

Their voices overlapped as they surrounded him, their eyes filled with excitement and admiration. Elias, unfazed, lifted his head and smiled warmly—his signature gentle smile that never failed to charm those around him.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” he said politely. “I already have plans with Ji-hye.”

Ji-hye, who was seated right beside him, stiffened in surprise. She slowly turned her head toward Elias, her brows knitting together. As far as she remembered, she had never made any such plans with him—none at all.

The girls’ gazes immediately shifted toward Ji-hye.

Their eyes were sharp, burning with jealousy and irritation.

Jin-ah, who was sitting on Ji-hye’s other side, noticed the sudden shift in atmosphere. She leaned closer and whispered nervously.

“U-um… Ji-hye… I think we should leave… now.”

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

Without another word, the two of them stood up and hurried out of the classroom. The tension behind them was almost suffocating.

Once they were finally outside, Jin-ah let out a long sigh of relief.

“Phew… Ji-hye, did Elias really make plans with you?”

“Not at all,” Ji-hye replied flatly.

“Then why did he say that?”

“I don’t know,” Ji-hye muttered. “Maybe he’s crazy.”

Right at that moment, a familiar voice sounded behind them.

“And who exactly are you calling crazy?”

Both Jin-ah and Ji-hye froze.

They turned around sharply and instinctively stepped back.

“Elias!?”

Elias stood there with the same gentle smile plastered on his face, as if he hadn’t just startled them.

“That really hurts my feelings, you know~” he said lightly.

“Stop acting like that,” Ji-hye snapped. “You scared us. Right, Jin-ah?”

Ji-hye glanced toward Jin-ah for support, but Jin-ah’s reaction was the complete opposite. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Elias, clearly mesmerized by his looks.

“Honestly…” Jin-ah murmured under her breath, her cheeks faintly flushed. “I wouldn’t really mind if it were you…”

“Jin-ah!” Ji-hye shouted, clearly annoyed.

Jin-ah flinched at Ji-hye’s raised voice.

Without giving her time to react, Ji-hye grabbed Jin-ah’s hand and pulled her away.

“A-ah, Ji-hye, w-wait!” Jin-ah exclaimed as she stumbled after her.

Elias watched them go, a faint smile curving on his lips.

He followed them calmly.

When he caught up, he spoke again, his voice soft and teasing, right behind Ji-hye’s back.

“My, my~ why are you being so cold to me? Did I do something wrong?”

Ji-hye didn’t respond. She continued walking, firmly holding Jin-ah’s hand.

Jin-ah turned her head toward Elias, trying to lighten the mood.

“It’s okay, Elias. Ji-hye’s probably just embarrassed around you. She’s usually not like this,” she said playfully, clearly trying to tease Ji-hye.

A while later…

The cafeteria.

All three of them ended up sitting at the same table.

Ji-hye and Jin-ah sat side by side, while Elias took the seat directly across from Ji-hye.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Every eye in the cafeteria was drawn toward them. Whispers spread like wildfire as students discreetly—or not so discreetly—stole glances in their direction.

Jin-ah looked visibly nervous, fidgeting with her fingers. Ji-hye, on the other hand, appeared calm on the surface as she sipped her drink, though irritation simmered beneath her composed expression.

Jin-ah suddenly spoke up.

“U-um… I just remembered! I have something urgent to take care of! I’ll be back later!”

Before Ji-hye could stop her, Jin-ah grabbed her bag and rushed away, leaving the two of them sitting face to face.

Ji-hye stared at the empty seat beside her, stunned.

Elias broke the silence.

“So,” he said casually, resting his chin on his hand, “when are we going on our date?”

“Stop talking nonsense and leave,” Ji-hye replied coldly. “I want to be alone.”

The surrounding murmurs grew louder.

“Hey, look… isn’t that Ji-hye? The number one student?”

“Then who’s that guy with her?”

“No idea… but he’s really handsome.”

“They actually look good together. He suits her.”

Ji-hye clenched her jaw as she overheard the whispers.

Elias chuckled softly.

“You heard them, didn’t you? They say we look good together~”

“Stop saying ridiculous things,” Ji-hye shot back. “You and I don’t match at all.”

“Oh, come on~ don’t be so cold,” Elias replied smoothly. “Everyone says I’m handsome, and you’re beautiful too. Wouldn’t we make the perfect couple~?”

Ji-hye’s eyes hardened.

Her glare was sharp enough to make Elias instinctively stiffen.

“You’re ruining my mood.”

Elias felt a chill run down his spine. Cold sweat formed at his temple.

“O-oh… alright, alright. Calm down,” he said quickly, standing up. “In that case…”

He smiled once more and looked down at her.

“See you later~ I hope you’ll be in a better mood next time we meet.”

With that, Elias turned and walked away.

Every female student in the cafeteria watched him go, their eyes filled with admiration.

Ji-hye remained seated, staring at his retreating figure.

Once he disappeared from sight, she exhaled deeply.

“Damn it… he completely ruined my day…”

She leaned her head against her hand.

Why is Elias so interested in me? she thought. I don’t know his motive… but something about him feels off.

Without realizing it, her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

To Indigo.

“…I miss him,” she whispered softly.

*At Yoo Jinhoo’s House*

Inside the training room.

Yoo Jinhoo was in the middle of his workout, his palms pressed against the floor as his body moved rhythmically.

“99… 100…”

He stopped and sat up, breathing heavily.

“Hah… that’s enough for today.”

Sweat drenched his body. He tugged at his shirt and wiped his face, unintentionally revealing his well-defined abs.

At that moment, the door opened.

So-ah stepped inside, carrying drinks and light snacks.

She froze mid-step.

Her face instantly turned red as her eyes landed on Jinhoo’s exposed abs.

She stood there, completely flustered.

Oh my… Oppa’s abs… they’re so defined… and… sexy…

Jinhoo noticed her presence and turned his head.

“Ah! So-ah, come here.”

So-ah startled at his voice, her face growing even redder. Despite her embarrassment, she walked toward him and placed the drinks and snacks nearby before sitting down beside him.

“Oppa… you’re sweating a lot…”

Jinhoo chuckled softly.

“Well, I need to stay in shape if I want to stay fit.”

So-ah smiled sweetly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small towel.

“Oppa, use this to wipe your sweat.”

Jinhoo looked at her and smiled gently.

“Thank you.”

He took the towel and wiped his face.

So-ah watched him quietly, her cheeks still flushed.

“Oppa… you have such a six-pack,” she said shyly. “Did you work out before? Or… were you an athlete?”

Jinhoo glanced at her.

“Ah… no. I wasn’t an athlete. I used to be a soldier.”

So-ah’s eyes widened.

“A soldier? Oppa was in the military?”

“Yes.”

“That explains it… Then why did you stop being a soldier?”

Jinhoo paused.

“…I’ll tell you some other time,” he said gently, patting her head.

“If you say so… then okay,” So-ah replied softly, smiling shyly.

There was no way he could tell her about his life before coming to this world.

Not yet.

Until he stopped every catastrophe that awaited this world, his past would remain a secret.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep