Chapter 15: 15: LIKE I CARE.

"You... You shameless... When did that happen? I never...."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Dickless." June smiled. It had never happened, of course, but it was the perfect way to crush the jerk’s ego.

While everyone else was still reeling from the shocking insult, the red-haired boy remained speechless. Unfortunately for him, June wasn’t finished.

Folding his arms, June continued, "And yes, I’m rich. So what? It’s a lot better than working yourself to death here without any guarantee of a successful future."

His gaze swept across the gathered students before settling on the redhead.

"And Kael..." he called with a smile. "You should know your place around me if you don’t want to ruin your dad’s perfect business plan. We both know your father works under mine, and that business contract means a lot to him."

His smile widened.

"So be careful. If you piss me off, I might just ask Daddy to cut it off. I don’t think your father would be very happy about that, would he?"

Kael stood frozen, unable to find the words. Just as he finally opened his mouth, Simon stepped in.

"It’s practice time. Let’s not waste any more time on this."

His interruption broke the tense atmosphere. Humiliated, Kael stormed away with his friends, and everyone else gradually returned to their own training.

June turned toward Simon, their eyes meeting briefly. Then his attention shifted to the person standing beside him.

For the first time, he saw him. Finn Hart. The novel’s main character.

The handsome brown-haired protagonist looked as flawless as the descriptions had promised. His hair, eyes, face, physique—everything looked ridiculously perfect, as though he’d been designed to fit every protagonist cliché imaginable.

June remembered they were partners during this arc. They had probably been practicing together.

"No need to thank me," Simon said casually. "I was only doing what anyone should."

June frowned. "And why would I thank you? I don’t remember asking for your help. You were just being nosy."

"..."

Before Simon could reply, Nyx had already turned and walked away.

"Hey! Wait up!" June hurried after him.

Everyone watched in stunned silence.

Was that really June? Had he actually spoken to Simon like that? Had he completely lost his mind?

Even Simon found himself staring after the retreating figure, wondering if June was simply playing another one of his games.

---

"Hey, I saved you."

June grabbed Nyx’s wrist, stopping him before stepping in front of him.

"Shouldn’t you at least say thank you?"

"...Thank you."

"There we go." June smiled before studying Nyx’s face more carefully. His expression quickly changed.

"What happened to your face?"

He reached out instinctively, but Nyx brushed his hand away.

"I’m fine... I just fell."

"You fell?" June frowned. "I don’t buy that. Did those idiots beat you up? I’ll go deal with them right now."

"No need." Nyx lowered his eyes. "I said I fell. They didn’t do anything."

His voice was barely above a whisper. "If you’ll excuse me... I have practice."

June stopped him again.

"You already look exhausted. Forget practice for today. Let’s go back to that expensive restaurant. I’ll buy you that meal you liked."

Nyx looked at him quietly as he said " I really have to practice. So... excuse me."

Without another word, he walked away. June stood there blinking at his retreating back.

"That little brat..."

---

For the rest of the day, June didn’t bother practicing.

Instead, he sprawled across the audience seats overlooking the training arena, eating chips while watching everyone else work themselves to exhaustion.

His eyes eventually found Nyx, who was still practicing alone in one corner.

"Ungrateful kid..." June muttered between bites. "He should be grateful I’m literally trying to save his life. The least he could do is thank me."

He tossed another chip into his mouth and sighed.

"This is already exhausting. I can’t wait to fail this exam and get it over with."

Around him, students occasionally glanced his way before whispering and laughing among themselves.

June didn’t need to hear them to know what they were saying.

"They’re probably talking about how our team is definitely going to fail."

He snorted.

"Jobless."

Leaning back, he watched Nyx continue training by himself.

His thoughts drifted back to the bruises on Nyx’s face. They definitely didn’t look like injuries from a simple fall. June had even noticed similar marks on his wrists during yoga class earlier.

The novel had mentioned that Nyx was bullied.

"So those little brats at school are really beating him up..."

His expression darkened for a brief moment before he shook his head.

"But why am I even worrying about this? I should mind my own business and enjoy my peaceful life."

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"Tomorrow it’ll all be over. I’ll fail the exam, get eliminated, and then I can finally travel the world."

The thought alone was enough to make him lean back comfortably, closing his eyes as he happily imagined his carefree future.

---

Training continued until evening. By then, rain had begun to fall.

While most students hurried inside or headed home, Nyx remained outside, practicing alone beneath the downpour.

June, on the other hand, stood beneath the academy entrance shelter, waiting impatiently for his driver to arrive.

The rain had eased into a steady drizzle, but the chilly air made him hug himself.

"I should’ve brought an umbrella..."

As he muttered to himself, Simon and Finn ran past beneath a shared umbrella.

The main couple looked like they had stepped straight out of some cheesy romance scene.

Unfortunately for June, Simon’s foot landed squarely in a puddle with a loud splash. A wave of muddy water shot straight onto June’s trousers.

June froze.

Slowly, he lowered his head and stared at the muddy stains covering his expensive pants.

By the time he looked up again, Simon and Finn had already disappeared into the distance without noticing.

"...These shameless people."

He clicked his tongue.

"Why do I have to suffer for their stupid romantic moment? What does their umbrella date have to do with me? Stupid couple... stupid plot..."

He looked down at his ruined trousers again and sighed dramatically.

"And these were really expensive..." And just when he looked up, he saw Nyx

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