TEENAGE PROBLEMS (III)

Ding, ding, ding

[Congratulations on completing the hidden mission: form a relationship with a female lead protagonist! As a Transcendent, you're destined for the top, and many women will accompany you on the journey – you gain an additional 10 points.]

Robert stood in the elevator, staring at the floating screen of the system in front of him.

This notice had appeared when he kissed Mia, but he completely ignored it, as he was focused on the girl herself.

Even now, he could feel the warmth of the romantic moment he had shared with Mia just minutes earlier in his apartment.

However, he wasn't in the best of moods at the moment.

"Ah, darn it, the moment got ruined" - he muttered, recalling how Mia's lips had parted from his just as the phone rang.

While the system had given him a mission to make Mia his woman while helping her become a star, Robert had planned to accelerate things, so he had been quite proactive in winning the girl's heart.

Not only that, but he had been recording everything related to the military sphere so that he would have evidence to prove his relationship with the army when he decided to tell her about his relationship with the military.

However, he didn't expect a series of fortuitous events to come together today, allowing her to be a direct witness to this supposed secret, causing her feelings for him to overflow.

Therefore, Robert pushed his luck and handled the situation like a professional, aiming to get not only confirmation of Mia's feelings but something more intimate.

And as it seems, his gamble paid off!

He hadn't expected to reach third base so soon. Mia not only opened her heart to him but also seemed to no longer care about him being involved with other women.

This filled our protagonist with satisfaction, as it was an achievement on the path he had chosen to take.

Perhaps it was the endorphins coursing through his body, but he felt genuinely positive thinking about the future with this girl by his side.

... that whole moment was sent to hell.

He was annoyed at being interrupted. He sighed deeply, trying to calm the frustration he felt. However, he knew he had to pick up Sophie and Anna.

It wasn't their fault, and he wanted to be on good terms with both of them.

He knew they had come to see Mia, and he didn't want to make them feel bad. Besides, he wanted to get along with both of them, especially considering the recent tension with Sophie due to the fight with Gunner.

While he cared little or nothing about what happened with the redhead, he didn't want to be on bad terms with her because of what Mia told her was true. That girl could also be part of his future agency of idols and modeling.

So, was that why Robert was going down to pick them up?

Well, not exactly.

It was supposed to be Mia's job, but she was indisposed after their heated encounter and had to go dry her lower parts, as it was a lot, Robert wouldn't let her go down in those conditions.

"Well, at least things turned out better than I thought... now I just have to figure out how to get that wild girl to stop giving me dirty looks" - he sighed sarcastically.

After the fight with the redhead and the incident at Incheon port, Robert attended school a few times because he had some "punishments" to fulfill for killing so many people.

They weren't punishments in the strictest sense of the word, he just had to perform some tasks with Captain Kang's unit in a couple of training missions.

Besides, it was necessary so that the leaders of the military branches wouldn't be pressuring old General Kim with a leash to control him. While he had killed a few criminals, the way he did it was scandalous, at least for Korean society.

Of course, Robert didn't care about that at all, but he didn't want to lose the support of the old general, as he was his trump card to be able to have leeway in this world.

Ding

Soon the elevator door opened, pulling our protagonist out of his thoughts.

Almost as soon as he stepped out, his eyes met those of Anna and Sophie, who were sitting on the lobby furniture, apparently chatting by a window that let in the morning light.

Both girls fell silent and looked surprised to see him. Anna, always the first to react, tried to maintain her composure. Sophie, on the other hand, couldn't hide her surprise and tension, which Robert instantly noticed.

The blonde stood up, her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms over her chest, a physical barrier reflecting her emotional state. Robert sensed the chill in her gaze, finding it somewhat amusing.

'Ah, damn, I hope this wildcat doesn't cause too much of a scene here' - he thought to himself.

He waved his hand and gestured to the receptionist, who nodded upon seeing him and left the area.

"Robert! Hi! What a surprise to see you" - Anna said, her voice fluctuating between curiosity and nervousness as she noticed her friend's reaction - "What are you doing here?"

"Hi Anna, hi Sophie, good to see you bot" - Robert greeted them with his characteristic smile, emphasizing the blonde's name since she hadn't greeted him or anything - "I came to pick you up. Mia had a little issue so she couldn't come down."

"Huh? Did Mia tell you to come? Oh, I get it, she probably invited you to join our study group too, right?"

The brunette spoke again, trying to nudge her friend with her elbow, who seemed about to explode.

"Anna, we should-"

"Well, she just told me today that you both would come" - Robert scratched his head with a hint of amusement, interrupting the blonde's words as she had taken her friend's arm to leave - "I live in this building. She invited you to my apartment without telling me anything."

"What?"

...............................

When the elevator doors opened, Sophie froze as she saw Robert stepping out instead of Mia. Her heart began to beat faster, a mix of surprise and anger rising in her chest.

Of all the uncomfortable things that could happen today, this was by far the worst.

There he was, the person she considered the cause of her recent academic and romantic troubles, standing before her with that confident expression that had always irritated her.

She quickly stood up, crossing her arms in front of her, her whole posture indicating she was far from comfortable at the moment.

"Robert! Hi! What a surprise to see you. What are you doing here?"

While her friend greeted him and tried to start a conversation, the blonde had no interest in speaking to him.

"Hi Anna, hi Sophie, good to see you. I'm here to pick you up. Mia had a small issue, so she couldn't come down."

"Huh? Did Mia tell you to come? Oh, I see, she probably invited you to join the study group too, right?"

Sophie felt a wave of disbelief. How dare Mia Woo invite this guy here?

She had been there on the day of the fight, and witnessed how this foreigner left Gunner lying on the ground, bloodied and brutally beaten by Robert. The helplessness she felt seeing him so vulnerable, the anger of not being able to do anything at that moment... It all came rushing back.

Despite knowing this, knowing she was Gunner's girlfriend, Mia Woo still dared to invite him.

Internally cursing, Sophie knew she shouldn't have come here, knew Mia was playing some kind of tasteless joke by bringing this guy here too.

This was the last straw. She should never have trusted Mia Woo!

Her hand moved to grasp her friend's arm, who had been nudging her with her elbow to speak. Sophie didn't want to be here anymore.

"Anna, let's-"

"Well, she just told me today that you both would come. I live in this building, she invited you to my apartment."

"What?"

'What?'

Sophie, like Anna, stood still for a moment, stunned by Robert's words, trying to process them.

He lives in this building?

"Come on, it's better to go up. Mia's waiting so you can study" - the boy turned and walked towards the elevator.

"We're not going up, Anna, let's go."

"Huh? B-but..."

Sophie's response wasn't to follow him but rather to refuse and turn away, trying to leave, even as Anna hesitated to follow.

While Anna was also surprised to hear that Robert was the person living here, it didn't make her want to leave. His presence didn't make her uncomfortable like it did Sophie.

Yes, Robert had beaten up Gunner, but if you asked Anna, she'd say it was because the redhead had it coming. However, she didn't know if she should stay because she didn't want to hurt her friend.

"Oh, goodness, are you going to run too? I thought you were smarter than that redhead."

Suddenly, Robert's words sharply stopped the blonde, who let go of her friend's arm and turned around.

"Repeat what you just said!" - Sophie couldn't take it anymore and with one hand grabbed Robert's shirt while raising the other to slap him.

She didn't care if he hit her back; she had reached her breaking point like never before.

"S-Sophie! Stop!"

The blonde's reaction caught Anna by surprise, unable to react in time to stop her friend.

Slap!

A sharp sound echoed in the lobby, but it wasn't the sound of a slap; rather, it was a clap.

Before Sophie could strike Robert's face, he casually raised his hand and intercepted her hand, clashing it with his own palm, surprising both girls.

Sophie, more than anyone, felt like her hand had hit a concrete wall instead of a human palm!

"I thought you were smarter, Min Sophie," Robert raised his hand and grabbed the girl's wrist, making her release his shirt. "But it seems you still let your emotions take over."

"You, let me go!"

The blonde tried to free herself, but the grip around her wrist was as firm as a rock. She then attempted to strike him again with her free hand, but it too was easily caught.

"First of all, stop causing a scene; this isn't a marketplace for you to shout in. Second, don't think I'm pleased with this; you're starting to give me a headache from all this annoyance. Third, listen to what I have to say; I don't care what you do after."

"Sophie, calm down!" Anna arrived and tried to restrain her friend.

"You know, when Mia told me that you both asked her as a favor to teach you, she was happy because you were the only classmate who spoke to her again after all the bullying Eunice did, which drove away her friends."

Both Anna and Sophie stopped moving and were surprised by Robert's words.

"Even when Mia knew full well that you were aware of that bullying, since Eunice always stood laughing at her when she went to see Gunner, she still decided to help you."

The girls were taken aback by these words!

Sophie looked away, feeling ashamed. Anna lowered her head because, like Sophie, everyone in Gunner's circle of friends knew about it.

Eunice hadn't said it outright, but she had been abusing Mia for a long time. It had always been easier to look the other way, to avoid conflict.

"However, even though you were the ones who asked for help, you refused to let her come to your house. I don't care why you did it, as we all have reasons that prevent us from doing so. Similarly, Mia also has her reasons, which is why she decided to seek help from me, but she didn't tell me because she didn't know if I would really accept, as she is truly aware of what I did to Gunner."

"Then why-"

"Why did she do it? Well, it's simple, because she wanted to genuinely help you. I don't care if you don't like me, that's beside the point, but I can't ignore Mia's request when I see how genuinely excited she was to help you."

Sophie clenched her lips, her jaw tense. Guilt continued to invade her mind as she remembered the times she had seen Mia alone in the hallways, head down and eyes avoiding any contact.

Robert continued, his voice softer but still firm - "What happened between Gunner and me has nothing to do with Mia's decision to invite you here to study. She's a good person trying to help you, despite everything."

"But you beat him terribly!"

Mia reacted vehemently at the mention of her still beloved.

"So what?" Robert exclaimed. "Tell me, if I hadn't beaten him, what do you think would have happened? Just because that bitch Hee-jin ordered him to beat up Dayun and his brother, was that okay? I'm not a moralist or a justice warrior, but I know Gunner has done whatever he wanted without thinking of the consequences, thinking he was the best, and that's just foolishness."

Sophie was about to argue back but was interrupted by Robert, who continued speaking.

"Have you ever thought about all the guys Gunner has beaten terribly, even sending them to the hospital? How do you think their sisters, mothers, or girlfriends felt? You reap what you sow, so stop acting stupidly and think things through properly."

Robert released the blonde and turned away again.

Sophie felt like a heavy weight had settled on her shoulders. Robert's words struck her directly in the heart, unearthing a mix of guilt and shame.

She wanted to leave, to get away from all of this, but Robert's words echoed in her mind with painful clarity. Mia didn't deserve to pay for her own mistakes, for her foolish thoughts.

Accepting that truth was like a tight knot in her throat, hard to swallow. Silence filled the lobby as seconds passed.

"Okay..." After a long while, Sophie finally murmured, her voice barely audible but filled with resignation and sorrow.

Anna nodded slowly, feeling relieved that Sophie agreed.

They shared the burden of their inaction, but now they understood they had to face it and make it right, not just for Mia, but for themselves.