A Heroine Who Can Never Be Abandoned

22 – Haerin Kang (22)

Haerin Kang (22)

In the creation lecture, the seats are arranged in a circle so that the reviewers and creators can see each other.

Thanks to that, it was a structure that made it possible to clearly see each other’s facial expressions and physical reactions to their comments, whether criticizing or favoring them.

In order, Hae-Rin Kang’s novels were pouring out favorable comments from various reviewers.

“…senpai, did you know?”

Park Se-young touched my side and asked.

She was hurriedly opening the ‘Hapyeongbon (revised).hwp’ file uploaded to the group chat room through her laptop.

“… no.”

I said.

The file was uploaded at midnight yesterday.

The original deadline was a few days before that, so I didn’t expect the revision to be uploaded.

Of course, it was also because I didn’t check the contents of the chat room.

I intentionally disconnected myself from the outside world because of my guilt about Kang Hae-rin + the idea of a new work.

I felt uncomfortable because I felt like I had returned to my old self, but I had no choice but to go back to my father if I didn’t make a profit by writing a new novel.

I had money saved up, and my sister told me to live with her in the worst case, but I was desperate because I couldn’t run away and live with her again.

Hwang Ji-young and Kim Yoon-ah, all of the people related to me, didn’t know that Kang Hae-rin’s file had been uploaded, while the rest seemed to have read it.

The reconciliation proceeded without a problem.

If I follow the order, I must read her novel at speed because I have to hit the comment too.

It would take 15 minutes at the most to read a short story, but somehow, because of the ‘familiar’ narrative, I skimmed through it all in about 10 minutes.

I had a complicated thought.

I don’t know how other people will read it, but in my opinion, this novel was a metaphor for the relationship between me and Kang Hae-rin.

The relationship between ‘wife-husband’ and ‘replicant-replicator’ was set up, but that was just a disguise.

Kang Hae-rin’s attitude toward Hap-pyeong was sincere.

She straightened her back as expected and met the eyes of the reviewer who was talking about her novel.

A soft smile hung on his lips.

Not only the male students, but even the female students would look down in a hurry when their eyes met.

Just by looking at their flushed faces, you could guess what they were thinking and feeling.

And finally my turn came.

Kang Hae-rin, who had barely looked at me since I entered the classroom, turned around and met my eyes.

The smile on his lips was still there, but it might be because of his mood, but the emotions in his eyes were special.

“…well, I read…”

I struggled to open my mouth.

I couldn’t make eye contact with her in a different way from other people, so I kept my eyes fixed on the screen and gave my impressions with the most plausible comments.

“… That’s it.”

“…is it over?”

“… yes?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Kang Haerin spoke.

“I want to hear a little more. about my novel. Professor, can I make a special request?”

Kang Hae-rin asked the professor for his understanding.

Although the professor seemed taken aback by her sudden action, he welcomed Kang Hae-rin’s aggressiveness.

“great. I think it will be a good opportunity for creators to ask questions to reviewers about their opinions, so in the future…”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on me because of Kang Hae-rin, who behaved in a different pattern than before.

My heart skipped a beat at the sudden interest.

Even so… I only saw Kang Haerin in my eyes.

She seemed to be inquiring.

‘Look at me, the result of you.’

“……”

I briefly experienced Dr. Frankenstein’s feelings indirectly, but Kang Hae-rin’s did not seem to be a rebuke.

Besides, my creation was so beautiful.

“How do you feel about your wife’s choice?”

Haerin Kang’s clear voice came through.

“Do you think it is probable? Or was the wife forced to choose that way, or was it ethically wrong?”

Her barrage of questions followed.

It started calmly at first, but if only I felt it, her emotions were strangely passionate.

It has never been felt as well as at this time that I put the setting that my senses are wide open when it comes to things related to Kang Hae-rin and Lee Dong-min, who suffer from ‘anesthesia’.

She was alive at this moment.

“What about your husband? When a wife decides to live as her husband’s wife, what choice will he make? What choice would be ‘right’?”

I was out of breath.

Now the question has become more blatant, requiring my responsibility for my choices and my answers.

The frustrating thing was that no one knew the essence of this question, even in the middle of this hearing.

Even if I faint here, other people will only wonder.

Knowing her question and our relationship-

“hey. It seems to be overheating.”

Then, Park Se-young raised her hand.

She said with a smile, but a faint smile with only very light dimples.

“Professor, Mr. Lee Dong-min seems a bit perplexed. You seem to be having a hard time. How about intervening a little and asking questions one by one?”

“……”

Park Se-young and Kang Hae-rin’s eyes met.

“You’re not giving me a chance to answer, are you? I think that this is not a little bit.”

Kang Hae-rin’s eyes turned cold, but Park Se-young said firmly, even though she wouldn’t know it.

No, don’t go against her heart.

I clenched my fist under the desk.

I could understand that she gave it for me, but it was something I had to handle anyway, and I didn’t want Park Se-young to get caught up in this.

“… it’s okay. I will answer you.”

I said.

“… are you okay?”

I nodded while lightly touching the back of Park Se-young’s hand who was whispering next to me.

“Mr. Harin’s novel is…”

I said.

“I already said it, but it was great. It’s the first time I’ve read it with such ‘immersion’ lately.”

After repeating my previous impressions, I said.

I put into practice what I had promised since Kang Hae-rin disappeared, and what I had decided to do when she returned.

“… I think my wife’s decision is justified. Although she returned to her husband as a cloned human, that memory is as true as it gets. Of course, that memory was also fabricated, but that is the very essence of being a wife. Besides… it’s shared by my husband as well.”

I said frankly.

“…Even the husband could not have expected that his wife would find out who he was. You must have wanted to live happily in a play, in fake happiness. But knowing that it was a fabrication wouldn’t have changed the husband’s opinion of his wife.”

It wasn’t me who wanted Kang Hae-rin to become a reality.

However, if you think about it, the writing of the study with my name in the novel may have been the manifestation of my desire to live with Haerin Kang, my ideal destination.

Unbeknownst to me, this is what I wished for.

How much I would have wished for a woman like Kang Hae-rin to be by my side during my most difficult times.

So, making her a reality was my responsibility.

I decided to accept it.

I didn’t want to follow the cold and irresponsible behavior of Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein, who was told to kill his creation for being ‘disgusting’.

So I said in principle.

“I think everything a wife asks of her husband is justified. Because you are the creator. I think the creator is not a ‘master’ but a ‘protector’. If you made it, you have an obligation to take responsibility.”

After I finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.

Did I say it too seriously?

I felt somewhat embarrassed.

From the point of view of someone who does not know our circumstances, they may have thought that it was a sudden over-indulgence.

“… um, very good.”

The professor smiled in satisfaction and lightly checked something on the roll.

When I’m satisfied with my class participation, he gives me extra points that way, but I’m not particularly happy about it.

I didn’t mean to like him.

“Student Haerin Kang, are you satisfied?”

“Yes, Professor.”

Haerin Kang’s expression was unknown.

He didn’t seem to be thrilled with tears, he wasn’t angry, and he didn’t have a look of regret.

Now I’ve done all I can.

At the same time, there was a feeling of helplessness.

Of course, it will be real after the lecture is over.

“… senior.”

The next person’s agreement began, and Park Se-young tapped the back of my hand and pointed to the laptop screen.

It was a group chat room created with Baek Yoo-ram and Park Se-young.

Come to think of it, this laptop was also given to me by Haerin Kang.

I inadvertently turned my head to her, and felt her dead eyes fixed on Park Se-young.

“Senior, look at the group chat room…”

Park Se-young, without even noticing, pushed his face into my ear to whisper, so I stepped back.

I also missed a lot.

During the two weeks without Kang Hae-rin, I became quite close to Baek Yu-ram and Park Se-young, and thanks to that, I got used to talking at a place where we can breathe each other at such a close distance.

However, to Kang Hae-rin, who showed up after two weeks, she would feel as if her boyfriend had been taken away.

Now that she appeared, I couldn’t behave like before, so I kept my distance from Park Se-young.

“… brother?”

Perhaps because he refused so blatantly, Park Se-young tried to say it as if he was confused and a bit sad.

Instead of answering, I pointed my finger at the screen.

‘Let’s talk via chat.’

“……”

Park Se-young pursed her lips, but as I told her to, she fixed her eyes on her laptop screen.

What came out was nothing.

He informed Baek Yoo-ram about Kang Hae-rin’s return and exchanged a few words about him.

I had nothing to say.

When my girlfriend Kang Hae-rin asked me what I had been doing and what had happened, I had nothing to say.

Because I really didn’t know anything.

In the midst of such confusion, the lecture was over.

#

“Dongmin.”

And the thing to come has come.

As soon as the lecture was over, Kang Hae-rin went straight to me against the crowd and stood in front of me.

“I heard your answer well.”

“… Uh, yes… Harin-ah, in the meantime…”

I tried to ask Kang Hae-rin about her well-being or about her past, but she shook her head.

“The past doesn’t matter anymore. It may not have had a past. From now on… it’s just the two of us, you and me. You have to take responsibility for me, and I will rely on you with all my might. Because the only person who can prove me is you.”

He’s saying it around the corner, but he couldn’t be more explicit about it. Haerin Kang said it directly.

I was surprised by her behavior of not being conscious of the eyes of the people around me, but it didn’t seem that significant in the eyes of people who were not involved.

“……”

Hwang Ji-young and Kim Yoon-a, who were next to me, and Park Se-young, who was supposed to talk while eating, about joining the web novel club.

Everyone looked at our confrontation with strange expressions.

“… Mr. Harin, nice to meet you. I was wondering where you’ve been, Dongmin’s ‘oppa’, we were supposed to join the club you mentioned the other day. Would you like to go talk with us?”

Park Se-young interrupted and said.

“… brother?”

“why? Ah, because of the name oppa? do not misunderstand. If I’m close, I usually call you that.”

“……”

“… Seyoung-ah, hold on.”

If things stay like this today, before Park Se-young goes home, Satan will come, so I said.

“… I’m sorry, but let’s cancel the appointment. Harin is here and I think we should talk.”

“… Oppa, what about our club!”

This time, Park Se-young’s expression hardened.

She was always smiling brightly and cheerfully, so such a sudden change in expression was unfamiliar to me.

But now, stronger work was more urgent.

“… Let’s talk later, Seyoung.”

I passed them.