ALL NOVEL Chapter 192
“Suddenly, what’s going on? I followed because the students said there was something fun, but with the loud noise and smoke…”
It was actually Choi Ireh who was flustered by the melodious voice of the man.
“Uh, oh my… You were a guest… No wonder you seemed unfamiliar…”
Before she knew it, she was twirling one of her braided hair strands around her finger.
“I-I’m the Discipline Committee Chair, Choi Ireh… I’m in my second year… Major in Release Power…”
“You’re the noble lady of Seongsan, then. I’ve heard of your esteemed name. As a fair and righteous chair of the Discipline Committee, you’re guiding the schoolmates with all your vigor.”
“Y-you’re making me blush with such words…”
Choi Ireh, shyly lowering her head, was already flushed to her ears. The man, as if relieved to meet her amidst the chaos, started to speak about various things.
“But…”
Then suddenly, with a tone full of concern, he appealed to her.
“Did I make some mistake…? I saw Discipline Committee members going after other students earlier. If there’s a fault, I should be punished…”
“Oh no! Punishment, you say!”
Choi Ireh gasped in surprise and shook her head vigorously.
“The guest has done nothing wrong. The ones who lured you here should be punished.”
“But…”
A peculiar scene formed where it was Choi Ireh stopping the man who was almost volunteering for punishment.
“This is an internal matter of the Academy. You’ve unfortunately been caught up in it. You don’t need to worry. If any issues arise, I, Choi Ireh, will guarantee that you are innocent.”
She said this firmly before suddenly averting her gaze and trailing off.
“And, besides… There’s no way someone so kind would willingly associate with such lowly students…”
“…”
The man, with a strange smile, paused momentarily before continuing.
“…It seems the kind person is you, Chair.”
“I-I don’t know… Stop teasing me! You’re too mischievous…”
“Ha ha, I apologize. It feels like I’ve met someone I can connect with after a long time. I’ve ended up saying too much…”
“Heh…”
Choi Ireh sighed like a deflating kettle, flicking her collar with her fingers to cool down.
“Anyway, you can leave now. I will guard this place steadfastly.”
“…”
It seemed the man was not pleased that Choi Ireh was not leaving. Invisible to each other, he suddenly interjected her words.
“Um… And if it’s not too much trouble… May I ask your name…?”
“Chair. Speaking of which, didn’t you look for a girl wearing a rabbit mask earlier?”
“That’s right…! Kwon Yuri—no, my friend is a bit… mischievous, ha ha…”
“I think I saw her go that way, slipping out through the hallway…”
“R-really? I was sure she’d come this way. I’ll go catch her right away… No, still…”
Choi Ireh, poised as if ready to dash at any moment, hesitated as she glanced toward the man. It was clear she had lingering feelings for him more than for the troublesome rabbit.
However, as the man moved closer, tickling her ear, Choi Ireh froze like a prey caught in a spider’s web.
“Respectable… I prefer responsible women…”
“Your glasses suit you well, but… Taking them off looks really good too…”
“Next… again…”
Because the whispers were so quiet, they didn’t quite register. It seemed only Choi Ireh fully understood the words.
She, with her head down and hesitating, suddenly gripped her blade tight. Then, she charged boldly into the messy banquet hall.
Her face overflowed with resentment toward the rabbit girl who had run away.
“Kwon Yuri! Hey!! Where are you!!”
“Follow the Chair!!”
“Wow!!”
Soon, Choi Ireh vanished into the smoke. The hallway was left still and quiet, devoid of any guard.
Behind a collapsed table that Ireh had passed without a second thought, a girl with golden eyes mumbled in despair.
“…Wretched girl.”
*
The place the man and Baek Seoyeon reached was a hallway behind the annex, lit by a streetlamp.
He didn’t speak or turn around all the way as they exited the underground.
All Seoyeon could see was his back.
“I’ll be heading back now.”
“Oh…”
Watching the man take his leave, Seoyeon let out a despondent sigh.
He seemed determined not to face her even when saying goodbye.
An urgency surged back into Seoyeon’s heart, stirred by the shameful scene she had just witnessed.
She was also close to going crazy wanting to hear the man’s warm whisper. Even if it was a lie.
Having done nothing and wasted the last two hours only made her feel more regretful now.
“Wait, just a second…!”
And the moment that thought hit her mind.
Seoyeon found herself unknowingly shouting out.
“Just a moment… Could you wait…?”
“…”
“There’s no need to rush out like this… right?”
The last two years had been filled with despair and sorrow.
And then, a miracle arrived, a hope she thought she would never encounter again.
After having finally tasted two hours of happiness at the end of that.
Certainly, that was enough time to become addicted.
“It’s a social gathering… let’s walk together… and have a look around…”
Blinded by greed, she saw nothing. Perhaps it was because she had met too many shady characters, her judgment had become obscured.
She didn’t even remember her previous resolve.
“There, there will be fireworks later…”
“Two hours are already over.”
“Uh…?”
However, desperate persuasion proved futile, as he only spat cold and curt responses.
“But… even so…”
“I have no reason to.”
“Ah, ahh…”
The man resumed walking. All Seoyeon could do was lamely flail her arms in the air.
‘No, no… not like this…!’
Her mind was spinning. Overworked and overheated. All she wanted was to somehow keep that man here, by any means necessary.
And at the end of that whirlpool of thoughts.
Finally, Seoyeon found what she thought was an answer, shouting again at the man’s back.
“Re-reward…!”
-Stop.
It was indeed an answer. The moment the man heard Seoyeon’s shout, he halted. Not only that, he even turned around to ask her.
“What… did you just say…?”
“The Heukryeon owes us a reward worth your life…”
Seoyeon swallowed hard. The feeling of having regained his attention dominated her thoughts.
“…Just for tonight. No, just spend a few hours with me. If you can do that… if you just agree to that proposal…”
The girl with golden eyes continued speaking.
“…The reward can be settled with that.”
She finished her statement. With her eyes fully turned toward the man, she earnestly prayed.
What she had just said was entirely her own decision. She had no idea what kind of repercussions she might face from her family later.
But if it was just something she would bear alone. She was willing to endure even more just to spend time with him.
This was merely a gentle demand.
In other words, asking for her efforts to be recognized.
*
The sensation was so disturbing it made her stomach churn even. The result of her beauty strategy was quite successful, all thanks to being able to escape the underground banquet hall safely.
However, the lingering taste was certainly not refreshing. Upon seeing the light from the streetlamp beyond the hallway, she made a vow.
This experience, no matter what, she wouldn’t engage in such foolishness again. The knowledge imparted by the plan was the most useless of anything she had learned. She’d rather thrust her fist into her belly than do this again.
…Yet, it was certainly true.
Less than a few minutes later, I ended up tempted once again.
“…”
I was looking at a pair of bright golden eyes. Trembling with anxiety, they quite clearly radiated nervousness.
I couldn’t fathom the reason. Hadn’t the two hours been painful enough already?
Because I kept reminding myself of the contract with Kwon Yuri, I managed to sit across from that girl.
Unable to bear seeing her in a tough situation, I had gone out of my way to bring her along.
Yet, what exactly was lacking to keep pulling her toward me? Did she truly enjoy watching me struggle in pain?
…No. The emotion I could feel from those eyes was merely pure goodwill.
Simply, that goodwill wasn’t directed at me.
Once I realized that fact, I could finally understand the source of the pain I was currently feeling.
I even recognized the method to resolve it.
“Well, how about…?”
The golden eyes opened their mouth again.
All this pain I felt stemmed from still being myself.
Then, the solution was simple.
I had to erase myself. I just needed to become something else for a little while.
Not the country bumpkin from the past, but the bloodline of the prestigious Heukryeon family.
That very being to whom she was so devoted.
– At Paecheon, a valuable business is being demanded as compensation for the lord’s life. The family members are personally negotiating as well…
Manager Myosanga’s worried voice echoed in my ears.
Several key businesses. The proposal in return was a mere few hours of dream.
The discrepancy in value was beyond compare.
If the successor of Heukryeon had heard that proposal, then…
There was absolutely no reason for him to refuse.
*
After a long silence.
At last, the man standing unmoving in the darkness spoke.
“…I must leave by midnight.”
“Uh, huh?”
“If that’s alright with you…”
“Of course! That’s fine!”
The bewildered female student quickly readjusted her posture. She nodded vigorously, looking at the man with a hint of caution.
“Sh-should we go, then…?”
“…Let’s.”
“…Okay!!”
The Heukryeon successor gazed at her with empty eyes. There was nothing he could truly comprehend. Why was a girl in love with her fiancé behaving like this? Was he not what he thought? Was she trying to find another partner?
There was only one thing he was certain of.
He could clearly see it.
The genuine happiness that blossomed in her eyes, crescent-like, born from pure joy.
*
Deep in Yoram Jeongwon.
The thick black trunk, with branches stretching out in all directions, covered the sky. Leaves glowing faintly, radiating a bluish tint.
“Yes, yes, I’ve adored you for a long time… No, no.”
From under the Baegnyeonmok came the mumbling of someone.
“This is too cliché… something else… something else…”
The girl walked anxiously around the trunk. The hem of her sleeveless dress, resembling her hair, fluttered in the night wind.
Muttering, she suddenly looked up and whispered in a sharp voice.
“…Not yet. Make sure to hold it firm.”
-Kiick!
-Sheeek!
In response, the sound of beasts echoed immediately. A particularly bright green vine tangled around the branches above.
It seemed to twist and squirm, as if it wanted to go elsewhere, but was blocked by translucent cats or caterpillars surrounding it.
“Tsk. How could I find this bug…”
The girl clicked her tongue and immersed herself back into her thoughts.
After standing still for a while, she hesitantly opened her mouth again.
“O-oh brother… with me… No, no!!”
But soon shook her head even more violently than before.
“Brother? What nonsense! I’m the senior!! Something else, something else!”
She couldn’t even rip her neatly combed hair out of frustration.
-Deng! Deng! Deng…!
-Pooh! Bang!
Amidst this, precisely nine chimes rang from the clock tower. Like its signal, fireworks began to shower across the sky beyond the garden.
“So beautiful…”
Yeon Minha, too, became transfixed by the sight. Then suddenly, she trembled in overwhelming loneliness.
Unknowingly, she turned to check behind her.
“Tch…”
But there was no sign of life in the garden. She pouted unconsciously.
“I wanted to watch the fireworks together…”
She murmured softly.
“You said you would come for sure…”
Only a few hours remained until midnight.
Yet the one she waited for cast not even a shadow.