The Airport Confession

I quickly searched for the flight that Jeong Hayeon and Lee Hojin were taking. [Flight Search Busan -> 'Chungcheong Province' Travel Agency: Daehak Airlines. - Sold Out] But the tickets were already sold out. Their flight was scheduled to depart in just thirty minutes. In that case, it would be better to book a flight arriving before theirs and wait. So I purchased a ticket to Chungcheong Province departing in ten minutes. I hailed a nearby taxi.

"Please take me to Busan Airport as fast as possible."

The taxi sped straight toward the airport.

"What time is your flight?"

"In ten minutes."

"We might not make it in time, sir."

"How much is the fare to the airport?"

"Around ten thousand won."

I pulled out a fifty-thousand-won bill from my pocket.

"How about five times that if we arrive on time?"

The taxi driver grinned.

"Hang on tight, sir."

Time was tight, but I managed to board the plane.

"Phew."

I slumped into my seat. The best I could do now was wait at the airport in advance. Soon the plane lifted off the ground and soared into the sky. At that moment, the in-flight announcement came on.

[Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the inconvenience.]

[To avoid overlapping flight paths with the aircraft ahead, we will be taking an alternate route. We appreciate your understanding.]

[As a result, we expect to arrive approximately thirty minutes later than scheduled. Thank you for your patience.]

"......"

The demon contracted with Lee Hojin was no ordinary low-level entity. If Lee Hojin went berserk, Jeong Hayeon might not die, but she would suffer severe injuries. She could even end up with a lifelong disability that would prevent her from ever holding a bow again. All I could do now was hope we arrived as quickly as possible.

****

Two hours later, the flight carrying Lee Hojin and Jeong Hayeon arrived at the Chungcheong Province airport. They stepped out through the exit. The area in front of the airport was crowded with people.

"Hayeon, where are you headed now?" Lee Hojin asked with a shy smile.

"Me? I'm going back to the dorm to rest. Why?"

"Then, before you go, could you listen to me for a moment?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Just give me three minutes of your time."

"Sure? What do you want to say?"

Lee Hojin pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Yes. You can do what I mentioned earlier now."

At that moment, a serenade began playing from somewhere. Simultaneously, Lee Hojin grabbed a microphone.

"What's going on? Is there a performance somewhere?"

"Sounds like it's coming from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over there."

People started murmuring and gathering around. Lee Hojin looked straight at Jeong Hayeon. His eyes began to tremble.

"I only need you. I don't need anyone else, just you..."

Lee Hojin began singing passionately while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gazing at Jeong Hayeon. Her expression gradually hardened.

"What? Is that guy confessing over there?"

"Oh my! That's amazing. Is this how young people confess these days?"

"I really don't need anything else. As long as I have you."

Lee Hojin's song came to an end, and by then a crowd had gathered around them. Jeong Hayeon looked around and bit her lip hard. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide.

Lee Hojin approached Jeong Hayeon holding a bouquet he had brought from somewhere. She tried to back away but was blocked by the wall of people.

"Hayeon."

"......"

Lee Hojin dropped to one knee and offered her the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bouquet.

"Will you go out with me?"

He looked up at her intently.

"........"

Jeong Hayeon lowered her head.

"Oh my, this is incredible. If a girl goes this far, you should just accept."

"Still, I feel a bit sorry for the guy."

Jeong Hayeon stared at Lee Hojin, biting her lip tightly. She felt so embarrassed she could die. She swallowed down the urge to curse.

"Yeah. Okay."

She forced a smile.

Clap clap clap—

"Congratulations, you two."

"You look great together. Hope you last a long time."

The crowd cheered. Lee Hojin beamed as he looked at Jeong Hayeon.

"Hayeon, where should we go for our first date?"

".....Could you follow me for a second?"

Jeong Hayeon spoke with a cold expression Lee Hojin had never seen from her before. She walked ahead in silence. Even when Lee Hojin tried to talk to her, she gave no response. They arrived at a secluded corner. Jeong Hayeon turned around. Her expression was unusually cold.

"Hayeon, what's wrong?"

Lee Hojin looked confused.

"Hey. Are you out of your mind?"

Lee Hojin widened his eyes at hearing such words from her for the first time.

"Uh... huh?"

"What on earth were you thinking, making a public confession in front of all those people?"

"But... you accepted it, Hayeon."

"What would happen to you if I rejected you there? And what would that make me?"

"....So you were lying when you said you'd go out with me?"

"Accepting you was the least I could do out of consideration. If I rejected you there, what would you have become?"

"...So we're not dating?"

"You're stating the obvious. I was trying to let you down gently, but I guess that's not going to work. Why are you so dense? I already clearly rejected you last time."

"...Hayeon."

"I already saved you from being humiliated in front of everyone. What more do you want from me?"

Jeong Hayeon let out all the words she had been holding back.

"I'll be honest. I'm scared of people like you. I don't even know you well, yet you keep confessing to me."

"....."

"Honestly, have we ever had a deep conversation? Not even once. So what do I even know about you?"

"....."

"Why would I accept confessions from people I don't even know? Every single one of them only likes me for my face."

"....."

"Honestly, it's really hard. I'm exhausted. Even scared. You have no idea how terrifying it is when complete strangers suddenly confess to you."

"....."

"And every one of you only likes the kind and gentle side of me, right? That's not who I really am. This is me."

"...Hayeon, you're not like this. Why are you acting this way?"

"Yeah. Everyone probably thinks that. You don't like seeing me like this either, do you? This is my real self."

"Are you just saying this to push me away?"

"Haah... I really need to be harsh with you. Otherwise you'll keep doing this. I don't like people like you. You're scary."

"....Hayeon, how can you say something like that?"

"This is who I really am."

"No. Hayeon would never do that. My angel Hayeon would never say something like this."

"Huu..."

Jeong Hayeon let out a deep sigh.

"Hayeon, you shouldn't say things like that to me. Just today, I reflected all the monsters I caught onto your score."

"Did I ask you to do that? I never even asked, so why did you do it on your own?"

Jeong Hayeon frowned.

"Hayeon, if I like you, shouldn't you at least show me some courtesy?"

"What does you liking me have to do with that? Do you know how creepy this is?"

"......."

"Don't contact me anymore. And if we run into each other at school, just pretend you don't know me, got it?"

Jeong Hayeon turned her back on Lee Hojin. He muttered to himself.

"Hayeon would never say something like that... Right, she's a monster wearing Hayeon's face. That's what she is."

"Crazy bastard."

Jeong Hayeon shook her head.

"You can't impersonate Hayeon. That's an insult to my angel. I have to get rid of that."

Boom—

At that moment, the demonic energy Lee Hojin had been suppressing exploded. Ssssss— His body was instantly covered in black. His eyes glowed red. Jeong Hayeon turned around. A pitch-black arm came flying toward her. She quickly rolled to the side to dodge.

Whoosh—

The demonic arm stretched out again in an instant. Jeong Hayeon instinctively reached for the quiver on her back. But of course, she wasn't armed. She had no means of attack.

Bang— Bang—

Jeong Hayeon barely managed to keep dodging the demonic arms. The surrounding terrain was being torn apart.

"Huff, huff."

Her breathing grew ragged. As another arm came at her, her foot slipped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while trying to dodge.

Crunch—

She was caught by the demonic hand. The pressure around her body intensified.

"Ughhh."

Jeong Hayeon groaned. It felt like her bones would shatter at any moment. Then—

Bang—

The demon's head exploded in an instant. Jeong Hayeon saw someone running toward her from afar.

"...."

Her consciousness began to fade. But the face of the person running toward her remained clear. It was Nam Doyun.

****

As soon as the plane landed, I rushed out of the airport.

"Excuse me, have you seen a girl who looks like this?"

"Ah, the one who got confessed to? She went that way."

I ran in that direction as fast as I could. If she died here, there would be no stopping the world's destruction. As expected, Jeong Hayeon was being crushed by the Demonic Human when I arrived.

I aimed at the Demonic Human. I could only use Urbashi's skill exactly once. If I missed, there would be no more chances. I aimed precisely.

Vwoom—

I activated the gauntlet. Combined with the ability to ignore the Demonic Human's defense and the skill I copied from Urbashi, this should take it down in one hit. A transparent wave of mana shot from my hand.

Boom—

Shockingly, the Demonic Human's head was blown off in a single strike. The power was beyond imagination. The Demonic Human oxidized and vanished instantly. The transparent mana that pierced through it also shattered the asphalt.

Thud thud—

Fragments flew and hit my face.

Drip—

A little blood trickled down, but it didn't matter.

Wee-woo wee-woo—

The 119 emergency services I had called earlier must have arrived. As soon as they got there, they quickly loaded Jeong Hayeon into the ambulance. After confirming that, I started heading toward the dorm. I wasn't injured badly enough to need treatment. Besides, in three hours I would fall into exhaustion anyway. It would be better to collapse in my dorm bed than suddenly pass out somewhere else.

But one of the paramedics grabbed my shoulder.

"Student?"

"Yes?"

"What's your relationship with the student who's unconscious?"

"We're classmates."

"Then could you ride with us for a bit? We need to process the admission."

"Ah... I'm kind of busy."

"Please, student."

"...Understood."

The request was too polite to refuse. At the hospital, Jeong Hayeon was immediately taken into the operating room. I asked the nurse at the counter.

"I'm here to handle the admission process."

"Ah, I see. Please fill out this chart."

I filled out the chart and handed it over.

"Could you wait in the patient's room for a moment?"

"Huh? I need to go."

"Just until we confirm your identity."

"........."

I walked toward Jeong Hayeon's hospital room. There wasn't anywhere to sit. How annoying. The only chair in sight was the one beside the bed. I sat there quietly. After some time, Jeong Hayeon was brought in after her surgery. She was still unconscious. As long as she recovers well, that's all that matters.

"Yes, identity confirmation complete. You may leave now."

The nurse smiled brightly at me before leaving the room. I could leave now too. At that moment, my mind began to grow hazy.

This... has it been three hours already?

I collapsed onto the floor.

****

Jeong Hayeon opened her eyes. Looking around, she realized she was in a hospital. She had thought she was dead. Somehow, she had survived. She tried to recall her memories. Even in her fading recollection, one person's face remained vivid. Nam Doyun, running toward her. Had he saved her again?

While thinking that, she felt a strange sensation on her thigh. An immense weight. Jeong Hayeon turned her head. Nam Doyun was lying there with his eyes closed. His clothes were covered in dirt. He must have rushed straight from the site of the Demonic Human attack to the hospital. He fell asleep while watching over me in my room?

Jeong Hayeon looked at Nam Doyun. His face was covered in wounds too. He hadn't even received treatment and had stayed by her side in this room until he unknowingly fell asleep.

Does this guy... actually like me?

Jeong Hayeon gazed at Nam Doyun's face resting on her thigh.

"....."

Normally she would have shoved him off immediately, but for today, she decided to let it slide.