63. Yu Ha-yeon's True Feelings
63. Yu Ha-yeon's True Feelings
63. Yu Ha-yeon's True Feelings
"Huff..."
After Han Si-jun left, Yu Ha-yeon was alone in the room, the fluorescent light still on. She let out a sigh.
Why did she have to forgive a scoundrel like him?
In her heart, she wanted to tie Han Si-jun to the bed right now, but if what he said was true, she was the one who would end up miserable. She had no choice but to send him back.
"How did things get so tangled up..."
With a sigh in her voice, Yu Ha-yeon sat on the bed where Han Si-jun had been bound moments ago.
Thump.
The ropes Han Si-jun had struggled free of still lay there.
Looking at them, Yu Ha-yeon recalled his face.
A boyish face that still hadn't returned to his original body.
His face brought back old memories, but his behavior made her want to knock some sense into him.
"I expected girls would flock to him... but I never imagined he'd be the one doing the chasing..."
Han Si-jun's appearance wasn't bad; he had a face that could easily attract girls. But Yu Ha-yeon had always been reassured because he never made use of his looks and never got involved with women.
"Why did that damn Magic Beast propose a contract like that...? If I ever see it, I'll turn it into a Magic Stone..."
A contract that required him to seduce women. Han Si-jun had fallen for the beast's words that he had to kiss four women to extend his lifespan.
Yu Ha-yeon resented Han Si-jun for not keeping his chastity.
"After all the girls I got rid of... you went and did that with other women besides me?"
Biting her nails, Yu Ha-yeon recalled the women who had clung to Han Si-jun.
That girl at the hospital when they were kids. She was there for a simple surgery, but ended up staying a month, sharing a room with Han Si-jun.
"S-Si-jun... want some candy?"
"...Sure."
The girl smiled shyly as she held out the candy. Han Si-jun took it and indifferently placed it on the desk.
I, who had been hiding and watching from the doorway, walked up to Han Si-jun as if nothing had happened.
"Han Si-jun. You're not going to eat this, right? Can I have it?"
"No. It's a present..."
"Ugh... It doesn't suit you!"
Every time she tried to talk to Han Si-jun, I would interfere and cut her off. As a result, the girl barely managed to speak to him before she was discharged.
Back then, I didn't understand why I acted that way. But once I realized those feelings were love—and jealousy—the meaning behind my actions became clear.
Besides the hospital girl, there had been the middle school cleaning duty student, the letters slipped into Han Si-jun's desk, and the girl who kept staring at him during class.
Yu Ha-yeon had dealt with all of them, unconsciously making Han Si-jun hers.
But everything she had built crumbled once they entered the academy, and Yu Ha-yeon was anything but happy with the current situation.
"Han Si-jun is mine... and I'm his."
Yu Ha-yeon turned her gaze to the door he had left through. There seemed to be a slight commotion.
"But why is it so noisy?"
The sound of a disturbance came from outside. She didn't know what was happening, but people were running. Her thoughts were too tangled to care, so she decided to ignore it.
"Once I confirm you've gotten just two more women... then you'll really be in trouble with me..."
The reason for the mana oath was to confirm that Han Si-jun had filled all four.
Yu Ha-yeon's mind was sharper when it came to Han Si-jun than anyone else's.
"Once you extend your lifespan, I'll make sure you can't cheat and keep you with me all day... hehe... This is all your fault."
The reason she had let Han Si-jun go so easily was to bind him again after confirming. Extending his lifespan would make it possible to stay together forever. It was a deliberate move on Yu Ha-yeon's part.
"To do that..."
She would need power strong enough to protect Han Si-jun so no one could touch him.
Yu Ha-yeon remembered she had skipped training today waiting for him. She immediately prepared to go outside to train. By now, the noise had stopped.
If Han Si-jun died, Yu Ha-yeon would be left alone in the world. The person who knew everything about her would vanish.
"Han Si-jun. Just fill the two. I'll make sure you can't cheat again. I won't be fooled anymore."
The feeling of betrayal toward someone she trusted, and the sense of loss from broken trust. Having experienced those emotions once, Yu Ha-yeon steeled her heart.
Forgiveness is a step back taken to move forward. Having retreated for momentum, Yu Ha-yeon resolved to wait for that day to come.
***
"I'm alive."
I breathed a sigh of relief as I slipped out of Yu Ha-yeon's dorm room. For someone who'd been convinced he'd be imprisoned for life, there was no better outcome than this.
When I'd woken up in the dark with my hands bound, I'd genuinely thought I might die.
But after I explained the situation to Yu Ha-yeon and told her in detail about having to kiss other women, she accepted it and even forgave me.
'Did she really forgive me, though...?'
Judging by the displeased glare she gave me, she probably hadn't forgiven everything. Emotional scars don't heal easily, after all.
'I'd better treat Yu Ha-yeon well.'
If I ignored Yu Ha-yeon and seduced other women, I'd die. I had to avoid a situation where I lost my life in the pursuit of extending it. To keep from being stabbed by her sword, I resolved to be better to her.
'...But how do I get out of here?'
This was the girls' dorm hallway. If anyone opened their door and came out, they'd see me immediately. To leave, I'd have to get past the security guard at the entrance. I wondered how Yu Ha-yeon had brought me in here.
'Did she carry me in a sack? Or come through the window? How did she even bring me here...?'
No, that wasn't important now. This wasn't the time to worry about that. If I didn't get out quickly, I'd be branded a pervert who snuck into the girls' dorm.
'I'll have to ask Yu Ha-yeon.'
If anyone could get me to the boys' dorm without the guard noticing, it was her. The moment I was about to knock on her door to ask—
Creeeak.
A door in the hallway opened, and a figure appeared.
"Ugh... taking out the trash is such a pain..."
A female student, apparently coming out to throw something away. With a bored expression, she closed her door and stepped into the hall. As long as she didn't glance sideways, she wouldn't spot me.
That is, if a gust of wind hadn't blown a wad of paper against the wall.
Smack!
The wad of paper hit with a soft thud. Most academy students have higher agility stats than ordinary people, so their hearing is sharp. But if she was a non-combatant, her physical stats might be low.
"What was that sound...?"
Unfortunately, the girl who turned her head didn't seem to be a non-combatant. Hearing the noise and sensing a presence, she looked sideways and met my eyes, her own widening in shock.
'Argh... Villain's Fate...'
Are you trying to turn me into a sex offender? Even so, this is too much.
As I lamented my fate, the girl spoke.
"A... little boy...?"
"..."
She stared at me as if she couldn't comprehend. If I spoke, I might be identified as the suspect, so I simply looked at her without making a sound.
"Wait. I heard the first-years got smaller..."
She muttered that and closed the distance between us.
"S-Stay still."
Like a true academy cadet, she apparently intended to handle me herself.
'I've been spotted. I'm running.'
If she caught me, Yu Ha-yeon would probably cover for me so I wouldn't get disciplined. But the rumors I'd barely suppressed would definitely resurface. My only option was to turn and run.
"Stop right there, you pervert...!!"
The rumor of a pervert sneaking into the girls' dorm. To avoid that, I dashed through the hallway.
-What's going on...?
-It's noisy in the hallway...
Those murmurs reached me as several female students realized a male student had infiltrated the dorm.
The girls' dorm had the same layout as the boys': a long hallway connected in a square. To escape, I had to keep running, loop around, and reach the stairs. I glanced back to see if she was still chasing me.
The girl yelling "Stop right there!" was hot on my heels. She'd probably make a great hero someday, so intent was she on catching the culprit.
'Dammit...'
The gap was shrinking. My legs were still those of an elementary schooler. In a race, it was only a matter of time before she caught me. I used the Green Stone that boosted my agility stat and ran as fast as I could.
Then came the ideal corner to shake her off: disappear around it and vanish into the stairs. I threw all my strength into the turn and sprinted ahead. Rounding the corner, the stairs came into view. That was my escape.
Clatter!
But I couldn't reach them.
"Wh-What the...!"
A door suddenly opened and a slender hand shot out, grabbing my arm. Despite its delicate appearance, I couldn't shake it off with my strength. It gripped me with the force of a beast.
With a sinking feeling, I thought to myself, '...In horror movies, a hand always pops out and drags you away like this.'
As if confirming my prediction, I was pulled through the crack of the open door. By the hand of an unknown person.
Silence returned to the hallway.
"Huff... huff... Where did he go...?"
Except for the voice searching for the boy who had suddenly vanished.
No one had seen the boy she was chasing leave the girls' dorm.