Student Council President Moon Sulin (3)

Today, I was staring up at a truly unfamiliar ceiling. It was my first time being admitted to the academy's medical facilities. Well, to call it an admission was a bit much—my body had already fully healed through natural recovery. They just wanted to monitor me for a day, so all I had to do was rest easy. With people popping in and out of the room so often, I was starting to get used to hospital life. Lucy and Lumi had stopped by earlier for a visit, and we'd had a pretty fun time. Seeing the blood on Lucy's knuckles from pounding on that barrier had broken my heart, though—we'd made such ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a fuss, all three of us. After the twins left, a new set of visitors arrived.

"Hic... sob. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I'm sorry. I swear I'll never drink again. Never... sob."

"...Please stop crying."

I gave a wry smile as I looked at Baek Ayoung, who had buried her face in the patient's bed and was weeping pitifully. Apparently, she and Im Sol had passed out from drinking and only joined the fight late. She must have been wracked with guilt, thinking it was her fault I got hurt. Even if she had come, with that insane barrier in place, she wouldn't have been much help—Im Sol might have managed, but not her.

"Sniff. I wanted to go that way, but Sol dragged me off. Sob."

"...Are you seriously blaming me?"

Im Sol, sitting beside her, shot Baek Ayoung an incredulous look. I gently stroked the head of Baek Ayoung, who had buried her face in my leg by now. I'd already heard the story. Lucy and Lumi had filled me in before they left. Lucy had even mentioned how Im Sol had dragged Baek Ayoung along to support the other fight.

"...I insisted on going, but there was no helping it. There were way more injured on that side."

"Yes. I think it was a wise call."

It was obviously the right decision. As professors and hunters, that's what they had to do. It had been a real terrorist attack at the time. Faced with a choice between mysterious noises somewhere and confirmed combat, you'd pick the latter every time. Before being heroines, they were academy staff.

But a mischievous impulse crept in, and that wasn't my fault.

"By the way, Professor Im Sol."

"Yeah?"

"Even if you'd known I was there, you still would've gone that way, right?"

"...Ha."

I grinned playfully, and Im Sol flicked my forehead with her finger.

"Ow! I'm the patient here, Professor."

"Quiet. You're not even hurt."

Im Sol leaned in close, bringing her face right up to my shoulder. With our breaths mingling, she whispered in my ear.

"...If I'd known it was you, I would've run straight there."

"... "

Hearing it like that was a little embarrassing. I felt my cheeks flush and averted my eyes from hers.

"Satisfied?"

"Yeah, yeah. My heart feels all warm now."

Im Sol flashed a bright smile before speaking up.

"Oh, right. They said this came from the mine that the president took down."

"What is it?"

Im Sol held out an opaque orb.

"I wondered if it might be connected to that mana-blocking barrier you mentioned. When I looked at it, it just seemed like an ordinary stone... but I figured I'd show it to you just in case."

"Ooh, so you're finally acknowledging me?"

The old ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Im Sol would've thought that if she didn't know something after checking it herself, no one else would either. It felt good to be recognized.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I just want multiple perspectives."

"Got it!"

I rolled the opaque orb around in my hand. It felt just like a smooth stone picked up on the beach... but Shin Dong-min wouldn't carry something like that for no reason.

"I'll look into it once I'm feeling better."

"Sure. No need to rush it back—take your time."

"Wahhh... hic."

"...Ayoung, please stop crying."

Even after that, Baek Ayoung kept soaking my bed with tears until Im Sol forcibly dragged her away.

*

Splash—splash—

I stood in the bathroom with a blank expression, splashing water on my face. The mirror showed a face I'd grown familiar with. Sharp features. If I had to describe it, maybe like a handsome parasite host or something. Tall and stately, with a boy-next-door charm...

"Anyway, I'm hot."

It felt weird saying it myself, but even I had to admit I looked good. I couldn't check exact stats anymore since the status window had stopped appearing, but compared to when I first transmigrated, my combat power had skyrocketed. At this point, I could legitimately call myself the protagonist... and the original protagonist probably couldn't even match this. Transmigrating out of nowhere and handling it this well? I'm pretty impressive, right?

Of course, there were a few issues. The plot had diverged from the original. The sudden connection between Pandemic and hell. I had no idea where the butterfly effect had kicked in, but I had zero info on hell in the game. Events not depicted in the original had happened, and characters who never appeared were showing up left and right now that it was real.

The harem routes I hadn't cleared were a problem too. My relationships with each one were solid, but turning it into a full harem might spark backlash from some heroines. The Lucy-Lumi twins, Ellis, Moon Sulin, Baek Ayoung, Im Sol... There were quite a few uneasy ones, but Ellis and Moon Sulin stood out.

Ellis's issue was her personality—she wanted to be at the center of any relationship. Thinking back to what she'd said to Nam Da-eun, she clearly hated this harem setup.

"...Complicated."

I couldn't blame Ellis, though. In the original, she was the generous type who overlooked one-night flings with other women. This tangled web of relationships was probably stressing her out too. And during this terror attack, her injuries were worse than mine. She'd pushed too hard with her congenital mana disorder. According to Lucy and Lumi, she'd suffered the most trying to save me, so I should visit her later. She was in a nearby room—easy enough if I felt like it.

Next was Sulin noona. The twins said her expression had been off. They weren't sure, but she seemed anxious... Hearing that made me worry too.

The terror attack itself was suspicious in a lot of ways. They said mines attacked head-on, but the professors shut it down effortlessly as soon as they arrived. The academy's damage was minimal. Even for Pandemic, that kind of dumb strategy felt off. Shin Dong-min coming straight for me was weird too—this whole thing raised a ton of questions.

Knock-knock-knock.

Someone knocked on the door then.

"Come in."

The person at the door wasn't who I'd expected.

"...Chairman?"

I'd figured a nurse or one of the heroines visiting. Why was he here?

"May I enter?"

"Of course."

"Sorry to disturb your rest."

The chairman sat in the chair by my bed after glancing around. Moon Jae-cheol, chairman of Victoria Academy. A grandfather with a granddaughter, yet he looked like he'd shrugged off the ravages of time. Probably because he was such a powerful hunter. Neat appearance, down-to-earth middle-aged vibe. He didn't seem like a bad guy. He took his role as chairman seriously too.

But why was he here? Last time, he'd tried to use me and told me to break up with Sulin noona, so it made me wary. Though according to her, he thought better of me now...

Why does he look so stern and strict? That serious face is kinda scary. Why's he staring at me like that?

"How's your condition?"

"...Good. I could get up right now. Just resting to be safe."

He wouldn't attack a patient, right? I stayed on guard, just a little.

"No need to be so tense. That's not why I'm here."

Seeing my wariness, the chairman smiled apologetically. He knew he'd caused it.

"I'm here for a favor."

"A favor?"

What could the chairman possibly need from me? As I eyed him questioningly, Moon Jae-cheol suddenly stood and bowed to me.

"Please... take care of our Sulin."

"...Pardon?"

Suddenly?

"You're the only one who can support her. I know it might not sit well coming from me... but I mean it sincerely."

Moon Jae-cheol wasn't content with just bowing—he started to kneel. As one knee hit the floor, I yanked him back up in shock.

"No, no! What are you doing? Out of nowhere like this?"

This was the problem. A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠side effect of growing up in a Confucian country with respect for elders. When someone older acts polite to me, my resolve crumbles. It was like when a woman cries—I had no idea how to react. A rude old man was one thing, but this politeness made it worse.

"...I see. You wouldn't understand yet."

I forced the kneeling chairman back into his chair and listened as he explained.

*

"That child was in tears. It was the first time I'd seen her so vulnerable since she entered the academy."

"...I see."

The chairman's words were shocking. Moon Sulin's father had appeared.

Another divergence.

I had no clue what butterfly effect I'd triggered, but Moon Sulin's father—who should've shown up much later in the original—was here already. The funny part? The timing differed, but his actions were the same. He'd appeared out of nowhere to take her away back then too. And now, he'd tried to kidnap her.

What's the common thread?

Common points between original Moon Sulin and the current one. Maybe it wasn't me—maybe her actions were the trigger.

Awakening.

Rapidly reviewing info, I spotted it. In the original, her father event started after she awakened. Same here. She'd awakened recently during the skull mask attack.

Getting stronger is the trigger. He needs her power... that's when he shows up.

To fit his goal of eliminating mines... he was taking her.

"You're the only one who can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠help that child."

I stopped thinking and met the chairman's eyes. I'd ponder this later—finish the talk first.

"...Thank you for telling me. But what can I do for Sulin noona?"

"Just stay by her side."

"By her side?"

"Yes. Other women don't matter. There's only one thing she wants: someone to warmly protect her when she's by their side... even more warmly than now."

"...Is that okay? Honestly, I'm not confident."

It scared me a bit. Until now, I'd acted based on original game info with the heroines. Sure, I'd built real bonds beyond that, but the uncertainty lingered. I'd said what they wanted, raised affection, resolved their game worries. With Moon Sulin, that process felt lacking. We'd talked, affection had grown, but no clear reason why.

Our relationships weren't something you could laugh off with "Haha, my bad." One slip, and my life was over. That's why I had to be careful.

Seeing my worried expression, the chairman smiled and continued.

"It's fine. That child is more... "

Knock-knock-knock.

—Hoyeon-ah. Can I come in?

A voice called from outside. Speak of the devil—Sulin noona appeared right on cue. The chairman panicked at the sound.

"W-wait a moment. Uh. Um..."

"Chairman? What's wrong?"

"I'll be going now. Goodbye!"

"Wait? Just say hi to Sulin noona and—"

The chairman bolted up, flung open the window, and jumped out of the room.

"...What the hell."

Did he sneak in? I thought he was a good guy, but nope—eccentric old man confirmed.

"Noona, come on in!"

I called out to Moon Sulin waiting outside.

The door slid open.

"Hoyeon-ah, are you feeling okay?"

Moon Sulin entered the room in her familiar attire.