Student Council President Moon Sulin (5)
Moon Sulin couldn't hide her bewilderment. 'Wh-what... why...?' It was because Lee Ho-yeon had suddenly pulled her body toward him. Their faces naturally drew close, and she found herself staring at his from right up close.
It was a face both innocently boyish and mature, elegant yet decadent—an artwork so meticulously crafted by the gods that anyone passing by would whip their head around the moment it caught their eye. And now, such a man was holding her hand, drawing her face toward his. What woman wouldn't panic?
"H-Ho-yeon."
Moon Sulin glanced left and right in fluster as she stammered his name. Lee Ho-yeon's hand wrapped around her waist. Naturally, her confusion only deepened.
"Wh-what's this all of a sudden? Huh?"
"I've told you so many times. Just trust me."
"Yeah, yeah, you did. But..."
She could see her own reflection in his eyes—a dumbstruck expression, trembling like a leaf. That image drew steadily closer.
"I like you, Sulin noona."
"Y-You... Ho-yeon...?"
Moon Sulin gasped sharply at his words. Thump-thump— No, calm down. Something was off here. A sudden confession like this? She steeled herself to steady her pounding heart and looked him straight in the eye.
"Noona."
But that single word—no, that one syllable—shattered her resolve with a single breath from him.
"Wh-why...?"
At a distance where their breaths mingled, Lee Ho-yeon gazed into her eyes. Thump-thump— Even without a word, her heart began to race like it might burst.
"What about you, noona?"
His casual question, as if it were no big deal, stirred something strange in Moon Sulin. What do you mean, what about me? Of course I'm happy. So happy I could go mad. She hadn't realized how much she liked him until now—it was wondrously ecstatic. Holding hands had felt good. His arm around her waist had felt good. Their faces drawing close had felt good.
"...You've got other girls, don't you?"
If she hadn't known about the others... it would have been perfect. Her family wasn't the best off, but she hadn't grown up with warped ideas about sex. Unlike Ellis, her views were perfectly normal, average even.
"L-Let's stop... We can still pretend this didn't happen."
That's why it couldn't be. That's what Moon Sulin thought. She'd steeled herself because he already had another woman. Relationships were one-on-one, obviously. If you came late to the party, you bowed out. If she'd wanted to dive into the mess, she wouldn't have needed to steel herself at all.
"Why should we stop?"
"B-Because... you've got other women!"
Moon Sulin squeezed her eyes shut and blurted it out defiantly. She couldn't understand why he was saying these things.
"So what does that matter?"
"...Huh? Uh...?"
Lee Ho-yeon's hand slid up from her waist, stroking her back. His brazen attitude made her eyes widen in shock. She tried to push him away in panic but couldn't bring herself to, her lips trembling as she continued. She was so flustered she barely knew what she was saying.
"Obviously, laws and morals and...?"
"Are those more important to you than me, noona?"
"N-No, that's not it... Wait, what are you even saying...!"
Before she knew it, their hands were clasped together. He'd moved while she was distracted.
"I like you, noona. And you like me. So who cares what anyone else thinks?"
Moon Sulin's head grew hotter. Why was he so close? Why was he holding her hand? Why had he said he liked her? Time had passed in their talk, but she understood none of it. But one thing she knew: letting this slide would cause problems. She clung desperately to her fading resolve. If she hadn't steeled herself at the door, she'd have melted into his arms by now.
"H-Ho-yeon... You've already got a girlfriend."
"Hah. You're saying the most frustrating things, noona."
"Wh-what?"
Was that frustrating? Moon Sulin blinked in confusion the moment she mustered her will. Had her views on relationships changed that much since her first year? No way.
"Wh-what about the other girls' feelings...?"
"I like you, you like me—so why does anyone else's opinion matter?"
"H-Ho-yeon..."
His confession-like words made her heart race. She felt sorry for the others, but she wanted to throw herself into his arms.
Don't talk nonsense.
That's sophistry.
She had plenty of retorts, plenty of ways to push him back. But Moon Sulin couldn't open her mouth. She didn't want to let this chance slip away. Even if it hurt the other girls...
"Noona..."
His voice sounded so earnest, so fragile—like she had to accept or he'd break. In the end, Moon Sulin...
No... I can't.
At the very last moment, she bowed her head, stopping short of his face. She couldn't do it. If she put herself in the other girls' shoes, how painful would it be? She couldn't make others suffer just because she was hurting.
It didn't align with Student Council President Moon Sulin's beliefs.
"N-No. I can't... even if..."
In the end, she squeezed her eyes shut and spat out the refusal. Regret crashed over her, tears threatening to spill. She'd never dreamed she'd be the one turning him down.
But watching her, Lee Ho-yeon curled his lips into a smile.
"Your mouth says no, but your body's honest."
This cute noona thought resolve alone was enough.
She can't even fool herself in the end.
"What are you talking about...?"
To her puzzled question, Lee Ho-yeon answered with a grin.
"If you really wanted to reject me, you'd have let go of this hand first."
Shake—
He gave their linked arms a light shake up and down. Only then did Moon Sulin realize it. Somehow, her hand was clutching the hem of his clothes tightly. Her fist was clenched so hard her nails dug into her palm, crumpling the fabric like she'd never let go.
"You say no, but you hate letting go of my hand, huh?"
Whoosh—
Moon Sulin's face turned beet red in an instant.
"I-I'm letting go."
Let go. Let go. Relax your hand. Please...
She repeated it to herself over and over. But her hand wouldn't budge.
"Why...?"
No matter how she tried to loosen her grip or pry her fingers off one by one, it was no use. Moon Sulin couldn't release his hand. Finally, she admitted it to herself.
She simply couldn't let go.
"You like it, though."
"B-But. Nngh...?"
Tears welled up in Moon Sulin's eyes. Selfish guy. Liking me all on your own. Grieving all on your own. Trying to get hurt all on your own. Nowhere to be found when I needed you, but here to hold me once I'm sad and wounded. Infuriating, resentful...
But even so, she couldn't let go. From the moment she first laid eyes on Lee Ho-yeon, she was fated never to give him up.
"I like you, noona. I'll protect you. No matter who comes, I'll protect you—so let me carry a little of your burden."
"...You're too selfish."
Feeling tears on her cheek, Moon Sulin buried her face in his chest. Thud. Thud. Again and again, until her anger ebbed. Accepting her tantrum, Lee Ho-yeon soon cupped her chin and lifted her face.
He saw her lips pressed tight, eyes blinking furiously to hold back tears.
"You know this, noona?"
With his free hand, he gently wiped the corner of her eye, even as she stayed silent.
"Tears from anger are salty. Sad tears are sour. Happy tears are sweet. Pretty amazing, right?"
He licked his finger and grinned mischievously.
"Your tears... they're insanely sweet."
"...You idiot. Hic. Sniff..."
Moon Sulin felt the hot tears she'd barely held back start flowing again. She clenched her teeth until they might crack, but it was no use. In the end, she buried her face in his chest again. She didn't want him to see her crying.
Lee Ho-yeon stroked her hair and pulled her close.
To think it was this easy.
Not that Moon Sulin was an easy woman. If he'd acted sooner, this fragile noona wouldn't have gotten hurt. People always regret, but between Lucy and Lumi, Nam Da-eun, and now this—he really was a problem. Of course, for building this insane harem, a guy like him might be just right. The women he already had could fill his fingers, and any normal guy would crumble.
"From now on... never forget."
Moon Sulin, face still pressed to his chest, spoke in a hoarse whisper, slowly.
"Yeah."
"No matter what you do... but..."
She lifted her head and met his eyes. Tears still clung to her lashes, ready to fall, but her voice was firm.
"Don't ever forget the dance we promised."
"...Of course. I'd never."
He didn't know what the dance meant to her, but it was an easy promise. He had no intention of forgetting Moon Sulin anyway.
"And..."
She took a deep, shaky breath, her voice thick with tears.
"Tell me honestly... how far you've gone with the other girls."
"..."
It came down to this question after all. Building a harem meant dreading these moments. But at least... it wasn't the crisis he'd imagined.
"Noona."
"Y-Yeah...?!"
Moon Sulin, who'd been giving him a meaningful look, shrank back with a startled squeak as he leaned in.
"That's... what I was about to show you."
In a flash, Lee Ho-yeon gripped the nape of her neck and slipped his other hand under her crop top. His cool fingers slid inside her clothes, and Moon Sulin's mouth fell open in shock. At the same moment, his lips met hers.
"Mmph, ah, nngh...!"
Something slick invaded her mouth. Seeing Lee Ho-yeon right before her eyes made her mind go blank. But as his tongue probed and tangled with hers, she quickly grew accustomed to it.