Final Exam Celebration (5)
After Elise left, I locked eyes with Su-rin noona.
Her hair, a brighter gold than Elise's, and that porcelain-white skin always made her stand out, and the beauty mark nestled beneath her left eye only sharpened the allure of an already stunning face. Add in that sensual figure, and with her glasses off, even the last lingering traces of the model student had vanished.
Anyway, she'd said she had something to tell me, so it had to be fairly important. She'd even been a little rude to Elise just to call me over. Whatever Mun Su-rin had to say might even turn out to be the key to winning her over. I waited, giving her my full attention.
"Yes, noona."
Su-rin noona watched me until Elise's footsteps faded completely, then finally opened her mouth.
"Why are you moving?"
"...Moving?"
It was such an everyday question that I felt a little deflated, but this was probably just the preamble. Small talk to ease the tension before getting to the real subject. A necessary step for a smooth conversation.
"I just want to live in a bigger place. There's a lot I want to do."
"Ahh, I see... Right. Oh, have you ever thought about trying streaming? You're handsome, so you'd probably get really popular..."
Su-rin noona and I kept chatting about this and that. After the moving conversation wrapped up, she brought up Pungmidang, the restaurant we went to all the time. Then she even started talking about the celebration preparations, and looking at her face, it finally clicked.
Ah. This person didn't actually have anything important to say.
The realization let the tension drain right out of me. If this was just going to be small talk, why had she sent Elise away? Then again, they say a woman's heart changes like the wind. Maybe she'd simply missed chatting alone like this. Or maybe some kind of war of nerves I wasn't even aware of had been going on.
"Still, once the celebration's over, the big events are done."
Su-rin noona's voice cut through my thoughts. She smiled softly, meeting my eyes.
"That's a relief. Then you'll finally have some time to rest, noona."
It seemed better lately, but there was a time when she'd clearly been overworking herself. Just when things should have been easing up, the vice president vanished, which only made it worse.
"Well. I hope so."
From everything I'd observed so far, Su-rin noona was genuinely devoted to Victoria Academy. There were probably several reasons for that. Her grandfather, who served as Chairman. Her father, who'd vanished one day. Because of all that, Su-rin noona had taken on managing the academy as well.
What a fucked-up family, I thought — but if you looked deeper, there were all kinds of circumstances involved. The frustrating part was that I couldn't bring any of this up first.
How should I steer this?
"Come to think of it, how is the Chairman doing?"
I didn't have any fond memories of the Chairman... but he was still Su-rin noona's grandfather, so I couldn't dislike him. Someday I'd have to tell him, The granddaughter you worked so hard to raise? I'll be taking her off your hands!
"He's doing well. Too well, actually. That's the problem. He used to hate you enough to want you dead, but now that you're famous, he's gone and decided you'd make a good son-in-law."
She said it like she was complaining, but affection for the Chairman was woven right through her tone. One word in particular, though, caught my attention.
"Son-in-law? The Chairman said that about me?"
"Huh? Ah, ahh..."
The face of Su-rin noona sitting across from me began to flush, bit by bit. She'd realized her slip of the tongue.
"Th-the son-in-law thing. That's Grandpa's opinion, not mine... Ah, that doesn't mean I don't like you, okay? You know that, right?"
Watching Mun Su-rin clench and unclench her fists in flustered embarrassment, I barely managed to hold back a laugh.
"I know, I know. I like you too, noona."
"...You do?"
"Of course. Oh, by the way — is there a field trip scheduled for next week?"
Watching her expression brighten, I asked about the field trip. I needed the exact schedule if I wanted to make the France trip work.
"There is one planned... How did you know?"
"Professor Lim Sol told me."
"Ahh... Yeah. It'll probably happen next week. Is there somewhere you want to go?"
"Yes. I was thinking of heading toward France."
Mun Su-rin's brow furrowed at that.
"France... the Iris Guild? They did reach out... I assumed it was because of Elise. So you're going with Elise?"
"Uh... probably? There's a lot I want to learn about how things work overseas, too."
"Hmmm... the Iris Guild."
Had I said the wrong thing? Su-rin noona's expression seemed to have soured. Thinking about it, I might have been too hasty. When you say France, the Iris Guild is pretty much the only thing that comes to mind.
"Ahem. Didn't you say you had something to tell me?"
I had no choice but to change the subject. I didn't particularly want to keep talking about another girl.
"You don't like just having a normal chat with me?"
Su-rin noona pouted. It was an obvious attempt at being cute — but when a cute person did it, it actually was cute.
"It's not that I don't like it... I just thought you had something urgent."
Thank god. That seemed to have successfully steered us away from the topic.
"Hmm, something to tell you. Something to tell you... Come to think of it, you told me to let you know if I was having a hard time, right?"
I had said that. It had been bait, laid out in preparation for the stalker incident.
...Though the culprit had vanished, which was a problem.
Even if the original purpose was different, if she asked for help, I intended to give it everything I had. Su-rin noona was important too.
"Yes. Tell me anything."
"Then, um..."
Su-rin noona dragged the words out, then suddenly looked away. She stared off into empty space, met my eyes again, then hung her head.
"...Noona?"
Just as I was starting to wonder what she was being so hesitant about, she snuck a glance at me.
"...Give me a massage too."
"A massage?"
I flinched at the word, but Su-rin noona immediately continued.
"Like the one you gave Elise. Rub my shoulders... is that okay?"
Watching her ask me to rub her shoulders while looking away in embarrassment, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Pfft."
"Wh-why are you laughing! I've just been so tired lately, and I figured if you could do it, I'd ask..."
"Because you're cute. Of course I can do that much, noona."
I stood up and walked around behind Mun Su-rin. Then, without much thought, I took hold of her shoulders.
I squeezed.
"Nnhhh..."
"This isn't too hard, is it?"
"Mm, you can go harder. L-like you did with Elise..."
"Sure, sure."
Su-rin noona kept her head bowed as she received my massage. I glanced down and saw that her ears had gone brilliantly red.
I'd wondered why she was so embarrassed, but thinking about it, it made sense.
I've barely had any physical contact with Su-rin noona.
Seeing her like this, I actually felt a little guilty. She'd helped me so much from the moment I first transmigrated... and among all the heroines, I was progressing with her the slowest.
"Nnh, nnhh..."
Watching Mun Su-rin still letting out embarrassed little sounds, I kneaded her shoulders with genuine gratitude.
"This is nice. Really nice."
Playing around while massaging Su-rin noona, quite a bit of time had passed. Physical contact really did make conversation feel closer — like the distance between us was shrinking. Maybe it had gotten a little too close, because by the end, Su-rin noona could barely look me in the eye as she saw me off.
"She's so cute. Even like that."
The perverted twins, a crazy succubus, a professor who doesn't do her job, a perverted saintess... Among all these weirdos, she was the only normal one. I'd have to keep taking good care of her.
Once I was outside, I went looking for Elise. I felt bad that playing with Su-rin noona had taken so long. Worried she might be angry, I checked my smartwatch — and found a message waiting.
The timestamp on Elise's message was two hours ago.
"...Is she insane?"
In other words, she'd said she had something to tell me, walked out... and immediately sent that. Well, it worked out for me since I could just head back to the dorm. But I had no idea what she was thinking.
I set my course for the dorms, walking down streets that were slowly growing dark, and thought about the schedule ahead.
The event right in front of me was the Final Exam Celebration, the day after tomorrow. There'd be a chance to talk with Su-rin noona there. And I was certain — absolutely certain — that it wouldn't pass quietly.
The week after that: the Iris Guild in France. I'd go under the pretext of the field trip and meet Centaur.
Nothing planned after that... but it'd probably be hanging out with Lucy and Rumi, or matching Baek A-young's pace.
As for Elise, I could make more progress with her while we were in France.
Come to think of it, there's the move too.
Once I found a house, Nam Da-eun and Liliana could live with me, and I could take better care of them. Rebecca I could pursue similarly to Elise. That one might just take semen and she'd be good to go.
"The plan is perfect."
In theory, the heroine conquests were proceeding right on schedule. Of course, almost nothing had gone according to my plans so far.
Lost in thought, I arrived at the dorm.
Ding-dong—
Hearing the familiar chime, I stepped through the front door. The living room was the same scene as always.
Nam Da-eun sitting at the table, looking up from her smartwatch to smile at me. Liliana and Nam Daehee on the living room bed and the floor, doing something with the TV on. Scarlet standing watch nearby.
Reassured by the familiar sight, I shrugged off my coat and headed into the living room.
"Oh, oppa! You're back?!"
"Oh! Perfect timing. Get over here, I've got something to try!"
"Hold on, hold on."
Receiving Nam Daehee and Liliana's enthusiastic welcome, I first approached Nam Da-eun. She'd been watching me ever since I walked in.
"You're late today. What were you doing?"
"Student council stuff."
As I sat down, Nam Da-eun held out the coffee she'd been drinking.
"...What's this?"
"It's the last cup. Thought we could share."
"I'm good. You drink it."
This was consideration... right? Drinking something Nam Da-eun had been drinking didn't bother me. I might even like it. I just didn't particularly feel like coffee.
"Mm, it's good though. Okay."
Sip—
I watched Nam Da-eun drink her coffee, then headed toward the living room.
"Welcome back."
"Yeah. So what are you guys doing?"
I'd been curious since the moment I walked in. Liliana was sitting on the bed with a serious expression, waving something around. Looking closer, it was a coin dangling from a thin string — and with a hole through the center, it didn't look like an ordinary coin. It was the kind of thing a hypnotist in a movie or TV show would use.
As if she'd read my mind, Liliana started swinging the coin.
"Now then... you are growing very sleepy..."
"Unnie... I'm not even a little bit sleepy."
"Shh. That's because you're not concentrating. Again!"
Nam Daehee's mouth was twisted into a pout as she listened to Liliana. Honestly, I had no idea what this was supposed to be. Was she just messing with Daehee?
I asked Scarlet, who was standing beside me.
"Scarlet. Am I seeing this right? Is that hypnosis?"
"Yes. She's been saying she wanted to try hypnotizing someone. I'm assisting."
Now that I looked, Scarlet was holding a red cloth too. So she was in on it.
I watched Liliana's bizarre performance for a moment, then stepped forward. Nam Daehee looked far too miserable.
"Liliana. Stop tormenting Daehee."
"Oppa... Liliana unnie's bullying me because I ate her snacks."
The second she heard my voice, Nam Daehee hid behind me with a pitiful look — that's how badly Liliana must have been putting her through it.
"I was not bullying her! I was just testing how good the human world's hypnosis kits are!"
Liliana trembled, clutching the coin with an aggrieved expression.
"...Then try it on me instead of Daehee."
Honestly, I was curious. I'd always wondered whether something like that actually worked.
"Fine. Watch this coin carefully. You have to really concentrate."
I sat on the bed in a proper posture, and Liliana cleared her throat with a little cough before waving the coin back and forth in front of me. She looked so serious that I focused on the coin as hard as I could.
"Now then... you are falling asleep... Your eyes are slowly closing, your body is growing heavy..."
"..."
"Your eyelids are growing heavier and heavier. That's it... heavier... heavier..."
How much time had passed? I'd been patient, considering my relationship with Liliana, but she was still repeating the exact same lines.
"Once more, your eyes grow heavy..."
"Hey. Hey. Give it here. Just give it here."
I'd put up with it for about ten minutes, but I couldn't take any more. I pounced on Liliana and snatched the coin.
"Ah, no! That was expensive!"
Liliana clung to my body, trying to wrestle the coin back, but she couldn't beat me, so I casually ignored her.
"Why would you even spend money on this? Scarlet, how much was this?"
"About fifty dollars."
She even imported it from overseas? She hides snacks she buys, but she'll drop that kind of money on a stupid coin?
Liliana, who'd been clinging to me, quickly lost interest and dropped off.
"Tsk. I knew the human world's technology couldn't be trusted."
"Unnie. Let's eat snacks together."
Now that I'd taken the coin, Nam Daehee seemed to relax enough to approach Liliana again.
"I really don't get it..."
I turned the coin on its string this way and that. It was just a round hunk of metal with a string attached. How was anyone supposed to hypnotize someone with this?
"..."
I stared blankly at the dangling coin as I swung it back and forth, and something occurred to me.
Wait a second.
I think I might have a use for this.