Fainting

"So you're going to try talking to Mom first? It's not a bad idea, but if that's the plan, wouldn't it be better for me to just ask her today?"

As always, Seo-yeon and I met behind the deserted lecture hall and got straight to the point.

Seo-yeon seemed to view my idea itself favorably, but she didn't see why we should wait until our mother's birthday.

"If we do that, you'd have to ask her alone, right? Knowing Mom's personality, she might just brush it off saying there's nothing to worry about. If we ask together, at least she'd be more likely to answer seriously."

"That's true. Then how about you just come over to our place today? Mom would be happy to see you more often anyway."

"That's a bit much. If I go to your place and run into relatives from your mother's side, I'd just draw unwanted attention."

"Ah."

Seo-yeon let out a short sigh, as if she immediately understood.

The family that owned Hancheon Group didn't all live together in one grand mansion like in a TV drama.

But reality is stranger than fiction, as they say.

They didn't literally all live under one roof, but their addresses were practically identical.

They'd built multiple houses on a sprawling estate, with each family living separately.

From an ordinary person's perspective, it seemed like an absurd extravagance.

But what can you do.

It's their own money to spend.

Anyway, for these reasons, it wasn't a place I particularly wanted to show my face.

Going to Hancheon Hotel for my mother's birthday each year was different—it was a gathering where outsiders also attended to some degree, and plenty of relatives from her side skipped it using their schedules as an excuse.

So showing up on her birthday would draw far less wariness from her side of the family.

"Anyway, it's only about a month until Mom's birthday. Let's just live normally until then."

Seo-yeon didn't answer.

She just sat on the bench, staring blankly up at the sky.

But she hadn't missed what I said—instead of answering, she carefully leaned her head against my shoulder as I sat beside her.

"Big brother."

"Yeah."

"Our relationship—we'll have to tell Mom someday, right?"

"We're still siblings."

I knew what Seo-yeon wanted to say.

But I didn't have the confidence to give her a definite answer either.

It was inevitably different from Aria's case, where Linnea had given her approval and marriage was even legally possible.

"Right. We were still siblings."

Seo-yeon lifted her head from my shoulder with a bitter expression, as if she understood.

Someday, I might have to seriously face that question. But that would only be after Seo-yeon had completely won my heart.

I still saw Seo-yeon as my younger sister.

Our relationship might change someday, but at least it didn't seem like it would change right away.

"At least let's have lunch together. I'll invite Aria and Victoria too."

"Victoria too?"

"Yeah. We've gotten fairly close lately, since we've been spending time together."

I'd thought Seo-yeon was the jealous type, but since that last incident, that side of her seemed to have faded more than I expected.

Or maybe, surprisingly, it was more strategic than I thought.

Both of them were tolerating me having multiple women, but from Seo-yeon's position, she still had to compete with Aria to some degree to win my heart. That fact hadn't changed.

After all, if one side showed cute and alluring behavior every day while the other made no particular appeal, it was only natural for my heart to lean toward the former.

In that sense, Seo-yeon would be better off increasing the number of rivals.

The more rivals there were, the more each could appeal by showing their own distinct charms rather than being compared directly, and if she felt she was falling behind, she could cooperate with someone else.

In short, like the Three Kingdoms strategy of dividing the realm into three.

"Okay. Then shall we meet in front of that café where we gathered last time? I'll go pick up Aria, and you pick up Victoria."

"Sounds good. I remember where it is. Let's meet there."

I parted ways with Seo-yeon and headed toward the chapel.

I momentarily lost myself in the fantastical yet majestic organ sound resonating through the chapel.

Normally I would have sat and waited until Aria finished playing, but today I couldn't do that.

I climbed onto the platform and approached Aria.

"Aria."

"Oh, Brother!"

Aria stopped playing immediately and wrapped her small frame around me in a tight hug.

She was so cute that I stroked her hair, and Aria nuzzled her face against me in delight.

"Sorry. For interrupting your playing."

"It's fine if it's you, Brother. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Seo-yeon said she wants to have lunch together. Victoria's with her too—want to come?"

"Yes, I'd love to! Should we leave right away?"

"Yeah. We just need to go to that café we saw last time."

I left the chapel with Aria and walked along a deserted side path.

Come to think of it, Aria didn't seem to find Victoria all that uncomfortable these days either.

"Has Victoria not been bothering you lately?"

"No. Victoria herself is busy, and she seems to have decided that seducing you, Brother, has a higher chance of success than defeating me."

I wasn't sure about the latter, but the former was certainly true.

Victoria was the one who could approach most freely without worrying about others' eyes, and just this morning she'd left right away because she was busy.

"She really is an oddball. She could just live comfortably in Austria—why come all the way to Korea?"

Aria grumbled.

But she didn't seem to genuinely dislike her.

It felt more like an annoying bad friend.

"Now that I think of it, I'm curious about something."

"What is it?"

"When you said it was okay for me to have other women—does that include Victoria?"

If my memory was right, Aria had accepted me dating both her and Seo-yeon, but she hadn't said anything specific about Victoria.

"If that's what you want, Brother. I told you, didn't I? Your happiness matters most to me. I'm even fine with more women if that's what you want."

"Come on, forget it. Two is already more than I can handle."

Honestly, even one was hard to manage. The women involved weren't ordinary women, which made it even more so.

One was a musical genius whose talent could be considered unmatched throughout all of history.

Another was a leading heir candidate of the nation's top conglomerate, at the forefront of next-generation industries like semiconductors and smartphones.

And the remaining one was the daughter of an Austrian conglomerate with its hands in various fields—instruments, food, medicine, and more.

And two of them were my younger sisters. Not even step-sisters with no blood relation—one was a half-sister and one was a full sister.

Even picking just one would be a handful, and I was supposed to choose all three?

I didn't even want to imagine what kind of disaster that would be.

"Even though I say that, I do hope you'll choose only me, Brother.

I'm a woman too, after all. I dream of a life where just the two of us date sweetly, get married, enjoy our newlywed life, and have children."

"And yet my happiness matters more to you than your own dream?"

"Yes."

Aria answered without a moment's hesitation.

I'd heard her reason before, but still, compared to what I'd done to Aria, it felt like an excessive amount of love.

But unlike before, that love no longer felt heavy or burdensome.

Honestly, these days I was even secretly happy about it.

That must have been proof that I was starting to see Aria as a romantic interest.

As we walked side by side, I glanced at Aria's profile.

A face that had always just looked pretty and cute now seemed even more captivating once I became aware of my own feelings.

Evaluations of appearance are subjective, but by my standards, Aria was more beautiful than any woman I'd ever seen.

That even included people I'd only seen through a screen without ever meeting in person—idols, models, actors.

And it wasn't even love-blindness. I'd thought that way since the first time I met her.

The very fact that such a beautiful girl was directing her pure, devoted affection only at me—honestly, from a man's perspective, it was impossible not to feel a sense of superiority.

Lost in these strange sentiments, I walked on and before I knew it, we'd arrived in front of the café. When we went inside, the two of them were already seated.

"Big brother, over here."

Seo-yeon waved her hand slightly and patted the seat next to her.

It would've been awkward to sit elsewhere, so I sat beside Seo-yeon, which naturally put Aria and me facing each other.

"Sorry. Did you wait long?"

"No. Victoria and I just got here too—we were looking at the menu."

Seo-yeon pointed at the menu with her finger.

"They sell meal items here during lunch and dinner hours, you know?"

"Yeah. And they're pretty good too."

This was one of the reasons I'd suggested meeting at this café.

Of course, the biggest reason was that we'd all been here ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠together before, so everyone knew where it was, but the fact that we could have lunch here was also a big plus.

The dishes they served were mostly simple ones like pasta or omurice, but the old man who owned the place was skilled, so I'd never once had anything bad there.

"What does everyone want?"

"I'll have the same as you, Brother."

"I'll have a cappuccino and vongole."

Aria and Seo-yeon decided fairly quickly, but Victoria just stared at the menu without answering.

No, she actually seemed to be spacing out.

"Victoria."

"...Ah, Si-hyeon. You're here."

Victoria barely managed to answer in a tired voice.

I hadn't noticed that morning, but up close I could see faint dark circles under her eyes.

Maybe they weren't very dark because she'd covered them with makeup.

"What do you want to eat and drink?"

"I'll have an espresso. No food."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Victoria nodded.

The reason I'd asked if she was okay was that there's nothing quite as torturous as fasting alone while everyone else enjoys their food.

But Victoria didn't seem to be in a state where she wanted to put anything in her stomach.

"Still, wouldn't it be better to eat something? Drinking espresso on an empty stomach doesn't seem great ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠either."

"Then I'll order this salmon salad as well."

"Are you on a diet or something?"

"No, I'm just simply tired and have no appetite. I think I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Victoria pressed her hand to her forehead and shook her head from side to side. The fatigue didn't seem to be going away easily.

After finishing the order and returning, instead of the exhausted Victoria, I asked Seo-yeon, who was sitting next to me.

"What happened to make her so tired?"

"Remember how Victoria said some of her major courses were given special exemption? It turns out it's more like they're giving her a chance to take the exams."

"Wait, you don't mean—"

"That's exactly what I mean. Because of that, she's been trying to catch up on the material before the upcoming midterms, and she says she's only been sleeping two hours a night lately."

The reason for her fatigue made perfect sense.

Still, sleeping only two hours a day couldn't be healthy.

"Victoria, do you want to rest your eyes until the food comes? I'll give you the sofa seat."

"I appreciate the thought, Si-hyeon, but I'm fine. It was like this when I was studying Korean before coming to Korea too."

"If this is normal for you, that's even more of a problem. For the sake of your study efficiency, go home and get a good night's sleep today."

"That's what I plan to do. Fortunately, I've caught up on all the material."

That was impressive in its own way.

Maybe she was the type to absorb concepts quickly and move through the material, then review in detail later.

Even now, Victoria might zone out for a moment, but she never actually nodded off.

It was impressive mental fortitude, but honestly, I was a bit worried.

"Victoria, at this rate you're going to die young."

"I won't die until I've defeated you. Even if I do die, I'll crawl back up from hell, so don't worry."

Aria, worried as well, voiced her concern in her own way, but Victoria brushed it off immediately.

Or maybe, in Victoria's own way, it was her way of saying not to worry.

"Hmph, just don't collapse later and regret it."

Even though Aria spoke as if sulking, she didn't stop worrying.

While that conversation was going on, the food was set on the table.

I'd ordered a ciabatta sandwich and a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matcha latte, so naturally Aria ended up with the same menu.

Not much conversation happened during the meal.

Victoria remained spaced out even after drinking her espresso, so the conversation among the four of us kept breaking off instead of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flowing.

Seo-yeon also seemed to be wondering if she'd made an unnecessary suggestion.

It wasn't that Victoria had ruined the mood and made the suggestion unnecessary—rather, Seo-yeon probably thought that if Victoria was this tired, it might have been better to let her rest somewhere instead of calling her all the way here for lunch.

In the end, we finished our meal in silence.

The whole way back to Seohan University, Victoria's gait wasn't straight and elegant as usual, but staggered this way and that.

And just as we passed through the main gate onto campus and were about to part ways, the thing I'd been worried about finally happened.

Victoria's staggering body collapsed on the spot.

Fortunately, she was falling toward me, and since I was right in front of her, I was able to catch her and keep her from getting hurt.

"Victoria, Victoria!"

I patted her back and called out, but there was no response.

Judging by the sound of her breathing, there didn't seem to be anything seriously wrong, but I couldn't just leave her like this.

"Big brother, should I contact the health center?"

"No. I'll carry her myself. I don't have a class next period anyway. You have a lecture next period, right? Just take Aria to the chapel and go."

"Got it. Contact me if anything happens."

"Then, Brother, we'll head out first."

Even as Aria and Seo-yeon left, they kept glancing back this way with worried eyes.

I carefully lifted Victoria into my arms and ran across campus.

Running while carrying a woman in a bridal carry drew stares from all directions, but this wasn't the time to worry about that.

After arriving at the health center, a brief examination followed right away.

As I waited outside the recovery room, the female doctor on duty came out shortly afterward and told me the results.

"She collapsed from overwork. Fortunately, there's nothing seriously wrong, so she should wake up soon after getting some IV fluids and resting."

I thanked her and went into the recovery room, then sat down beside the bed.

Since her condition wasn't serious, at least we didn't have to go to the nearby university hospital emergency room—that was a small mercy.

For now, I was acting as her guardian, and I couldn't just leave Victoria alone, so I planned to wait here until my lecture and then switch with Seo-yeon.

"Mmm..."

About an hour later, Victoria slowly opened her eyes.

I was a bit worried that she'd only slept an hour before waking after collapsing from overwork, but the fact that she'd regained consciousness was a huge relief.

"Are you awake?"

"Where..."

"Our university health center. You suddenly collapsed, so I brought you here."

"I'm sorry, Si-hyeon. I've caused you trouble."

"Trouble, nothing. Just rest. If you're tired, sleep some more."

Victoria gave a small nod, as if agreeing with me, and closed her eyes.

But this time, now that she was actually trying to sleep, she couldn't seem to fall asleep, and she tossed and turned.

"Um, Si-hyeon."

"What?"

"Could you turn around for a moment?"

"That's fine, but is something wrong? If something's wrong, I'll call the doctor."

"Oh, no! That won't be necessary. It's just, um, my chest feels tight and I want to undo the hook..."

The subject was omitted, but I could tell what she wanted to say without hearing more.

"Got it. Tell me when you're done."

I immediately turned around and sat.

A moment later, I heard some struggling sounds, and then Victoria carefully spoke to me.

"Um, Si-hyeon. I'm really sorry, but could I ask one more favor?"

"What is it?"

I answered without turning around.

After hesitating for a while, Victoria finally managed to answer.

"Um, well... could you undo my bra clasp for me...?"