Episode 204. Academy (2)

After class ended.

Lucy and Lumi disappeared somewhere, going pitter-patter.

‘They seemed to be heading towards the club room.’

How did I know? Because I was heading that way too.

I had set my course towards the club building to go to the student council, and Lucy and Lumi were walking ahead of me, giggling.

Since Lucy and Lumi had told me to look forward to it, I walked behind them, hiding so as not to run into them.

After confirming the two had entered the building, I sent a message on my smartwatch.

– Me: Surin noona. I’ll stop by the student council to celebrate your discharge from the hospital.

I was planning to visit the student council for the first time in a while.

Believe it or not, I’m part of the student council’s public relations department.

Of course, my activities have been infrequent lately… but it can’t be helped.

The PR department itself was an organization Moon Surin created to draw me into the student council.

Since both Moon Surin and I have been busy lately, there’s no way there could have been proper activities.

Anyway, I entered the club building after a long time.

“This feels awkward.”

Although I was curious about what Lucy and Lumi were doing in the club room, I had a rough idea, so I left them be and headed for the elevator.

The student council office, located on the 17th floor, the highest floor in the club building.

The elevator moved with a ‘woooong-‘ sound.

Me, a total loner, in the student council… Thinking about it now still brings back memories.

– Ding dong. This is the 17th floor.

Charyeuk-

The elevator doors opened, revealing facilities like the student council office, the president’s office, and a lounge.

It had an atmosphere much like a company office.

‘Is there anyone I know here?’

I stepped out of the elevator and looked around, when a female member, who was processing work while looking at a hologram monitor, made eye contact with me.

“Huh? It’s a junior!”

“Huh? What are you talking about… Eh? It really is.”

A few seniors I had befriended when I first joined the student council recognized me and approached.

“It’s been a while. I stopped by to celebrate my discharge.”

“Tsk. Our junior became so famous so quickly, it feels a bit awkward trying to act familiar.”

“Right…?”

“But we’re your student council seniors, so maybe you can still treat us casually?”

“Then you go first.”

“… Nah, I’ll pass.”

The seniors looked at each other and scratched their heads.

Well, I did become quite famous in the meantime.

‘If this keeps up, the conversation won’t progress.’

I continued speaking with a smile.

“Haha… Where is the President? I’d like to pay my respects.”

I know you guys are nice people.

But Moon Surin is more important.

Sorry, everyone.

“The President is in the president’s office right now. She’ll likely be working, so I wonder if it’s okay?”

“Since Hoyeon junior is here, it should be fine, right? Knock and go in.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

I bowed my head gratefully to the kind seniors.

The seniors, perhaps overwhelmed with work, vaguely waved their hands and returned to their seats, tapping away at their keyboards.

Knock knock-

“President. I’m here.”

No answer.

‘She said she was inside.’

I pressed my ear tightly against the door and focused my mana.

Then, I could gradually hear the sounds coming from inside.

Sagak sagak-

“You damn bastard… Shin Dongmin, you damn bastard… What am I supposed to do with the work if you just run off?”

Sagak sagak-

“….”

Surin noona’s voice is so scary.

I glanced back slightly; the seniors were also focused on their work.

They were staring intently at their monitors, typing aggressively on their keyboards, creating an atmosphere where it was hard to interrupt.

Why is she acting like that… Ah. I get it.

‘No wonder there were so few people around. They must have all run off.’

Not long ago, initiated by Moon Surin, articles about Vice President Shin Dongmin started exploding one after another.

Since he was the student council vice president, the academy quickly cut ties with him for image management, and consequently, the Vice President’s cronies all disappeared from the student council.

“Yeah, it must be tough if about half the people suddenly disappear.”

No wonder the seniors’ eyes looked a bit dull.

‘Hmm….’

But no matter how busy she is, she can’t keep doing this.

I knocked on the door once more.

Knock knock-

But still, there was no response.

“… Noona. Should I just come in?”

As I gently turned the doorknob, the door opened, revealing Moon Surin’s face, frowning while holding a pen.

She’s not going to scold me for this, is she…?

Moon Surin was engrossed in her work, unaware the door had opened, and I stealthily approached her from behind.

I could see the crown of her head, hidden by her shimmering platinum blonde hair.

Her voluptuous figure, threatening to spill out of her neat cadet uniform, caught my eye.

I reached right behind Moon Surin.

It was close enough to feel each other’s breath, but Moon Surin’s eyes were still glued to the documents.

She should have noticed by now… Seeing as she hasn’t, she must be really stressed.

“Shin Dongmin, you son of a bitch… you damn bastard… you f*ing…”

“Noona. I’m here.”

“Kyaaaak!”

I quickly cut her off, thinking she might utter even worse curses if left alone.

As I placed my hand on her shoulder and spoke, Moon Surin let out a strange noise and flinched.

At the same time, the documents on her desk began to float up with telekinesis.

This is going to cause trouble.

“Uh… Noona. It’s me. Lee Hoyeon.”

“Kyaaah… Huh? Ho, Hoyeon-ah. When did you get here?”

“You didn’t answer when I knocked… so I just came in. I apologize if I startled you.”

“No, it’s fine. Yeah. I wasn’t startled at all.”

The documents floating in the air neatly arranged themselves on the desk as if saying ‘I was planning to organize them like this anyway,’ and Moon Surin pushed her hair back and met my eyes.

“So you came because you were discharged. You should have contacted me beforehand.”

“I left a message, but I didn’t get a reply.”

“… Sorry. I was just too busy.”

Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, it certainly seemed so.

“Aww. It’s okay. How have you been, noona?”

“Yeah. I’ve just been waiting for the day you’d be discharged. I even made a reservation at Pungmidang.”

“Ahaha… I’m always okay with that.”

I chatted with Moon Surin, asking how she was doing.

Today, I needed to get a hint about the strategy during our natural conversation.

“Are you having any difficulties lately?”

“Difficulties with what?”

“Hmm….”

The culprit behind the stalking incident was gone, but Moon Surin’s psychological state might still be the same.

She had definitely expressed her discomfort with stalking verbally before.

Of course, she also said things that seemed to deny it… but it was worth probing.

“I’ve been incredibly stressed by reporters lately. As soon as anything happens, they swarm in… they were even hiding when I was discharged. I was wondering how you’re doing.”

“… Well. I’ve adapted. I’m a celebrity, after all.”

“….”

I hate to say it, but she shouldn’t have adapted.

What am I supposed to do if the heroine being targeted by the stalker adapts to it?

“… I can roughly understand how those people feel. Like fan admiration.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

It clearly wasn’t nothing.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Moon Surin]

• [ Affection: 88 ]

• [ Lust: 50 ]

• [ Appetite: 40 ]

• [ Fatigue: 73 ]

Current Status: I’m sorry, Hoyeon-ah….

‘What the heck is this?’

Why are you sorry to me, noona.

And why does my affection keep rising?

If she gets captured like this on her own, what am I supposed to do?

I looked at Moon Surin with a sense of frustration, but she avoided my gaze and spoke.

“Ahem… Anyway, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Moon Surin’s profile as she continued speaking… how should I put it.

It looked like she was apologizing to me.

*

“Haaah….”

After Lee Hoyeon left, Moon Surin sighed in the empty student council office.

It was because she knew he was stressed about the paparazzi.

From Lee Hoyeon’s perspective, it was a remark to gauge Moon Surin, but Moon Surin, unaware of this, had no choice but to take it seriously.

Because she herself had struggled with it once.

“I’m sorry, Hoyeon-ah….”

To think that actions driven by her affection were causing him hardship.

Moon Surin activated her smartwatch and began deleting photos.

Photos saved from news articles featuring Lee Hoyeon.

Photos taken by paparazzi and sasaeng fans.

After deleting all the photos she had saved intermittently, Moon Surin checked the voice recording files.

“….”

If she deleted these too, nothing would remain on her smartwatch.

All traces related to Lee Hoyeon would be erased.

“Maybe the voice recordings are okay….”

Moon Surin couldn’t bring herself to delete these. No, she didn’t want to.

It was because she already felt distant from Lee Hoyeon, whom she couldn’t easily meet, and deleting them would make her feel even more so.

“Right. Hoyeon doesn’t know about this, so….”

If he doesn’t know, how can he be stressed about it?

This is innocent.

Moon Surin played Lee Hoyeon’s voice recording.

• Surin noona. I love you.

Simultaneously burying the overwhelming guilt in her heart, she slowly closed her eyes.

*

“This is tough….”

My head hurt thinking about how to win over Moon Surin.

At first, I was just happy because she was being captured automatically… but now I know the heroine capture methods.

When affection reaches 99, specific actions are required for each heroine to proceed with the capture.

Only then can affection reach 100 and achieve complete capture.

Therefore, just having affection increase holds little meaning.

It might even make it harder to find the specific actions needed.

“First, I need to meet Professor Im Sol too.”

I had made plans to have a meal with Moon Surin on the weekend.

It would be good to have a leisurely conversation when I have more time.

“Welcome. Cadet Lee Hoyeon.”

My thoughts about Moon Surin paused for a moment.

Because I had arrived at the Magic Institute where Im Sol was.

“I’m visiting Professor Im Sol’s lab on the second floor.”

After getting permission from the receptionist in the lobby, I took the elevator up to the second floor.

Professor Im Sol’s laboratory was messy, as always.

Passing by the traces of experiments scattered here and there, I went further inside and saw Im Sol frowning while looking at a magic circle.

‘Everyone sure lives busy lives.’

Whenever I come to visit, they’re always working.

“Professor. I’m here.”

“Yeah, you came at just the right time. I needed you.”

Professor Im Sol greeted me without taking her eyes off the magic circle.

“What is that? A magic circle?”

“That’s right. It’s the final stage of my research, but I don’t know what to do with this.”

I casually glanced at the magic circle Professor Im Sol was looking at.

“Hmm….”

“What’s wrong?”

Professor Im Sol’s research topic is the core principles of magic.

Her research goal is to enhance the core principles contained within magic circles to increase the power of magic.

Of course, there are many other applications, but that’s the most representative one.

The magic circle Im Sol was looking at now was one we had named the ‘Irregular Magic Circle’.

Unlike magic circles where core principles are determined by special rules, this is a magic circle where core principles are determined irregularly.

There are only a few such magic spells, and they are correspondingly difficult and complex… but it’s unlike Im Sol to be pondering like this?

‘Ah… I get it.’

“Professor, you were wondering how to explain this to others, weren’t you?”

“… How did you know?”

Im Sol asked me back, looking quite surprised.

Actually, it wasn’t difficult.

When talking with Im Sol, I just need to speak one level higher than what I’m thinking.

Most of the time, it turns out to be correct.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Whose student am I, after all. Let’s have a cup of coffee together for a moment. After that, I’ll take a look together with you.”

“… Heh, shall we do that then.”

Im Sol, who had been frowning, smiled slightly and sat down in front of me.