Episode 491. Love and War (3)

My head goes cold.

The tipsiness Alice had felt vanished in an instant.

It was truly instantaneous.

Irene, emerging from the barrier, immediately dissolved into the air.

If I hadn’t looked down at precisely the right moment, I would never have seen it.

I was lucky.

“… Or maybe I’m unlucky? I saw something I shouldn’t have.”

Maybe this incident will ruin our sisterly bond completely.

Alice downed the remaining wine in her glass as if pouring it into her mouth.

For her, it was impossible to comprehend what had just happened before her eyes.

Irene coming out of Lee Hoyeon’s house?

I had adapted to it somewhat, but when I first learned of Irene’s feelings, it was a shock to Alice too.

She thought Irene liked Lee Hoyeon, but surprisingly, Irene liked her own sister.

Fortunately, all Irene wanted was for her feelings to be acknowledged.

Our relationship as sisters didn’t change much, and there was no need to fight over Lee Hoyeon.

There was no need to force the three of us into anything. Irene even promised not to get involved with Lee Hoyeon without Alice’s permission.

That’s why Alice accepted this arrangement.

She didn’t know if Lee Hoyeon was currently in that house or not.

What was certain was that Irene entering Lee Hoyeon’s house was strange in itself.

“… Unnie….”

She still liked her Unnie. Even though she couldn’t quite understand the love Irene held for her, she genuinely liked her as a person, as her Unnie.

But if Irene didn’t keep her promise regarding Lee Hoyeon… then she didn’t know how she herself might change.

Alice clenched her lips and headed down to the first-floor entrance.

At that moment, Irene opened the front door of her house, her shoulders slumped.

“This is tough….”

Even for me, the captain of Iris Guild’s Team 1, there are difficult tasks.

Lately, the women around him are what make things hardest for Irene.

Every time I visit Lee Hoyeon’s house, I feel drained.

It feels like being swept up in their unique atmosphere.

There are just too many women emitting a different vibe than mine.

“Still, figuring out the women’s power dynamics was a major achievement.”

Where there are power dynamics, there are bound to be conflicts. Maybe I can use that someday.

Irene nodded with satisfaction.

“I’m hungry. Maybe when Alice gets back, I’ll suggest we have some wine together for the first time in a while.”

“… Unnie.”

“Hm? Alice?”

Irene’s eyes widened as she saw Alice coming down from the second floor.

She said she was going out today, but she’s already back.

“Alice, did you come out to greet me because you missed me? Are you hungry? Should we grab dinner together?”

Irene approached Alice with a bright smile.

Even though she’d just come from a difficult task, seeing her beloved sister seemed to melt away the day’s fatigue.

“Her expression looks troubled; did she have a bad dream?”

Irene opened her arms wide, ready to pull Alice into a hug-.

“Why are you coming out of Lee Hoyeon’s house, Unnie?”

“… Huh?”

Irene, who had been approaching Alice, froze with her arms still outstretched.

She looked like a doll whose batteries had just run out.

Irene lowered her arms with a slight creak and thought for a brief moment.

“‘H-how did she know?'”

Irene wasn’t an idiot.

She had anticipated that Alice would go to the cafe today.

It was only a few steps from Lee Hoyeon’s house to Alice’s, but even then, she hadn’t let her guard down and used stealth.

From her perspective, she had done her best.

However, the heat had caused Alice to change her plans, and during the brief moment she emerged from the barrier and went into stealth… the coincidence of Alice happening to be looking towards Lee Hoyeon’s house at that exact moment led to this.

“…Alice. Didn’t you say you were going to the cafe today?”

“It was too hot, so I just stayed home.”

“Ah. Ah… I see. Then you must still be hungry. How about we have some wine together for the first time in a while and have a deep conversation?”

Irene smoothly turned Alice around.

If I can just stall for time with some wine…

“Unnie. Stop changing the subject and talk right here. I’m really angry, you know?”

“Okay. I’ll tell you… Just don’t be angry.”

Of course, that wasn’t going to work.

Irene followed Alice like a mouse caught by a cat.

Alice’s room.

Alice, sitting at the table first, waited for Irene to sit opposite her.

Irene glanced at the wine on the table, then sat down, feeling like a suspect being interrogated.

“So? Tell me everything, don’t hide anything. I’ll ask Lee Hoyeon too.”

“…”

Irene watched Alice’s expression carefully.

Fortunately, Irene hadn’t actually met Lee Hoyeon.

She had only met his housemates.

“‘That might be even worse…'”

Irene had also accidentally discovered during a mission that Lee Hoyeon had multiple housemates.

She had kept it a secret from Alice, knowing her personality well.

“Unnie?”

“U-uhm… But promise you won’t get angry until you’ve heard everything. I’ll tell you honestly.”

“…Okay. So tell me.”

Alice crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

Right. It wouldn’t be too late to think about it after hearing her out.

“Where should I even start? Haa… The student council president of Victoria Academy asked for a job… No, that’s not it. It was when Lee Hoyeon visited our house a while ago….”

Irene slowly recounted what she knew.

She had been asked to cooperate by his housemates, who knew Lee Hoyeon had a suspicious secret, and she had provided information about him several times.

Today was part of that effort, and she hadn’t even met Lee Hoyeon.

“Is that true?”

“…Yes. I’m sorry for hiding it.”

“Four housemates…?”

Seeing Alice’s expression stiffen drastically, Irene sensed the gravity of the situation.

“‘I knew this would happen, which is why I didn’t tell her.'”

It was an expected outcome.

She knew Alice had a strong sense of pride, of course.

Telling her that Lee Hoyeon had four housemates would naturally elicit such a reaction.

“Oh, Alice. Ugh… What should we do?”

Irene closed her eyes.

Irene herself had been shocked when she first found out.

Alice would be even more devastated.

But no matter how she thought about it, there was no way to defend Lee Hoyeon.

She was seriously contemplating whether they should just curse him together as ‘human trash’ when…

“Unnie. I have a question.”

“I’ll answer what I know… But try not to be too shocked, Alice. You knew he was a bad guy originally, didn’t you?”

“No, not that. You said Lee Hoyeon has a suspicious secret.”

Unlike Irene’s worried expression, Alice was recalling something.

Specifically, the ‘curse’.

Alice understood Lee Hoyeon’s situation to some extent.

He couldn’t help but touch women because of an unknown curse.

Knowing that, Alice had been letting his incredibly flirtatious nature slide.

“‘Of course, we haven’t officially declared we’re dating… but letting it slide is the right thing to do.'”

Once a man and woman have seen each other naked and done everything, it’s practically the same as declaring their relationship.

If Lee Hoyeon has any conscience, he needs to take responsibility.

In any case, that curse was causing Alice a lot of trouble too.

“‘Going to the black pillar every day… and actually mimicking its magic.'”

It’s currently presumed that Lee Hoyeon’s curse was cast by Pandemic or the Demon King.

If that’s the case, it’s natural for him to research the magic of the black pillar.

Since the curse seems impossible to speak of to others, it could be mistaken for a suspicious secret.

“‘Is he trying to solve the curse?'”

Alice pondered for a moment, then looked up at Irene.

Irene was looking at her with worried eyes, unsure of what to do.

She wasn’t sure if this was the right approach, but Alice spoke cautiously.

“…The curse.”

“Hm?”

“I never told you about the curse Lee Hoyeon is under, did I, Unnie?”

“A curse…?”

“Once, when I was with Lee Hoyeon. I mentioned it.”

After Alice found out about Irene and Lee Hoyeon’s relationship.

She had let it slip out in anger.

“Mm…”

Irene tried to recall.

She definitely remembered hearing the word ‘curse’.

It was the day they had their threesome.

When she confessed her feelings to Alice, she had heard the word ‘curse’.

However, she hadn’t pressed for details.

Irene was in no position to say anything, and ultimately, everything had worked out fine.

She had erased the word ‘curse’ from her memory since then.

“Maybe… it has something to do with what you’re looking for, Unnie.”

Alice shared a secret she had kept to herself with her sister.

• The day he decided to end his patient life.

Lee Hoyeon stretched his stiff body.

“As expected, people need to keep working.”

“After just a few days off, his body was sending overwhelming signals that it wanted more rest.”

“Forcing himself out of the house, Lee Hoyeon walked aimlessly down the street.”

“‘It’s nice that I’m getting a break from the Academy.'”

“My time is much freer.”

“In the first place, the Academy’s classes weren’t necessary for Lee Hoyeon.”

“From theory to practice.”

“Except perhaps for Im Sol, there wasn’t a single professor who could teach Lee Hoyeon anything.”

“‘I should visit Professor-nim later too.'”

“I promised to visit, so I have to stop by.”

Lee Hoyeon walked towards the club building.

“His destination was the student council office on the 17th floor.”

“At this hour, only the student council president, Moon Surin, would be working.”

“She was the student council president and the chairman’s granddaughter.”

“She often skipped unnecessary classes because she had so much work to do.”

“Since Lee Hoyeon had time too, she’d probably get mad if he didn’t visit on a day like this.”

“But wouldn’t Surin noona also have a lot of work?”

“She skipped class because she was busy, yet she invited me over.”

“Isn’t that a bit strange? Did she perhaps force herself to make time just to see me?”

“Moon Surin isn’t the type to do that, though.”

“Thinking such thoughts, Lee Hoyeon got into the elevator.”

Tring.

“Stepping out on the 17th floor, he saw the empty student council office.”

“There was also the Public Relations club room in the corner; he hadn’t been there in ages.”

“I should be grateful to the student council for keeping it clean.”

Lee Hoyeon quietly headed towards the president’s office.

“As expected, the person Lee Hoyeon was looking for was in the president’s office.”

“Moon Surin.”

“She was sitting at her desk, focused on paperwork.”

“The way she licked her lips suggested she was struggling with something.”

“Lee Hoyeon opened the door and entered.”

“Surin noona.”

“Ah, Hoyeon-ah!”

“Moon Surin immediately stood up upon seeing Lee Hoyeon, and he gave her a brief hug as she approached.”

“Seeing how happy she was, it was definitely the right decision to come.”

“It’s been a while since our sparring session.”

“Mhm. I missed you.”

“Lee Hoyeon smiled as Moon Surin nuzzled her head against his chest, then gently stroked her hair.”

“Noona, you said you were busy. You invited me over, but is your work okay?”

“Hoyeon, you’re a patient too. I didn’t plan on playing.”

“Huh?”

Dool-dool-dool-dool.

“Moon Surin pulled a luxurious chair from the corner of the office over to her desk.”

“It looked expensive just at a glance.”

“It might even be better than the one originally in the office.”

“Moon Surin, wearing a gentle smile, pulled Lee Hoyeon’s arm and guided him to the chair.”

“Sit there and rest. If you want to lie down, just pull the lever next to you. Oh, right. It has a massage function too.”

“…I just sit here?”

“Yeah. That’s all I need. Just stay with me while I work. You can use your smartwatch, or sleep if you’re tired.”

“Moon Surin smiled.”

“She had her conscience, after all.”

“It was already a blessing that Lee Hoyeon, a patient, had come to visit.”

“She couldn’t bear to imagine how sad she’d be if something happened to him while he was recovering and spending time with her.”

“Instead, she wanted him to keep her company in the lonely student council office.”

“Just being with Lee Hoyeon eased Moon Surin’s mind and improved her work efficiency.”

“Mmm… Yes. I will. If it makes you comfortable, Noona.”

“Lee Hoyeon thanked Moon Surin for her consideration and sat down in the chair.”

“He had actually been prepared to indulge whatever Moon Surin wanted since it had been a while since they last met… but he hadn’t expected such consideration.”

“Seated, Lee Hoyeon watched Moon Surin work.”

“Even simple paperwork was performed with neat, restrained movements.”

“She seemed to exude an air of dignity befitting a student council president.”

“Looking at Moon Surin’s profile, Lee Hoyeon unconsciously let his gaze wander over her body.”

“Perhaps because she was so close, her cleavage was tantalizingly visible.”

“A dark valley, seemingly endless, contrasted against her snow-white skin.”

“He felt tempted to reach his hand in.”

“Is it okay for the student council president to wear such revealing clothes?”

“Of course, no one else is looking at the student council president’s cleavage from this close… but still, you never know.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I thought you were looking this way. Must have been mistaken.”

“Moon Surin tilted her head, then turned back to her work.”

“‘… Noona really does have good intuition.'”

“Lee Hoyeon, who had turned his head with accelerated speed, leaned back into the chair, feeling embarrassed.”

“To stare so intently that she noticed… How embarrassing.”

“It’s all because I was thinking useless thoughts.”

“Noona, is it okay if I talk to you?”

“If you’re bored? But shouldn’t you be resting? I’m grateful you came, though.”

“It’s not that bad. Oh, right. The Chairman sent a message saying thank you….”

“I wasn’t hurting that much, so I can manage this.”

Lee Hoyeon started making small talk with Moon Surin as she worked on her documents, and it wasn’t long before laughter filled the student council office.