Episode 507. Lucifer (4)

Alice’s house. Lee Hoyeon, emerging from the living room, paced back and forth around the entrance and nervously tapped his leg.

“Deep breaths. Deep breaths….”

Hoo. Hoo.

He slowly inhaled and exhaled. His heart pounded at the thought of Alice arriving soon.

‘What should I say…?’

Actually, there was nothing to think about. There were already four women in the room, so all that was left was to be honest.

“… That’s the problem, it’s difficult.”

He wondered if he’d been foolish to try and speak up, but if not now, he’d never be able to say it later.

Nervous, Lee Hoyeon activated his ‘True Heart’ mode.

[Clear Mental Fortitude].

He focused on the special ability that always protected his emotions.

He couldn’t perceive it, but it was definitely there.

Couldn’t he control that?

“… Doesn’t seem like it.”

Although he’d decided to be honest, he wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with his [Clear Mental Fortitude].

Tring-

‘She’s here.’

But there was no more time to think.

He heard Alice passing through the gate, and the front door would open soon.

Lee Hoyeon pushed away the lingering unease in his heart as he thought about his first words to Alice.

“Hmm hmm. Hmmm~.”

Alice returned home after leaving the student council room.

Moon Surin’s promise to take responsibility and get approval from other organizations felt like gaining a thousand troops (千軍萬馬).

‘With this, everyone should accept it.’

Since she hadn’t conceded any benefits, it was an incredibly satisfying negotiation.

Imagining the proud gazes of her Unnie and mother, Alice returned home only to widen her eyes upon seeing Lee Hoyeon standing at the entrance.

“Huh?”

“Hi. Alice.”

“… What are you doing here? Why are you at my house? You didn’t contact me. Oh, did Unnie call you?”

Just as she had told Moon Surin, Lucifer had a deep connection with Lee Hoyeon.

Irene must have told Lee Hoyeon too, so he might have come over.

“Are you perhaps here to greet me because you heard I was coming? That’s kind of nice.”

Alice smiled sweetly and approached Lee Hoyeon.

She couldn’t help but be happy when a negotiation went well, especially with unexpected rewards.

However, Lee Hoyeon forced a smile and met Alice’s gaze.

“Well, yes, but… I thought we could talk.”

“…?”

Alice, who had been about to hug Lee Hoyeon, blinked at his awkward eyes.

His trembling eyes and lips, which she couldn’t tell if they were awkward or shy.

She hadn’t seen him look so flustered in a long time.

“Um, I actually had something to tell you too.”

Lee Hoyeon continued, licking his lips.

Alice, dressed in a neat suit, looked even sexier than usual.

Fortunately, she seemed to be in a good mood, but how heartbroken would he be if she suddenly frowned upon hearing his words?

“What is it? I need to report something to Unnie right now, can’t we talk after that? Is it urgent?”

“… Yes. It’s urgent.”

“…?”

Lee Hoyeon took another deep breath, watching Alice tilt her head.

Right.

It was a confession he had to make someday.

He had considered confessing after the fake dungeon plan, but he decided to speak honestly without overthinking it.

‘How can I bring this up naturally?’

The beginning is crucial, no matter what you say.

If he suddenly blurted out, ‘There are four women living in my house. And they’re here right now, haha,’ how crazy would she think he was?

Lee Hoyeon carefully began to speak.

“I told you I went to the Academy because of Lucifer, right?”

“I negotiated with the Student Council President to form a team to track Lucifer. The Hunter Association and other organizations will probably cooperate soon too.”

“That’s amazing! So you were in charge of such an important task, Alice. You must have worked hard.”

“Of course. If they’re targeting you, how could I just stand by?”

“…….”

Lee Hoyeon’s expression hardened the moment he heard Alice’s words.

‘Shit.’

Fuck. I’m really fucked.

Honestly, he was touched.

She went to the Academy herself to negotiate because of him

And he had to tell Alice, who said that, ‘Actually, I have four women living with me.’?

He deserved to be stabbed, no question.

“So, what did you want to say? I need to report the negotiation results to Unnie.”

Alice put her hands on her hips and stared at Lee Hoyeon.

If he were just sitting comfortably, drinking tea and spacing out, Alice might have enjoyed it, but there was no need to do this at the entrance, was there?

“… I have something to confess, Miss Alice.”

“Huh?”

She wondered why he was suddenly talking nonsense, but Lee Hoyeon’s expression was deadly serious.

Lee Hoyeon spouted nonsense every day, but he had never put on such a serious face while joking around.

“Do you know about the time Irene first met Lucifer?”

“Yeah. She said she met people fighting Lucifer by chance while looking for Unnie’s acquaintance.”

“… Those acquaintances happen to be people I know.”

“Really? That’s interesting.”

It was certainly strange that Lee Hoyeon knew the acquaintances Lucifer had attacked, but what did that matter?

“But those people had nowhere to live due to their circumstances… so they’re living with me.”

“Living together? It’s quite a spacious house for one person, but… Ah.”

Alice, who had been wondering what he was talking about, grasped Lee Hoyeon’s worried expression and the heavy atmosphere.

At the same time, she felt a ‘ding’ like being hit on the head with a hammer.

Memories from a few days ago began to surface.

The memory of hearing about Lee Hoyeon’s housemates from Irene.

She had naturally planned to confront him when she met Lee Hoyeon, but upon meeting him right after returning from an important meeting today, she had momentarily forgotten.

‘… It doesn’t seem like I heard it from Unnie.’

Looking at Lee Hoyeon’s nervous expression, it didn’t seem like he was confessing late after hearing it from Irene.

He was being honest before getting caught.

‘What is he thinking?’

Alice naturally began to act as if she didn’t know.

“Are they perhaps women?”

“… Yes.”

“How many?”

“Four people….”

“What? Four people? Are they all women?”

“To be precise, there’s also a friend’s younger sister, so it’s five people, but….”

“So, five women? Are you kidding me?”

“Well, it’s not like I was trying to hide it, I just didn’t have the chance to say anything….”

Alice let out a disbelieving chuckle at Lee Hoyeon’s hesitation.

She had been angry when she heard it from Irene, but hearing it directly made it even more absurd.

She felt like slapping him.

‘… It’s possible it’s because of the curse.’

But Alice knew Lee Hoyeon was cursed.

His curse was definitely related to women.

Taking in four housemates must be part of that.

Besides, no matter how much of a scumbag he was, she had no intention of giving up on Lee Hoyeon.

Alice was confident.

She admitted that there were women who had ‘luckily’ formed a relationship with Lee Hoyeon first.

She accepted that they received Lee Hoyeon’s affection thanks to the first-mover advantage.

Only one thing mattered.

No matter how many women were around Lee Hoyeon, her belief that she was the best hadn’t changed one bit.

Rather, she had gained abilities befitting her outstanding looks, making Alice’s confidence even stronger.

There was no need to avoid the path when victory was certain.

‘Still, I can’t just let this slide.’

Of course, that was different from cohabitation.

Cohabitation was a significant matter.

Some people wouldn’t even start dating someone if they had a history of cohabitation, so living with not one, but four people was something she couldn’t overlook.

As a woman, she couldn’t stand the anger and jealousy.

‘I can just hear the explanation about the curse later.’

She expected that Lee Hoyeon’s reason for being close to women was due to the curse, but she would get angry first and take what she deserved.

Even knowing the other person’s circumstances, she would get what she could.

This was the basic principle of negotiation.

Having met Moon Surin, Alice had become a master negotiator.

Having organized her thoughts, Alice put her hands on her hips, glared at Lee Hoyeon, and continued speaking.

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up? Are you trying to pick a fight?”

“… Of course not.”

“Then why? You know you won’t get a good answer from me.”

She attacked Lee Hoyeon with a sharp tone.

What she wanted was for him to stay at her house for about a week, room and board. To get him to say that, she needed to act angry.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not looking for an apology. What’s the reason you brought it up?”

Alice knew there was no real reason.

This was the invincible ‘Don’t you know why I’m mad?’ line used between lovers.

It was like telling someone the reason for anger only to get cursed at anyway; she just wanted Lee Hoyeon to back down.

As Alice expected, Lee Hoyeon lowered his head, and Alice smiled.

Now, all she had to do was tell him to stay at her house for about a week, and then hear his explanation.

Just then, Lee Hoyeon lifted his head.

“… For a more serious relationship.”

“Huh?”

Alice perked up at Lee Hoyeon’s sudden words.

“Alice. I wanted to approach you more sincerely.”

“Ah…?”

“So that there would be no lies in our relationship, I spoke honestly. I’m sorry, Alice.”

He finally admitted it.

He knew how disrespectful his actions had been to the other women.

It was late, but he apologized sincerely now.

Making eye contact with Alice to apologize, Lee Hoyeon bowed his head deeply.

He intended to take a slap if Alice hit him, or endure a kick to the shin if she did.

However, Alice couldn’t move right away.

‘… Huh?’

Blinking at his sudden words, Alice touched her own face.

She felt her cheeks burning hot against her fingers.

‘This crazy bitch.’

Alice was disappointed in herself after a long time.

How could she fall for just those words?

Was she really that kind of woman?

Alice shook her head like a girl denying her first love.

Her resistance had crumbled too easily.

What was wrong with a sincere relationship?

In the end, the bad guy was still him, that hadn’t changed.

Alice was the victim, and Lee Hoyeon was the playboy.

But… those cliché words about wanting a more serious relationship were just too thrilling.

Alice was already deeply smitten with Lee Hoyeon.

By the time she came to her senses, her heart, filled to the brim, had completely colored her.

“This hurts my pride. This is so unfair….”

She absolutely couldn’t just accept this.

‘What’s wrong?’

No matter how long he waited, Alice didn’t react.

Feeling something was off, Lee Hoyeon glanced up and saw Alice’s tightly clenched fists trembling.

“Alice…?”

“… I’m pissed off.”

“I’m sorry. Uh, um… I’ll do anything you want, so….”

“A week.”

“Huh?”

“Stay at my house for a week too. I won’t forgive you otherwise.”

“Uh… Okay. Will that be enough?”

Although there was much to consider, Alice’s determined expression made him feel he had no choice but to agree.

“I’m still not over it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“… Just hit me once. I absolutely cannot let this slide.”

Her original plan was to continue acting angry to gain the upper hand in her relationship with Lee Hoyeon, but Alice realized she had a surprising amount of foolishness.

“Okay. I’ll take it.”

Lee Hoyeon closed his eyes and spread his arms wide.

He had been prepared to grab her pant leg if she got seriously angry, but getting hit just once was perfectly acceptable.

“… Be careful. Grit your teeth.”

She was furious at herself for falling for his words, but letting it go completely was out of the question.

To forcibly resolve this indignation, Alice clenched her fist tightly.