Episode 550. Confession (4)

Lee Hoyeon, entering the Student Council President’s office, glanced around while sitting on the sofa.

As expected, Moon Surin looked incredibly busy.

Piles of documents scattered on the desk and a messier-than-usual Student Council President’s office spoke volumes about Moon Surin’s condition.

“The external executives must have had a hard time… As the student council, I’m sorry.”

“Ah, come on. No one worked as hard as you did, Hoyeon. You became famous worldwide as the hero who saved the Academy, didn’t you?”

“…… Me?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you watch the news?”

I figured as much, so I didn’t watch it.

Besides, with the indiscriminate terrorism from Pandemic intensifying now, I was scared of how high my status would rise after stopping the terrorism.

Hearing Moon Surin’s words, it seemed to be beyond imagination.

“Ahem. That aside, I’m not interrupting you while you’re busy, am I?”

“I was just about to take a break. Sit there. I’ll get you some coffee.”

Ttak-

As Moon Surin subtly moved her magic, the kettle in the corner flew over to the table and began pouring coffee into the cups.

Lee Hoyeon brought the warm cup of coffee to his lips and began contemplating what to say.

Just then, Moon Surin brought up the topic first.

“Your personal protection order has been approved, Hoyeon. Of course, Lucifer is dead, but….”

Moon Surin expertly pointed to the signature line on the personal protection document.

Lee Hoyeon smiled slightly at her demeanor and took Moon Surin’s hand.

“Come here. Noona.”

“Huh? Don’t you want to talk about work? I’m sorry.”

Moon Surin, seeing Lee Hoyeon’s expression, quickly put the documents away.

Then, she leaned into Lee Hoyeon, who opened his arms, and hugged him tightly.

“You’re warm… That dungeon was so cold. Wasn’t it, Hoyeon?”

“It certainly was.”

“Hoooh… This feels good.”

Moon Surin’s warm body temperature within his embrace could be felt.

The vivid sensation of truly being alive enveloped him.

He felt again that the person before his eyes wasn’t like a game, but a real person.

“Mmm…? Hoyeon….”

Led by Lee Hoyeon, their breaths mingled.

For a moment, nothing else could be heard.

As if she had been waiting, Moon Surin’s welcoming lips softly met his.

Moon Surin felt as if this short kiss was a reward for her hard work.

However, the moment she opened her eyes, Lee Hoyeon’s vacant expression was enough to pull Moon Surin out of her fantasy.

“What’s wrong, Hoyeon? Is something the matter?”

Moon Surin looked at Lee Hoyeon with worried eyes.

Everything seemed to have gone well, so why was he making that face?

“… I have something to say.”

“What is it?”

“You said last time, didn’t you? That once my father-in-law’s health improved, I would tell you my secret.”

“Right. We did. “

“And besides that matter… I also have something to say regarding the dungeon incident.”

“Yes. You can tell me anytime.”

Hearing Moon Surin’s reply, Lee Hoyeon reached towards the desk.

The document he had been eyeing, related to the security team.

“[Restructuring of the Academy Security Team…] was the daunting title.

“This seems to be the most important thing.”

“A security breach is the biggest problem, after all. To prevent recurrence, we need to overhaul it.”

“… But there’s no need. Surin Noona.”

Chak- Chak-

The document, which stated that the security team was largely responsible for the Academy’s security breach, was briefly skimmed by Lee Hoyeon, who then placed it back on the desk.

He composed his expression.

He tried not to build up the mood while confessing his mistake.

Then, looking at Moon Surin, he spoke.

“Because the dungeon that engulfed the Academy was set up by me.”

“… Huh? What do you mean by that?”

Moon Surin couldn’t immediately comprehend Lee Hoyeon’s words.

The culprit behind the magic circle that covered the Academy being Lee Hoyeon?

It defied common sense.

“It means I was the one who breached the Academy’s security. So there’s no need to overhaul the security team. No matter who was in that position, nothing would have changed.”

Seeing is believing.

No matter how much I explain, would it be as effective as showing you once?

Lee Hoyeon created a sphere of magic on his palm.

The demonic energy flowing from the sphere of magic had a similar aura to the energy emitted from the fake dungeon.

Since he had taken care to replicate the dungeon’s atmosphere, Moon Surin quickly noticed something was amiss.

“… Now that I think about it, Rebecca did mention something like that. That Hoyeon created the magic circle. Because of the fight with Lucifer, I completely forgot.”

Moon Surin stared, mouth agape, at Lee Hoyeon’s hand.

The dark energy felt in the dungeon. And the unknown energy Lucifer used.

The exact same power was emanating from Lee Hoyeon.

If Moon Surin had been in her usual condition, she would never have forgotten what Rebecca told her, but the fight with Lucifer had clouded her judgment.

Or perhaps, it was because the other person was Lee Hoyeon that might have been the reason.

‘… This is quite a shock, after all.’

Lee Hoyeon looked at the gaping Moon Surin and clenched his fist tightly.

The heroines living at home were very lenient towards Lee Hoyeon.

After all, they knew Lee Hoyeon was involved with other women, yet they chose to stay with him.

Therefore, even when confessing something, he felt a little more at ease.

However, the other heroines were different.

They might suspect Lee Hoyeon’s harem, but they didn’t truly know, and couldn’t even imagine things like magic circles.

Lee Hoyeon’s confession would surely hit them much harder.

However, Moon Surin’s next words were far more shocking to Lee Hoyeon.

“Then am I going to die now?”

“…… Huh?”

Lee Hoyeon was startled and opened his eyes wide.

Die? What kind of thought process could possibly lead to such a conclusion?

Moreover, Moon Surin looked resigned, as if she had already given up on life.

“If Hoyeon is the culprit who set up the magic circle… isn’t Hoyeon the villain? If not, there’s no way he would have set up a magic circle to kidnap the Academy.”

His thoughts halted.

Does… does that make sense?

Seeing Moon Surin slowly closing her eyes, Lee Hoyeon immediately grabbed her shoulders.

“No, no, no. Wait a moment. What are you talking about, Surin Noona? I killed Lucifer.”

“… A power struggle within the evil organization? Either way, the people were the target.”

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have dismantled the magic circle at the end. I had no intention of harming anyone.”

“Ah… Now that I think about it, that’s true. That’s a relief.”

Lee Hoyeon looked at Moon Surin, who had regained hope, and let out a sigh of relief.

If she had just thought for a moment, there was no way I could be the villain, but because I said something so shocking, Surin Noona’s thoughts must have strayed for a moment.

Moon Surin, recognizing that Lee Hoyeon wasn’t the villain, nodded and checked the documents.

“Maybe the personal protection request wasn’t necessary…? The procedures are all done, though. Still, maybe I should keep it just in case? It’s a good thing for Hoyeon to be safe.”

“… No. It’s a waste of resources. Besides, aren’t you switching gears a bit too quickly? You were acting like you’d given up on life just moments ago.”

“If it meant dying by Hoyeon’s hand, I thought it couldn’t be helped.”

“What are you talking about, Surin Noona?”

Moon Surin didn’t feel anything strange about her own words.

She was simply stating the obvious.

“Really. I’m alive thanks to you, Hoyeon. If you hadn’t been around, I might have ended my own life. Though, I’m probably too much of a coward for that. I probably would have died from stress or overwork.”

“… Please don’t say that. What did I even do?”

“You did more than you realize. Just trust me. You promised to be my pillar of support, remember? You have no idea how much courage that gave me.”

Moon Surin’s face came close.

The scent of her hair wafted, and her clear, dark eyes met Lee Hoyeon’s gaze.

“So, whatever you’re worried about right now, you can tell me everything.”

“….”

Lee Hoyeon looked at Moon Surin gazing at him and remained silent.

He was grateful for her warm gaze, yet felt apologetic.

Lee Hoyeon unintentionally blurted out the words hidden in his heart.

“Actually, besides you, Surin Noona, I’ve been involved with other women.”

“I knew that from the moment you first told me you liked me.”

The day he first confessed to Moon Surin.

Even though he had other women, Lee Hoyeon was the one who confessed.

“… But there are quite a few.”

“Could it be, all the people from the dungeon?”

“…… Yes.”

“Hoooh. Hoyeon, you really are something.”

Lee Hoyeon bowed his head deeply, as if he were a criminal.

Confessing this fact to another woman was indeed difficult.

It wasn’t a matter of whose fault it was.

It was just, as a human, perhaps a bit taxing.

Moon Surin smiled faintly and pulled the head-bowed Lee Hoyeon into her chest.

“What are you doing bowing your head like that? You’re not even letting me get mad.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You were the one who selfishly confessed, making me this way. It was you, Hoyeon.”

“… Yes.”

“If you’re going to be a bad boy, you should commit to it from start to finish. This way, I’m the one losing out. I even turned a blind eye to the fake schedules you sent me.”

“… You knew all along?”

“Of course. Do you know how many eyes a Student Council President has in the Academy? Going to the club room, visiting Professor Im Sol, seeing the Saintess. I knew about all of it.”

“Haaah….”

When Moon Surin noticed the other women, she had told me to report every single action, but Lee Hoyeon, naturally, hadn’t kept that promise properly.

Usually, he used the excuse of researching magic at home, which was the one he used most often.

So, Surin Noona knew everything and said nothing?

‘… What does that make me?’

Thinking he could fool Moon Surin with such flimsy deceptions was itself arrogant.

Lee Hoyeon had promised to take responsibility for Moon Surin, but hadn’t taken any responsibility at all.

“Honestly, it’s not that shocking. I was prepared for secrets like, ‘Actually, I’m a vampire, so every time we do something lewd, I have to drink your blood. It was hard to resist.'”

“What is that…? Keuk.”

Lee Hoyeon, nestled in Moon Surin’s chest, gave a wry smile.

Even in this situation, she was leading the mood as Noona, which he was truly grateful for.

“I’m serious, not joking. Then what was the dungeon terror? Was the magic circle for magic research stolen by Lucifer?”

“Lucifer did steal it… but the magic circle covering the entire Academy was my intention. I don’t even know why I did it myself. I felt it wasn’t right, so I tried to dismantle the magic circle… but at that moment, it was stolen by Lucifer.”

“Haaah. You’re someone I can’t control. I’ve never looked at anyone other than Hoyeon. But Hoyeon, you’re looking elsewhere.”

“I’m sorry, Surin Noona.”

Kkuuk.

Moon Surin forced Lee Hoyeon’s head up to meet her gaze.

She didn’t want to hear “I’m sorry” anymore.

Just like when Lee Hoyeon gave her hope, she wanted to hear a definitive statement.

And Lee Hoyeon, too, understood Moon Surin’s feelings through that gaze.

“… Noona. I love you.”

“Put a little more love into it?”

“… I love you. Surin.”

“Yes. That’s all I ever wanted from the beginning.”

Moon Surin smiled, seemingly satisfied.

Whatever circumstances Lee Hoyeon might have, it didn’t matter.

The future with him being harsh was something she already knew.

From the very beginning, she had felt resentment and anger, but she was the one who didn’t let go.

“You promised you’d protect me. I’ve already entrusted my burden to you. So Hoyeon, you too… like back then, smile confidently.”

“Yes. No, uh-huh. I understand. Surin.”

He met Moon Surin’s eyes.

Now, vowing never to do anything foolish again, Lee Hoyeon nodded.