episode_0285

“Ugh… ”

As soon as Lee Hyun’s mouth fell, tears welled up in Yeon Min-ha’s eyes. Baek Seo-yeon couldn’t even look at him and just kept her head down.

Lee Hyun paused for a moment and stared at them. Unlike the two who were obviously nervous, there was a slight smile on his lips.

And when the chaos has settled down a little.

“My choice is…both.”

Finally, he opened his mouth again and said something the two female students had never thought to say.

“Huh… ?”

“What did you just say… ”

The two opened their eyes wide. A moment of bewilderment flashed through their eyes. It was a reaction as if they had heard some unbelievable joke.

The two of them fixed their gazes on Lee Hyun as if demanding an explanation. However, his calm expression told them that what he had just said was not a joke, but sincere.

“I’ve lost so many precious people.”

Lee Hyeon continued speaking with a still unwavering voice.

“And I almost lost it again.”

He closed his eyes briefly as if recalling something that had happened a while ago, then opened them again.

“I don’t want to lose anyone anymore.”

“… ”

“I’m sorry. This is not a choice for you. It’s a selfish decision for me alone.”

Lee Hyun said, slightly lowering his head. Before he knew it, his voice had calmed down a bit.

“If you want to curse, curse. If you don’t like it, shout that you don’t like it.”

“… ”

And at his words, Baek Seo-yeon and I met eyes filled with pity.

The usual hostility they displayed toward each other was faint today. Instead, a whirlwind of conflicting emotions took its place.

A slight sense of bewilderment, a faint sense of camaraderie, but a strange sense of relief.

I didn’t feel like cursing him at all. His words that it was a selfish decision only sounded like he was going to shoulder all the burden and burden himself.

One thing was certain from his sudden declaration.

No one in this place is abandoned.

Including themselves.

“Ah, but I want you to know one thing for sure.”

Lee Hyun’s voice, heard again, woke them up from their thoughts. Baek Seo-yeon turned her head again and felt pity, her body trembling.

Before he knew it, he was staring at them with a bright smile.

“You have no choice. You have no choice but to take my word for it.”

A refreshing smile like an early summer breeze.

But what was melted into those eyes was a clear possessiveness and a sticky obsession.

Baek Seo-yeon swallowed hard. Before she knew it, a faint blush had appeared on her cheeks.

She took a deep breath for a moment and asked a question that she didn’t mean.

“What happens if we refuse?”

“I’ll tie you up in chains and throw you in the basement. You’ll never escape.”

“Ugh… ”

The answer was immediate. Baek Seo-yeon trembled involuntarily and lowered her head again. His words seemed to strangle her throat, but instead, she felt a warm sense of security.

“Then, then what next…?”

Yeonmin-ha asked, stammering in response. She tried to remain calm, but she couldn’t hide the faint anticipation in her voice.

Lee Hyun stared blankly at her. Then he continued speaking with his face still calm.

“You will be ‘punished’ until you repent for your mistake. So that you will never have such an arrogant thought again.”

“Sigh… ”

She ended up biting her lips tightly in pity. Suddenly, an impure thought crossed her mind that the ‘punishment’ might not be so bad.

Somehow, I couldn’t face him because I felt ashamed and pitied him. The tension from earlier disappeared, and Lee Hyun, who was looking at them, smiled faintly and declared.

“You are mine. Forever.”

***

“Oh, I see… ”

The old training room in Building A, now as familiar as a bedroom. Today, Jin Ye-seo was wearing a neat school uniform instead of her training uniform.

Her hair was neatly combed down, as if she were attending an important event. An intoxicating, fragrant scent wafted around her.

But now, the look on his face was one of obvious sadness and disappointment.

“Yeah, that’s what happened.”

“Ugh… ”

Unlike her, Lee Hyun had a face that was somehow smiling brightly. Jin Ye Seo felt resentful of that smile that didn’t know the feelings of others today.

She clutched her chest in excruciating pain, as if her heart was rotting away alive.

Then he opened his mouth, stammering, trying to keep an awkward smile on his face.

“Of course. Actually, I thought you’d choose one of the two. Well, I never imagined it would be both… ”

“… ”

“That’s right. Yeah. I’m sure we’ve built a bond that’s incomparable to mine… ”

Perhaps he had said it hoping that he would deny it, but Lee Hyun still remained silent. Jin Ye-seo, who was in despair, clenched her teeth.

She stammered and opened her mouth, barely able to support her trembling legs. Still with a forced smile on her face.

“Strength, this must be hard, man…! Our country has monogamy as its standard… You, you can handle it? Huh?”

“Yeah. It’s hard, but I’ll try.”

“… ”

His words, which were obvious, were rather shocking to Jin Ye-seo. She lowered her head. Her eyes were already filled with tears, so she couldn’t see ahead of her.

“… Yeah, that’s good.”

After quite some time, she finally raised her head and opened her mouth in a quiet voice.

“Congratulations…! It really worked out. For you and for them.”

But I didn’t want to show my ugly side. Didn’t I decide to respect his choice from the beginning?

It would have been natural to leave regrets behind and send blessings.

“Hey, can you spar with me sometimes? Okay? If not you, there’s no one else who can spar with me.”

Jin Ye-seo raised her arm exaggeratedly and patted his back hard. She quickly turned around, waving her hand as if she was forced to smile.

“Oh, right. Come to think of it, I have some work to do… Should I go first? Next time… ”

“Jin Ye-seo.”

“Why, why?”

“Are you crying?”

“Huh… ?”

Jin Ye-seo spat out blankly at the question that came out of nowhere.

Jinyeseo suddenly stopped moving. She slowly raised her hand and stroked her cheek.

“Oh, oh… Th, what is this… ”

Before I knew it, the broken faucet had been shedding tears for some time.

“This, this is really weird… Why me… all of a sudden… haha… ”

I kept wiping away my tears, but it wasn’t enough. The tears that had been falling in drops were now pouring down like a waterfall, wetting the floor.

“Oh, I guess I’m a little tired today. Sorry, but now… ”

“Just a minute.”

Jin Ye-seo, who had given up, was about to turn around and run away. Lee Hyeon grabbed her arm from behind and pulled her back.

He opened his mouth with a calm expression that contrasted with Jin Ye-seo’s.

“I’m not finished talking yet?”

“Mi, I’m sorry… But I’m not feeling well today… Later… ”

“You too.”

Jin Ye-seo was desperately struggling not to show her messy face. Suddenly hearing something, she stopped her feeble resistance for a moment.

“… ”

Silence flowed. Finally, Jinyeseo stared blankly at him, seemingly forgetting her reaction just now. Under her green eyes, which could not hide her bewilderment, large teardrops were still forming.

“Ji, what did you just say… ”

“You too… You are the one I chose.”

“What, what does that mean…?”

“… ”

“You clearly said you chose two people… But me, me too…? Then… all three…?”

Jin Ye-seo opened her mouth with a trembling voice. Her expression was clearly flustered, but underneath it all, there was a clear sense of anticipation.

“Yeah.”

And Lee Hyeon nodded as if it was obvious. Jin Ye-seo opened her mouth as if she was shocked.

“You, you’re really trash… ? How… ”

“Yeah. That’s trash.”

“… ”

Jin Ye-seo lowered her head at the calm answer and clenched both her fists.

She, who had been standing silently, seemed to be walking towards where Hyun was standing, and then she threw herself at him.

“Idiot, pervert, lecher…! Die, really die…!”

She was held in the arms of a man a hand taller than her and was pounding his chest with her fist.

“If that’s the case, then you should have told me earlier…! You’re only making a fool of me, of myself…!”

“… Sorry. I was going to say it right away, but your reaction was too cute. ”

“Die, really die…! Trash, pervert, really bad personality…! Even your makeup is all smudged…!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Let go, let go… !”

Lee Hyun grabbed both of Jin Ye-seo’s wrists at once, who had been hitting him, and lifted her up in one motion. Jin Ye-seo, who was in a shameful position, struggled violently, but he paid no attention and pushed her into the wall.

And still with a faint smile on his face, he spoke to Jin Ye-seo, who was grumbling in anger.

“But I’m still good?”

“… ”

Jin Ye-seo only gasped for breath and didn’t respond. She was staring straight at Lee Hyeon as if they were having a staring contest, but she eventually averted her gaze.

Jin Ye-seo, who had lost her momentum, moved her stiff body. Soon, she hugged him as if she was entrusting herself entirely to his firm embrace.

And then, in the end, he nodded his head up and down and muttered softly.

“… Yeah.”

***

The two female students walking along the path on opposite sides recognized each other at the same time. An awkward silence flowed between Baek Seo-yeon and Jin Ye-seo, who stopped walking in surprise.

“… ”

Baek Seo-yeon, who saw Jin Ye-seo’s swollen eyes, could easily guess the situation. She could tell just by looking at the slightly upturned corners of her lips.

“Me, sister… ”

“It looks like you had a conversation with him.”

Jin Ye-seo, who had been fidgeting, was about to open her mouth when Baek Seo-yeon’s chilling voice stopped her.

They were so close at the beginning of the semester, but now they are just strangers. Even that was just Jin Ye-seo’s one-sided courtship that fell for Baek Seo-yeon’s mask.

Originally, Baek Seo-yeon did not give a single penny of affection to anyone other than that man. Just like how she treats Jin Ye-seo now.

Jin Ye-seo, overwhelmed by the momentum, nodded helplessly.

“… Yes, yes.”

“… ”

Jin Ye-seo looked nervous, but Baek Seo-yeon didn’t show much interest. She had already decided to absolutely obey his decision.

“Okay. Okay.”

“Wait, wait a minute… !”

Baek Seo-yeon, who had been standing for a moment, was about to turn around. Jin Ye-seo, who had been hesitating about something, finally gathered her courage and shouted at her.

“… What is it?”

Baek Seo-yeon turned her head slightly, her expression clearly showing her annoyance. Jin Ye-seo, who was under the cold gaze, closed her eyes tightly and continued speaking.

“Can’t we… live like before…?”

“… What?”

At her unexpected words, a rare look of bewilderment crossed Baek Seo-yeon’s face.

“I, I’ll be seeing you more often from now on… I don’t want to keep being like this with you… So… ”

“… Are you saying that even though you know my true self?”

Baek Seo-yeon, who soon regained her composure, asked her quietly.

“The kind and caring Baek Seo-yeon you saw was fake. She just put on a mask to put on a show in front of others… ”

“That’s okay…!”

Jin Ye-seo raised her voice and cut her off. Realizing it belatedly, she trailed off, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Oh, I like it even better… She’s cool too… I feel like I know a side of my sister that other people don’t know… ”

“… What?”

“How can it not be…?”

Jin Ye-seo spoke earnestly, pleading. Baek Seo-yeon, who had a bewildered expression on her face, was silent for a moment.

“Sigh… ”

Jin Ye-seo flinched at the sound of a long sigh. Her face gradually darkened as she took it as a rejection.

“… Come here.”

“Sister… ?”

Jin Ye-seo muttered in disbelief as she saw Baek Seo-yeon spreading her arms. Her voice was still cold, but it wasn’t hard to guess what she meant.

“What are you doing? Your arm is going to fall off at this rate.”

“Ah… !”

Finally, Jin Ye-seo let out a loud shout of joy. She ran towards Baek Seo-yeon and jumped into her arms as if giving her a hug.

“Heeeek, Sister… !”

“You’re an idiot, really.”

Seoyeon gently stroked Jinyeseo’s head as she always did. Then she looked up at the sky for a moment and muttered.

“You too. And…me too.”

***

Lee Hyeon, who was on the top of the garden, happened to see the two female students. A faint smile spread across his lips as he saw Jin Ye-seo running towards him.

“That’s fortunate.”

He turned around and walked towards his original destination.

Suddenly, he heard something approaching from the bushes next to him. And then a small cat appeared and rubbed its body against his leg while crying.

“Meow!”

Lee Hyun, holding the cat in his arms, did not stop walking. The place he finally arrived at was a large lakeside adjacent to the cradle garden.

He bent down and carefully placed the cat on the floor. The cat jumped down and settled down on the soft fallen leaves, rolling around.

Lee Hyun sat on the lakeside with one knee down. Then he searched through the inside pocket of his coat and took out the item inside.

Soon, two smooth, white pieces split in half appeared.

“… ”

Lee Hyun, who had been staring at it silently, stroked the mask piece once. Every time he felt each scratch on it, he could recall everything that had happened over the past two years without fail.

“… Thank you for everything.”

Lee Hyeon, who had been muttering quietly, finally carefully brought his hand toward the water’s edge.

He carefully pushed the mask into the lake as if he were launching a paper boat.

And as I completely let go, the mask slowly began to sink to the bottom of the lake.

The mask gradually became hazy under the water, and now there was not even a shadow. Only the bubbles swirling up hinted at the presence of something that had been there just a moment ago.

And behind Lee Hyeon, who was staring blankly at the bubbles.

The sound seemed to be getting closer, but soon someone spoke to him in a rude voice.

“What are you doing here? You’re the only one getting beat up.”

It was a voice I could recognize without even having to look back. When I turned around, what I saw was, as expected, a female student with flowing white hair.

Perhaps the afterglow of the declaration earlier had not yet faded, as she looked at him with an awkward, pitiful expression.

“… Nothing in particular.”

“It’s bland.”

Yeonmin-ha grumbled at Lee Hyun’s insignificant answer. Her cheeks were still flushed red. It seemed as if the aftereffects of the declaration from earlier had not yet faded.

Soon she reached out to Lee Hyeon and said.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Lee Hyun nodded, grabbed Yeon Min Ha’s hand, and turned around to face her. The little cat suddenly got up from the pile of fallen leaves and followed them on its paws.

“Meow~”

The bubbles that had been rising were now nowhere to be seen. The lake was still clear and clean as if nothing had happened.

fin.