Chapter 159. Request (2)
"Haa..."
Baek A-Young slumped into her chair as lunch break ended.
The infirmary at the Academy was busier during lunch than regular work hours.
That's when the most cadets came by.
During work hours, unless it was an emergency, it stayed mostly empty.
Knock knock—
Then came a knock on the door.
'Doesn't seem like an emergency... maybe a lobby staff?'
But staff usually announce themselves. No one ever approaches this quietly.
"Yes, come in."
There were guards outside anyway. No one strange was going to waltz into the infirmary. Baek A-Young gave permission without much thought.
Clack—
When the door opened, a familiar face caught her eye.
"H-Hoyeon?"
"Hi, A-Young. I was bored, so I dropped by."
"Shouldn't you be in class right now? Why are you here...?"
"What's more important? You or class? I ditched everything for you."
That smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, those crescent-shaped smiling eyes.
She knew he was joking, but her heart still skipped a beat.
"D-Don't say weird things. What did you come here for?"
"I wanted to ask something. A-Young, are you going to that party this Saturday?"
Clack—
Like it was second nature, Lee Hoyeon sat on the infirmary's patient chair.
"The party...? Oh, you mean the social one the Association is hosting?"
"Yeah, that one."
"Probably not. I don't have a partner..."
Those old geezers from the Association love matchmaking at their parties.
It's not officially stated or openly discussed, but it's an unspoken tradition.
And when young men or women attend alone, rumors spread that they're there to find a match, which attracts unwanted attention.
It's annoying and there's nothing to gain from it for Baek A-Young.
"Partner? That's a thing?"
Lee Hoyeon tilted his head like he was hearing this for the first time.
"Yeah, people usually attend as a male-female pair. Showing up solo means you're looking for one."
"Ah..."
Shit. So that's what's going on.
Lee Hoyeon finally understood.
That old bastard wants to show up with Nam Daeun as his partner.
Even if it looks sleazy to others, no other men will dare approach her.
Baek A-Young worried she might've said something wrong when she saw his expression stiffen.
"A-Young, go with me."
"H-Huh?"
She doubted her ears.
"Go with me. Be my partner."
"...That might cause weird rumors. Being someone's partner at an Association party means more than you think."
"I don't mind. Even if people get the wrong idea about us."
"...Hh! Hiiit!"
Flustered, Baek A-Young let out a strange sound.
She couldn't help it with how direct he was.
"Heh, what was that?"
Her face flushed at Lee Hoyeon's teasing laughter.
"I-It's your fault for joking like that!"
"A-Young. I'm not joking. Go to the party with me."
"Ugh..."
She hated that he said something like that without understanding its implications.
Why did he always leave just enough room to give her hope?
Maybe... he really meant it?
After agonizing over it, Baek A-Young finally nodded.
"Fine. But remember, you asked me. Don't regret it later."
"I won't."
As Lee Hoyeon stood up from his chair, he thought to himself—
'If people think we're partners, that's not bad at all.'
He had come to check on Baek A-Young under the pretext of asking about the party—and she seemed to be in great shape.
Something had changed inside her. Her affection had gone back up, and the resentment in her gaze had faded.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Baek A-Young]
- [Affection: 96] (+0.7)
- [Lust: 82]
- [Appetite: 30]
- [Fatigue: 65]
Current Status: Why do you keep... making it so hard to give up?
"..."
Seeing her inner thoughts made him feel a bit guilty.
Once this is over, he'll need to make things right with her.
With everything happening, she'd become the tragic heroine.
He needed to fix things before she got hurt any further.
A bit of push-and-pull makes the final pull that much stronger.
That's the law of attraction he developed himself.
"Honey, come here."
"...Yes, honey."
Thump thump—
Baek A-Young's heart raced.
She hated how the word 'honey' made her flutter like Pavlov's dog.
'But... I don't really hate it.'
Baek A-Young stood from her chair and embraced Lee Hoyeon.
"It's been three days."
"Yeah, honey... w-wait, at least lock the door—"
"I already did when I came in."
"Hnnngh..."
Baek A-Young gave in to his touch.
With each article of clothing peeled away, her heart pounded louder.
How much longer will she feel this way?
Maybe... maybe it really could happen.
She held onto Lee Hoyeon, wishing for the day when calling each other honey wouldn't feel awkward.
Smooch... smooch.
After they finished, Baek A-Young had his dick in her mouth.
"Is it tasty?"
"Mmh... your dick tastes good, honey. Mwah."
I was lying back comfortably, and Baek A-Young was curled up like a cat, nestled between my legs.
I had just cum, but my cock was still rock hard.
I stroked her cheek as she diligently sucked me off.
Would she still enjoy it if she knew this cock had just been in Im Sol's mouth a few hours ago?
"A-Young. That's enough."
Puhah... haa, haa...
I brushed her hair and started getting dressed.
"See you at the party."
"... Yeah, okay."
I patted her head one more time, seeing her sulky face.
Still, I'd given her what she wanted today.
I did my best to match her pace and made sure to be attentive during the whole session.
Hopefully that pulled her affection up a bit more.
I did feel a little guilty about pushing her away so much lately.
After adjusting my clothes and saying goodbye, I left the infirmary.
'Afternoon classes must be over by now.'
Not that I planned on showing up even if they weren't.
I headed straight back to the dorm.
*
A-Class lecture hall.
The old professor sighed at the empty seats.
"Haa... Exams end, and cadets skip class like clockwork. Those who aren't here today will weep blood on the next test."
The professor clearly felt let down by the absentees.
But since the Academy didn't penalize students for attendance past a certain point, all he could do was sigh.
His only revenge was making the test slightly easier for the students who did attend.
"The guy who scored highest on the written test vanished right after—legendary. Heh."
"Means he was bored to death."
Those who knew how boring the lectures were were already planning to skip next time too.
Meanwhile, Lucy sat in the front row, chin in hand.
"He's busy again today."
Lee Hoyeon had disappeared again starting at lunch, just like yesterday.
She really wanted to go to the cafe today.
Lucy pouted and glanced at Lumi beside her.
Usually, Lumi looked down whenever Hoyeon wasn't around—but today she seemed oddly cheerful.
"Lumi."
Lumi didn't respond. She just smiled brightly, staring at her smartwatch.
"Lumi~?"
Poke. Poke.
"H-Huh? What is it, Lucy?"
She finally turned her head after being poked.
"What were you smiling about?"
"Nothing. Just zoned out. Hehe."
"...Is that so."
Liar again.
Lumi was a terrible liar. It was obvious.
Tch.
Oh well. Must've been some embarrassing thought.
Lucy had those sometimes too, so she let it go.
She nodded and continued.
"Let's go to the cafe after class tomorrow. Even if Hoyeon's busy, the two of us can go."
"Huh? Uh... I've got something tomorrow too."
"What is it?"
"Not feeling too well..."
"You can tell that a day ahead?"
Lumi avoided her gaze.
"Sorry, Lucy. The day after tomorrow, okay? Let's go for sure then."
"...Okay. Got it."
Lucy felt that sting of loneliness again.
Lumi had always been an open book to her.
But lately, her once-loyal sister felt a little more distant.
*
Another boring Wednesday afternoon class.
I'd skipped two days straight, so I figured I should show up at least once.
Not that I paid attention—I was just there in body.
Too many urgent matters needed my brain elsewhere.
After class, I had secret friend activities with Lumi, and then Scarlett would brief me back at the dorm.
"That's all for today."
The professor left after wrapping up the lecture.
Because of the terrorist aftermath, all the hands-on instructors were busy, so theory classes had been bumped up this week.
"Hoyeon. Are you really that busy today?"
"Sorry. You know I've been missing a lot of classes lately."
Lucy came up after class to invite me to the cafe, but I had plans.
I needed to go meet Lumi.
Lucy pouted and grabbed my arm weakly.
"...You are upset. I'm sorry. I should've apologized sooner..."
"No... I'm not upset. Really."
"I'm sorry... I'm such an idiot. You know how dumb and prideful I am..."
"..."
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lucy]
- [Affection: 93]
- [Lust: 36]
- [Appetite: 40]
- [Fatigue: 75]
Current Status: How do I fix what I did wrong...
'What's with her now...'
Damn it, if that crazy bitch hadn't confessed, this wouldn't be happening.
I messed with Lucy's trauma, and now she's acting strange.
"Lucy. It's okay. I swear I'm fine. I'm just super busy."
"Then what's going on? Can't you at least tell me why?"
I tried to calm her down, but that was a question I couldn't answer.
What was I gonna say? That I spent all day chasing Nam Daeun?
I even skipped class for it, so I needed a solid excuse—but nothing came to mind.
Not even using Professor Im Sol as a scapegoat would justify skipping class.
"Sorry..."
A half-assed excuse would only make things worse if she saw through it.
In times like this, a sincere apology works best.
"...Okay. I'll go."
Lucy, looking like she'd expected this, squinted and walked out of the lecture hall.
"..."
I had to take care of her.
This was definitely the time to look out for Lucy—but shit kept piling up.
The survival test, the festival, the terrorist incident, Nam Daeun...
And trying to manage Elise, Baek A-Young, and Moon Surin in between—it left me totally neglecting Lucy.
I could really use ten clones right now.