Chapter 174
***
“…What?”
An unintelligent response slipped out of my mouth before I even realized it. It wasn’t something I could control.
While I had agreed to help Jin Yeseo with her requests as long as they were within my capabilities, I never imagined the request would be of this nature.
Moreover, the word “just for a moment” she added beforehand only made my head spin even more.
I didn’t know much, but it was clear that Jin Yeseo was in a pretty desperate situation right now. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such an absurd request out of nowhere.
“Why, why are you pretending not to hear?”
Jin Yeseo maintained an unexpectedly bold attitude. The bright red flush on her face—whether it was from embarrassment or shame—had completely disappeared without a trace.
“Be my boyfriend… please.”
***
“So… this method you mentioned before, this is what you meant?”
Only after listening to Jin Yeseo’s explanation did I finally grasp the rough outline of the situation.
“Creating a fake relationship?”
“Yes.”
“And you want me to pretend to be your… boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
“…Why me?”
“Well…”
Jin Yeseo, who had been nodding calmly up until now, suddenly hesitated and averted her gaze.
“…Because there’s no one else.”
“What?”
“There’s no guy I can ask for this… except you.”
“…”
It was true that Jin Yeseo seemed to have built a wall between herself and the male students. Up until recently, I was no exception to that.
She might have been grouped with Choi Woojin and Ryu Seunghun, but it didn’t seem like they were particularly close either.
It was both absurd and oddly convincing at the same time…
“Hmm-hmm. First of all, here’s my plan.”
Before I knew it, Jin Yeseo had started to ramble on about her plan.
“I’m going to contact my family before the social season begins. I’ll tell them that I’m already seeing someone. That our relationship is deep, and I have no intention of separating from him.”
Then she pulled out a letter that was visibly crumpled and waved it around.
“If I don’t, they might try to do something unnecessary during the social season. Like suddenly deciding my partner without warning… Ugh…”
The letter, stamped with the seal of the Baekgwang family, listed potential candidates among current Cradle students as well as the final deadline.
“So, I just need to lend you my name?”
“What? What are you talking about? Of course not.”
Jin Yeseo furrowed her brows, looking as if she had just heard the most absurd joke.
“You’re saying that because you don’t know my mother. She’s an incredibly sharp and meticulous person. There’s no way she’d believe it if I just sent a letter with a name on it.”
Jin Yeseo’s mother. A story I’d heard from one of her friends came to mind. Apparently, the previous head of the Baekgwang family had once committed the crime of smuggling strategic materials by colluding with foreign powers.
At the time, Jin Yeseo’s mother, who was a student at Cradle, personally executed the head and his spouse to atone for the crime. She then managed to rebuild the family, which had been on the brink of destruction due to charges of treason.
Just hearing that story made it clear that she wasn’t an ordinary person.
“She’ll definitely send someone to confirm the truth during the social season. That’s when Cradle opens its doors to outsiders. They could disguise themselves as visitors or something…”
I was beginning to understand what she meant by “just for a moment.” She was asking me to act the part only during the social season.
If Jin Yeseo had someone like that, they would spend time together and enjoy the festivities.
“But will that be enough to convince them? I thought the Baekgwang family had better relations with the Paechun family than with Heukryeon… And what if other students see us?”
“Th-that part, I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Jin Yeseo hurriedly interrupted, cutting me off.
“Once it’s all over, we’ll just announce a secret engagement. Like… Seoyeon unni.”
“…”
“That way, we won’t have to reveal who the partner is… and those pesky people hitting on me will leave me alone… Phew…”
Having finished her explanation, Jin Yeseo let out a breath she had been holding. She then turned her head toward me, as if waiting for my response.
“So… will you help me?”
She added awkwardly while glaring at me.
“I-I don’t want to ask you for this either. It’s just that I really don’t have anyone else… So I had no choice… Please don’t get any weird ideas…”
“…”
That was probably the most unnecessary worry Jin Yeseo had voiced today.
“It’s not like I’m asking you to do this forever. Just for the social season… or if that’s too much, even just for one day…”
“Alright.”
I answered immediately. The decision wasn’t that difficult.
Sure, I was a bit taken aback at first… but it was the least I could do for someone who had saved my life.
“Oh…?”
Jin Yeseo, who had been speaking desperately, widened her eyes in surprise and stared at me.
“I said I’ll do it. I’ll act as your boyfriend.”
“R-really…?”
“Yeah. Why are you so surprised? You’re the one who brought it up.”
“It’s just… I didn’t think you’d agree so easily…”
“Well, your situation now is partly my responsibility… so I have to help. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
I shook my head.
“It’s not a big deal. Just pretending for a bit…”
Whether I could actually pull it off was another matter. I would just do my best.
***
‘Friend,’ ‘pretending.’
The man’s words somehow pricked Jin Yeseo’s heart. She knew very well that his words came from pure goodwill.
And yet, she felt a tinge of regret. She wished she hadn’t said those unnecessary things about misunderstandings or anything like that.
“Why?”
“…It’s nothing.”
But when the man asked, Jin Yeseo quickly shook her head and steadied herself. This wasn’t just her problem.
In truth, she hadn’t wanted to resort to such drastic measures. She had hoped to approach him more slowly, but that regret lingered in her heart.
If she hadn’t known Baek Seoyeon’s intentions, she would have done exactly that.
‘The Baekgwang family seemed to have better relations with the Paechun family than with Heukryeon…’
‘Th-that part, I’ll take care of it.’
It was a lie. In reality, she had no idea how to convince the family head either.
Even after staying up all night agonizing over it, she had come to only one conclusion.
She had no choice but to push forward with everything she had.
‘I can’t let unni be tied to that man.’
The man nodded kindly, full of sincerity. But Jin Yeseo knew. She knew that man was, in truth, deeply sinister. He enjoyed dominating others through violence, trampling them underfoot with his ruthless nature.
For Jin Yeseo, pairing Baek Seoyeon, her cherished and delicate sister, with such a man was utterly unacceptable.
‘…Don’t worry, unni.’
There was only one thing Jin Yeseo could do.
Sacrifice herself.
‘I’ll bear all the burden… so you don’t have to.’
Jin Yeseo shook her head with a bright smile. Her eyes were filled with nothing but the purest happiness.
“Just… thank you.”
***
“Alright, everyone, listen up.”
The first-year lecture hall. As soon as the class ended, a few student council members stepped onto the platform.
“We’re here to announce some important information before the social gathering. You’ve probably heard it from the professors already, but it’s better to be thorough.”
The one addressing the first-years was Choi Ireh, a second-year student. She had her hair braided into pigtails and wore glasses, giving off a strict impression.
“First, the list of participants for the tournament. Those whose names are called should prepare thoroughly for the tournament. Now then…”
From behind her round glasses, I could feel her sharp gaze directed at me. She didn’t even try to hide her displeasure.
“…”
For a moment, I felt an urge to knock her down a peg, but I decided against it. There was no point in picking a fight.
As I glanced around, I noticed a familiar face among the group that had just entered the classroom.
A second-year student, Kwon Yuri, with a delicate appearance and a tear mole under her right eye.
…Why was she here? She wasn’t even part of the student council.
She was blowing on her pinky finger, feigning disinterest. Then, upon spotting me, she broke into a sly grin.
‘Just. Bored.’
Kwon Yuri mouthed the words as if she could read my mind.
‘Came. To. See. You.’
“…”
Her audacity left me speechless.
‘Come. See. Me. Later.’
Kwon Yuri continued to mouth words at me, her gaze fixed on me.
‘I. Have. Something. To. Say.’
But I didn’t respond and simply turned my head away. She pouted, puffing her cheeks in mock annoyance.
“Haa…”
I let out a deep sigh. It wasn’t hard to foresee that something troublesome was on the horizon. That woman was like a natural disaster. Avoiding her was impossible, and dealing with her through brute force wouldn’t solve anything.
“Especially engaging in unauthorized gatherings outside of official social events will result in expulsion. Everyone must keep this in mind. The social gathering is not an event for indulgence. It’s a place for healthy and rational interactions…”
As Choi Ireh continued her enthusiastic explanation, Kwon Yuri stood in the background with a mischievous, sly smile that didn’t match her delicate appearance.
***
“Junior~”
“…”
“Ju-nior.”
“…”
“Hey, chick. Hey.”
Even though I had deliberately tried to slip out through the back door quickly, she still managed to latch onto me. Her voice was far too vivid to dismiss as mere hallucination.
“You… Seriously…! Can’t you hear me? Hoo…!”
Suddenly, someone leaned in close, as if about to blow warmth into my ear. I instinctively turned around in alarm.
Kwon Yuri, who had been trailing behind me, glared at me like a puffed-up lamb.
“You little chick… How dare you ignore your senior…!”
“What do you need?”
“Can’t I at least ask how you’ve been? I told you to greet me properly the next time we met…!”
“I don’t think you just called me to exchange pleasantries. What are you planning this time…”
“…Why are you always so cold to me? You’re so mean.”
Kwon Yuri’s demeanor instantly shifted as she pouted her lips. Her eyes were beginning to redden as if she were about to cry.
“I took such good care of you…”
“…”
“I even visited you when you were sick… and gave you the best energy booster as a gift… the most expensive one, no less… But… sniff…”
She even raised her hands as if to mimic wiping away tears, feigning sorrow.
I didn’t react. It was obvious she was up to something again.
Still, I had no way of knowing what was going on in her head. Despite associating with the Paechun students, she never showed hostility toward me or Yeon Minha. Nor did she seem to harbor any hidden schemes behind her ever-smiling face.
Looking back, the only things she had ever done were forcing me into meals and casually gifting me an expensive energy booster as a get-well present.
Yet, for some reason, dealing with her always felt incredibly awkward. It would have been easier if she outright picked a fight with me. At least then I could punch her and be done with it…
“…No fun.”
After a long pause, Kwon Yuri sighed and dropped her hands when I didn’t react.
Then, as if surrendering, she let out a deep sigh.
“…Alright, fine. I called you because I need a favor. Happy?”
“A favor…?”
“Yeah. Ahem. Ahem.”
I couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of favor someone like her would ask of me.
Nodding, Kwon Yuri cleared her throat a couple of times and then, in an exaggerated theatrical tone, lowered her voice dramatically.
“You. Let’s work on something together.”
And just like that, her face was full of her signature mischievous smile.
End of Chapter