Chapter 162 – We Need to Talk (2)

– The professor said… it seems she had been thinking about dying for a long time.

– I’m sorry to bring up such a topic. But I believe it’s essential for you to know.

There are so many untold stories within my heart.

– Since her time at the Academy, she had been assuming her own death and trying to subdue Flower.

But why?

I knew that Lee Se-Young harbored an unusually blind love for a long time.

She tried her best to reciprocate the affection she received.

– She even told you to find another woman. It was because she needed someone by her side when she died.

A person who had been living all alone without anyone on her side since a long time ago.

– She truly only knew you.

Highly skilled and unpredictable, everyone has their own thoughts and seemingly plausible plans.

It’s just that it backfired as poison, not as a remedy.

“…Why bring this up suddenly?”

Se-young’s face grew rigid. Her businesslike demeanor was as if she were dealing with someone encountered strictly for professional reasons.

“Why did you do that?”

Lee Se-young had harbored such thoughts, most likely since the time she had changed jobs.

Die for me? Give up your life after meeting only a few times? Impossible.

There were many aspects she couldn’t comprehend, but she had to understand this particular matter with a keen sense of intuition. After all, none of the people around her had led ordinary lives.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about. Hey, you’re acting strangely.”
“Don’t feign ignorance.”

As she strained her throat, her voice cracked.

Se-young’s face hardened at the heightened tone.

“It was odd when you suddenly changed jobs. I had my suspicions, but I didn’t realize it was such a serious matter.”
“…Who told you that?”
“I didn’t just hear it, I saw it with my own eyes.”

Se-young’s words fell from her lips, carrying the weight of reluctant agreement. Only then did I loosen my grip on my voice and shrug my shoulders.

Her complexion paled considerably.

“Sir.”
“Mm.”
“Why did you suddenly do that?”
“Hey… listening to you, it’s as if I’m on my deathbed, isn’t it? It’s just an intelligence investigation… It got a bit rough, that’s all.”

Death.
That’s why it’s like this.

If the outcome were favorable, would we be in this situation?
Whatever she does, it would be wholeheartedly welcomed.

If it can be resolved without dying, I’m willing to serve her as the master of the household for the rest of my life.
Praising her, “Ah, my wife is the best.”

But that’s not the case.

“… Siheon?”

Se-Young’s complexion turned ghostly white, perhaps due to her hardened expression.
I said nothing.

I stare intently.

“Hey, I just… There are too many people targeting you. Changing jobs was also just… you know.”

The sentences followed urgently. Her breathing grew increasingly labored.

“…I know there’s a risk. But that’s how it is with any job, right? You went through it too. Right? You know?”

The silence stretches on.

Se-Young couldn’t stay still, her hands restlessly fidgeting.

Fumbling and squeezing, then releasing.

Continually observing me, she cautiously asked,

“…Are you mad?”

“Come sit beside me.”

As I spoke with a stern expression, Se-Young left her previous prickliness behind, rose from her seat without a word, and sat next to me.

Sweat trickled down Se-Young’s cheeks.

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

“…….”

The most effective way to resolve conflict is through conversation.

Pointlessly asserting one’s pride and whining about solving everything alone often leads to not even regaining what was lost.

“Teacher.”

“Yes?”

“We do like each other, right?”

“…So why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Hey, don’t be so cringe-worthy.”

“Fine, just tell me.”

“Alright, I like you too.”

It was a word I had cautiously evaded until now.
It was also the first thing I realized when Lee Se-Young had passed away.

The unseen thread between them, the distance she had subtly maintained.
First, they had to dismantle that barrier.

“Teacher, what do you think will happen if I die?”
“Why bring that up now… It would be tough.”
“Why would someone who knows that act this way?”

With one hand, she gently tapped her head.

The gesture she often used with young Heaven eventually became a habit.
Would it upset her?
Upon a quick glance, Se-Young’s cheeks were faintly flushed.

‘Just keep going.’

Feeling the strands of hair between her fingers, she embraced her tenderly. The soft scent of grass encircled her nose.

“Teacher, you’re far more important than any flower. Please, don’t think like that. Just a bit.”
“Well, I won’t die.”
“I’m saying this because I know everything. If the teacher dies, then I’ll die too.”
“Hey! You really…”

I don’t believe this conversation will alter the future.

Lee Se-young is also quite headstrong, seldom bending her will.
However, there was a bit of wiggle room.

It was merely a brief exchange that transpired within a few minutes.

“Increasing the number of women so that there will be no issues even if I die… What nonsensical gibberish. Do you know that even B-rated movies seldom resort to this?”
“…Did you hear it from Azalea?”

She did hear it. At this point, Azalea hadn’t spoken up yet.

Doubt is inevitable… Let’s make a sacrifice.

“It’s great to be loved by the teacher, but sometimes it’s a bit much.”
“When did I ever say I love you? Don’t let your imagination run wild…”
“So, you don’t love me then?”
“Ugh.”

Se-young frowned, seemingly burdened.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? In just a few days… It’s like you’ve become a different person.”

Uh… A different person?

I was taken aback.

No, I don’t want to utter such tender words.

It would be better if we could just understand each other kindly and directly. This situation has arisen because we keep hiding our feelings.

Do I really have to tell you that every time I sleep, I dream of you dying? Or should I explicitly mention that I break into cold sweat every night while feeling sick?

Neither of them seem believable. In the end, I’ll have to confront it directly.

“Ah, I love you! Is that enough? Is it? At this age, I love my fellow cadet! Are you satisfied now?”
“Heh heh heh.”

Se-Young was half-enraged when persistently asked. Her face turned as red as a strawberry, probably because this was her first love confession.

Her head, which I was stroking, felt as warm as a hot pack.

“Really… Lee Si-heon, you son of a bitch.”

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard such swearing.

I was reminded of the days when we first met at the academy, hanging out together while cursing and joking.

A trade relationship that was established with a single tree ring.

But as time passed, our relationship naturally progressed. Now, you’re willing to die for me.
…You truly can’t know what’s inside a person’s heart.

If you really think about it, isn’t it a human trait to be hit by a car and die while trying to save someone you’ve just met?
Reason cannot comprehend it.

As I locked eyes with Se-Young, who was right beside me, her bewildered expression seemed incredibly endearing.

At times like these, I’d recall the corpse’s pale face.
Se-Young closed her eyes tightly and puckered her lips as a headache caused her to squint.

“…….”

I had no intention of kissing her.
However, with her lips protruding like a duck’s bill, I pressed my face against hers, fearing I’d hear a teasing remark if I didn’t reciprocate.

“Uhm….”

Her soft upper lip.
I swallowed it in one gulp and embraced her shoulders.

Se-Young, who was holding me, clenched my back as if pinching it.

With a flick of her tongue, she licked her lips. Her once sealed mouth opened, and our tongues entwined as they met.

Se-Young’s tongue was both rough and smooth, reminiscent of a cat’s. The scent of a ripe woman wafted through the air, as if she was holding tea leaves within her mouth.

As saliva filled her mouth, the angle of her head shifted.

“…Ah, slurp.”

In the illuminated hotel room, a man and woman embraced, a bottle of alcohol lying between them.

A moan intertwined with the aroma of alcohol burst forth, popping like a cork.

“Uh… Mmm… Ah.”

One kiss led to another. Devoid of any physical touch, her body, which had been deprived of satisfying its lust for over three months, began to heat up as well.

Se-Young extended her tongue as far as possible, reaching all the way to her uvula.

Her playful eyes flicked upward for a moment before descending once more. Her ragged breaths tickled, and the sight of her desperate hands gripping onto my clothes evoked a sense of pity.

I parted her lips and pulled my tongue back.

“Heh… Heh.”

Se-Young, panting with her tongue extended like a dog, pulled me closer with her seemingly dissatisfied, weakened arms around my waist.

It was as if she couldn’t live without me. “Fine, you rapist,” she muttered, as though she had already forgotten about the previous day.

But first, I had something to ask her.

“So, are you still planning on sticking with that bizarre plan?”
“…”

I felt the dampness on her crossed thighs. When I gently tapped upwards, her lower body shuddered.

Wet stockings against her skin.

“…”

Se-Young kept her mouth shut until the end.

Her eyes were filled with determination, so strong that it made me want to applaud her.

*Swish swish*

“Hmm… Ah.”

If only it weren’t for her unknowingly twisting and writhing waist. She seemed completely oblivious to her involuntary actions.

“Answer.”

“…You’re such a lowly bastard. Honestly… What’s the harm in ignoring it? It’s because you’re truly the only one I have.”
“Why am I the only one?”
“I don’t know… really.”

Politicians and tycoons. People who typically surround themselves with sly and cunning individuals.
Even those who have received the most elite education and upbringing possess emotions.

I’m aware, and Lee Se-Young is one of them.

The rougher the environment, the more they tend to bare their hearts, offering up everything to those they open up to.
There are many politicians who exploit this vulnerability to create scandals.

At times, the news features the bafflingly foolish actions of politicians, originating from such situations.

Lee Se-Young, who was considered a pawn of her family from the beginning and a self-inflicted case, must have experienced no small amount of mental strain.

“Fine. I supposedly orchestrated this whole thing because I like you. Want to twist it? If you do… then don’t rape me at that time.”
“Even if it hadn’t been then, I think it would’ve ended up like this eventually. Don’t you think?”

“…That’s a bit excessive.”
“Is it?”

Her eyes were moist.

Just a light scratch would cause them to burst. I gently consoled Se-Young.

“Anyway, there’s no point if you die. Just stay by my side. That’s all it takes.”
“I’ve already committed.”
“We can change that from now on.”
“Really… such a wicked person.”

She spoke with a thick-skinned expression.

“What’s your answer?”

Se-Young lowered her head.
A disheartened voice emerged.

“Alright.”

Addressing one of the most avoidable futures… it’s not quite resolved, but perhaps we’ve come close.

It seems as if we’ve glimpsed one of the hundreds of thousands of futures belonging to Tree Strange.

“… Anyway, is Azalea really going to sell me out? She should’ve told me back then.”

Se-Young, wrapped in my embrace, grumbled fiercely.
… I can’t help but feel sorry.
You saved our teacher.

Lee Se-Young, who tightly embraced me and shivered, lifted her head.

“So.”
“Yes?”

Her sharp gaze was directed at me.

“Are you going to end it here?”

My body was flushed with heat.
I laughed awkwardly.

“Ha ha…”

I desperately wanted to lie down and rest… but my lust was just as strong.
Se-Young, forgetting her embarrassment, removed her top and clawed at my body.

“Ouch!”

It had been a long time since I felt that sensation.

* * * * * *

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

Surprisingly, I was fine without sleep. King Mokryeong’s vigor seemed stronger than before, and my sapling stood tall all day.

Lee Se-Young slept in my arms.
I covered her with a blanket and gently scratched her tousled hair.

The retreat schedule has been in shambles for quite some time.
It seems best to spend time meeting those I encounter.

“Ugh.”

Did I go overboard? Clumps of tissue paper strewn about the hotel floor.
Rubbing my eyes, I lowered my gaze.

【 (Hello) The ‘World Tree of Purity’ greets you cheerfully. 】

“…?”

By morning, the original woman had returned.