Yun Siwoo, who had become aware of a feeling he had never experienced before, could no longer look at Scarlett's face as naturally as he did a while ago.
He had never realized that he could be so strongly aware of someone.
Just being close to her made his heart beat faster, and just thinking of her made his face turn red.
Having a conversation while making eye contact, as he used to, seemed like it would be difficult for a while.
Until he got used to this feeling that made his heart race, he thought he should avoid her for a bit.
*Snap* — the sound of Eve snapping her fingers was heard.
The children in the classroom were chatting.
Yun Siwoo looked around.
Although the classroom scene seemed normal, he felt a sense of emptiness.
[Hmm, an illusion that distorts even perception. Excellent.]
The emptiness disappeared when he heard the voice.
Yes, I felt uneasy because I couldn't sense Lucy.
Fortunately, the connection formed by the contract hadn't been severed, so he could hear Lucy's voice.
It seems that what he feared the most was Lucy disappearing.
Now that he had confirmed the connection of the contract, it was just a meaningless illusion.
Just as he was about to break out of the illusion, a red-haired girl came into his view.
Even just seeing her in the illusion made his heart race.
She was smiling brightly, but not at him, at another boy.
His racing heart suddenly stopped.
When the boy approached, she blushed slightly.
The boy left the classroom, and she followed him, looking embarrassed.
The two of them sat in a secluded spot behind the school building, enjoying their private time.
In the quiet atmosphere, their eyes met, and the exchange of emotions brought them closer.
When they shared a kiss, Yun Siwoo felt his heart throb.
She had matured into a woman.
The boy, now a man, knelt before her and proposed.
She accepted the ring he offered, smiling happily as if she had the world.
She embraced him.
The kiss that followed was much longer than the one they shared as students.
A vision of her in a wedding dress appeared.
She threw the bouquet to the guests behind her.
When someone caught it, she smiled brightly and kissed the man in a tuxedo affectionately.
After the wedding, they went on a honeymoon.
During the day, they toured various places, and after a sumptuous dinner at a fancy restaurant, they returned to their hotel.
Perhaps because of the wine they drank during dinner, or for some other reason, her face was flushed as she kissed the man on the bed, their breathing becoming intense.
The man's hands touched her body, and her skin, which had grown in places he had seen before but remained as white as ever, gradually became exposed.
And,
And,
[Siwoo, pull yourself together. It's just an illusion.]
He snapped back to reality when he heard the voice.
Only then did he realize he was drenched in cold sweat.
It's just an illusion, after all.
Gritting his teeth and focusing his mind, he managed to break free from the illusion.
The moment he made eye contact with Scarlett, who was looking at him, he felt his face turn red.
He couldn't lift his head due to the overwhelming sense of shame.
How long had they known each other for him to be so troubled by such an illusion?
He felt ashamed for harboring such feelings when he wasn't even anything to her.
He thought he might not be able to face her for a while.
*
Since then, whenever Yun Siwoo looked at Scarlett, his heart wouldn't calm down, so he started to avoid her consciously.
He couldn't even ask if she was okay after she had been lying in the infirmary after lunch, apparently because she wasn't feeling well.
Just seeing her face made him think of the scenes from the illusion.
...Actually, it wasn't just when he saw her face.
He was afraid that he might unconsciously recall those scenes even when he was just sitting still, so he started going out more often to clear his head.
That day, after dinner, he was wandering around to clear his head when he saw her from a distance.
His heart started racing, and he was about to go the other way when he noticed a man standing next to her.
The man seemed too old to be just flirting with her.
At that moment, he heard their conversation.
-If you don't want to, you can refuse, but how can it not work?
-I, I don't really like the idea of something entering my body...
-Well, if you don't want to, there's nothing I can do. But how about just touching or taking photos?
She nodded.
His heart pounded ominously.
His blood turned cold, and the coldness seemed to spread through his body from his heart.
The conversation felt ominous.
Could it be... he wondered as he followed them.
They arrived at a building that seemed inappropriate for students to enter.
From time to time, he could hear voices coming from inside, suggesting that some couples had rented rooms.
He hesitated, wondering if he should stop her from going inside, but then thought, "What right do I have to stop her?"
While he was hesitating, she disappeared into the building with the man.
Feeling weak, he sat down on a bench near the building.
He thought of the scene he had seen in the illusion.
Is she doing something similar in there right now?
His unusually good hearing was picking up strange sounds from inside the building, interfering with his rational thinking.
And he thought he heard a familiar voice.
-It feels so good$#@[email protected]#%!
He must have misheard... he muttered, covering his ears.
After a while, she came out of the building, drenched in sweat.
She seemed to notice him and stiffened, trying to pass by him.
Without thinking, Yun Siwoo blocked her path.
With a trembling voice, he asked, "What were you doing in there?"
He saw the envelope of money in her hand.
Could it be for money?
"Is it... for money?"
She nodded.
The Sword of Truth confirmed it was the truth.
It didn't seem to be just for money.
He didn't want to believe it.
He asked if she was being blackmailed or coerced.
"I did it because I wanted to. It wasn't that hard, and I actually enjoyed it."
He wished he had misheard her voice earlier.
But the Sword of Truth said,
It's the truth.
His stomach churned.
For the first time, he wished the Sword of Truth didn't exist.
Hearing a truth he didn't want to know was painful.
When he asked if she would do it again, she answered.
"Well, if the opportunity arises. It's not like there are many other ways to make money easily."
The Sword of Truth, as always, confirmed,
It's the truth.
Enough...
He felt like begging, and he probably did.
Can't you stop?
If you need money, I'll help you, please...
But her answer was cold.
"What help? What are you to me? I don't need it."
Her words felt like a dagger in his heart.
He meant nothing to her.
Each word that reminded him of this fact was excruciating.
[Siwoo...]
Lucy's voice, which seemed to offer comfort, helped him regain his composure.
It was too embarrassing to be disappointed in her just because she was different from what he imagined.
His feelings for her hadn't changed, no matter who she was.
He quickly followed her as she walked away.
She glared at him, but he couldn't let a girl he liked go home alone late at night.
The place they arrived at was a very shabby building.
The stairs looked like they could collapse at any moment, but she climbed them without hesitation.
Without realizing it, he followed her up.
The room she entered was shocking.
He knew his own home was quite spacious, but this was too small.
It made the orphanage where he grew up seem like a hotel.
He couldn't believe a student at Aegis Academy lived in such a place.
Was she living here to afford the high tuition fees?
Was that why she had to do such things?
The fact that she had to live like this, when he had never felt materially deprived thanks to Lucy, made him feel very sad.
She called him in for a moment.
This wasn't a situation where he would feel excited about entering the home of someone he liked.
She unfolded a small table and gestured for him to sit.
He sat down and looked around the room.
Next to the entrance was a small bathroom. To the left of the table was a bed and a small wardrobe, and to the right was a small kitchen with a mini-fridge.
That was all.
It felt like a space with only the bare minimum for living.
When he glanced inside the fridge, it was empty.
She filled a glass with tap water and handed it to him.
She said this was all she could offer and apologized, seeming used to this life.
She drank the tap water naturally.
He took the glass and drank the water, which tasted stale.
She must be used to this taste.
He felt like crying.
When she told him to leave, he wanted to comfort her.
Many thoughts came to mind, but he couldn't bring himself to say any of them.
He feared that anything he said would hurt her rather than comfort her.
So, he quietly stood up and, before leaving, said the least special thing he could think of.
"See you tomorrow."
She nodded.
*
The next day, she was late for some reason.
Yun Siwoo was worried that she might have been shocked by the fact that he had seen her doing those things.
"Miss Scarlett, you're late."
A girl sitting next to him, Sylvia, said.
She was the one who always received macarons from Scarlett.
Yun Siwoo thought about the scene he had seen at Scarlett's home yesterday.
She must be buying these macarons with great effort.
"Hey, Sylvia, can I talk to you for a moment?"
He called her out, and she followed him, blushing.
Sylvia, who was blushing, seemed surprised by his request and hesitated before answering.
"Um... Can you tell me why I should do that?"
"The reason... I can't say, but please just do it."
He couldn't tell her what Scarlett was doing to earn the money, so he could only beat around the bush.
But Sylvia, not convinced by his answer, refused.
"It's a bit much to ask me to stop accepting things without a reason. Miss Scarlett is just being kind to me as a friend."
Yun Siwoo, slightly angry at Sylvia's words, said,
"Lie."
"Huh?"
"It's a lie. You don't even consider her a friend."
Every time Scarlett gave Sylvia macarons, Sylvia would say, "Thanks, we're friends," but the Sword of Truth always told him she was lying.
Yun Siwoo knew that Sylvia had never considered Scarlett a friend.
"......I don't understand why you think that. Even if you insist-."
"I know everything, so just stop it."
Yun Siwoo cut her off, glaring at her.
He couldn't stand Sylvia using Scarlett's feelings like this, even though Scarlett had said she was a friend.
"What's your problem! Why are you always so concerned about her! I'm much better for you...!"
Yun Siwoo looked at the indignant Sylvia with a cold gaze.
Sylvia, hurt by his gaze, wiped the expression from her face and said calmly,
"......Alright. I'll stop accepting macarons from Miss Scarlett. After all, she's not my friend."
Yun Siwoo nodded.
He thought that was settled.
Author's Note
This was from Yun Siwoo's perspective, completely immersed in despair.
He saw an illusion of his beloved being betrayed and then witnessed her engaging in harsh activities.
Poor guy, Siwoo has pure feelings.
If you stomp on those pure feelings like this, he might end up like this, right?
I've been posting around this time recently, but just know that I post as soon as I finish writing.
And for those who haven't seen the announcement, I haven't done anything bad!
The uncles are nice! The only one running wild with imagination is Yun Siwoo!
Regarding the paid subscription, which some of you are curious about, I might apply for it soon.
If the NovelPia event support fund reaches 500 million, I plan to switch to a paid subscription!
Everyone... the comic drawn by Yanggang King is up on the fan art board.
If you've read today's chapter, you might feel a bit of a thrill when you see it...