[Chapter 217]
[Establishment of Causality (2)]
Im Baek-yeon, 3rd year of middle school, 16 years old.
Just as those entering the Player High Academy are legally recognized as quasi-adults,
She, the successor to the Fairy, will also be legally recognized as a quasi-adult from next year.
When you become a quasi-adult, you can get married, drink alcohol, drive...
I can't wait to become a high school student.
Of course, with rights come responsibilities.
When she becomes a quasi-adult, she will start handling the Fairy's duties in earnest.
Even so, she was looking forward to becoming a quasi-adult and enjoying things she couldn't before.
Especially alcohol!
I want to drink and have fun with the clan members too.
Being a minor, she couldn't properly join the Pandora Clan's company dinners.
She couldn't stay out late either.
She couldn't adapt to the tension that couldn't be matched without drinking alcohol.
Even when she participated in company dinners, she often felt like she was playing alone.
As a result, she was determined to ask the Pandora Clan members to buy her alcohol the moment she became a quasi-adult.
It was her innermost thought that she couldn't tell anyone.
Who should I ask to buy me alcohol first when I become a quasi-adult?
...It would be better to start with Eun-ha oppa, right?
Just thinking about that moment makes me happy.
Im Baek-yeon was secretly scribbling her grand plan in her notebook while taking classes.
Meanwhile, she rested her chin on her hand and looked at the figure who had been occupying the seat next to her for years.
"..."
Jean Valjean was sleeping with his head down.
Im Baek-yeon, having gone through puberty, was becoming increasingly attracted to him as he started to show a manly appearance.
Is she interested in him as a romantic interest?
She would nod her head.
To be more honest, she even wanted to confess.
After all, seeing Jean Valjean receive confessions from other girls only made her heart burn.
His studies... he's not exceptionally good, but he's doing pretty well.
He's the best at sports.
Unlike other boys, he's kind, mature, and somehow confident.
Above all... he understands me well and is considerate.
She could list countless reasons for liking Jean Valjean.
Especially the last reason could be said to have struck her heart.
Her mother had said:
Find a man who adapts to you, understands you, and is considerate of you.
Jean Valjean was exactly that kind of person.
That's why her heart burned when she saw him going to receive confessions, and she was very satisfied when he rejected them and came back to her.
You will never receive his attention, she thought.
She was secretly looking down on the girls who confessed.
But still, I don't want to keep seeing him receive confessions from other girls... ugh. What should I do?
Im Baek-yeon had recently fallen into a dilemma.
She didn't feel good thinking that he might turn his eyes to other girls.
Should I just confess?
Jean Valjean didn't seem to have no feelings for her either.
No, he seemed to have feelings.
"Should I really just do it?"
When her thoughts reached that point.
Im Baek-yeon muttered unconsciously while looking at the sleeping Jean Valjean.
Soon after, she shook her head.
There was something she needed to confirm first.
She moved her hand to the smartphone she kept under her desk.
Even the successor to the Fairy used her phone secretly in class.
No matter how I look at it....
Valjean and Eun-ha oppa look exactly the same.
Around the time she started middle school.
Im Baek-yeon suddenly couldn't shake off the thought that Jean Valjean resembled Noh Eun-ha.
Wouldn't Noh Eun-ha have looked like Jean Valjean when he was in middle school?
That's how much she thought about it.
As Jean Valjean grew more and more since then, her suspicion deepened as he came to resemble Noh Eun-ha more.
Then one day, while playing with Noh Eun-ah, Im Baek-yeon saw the photos she had taken.
'Huh? Is that Valjean? No... Eun-ah unnie, who is this person?'
'Who else could it be? It's Eun-ha oppa. Was this when he was in the Academy's middle school division? He looks a bit younger than now, right?'
'...Unnie, can you send me this photo?'
'There's no reason not to... Baek-yeon, you haven't fallen for our oppa, have you?'
'No way! Absolutely! Never! No!'
'If the Fairy becomes my sister-in-law... Does that mean I become the hidden power behind this country? Hmm, that might not be bad...'
'Unnie, I'm really not! Why would I like someone 12 years older than me?'
Recalling what happened not long ago.
Im Baek-yeon checked the photo.
They looked too similar.
The only difference might be that Jean Valjean started wearing glasses.
Come to think of it, he started wearing glasses from middle school too. Suspicious.
Im Baek-yeon quietly reached out her hand.
She took off Jean Valjean's glasses.
He frowned, but knowing her touch, he just let it be.
"...They're exactly the same."
Im Baek-yeon stared intently at his face.
Jean Valjean's face without glasses could be said to be just Noh Eun-ha's middle school days.
She pressed her lips together while comparing the photo and the real person.
How is this possible?
But if it's Eun-ha oppa, it wouldn't be strange if he had some magic to create a doppelganger.
No, that's not the important thing.
Im Baek-yeon changed her thoughts.
The fact that Eun-ha could create a doppelganger wasn't important.
The most important thing was that if Jean Valjean was really Noh Eun-ha's doppelganger, it meant he had deceived her for a full six years.
He had disrupted her human relationships and played with her heart.
I'm angry.
If it's really like that, I'll be disappointed.
I can't forgive him.
Then I'll never speak to Noh Eun-ha again.
On the other hand, she could understand.
Eun-ha oppa must have been worried about me...
He probably sent him as my bodyguard.
She understood her situation.
It was Noh Eun-ha's consideration.
The reason he didn't tell her anything was probably because he was considerate of her not feeling burdened.
She was grateful for that thought.
It seemed she couldn't completely hate him.
Moreover─
─If Valjean is really Eun-ha oppa...
Does that mean I liked Eun-ha oppa?
Jean Valjean = Noh Eun-ha.
If her suspicion was really correct, it meant she had come to like Noh Eun-ha.
"..."
Do I dislike Noh Eun-ha?
It's not that I dislike him.
Then do I like Noh Eun-ha? I do like him.
Then how do I feel about Noh Eun-ha romantically?
Inappropriate! 12 years older! Harem king!
Then how do I feel about Jean Valjean romantically?
I like him very much.
Assuming that Jean Valjean is Noh Eun-ha, how would I feel romantically?
...I don't think I would dislike it.
Even though he's 12 years older?
But he's considerate of me.
Even though he's a harem king?
But he's responsible.
Can you think of it that way?
Ugh... That's right. Why am I thinking like this?
Am I crazy?
Ugh... Is it really? Am I crazy?
Im Baek-yeon created a question process and turned her thoughts.
And she was slightly shocked by the result she derived.
"No, it can't be like that."
In the end, she escaped from her thoughts.
She just hoped that Jean Valjean was not Noh Eun-ha.
This won't do.
I need to confirm it for sure.
And Im Baek-yeon decided to uncover Jean Valjean's identity.
It was a pity for Jean Valjean, but she decided to secretly follow him as soon as school ended to reveal his identity.
☆
In fact, Eun-ha had planned to separate Jean Valjean from Im Baek-yeon with an appropriate reason when she graduated from elementary school.
But due to various circumstances, he ended up sending Jean Valjean to middle school.
Since it's come to this, I should let Jean Valjean guard Baek-yeon until middle school.
Originally, he was concerned that the middle school Im Baek-yeon was applying to was co-ed.
Im Baek-yeon, entering puberty, was starting to transform from a cute appearance to a more feminine atmosphere.
Eun-ha was proud of her growth, but it worried him in many ways.
What if some boneheads start bothering Baek-yeon?
Im Baek-yeon was still young.
He didn't want her to match eyes with some strange guy and end up in a relationship that would only leave her with embarrassing memories.
So Eun-ha decided that since it had come to this, he would keep Jean Valjean by her side until she graduated from middle school.
I should persuade Baek-yeon well and make her attend an all-girls high school.
Middle school might be okay, but high school boys are really dangerous.
Meanwhile, Jean Valjean was growing to look more and more like himself.
He needed a countermeasure.
So Eun-ha asked Byeok Hae-su to make glasses.
Jean Valjean frowned when he saw the glasses Eun-ha made.
'Do I really have to wear these? It seems too bothersome...'
'It can't be helped. You know too, right? We might get caught by Baek-yeon at this rate.'
'But to wear glasses, I'm not Conan, do you think other people won't recognize me?'
'That's why I asked Hae-su hyung.'
'What? What did you ask Hae-su hyung while I was out?'
'That, it's an artifact.'
'...It doesn't look like an artifact, but it's made very elaborately.'
'We have to make sure Baek-yeon doesn't notice. It was hard work.'
'Somehow I feel like you're putting effort in a strange direction... Ah, if I insult the original, I'm insulting myself. Okay, so what kind of artifact is this?'
'This is an artifact that operates constantly using mana dissolved in the air, causing a decrease in perception of the viewer.'
'So it makes people unable to think I'm the original, right?'
'Yeah.'
'You're really putting effort in a strange direction. Ah, the intelligence of the original... This means I end up insulting myself, damn it.'
Eun-ha's efforts were commendable.
Jean Valjean clicked his tongue.
And since he was also Eun-ha, he judged that this was the only way and decided to wear the glasses.
Thanks to this, Eun-ha could closely observe Im Baek-yeon's middle school life whenever he had time.
'That's stalking.'
To this, Han Seo-hyeon firmly evaluated.
She looked at Eun-ha as if looking at a pathetic person.
And not just Han Seo-hyeon.
Even Lee Yu-jung, who used to comfort and console Eun-ha when he was being cursed at, expressed passive disapproval in this matter.
'Eun-ha, that... Wouldn't Baek-yeon be very disappointed if she finds out?'
'...I have to make sure she doesn't find out.'
'You know... Rather than making sure she doesn't find out, wouldn't it be better to not do it at all...'
'I've already crossed a river that can't be uncrossed. Having come this far, I have no choice but to do it.'
Lee Yu-jung's dissuasion was also in vain.
In Eun-ha's eyes, which had even made an artifact, there was now something indescribable that could be called obsession.
His devotion to Im Baek-yeon had flowed in a direction that was not good.
Fortunately, Im Baek-yeon went to middle school, and even now that she's in her third year, she hasn't suspected Jean Valjean.
It doesn't seem like she's found out...
Should I send him to high school too?
To the extent that such thoughts occurred.
Eun-ha was satisfied with his plan and ended up letting his guard down.
Besides, there was a timely factor that made Eun-ha let his guard down.
People were praising him.
Eun-ha had now almost completed his purpose.
Therefore, he couldn't think that Im Baek-yeon would follow Jean Valjean.
"Is it time for Baek-yeon to get out of school? Hmm... Should I go see Baek-yeon after a while?"
Also, unfortunately.
Eun-ha thought of Im Baek-yeon on his way back to the clan after the meeting ended that day.
The middle school was nearby too.
Eun-ha thought about meeting Im Baek-yeon and taking her to a cafe, while also receiving a report from Jean Valjean.
Recently, he had been devoted to childcare, so he felt he had been somewhat neglectful of her.
"Come to think of it, who's on guard duty today? This morning, Baek-gi was at the clan headquarters... Is it a guard sent by the Mana Management Organization?"
Anyway, Eun-ha directed his steps.
He was thinking of calling Im Baek-yeon after receiving a report from Jean Valjean.
He planned to say he happened to pass by nearby and ask if she had time to have coffee at a cafe before going home.
And so Eun-ha met Jean Valjean.
"Why are you coming to school so dangerously? You could just cancel the magic..."
"I wanted to see for myself how you guys go to school. And also to meet Baek-yeon while I'm at it."
"Sigh, okay. Just cancel the magic. It's annoying to explain verbally, so check the memories."
"Okay, thanks. You worked hard." "When I disappear, the glasses will fall too, so make sure to pick them up. You came at a good time."
Eun-ha returned Jean Valjean.Jean Valjean's memories flowed into his head.
Eun-ha grasped what kind of life he had with Im Baek-yeon for the past few days.
This kid, he received a lot of confessions too.
Meanwhile, Eun-ha newly confirmed Jean Valjean's popularity.
He secretly felt proud.
Of course, if Han Seo-hyeon heard this, she would say:
'Are you happy about receiving confessions from middle school students?'
Knowing she would clutch her chest.
Eun-ha decided to secretly tell Lee Yu-jung and Ryu Yeon-hwa later.
Of course, Jung Ha-yang was an exception.
He didn't know how her eyes would roll.
Anyway, after roughly skimming through Jean Valjean's memories, Eun-ha called Im Baek-yeon.
───♪
But the phone sound was coming from right behind.
At that moment, cold sweat broke out involuntarily.
Eun-ha froze on the spot.
"..."
It can't be.
It shouldn't be.
It absolutely shouldn't be.
Eun-ha repeated in his mind.
Then the phone call continued.
[...Hello?]
"Oh, uh, Baek-yeon."
Thinking rationally, there was no way Im Baek-yeon could be here.
It was obvious that her bodyguard would have informed Eun-ha in advance.
But what went against Eun-ha's expectations was that even the Mana Management Organization's bodyguards hadn't anticipated the situation would turn out like this.
They just thought Im Baek-yeon was tailing Jean Valjean for fun.
How could they have known Jean Valjean was Eun-ha?
[What are you doing there?]
"..."
Eun-ha slowly turned around.
And he was at a loss for words.
"I'm really disappointed."
"B-Baek-yeon..."
"Did you enjoy playing with me all this time?"
It's over. Eun-ha's vision went dark seeing Im Baek-yeon speaking just before hanging up the phone.
☆
I'm really disappointed.
Im Baek-yeon's single sentence plunged Eun-ha into great shock.
At the time, Eun-ha tried to explain somehow and grab her.
'Just try chasing after me, then I'll really... I'm angry so don't touch me.'
But Im Baek-yeon completely shook off Eun-ha's hand and left the place.
Eun-ha was dumbfounded.
In the end, unable to catch Im Baek-yeon, Eun-ha had no choice but to trudge back to the clan headquarters.
I need to apologize to Baek-yeon.
Soon Eun-ha made up his mind.
He immediately knocked on her door.
However, Im Baek-yeon's reaction was cold.
'Baek-yeon, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you until now...'
'I don't even want to hear oppa's voice. Please let me be alone.'
'Baek-yeon... I think I understand how you feel. Let's talk face to face...'
'I said don't come in, didn't I?'
'...'
His words sounded like empty echoes to her.
Eun-ha knocked on the door, but Im Baek-yeon never opened it.
Afterwards, he kept visiting her room to apologize, but she absolutely refused to forgive him.
'Baek-yeon, good morning. Did you sleep well?'
'Don't follow me.'
It was useless even when Im Baek-yeon had to come out of her room inevitably.
Im Baek-yeon treated Eun-ha harshly, putting strength in her eyes.
She seemed to be trying to treat him as if he didn't exist.
"Why did I do that..."
As Im Baek-yeon's cold treatment and ignoring continued.
Eun-ha couldn't compose himself and just blamed himself.
He was even scolded for not properly looking at the documents Mok Min-ho brought.
To think Baek-yeon is avoiding me...
Eun-ha couldn't come to his senses.
And clan members who learned of the situation just clicked their tongues.
Saying he brought it upon himself.
The clan members didn't comfort him.
'Who told you to do that.'
His wives were the same.
Han Seo-hyeon chided him as if she knew this would happen.
At most, Lee Yu-jeong gave a bitter smile and patted Eun-ha.
In any case, there was no solution.
I guess I'll just have to apologize every day until Baek-yeon's anger subsides...
Eun-ha was greatly discouraged.
He couldn't focus on work.
His mind was full of only Im Baek-yeon.
In such a situation─
"─Thank you for everything until now. I really enjoyed fighting alongside you all. Still, send me an invitation when Yeon-hwa noona's wedding invitations come out. I'll definitely come see."
Choi Eun-hyuk, who came down from Uijeongbu for a while, renewed his contract with Pandora Clan this time.
While reducing the contract period for some clan members participating in Uijeongbu's development, his contract would automatically expire when their contracts expired.
It was essentially saying that Choi Eun-hyuk would leave the clan as soon as he finished work in Uijeongbu.
In the end... it came to this.
This morning, all clan members gathered to see off Choi Eun-hyuk who was leaving the clan.
Watching Choi Eun-hyuk packing his belongings.
Eun-ha had a bitter expression.
He wanted to hold him back, but he had to let him go in the end.
If I had done a little better...
Would Eun-hyuk have stayed in the clan?
It's regrettable to send him off like this.
It was a useless worry now.
The path Choi Eun-hyuk pursued and.
The path Eun-ha pursued were different.
Now he could only cheer for Choi Eun-hyuk's new start.
"Here."
"What's this?"
To this, Eun-ha approached him.
Then he held out a card.
It was a Hana Bank black card.
"You said you'll wander the country alone after finishing work. You won't have much money if you don't receive support from other groups either, so use this if you run short." "There's no need to go that far..."
"I'm not telling you to use it for yourself. I'm saying use it for the people you'll save in the future. Don't worry about money and use it freely."
"..."
"It's not my money anyway. Do-jun will cover it so don't worry."
Choi Eun-hyuk tried to refuse the card.
Then he paused hearing what Eun-ha said.
His pupils shook for a moment.
He smiled slightly.
"Thanks, I'll use it well."
"If you need the clan's help, tell me. We'll help anytime."
"It's reassuring to hear you say that. But for now, I'll try to manage on my own somehow. When I really need your strength, I'll ask for your help then."
Choi Eun-hyuk took the card.
Then the two shook hands.
"Then I'll be going."
"Keep in touch. See you next time."
"Yeah, see you next time."
Noh Eun-ha and Choi Eun-hyuk.
They couldn't walk life together as their aspirations were different.
But that didn't mean they weren't friends at all.
They opposed each other in their public relationship, but they were friends in their private relationship.
They just had different paths to walk.
It's not cutting ties.
So the two didn't exchange farewell words as they parted.
Instead, they exchanged words of reunion.
It was then.
"Eun-ha."
"Yeah."
"I hope you'll take good care of Seo-na. She may look fine on the outside, but she'll be struggling inside."
"You know that and you're doing this?"
"...Please."
Choi Eun-hyuk avoids answering and mumbles.
He gives a bitter smile.
In the end, all Eun-ha could do was nod.
"Alright, I'll try. Take care."
"You too. Stop just making the kids work. I'm going now."
Choi Eun-hyuk turns around.
He leaves the clan headquarters.
Eun-ha waved his hand.
Choi Eun-hyuk raised his hand without looking back.
Whoosh
At that moment, rain suddenly fell.
Even though the sky was so clear.
Weak raindrops wet the ground.
Eun-ha and the clan members saw Choi Eun-hyuk off in that rain.
"─See you next time."
Although we're parting now.
Someday the day when we walk the path together will come again.
Eun-ha told the receding Choi Eun-hyuk, looking forward to that time.