noveldrama
Chapter 156
Chapter 156
**That Night. Inside a Luxury Hotel Room in Seoul.**
Yu-jin spent the night wide awake, his mind swirling with countless thoughts.
*“I thought watching Colonel Seo’s memories would solve everything…”*
The reason for his restlessness was what he had just seen in those memories.
Hadn’t he assured Aika and Bbo that everything would be straightforward? He’d promised them that tracking down Paimon would be a piece of cake—just leave it to him.
It wasn’t baseless confidence. The Paimon he remembered was careless, arrogant, constantly spouting out crucial information with zero discretion.
*[Paimon, do you have more like this elsewhere?]*
*[Why do you ask?]*
*[Well, I was just…]*
*[I am far too busy to waste time on the curiosity of someone like you.]*
*“What is going on with Paimon?”*
But Paimon’s behavior? He instantly shut down Colonel Seo’s cautious question, even showing displeasure by remaining silent. It was completely unlike the Paimon he remembered.
*[Would you not consider being mine, my consort?]*
*[Why am I setting the world ablaze, you ask? To show terror. To dominate this planet.]*
*[What do I enjoy? Watching battles! Witnessing the bravery of warriors firsthand is…]*
*[My chest size? Haha, do you admire my overwhelming mana? Right now, it’s an L-cup…]*
*[My weakness? There is none! I never lose to anything inferior! Unless, perhaps, they surpass me in manipulating souls, which… is unlikely to exist.*]
*“Why would he spill all the secrets to me but clam up with Colonel Seo?”*
That’s what baffled Yu-jin.
He’d thought Paimon’s loose-lipped nature would have led to him spilling key information even back then, but Colonel Seo’s memories had yielded nothing. Not a single clue to help track Paimon.
*“Well, I suppose I could wait another three years to catch him if I need to…”*
It wasn’t exactly an issue. After all, he’d caught that demon once before; he wasn’t afraid, especially after reincarnating.
But despite this, Yu-jin couldn’t get a moment’s rest because…
*Hug* *Squish*
“Mmm…”
He was acutely aware of Aika, sound asleep, clinging to him.
Once again, a whirlwind stirred in the heart of the honorable young man.
*[I love you, my disciple. As a man, as my husband.]*
*[Hurry up and confess. Hold me all night.*]
*“Master… what did you mean by that?”*
Her words from earlier—an unconscious confession spoken in her weakened state.
And as Yu-jin replayed them in his mind?
*Wait, this really sounded like a confession…*
*Bonk* went Hypnosis-chan, smacking his head.
*It can’t be a misunderstanding. This was an honest, drunken confession.* *Bonk.*
*No, surely not. Bonk.*
*It’s true, though. She feels the same way about me. Bonk.*
*Has she had feelings for me for a while? Bonk. Bonk. Bonk.*
*“Now that I think about it… I’m almost sure it was a confession.”*
*Bonk.*
[Hypnosis-chan is swinging weakly.]
[“Master, I’m exhausted…” it complains with a whimper.]
*“…Or maybe it was just sleep talk?”*
The supposed confession started to lose its glow, dulled under the possibility of misunderstanding and a small, mischievous presence in his mind.
*“Still… Master, that was a little unfair.”*
*Hug*
*“I won’t forgive you even if it was sleep talk.”*
But it wasn’t entirely without meaning. This spark had solidified the young man’s resolve.
—He would confess his feelings to his mentor.
*Softly whispering*
“Aika, just wait. Next time, I’ll be the one to say it.”
“When I catch Paimon, when I take the S-rank’s top spot…”
“I’ll tell you I love you, ask you to marry me, and ask you to let me hold you all night.”
“I’ll ask you to have my children.”
And so, the self-proclaimed master of bonds resolved to fully embrace that title in truth.
“Mmm…?”
*Hugging tightly*
“W-wait! Master, you’re suffocating me… my carotid artery…!”
“Disciple…?”
“Mm… Mmph…”
And though he eventually fainted, his nose buried in her chest thanks to his mentor’s sleep-induced grip, his resolve remained unshaken.
---
**The Next Morning: Monday. The Beginning of Week 10 at the Academy.**
“…”
*“It’s been a while since I woke up alone and headed to work without those two around.”*
For Director Seol Ha-yeon, it was an unusual morning.
Sleeping and waking up alone felt strange; it was the first time since she’d taken Winter and Haru under her wing.
*“Is this what it would feel like to retire to the countryside? To be alone every morning, every day?”*
The spacious director’s office felt strangely empty.
Living the peaceful life of a farmer after retiring—she’d always thought it would be nice.
But without Haru and Winter? Without the warmth of other people?
*“Would I really be happy? I think it would just be… lonely.”*
This thought made her curl up, wrapping her arms around her knees.
*“Ninomiya, she’s so lucky… she managed to catch a man who loves her before it was too late. I’d have been thanking every god and spirit if it were me.”*
She thought of Ninomiya, who had messaged the night before, saying she’d be staying at the hotel.
To be honest, she was a little envious.
Aika had the happiness of being cherished as a woman, something Ha-yeon had long given up on. And Aika had gained it effortlessly, at the age of thirty-two—not too late.
And all thanks to Seo Yu-jin, a first-rate groom-to-be.
*“There’s hardly a man like him around. No, he might be one of a kind in the whole world.”*
Her thoughts drifted to Yu-jin.
In an industry where the male-to-female ratio was 1:9, he was a rare male Awakener. Not only that, but he was exceptionally handsome, had an EX-class innate talent, and was widely regarded as a promising candidate to succeed Ninomiya.
There was no better potential partner for an Awakener.
*“And his character is top-notch. He’s my equal in that.”*
Ha-yeon thought highly of him too.
Who was she, after all?
She was a living legend, credited with helping South Korea become one of the strongest Awakener nations. No one in the modern era would dare to treat her disrespectfully.
In fact, most people kept their distance. Even though she wore the same uniform as the cadets and tried to be approachable, many Awakeners found her overwhelming.
That is, unless they were a second-generation chaebol like Sia or a foreigner like Alice.
And so, Seol Ha-yeon, forced into a lonely lifestyle, had come to appreciate the youthful company she kept.
*[You’re trying to boss me around for free, you old hag!]*
*[Aaaah!! This hag, she really…]*
*“That kid calls me an old hag? His guts are impressive.”*
Yu-jin was different.
He joked with her without a hint of hesitation. When she flustered him, he would respond by calling her names, jokingly complaining.
He once slyly took her prized red ginseng drink and later snuck back with an even better gift to make up for it.
*“He really made my later years enjoyable.”*
His easygoing nature had lifted the cloud of isolation that had long surrounded her.
He turned an A-class Awakener she’d captured into a surrogate granddaughter, brought a villain who’d once tried to take her life under her wing, and kept coming to see her whenever he had time, even if just to pester her a bit.
She found it all incredibly refreshing.
*“Though it’s irritating when he just drops by and leaves me with more work…”*
*Suddenly*
“Director, are you in?”
“Hmm?”
And just when she’d been moping around alone, Yu-jin showed up.
A smile slipped onto her face. He always seemed to show up just when she was feeling a bit lonely. It was a smile filled with that sort of fondness.
“Can’t stay in bed, I see.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Anyway, Yu-jin, what brings you here so early?”
“Please hold a festival! During the finals! Make it as grand as possible!”
“…?”
Of course, he seemed oblivious to all this and instead made a bizarre request.
The smile faded from her lips, a sense of weariness beginning to seep into her expression.
“A festival? This sounds absurd… Fine, explain yourself. What nonsense is this?”
“Yes, I’ll start by reporting on last night’s events. I successfully made contact with someone connected to Paimon, but…”
Ha-yeon’s brow furrowed as she listened.
“So you couldn’t determine her location?”
“No. She’s usually so loose-lipped, but she acted aloof with the Colonel. I got nothing.”
“You’re not the type to report a failure so brazenly. Explain what this has to do with your festival idea.”
“
Ah, brace yourself—it’s quite a plan.”
Despite everything, Yu-jin was smiling brightly. He seemed quite pleased with the plan he’d concocted overnight.
“When we don’t know where the prey is, we lure it in with bait!”
“…What?”
“Paimon is obsessed with battles.”
He continued explaining, his eyes practically sparkling.
*“At first, I thought it was hopeless…”*
*[Hey, where’s number 47?]*
*[She’s currently in Lab 2. Why do you ask?]*
*[Bring her here and let her spar with number 1.]*
*[What!? Absolutely not! She could get hurt!]*
*[I’m not asking for bloodshed. Just a sparring match, okay? I haven’t seen a good fight in months, and I’m getting restless…]*
*“Actually, she seems a bit like a dopamine addict.”*
Looking back, he remembered a casual exchange from Colonel Seo’s past.
Paimon had once wanted to make Haru and Winter spar with each other, purely because she was bored.
At the time, he had dismissed it as simply another example of her cruelty.
But now…
*[What do I enjoy? Watching battles!]*
*“That lines up perfectly with what I know about her.”*
He’d been so focused on locating her that he hadn’t considered it.
But now he had the realization. Paimon loved watching fights—almost obsessively.
“That’s why we need a festival. At the world’s top academy, during finals, disguised as a festival!”
“You’re saying you want the cadets to spar? On a festival day?”
“Yes, we’ll set it up as a combat exam. It’ll draw tons of attention. I’m certain Paimon will come.”
“Even if I believe you, that doesn’t sound very convincing. I can’t see her racing over just to watch a bunch of novices spar.”
Seol Ha-yeon expressed her skepticism. Her instincts told her this wasn’t right.
“Well, that’s true for ordinary cadets… but what if it’s something else?”
“What do you mean?”
“If the S-rank number one, Ninomiya Aika, and S-rank number seven, Seo Yu-jin, were the ones sparring, that would be a different story.”
“…Oh?”
Ha-yeon’s expression shifted once more, becoming even more complex.
“You know what that implies.”
“Yes. During finals, I’ll face my master…”
*Smiling confidently*
“And I’ll confess my love to her as the strongest in the world, the number one S-rank.”