Would You Like to Go On a Date With Me?
Lunchtime.
Instead of heading to the cafeteria, I made a beeline for Ryu Hyemi’s lab.
Ryu Hyemi is almost convinced. All I need to do is get her out of the academy, and she'll be completely mine. Changing the setting often shifts feelings. So, if I can get her outside for an intense date, it'll be almost a done deal.
I should've asked her earlier.
I meant to suggest we spend lunchtime together during the examination, but teasing Minsoo was just too entertaining, and I lost track.
If I go to the cafeteria, Yoomin and Soojin will be there, and they'll definitely interrupt… better to order in.
Victory Academy offers ridiculously high-end services, to the point of making you wonder, ‘Is this even real?' One of those services is delivery. If you miss a meal during training or are too busy to go out, you can simply open the Victory cafeteria app, choose your menu, and have it delivered. This way, I can enjoy a quiet meal with Ryu Hyemi alone in the lab.
"Hmm?" As I strolled towards the lab while plotting how to make Minsoo cry, I saw him coming from the opposite direction. Since the lab was between us, I knew exactly what he was up to.
As the distance between us closed, he didn’t even notice me. He kept his head down and was muttering something. I leaned in to catch what he was saying.
"I'll definitely confess… tell her I like her… Baek Taeyang just told me, but I'll confidently tell Instructor Ryu Hyemi… no, Hyemi noona directly, to show that I'm better… And, uh… anyway… I'll set up a date… and confess sincerely… do this and that… I can do it… No need to be shy, I'm Kim Minsoo, the second-ranked freshman at Victory Academy, so I deserve it… I like her… and I know she likes me too…"
This was truly disgusting. I thought I'd seen enough of him to handle anything, but this was beyond the pale. If he were at least good-looking, it might be different, but his appearance barely scraped above average, and seeing him like this…
With his messy hair and complete lack of grooming, how did he even end up being popular? I couldn't fathom where he got the confidence to spout such nonsense. He's not even popular anymore.
After showing the heroines the harsh truth, they dropped Minsoo like a bad habit, because it was only natural. He made no effort to groom himself, inexplicably gained popularity, and couldn't even express his feelings properly—that's Kim Minsoo. By all logic, he shouldn't have been popular, but he somehow fumbled his way through this far.
"Hey Minsoo, what are you doing?" I called out when he was about to leave Hyemi with a bad memory. He looked genuinely surprised, as if he hadn't even noticed me standing there.
"Huh…? Oh, Baek Taeyang… Why are you here?"
Why? To save Ryu Hyemi, obviously.
"I'm still not done with the thorough examination, so Instructor Ryu asked to see me separately."
"What…? Oh… but it's lunchtime. You should be eating."
"What can I do? She called me."
I didn't bother asking him why he was there. If he started talking, he would ramble endlessly, and I didn't want to hear it.
Minsoo looked very flustered by the unexpected interference before he could carry out his plan.
"Uh… well, I also have business with her… So I guess we should go in together…"
"Really? I was told I'd be getting checked alone… What's your reason?"
"For… for revenge for that time!!!"
As usual, he tried to go full throttle. The protagonist, who spits while talking loudly in the hallway. This is driving me crazy. It's obvious that laughing here will ruin the atmosphere. I absolutely can't laugh.
"Pfft…" A breath escaped between my smirking lips.
"I… I can eat fish now too! I can debone fish, just like you did! I won't lose anything anymore!"
Every word from him tickled my sides. It felt like someone was gently tickling my feet with a feather. The only fortunate thing was that it was lunchtime, so there was no one in the hallway.
"Don't laugh! How long do you think you can keep laughing like that? Do you think you're something special? Do you?!"
Inferiority and jealousy. Having opened his mouth, he seemed determined to spill everything out. I couldn't respond to Minsu's words at all.
Sad thoughts, sad thoughts, sad thoughts.
Laughing out loud here would only embarrass him. And in such a situation, the one who stays quiet always appears more normal. Moreover, it was the perfect scene to create the most important situation.
The documentary Tears of the Antarctic… a sad movie… a novel…
While listening to Minsoo's nonsense and reminiscing over sad memories for a while.
Squeak—
"Student Kim Minsoo?" The lab door opened, and Ryu Hyemi came out. With the noise coming from outside, it was only natural for her to come out. This was exactly what I had aimed for. Sёarᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Oh, uh… Instructor Ryu Hyemi… I, uh…!"
"It was so noisy outside that I came out to see what was going on. What's all the shouting about?"
Ryu Hyemi, apparently in the middle of work, had her hair tied back in a ponytail. Also, the sight of her armpits visible through the white coat was enough to create a new fetish.
"Well, I was just…"
I didn't need Minsoo any longer. Honestly, barging in while the instructor was working to invite her to lunch was a pretty unreasonable act. But since Minsoo had gone full throttle, it naturally created an opportunity to talk to her.
"Hello, Instructor Ryu Hyemi."
"Oh, Student Baek Taeyang, you're here too? What's going on?"
"I felt the thorough examination earlier was a bit lacking."
And it's lunchtime, too. As I said this, I subtly glanced at Minsoo.
Quick to catch on, she nodded and came over, gently linking her arm with mine. "Then we'll have to continue the examination… But Student Kim Minsoo, what business do you have?”
"Well, I just…! Go… go…!"
"Sorry, I'm busy right now… Could you come back after lunchtime? I'll listen then. See you later."
Minsoo, unable to say anything, stammered and watched us disappear into the lab. In fact, if he had seriously confessed right now, the situation might have changed.
Love isn't something you can give up easily. Especially childhood friends' pure love is certainly hard to abandon. Loving one person for years isn't an easy thing. A steadfast heart doesn't change just because someone more attractive appears.
But I made Minsoo gave up. Such love is usually broken by the person involved. Minsoo is the epitome of a loser who can't speak his feelings. He missed his chance not once, but twice, and no longer had a springtime.
The door slowly closed, and I saw Minsoo's dazed expression. It was the face of someone who had decided to confess but failed to say anything and realized belatedly that he had only been a nuisance.
I waved at him with a deep, mocking smile.
Goodbye.
I think I can give him another good experience soon.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Inside the lab, Ryu Hyemi and I were sitting across from each other with a desk between us. We decided on a simple sandwich for the meal, something that wouldn't get messy while eating.
We ordered delivery, a menu item that Minsoo, who babbled about grilled fish, couldn't possibly think of. He's the kind of guy who would eat kimchi stew on a first date.
Seeing his obsession with deboning fish, he must have watched some strange dating videos. No matter how memorable it was that I deboned fish for Yoomin, who picks a meal for a date with a heroine like that?
"So… what's the real reason you came?"
"I haven't heard a proper response to my confession yet."
"Oh… that…"
Ryu Hyemi showed a very weak side when faced with genuine emotions. Even now, just hearing the word "confession," she was already hesitating, which was telling enough. But at the same time, if I pushed too hard, she might feel pressured, so I needed to pace myself appropriately.
Still, this is a success.
It wasn't a firm rejection, and she didn't draw a line by saying things like "student and instructor." If she was hesitating on how to respond, it meant I was already halfway successful.
"I know… it's sudden, right… So I feel like I haven't shown you my true self properly yet. How about a date this Sunday?"
"A… A date…? With me? You… and me?"
"Yes, but if you don't want to… it's okay to decline."
Here, I needed to put on a slightly pitiful face. I lowered my head and looked up at her with a sympathetic expression.
Ryu Hyemi would never turn down a date invitation. Not just because of my forlorn expression. The main reason was that she was a woman who had dreamt of this situation more than anyone else. Exchanging emotions and going on a date with someone she felt connected to. This was the scenario she had dreamt of.
"I… I don't dislike it… I like it… let's go on a date." Hyemi nodded and lowered her head deeply.
It's the beginning of a fresh, innocent love.
Wait, come to think of it, I have a date with Soojin on Saturday.
It's the beginning of a fresh, innocent harem.
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