Chapter 172. Hospitalized (3)
[Wow... wow lol, I'm seriously just in awe.]
[You said you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating, you're not dating.]
[This is seriously heartwarming. Even I, a guy, felt my heart skip when he shielded her instead of drawing his sword.]
[Gotta admit what deserves it. Lee Hoyeon is a real man.]
"...What the hell did I even do to get all this praise?"
I don't think I did anything that cool at the party.
I hit play on the video, and it started with a flickering black screen.
A few moments later, the screen normalized.
"Ah... it's this moment."
On-screen, Baek A-Young was crying as she treated me.
And there I was, collapsed and bleeding.
I hadn't actually bled that much. It was just a slash to the arm.
But the blood that had flowed from my cut arm soaked into my clothes during the intense battle, making it look like I'd bled all over.
"Why's the video quality so damn good? It's too much."
The tech was so good, you could clearly see my and Baek A-Young's faces.
I kept watching.
A moment later, my pained expression hardened, and I pulled Baek A-Young toward me, shielding her with my back.
Whoosh—
A dagger flew in from somewhere and stabbed me in the back.
"Ugh... that felt so damn awful."
I remembered the sensation all over again.
That creepy feeling of a blade digging into my body.
On screen, I coughed up a bit of blood.
Probably because my insides were wrecked from Blood Beat. I was too out of it at the time to notice, but seeing it now feels kinda surreal.
My face contorted in pain after the stab, Baek A-Young's eyes widened, and then the video started to distort.
A moment later, with a crackling noise, it cut off.
"... Damn, that actually looked badass."
If even I think I look cool in a video of myself, it must be legit.
Just as I was about to read more comments, a knock sounded.
Knock knock.
'What's this now?'
Baek A-Young said there wouldn't be any visitors or caregivers allowed for a while.
"Yes. Come in."
The person who opened the door was someone I didn't expect at all.
"Looks like you're in decent shape, Cadet Lee Hoyeon."
"...Hello, Director."
"Sorry to disturb your rest. I had something urgent to discuss."
Standing outside the door was the director of Victoria Academy.
Why the hell is he here? And what's this urgent matter?
"Please, come in, Director."
"Mm, thank you."
The director leisurely entered and took a seat. I braced myself and waited for what he'd say next.
He met my gaze and slowly spoke.
"So, you two were in that kind of relationship."
"...Sorry?"
"I'm talking about Baek A-Young."
"Ah."
He must've seen her coming out of my room.
She left with a huge smile, so if he did see her, it's not a strange conclusion.
But why bring that up now?
"Actually, your image improved a lot after the social party terror incident. Are you aware?"
"...No. I just woke up and haven't checked yet."
I almost answered honestly but decided to hide my info until I knew his intentions.
"Thanks to your efforts, public opinion has shifted in your favor. Right now, the academy could swing public sentiment by revealing all the evidence."
"...."
"Meaning, we could erase all the accusations against you. But we'd need your cooperation in return."
"Cooperation? What exactly do you mean...?"
"I'll tell you if you agree to cooperate."
The director folded his arms and smirked confidently.
The academy taking my side... Not a bad offer.
Definitely 'not bad.'
But that means it's also not good.
The uproar stemmed from what happened during the Heavenly Festival terror...
Honestly, I didn't even do anything wrong that day, so is it fair for them to demand something just to cover for me?
Wasn't this whole mess caused by their lack of security?
I was willing to cut him some slack since he's Moon Surin's grandfather, but his attempt to profit from this is seriously annoying.
With the current public opinion, I don't even need the academy's help.
But even an annoying old man is still the director.
He wouldn't act without a plan.
Why's he doing this?
Two possibilities come to mind.
One, he hasn't heard about the Shinyoung Guild exposé yet.
It's only been about 10 minutes since I saw it myself, so he might've come without knowing.
Two, he thinks I haven't seen it yet.
As far as others know, I just woke up from a coma and am still recovering.
So he might've rushed here the moment the exposé dropped, thinking I was still clueless.
That second one is more likely. He came despite visit restrictions.
Maybe he used his authority to barge in.
'Either way, this is pissing me off.'
It's not that I can't understand the director.
Taking advantage when there's benefit makes sense.
But not when I'm the one being used.
What the hell has the academy ever done for me?
Every time something happens, they try to cover it up—and now this?
I spoke up with clear disapproval.
"Honestly, I don't think I really need the academy's help."
"...What was that?"
"There are plenty of people supporting me already. And frankly, this was the academy's fault, so I don't feel like cooperating. I'll handle it myself. I need rest, so could you leave?"
"...You knew everything from the start."
The director narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased.
But he didn't leave despite my blatant dismissal.
Just as I was about to say something, he spoke again.
"There's a saying: even with police around, people still live in fear of crime... Do you know why that is?"
"...."
He didn't summon magic, didn't make a threatening face.
He just looked into my eyes.
And that alone made me feel like prey being stalked by a predator.
"Because the police always arrive after it's over. The trauma and damage remain forever."
His weathered, wrinkled face carried the weight of decades of experience, using sheer presence to pressure me.
Nice try.
I'll admit, it did add a little tension.
But you're dealing with me.
I'm Lee Hoyeon, the master of emotional control.
"Director. You gonna try something? Right here?"
I smirked at him.
No matter how powerful he is, he can't touch me here.
"...It's not like I can't."
He smirked back, but now that his bluff was exposed, it meant nothing.
"Sure, killing and covering up may be your specialty, but can you really bury Lee Hoyeon, boyfriend of the Saint?"
Since he misunderstood the relationship, I had to exploit that.
Public opinion is on my side. Killing me now wouldn't go unnoticed.
And harming me in the same building as Baek A-Young?
Even if I couldn't fight back, it's not something that can be hidden.
"...So you're the kind of bastard my granddaughter would be interested in."
"...."
He stared at me in silence before his stern expression relaxed.
Then he chuckled in disbelief, looking at me.
"Well, if you're dating Baek A-Young now, at least you won't touch my granddaughter. Sorry for today. I let greed blind me and tried to profit from a cadet."
"Ah, right...."
The apology was so anticlimactic it left me deflated.
The director bowed and started to leave the room.
Watching him, a thought crossed my mind.
'This is unfair.'
Ending it like this feels wrong.
Like I just got played.
I didn't get my counterpunch in.
And from how he talks, I can already picture him going to Moon Surin saying not to worry about Lee Hoyeon since he's with Baek A-Young.
Just thinking about how annoying that'd be gives me a headache.
As he headed out, I opened my mouth.
"That was a lie."
Halt—
He froze mid-step and slowly turned back like a robot.
"...What did you just say?"
"About dating A-Young. That was a lie."
I don't even know why I did it.
Why the hell did you pick a fight with me and complicate things?
"I'm still in contact with Surin-noona too. If things go well... should I call you Wife's Grandpa? Or maybe Grandfather-in-law?"
"Good god... what a goddamn punk."
The director trembled as he stormed back in.
The mana leaking from him made everything in the room tremble.
But I didn't stop talking.
"If you take care of me a little, I'll treat Surin-noona just the way you want... So, what'll it be?"
"...."
His eyes screamed, 'What kind of little shit is this?'
"I only ask for reasonable things. Back me up publicly for cadet protection, give me some artifacts, support me a bit. That's all. Win-win, isn't it?"
"You're the first damn cadet to ever try negotiating with the director."
"So, you not gonna do it?"
"...I'll release a statement today. You rotten bastard."
Watching the director's face twist in fury like an angry mythical beast was kind of amusing.
He may be old, but outwardly he still looked middle-aged.
"Thanks. Have a good day, Director."
"...."
The director slammed the door as he stormed out.
Messing with old folks is kinda fun.
I mentally added one more thing to my bucket list.
After seducing Moon Surin, go to the director and say: [I'll take good care of the granddaughter you raised so dearly!] then run.
Best case scenario, Moon Surin stops him while he's raging.
"Mmhm. That'd be fun."
I nodded to myself, looking forward to that day.