Chapter 135

I was confident when I heard that I had to give some dating advice. I truly believed that if I only utilized my brilliant insight, the other person’s romantic endeavors would be successful.

However, that confidence crumbled shortly after she began her story.

If I thought that providing dating advice simply involved listening to her story and giving necessary advice…

What the Art Club President considered as dating advice was—

“So, before I explain why I started to like Kim Ha-neul, I should start with my parents’ story—”

It was genuinely her story.

Her long narrative included everything from when she met Kim Ha-neul, when she fell in love, and why she gave up on confessing to Kim Ha-neul after learning about Kim’s relationship with the Student Council President.

Was I just trying to make a quick buck by offering this consultation?

I should have realized the complexity of the task when I decided to offer dinner in exchange for helping with the advice.

By the time we finished eating, her story wasn’t even close to over, and the night had deepened. Currently, as we walked home, she was still talking—though it was technically more like she was continuing to speak while I listened.

It felt like she was releasing years of pent-up frustrations, to the point that I started to wonder if she had any friends besides me.

Instead of concentrating on her story, I found myself distracted by the way she acted while talking. It wasn’t anything especially significant, just small things—like how she maintained perfect posture even while eating, ate more than an average person, or would suddenly stop and sketch in her notebook when we were outside.

These subtle actions caught my attention more than her actual story or any messages I received. Not that these messages could simply be ignored.

[Sub-scenario: You are currently encountering a key heroine related to the fake relationship scenario. The conditions for the fake relationship to take effect are as follows: 1. The protagonist must be known to be dating another heroine. 2. Art Club President Seol Hee-na must realize that the protagonist does not genuinely care for the other heroine.]

While considering this, I skimmed through the message I had been deliberately ignoring and paused.

Could it be that this girl knew Kim Ha-neul and the Student Council President were faking their relationship, and that was why she was probing for answers through this consultation?

That thought made me understand why an Art Club President, affiliated with the Student Council, would not solve this issue directly but submit it as an order.

—This order is almost like a named request. Even though no one specific was named, it feels like a request directed at the Student Council President.

If that’s the case, why didn’t the Vice President intervene while I was standing at the request board? And why did Seol Hee-na not object and start this conversation disguised as a consultation?

“It’s about time we got to the point, right?”

When there wasn’t a system message, I thought her story was merely taking a long time. But now, with the system’s message, it was clear that her talk was purposefully going around in circles without reaching the main point.

It felt like we wouldn’t get to the crux of the matter by the time we reached home, so I directly asked for the main topic.

“I was trying to explain the background so the story that follows makes sense, but since we’ve already covered this much, it’s time we get to the main point.”

After talking at length since the beginning, the formal language she used earlier gradually shifted into casual speech.

She was casually speaking in casual terms back at the dorms, but back in the classroom, she reverted to the honorific form—strange.

The woman beside me took a breath, then glanced at me with trembling eyes.

“It seems like the Student Council President is continuing a relationship with Kim Ha-neul even though their hearts don’t align. Do you know why they continue in this way?”

Perhaps she already anticipated how her inquiry into others’ affairs might seem, so her tone, unlike earlier, was now filled with caution.

But my answer was already predetermined.

“I don’t know. Even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

I do have some suspicions, though. I’m confident that Kim Ha-neul is searching for the True Heroine, and from what I can see, the woman the Student Council President is looking for might also be the True Heroine.

However, matters involving the True Heroine are not something one can discuss freely with others, so all I could do was say I couldn’t tell her.

“…That’s why I’m also worried. If they’re getting along, it’d be fine, but I can’t just leave it as is. If they’re in a relationship for some other purposes, even if I confess, all I’d do is burden Kim Ha-neul.”

“So why did you choose me specifically to share this story?”

Seol Hee-na’s narrative, filled with concern for Kim Ha-neul and the Student Council President, started with an implicit premise.

That the listener would already know the story in order to avoid spreading rumors about her love interest, Kim Ha-neul.

Though I don’t have many friends, it doesn’t mean spreading rumors is impossible. Just because I’m isolated doesn’t mean I can’t gossip.

I’m a person who embodies kindness, so if someone realized that, they might trust me with this story. But that recognition didn’t seem present here.

“It’s because the initial hints I got came from how the two treated you. It’s a bit delicate to say, but if the two people who supposedly love Kim Ha-neul so much have secrets, they’re not bad enough not to share those secrets with you. Also, when I mentioned that Kim Ha-neul and the Student Council President were just pretending to be in love, I didn’t see any surprise from you.”

I probably should have asked for clarification earlier.

According to the Art Club President, she deduced my knowledge based on how the pair interacted with me, but I doubt she had seen how the two treated me. More likely, her conclusion was based on my statements earlier.

Could my honest attitude have accidentally revealed the hidden secrets others tried to conceal?

Perhaps the saying “being too kind isn’t always good” originates from cases like these. My kindness feels somewhat sinful right now…

“Anyway, I wanted to ask someone who knows the details of the situation what I should do. I don’t want to blindly force myself onto Kim Ha-neul without considering his well-being.”

Kim Ha-neul probably wouldn’t accept her confession anyway. He’s searching for the True Heroine.

However, confessing isn’t always done with the certainty that the other person will accept. Sometimes, it’s an expression of hope or to signify the end of a chapter in a relationship, even if it doesn’t go as expected.

The reasons for confessing are diverse, so dissuading her declaration because Kim Ha-neul might not accept would be an unkind act towards Seol Hee-na.

As I hesitated about what to say regarding her confession, we stopped because the traffic light turned red.

“Alright, that’s all.”

“What do you mean?”

“You need to head home too, right? We’ll continue this another day. I’ll give you an answer when you want it. And obviously, I won’t tell anyone what I’ve learned today.”

The woman beside me was wrapping things up in an incredibly tidy manner, compared to the two queens I knew. Despite gaining no answers or help from our meeting.

Even considering our conversation, she appeared as a genuinely kind person. Though this world’s system of assigning someone like her to Kim Ha-neul made me somewhat resentful.

“Well, see you later.”

“Yeah, see you.”

We exchanged parting words and parted ways.

Considering how long her story took, her polite conclusion was indeed a reflection of her character.

If I had known the conversation would end this quickly, I might have paid more attention to the messages at the start. But I intentionally ignored them, assuming I could check them later.

Still, since today’s events are over, I only need to go home and rest. But before doing so, I stopped in front of a waiting pink-haired woman holding a suitcase, leaning against the entrance door.

She immediately left the door upon seeing me and approached me, dragging her suitcase slowly.

“What’s up? I already mentioned I’d be late.”

I had sent a text to avoid offending her, not expecting her to have waited outside all this time.

Bringing her suitcase out meant she might be planning to leave for good.

Tensing, I prepared for a possible confrontation, but the woman approached and lightly massaged my shoulder with her free hand, perhaps signaling for me to relax.

“What’s up? The semester is over, and I thought I’d leave this house soon. Unlike you, I don’t ignore others—I wanted to say goodbye face to face. Or do you think I should stay here and be monitored because I’m the one defeated by your ally?”

“No, if you have somewhere to go, please leave in peace. And, uh, can I still see you at school?”

Though her sudden announcement of departure surprised me, if she has somewhere to go, it was better to let her farewell peacefully.

Since it seemed that my late original owner’s sister might drop by during the holiday, it might be better for Kang Yu-ri to leave before they meet. After all, while she seemed to like me, the original owner hated her.

As I thought this, I stared at her mischievous smile, wondering if I’d see her again at school.