Confession
"If my death could settle this matter, I would gladly choose death as the Family Head, but… I am afraid I have come too far for that. The world will seek to completely dismantle the clan. So… it would be better to plead with them to preserve at least the family line in exchange for giving me up. Even if I must prostrate myself abjectly."
There was no room to conceal the crimes.
Shield's investigation struck without warning, and children with wings upon their backs—living proof of human experiments—were revealed to the world.
Moreover, eyewitness accounts and evidence regarding the Center Director who had transformed into a monster and run amok during the incident poured forth, and the research facility destroyed by him was being brazenly exposed.
"Greetings, Lady Seongcheon. I have come from the Hunter Association Special Affairs Bureau. I am Yu Haseong, special crimes investigator. I must request your accompaniment to the investigation headquarters in relation to the Wing Project. If you consent to cooperate, we shall escort you with due courtesy."
"You appear to be from the Jamyeong Yu Clan. Very well. I shall comply. Let us go."
The condemnation of the world could not be avoided.
In the end, Seong Uhyang, the Family Head of the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan, decided to accept her guilt before she could further tarnish the clan's honor.
Having been escorted obediently to the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters, she was currently awaiting her sentence in solitary confinement.
Life was not uncomfortable.
This was because the Hunter Association had taken her circumstances into account and afforded her some conveniences.
Then one day.
"…."
An unexpected visitor appeared.
Sensing a presence approaching stealthily, Seong Uhyang awakened from her meditation.
While still seated in the lotus position, she opened her mouth.
"Is that you, Brother?"
"Yes, that's right. This time, you recognize me properly."
"I remembered you from before. And somehow, I had a feeling we would meet."
Seong Uhyang lifted her eyelids.
Before the iron bars stood Tacheon, the leader of the Demonic Order, having taken over the guard's body.
He who had once been her older brother, Seong Ubin.
She addressed him in a somewhat lighthearted tone.
"So, what brings you here? Have you come to mock me?"
"I cannot say I lacked the inclination. But… looking at you now, I find little pleasure in it. I suppose you won't so much as blink. The steam has gone out."
"Good."
"You have changed greatly. As a child, you cried out so fervently for the love of humanity…. To think that not only have you become the Family Head, but you also laid your hands on the Wing Project."
"…It was the clan's long-cherished wish. A Family Head must naturally prioritize the clan's glory over personal conviction. I was but a mere individual. Just as the Brother I knew no longer exists in this world, the younger sister you knew is also no longer in this world."
"…."
"And to some extent, it aligned with my convictions as well. Did you not also learn it? From the clan, from the Academy, from living in this world? An ordinary Hunter saves ten people…."
"An excellent Hunter saves a hundred; a more excellent Hunter, a thousand; and a still more excellent Hunter, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, ten million—is that the ideology you speak of?"
"Yes. Had the Wing Project succeeded, the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan might have been able to save ten times, perhaps even a hundred times more people than before. Would that not have been the true love of humanity?"
Seong Uhyang smiled serenely.
Tacheon let out a hollow laugh.
"So, this is the result of prioritizing the clan's glory? It can only be called ironic. The granddaughter you doted on chose her own convictions and brought the clan to ruin."
"It is all due to my lack of virtue."
"And yet you look relieved."
"Do I? Perhaps it is because I am doing nothing but spending my days in solitary confinement."
Not showing the slightest agitation, Seong Uhyang maintained a calm, composed attitude throughout.
Facing her for the first time in decades, Tacheon felt the passage of time anew, seeing how adept she had grown at concealing her emotions.
Clicking his tongue briefly, he changed the subject.
"What will you do now? Will you merely accept a life sentence and die here?"
"That would not be so bad either. They likely will not force me into penal labor, so I should like to spend my later years resting comfortably. What other way was there from the start?"
"Come under me."
"…."
"You have nothing left to lose, do you? You say you wish to rest comfortably in your later years? In truth, you cannot desire a life of rotting in prison. Rather than that, join my ambition. If you do, I shall have you out at once. And when my ambition is fulfilled, I shall carve out a portion of the world and give it to you. In that world, you shall become a god and truly realize the convictions you desired. What say you? You will not regret it."
Tacheon spoke after a moment of deliberation.
In this moment, for the first time.
Seong Uhyang's eyebrows twitched.
But it lasted only briefly.
Regaining her tranquil expression at once, she opened her mouth.
"I must refuse."
"…Why?"
"Because your ambition is dangerous. Dangerous beyond compare with the Wing Project. It will inevitably force sacrifice upon countless people."
"What of it? Sacrifice for the greater good is inevitable. You were the same, were you not?"
"The scale of the sacrifice is different. Moreover, your ambition does not seem to have the purpose of saving people. Does it not lean more toward pursuing personal glory?"
"You can save them."
"Only in my world, at most."
"…."
"What you are trying to do is massacre. You are trying to become a mass murderer."
"You are wrong. Kill one, and you are a murderer; kill a million, and you are a hero; kill all people, and you are a god. Therefore, I am neither committing massacre nor trying to become a mass murderer. I am trying to nobly become a god."
"You are mad."
"Is that something you should say?"
Both Seong Uhyang and Tacheon.
As if to declare they would not bend their will, they silently gazed at each other.
Eventually, Tacheon let out a sigh.
"Are you certain you will not regret this? It is your last chance."
"I appreciate your consideration, but I must decline."
"Very well… so be it. You will not see me again going forward. If you do, it will be after your death. So take care to live well, and die well. I take my leave."
"Yes, and I pray your ambition is never realized. Die well."
With that conversation concluded.
As Tacheon withdrew, the guard whose body he had taken collapsed with a thud.
Seong Uhyang pressed the call button to summon the other guards.
* * *
As it was a clear crime committed against humans, not spirits, it was different from the time of the Cycle.
The raging public opinion did not subside, and voices united in calling for judgment.
Unable to ultimately defy the world, the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan was forced to face its downfall.
Family Head Seong Uhyang was sentenced to life imprisonment, and the involved parties received appropriate punishments according to the severity of their crimes.
A considerable portion of the family's assets was also seized.
Moreover, they lost their qualification as one of the Ten Great Clans.
This was because all the renowned houses that had sworn loyalty to the clan had turned their backs.
Consequently, the vacant seat would be managed by an Emergency Countermeasures Committee organized by the Five Great Houses of White Magic until the following year, when the Ten Great Clans would be newly selected.
However, since the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan was excluded, it was effectively composed of four clans.
And Seong Dasom, who had provided the cause for this turn of events, feeling guilt and remorse, severed ties with the clan.
'It's all over now.'
Now that she would live as Seong Dasom—a promising talent in the White Magic lineage at best, with no background whatsoever—she could no longer continue her duties as Student Council President.
It had been uncomfortable from the start.
Of course, there were still many who liked her and expressed their support, but….
Occasionally, regardless of the truth, there were those who slandered her simply for having been a person of the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan, or denounced her as a traitor due to a mindset of loyalty to the clan.
Each time, though she had steeled herself, her heart could not help but break.
Above all.
"…."
She could not feel proud of herself.
And so, on the day the midterm exams ended, Seong Dasom resigned as Student Council President, her final task completed.
She packed her belongings into a box to empty her office.
'From now on… I must live with my eyes wide open. If I make a mistake or am deceived, there will be no one to blindly shield me anymore. I must judge, decide, and take responsibility myself. Still, fortunately, Su-hyeok and the juniors have promised to help… and Eun Sol also said she would tell me this and that as a senior who became independent first. Though I wonder if I can truly rely on them.'
Though she had left the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan, the future was not entirely dark.
Since she would graduate the following year, tuition was not a major concern for now.
After all, she had already paid for the current semester.
The problem was the tuition for the next semester….
She was determined to either earn an Excellence Scholarship through effort, make money through part-time work, borrow from acquaintances, or take out a loan if necessary.
Though she was still evaluated as a promising talent, she believed that if she requested a loan using that credit as collateral, she could at least secure tuition money.
And after graduating from the Academy….
'I'll have to join a clan that promises the best possible conditions.'
She could do it.
It would not be difficult.
She was not afraid.
Seong Dasom resolved to suppress her anxiety about the uncertain future.
It was then that Eun Su-hyeok opened the office door and entered.
She welcomed him.
"You're here?"
"Is everything packed?"
"Yes, this is everything. From now on, you will be working here. Acting Student Council President, I leave it in your care."
"Leaving everything to others…."
"I'm sorry for the trouble."
"I didn't say that so you would apologize. You can lean on me as much as you want. I will take care of everything. So don't trouble yourself needlessly and live comfortably."
"…Yes, thank you."
Seong Dasom smiled softly.
Eun Su-hyeok cautiously reached out and touched her cheek.
Maintaining eye contact, the two lightly pressed their lips together.
After that, he took a small box from his pocket.
"What is this?"
"Open it."
At the hand Eun Su-hyeok extended.
Seong Dasom, having accepted the box in a daze, opened her eyes wide.
When she asked with curiosity, he smirked and avoided answering.
In the end, unable to overcome her curiosity, she opened the box, and….
"Su-hyeok, this is…."
"Do you like it? For now, this is a gift for my proposal; let us choose the wedding rings together later. Then, I will do as you say."
"Proposal gift? Wedding rings? Su-hyeok, are you right now…."
Looking at the ring inside the box.
Seong Dasom was unable to continue, overwhelmed by surging emotion.
Eun Su-hyeok embraced her and gently spoke above her head.
"I told you."
"…."
"Even if you make the whole world your enemy, no matter what kind of person you become. I alone will be by your side, always."
"Ah…."
"Since the day I confessed my feelings to you, I have been determined to do this. So please, marry me."
"But I… have nothing. I have… nothing I can give you?"
"It does not matter. To me, you alone are all I need."
"Later… you might regret it. You never know what I might do…. I am terribly jealous. If you ever so much as look at another woman, I will…."
"I will not regret it. And I can guarantee that I will never take another woman besides you. You are the only one for me in this life. Even if you pass before me, I will live my whole life longing for you. No, when that time comes, I shall follow you in death."
"You really… you don't have to go that far. I told you that if I die, you should meet another woman and be happy."
"Did you not just say you were terribly jealous?"
"Don't nitpick."
"Very well."
"I will live much longer than you, so you will never take another woman besides me."
Seong Dasom's eyes reddened.
She sniffled and laughed through her tears.
Eun Su-hyeok held her close.
"I would like to hear your answer now."
"Yes, Su-hyeok. Let us get married."
And so, with their foreheads pressed together, they slipped the rings onto each other.
* * *
Meanwhile, as the so-called Gwangmyeong Seong Clan Gate was being settled to some extent.
Even though I had not particularly suggested it, So Hye-yul had decided to sponsor the children who had lost their homes when the orphanage was disbanded due to this incident.
Furthermore, it seemed she did not intend to stop there, but planned to establish and run a separate orphanage in the Academy City.
—I heard that child, student Hanbyeol, also lost her family in an accident and grew up in an orphanage. Perhaps because of that, I thought of how gloomy she must have been before she met Jeongjin, and I simply couldn’t look away and pass by.
Whatever the reason may have been.
So Hye-yul seemed to feel compassion for children who had nowhere to rely on.
As someone who knew her from the game, I could only welcome the change in her, as she seemed no longer buried solely in the past but steadily looking at the present.
Surely, the her of now would become a reliable pillar of support for them.
Meanwhile.
“I thought I should tell all of you first. We’ve decided to get married!”
“That’s how it turned out. We’re getting married. We’ve already filed the marriage registration and are on our way back.”
“Pardon? Seniors, what did you just say? Are you insane?”
“…”
While public opinion about Seong Dasom was divided within the Academy.
Eun Suhyeok abruptly announced, without any prior warning, that he would be marrying Seong Dasom.
Naturally, as the news spread far and wide, the Academy was thrown into an uproar.
‘From Senior Suhyeok’s perspective, he means to bring Senior Dasom into the Seolchang Eun Clan and protect her… But isn’t this way too sudden?’
Apparently, they had agreed to hold the wedding later after graduating from the Academy, and had gone through the administrative procedures first.
Eun Suhyeok was one thing, and Seong Dasom was another.
Truly, I could only say that their drive was so incredible it left my jaw hanging.
When the two of them came to find me and my friends to report that they had become husband and wife, I was so dumbfounded…
Since it was so absurd, I secretly confronted Eun Suhyeok.
“I did say that if you wanted to persuade Senior Dasom, you needed to push ahead decisively, but good grief… marriage? When I heard you two were dating, I could at least understand that, but how did it suddenly become marriage? No, didn’t you push ahead a little too decisively?”
“That’s how much I wanted Dasom. I also thought that was the only sure way to calm Dasom’s anxiety. So I’m grateful to you. Thank you.”
“Good grief… Fine. I get it. Since it’s come to this, the two of you should live happily together. Congratulations on your marriage.”
I wondered if there were really people in the world who handled marriage as if they were cramming for an exam…
At any rate, I decided to feel relieved by the fact that both Eun Suhyeok and Seong Dasom looked extremely bright.
By the way…
“Ahem! So, Senior.”
“What is it?”
“You got married, and now the two of you are living in the same room… so… did you do it? How was it?”
“I’m sorry, but even if you are my benefactor, I can’t answer that question. If you’re curious, experience it yourself.”
“…”
Eun Suhyeok wore the face of a victor for all to see, the corners of his mouth twitching.
His smug attitude was truly hateful beyond words.
The more I looked at him, the more irritated I became for no reason.
To the point that I prayed without realizing it.
‘Just get divorced already.’
Please.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss