Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 174
Chapter 174
Afterword: Confession (1)
***
It’s troublesome.
Unfortunately, I’m currently stuck in a very difficult situation.
“Ugh.”
It’s been several months since I moved into this spacious house.
With a beautiful garden, a quiet pond, and state-of-the-art training facilities, I beamed at the luxurious scenes of my splendid new home.
Of course, it was only natural. After all, the success I’ve achieved in this life stands in stark contrast to what I endured in my past one.
However, the joy was short-lived.
I soon realized that the girls were holed up in my house, refusing to move out.
Soyeon concocted all sorts of excuses, demanding to live with me, while Baek Yoorin, seemingly fond of the training facilities, even offered half of her salary just to stay here.
Well, it’s honestly not that big of an issue for me.
Even if they continued living here, the house is massive with plenty of rooms.
Additionally, I hired a housekeeper and a cook, so I didn’t expect any significant issues to arise.
Plus, just having Soyeon and Baek Yoorin around gave me peace of mind. Whoever tried to invade wouldn’t stand a chance. I didn’t even need to hire extra security.
So, I decided to let them stay until we graduated from the Academy. That was the new arrangement we agreed on…
“…Huh? Jinhyuk, what’s up?”
“…”
Baek Yoorin walked briskly out of the living room, clearly having finished her shower. It seemed her training had just ended.
Drip. Drip.
Her amethyst-like hair dripped with water, as she hadn’t properly dried herself.
“Baek Yoorin, you–”
It’s one thing to come out of the shower without drying off. I can let that slide.
But…
…Why are you naked?
Baek Yoorin, appearing too lazy to put on clothes, merely draped them loosely over her shoulder and stared blankly at me.
Her chest was somewhat covered by the clothes hanging off her shoulder, but her pale naked body was fully on display.
I was at a loss for words.
“I told you before, didn’t I? If you walk around naked again, I’m kicking you out.”
“Ah.”
Noticing my awkward sideways glances, Baek Yoorin tilted her head in confusion. However, she quickly realized she was indeed naked and let out a short sigh.
“Right. You did say that, didn’t you…”
Nodding to herself, she apologized.
“Sorry, I forgot…”
“Jeez. Can’t you forget something less important? I know I’m the only guy in the house, but I still asked you to be more careful.”
“Mm…”
While Baek Yoorin’s expression remained as emotionless as ever, I could see her eyebrows slightly droop after being scolded a few times.
It seemed she was reflecting, albeit a little.
After spending several months living with her, I’d become attuned to noticing these subtle emotional changes.
“Old habits… They’re hard to break…”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
Baek Yoorin is hopeless when it comes to anything that’s not related to swords.
“And seriously, cover yourself. What kind of girl walks around without any shame?”
Honestly, I didn’t know where to look.
Do you… Do you not have any sense of embarrassment? Any modesty?
Why is it that I’m the one feeling ashamed?
“…I’ll cover up, for now.”
Baek Yoorin finally wrapped herself in the bath towel, concealing the important parts. But couldn’t she have just gone back to her room?
“Haa… Please, Baek Yoor–”
“What the hell are you wearing, Baek Yoorin!?”
All of a sudden, Soyeon appeared in the living room, pointing at Baek Yoorin in utter shock.
She stomped over in a huff.
“You! Don’t tell me you’re doing this on purpose! You did this last time too!”
“…?”
“What’s that look? Like you have no idea what’s going on?!”
“Soyeon.”
“Jinhyuk! Let’s kick her out! Just look at her! I’m telling you, she’s doing this on purpose!”
“To be honest, you’re not much better yourself.”
“Huh, huh?”
I glanced sideways at Soyeon.
She was wearing a short tight-fitting t-shirt and hot pants, revealing her thighs and highlighting her figure.
Honestly, it was quite the revealing outfit.
I had told her a few times already that her choice of clothing was a bit much, but she just responded with remarks like, “It’s more comfortable to dress like this at home~”, or “What? Are you trying to control what I wear now, Jinhyuk? Huhu.” Or, “Ah, was this outfit too stimulating for you, Jinhyuk~?”
“You both can leave, seriously.”
“Wh-what’s wrong with my outfit…?”
“It’s a bit too suggestive, Soyeon…”
I rubbed my forehead and sighed deeply.
Frankly speaking, I’m still a man.
A young man in his late teens at that.
No matter how much self-control I exercise, if they keep walking around in such a carefree manner, it’s bound to put me in a tough spot.
‘Baek Yoorin is more of an airhead than I thought, while Soyeon is being way too blatant with her seduction attempts, so it’s not easy.’
When I started living with them, I had some concerns that this might happen. However, things are turning out to be more stimulating than I had anticipated, leaving me feeling flustered.
Perhaps I’m just a typical guy after all.
‘Sigh. What do I do? Should I just kick them both out already?’
If we keep living together, there’s a chance I might lose control someday.
I’m doing my best to stay composed, but I’ve begun to realize that I’m starting to see them as women.
‘If someone else saw this, they’d probably ask why I’m avoiding such an obvious opportunity… Sigh.’
If someone were to ask why I’m so hesitant about getting involved with these girls, I’d answer like this:
Isn’t it a bit weird to date someone this young?
Now, you might find my reasoning odd.
The girls are my age, after all.
It would be wrong to label them as “young.”
But.
I still have memories from my previous life.
Those memories aren’t just some fabricated product created by Soyeon manipulating time. They’re real.
In my previous life, I was an ordinary office worker in my mid- to late twenties.
Though I died unexpectedly in an accident, I was an upstanding, law-abiding youth.
So imagine me, dating a minor?
I can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
Oh, I know. I’m physically the same age as them now, and having these thoughts is ridiculous.
But people’s feelings don’t always operate on logic, do they?
If you combine my previous and current life’s age, I’m more than twice their age. How can I view girls like them as romantic interests?
Doesn’t it feel… off?
Right?
‘Although, recently, I feel like that boundary is slowly crumbling.’
I let out another long sigh.
Holding onto these thoughts, it feels a little dumb.
After all, both Soyeon and Yoo Seolhyun already confessed to me, and I didn’t exactly reject them outright.
Despite leaving the door slightly ajar, here I am, tormented by this kind of turmoil.
And so, it leaves me feeling frustrated.
I want to vent to someone at least once.
Of course, this isn’t the kind of thing I could share with just anyone, but it might be better than bottling it all up.
Maybe I should speak to someone to get advice.
But if my idiotic thoughts were to get out somehow, it would put me in a precarious situation. Maybe I should seek out a professional consultation service that guarantees confidentiality?
As I was thinking along those lines, an idea suddenly popped into my head.
“Ah, right. There’s that.”
“Hm…? What’s with you all of a sudden, Jinhyuk?”
“Oh, nothing.”
At my sudden outburst, both girls shot me puzzled looks. I waved my hand nonchalantly, pretending it was nothing.
Then, quietly, I muttered to myself.
There was the Church of Noon’s counseling service.
In other words, confession.
Of course, they call it confession, though it differs in structure from traditional confessions performed in a Catholic church.
In the Catholic Church, confession involves repentance, contrition, and resolution, among other things, but the Church of Noon’s version is more like a counseling session.
In a secluded booth, they listen to and offer advice on one’s worries while promising strict confidentiality. It’s the Church of Noon’s unique counseling service.
I’d never received any counseling or undergone confession before in my life.
But for some reason, the thought of trying it out now suddenly crossed my mind.
Hmm, confession, huh…
I’m kind of curious.
Maybe I should give it a try since I’ve gotten this far?
At this point, simply unloading my worries onto someone else might bring some peace of mind.
So, the following weekend, I found myself making my way to the Church of Noon for the first time in a while.
Nowadays, I attract quite a bit of attention due to my growing fame, and I knew I’d draw looks if I visited the church. But still, the content of my confession would be kept strictly confidential, so I wasn’t too concerned.
Upon entering the church, a nun greeted me with a smile.
“Welcome, Brother. How may I assist you with our church today?”
“Oh… Um, I wanted to try confession.”
“Do you have a reservation?”
“Huh? No, I don’t.”
“I’m sorry, but you need a reservation to use the confession booth.”
“I see…”
So, I need a reservation.
Well, it can’t be helped.
“I’ll go ahead and make a reservation then.”
“Alright, Brother. Now, let’s see… Hmm?”
The nun blinked at me, her brows furrowing as she scrutinized my face. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise.
“A-are you perhaps… Hero Lee Jinhyuk?”
“Ah, yes. Well, technically, I’m still an apprentice hero.”
It seemed she only recognized me now since I was wearing a deeply pulled-down cap.
Still, it didn’t seem like she was surprised merely because I was the apprentice hero who took down Yoo Dahee.
“A-are you by any chance the VIP who made that enormous donation before?”
“…Pardon?”
VIP?
Ah, right. I vaguely remember Roxanne mentioning something about that.
After capturing Yoo Dahee, I made a donation to both Roxanne and the church, amounting to hundreds of billions of won.
“Oh dear, of course! Please, wait just a moment, Brother! I’ll have you escorted to our receiving room right awa–”
“Hohoho! Well met, Brother! I am Senior Priestess Lee Haram.”
“Oh, yes.”
As the flustered nun scrambled to attend to me, a woman who introduced herself as the Senior Priestess, Lee Haram, approached and greeted me. She glanced dismissively at the nun before turning her gaze to me.
“So you’re here for confession? Booth number one is available, and I’ll guide you there.”
“I was told I needed a reservation, though.”
“Oh my, it seems that Sister Suyeon misspoke for a moment. Isn’t that right, Sister?”
“A-ah! Yes, I believe I was mistaken. My apologies.”
After catching a subtle glance from the Senior Priestess, the nun immediately nodded in agreement.
Hmm. It didn’t seem like a mistake, but I suppose I’ll let it slide for now, since it’s convenient.
“Oh, I’ve heard you’re a close friend of Roxanne’s. Should I let her know that you’re visiting?”
“Oh, no. That won’t be necessary. She’s probably busy, so I don’t want to bother her.”
“Oh my. You’re right. She’s likely engrossed in her duties at this hour. My apologies for not considering that.”
I shook my head at the senior priestess’s suggestion.
There’s no need to announce my visit for a simple confession.
It’d be embarrassing, really.
Roxanne would undoubtedly find out I was here later, but I’d rather not face her head-on just yet.
***
“Is everything alright? It seems a bit noisy.”
“Oh! Roxanne!”
Just as Lee Jinhyuk and the Senior Priestess were heading to the confession booth, Roxanne, who had stepped out for a short break, appeared.
“I heard a VIP arrived. Who is it?”
“T-they said it’s Hero Lee Jinhyuk….”
“Jinhyuk?”
Roxanne tilted her head in curiosity.
Why would Jinhyuk visit the church without giving me a heads-up?
“What’s he here for?”
“He’s come to receive confession.”
“Confession…? Jinhyuk?”
With a puzzled expression, Roxanne sank into thought.
She knew that “confession” in their church was more of a counseling session.
Jinhyuk, who rarely ever visited the church, had come on his own accord—was there something weighing on his mind so much that he sought confession instead of going to a professional counseling center?
Roxanne felt a bit concerned.
“Is he in the booth right now?”
“Not yet. He just left with Senior Priestess Lee Haram.”
“I see.”
Roxanne pondered.
She wanted to be of help to Jinhyuk.
After all, he had helped her so much in the past, and she hadn’t even properly repaid him yet.
Given that he tends to bottle things up, her concern grew. What kind of burden was Jinhyuk shouldering that led him to seek solace in the church’s confession service?
…Perhaps Roxanne should take over the confession herself?
While the thought of switching out the confessors without him knowing made her feel a bit guilty, Roxanne was also an ordained priestess entitled to perform confessions.
Even if she took charge of the session, it wouldn’t technically be wrong.
Though the idea of deceiving him gave her pause…
Still, she desperately wanted to find out what Jinhyuk was hiding, so she made up her mind.
“Sister.”
“Y-yes?”
“Could you tell me which booth Jinhyuk headed to?”
“Oh… Um, I believe it’s the first booth… Wait! Roxanne?”
Immediately after hearing the answer, Roxanne hurried toward the first booth.
As she watched her leave, the nun couldn’t help but wonder.
Huh? What’s gotten into Roxanne?
Isn’t this going to become a problem later…?
End of Chapter