NOVEL WEB Chapter 222
Chapter 222
After displaying unprecedented teamwork and tightening the encirclement, we finally captured Seon Taeyang.
“Gasp… Guys, if you’re all here right now…”
Breathless after the chase, Seon Taeyang tried to say something, but the older sisters, crying as they hugged him, silenced him.
“Waah, Teacher Taeyang, I’m sorry! I was wrong!”
“Team Leader Seon, sniff… I’m really sorry. I truly am.”
“I’m sorry, Brother Taeyang. Because of my selfishness… I’m really sorry for everything.”
In the middle of the sisters clinging to him like kittens looking for their mom, Seon Taeyang took a deep breath, looking troubled, and said,
“Guys, I really appreciate your feelings, but first, let’s calm down. What would happen if this was caught on camera outside?”
“I knew it! Summer unni booked a hotel nearby,” I said.
Hearing my words, Seon Taeyang looked at Summer unni, who blushed and carefully wiped her tears, then made a peace sign and said,
“…I booked a 5-star hotel to fit Team Leader Seon. A premier suite!”
With a look of dismay, Seon Taeyang gently ruffled Summer unni’s hair and said,
“No, what matters is whether the hotel is 5 stars or 1 star…”
Scratching his head, Seon Taeyang locked eyes with everyone and said,
“Guys, no matter how vague we are, if a picture of us going into a hotel together gets out…”
I immediately cut him off.
“Summer unni! Team Leader Seon doesn’t want to go to a hotel! Are there motels nearby?”
“I’m not sure since we’re overseas, but I’ll look it up.”
“Summer, they’re offering discounts for couples here.”
“…Are we even eligible as couples with five people?”
“Well, we’re overseas, so maybe we can make it work?”
“Um, Summer, it says here it’s an event room? What kind of event is it?”
“Event? Gyeoul, can you show me that thing you’re looking at for a second? …SM theme?”
Hearing that conversation, Seon Taeyang bowed his head and said,
“…Please, let’s go to the hotel.”
*
Having entered the hotel Summer unni had prepared in advance, we gathered in front of the pre-arranged liquor feast with room service.
“There’s a lounge bar downstairs reserved for us; if you want any cocktails, you can just order them!”
“You don’t need to go down, Brother Taeyang. If you need anything, just have us order it! Think of it like a maid café!”
Seon Taeyang looked at Summer unni, who was ready to order anything, Gaeul unni, who volunteered to be a maid, and Gyeoul unni, who was rummaging through her bag for maid outfits, with a bewildered expression and said in a reluctant tone,
“No, still, I shouldn’t be drinking with you guys…”
“Ah, are you being an old man now? Do we all need to show ID?”
“…No, it’s not like that. I’m sorry. You guys still seem like kids that I need to protect.”
“Then what was with the beers we shared?”
“Right… I messed up there.”
It seemed he understood, but emotionally it was still hard for him, as he showed ambiguous reactions. I sighed and said,
“It might be awkward and uncomfortable for Team Leader Seon, but honestly, we should have had this open conversation a long time ago. At least while drinking. …If we had, we wouldn’t have had to deal with this mess.”
“We should have had time to talk like this a long time ago. Maybe while drinking… At least then, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad.”
“Talking… right. I wish that had happened.”
Seon Taeyang nodded, looking impressed by my words, but the sisters were avoiding eye contact, as if they couldn’t bring themselves to look.
From that state, it seemed likely that whether or not they had talked, they couldn’t hold back and ended up blowing up some scandalous bombshell.
…Well, at least it seems they have a good grasp on themselves, so that’s a silver lining in this misfortune.
“Alright. Then, let’s have a drink for a bit… Have you all ever learned how to drink?”
“I learned a little wine from my father.”
“I haven’t.”
“Me neither, Teacher Taeyang.”
“Okay, then I’ll teach you this time.”
And just like that, the very first group drinking party of Girl Revolution was officially underway.
*
Honestly, it was me who pushed for this drinking session.
Whether the sisters got drunk or wore maid outfits wasn’t the important part.
What mattered was that man expressing his displeasure and confessing that he was struggling.
The reason Seon Taeyang had felt fatigue and pain until now was also likely due to the pressure of having to set an example in front of us.
That man only talked about good and right things, while pretending not to see or ignoring the pain and stress he endured. All in the name of being a good adult.
I respected that because it was what Seon Taeyang wanted, but now that I was trying to create a harem for his happiness, it couldn’t continue like this.
We needed to give him faith.
Even if he’s messy or not acting like an adult, even if he’s not right, we have to make sure he knows he deserves love and will receive it in any situation.
So we needed to make sure he didn’t feel pain or stress in moments with the sisters.
Additionally, those sisters needed to hear some unpleasant truths.
The reason they had gotten into stalking, GPS tracking, and other crimes, leading to dating scandal revelations, was likely because Seon Taeyang accepted everything without getting angry at any moment.
So, they needed to taste some spicy flavors.
Otherwise, someday they might crawl back without knowing better.
Thus, I kept gulping down the Truth Potion (42 proof) to hear Seon Taeyang’s displeasure.
“This feels too strong, doesn’t it? Sorry, but I need to take a short break….”
“Team Leader Seon, does that mean you’re okay with the drinks from Summer Sister and Autumn Sister, but refusing the one from Winter Sister?”
“I’m fine, Teacher Taeyang. Um… someone like me….”
“I’ll do a shot.”
Every time someone tried to take a break, the group would conspire to finish their drinks, and after going around refilling each other’s glasses for years of drinking beer together, I instinctively knew.
I could tell that Seon Taeyang was quite tipsy right now.
Now was the time.
“Team Leader Seon. Honestly, the sisters stalking, tracking, and monitoring you must have really annoyed you, right? Their obsession was bothersome and tiring, wasn’t it?”
As I brought up that topic, the sisters, who had been softly clinging to Seon Taeyang with flushed faces from the alcohol, froze in surprise.
It was as if the tipsiness vanished in an instant.
“And when it finally erupted in scandal, you must have been really angry, right?”
Even seeing the sisters’ expressions, I wouldn’t stop.
“It’s only natural to feel that way as a person. It’s normal to be angry. Please be honest about those feelings at least once. Sometimes, letting those things out helps to resolve them.”
“‘….’”
In the center of the older sisters, trembling like a criminal facing judgment, Team Leader Seon Taeyang, who was a bit tipsy and rambling, spoke.
“…It might have been a bit hard, like you said. …But right now, I’m happy.”
“…..”
“I know it’s not something I should say as an adult and as a member of TwoBear, but honestly, I’m really glad to have this relationship with you all and to be able to spend this time together. …It mustn’t have been easy, and it was probably hard, so thank you for coming to me like this.”
The man spoke with a clear smile that could wipe away the clouds of all seasons.
“Yeah, the reason I’m happy right now is because I’m with you.”
“…..”
At this point, all I could do was marvel at him.
…How on earth can someone be like that?
It seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking this.
“Um, I mean.”
In response to Team Leader Seon Taeyang’s fiery flirting, Older Sister Yeoreum, gazing at him with starry eyes as if she were enchanted, suddenly opened her mouth and blurted out.
“…I love you, Team Leader Seon.”
“…..”
And upon hearing those words, sadness colored Team Leader Seon Taeyang’s face.
He hesitated and tried to speak again.
We all knew what he was about to say.
That made Older Sister Yeoreum speak urgently.
“…W-wait! We have something prepared!”
“That’s right! You won’t have to struggle with the hassle of picking someone anymore!”
“Something prepared?”
In front of the puzzled Taeyang, Older Sister Gyeoul, dressed in a maid outfit, spoke with a tense expression, sweating.
“It’s a harem!”
“…A harem?”
“Yes, polygamy! If you date all of us at once, you won’t have any dilemmas!”
“…So, you mean to say I should date all three of you at the same time?”
“Yes! Yeoreum, Gyeoul, and me. We all agreed.”
Older Sister Yeoreum nodded and said.
“We’ve already discussed the schedule! We even got permission from our mom and dad!”
“U-uh… I don’t have parents to ask for permission!”
“I don’t have normal parents to ask for permission either…”
“‘….’”
…The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.
In that heavy atmosphere, Team Leader Seon Taeyang opened his mouth.
“W-well, it’s not that your parents’ permission is important….”
And perhaps feeling that this situation itself was bizarre, Team Leader Seon Taeyang chuckled lightly, closed his eyes for a moment to think, and then spoke seriously.
“Guys, I know better than anyone that you’re not the kind of kids to make such a proposal lightly. But I’m someone who might not be able to take responsibility for even one person properly. So….”
As he was about to express his intention to decline, I spoke up urgently.
“Older Sisters! Let’s do it! Let’s do it now!”
And the older sisters blushed and said.
“Oh… you mean that.”
“Are we really doing it?”
“…I’m a bit shy about it.”
“Oh, I heard everything when we were living in the accommodation and you called Team Leader’s name while doing stuff, so what’s there to be shy about now!”
“…Hehe.”
“Ah.”
“How could…”
I had only said it to Older Sister Gyeoul, but both Older Sister Gaeul and Older Sister Yeoreum were reacting strangely too.
They looked as if they had heard words meant just for them, flustered and bewildered.
In that moment, I realized.
…They all had done it.
Seon Taeyang, faced with the spicy truth of becoming a daughter-in-law, stammered while tipsy, unable to compose himself.
“Hey guys, I respect all your private talks, but could you at least consider that I’m here too?”
“Why?”
“Why? Because I’m a man!”
“…….”
And with that, the sisters’ gazes changed.
“Right. Brother Taeyang is a man.”
Three sinister gazes swept over Seon Taeyang.
I could almost hear the loud gulp.
They exchanged glances, nodded, and stood up.
Swish.
The clothes they were wearing fell to the floor.
Seon Taeyang screamed, shielding his eyes.
“Ah! Guys, I saw nothing! Put your clothes on quickly!”
Ignoring his reaction, Older Sister Gaeul spoke.
“Well, you might not like this whole harem thing. Maybe it’s because you haven’t experienced it. So we’ve prepared a trial version.”
“Yeah… it’s a trial version! Just like video games, you can refund it within 2 hours, right? If you don’t like it, you can get your refund!”
“…Gyeoul, but won’t 2 hours be too short?”
“Um, then 10 hours?”
“No, it doesn’t matter if it’s 2 hours or 10 hours, just put on some clothes, you guys!”
This was all happening under the radar.
Seon Taeyang was like the embodiment of responsibility.
Whether he chose one person knowing it would hurt someone or decided not to choose anyone to avoid hurting them at all, it was all influenced by that sense of responsibility.
So, what would happen if he got a love confession while they were naked in front of him? Asking for just one night?
Of course, he would feel responsible. He’d get scared of the wounds that might arise from rejecting such a heartfelt confession.
If that responsibility was stirred up, and one night really transpired unexpectedly?
He would feel responsible for that too.
In this cycle, he would fall into an infinite loop of responsibility. And he would voluntarily dive deeper into this sweet blaze.
Checkmate.
This was the best trap I could offer after thinking about and understanding Seon Taeyang for the past 7 years… or rather precisely 10 years.
There was no way he could escape this.
Now, he just had to accept it.
This crazy relationship called a harem, and those who could only find happiness beside him. And to be happy together.
So what could Seon Taeyang do then?
“Yuri! Try to stop them!”
He should enjoy it.
“I don’t want to.”
“…Yuri? Wait, I messed up. Just help me once! Yuri!”
Unable to even attempt to push away the approaching girls due to that peculiar sense of responsibility, he helplessly called out for only me as I cheerfully shut and locked the door.
“Well, have a good time!”
Only one scream echoed beyond the locked door.
“Guys!”