I Need the True Ending to Graduate - Chapter 6

“Are you wondering why there’s a bed in my office?”

Evan Bell, who had approached me before I knew it, asked.

Startled by the sudden presence and unfamiliar voice, I instinctively turned around.

His blue eyes met mine.

“……”

“……”

A brief silence followed.

He said nothing.

He simply stared, quietly and intently, into my eyes. As if there were something inside them.

And for a moment, it seemed like a certain emotion flickered through, but then it disappeared, swept away like a wave.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he opened his mouth with a hardened, armor-like cynicism tinged with anger.

“It’s nothing. I just put it there to get a little rest when things get busy.”

“I see…”

“Please, have a seat. Anywhere is fine.”

“…Alright.”

I averted my eyes from him and sat on the sofa with a sense of unease.

‘It felt like something was about to happen just now…’

But it was hard to explain exactly what.

‘I don’t know. I’ll think about it later.’

For now, I decided to focus solely on what Evan Bell was about to propose and whether I could get the money I needed.

While I was briefly lost in thought, Evan Bell sat across from me with practiced ease.

He leaned fully against the backrest, crossed his long legs, and looked at me with a rather arrogant posture.

“Sorry, but I won’t be offering tea. I didn’t expect to have an interview today.”

“That’s fine.”

It was clearly intentional, but I responded calmly.

“Then I’ll get straight to the point. What exactly are you proposing that you brought me all the way here?”

“It’s a purely personal matter. It’s not illegal or suspicious, as you might think. Truly nothing serious.”

Evan Bell began, as if it were no big deal.

“You just have to do whatever I say. Unconditionally.”

“……?”

“And most of what I ask will involve putting you in sexually humiliating situations. You just have to show and offer me that embarrassed face and flushed body of yours.”

“……”

“Then I’ll give you the amount you need.”

Hearing his proposal, I thought to myself:

‘Wow. What a bastard.’

The part about doing whatever he said unconditionally already felt off, but I didn’t expect him to demand sex so bluntly.

…Regardless of the wild scenarios unfolding in my head.

It was still an utterly outrageous proposal.

“…Didn’t you say it wasn’t anything strange or illegal? Since when is sexually humiliating someone not considered strange or illegal?”

“Still, unless you’re a noble, you probably don’t have many options left.”

“……”

“Besides, you seem to be in need of a fairly large sum. If that’s the case, it’d be better to take my offer.”

Evan Bell relentlessly jabbed at my vulnerabilities, cornering me.

I was already internally wounded from my humiliating experience at the bank, and now he was pouring salt into that wound.

It was a complete reversal from the polite coaxing and gentle seduction he’d used earlier to bring me to the negotiation table.

Still, I wasn’t exactly shocked by his change in demeanor. The situation was unfolding more or less as I’d vaguely expected.

At least it wasn’t something like drugs, gambling, or a murder-for-hire that could destroy my life in an instant.

‘He doesn’t seem like someone I could seduce anyway, so even if it’s a transactional relationship, sex is still sex. If I can raise his affection and pay my tuition, it’s a win-win.’

It was a filthy proposition, and in the real world, it would’ve warranted a police report, but in this world, no one was going to take the side of a commoner like me.

First, I decided to keep calm and learn more about his true intentions through conversation.

“Fine. Like you said, maybe this is the most realistic option. But before that, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you making this offer to me?”

“……”

“There are plenty of women who’d sleep with you. It doesn’t have to be me.”

“You’re acting like you even have a choice.”

Evan Bell, who had quietly listened to my retort, spoke with a faint sneer.

It was a rather threatening attitude, but I didn’t waver. If I got scared while bluffing, I’d lose everything.

“Do you really think you’re in a position to be picky? Or do you believe you can wrest control from me and modify the terms to your advantage? Even though you’re in a situation where you have no choice but to accept my offer?”

“Why do you think I’ll accept it?”

“What?”

Evan Bell frowned slightly, as if baffled.

I said, “If it’s such a common thing, then I’m sure I could find another man who’d meet my conditions.”

“So.”

Evan Bell spoke in a very low voice, struggling to suppress his anger. The way he looked at me was as fierce as a snowstorm.

“Are you saying you’ll find another man who’ll accept your terms and make a contract?”

“I don’t know why you’re angry. Whether I sell my body or my organs to someone else, it has nothing to do with you. Yet you’re acting like it has to be me.”

“……”

“I’m just curious. Is there a specific reason it has to be me? No matter how I think about it, paying a large sum just to sleep with a woman is strange. Also… I only said I’d listen, but then you suddenly took down the job posting from the restaurant window and stuffed it in your pocket. That was odd too.”

“…Are you wondering if I have some other motive?”

“Exactly. It’s suspicious, no matter how you look at it.”

“You’re very suspicious by nature.”

“Well, you did make a shady offer first,” I answered calmly, not backing down. “Saying you want to buy my body could be bait. If this turns into human trafficking or something, that’d be bad. I really want to graduate from here.”

“…Is that so?”

Evan Bell replied in a somewhat subdued voice, then asked, “Then, if I explain why I chose you, why I’m offering a large sum for this proposal, and why I took down the job posting—in a way that satisfies you—will you accept the terms?”

“As long as it doesn’t ruin my life or get in the way of graduating, I’ll accept.”

“You’re quite bold. Is graduating from here that important to you? Enough to make such a deal with a man you just met?”

At his mocking question, I nodded without flinching. “Yes. It’s important. Important enough that I’m willing to pay that kind of price.”

If I got expelled from the academy, the thesis I wrote in the real world, and my actual graduation, would all vanish.

And though he was a stranger, he was still one of the capture targets.

Only by raising Evan Bell’s affection to 100% could I reach the true ending and return to my original world.

It couldn’t not be important.

“……”

Though my answer contained many reasons, Evan Bell looked at me speechless, as if he were in shock. He even seemed slightly appalled.

‘Well, it’s not exactly sane to sell your body to graduate.’

But I was simply stating facts.

After a brief silence, Evan Bell quickly regained his composure and said, “Very well. For a guest as suspicious as you, I’ll offer some trust. I’ll tell you honestly why I chose you, why it has to be you, and why I’m willing to spend a fortune for your body.”

Then he suddenly stood up. I looked up, wondering what he was about to do, and in no time, Evan Bell walked around the table and approached me.

A dark shadow fell over my face. The sunlight streaming in through the window was blocked by his figure.

Evan Bell leaned over, placing one hand on the back of the sofa, and the other on my chin.

His eyes gleamed ominously as he looked at me.

“I’ve always wanted to torment a woman like you. Because your face resembles the woman I hate most. That’s why I’m willing to pay a fortune for your humiliation and your body. Because it has to be someone like you.”

“……”

“That’s also why I took down the job posting.”

“…Because you found someone who looked like the person you wanted, and didn’t need anyone else?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, putting up the job posting outside the restaurant was bait. To lure someone who looked like her, and also happened to be broke like me.”

“Something like that.”

At my question, Evan Bell answered readily, then brushed my lips with his thumb. The warmth of his touch was soft, but it carried a strange chill.

“You’ll be my punching bag, a stand-in for the woman I hate. And for that, I’m willing to pay you as much as it takes.”

“……”

“So, have your questions been answered now?”