I Need the True Ending to Graduate - Chapter 5

How long had I been walking?

Before long, I arrived in front of Bell Restaurant.

Honestly, I could tell I was getting close even before the game system’s navigation ended. The delicious smell of food riding the wind grew stronger with every step.

Bell Restaurant was located in a building halfway between the campus and the dormitory.

It had two floors. The lower floor was made of transparent glass, allowing a clear view into the restaurant from outside, and the upper floor had a terrace. But perhaps because it was winter, the white parasols were folded and stored away.

Though no sound reached from outside, everything visible was warm and cozy.

The soft yellow lighting filling the interior.

The well-set dishes atop sturdy yet stylish tables.

The faces of people chatting happily while slicing meat with forks and knives.

The neatly uniformed staff, serving food with a smile and kindly asking if anything else was needed.

Everything stood in stark contrast to the cold and desolate gray scenery I was standing in.

I couldn’t bring myself to go in. With only 20 gold to my name and my body and mind worn to shreds, it felt even more impossible.

‘Can’t I just go back to the dorm and rest today? I can find a job tomorrow.’

I couldn’t muster the will to force myself into that warm scene and ask for a job. But the system window popped up again, subtly pressuring me to hurry and get the job.

“Haa…”

I paced in front of the restaurant a few times, letting out a deep sigh. Then I clenched my eyes shut and forced myself to walk toward Bell Restaurant.

A neatly printed sign on the glass door said the restaurant was open.

Next to it was a paper listing the business hours, and strangely, another sheet was posted below it.

Without thinking, my gaze dropped and read the contents.

[We are hiring staff at Bell Restaurant.

Number of positions: 0 (Age and gender irrelevant).

Work hours: Negotiable.

Workdays: Negotiable.

Wages: 1,500 gold per hour.]

‘1,500 gold per hour…’

There was no need to calculate. Even if I worked hard, I wouldn’t reach even a million gold, let alone ten million.

And I couldn’t understand why this job posting was even here. Most people at the academy were nobles or royals, so who would work at a restaurant?

‘They’d buy the whole restaurant instead.’

While I was lost in thought over the questionable job notice, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze.

Instinctively, I looked up.

And through the glass, I met eyes with a man.

“……!”

Startled by the piercing blue gaze, I couldn’t even scream—I just barely managed to draw breath.

The man showed no reaction to my startled face. He simply kept his posture, slightly bent forward, silently staring at me.

I looked around, wondering if I was blocking the entrance for someone else, but no one was there—not in front, behind, or beside me.

‘Did I do something wrong? Am I being glared at for disturbing the restaurant’s business?’

A whirlwind of thoughts spun in my head. My heart pounded, and my legs were about to give out.

After what felt like an eternity of seconds, the man straightened his bent waist and opened the door. Then, he met my gaze.

At that moment, the status window lit up and appeared.

[Capture Target 2: Evan Bell.]

[Affection meter for Evan Bell is now unlocked.]

[Evan Bell: Affection 0%]

The second capture target had appeared.

Even after checking the status window, I stood there dazed. I couldn’t believe it.

‘This man is a capture target…?’

I glanced between the fading status window and the man before me, murmuring inwardly. No matter how I looked at him, he had such a terrifying aura that I didn’t even want to get close.

Of course, his appearance was flawless.

A perfectly tailored black suit without a single wrinkle on his tall, solid frame.

His neatly groomed black hair, contrasting with icy blue eyes, enhanced his cold and unyielding aura like that of a fortress.

Anyone could tell at a glance that this was the man who owned and ran the large restaurant, a flawless and capable businessman.

But separate from that, his gaze pierced me so sharply it hurt.

If the bank employee’s gaze had been a bored sort of disdain, Evan Bell’s gaze held something far more emotional.

Blazing fury and hatred, as if ready to explode.

That’s what his eyes looked like as he stared at me.

As I stood frozen, bombarded by a stranger’s hostility, Evan Bell opened his mouth.

“…Are you looking for a job?”

“Sorry?”

“You were just looking at the job posting. Do you need work?”

He gave a short nod toward the sheet of paper with the job listing as he spoke.

I hesitated to answer. It was true that I’d looked at the job posting, but the hourly wage was too low.

“If you need a job, I’m willing to hire you. I’m the owner of this restaurant. Of course, you’d need to pass an interview, but it won’t be worse than anywhere else.”

“It’s true I need work… but I was thinking of giving up. I’ll pass.”

Unable to bring myself to talk about money, I mumbled a vague excuse and tried to walk away. But Evan Bell stopped me.

“Why? Is it because the pay is too low?”

“……”

My steps halted on their own.

Even though I knew staying silent was practically admitting it, my reaction came reflexively.

Evan Bell continued, as if he saw right through my financial situation, “The ad says we’re hiring restaurant staff, but I was actually thinking of hiring someone for a personal matter.”

“……”

“If you’re willing to take that on, I can pay you far more than the rate written on that paper. Perhaps even the exact amount you need.”

“……”

“Are you really going to turn this down?”

His final question shook me to the core.

Just today, I’d spent half the day running between the bank and the academy, confirming there was no way for me to get a loan.

Even if a month passed like this, the situation wouldn’t change.

If I let this offer slip away, I wouldn’t get the money, I’d be expelled from the academy, and my thesis and graduation would go up in smoke.

The images of what lay ahead flickered before my eyes like a film reel. It was hard to resist the temptation.

As if reading my conflicted thoughts, Evan Bell gently coaxed me.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing shady or illegal. I wouldn’t ask you to do anything like that. It’s just something I’d prefer not to let others know about, a private matter.”

“…People proposing suspicious things usually say that at the start.”

“Don’t you trust me at all?”

“How can there be trust between people who just met?”

“People who just met, huh…”

Evan quietly repeated the phrase, narrowing his eyes slightly. As if turning the words over in his mind.

His already sharp gaze grew even more chilling.

For a moment, I wondered if I’d said something wrong.

Before I could speak, he let out a soft scoff and smirked faintly.

“That’s right. You’re someone I’ve just met… yeah.”

Evan Bell muttered something under his breath, then quickly wiped the smile from his face.

The man who had calmly kept his distance just moments ago now began to tempt me more directly.

“I know you need a large sum of money. I’ll help you earn exactly the amount you want. So, why don’t we go inside and talk in detail?”

“……”

“If you’re still suspicious, you can just hear me out. If it doesn’t sit right with you, you can refuse. I won’t stop you. I think that’s a fair compromise. What do you say?”

I recognized his lines as the classic tactics used to get someone to the negotiation table, carefully calculated.

Even knowing that, the circumstances were what they were, and my shaky resolve collapsed in an instant.

‘Fine. I’ll just go in and listen. Just listen…’

I told myself I wasn’t giving in to money, only considering his offer.

“Well? Have you changed your mind?”

“…Alright. I’ll hear what you have to say.”

“Good. Then come inside.”

With a satisfied smile, the man held the door open, gesturing for me to enter.

Glancing at Evan Bell’s face, I walked past him and stepped into the restaurant.

Instead of the dry, cold air outside, warm and gentle air greeted me. Delicious food smells drifting in between made it all the more heavenly.

As the door closed behind me, I sensed Evan Bell’s presence draw closer.

Expecting him to lead the way, I stepped aside, and then, something strange caught my eye.

He casually peeled the job posting off the glass window, crumpled it, and stuffed it into his pants pocket.

“……?”

I widened my eyes at the odd gesture, but just then, Evan Bell said nonchalantly, “Follow me. I’ll guide you.”

“O-okay…”

I wanted to ask why he put the job posting in his pocket, but the timing wasn’t right. I stayed quiet and followed him down a winding corridor.

It seemed to lead to another building. The interior began to change gradually.

As we left behind the warm, cozy decor and entered a space of extravagant beauty, a long corridor came into view.

At the far end was a white door. Evan Bell opened it and said, “This is my office. Please, come in.”

“……”

I glanced at Evan Bell’s face and at the room beyond him, then stepped cautiously inside.

The room, presumably Evan Bell’s office, was far larger and more spacious than the room I was staying in.

A desk as large as the one I’d seen in Jeran Ennessy’s office sat at the center of the far end, and directly across from it was a sofa and table for receiving guests.

It was filled with what were clearly expensive luxury items, yet nothing looked tacky—a testament to the taste of whoever designed it.

Perhaps it was the sunlight streaming through the large windows, but the white and blue-toned decor looked even more exquisite.

The only odd thing was—

‘Why is there a bed here?’

It was a large bed tucked into the corner by the window.

A white canopy was drawn around it, subtly obscuring the view, but it was unmistakably a bed.

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