Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Exposure (14)

“Ahem. Hey, kid. What are you doing breaking down doors like that? At least knock before you come in…”

The tall man stroked his beard sheepishly.

He tried to fit the door back into place, but seeing the shattered hinges, he gave up with a heavy sigh.

“You’re strong, alright. How did you manage this… even with stellite alloy and anti-particle coating…”

“…”

Mok Jinwoo’s words were getting under my skin. Why was I even worried about his safety?

It’s true; Mok Jinwoo isn’t someone who’d get stabbed and die so easily.

The commander did say he’d survive among demons with nothing but his silver tongue…

“You’re the one who told me to come anytime, Chief. Day or night, any time of the year.”

“Well, that’s true… but how was I supposed to know you’d come today… when I even locked the door…”

“Isn’t this an Intelligence Bureau base? How can you just invite women here? What if it wasn’t me but one of the sisters…”

“Don’t even mention them.”

Mok Jinwoo shook his head as if the thought were unbearable.
T h is w a s c o pi ed from k i n g m tl . or g

“Thinking about the trouble those girls caused when I was in the Cradle… every time Jaehyuk and I tried to have some fun, they’d show up like ghosts to ruin it…”

“I think I know why the sisters aren’t too fond of you…”
T h i s w as c o p i ed f r o m k i ng mt l.o rg

“Good, because I’m not too fond of them either.”

It was a rare, unequivocal answer from him.

“And it’s not what you think. That woman was one of my informants. She works as a night singer at the VIP club. She’s very discreet…”

“Isn’t that even worse? How can you…”

“What’s wrong with that? We all live like that, don’t we? Passing on info about the big shots, and if there’s time… heh.”

He shrugged, flashing a shameless grin.
T h i s w a s co p i e d from ki ng m t l .or g

Then he coughed to change the subject.

“Ahem. Anyway, enough about that. How about you? Are you hurt?”

T hi s w as co p i ed f ro m ki ng m tl. or g
“I’m alright. I had some minor injuries, but I rested for a few days, and now I’m almost healed.”

“That’s good to hear. I was worried since I hadn’t heard from you. Seeing you at the hearing eased my mind a bit.”

Mok Jinwoo nodded.

“This time, Paechun gave us a real hard time. I never thought that lady would lead the troops directly. Speaking of which, did you get my crow? I sent it as soon as I detected movement…”

“It arrived almost the same time as Paechun’s forces. I think the anti-air defenses stopped it from coming in properly.”

“Tsk… I thought as much…”

He clicked his tongue lightly, furrowing his brows.

“Thinking about it, it’s a miracle you survived. If I were Paechun, I’d have beheaded you and the Jeokhwa successor right there. The justification was perfect…”

“…Indeed. But how did you know I was at Jeokhwa and send the crow?”

“Someone on our side inside the Cradle told me. Speaking of which… hmm.”

Mok Jinwoo suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if recalling something, and nodded at me.

“It might be a good time for you to connect with him directly. Then we could exchange information more closely, wouldn’t you say? You already know him somewhat.”

“You’re saying there’s an Intelligence Bureau agent I know?”

I had been expecting it to be one of the staff members, but Mok Jinwoo named someone I hadn’t considered.

“You know Shin Muyoung, right?”

***

“What?”

I couldn’t help but blurt out in disbelief.

As soon as I heard the name, I thought of a bespectacled, stern-looking male student.

Though his reputation wasn’t great, he was one of the few at the Cradle with whom I could speak freely.

We’d encountered each other in the infirmary after the first ranking match, and before I left for Jeokhwa, I had told him I’d be away for mentoring experiential learning.

But he was an agent of the Intelligence Bureau…

“Was I under surveillance?”

“What surveillance? Why would we bother watching you?”

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f rom ki n gm t l . o rg
He chuckled as if the idea was absurd.

“He was set to enter the Cradle long before you. We needed someone to promptly report on the activities of the academy’s noble scions. Muyoung doesn’t even know about our connection.”

“Really… I never imagined… that friend was an Intelligence Bureau agent.”

“Muyoung is much more capable than you think. It’s obvious he’s a rare spiritmage… you know his nature.”

I couldn’t help but remember Shin Muyoung’s almost eccentric behavior.

“Does he react to beings close to us as well?”

“Beings close to us…”

“Let’s see… for example, female demons who disguise themselves as young women to lure men?”

“He can sense such creatures?”

A demon stripped of all demonic energy appears no different from a human.

While powerful individuals of grade two or higher retain a unique stench, such types are rare.

Even their awkward vocal language gets naturally corrected over time.

Though not many in number, those demons who’ve lived long enough are said to be indistinguishable from humans unless they’re killed and their core extracted.

To be able to detect such beings immediately is indeed beyond capable.

“Yes. In fact, he finds those similar beings harder to endure than humans. Female demons typically engage in mass breeding. During their mating season, they switch partners among dozens of males…”

“Mass breeding…”

The word carried an intensely unsavory resonance.

Just recalling glimpses of it made my head throb.

Unintentionally, I echoed his words, only to regret it immediately.

“Oh? What’s this? You seem interested. Well, it’s the age for such things…”

Mok Jinwoo’s voice was filled with playful teasing as he picked up on my slip.

“Or have you already experienced it? Luring innocent young Cradle ladies…”

“No, nothing like that. And I have no intention to.”

“Don’t you? I see plenty of potential there…”

T h is wa s c op ie d f r o m k in gm t l . or g
His gaze felt sharp enough to pierce through my mask, but he soon retracted it and continued.

“Well, you’ll find out in time. Anyway, that breeding method is completely at odds with Muyoung. He’s a proponent of Platonic love. A rare romantic these days…”

Listening to his explanation, I suddenly wondered if Muyoung’s aversion extended to men as well.

If so, I’d like to test it first on the person in front of me…

“We’d station plainclothes soldiers nearby, and Muyoung would simply walk the back alleys and streets. If he started foaming at the mouth or had trouble breathing, we’d surround the area… then what?”

He raised an eyebrow to answer.

“Occasionally, we have false alarms… but I’m sure it’s superior to any method I know.”

I used to wonder what he was doing when he disappeared every weekend, and now it seems that mystery is resolved.

I thought working without any days off might be exhausting, but knowing his personality, he’d probably volunteer eagerly…
Th i s w a s co p i ed f ro m k in g m tl .o r g

“Does the headmaster know about his identity?”

“Who knows? We didn’t explicitly tell her, but she probably suspects we have someone planted.”

He continued, scrubbing a glass with a dry cloth as if it were no big deal.

“Even so, she doesn’t seem to mind much. We share some understanding under the principle of stability for the Republic. The Jeokhwa incident wouldn’t have escalated if she had been in the capital…”

“I see…”

“Yeah. It’s curious, though. Muyoung rarely shows human affection for anyone. I remember he said something like… ‘a sense of kinship from shared scars’?”

T h is wa s c o p i e d fr o m k i n g mt l . o r g
“I don’t know what that means. But I have a question…”

I continued to converse with Mok Jinwoo, discussing various things.

Through him, I learned about various situations unknown to me at the time.

However, given his tendency to talk a lot, I had to sift through and extract only the useful information.

The fact that a new night singer with a melodious voice had joined the VIP club and was monopolizing the attention and support of prominent figures, stirring jealousy among others, was not something I needed to know…

“Speaking of which, should I start calling you ‘young master’? The new crown prince of Heukryeon…”

“Don’t tease me. I’m leaving.”

“No fun. Fine. It’s strange how you’re so much like Jaehyuk despite not being blood-related…”

As I stood to leave, Mok Jinwoo tossed another playful jab my way. Doesn’t he ever get tired?

“Oh, by the way…”

“Hmm?”

I was about to say goodbye and leave, but hearing Muyoung’s name reminded me of the conversation we had in the infirmary that was left unfinished.

‘Anyway, the aura was really terrifying. Even from a distance, I felt it tingling through my limbs. It’s like that feeling when witches are right in front of you…’

Thi s wa s c op i e d f r om kin g m tl.o r g
‘Leader, don’t you know about witches? Wow, you’re really innocent. So, 15 years ago…’

With that thought in mind, I turned back.

“Do you know what a witch is?”

Mok Jinwoo paused for a moment before responding.

“…Why do you ask?”

“It just popped into my head. I was talking to Muyoung about it before. It sounds like some criminal or mutant identifier…”

“…Hmm. Really?”

He dragged his words slightly, then nodded.

“Well, you’re not exactly wrong. But you’d be better off asking Muyoung directly about it, given that he brought it up.”

“Why? Since we’re on the topic…”

“Because the last shuttle to the Cradle departs soon. You haven’t forgotten tomorrow is Monday, have you? Unless you want to start your first day back with a tardy mark…”

“…Oh.”

Turning my head at his words, I noticed that the clock’s hands were already pointing to the late night.

“…Alright then…”

“Yes, have a safe trip back, young master.”

I let Mok Jinwoo’s jokes go in one ear and out the other as I left the silver moonlight-lit area.

I walked towards the station where the shuttle to the Cradle was waiting.

The unease I felt wasn’t just because an unresolved question had suddenly popped into my mind.

When I mentioned the word ‘witch,’ and when I explained the origin of the question.

The peculiar expression that briefly flickered across Mok Jinwoo’s face before it vanished.

Did it really feel like a mix of tension and a sigh of relief?

Was the word ‘witch’ such a provocative topic?

***

The scenery of the Cradle, which I hadn’t seen in a while, was eerily quiet.

Though it had been a while since I’d stayed and eaten here, the place now felt quite familiar and endearing.

Since it was already late, there wasn’t a soul in sight except for the guards and surveillance cameras at the main gate.

The campus, usually bustling with students in white uniforms, was abnormally still.

Only the distant flicker of lights in the indoor training hall hinted at someone practicing late.

I slipped through the bushes in the garden next to the campus.

Following the path behind, I soon saw the familiar view of the beech dormitory.

The mansion in the most secluded and picturesque spot was Yeon Minha’s dormitory.

And as I scaled the fence to avoid prying eyes, I was met with…

“…You’re late.”

A voice full of irritation pierced my ears.

Like a ghost wandering the corridors, a pale Yeon Minha appeared before me.

She stood with her arms crossed, glaring at me with a sulky expression.

Her red eyes glowed fiercely in the darkness.

“I told you to go to bed first. I said I might be late.”

“Still, you’re too late… wandering around at this hour, who knows what might happen…”

Does this woman think she’s my girlfriend?

T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i ng m t l . o r g
Despite being younger than me.

At Yeon Minha’s feet was a small cat, half cream, half amber in color.

-Meow!

Ddangkong ran up to my feet, sniffing around curiously.

Come to think of it, it’s been a few days since I saw this little one.

I was secretly pleased, but Ddangkong seemed to have some sort of grievance.

After sniffing around for a while, it suddenly stiffened and bit down hard on my ankle, baring its teeth.

The pain was sharp enough that I almost let out a groan.

Wondering if it was because we hadn’t seen each other in a while, I picked Ddangkong up by the scruff and cradled it.

But Ddangkong continued to express its discontent.

It kept trying to scratch me, so I had to restrain its legs.

It seemed almost like it was sulking or throwing a tantrum…

“Do you know why it’s acting like this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Ddangkong’s upset because its daddy came back late without any word…”

“…”

That didn’t quite seem like the reason.

“Anyway, let’s go inside. We have academic schedules starting again tomorrow…”

“Understood.”

With Ddangkong in my arms, I was about to follow Yeon Minha into the dormitory.

When I noticed some strange markings on the outer wall that weren’t there before, I turned to look.

And I immediately realized what the marks were.

“They’re…”

They weren’t stains but large scribbles.

End of Chapter