Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 107

Chapter 107

Exposure (17)

“What do you want?”

“…”

Jin Yeseo didn’t answer but continued to glare at me.

The intensity in her green eyes was rather menacing.

“Hmm, I guess I’ll take my leave now… We can talk later, Leader. I’ll look into that request…”

“Wait…”

Before I could stop him, Shin Muyoung, who had been subtly gauging the situation, quickly vanished.

He was so swift that I didn’t even have the chance to hold him back.

I stared after the direction he disappeared in, then turned my attention back to Jin Yeseo.

Why is this woman so determined to make my life difficult?

Even though we belong to opposing factions, I didn’t see the need to harbor any unnecessary animosity, given our positions.

But if she keeps this up… I might need to reconsider.

To make matters worse, she’s made me delay hearing about that witch again.

The more I thought about it, the more irritated I became, so I clenched and unclenched my fists, taking deep breaths.

I’d already had a rough morning, and my mood was at an all-time low.

It took all my effort to avoid slapping Jin Yeseo across the face.

There was no need to engage with her and cause a scene.

“If you have nothing to say, move aside…”

“Yu Jinhyun. I challenge you to a duel.”

Just as I had finally calmed my emotions and began to speak, something completely unexpected came out of her mouth in a gruff voice.

A duel? Out of nowhere?

“…Why?”

“I need to reclaim the honor I lost in our last ranking match.”

I could now somewhat understand the motivation behind her sudden confrontation.

Come to think of it, Jin Yeseo was also dressed in training gear.

Her tight-fitting dark gray outfit exposed her midriff and limbs, showing off her toned body covered in a sheen of sweat.

Did she run over here as soon as she heard that I was back?

I remembered that during the last ranking match, she had refused to surrender until she fainted, ultimately losing to me.

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She might be even more competitive than I initially thought.
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“I’ll set a condition. If you win again, I’ll forfeit the first-year representative seat on the student council…”

“I’m not interested, so move aside. Whether you join the student council or not is your business.”

“What…!”

For the first time, Jin Yeseo’s fierce expression showed signs of confusion.

She clearly hadn’t expected me to reject her proposal so flatly.

Ignoring her shocked expression, I walked past the blonde girl and continued on my way.

While I understood she was competitive, there was no reason for me to accept her challenge.

The student council was never something I had any interest in.

Given my lack of social skills and introverted nature, I’d probably just embarrass myself in such a position.

I’ll focus on studying hard, keeping a low profile, and protecting Yeon Minha.

“You… you have no pride? How can you just brush off a student council seat like that…! Hey…! Wait…!”

Jin Yeseo continued to shout at me from behind, but I ignored her.

Fortunately, a personal duel can’t happen without both parties agreeing to it.

With everything else on my plate, the last thing I needed was to get entangled in a duel with her…

“Didn’t I tell you to wait!”

Suddenly, I felt a touch on my wrist, accompanied by a faintly unpleasant sensation that crawled up my arm.

Without thinking, I spun around and grabbed Jin Yeseo’s wrist in return.

As I clenched my hand tighter, she winced and writhed in pain.

“Ugh…! You bastard…!”

“Don’t touch me without permission.”

“All this over a wrist… Argh…!”

Despite the discomfort, I twisted her arm further.

Jin Yeseo squirmed like a worm, her face contorting in agony.

“Hng…!”

“If you pull something like this again, I won’t hesitate to break it, rules or not.”

I tightened my grip until the last moment, then used the strength in my entire body to shove her away.

Jin Yeseo staggered, almost falling as she barely managed to regain her balance.

Five red marks were clearly imprinted on her pale wrist.

She gritted her teeth, glaring at me with renewed hatred.

“You…!”

“…”

Does she never get tired of this?
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But I neither had the time nor the desire to continue this confrontation.

I dusted my hands off as if cleansing them and turned away again.

If she approached me one more time, I was prepared to end this for good, but fortunately, she didn’t make another attempt.

Her sharp gaze followed me until I rounded the corner.

With a lingering sense of irritation, I headed to my next class, but I couldn’t focus at all.

To make matters worse, it was my least favorite subject, Particle Chemistry, and the prying eyes from all around hadn’t subsided.

The attention was even more blatant than it had been earlier in the semester.

Maybe it’s because the difference between being a recommended student and a direct descendent has been made clear, on top of the fact that I had been hiding my identity.

After barely sitting through the class, I headed straight to the pagoda garden behind the main building.

After this period, Yeon Minha was supposed to update me on how her student council application went.

“…?”
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But after standing there for over thirty minutes, there was still no sign of Yeon Minha.

At first, I thought I might have mixed up the time, but she’s far more punctual than I am.

If anything, she’s usually early, never late.

“…”

Come to think of it, she did mention this morning that her student council application might not go smoothly.

T his w a s co p ie d fr o m kin g m t l . o r g
Maybe something went wrong.

I think the student council room is on the third floor of the main building.

Should I… go check it out?

***

Baek Seoyeon was heading to the third floor of the main building first thing Monday morning to apply for student council membership.

As she descended the stairs, her thoughts were deeply occupied.

Although other students greeted her with admiring gazes, she paid them no mind.

Her head was filled with thoughts about the masked boy.

“…”

She had been the one to most desperately deny the boy’s death.

So she tried to find evidence of his survival, but everything she found only confirmed the boy’s death.

All her efforts ended in vain.
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All that remained for her was a soot-stained ring, a despair deeper than any abyss, and a cat.

Seoyeon had fallen into an indescribable sadness, and at one point, she had even tried to follow the boy into death, driven by an overwhelming self-loathing.

Only the thought of her unfulfilled revenge had briefly stayed her hand.

But looking back now, that very perfection only deepened her suspicions.

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It was as if someone was trying to loudly proclaim the boy’s death from every corner.

What if that excessive perfection was artificially created by someone?

And what if the reason for that… was to fake the boy’s death?

‘Could Hyun really be…!’

Ever since she looked into those clear, transparent eyes at the Jeokhwa mansion.

Seoyeon had been plagued by doubts, but every time, the answer was always the same.

There was only one reason Seoyeon found him unsettling.

The name was different, and his height and build had grown significantly.

His voice was deep and resonant, and he could now skillfully use magic.

Despite all this, someone who should have been a total stranger was displaying familiar habits and gestures, which only heightened Seoyeon’s discomfort.

But if the masked boy was indeed who she thought he was, it would explain all her lingering questions.
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Height? Voice? He could have gone through a late growth spurt and a deepening of his voice.

Despite being treated as legal adults due to chronic manpower shortages, their bodies were still at an age where growth was possible.

Magic? Although late blooming was extremely rare, it wasn’t impossible.

She knew that he had a rare condition, being a nonresponsive type, but maybe the diagnosis had been wrong.

The day the masked boy joined the 66th Squadron was a year before the boy’s death, but if they could fake his death, they could certainly doctor the dates.

Seoyeon barely managed to suppress the rising joy.

The sweetness of it was as overwhelming as cotton candy.

The dull, monochrome world was regaining its color.

She wanted to get the tedious student council application out of the way and focus on her real purpose.

Just as she reached the floor where the student council office was located.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a commotion from around the corner.

Soon, Seoyeon spotted the people causing the disturbance.

At the center of the crowd stood none other than Yeon Minha.

It had been a while since she had seen her, but Yeon Minha still looked as haughty and arrogant as ever.

She stood with a scornful expression, glaring down at those who surrounded her.

The group of female students encircling her were also quite familiar to Seoyeon.

They were Chun Harin and her followers, members of the Magi 27 Families.

“…”

Seoyeon frowned upon recognizing them.

Yeon Minha was one thing, but Chun Harin, who was supposedly on Seoyeon’s side, was another person she didn’t particularly care for.

Chun Harin was oblivious to her own limitations, despite barely scraping into the bottom ranks of the Magi 27 Families.

Despite losing a pinky finger to Yeon Minha, her habit of causing unnecessary trouble hadn’t improved.

And she always had a pack of sycophants with her, making her even more pathetic.

“Chun Harin. You still lack any class. It’s about time you realized that.”

“The one who lacks class here is you, Yeon Minha. There’s no place for you in the student council. You’re just clinging onto your position by selling out your own family…”

Emboldened by the downfall of Jeokhwa, Chun Harin retorted, not backing down from Yeon Minha’s challenge.

“I even heard rumors that you’re now leeching off a man. And not just any man, but one you used to look down on.”

“…”

Chun Harin’s attempt to mock Yeon Minha only served to worsen Seoyeon’s mood.

Her animosity quickly turned toward Yeon Minha.
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Their relationship had never been good, but recently, her hatred had deepened.

And there was no need to explain why.

“I wish you’d stop using such filthy, parasitic language. Now, why don’t you move aside? I’m late for an appointment because of you. Maybe I should cut off your other finger to make you listen?”

“You bitch…!”

“Why don’t you all stop now?”

“Seoyeon…!”

Chun Harin, who had been glaring at Yeon Minha, lit up upon noticing Seoyeon’s presence.

She hurried to stand beside Seoyeon, casting a triumphant smirk at Yeon Minha.

Seoyeon had to resist the urge to yank Chun Harin’s hair.

She briefly considered letting Yeon Minha get her comeuppance, but this kind of brawl would only garner sympathy for Yeon Minha.

Before things escalated further, Seoyeon decided to intervene.

“Baek Seoyeon. Have you stooped to such petty behavior?”

Yeon Minha snorted as she recognized Seoyeon.

Being face-to-face with her made Seoyeon’s stomach churn even more.

“Minha, there seems to be some misunderstanding. This isn’t…”

Seoyeon was about to fake a smile and try to defuse the situation.

“What exactly… are you doing?”

A voice from behind interrupted, and she felt a heavy weight drop in her chest.
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End of Chapter