Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Fall (5)

***

A sudden headache struck, and my face twisted in pain. This was getting ridiculous. How do I keep running into her, even in a place like this?

Since the entrance to the training room was on the upper level, I had a clear view of the blonde girl’s movements.

It didn’t take long to realize that something was very wrong with her.

Her hair, usually neatly tied, was now a tangled mess. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her gaze was unfocused, making it impossible to tell where she was looking.

The bandages still wrapped around her neck and limbs suggested that her injuries from the second round of duels hadn’t fully healed.

It was pointless to mention that she hadn’t even noticed my presence.

“Hah… Hah…!!”

-Boom!

Jin Yeseo was panting heavily as she wildly unleashed her signature black flames. Serpents of fire, blazing walls, and a rain of flames fell upon the targets and the automated dummies.

But the only thing that could be felt was desperation. The power and precision that I had once experienced from her were gone. If anything, it felt like she had regressed.

-Boom! Boom! Boom!

The misfired magic hit the walls of the training room, causing bits and pieces of the structure to crumble.

Looking at this, it became clear why the training rooms were undergoing such massive repairs everywhere.

“Urgh…!”

Jin Yeseo bit her lip hard enough for blood to trickle down, but she didn’t seem to care.

She continued firing her magic aimlessly, her face blank once again.

Or maybe she didn’t even realize she was bleeding.

But no matter how hard she tried, she wasn’t going to gain anything from this. She was pushing her body to the brink of self-destruction, not to grow stronger.

And there was no way someone as smart as her wouldn’t know that. It was one of the most basic teachings at Cradle, something the professors constantly reminded us of. They always said, in no uncertain terms, that impatience was the greatest poison to growth.

In other words, Jin Yeseo was currently in such a state of mind that she couldn’t even recognize the most fundamental principles.

That might also explain why her magic seemed weaker. Vessel particles, which composed magic, were said to have a deep connection with one’s mental state.

What is she doing? Losing to me is one thing, but did losing to Moon Yeowool affect her that much?

Well, according to Choi Woojin, she had never lost to Moon Yeowool before. That would explain it.

“…”

I watched Jin Yeseo for a moment longer before quietly turning around and leaving the training room.

As strange as her self-destructive behavior was, it wasn’t my problem.

I’d just have to give up for today and come back earlier tomorrow.

Retracing my steps back to the Beech dormitory, an uncomfortable feeling began to settle in my body.

I stopped walking, and after a moment of thought, I realized the source.

It felt like I had just glimpsed into some kind of magical mirror reflecting my own past.

***

It didn’t even take a full day for me to realize how wrong I had been.

Jin Yeseo monopolized that spacious training room for two straight days. How does she always get there so fast? Is her dorm closer? Or did she drop her afternoon classes entirely?

One thing was for sure: the one getting more and more frustrated from the lack of proper training was me.

Though I’ve gotten better now, I used to have a near-obsessive compulsion about training.

I even pushed myself so hard once that the commander gave me a stern scolding.

After that, he personally dragged me through a mud pit, making sure it was at an “appropriate” level of intensity.

Finally, on the third day, I managed to claim the old training room in Section A.

It had taken skipping one of my afternoon electives and sprinting across the campus to get here in time.

After changing into my training clothes and finishing my warm-up, I started swinging my blades around like a fish in water. The sight of the dummies shattering before me brought an overwhelming sense of relief, as if I could just float away.

But then, I heard the door creak open, piercing through my concentration.

The disruption to my peace made my brow furrow instinctively. I didn’t even need to turn around to know who had just walked in.

I tried to return to my focused state, ignoring the person.

Today, this was my sanctuary. If they had any decency, they’d turn around and leave.

But no matter how long I waited, I didn’t hear the door closing. Instead, I could feel a pair of eyes quietly watching me.

-Clang!

I couldn’t take it anymore. I threw the practice blade onto the floor.

There was no way I could ignore it and focus on training with her here.

I marched over to the girl sitting in the corner, knees pulled up to her chest. It was Jin Yeseo.

“Hey.”

“…”

She didn’t respond. She didn’t even turn her head to look at me. Her hazy eyes were fixed on some random spot in the training room.

“Answer me when someone calls you.”

“…Why.”

Only then did Jin Yeseo lift her head slightly, her hollow eyes meeting mine.

Up close, she looked even worse.

She looked like someone suffering from a terminal illness, or maybe a drug addict. Anyone could be fooled by her appearance.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“…Waiting for my turn.”

Her voice was different as well. The overconfidence that used to be almost arrogant was completely gone.

Now her voice was barely a whisper, crawling on the floor.

Of course, that didn’t make me any less angry.

“Then go wait outside. I can’t focus on my training with you here.”

“…There’s no such rule.”

Jin Yeseo muttered those words before lowering her head again, refusing to speak further. Her gaze remained locked on the same spot as before.

Something hot and angry surged up my throat. My face flushed with heat.

I had to fight the urge to kick her while she sat there.

This wasn’t the old days, and this wasn’t a duel. Causing a scene here would only inconvenience the commander and the people at Heukryeon. Not to mention, it might negatively affect Yeon Minha’s already shaky reputation.

The problem was, Jin Yeseo wasn’t technically wrong. In fact, her statement aligned more closely with Cradle’s philosophy.

Cradle encouraged students to learn by observing those more skilled than them. In that sense, my insistence on complete privacy was the outlier.

“Hah…”

I unclenched and clenched my fists repeatedly, forcing myself to calm down.

Then I turned away from Jin Yeseo and headed for the door.

There was still time left, but under these circumstances, I wouldn’t be able to train properly.

However, as I reached the door, I remembered that I hadn’t cleaned up the practice blade I’d thrown on the floor earlier.

I turned back around and saw Jin Yeseo still sitting frozen in that same position, staring intently at something.

“…?”

Her eyes were fixed on the practice blade I had thrown, still lying on the ground.

***

“Baek Seoyeon. Isn’t this a bit much?”

“Really? I think you’re the one overdoing it.”

The regular student council meeting, held every other day.

Today, too, in the midst of a cutting cold atmosphere, the student council president, Hageumtae, was nervously glancing around.

“Cradle is a place that advocates for equality in education. How can we approve a club like this?”

A girl with hair as beautiful as the night sky, Baek Seoyeon, waved a piece of paper held delicately between her slim fingers.

“With entry requirements like these… Even students from the Five Families would have a hard time getting in.”

The club application that Yeon Minha had handwritten was filled with unusually strict entry requirements, row after row of them, packed tightly.

Sitting with her legs crossed, Yeon Minha smirked and responded to Baek Seoyeon’s words.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, as far as I can see. I checked the school regulations and reviewed everything properly. Stop trying to find reasons to nitpick. It’s starting to look pathetic.”

“Are you serious? It’s obviously a loophole.”

The girl sitting next to Seoyeon with her hair in twin braids, Choi Ireh, jumped into the debate.

She sided with Seoyeon, giving a sharp retort to Yeon Minha, then turned her head toward Hageumtae, sitting at the head of the table.

“President, please say something. She’s a student council executive. Is it okay for her to openly pull a stunt like this?”

“Huh? Oh, uh…”

Instantly, all eyes in the room, including a pair of blazing red ones that glowed like the molten lava of hell, focused on Hageumtae.

Cursing Choi Ireh in his mind, Hageumtae desperately racked his brain for a way out of this situation.

“Hmm, hmm. Well…”

He coughed lightly to buy some time, then slowly began to speak.

“…Lady Choi Ireh has a point. It’s not just a matter of Cradle’s internal rules. If the media gets wind of this, it’s going to cause quite a stir. The public is already uneasy these days, and if the country’s top educational institution is seen approving a club with such conditions…”

Instead of offering his own opinion, Hageumtae tried to deflect the situation by citing external pressures.

“Lady Yeon Minha… While I wholeheartedly support your active participation in campus activities, given your status in one of the great families… perhaps it would be wise to reconsider a club with such demanding entry requirements…”

“…Tsk.”

Yeon Minha clicked her tongue in annoyance, completely ignoring his plea.

Hageumtae flinched involuntarily. He couldn’t help but feel resentful toward the masked boy with whom he had once formed a deep bond of friendship.

‘Didn’t he say he’d talk to her?’

But he quickly shook his head.

Given Yeon Minha’s notorious reputation… perhaps this was the best outcome that could have been hoped for.

“Let’s wrap up for today, shall we…?”

Hageumtae carefully suggested, glancing around at everyone’s faces.

Those eager to escape this uncomfortable situation quickly agreed, and the meeting was hastily concluded.

Hageumtae was the first to flee the room.

As the remaining members tidied up, someone approached Yeon Minha, who was gathering her things.

She didn’t even look up, recognizing the person instantly from the cascade of jet-black hair.

Her expression twisted into one of pure displeasure.

Baek Seoyeon had already obstructed her plans to establish the club several times.

Yeon Minha’s dream of building a paradise for just the two of them, free from interference, had yet to even break ground.

“What do you want?”

“Yeon Minha. Didn’t I tell you to cut it out?”

Baek Seoyeon’s voice, cold and cutting, whispered into her ear as if she knew all of Yeon Minha’s intentions.

“…Hah.”

Yeon Minha let out a short laugh and stood up, facing her.

Baek Seoyeon’s face was still smiling sweetly, her eyes slightly drooping like a friendly puppy.

But her gaze… was as cold as a glacier.

Others might not know, but Yeon Minha was well aware of why Baek Seoyeon kept getting in her way.

“He’s not your toy. You can’t just do whatever you want with him…”

“Hey.”

Yeon Minha cut off Seoyeon’s icy warning midway, not caring in the slightest.

She pressed her lips into a sneer and leaned in to whisper softly into Seoyeon’s ear.

“He’s mine now. Wake up from your dream.”

“…!”

The moment she said that, Yeon Minha saw the slight crack appear in Baek Seoyeon’s composed expression.

Looking down, Seoyeon’s hands were clenched into tight fists, her arms trembling slightly.

“…”

But witnessing that emotional turmoil only made Yeon Minha feel uneasy rather than satisfied.

She brushed past Baek Seoyeon and headed for the door.

“…Who gave you permission.”

Baek Seoyeon’s voice, sticky with a mixture of obsession and affection, clung to Yeon Minha’s back as she walked away.

***

Yeon Minha’s steps were slow and heavy as she headed back to the dormitory. This was her true self beneath the mask she wore when facing her rivals.

Her eyes were filled with unease.

For better or worse, she was currently the closest person to him.

But the biggest problem was that Baek Seoyeon’s feelings for him weren’t one-sided.

After all, it was none other than him who had kept Seoyeon’s portrait close to his heart all this time.

There was no guarantee… that nothing would come of it.

“I need something, something more… something decisive…”

She muttered to herself, lost in thought as she eventually arrived at the entrance of the dormitory.

“I want to see him…”

Yeon Minha whispered to herself, her voice filled with yearning, as she stepped into the dormitory grounds. He usually didn’t return until after his training, so it would be at least two or three hours before she got to see him.

But when she opened the dormitory door, she was left speechless.

Filling her vision was the sight of Lee Hyun, engrossed in his workout, with weights strapped to his body.

His muscular upper body, covered in bulging scars of various sizes, was fully exposed to the now sweltering air of the dorm.

The moment she saw him, he turned to meet her gaze.

He halted his movements, clearly caught off guard by her unexpected appearance.

“…You’re back early.”

-Bang!

But before Lee Hyun could finish his sentence, Yeon Minha slammed the door shut.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and her face was burning hot.

She stood frozen in place for a moment before sliding down the door, sitting on the floor with her back against it.

“How… How shameless…”

Yeon Minha covered her flushed face with both hands, mumbling to herself in an embarrassed but excited whisper.

End of Chapter