Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Heaven’s Door (8)

***

Jin Yeseo, feeling the sharp gaze on her, slowly lowered the arm she had raised belatedly.

“Help? With what?”

“…Your designated request. I’m offering to help.”

Even though she realized she had misspoken, there was no way to take it back. In truth, there wasn’t much else she could do.

After resigning herself to the situation, Jin Yeseo confidently made her proposal.

“…Why all of a sudden?”

However, the masked male student’s tone was filled with utter confusion.

“And designated requests are supposed to be carried out individually, right? The rulebook clearly states that, unlike regular requests, you can’t add people or perform them in groups…”

“…I’m just saying I’ll help.”

“What?”

“I won’t put my name on it… I’ll just help.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“For the record, it might be a loophole, but it’s not a violation of the rules. I’ve heard several stories of seniors helping each other out in this way. As long as it’s not blatantly obvious, even the Cradle tends to overlook it…”

“…But what about you? Don’t you have your own request to complete?”

“I’m doing a regular request, not a designated one… I can handle mine easily enough.”

Jin Yeseo had been knocked down to 11th place in the rankings after being struck by Moon Yeowool in the last match, plummeting to a double-digit rank in an instant.

Because of that, she was unable to carry out her first designated request, a crucial step for her future success. Even though several days had passed since the ranking match, the incident was still the talk of the academy.

It was certain that her family had already been informed, and soon enough, she would receive a reprimand from the head of the household.

But that wasn’t what concerned Jin Yeseo at the moment. She was solely focused on her own improvement. Convincing the masked male student was just part of that goal.

“…No.”

But the masked male student firmly rejected her.

“How am I supposed to trust you and bring you along on my request? Do you know who the most untrustworthy person in the world is? It’s the one who offers help without asking for anything in return.”

It was clear that he didn’t trust Jin Yeseo. His reaction wasn’t unreasonable.

Though now she was in a position where she had no choice but to ask for help, just a few weeks ago, the two of them had been practically enemies.

In truth, it was more accurate to say that Jin Yeseo had been the one persistently antagonizing him.

But now, hearing his response, Jin Yeseo’s lips felt dry and parched.

“I’m refusing your help. Let’s just handle our own tasks separately. Then…”

“I’ll offer compensation…!”

But Jin Yeseo spread her arms wide, standing in front of the training room door, once again blocking his path.

“Didn’t you just say you’d help me for free?”

“…I’ve changed my mind.”

“Suddenly?”

“…”

A sudden wave of sorrow filled her chest. She was a proud successor of the Baekgwang Jin family, one of the original five families, the oldest and most prestigious among the Magi 27 Families.

From a young age, she had been recognized as a prodigy. She had always stood out among her peers, outshining them in every aspect. She had coldly rejected the advances of countless men, not even bothering to talk to them, and this had continued even after she entered the Cradle.

Her relationships with other female students were actually quite good. In fact, some of them even admired her for her aloofness.

But Jin Yeseo had never cared about matters of romance. Whenever her friends talked about fiancés or lovers, she would completely tune them out.

She had only planned to find a suitable stud to fulfill her family’s pressure to continue the bloodline when she could no longer avoid it.

And once that obligation was fulfilled, she had no intention of ever looking back.

But now, that same proud self was reduced to begging a strange, masked man with a violent personality for help.

“I’ll help you finish your request quickly. In return…”

“In return?”

“…In return, if there’s any leftover time, spar with me more. That’s… my condition.”

In the end, she had no choice but to be honest. Shame and embarrassment were secondary concerns.

Jin Yeseo had long been addicted to a certain sweetness.

The thrill of training in magic that suited her natural aptitudes, the exhilarating sense of growth that snowballed day by day, and the feeling of liberation as if she had finally regained her true self.

Even the guilt of betraying her sister and her family was drowned out by this intoxicating pleasure.

And now, there was only one person who could make her feel that way.

“…”

The masked male student stared at Jin Yeseo in a daze. Though his face was hidden, she was certain he must be wearing a dumbfounded expression.

After a long silence, he finally spoke again.

“…Even if you help, I don’t think it’ll make the request end any faster. If it were something like a bodyguard mission, maybe, but this…”

“You won’t know unless we try. What kind of request is it, anyway…?”

The masked male student seemed to be deep in thought again.

Considering how common it was for people to eavesdrop on others’ requests or secretly gather information to sabotage them, his reaction was actually quite reasonable.

After standing there for a while, he suddenly rummaged through his jacket pocket.

Then, he pulled something out and handed it to Jin Yeseo.

“Then let me ask you something… Do you know what this is?”

His voice carried little expectation as he asked.

Jin Yeseo took the item.

It was something that looked like an ornament at first glance. A cross-shaped decoration encased in a circular frame, with the upper branch extending longer than the others, giving it a strange appearance.

When Jin Yeseo didn’t immediately respond after examining the object, the masked male student shook his head as if he had expected as much.

“…Forget it. Just pretend I didn’t ask. Give it back…”

“I know.”

“What?”

“I know what this is.”

The one who was surprised now was him, startled by Jin Yeseo’s calm tone.

A few weeks ago, during the second request.

While the masked male student was protecting Jinryeong from the rebels in the south, Jin Yeseo had also made a considerable contribution.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“…What is it?”

“It’s the symbol of a certain cult.”

Of course, she knew what it was.

During the second request, she and Baek Seoyeon had completely destroyed one of their branches.

At the time, Jin Yeseo had even looked at him with jealous eyes. If it hadn’t been for him and Yeon Minha, all the spotlight would have been on Baek Seoyeon and herself.

Though that was all in the past now.

“…Are you sure?”

The masked male student muttered, sounding deep in thought.

“I’m sure. I fought against them myself during the last external request.”

“A cult, huh… What’s its name?”

Jin Yeseo answered his question.

“Heaven’s Door.”

***

After returning from the training room, it was still relatively early in the night.

I sat at my desk, writing a letter to my sisters as usual.

I wouldn’t have time to write for the next few days, as I’d be quite busy.

“Gyareung… Gyarureung…”

As I stroked Ddangkong, who was sitting on my lap, he purred contentedly.

-Knock knock

Just then, a small knock echoed from the hallway.

I gently set Ddangkong down on the floor and turned around.

-Um, uh, are you awake?

It was Yeon Minha’s voice, sounding as if she had bitten her tongue. For some reason, she seemed a bit nervous.

“No, I’m not asleep. You can come in.”

Before I could even finish my reply, the door to my room opened, and Yeon Minha appeared from the darkness of the hallway.

She was wearing a plain white dress with frills at the hem. The form-fitting fabric made it difficult to know where to look.

Her skin, still flushed from a recent bath, glowed with a slight blush. Her hair, not yet fully dried, shimmered with moisture. The familiar scent of narcissus quickly filled the small room.

Despite the nervousness I had sensed earlier, her expression was calm, even cold. Had I misheard?

“…I’m not interrupting, am I?”

Yeon Minha asked in her usual quiet tone.

“No, you’re not. What brings you here?”

I had almost finished writing the letter anyway.

But more than that, I was curious about what had brought Yeon Minha to my room at this hour.

I had meant to ask her something earlier, but she had been cooped up in her room like a mouse, so I hadn’t had the chance.

Now that I thought about it, this was the first time Yeon Minha had come to my room. I usually went to hers.

Strictly speaking, I was the one illegally occupying this space. After all, this room originally belonged to Yeon Minha…

“How’s your request preparation going?”

Instead of answering my question, Yeon Minha brought up a different topic.

“…It’s going alright. How about you, Senior?”

Second-year students had even more demanding external request schedules than first-years.

“My request is for escorting a shipment of medicine. It’s not too bad. It’s not as far south as last time, and the scale is manageable.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah. But the schedule’s a bit tight… I’ll probably have to leave tomorrow morning.”

“Is that so? I’ll likely be leaving around tomorrow as well.”

I nodded.

“I’m glad you came. I actually had something I wanted to ask you.”

“…Really? That’s good. I came because I had something to say too.”

“What is it?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Yeon Minha slowly walked toward me.

“Meow?”

Then, she suddenly picked up Ddangkong, who had been looking up at me in dissatisfaction.

Yeon Minha walked to the door and stepped out into the hallway.

Then, without giving Ddangkong a chance to react, she set him down and… closed the door behind her.

-Click.

Even locking the door.

-Meow! Meooow!

Outside, Ddangkong began to cry, as if realizing something too late. It sounded so heart-wrenching, like a daughter who had lost her father. The scratching of his claws against the door only made it worse…

But Yeon Minha didn’t seem to care, turning back to look at me with a calm expression.

“Why did you…?”

“Sorry. I thought he might be a distraction.”

I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Was there something she needed to say that a cat couldn’t hear? Why go through the trouble of sending him out…

Yeon Minha took a deep breath as if to steady herself.

Then, she slowly opened her small lips and said something I never expected.

“Tonight… sleep with me.”

Now that I looked more closely, her eyes, which I had thought were calm, were filled with a certain longing.

End of Chapter