Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Heaven’s Door (10)

***

“Umm…”

Early morning.

The sky outside the window was just starting to brighten.

Yeon Minha woke up, furrowing her brows slightly in discomfort.

“What’s this… Why do I feel so stifled…”

Her arms and legs felt as if they were bound by some kind of firm chain, unable to move.

It felt like something was tightly constricting her from all sides. However, instead of discomfort, she oddly felt warmth and a sense of security.

Yeon Minha half-opened her eyes and looked around.

It was only then that she realized she was completely buried in Lee Hyun’s embrace.

“Uh…”

Lee Hyun was holding her tightly, like a cherished doll, breathing deeply as he slept.

Yeon Minha’s face flushed red, like a ripe apple.

‘I only asked him to let me use his arm as a pillow…’

It was far too stimulating, but at the same time, it brought an unparalleled sense of comfort.

Since she was practically half-naked, she could feel the sensation even more vividly.

Yeon Minha carefully peeked out just enough to check the time.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time left to enjoy being in his arms.

Though she regretted having taken on a job this early in the morning, she began to wriggle her body, trying to escape from his embrace.

But as soon as her movement was detected, Lee Hyun unconsciously tightened his arms, preventing her from leaving.

As if asserting ownership over her.

“Ah…”

Yeon Minha was pulled right back into his arms.

She let out a small, involuntary moan.

Perhaps because she was only wearing thin underwear, every little sensation of her skin being pressed against him felt overwhelmingly stimulating.

“You have rough sleeping habits…”

But soon after, Yeon Minha nodded to herself.

This much was something she could endure.

The sensation of being held wasn’t all that bad, after all.

“Let go now… I have to get up…”

Yeon Minha whispered softly against Lee Hyun’s chest, trying once again to free herself from his embrace.

Though he was still clearly asleep, this time, he didn’t stop her.

Yeon Minha cautiously crawled out of bed and picked up the dress that had fallen to the floor during last night’s commotion, shaking it off before slipping it on.

She then crouched by the bedside and stared intently at Lee Hyun’s face.

“Was that… our first night?”

Just the thought of it made her whole body flush with heat.

Yeon Minha shook her head vigorously.

“…How arrogant. To treat a senior like that…”

She pouted slightly as she recalled how he had mercilessly pinned her down and teased her the night before.

“But still…”

Before long, a soft smile, like snow melting under the spring sun, spread across her face.

There were certainly some regrets, but overall, it wasn’t too bad.

Somehow, she had slept more comfortably than usual.

Her gaze lingered on Lee Hyun’s lips as he slept.

A strange, ticklish feeling stirred within her, tempting her to act.

“…No. I’ll save this for when he’s awake… and do it properly…”

Yeon Minha seemed to make up her mind as her expression hardened slightly.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and brought her lips to his forehead.

-Smooch.

“Hii…”

Yeon Minha let out a sticky moan, filled with desire.

A tingling sensation, like being electrocuted, spread through her body from where their skin had touched.

“Hehe…”

With a silly grin on her face, Yeon Minha gently stroked Lee Hyun’s disheveled hair.

Then, turning around, she quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom, careful not to wake him, moving like a cautious cat.

‘…A cat? Come to think of it…’

As she silently opened the door, Yeon Minha suddenly remembered something she had forgotten until now.

“…Ah.”

And just as she stepped into the hallway.

Her gaze instinctively dropped to her feet.

There, staring up at her intently, was a small creature that seemed utterly harmless.

Its round eyes appeared to be filled with all the resentment in the world. Tears still clung to the corners of its eyes, as if it hadn’t yet gotten over the sorrow of being kicked out.

“…Hey. I’m sorry about last night.”

Feeling as if she were apologizing to a sulking child, Yeon Minha found herself apologizing to the cat, Ddangkong, even though it couldn’t understand her.

But Ddangkong, as if to say ‘Hmph!’, turned its entire body away from her.

Without so much as a glance in her direction, Ddangkong scurried back into the open bedroom and disappeared.

Then, with a grunt, it used its entire body to push the door closed.

As if to exact revenge for what had happened yesterday.

“…Is that really a cat?”

Yeon Minha muttered in disbelief as she watched.

***

By the time I woke up, Yeon Minha was already gone, having left early in the morning.

Since there were no regular classes during the assignment week, I headed straight to the Cradle Library to meet Jin Yeseo at the appointed time.

After sitting in my usual corner for a while, I noticed a female student approaching cautiously, glancing around nervously with her hood pulled low over her head.

Once she confirmed no one was nearby, Jin Yeseo quickly dashed over to sit beside me.

“Sigh… Why am I going through all this trouble…”

Without even greeting me, the blonde-haired student plopped down in her seat and let out a deep, weary sigh.

“I’m not forcing you. If you don’t want to do it, you can quit.”

“…No, it’s fine. I said I’d help… Besides, I’ve already gone too far to back out now.”

Jin Yeseo shook her head, her expression resigned to the situation.

Today, I had met with Jin Yeseo to gather various preliminary information needed for the assignment.

The bracelet the widow from the Special Crimes Investigation Bureau had, adorned with a strange symbol.

And the necklace bearing the exact same symbol, worn by Yeon Jeongmun, the mastermind behind the Red Flower Incident and Yeon Minha’s father.

The body had melted away in the toxic mist, and a large fire had broken out, so there was no way to verify anything further… but in some ways, that might have been a relief.

If what Jin Yeseo said was true, that object was a symbol of heresy, strictly forbidden by law in the Republic.

If it had been discovered that Yeon Jeongmun possessed such a symbol, Yeon Minha’s situation would have plummeted even further.

This was also why I needed to investigate this incident more thoroughly. Yeon Minha couldn’t afford any more instability in her life.

And if I merely followed the Special Crimes Investigation Bureau’s request to put on a show of dissuading the widow, the truth would remain forever hidden.

“The name was definitely… Heaven’s Door, right?”

“…As far as I know, yes.”

Jin Yeseo brushed aside her fallen hair as she answered.

Even as she spoke, her eyes darted around nervously, scanning the surroundings. Occasionally, she would hunch over and almost bury herself in the desk, as if expecting to hear a familiar voice.

In hindsight, I should have suggested we meet in the training room instead. I could understand her anxiety. After all, we were from opposing factions and had been at each other’s throats like sworn enemies just a few days ago.

If anyone caught us huddled together in a corner of the library, whispering like this, it would undoubtedly cause a major uproar and affect our respective standings.

I only had to deal with Yeon Minha, but… Jin Yeseo had much more to lose.

“The original assignment was to patrol the slums and clean up the streets. But after noticing suspicious movements at dawn, I decided to investigate further.”

Jin Yeseo shuddered slightly as she recalled the memory.

“…It was horrifying. I’ve never seen such a gruesome scene in my life. The walls were splattered with blood, and half-rotten corpses were strewn across an altar. Fanatics charged at us like madmen…”

During the second assignment.

While I was dealing with the rebels in the south, Jin Yeseo had stumbled upon a fairly large heretical church disguised as something else and had destroyed it, earning significant credit.

“They resisted fiercely, and none of them responded to interrogation, so we had no choice but to execute them all on the spot. And I saw the exact same symbol engraved all over the place.”

Jin Yeseo fiddled with the bracelet the widow had handed over.

“Where did you get this? Was the assignment to hunt those guys down? Did you find their main base?”

“No, it wasn’t a hunting assignment…”

“…You’re still keeping secrets, even when I’m helping you?”

Jin Yeseo frowned slightly, clearly displeased. But this was a sensitive issue related to the secrets of the Red Flower Incident. I couldn’t reveal all the details of the investigation.

I hadn’t even fully explained it to Yeon Minha, fearing it might reopen old wounds.

“…Fine. So, what’s your plan?”

Jin Yeseo sighed lightly, resigned.

“There’s a place I need to visit. I’m planning to leave today.”

I intended to visit the orphanage that Yeon Minha had mentioned last night.

The nun who had appeared two years ago and had been visiting the Red Flower Estate to meet with Yeon Jeongmun for some time.

If she was a religious figure with the qualifications to enter the estate, she was likely affiliated with a religious organization or orphanage sponsored by the family.

At this point, the most plausible explanation was that the nun had delivered the heretical symbol to Yeon Jeongmun.

“What about you? What’s your plan?”

“…I already said I’d help, so I’ll stick with it until the end.”

Despite her reluctance, Jin Yeseo nodded.

“Good. Then let’s meet in the capital once we’re both ready.”

“…Alright.”

“Wait.”

Just as Jin Yeseo was about to get up, I called her back, a thought suddenly occurring to me.

“What?”

“If we leave on the same day, won’t people figure out what we’re doing?”

“Oh, that’s what you’re worried about… Hundreds of students come and go from the Cradle during assignment week. No one will notice. And besides…”

Jin Yeseo hesitated for a moment before speaking again, a peculiar expression on her face.

“Who would ever think that you and I would be working together?”

***

“Sigh…”

After quickly packing her things, Jin Yeseo left her dormitory, walking with slow, heavy steps.

She chose a quiet, secluded path instead of the bustling campus filled with students.

There was no need to worry about being seen by anyone since she had agreed to meet the masked man again in the capital.

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

With her hood pulled low over her head, Jin Yeseo glanced around nervously, like a petty thief.

She tried to ignore the prickling guilt and creeping sense of betrayal as she hurried along.

Her once-proud golden hair felt especially cumbersome today.

Thankfully, the campus was so noisy and chaotic that no one seemed to pay her any special attention.

But just as she neared the main gate, her heart, which had been pounding with tension, began to settle.

“Hey! Isn’t that Yeseo?”

A voice called out from somewhere, and Jin Yeseo’s heart plummeted.

Her body stiffened as she turned her head awkwardly, like a rusty machine.

Three female students were walking toward her, having spotted her from a distance.

At the front of the group was a girl with jet-black hair, shining like the night sky.

End of Chapter