Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Heaven’s Door (16)

***

Tingling.

A peculiar discomfort spread from the part of my skin that was touching Jin Yeseo. It soon crawled up my arm and began to wrap around my body.

Though the mask I wore made it bearable, the discomfort remained the same.

I wanted to shake off that unpleasant feeling right away, but I couldn’t.

Jin Yeseo had already loudly called out and waved her hand, drawing the attention of the women ahead of us.

At a glance, their faces looked tough and determined, and they seemed to have already established a fairly close relationship with Jin Yeseo.

If I were to coldly push away my “wife,” who was greeting me so warmly, right in front of them… the commotion that would follow was all too predictable.

“They’ve been taking care of me. You wouldn’t believe how kind they are…”

Seizing the moment when I was flustered, Jin Yeseo tightened her grip on my arm and led me forward. Her face was still full of a bright, beaming smile.

Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve seen her smile like this.

I was used to seeing her with an annoyed expression, picking fights or grimacing in pain, so it felt somewhat fresh.

The problem was, I couldn’t fathom her true intentions.

Wasn’t it just this morning that she stormed out, venting her frustrations at me?

Pretending to be a couple should only be for show. What was the point of blatantly flaunting our relationship in a place like this…?

“…”

Meanwhile, dozens of gazes were fixed on us from all directions.

For some reason, though, those looks didn’t feel friendly.

In fact… they seemed filled with disdain, as if they were looking at a pathetic fool.

“Is that him?”

“He’s wearing that thing on his face, just so he can breathe better by himself?”

And then, the women with their rough voices began whispering, tearing into me with their words.

“Good grief, leaving his poor wife to fend for herself while he…”

“…”

What is this?

I looked down at Jin Yeseo in confusion.

“Huh? Honey… why are you looking at me like that?”

Her long, thick eyelashes, the large, sparkling eyes peeking through her disheveled bangs, the delicate and well-defined features. And to top it all off, her moist lips, as if she had just bitten into a ripe red fruit.

Even with soot smeared on her, her beauty couldn’t be hidden, and her smile was as sweet as ever.

I remembered hearing from Seunghun that at the beginning of the semester, many male students had tried to approach Jin Yeseo.

Of course, she had handed them all over to the student council, but seeing her like this, I could somewhat understand why.

However, I had only just realized something.

Behind that smile, there was a shadow of some sinister and wicked plot.

“Tsk tsk… He looks fine on the outside, but as for his character…”

“How did such a fine young wife end up with a guy like that…”

“Hey, you! Get your act together. You’re still young…”

“…”

I’ve been had.

***

The start could only be described as the worst.

Being humiliated all night wasn’t enough; I had to wander the streets in a miserable state, my hair disheveled and soot smeared all over me.

But looking back, it wasn’t all bad.

In fact, it was somewhat refreshing.

“Hmm-hmm~”

At dusk.

The time when the city would once again be shrouded in an orange mist.

Jin Yeseo was heading back to that same cheap motel from yesterday, reflecting on her feelings.

She was in such a good mood that she was humming, something she normally never did.

As she turned her head to the side, she saw the man walking beside her.

Though she had long since let go of his arm, they were still walking side by side, keeping pace like a married couple.

However, the man was shuffling along as if he were completely out of it.

“Hmm-hmm…”

Jin Yeseo had to make a considerable effort to suppress the smile that kept creeping up on her lips.

Even she found her own words to be rather brash.

Surrounded by dozens of women, all hurling harsh criticism at him, it was no wonder that even such a fierce man would lose his spirit.

‘Pfft…’

Jin Yeseo barely managed to stifle her laughter.

Up until last night, he had been a man she feared deeply, but now, he looked no different from a wet puppy.

Seeing him like this, she even felt a tiny bit of pity.

It was her first time experiencing life among the lower class, but it wasn’t all that bad.

Besides, the women had been surprisingly kind.

‘How could he leave such a wife all alone…’

While they had treated her kindly, they had showered her husband with insults for abandoning his wife.

With their help, she had managed to deliver a satisfying blow to him, making it all the more worthwhile.

“Hmm-hmm… Sometimes, things like this aren’t so bad. The people are unexpectedly nice… Maybe I had some prejudices.”

“…”

Though there was no response, that didn’t stop Jin Yeseo from continuing.

“They really tore into you, didn’t they? They said you were such a useless man, making your poor wife suffer.”

“…”

“But I defended you a lot, you know? I told them you weren’t that much of a slacker. That you’re actually a good person if they get to know you. You heard that, right? After all, if you get insulted, it reflects on me too. We’re ‘a couple,’ remember?”

“…”

“Honey, why are you so quiet? Don’t just stand there silently; say something, will you?”

“…”

“Ho~ney~”

The more the man stayed silent, the more Jin Yeseo’s spirits soared.

Then, he suddenly stopped walking.

He looked at her and spoke in a sharp tone.

“Hey. Can you stop?”

“Stop what?”

“That ‘honey’ stuff.”

“Why? You’re the one who said we’re a couple. I’m just doing my duty as a wife, aren’t I?”

Jin Yeseo replied nonchalantly.

As she observed him closely, she realized something else.

Even though he was the one who had initiated the use of such intimate terms, the man clearly found it uncomfortable.

‘Seriously… He’s the one who forced this on me, and now he’s acting like this. A man should be grateful to have someone like me calling him ‘honey.’ He should be bowing in thanks.’

She was playing the role of someone’s wife, something she had never imagined herself doing.

It was practically the only way she could mess with him without facing any consequences.

Since even the pretense was on her side, Jin Yeseo saw no reason to give up the term.

“You got to hear it plenty in front of all those people, didn’t you?”

“Someone could still be watching here.”

“That’s why… Ugh, whatever…”

The man shook his head in exasperation, as if he was recalling the loneliness from the previous day.

He changed the subject and spoke again.

“…Did you hear anything useful?”

“Well… Nothing much different from what the old man said yesterday.”

Jin Yeseo, satisfied with herself, recalled the conversation she had with the women and shook her head.

“They said the smog gets thicker at dawn, so we should never go outside at that time. If we get lost, we’ll never be found. And apparently, the number of mentally disturbed people is increasing because they’ve been inhaling the toxic fog…”

“Mentally disturbed?”

“Yeah. Recently, there was a man who was arrested by the Security Bureau for cooking and eating his own infant daughter. And there are more cases like that. People who were completely fine suddenly turning like that overnight.”

The man stopped walking and said.

“Wait. Those symptoms…”

“I know. I felt it too. It sounds a lot like that man from the newspaper, right?”

“…Were there any items found at the scene? Anything like the ornament I showed you?”

“I tried to probe a little, but they didn’t seem to know anything beyond that.”

“I see…”

“Yeah. And what else… Oh, they said if you’re looking for a job, you should head to B District. Apparently, that area’s in relatively better shape. Not that it matters to us, though.”

“B District… B District…”

The man muttered as if recalling something.

“I’ll have to check that area tomorrow.”

“What? Are you actually looking for a job?”

“Of course not. I was planning to check it out eventually. And since it’s right next to A District, where the body washed up, there might be something there. Even though the districts are separated, the sewers are all connected.”

“Got it…”

Jin Yeseo looked at him and asked.

“Hey. Did I help this time?”

“…Better than yesterday.”

Though his words were reluctant, they still carried a hint of acknowledgment.

Jin Yeseo couldn’t hide her pleased expression.

Before long, the motel they had stayed at the previous night came into view in the distance.

‘Ugh… What would Seoyeon unnie say if she saw me like this…’

Her earlier excitement seemed to deflate a little.

Jin Yeseo let out a small sigh.

‘If she knew her dear junior had become a plaything for the night… she’d probably be heartbroken, right?’

She silently vowed once again that she would never let Baek Seoyeon find out about this.

Yet, for some reason, the fear she had felt the previous night was no longer there.

Had she already adapted to this abnormal situation?

Or perhaps, it was because she had discovered that even this fierce man had a somewhat foolish side.

As they entered the now-familiar lobby of the motel, the plump landlady behind the counter motioned for Jin Yeseo to come over, careful not to let the man notice.

“…?”

As Jin Yeseo approached, the landlady handed her something.

In a low voice, she whispered.

“Men are careless about these things. You have to take care of yourself. Let me know if you need more…”

Jin Yeseo turned away and, puzzled, opened her hand.

Inside was a small packet of something that looked like vitamins, wrapped in plastic.

“…What is this…?”

Jin Yeseo tilted her head in confusion as she stared at it.

***

On the third day after arriving at the First City.

I was heading in a different direction than yesterday, this time toward B District.

Yeon Jeongmun, the dead man in the pigsty, the cult symbol, the burned-down orphanage, the missing nun, the bodies that washed up in the sewers every day, and the unsettling toxic fog.

None of these events seemed to connect in a clear line.

I had taken on this request, unable to ignore the plea of a grieving widow, hoping to find something that could tarnish Yeon Minha’s name. But now… it felt like the scope of the situation had grown even larger than before.

“…”

I lowered my gaze and stared at the manhole cover blocking the sewer.

While the districts of the First City were separated, the sewers were all connected. It was possible that even the water systems were linked. After all, the First City was located right next to the capital.

This meant that the sewers could be an ideal means for someone to carry out a conspiracy unnoticed and spread it throughout the city.

If I didn’t find anything useful today, I might have to crawl into the sewers myself. If that didn’t work, I could always reveal my identity and ask for cooperation from the local Security Bureau branch…

As I walked, lost in thought.

“Huh?”

A distinctly different scene suddenly unfolded before my eyes.

The toxic smog that had blanketed the city was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the air was filled with warm sunlight and a gentle breeze.

The roofs, once shrouded in a dull gray, now revealed their original vibrant colors.

I could hear birds chirping and the lively shouts of children running through the alleys.

“…”

What is this?

Even as I stepped into the scene, I couldn’t shake the feeling of bewilderment.

I had only walked out of one district, yet it felt as if I had entered a completely different world.

How could there be such a stark difference…?

“Hey! It’s a monster!!”

As I ventured deeper into B District, I suddenly heard a young voice shout from behind me.

I turned around to see a small child pointing directly at me, yelling at the top of his lungs.

“…”

A monster, just like that? So much for children being innocent. I might have to take back what I said yesterday.

Or maybe it was the kid yesterday who was the strange one.

Soon, a group of three or four kids gathered around me, their eyes filled not with fear but with curiosity.

Each one was holding a small snack, like a biscuit or a piece of candy.

Is someone taking care of these kids? If so, could it be…

“Hey, kids. Can I ask you something…”

But as soon as they heard my voice, the children scattered in all directions.

“Eek! The monster spoke!”

“Run! We’ll get eaten!”

These little brats.

I chased after the laughing children.

Their small bodies darted through the narrow alleyways, disappearing and reappearing from my sight.

Eventually, I emerged into a small open space, where a red-brick building stood.

The children ran straight through the front gate and into the arms of someone standing there.

“Unnie! A monster… a monster is chasing us!”

“You little rascals. I told you not to call people that. And didn’t I say not to wander too far? Honestly…”

The voice belonged to a woman who, while gently stroking the child in her arms, scolded them in a firm tone.

Then she looked at me and offered a belated apology.

“The kids don’t know any better… I apologize for the trouble.”

“…”

For a moment, I forgot to respond and just stared at her.

Her appearance was strange, almost solemn.

She wore a black hat resembling a nun’s coif, with a veil that completely obscured her face.

Her body was wrapped in a black robe, and she wore white gloves on her hands. Not a single strand of hair was visible.

Her attire, starkly contrasting with the warm sunlight, made her seem even more out of place.

Judging by her clear voice, she seemed to be a young woman.

But why…?

“Um… sir?”

“…Ah.”

I snapped back to my senses and quickly replied.

“It’s nothing. They’re just kids, after all. I was going to ask them something, but they ran off before I could.”

“Hehe… Thank you for your understanding.”

The woman, her entire body covered, raised her hand to her mouth and made a small gesture as if she were smiling.

“…”

Watching her, I felt a strange, indescribable sensation wash over me.

What was it?

Was it because I had just come from a city filled with toxic smog and suddenly found myself under a clear sky? Or was it because I had encountered this eerie building and this woman dressed so ominously?

…Those were certainly things to consider, but they weren’t the main source of my unease.

No, it was because, despite not knowing her face or voice, this woman felt incredibly familiar to me.

As if we had known each other for decades.

No, centuries, or even longer.

End of Chapter