Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Memorial Service (2)

-He’s lost too much blood. A transfusion is needed immediately…

-Draw my blood! He has the same blood type as me…

-You can’t, Miss! Your body isn’t in good condition…

-I don’t care if I die, just draw it!! Take all my blood if you have to… Please… save him… Ugh…

…

-How is he?

-We’ve managed to keep him alive for now, but we need to monitor him closely. His body was already frail, and now the demon’s poison has spread throughout. Recovery looks pessimistic…

-Do whatever it takes to save him. No matter the cost. If you save him, I will reward you a hundredfold, no, a thousandfold. Please…

“Hah… hah…”

Waking from a brief recollection, the blood-soaked girl panted heavily.

Golden particles flickered along her slender form, and at her feet lay the motionless bodies of dozens of assassins.

It was a gruesome scene she had encountered multiple times since arriving in the capital.

-Target confirmed. Kill her along with the male and leave the scene.

The beast’s language she heard that day still swirled chaotically in her mind.

Had she not understood the demon language, she would have thought it was just bad luck that remnants of demons crossed the barrier and attacked her.

However, it was clear they were sent by someone to eliminate her.

There were too many people who had a motive to attack her—other families antagonistic to Paechun, family members who feared the rise of a strong competitor, and many other factions bound by blood and grudges.

The list of those who might want to target her was so long that it was hard to narrow down.

Leaving the boy at a hospital in a satellite city, she had decided to return to the capital after years.
T h i s w a s c o pi e d f r o m k i n gm t l .o r g

She announced her awakening as a mage and reinstated her name within Paechun.

Several weeks had passed, but all she encountered was the bloodstained darkness of the night.

She had boasted about the capital’s splendor to him, but didn’t mention the dark side of its glory.

Power struggles between factions, families, and even within family members.

Those who smile at each other in the council by day send assassins by night, and siblings poison each other’s meals without hesitation.

This was the life she was supposed to be immersed in.

It felt like a punishment for spending years in a paradise without a sense of reality.

She had come to the capital to uncover the truth behind the attacks, but she was merely enduring sleepless nights with weary eyes, unable to make any progress.

“I miss you…”

What made it harder for the girl in her hostile environment was the void.

Her heart was filled with gnawing loneliness.

Without him, everything seemed meaningless.

With him, she wouldn’t mind rolling in a pit of filth.

Though she had vowed to return only after solving all her problems, the happiness she once tasted made it unbearable to endure her old loneliness.

Unable to resist the strong urge to be in his arms once more, the girl moved as if in a trance.

*

“Ah…”

In the shabby hospital room bathed in the soft light of dawn, the girl faced the sight of the boy lying in bed, his body and face wrapped in bandages.

Seeing him barely asleep with the help of narcotic painkillers made her heart ache as if it were being torn.

The bandages around his eyes, still stained with blood, particularly pained her.

He had ended up like this trying to save her.

Moreover, he had barely clung to life, losing everything in the process.

This was a sentiment Baek Seoyeon couldn’t fully grasp. What he cherished were things of no significance to her—family, friends, hometown.

The changes she made in her life were solely aimed at becoming the ideal woman he wanted.

If there was any meaning in her life, it was the boy before her, breathing faintly.

Seeing him writhing in pain, the girl finally faced the grim reality.

Paechun was one of the most prestigious families in the country, but its tyrannical path for the past decade had created countless enemies.

The current family head’s tendency to foster competition and slaughter left almost no bonds among the family members.

Given her Paechun surname, she had only been able to live a quiet life in a rural village due to her terminal Particle Hypersensitivity Syndrome.

Yet somehow, she had survived.

Not only did she endure the syndrome, but she also gained transcendent magical abilities as a reward.
T h is w a s c o pi e d f r o m ki n g mtl. o r g

However, this fact had leaked, leading to relentless attacks, starting with demons and continuing in the capital.

Though the perpetrators varied, one thing was certain—they saw now as the best chance to eliminate her.

Despite her transcendent magical abilities, she was still unpolished, lacking the skills and support to protect herself.

She knew only a few spells capable of self-defense and had no allies to back her up.

Of course, she had no intention of quietly surrendering her life. Eventually, the situation would stabilize, and her strength would naturally attract support.

It would take time, but it was a temporary issue.

Like the boy who had fallen for her, she had never failed to achieve what she set her mind to.

Paradoxically, her connection with the boy was her weakest link.

As of now, she struggled even to protect herself.

While she had erased her tracks as best she could, she couldn’t guarantee he couldn’t be traced.

If his presence were revealed, it would inevitably connect back to her.

Her impulsive return to the hospital was an act fraught with danger.

Her long efforts to bind him as her prisoner had now come back to haunt her.

Their relationship was built on mutual dependence and pathological obsession.

It was hard to imagine he would accept being separated from the last thing he had left.

He would never leave her alone. Instead of preserving his own life, he would sacrifice himself for her, as he had done before.
T hi s was co pi e d f r o m ki n gm tl. o r g

This was not about strength but his inherent nature.

T h is wa s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g m t l .o rg
“Ah… ugh…”

The girl groaned in distress. She didn’t have much time to think. Before dawn, she needed to sneak back to the capital unnoticed.

But no matter how much she thought, the conclusion was the same.

She needed to make him completely sever ties with her, if only temporarily, to divert his attention away from her own dangers and sufferings.

What she needed was the courage to be hated.

Even if he despised her to death, it would only be temporary.

It was better than seeing him face death again.

“Mm…”

Sensing her presence, he stirred. The girl steeled her heart and fixed her expression.

“Yeon… ah?”

She had always been good at acting.

“…Hello.”

Promising the doctor a great reward to keep him alive and instructing Yeojin, who had always assisted her, to secretly guard and report on the boy’s condition.

After settling everything, she would kneel before him and apologize for her past mistakes.

Listening to his resentment was more terrifying than anything, but she believed he would understand her efforts.

He would lift her up, hug her tightly, and gently stroke her hair.

But her one mistake was overestimating his steadfastness and simplicity due to her love-blinded perspective.

The unexpected betrayal compounded this, dooming her plan from the start.

*

All traces should have been erased perfectly.

But one thing she hadn’t foreseen was Baek Seoyeon’s near-mad obsession with him.

T h i s w a s co pi e d f r om k in gm t l .o rg
“How… how could you do this to me!! How could you!!”

It was a rare expression of Baek Seoyeon’s anger, closer to a scream.

Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes bloodshot and filled with tears, dark circles under her eyes.

Every time her throat quivered, a burnt ring hanging around her neck dangled in the air.
T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m k i ng m t l.o r g

And behind her, a woman in a servant’s uniform lay on the ground, bloody and struggling to breathe.

The servant, who had assisted the girl since childhood and later grew close to Lee Hyun, was Yeojin.

“Hyun called you ‘sister’… How could you order his assassination!!”

“Hah… hah…”

Yeojin, despite the harsh reprimand, only exhaled without opening her mouth. Baek Seoyeon clenched her teeth and spoke coldly.

“…You couldn’t have decided this alone. Who’s behind this? Who ordered such a thing!!!”

“Gasp…! Gasp!!”

Golden particles in the air pressed down on her like a massive boulder. Unable to withstand the pressure, Yeojin coughed up blood.

Finally, she couldn’t bear it any longer and spoke.

“Young… Young Master…”

“What…”

Seoyeon’s eyes widened at the name.

Baek Seojun. Among the many half-siblings in Paechun, he was the leading heir. His magical skills paled compared to hers, but his cunning and many supporters made him a formidable figure.

‘It’s been a while. Welcome back, little sister.’

He was the only one who had greeted her with a smile upon her return to Paechun, yet there was always a sense of unease.

Siblings associated with him often disappeared or were severely injured, falling out of the competition.

That unease had now culminated in this worst-case scenario with the doctor and him being assassinated.

“Why… why would he target Hyun…”

“To eliminate… potential evidence…”
T hi s w as c o p ie d f r o m k i n gm t l .o r g

“What…”
T his w a s c op i e d fr om ki n g m t l . o r g

In that moment, the girl realized who had destroyed her paradise.

Seoyeon, who had lowered her head in shock, asked Yeojin in a dry voice.

“…How long have you followed him?”

“Since… since I first served you…”

“…Ha.”

Seoyeon sighed softly, feeling the futility. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.

“…I will spare your family. But you must pay for your sins.”

-Swoosh!

“Gah…!”

A thick ice spike formed in the air, piercing Yeojin’s chest. She collapsed with a short, final gasp, motionless.

“…Ugh…”

Betrayed, Seoyeon’s eyes quietly filled with anger and sorrow.

***

“Sister… I’m sorry… I’ve tarnished our family’s honor…”

“Don’t worry about that. Just focus on recovering, okay?”

“Hehe… Sister…”

Holding her hand with a kind smile, Baek Seoyeon comforted the blonde girl lying in bed, who blushed with embarrassment.

After a brief visit, Seoyeon slowly walked out of the ward.

As she did, someone called out urgently from behind her.

“Seoyeon… Huff… Seoyeon!”

“Ireh…? What’s wrong…? Why are you in such a hurry…?”

T hi s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i n gmt l .o r g
A girl with neatly braided hair and glasses ran up, panting heavily.

Choi Ireh of the Sungshan Choi family, one of the few she was personally close to along with Kwon Yuri.

Before Seoyeon could express her curiosity at Ireh’s unusual behavior.

“I found it…! What you were looking for… finally…”

“…What?”

Seoyeon’s expression changed immediately at Ireh’s words.

Following Ireh’s lead, Seoyeon hurriedly walked down the path.

Her mind replayed past memories as she followed Ireh, their recollections rising to the surface.

*

“Hello, brother.”

“Oh… I wondered who it was… Huff… It’s my cute little sister… Huff…”

In a secluded safe house, the man greeted her warmly despite being tied to a chair, covered in blood.

Even in that state, his resemblance to Seoyeon was striking.

Th i s wa s c o pi e d fr om k i n g m t l . o r g
Seoyeon maintained a cold, professional demeanor, though internally, she was in agony.

The person who had twisted her life the most was right before her.

“I heard the news… Huff, you took the top spot at Cradle? Impressive… Father must trust you a lot… To have you join the pursuit team… Huff…”

“Brother. Why did you run?”

“…”

The man, who had been chatting, suddenly fell silent, his face darkening.

Despite her hatred for him, Seoyeon’s question was born out of genuine curiosity.

She had assumed it wasn’t the right time. So she had been quietly building her influence in secret after enrolling at Cradle under the family head’s orders.

She had maintained a polite facade even towards her older brother.

But when he suddenly disappeared, his position and authority fell into her hands effortlessly.

Her plans for revenge nearly fell apart, but fortunately, she managed to track and capture him.

“…Forget it. I have something else to ask.”

Seoyeon changed the subject, suppressing her feelings. She no longer cared why he ran.

“One year ago. Did you send demons to kill me?”

The man’s eyes widened in shock. Given that Seoyeon wasn’t familiar with demonic language, it was understandable he found it surprising she knew.

“…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not like you. I just want to know the facts. Depending on your answer, I might let you go.”

“Is… is that really true…?”

For the first time, doubt flickered in his eyes, which had been full of pretense. Seoyeon finally understood his mindset. He wasn’t pursuing noble values or magical achievements.

He only prioritized his survival.

Whether eliminating competitors, abandoning his hard-earned position, or being swayed by a single word—all his actions were based on that.

“It’s true. I’m not interested in family bloodshed. You know how I’ve lived.”

“…”

“This is an internal matter. I’ll handle everything else. Just tell me the truth. Even as Paechun’s heir, you couldn’t have mobilized so many demons alone. There must be an external collaborator. Right?”

“…If I tell you the truth… will you let me go…?”

“I don’t lie.”

His face contorted in anguish. Finally, he uttered the name of an unexpected faction.

“The five families… Jeokhwa Yeon.”

End of Chapter