Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

The intention behind the whispering, which was meant to seduce the man, was overtly clear, coming across as sweet yet filled with longing.

It was a voice so vile from the woman, yet at the same time, it held a peculiar power like that of a demon’s temptation.

It was more than enough to hold Baek Seoyeon, who was trying to leave, right there in her spot.

Before she realized it, she was sending piercing glances towards the figures sitting on a distant bench.

However, upon hearing Yeon Minha’s suggestion, the male student expressed his refusal in a somewhat awkward tone.

“Here… is that what you mean…?”

“Yeah. They said it’s fine to take it off while you’re with me.”

“…It’s a bit inappropriate outside.”

“Why…? Are you worried someone might see…?”

“…”

He replaced his response with silence.

“It’s okay. We’re probably the only ones who came out this late. Sometimes, you need to breathe fresh air…”

Yet, Yeon Minha continued to persuade with a voice that somehow felt desperate.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, should I send spirit beings to check…? Then…”

At that moment, Seoyeon’s heart sank.

She reflexively tightened the hand that was covering her mouth, but she knew well it was a futile gesture.

While she could mask her presence, there was no way for the spirit to miss the high-density particles emanating from her.

However, after a moment of hesitation, the male student shook his head.

“You really don’t need to. Nighttime is when the connection with spirits becomes stronger. We should still be careful.”

“I… I think I’m okay with it…”

At his reply, Yeon Minha seemed flustered and trailed off.

But contrary to her words, her face was filled with satisfaction.

It was a very genuine and sticky emotion stemming from the fact that the male student was worried about her.

Seeing that, Seoyeon couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.

Meanwhile, a sharp pain was starting to rise in her chest.

“…”

And after a brief moment of contemplation, the masked male student finally nodded in acceptance of Yeon Minha’s suggestion.

“Just for a moment…”

Having finished speaking, he raised both hands towards the lock part of his mask.

As if swallowing saliva, Yeon Minha watched him with a gulp.

Seoyeon felt no different.

Her heart was pounding, thumping hard as blood surged through her entire body.

Her gaze was intensely locked onto him without a hint of blinking.

Click.

Click.

With his skillful fingers, he began to unfasten the lock one by one.

Click.

Click.

The metal sounds echoed loudly in the unusually silent night.

…Click.

After what felt like an eternity, all the locks had become vulnerable and slack, and he gently pulled the mask forward.

Finally, the shell that had been concealing something precious inside revealed it entirely.

“…!”

Seoyeon was rendered speechless.

It was the moment when the contradictory doubts that had tormented her for days finally fell into place.

*

Seoyeon bit her fingers tightly to keep from making a sound.

Even as blood flowed from the skin bitten by her teeth, she didn’t care in the least.

Her chest was filled with a suffocating heaviness, and before she knew it, tears had already begun to gather in her eyes, falling to the floor.

Hair, dark and deep like ink, scattered and blown by the gentle breeze.

Eyes, clear and blue as if ready to drown in at any moment.

Though they might seem expressionless at first glance, that unique look was actually filled with shyness.

Everything was just as it had been before.

It was an undeniable fact, no matter what anyone said.

Indeed, the masked male student was that boy she had known.

All her previous guesses became worthless with the mask that had fallen away. Yet Seoyeon had long since forgotten about those facts.

In the face of his survival, all other trivial matters were rendered meaningless.

Now, there wasn’t even a speck of doubt left regarding the male student’s identity.

Certainty guided her to the realm of instinct.

Before she knew it, Seoyeon’s gaze began to scrutinize him closely.

The boy was still a boy, yet he was not entirely unchanged.

His nose remained prominent, but his eyes had a slight lift, and his jaw had grown sturdier.

The innocent gaze that had once been there now bore an unfamiliar sharpness.

On top of that, a deep, resonant voice filled with confidence.

However, the biggest change was undoubtedly his physique.

He had grown to the perfect height, and the once cute boy who would fit snugly in her arms had now become large enough to hold her with a single arm.

Just by looking at his broad shoulders and revealed arms, one could easily envision his muscular body.

The clear, pure boy that made her want to bite him with just a glance had now returned as a complete man.

Aware of his presence, Seoyeon’s entire body and face flushed with heat.

She could easily imagine her own bright red face.

Though the old version of him was incredibly lovable, the current version held something instinctively compelling beyond that.

She had blossomed into someone even more dazzling over the last two years.

Having learned how to cultivate and adorn herself, her physique had become more alluring and curvaceous.

In contrast, he had become larger and more solid.

What had once been useless flesh now became a factor that drew her in.

Seoyeon felt an intense urge to leap into his arms at that very moment.

All the while, she wished to rub her entire body against him, imbuing her scent on him from her hair down to her toes.

For he was none other than her fiancé, the one everyone was so curious about, the one she loved dearly.

“How’s it… nice…?”

But just then, with the entrance of an interrupting voice, Seoyeon’s excited heart abruptly froze cold.

She glared at Yeon Minha with eyes full of intense hatred and anger.

“…It’s nice. I can feel the breeze, and the scenery is more open…”

Unaware of her feelings, the boy awkwardly gazed around, still maintaining an awkward expression.

He nodded slightly, seeming satisfied.

“It reminds me of the village I used to live in. There was a hill there where white flowers bloomed like this. I spent my time lying there whenever I had the chance…”

However, merely hearing his nostalgic voice eased Seoyeon’s anger.

Instead, a smile appeared on her face, so energetic it was almost overwhelming.

He too liked this place for the same reason as her.

Moreover, there was no need to say that the one who always lay beside him had been none other than herself.

They shared the same memories and sentiments.

So naturally, the only person who could be beside him was her.

Thinking this way, the presence of that female student hugging the boy became even more irritating.

Of course, his charm needed no introduction. It was only natural for women to be drawn to him like bees to flowers.

But why wasn’t he casting Yeon Minha aside?

Yeon Minha was, as far as she knew, the possessor of the most dreadful arrogance and insolence.

This type of personality was exactly the kind he hated the most.

Once upon a time, Seoyeon had been that way as well.

She had to spend several months transforming herself into a girl who would win his heart, stripping away all the unfitting traits.

It was quite laborious and challenging, but how joyous it had been to see his once cold gaze now filled with affection.

Though Seoyeon was now someone who could somewhat maintain her demeanor on the outside, Yeon Minha, however, couldn’t even muster that minimal effort.

So why was that boy looking at Yeon Minha with such soft eyes?

“…”

Seoyeon desperately tried to calm her boiling heart.

She attempted to interpret the current situation as methodically and logically as she could.

Originally, the choice to mentor Yeon Minha had been made by the boy.

However, there were doubts about whether he had chosen her of his own desire.

As she had thought earlier, Yeon Minha’s peculiar cruelty was the type of personality he hated the most.

So perhaps someone had influenced that entire process.

The Heukryeon Family or the principal. Ultimately, the hand of someone who wouldn’t be too pleased with Paecheon’s dominance.

Although he was known for being stern, impulsive, and hot-tempered, Seoyeon knew well that he was someone who possessed great warmth and compassion.

If that were the case, it would explain why he hadn’t left Yeon Minha, even in the wake of Jeokhwa’s tragic downfall.

Even if the beginning had been coerced.

Maybe the attitude that Yeon Minha was displaying now was a means to evoke his sympathy.

After all, Jeokhwa had no hills to lean on other than him and Heukryeon.

It was fortunate that the boy didn’t fully understand her vulgar demeanor.

But did he know?

That this woman’s family was one of those who had shattered their happiness and that Yeon Minha was a member of that loathsome bloodline.

“…”

Seoyeon struggled to contain her rising anger.

But in the next moment, Yeon Minha abruptly stretched out her arm toward the boy.

Before long, her thin, white fingers found a resting place on his face.

And in Seoyeon’s heart, the heavy sound of hundreds of large rocks tumbling echoed.

Where Yeon Minha’s finger touched.

Below the boy’s left eye.

What lay there was a long, rugged scar stretching horizontally from his temple toward his nose.

“Ah… ugh…”

Seoyeon barely suppressed a gasp that threatened to escape.

The unconscious part of her that had desperately avoided something finally faced the stark reality.

It was not merely a scar; it was a haunting silhouette of an unbearable pain and deep trauma.

The original sin she had committed was right there.

*

“Thanks to you, I’ve come to such a place… Senior?”

As Yeon Minha’s finger made contact, Lee Hyun instinctively flinched.

Then Yeon Minha quickly retracted her finger.

She cautiously looked up at Lee Hyun and asked.

“Were you… hurt…?”

“No. Not really… but… it’s ugly…”

Lee Hyun hung his head low as if he had committed a crime.

Yeon Minha gazed at him silently for a moment.

Her expression was filled with sympathy and pity.

“I should really put the mask back on…”

“But you said it didn’t matter. I told you, it’s not ugly at all.”

Yeon Minha shook her head at his words.

“On the contrary, it makes you look more manly and handsome. Quite reliable too.”

Yeon Minha abruptly cut off her sentence, as if she had made some verbal blunder.

Her face was already beginning to flush a rosy red.

After a brief silence, Yeon Minha cleared her throat.

She then opened her mouth as if nothing had happened.

“So… you said you got that while helping a friend…?”

“…Yeah.”

Only then did Lee Hyun lift his gaze and meet Yeon Minha’s eyes.

“That friend must have been really grateful to you. It must have been a situation where you risked your life for them…”

“…Well, I don’t know.”

However, Lee Hyun merely shook his head with a distressed expression.

“I… I’m not quite sure.”

Yeon Minha looked back at him, her face reflecting confusion.

“You’re not sure… does that mean they didn’t thank you at all?”

“…”

Lee Hyun replaced his silence with an answer.

As Yeon Minha remained silent, she reached out her finger towards his face again.

Lee Hyun did not resist this time.

As her slender finger touched the end of the scar, he simply closed his eyes.

Yeon Minha, cautiously bringing her finger closer, repeatedly traced the scar from one end to the other.

As if she intended to erase it, like using an eraser.

When Lee Hyun opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at Yeon Minha’s face, which was fully engrossed in her endeavor.

So absorbed was she in her task that she didn’t even notice Lee Hyun was awake, her breath brushing near enough to feel.

Unintentionally, Lee Hyun smiled.

The sound of laughter slipped out of him as he chuckled.

Reacting to the sound, Yeon Minha quickly met his gaze, startled.

She flinched slightly, her face turning red with embarrassment, and then subtly turned away.

Carefully pouting, she stole glances at him.

“Why are you staring so much… it’s embarrassing…”

“How can I not look? You’re just casually touching someone else’s face like that.”

“It’s not… just touching; it’s petting…! I wish you would refrain from such vulgar expressions…”

Yeon Minha snapped back, quickly changing her stance to cautiously ask him.

“So… was it okay…?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Lee Hyun gently nodded.

“…Yes. It was nice. Warm…”

Though he had only given her a simple response, Yeon Minha blushed as if that had been enough.

Of course, she just turned her head away so he wouldn’t see her.

Still intoxicated by the sweetness of the moment, Yeon Minha suddenly sprang up from her seat.

“I… I think I need to go now… it seems too late…”

“…Yeah.”

Lee Hyun didn’t have any further questions.

He merely donned his mask again, tightened the lock, and followed Yeon Minha as they both stood up.

They walked slowly toward the beech dormitory.

Even their strides matched in perfect harmony.

After a long while, once they had vanished from sight, a sudden thud echoed from behind a large tree at the edge of the garden.

*

Having stood still for quite some time, Seoyeon crumbled like a sandcastle.

Like someone who had seen a terrible nightmare, she tightly shut her eyes and covered her ears.

She trembled all over like a sick person.

Though the title ‘friend’ was so simple, it constricted her like a gigantic serpent.

The sight of him shaking his head in painful denial only heightened her anguish.

She desperately wished to rush out and respond to him.

The courage he had shown was something one could never repay in a lifetime, and she wanted to tell him that it continued to light her path.

Yet recalling the manner in which the masked male student had treated her thus far, her mouth and feet felt frozen, as if they had been glued to the ground.

Seoyeon had never known him, but he had always recognized her existence.

Yet, he had maintained an aloof demeanor towards her, as if she were a stranger.

And Seoyeon clearly understood the reason.

She had been afraid—afraid of facing him, hence pretending all along not to know.

There was no need to reiterate that Jeokhwa and Paecheon were the enemies who had shattered their paradise.

Then, it was he who had driven her into the depths of despair…

“No… no… I…”

As she shook her head vigorously, trembling all over, Seoyeon could scarcely recognize his fragility.

An irretrievable, painful mistake committed through ignorance of the torment he had endured.

And the demeanor of the boy who had returned from death told her everything… far too clearly.

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