Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

Eum…

Early dawn.

The blue sky outside the window was just about to brighten.

Yeon Minha woke up with a slight frown on her brows.

“What the… why is it so stuffy…”

Her limbs were stuck as if bound by something hard and she couldn’t move an inch.

The feeling was as if something was squeezing her from all sides. Yet oddly enough, she felt more warmth and stability than discomfort.

Half-awake, Yeon Minha glanced around.

Only then did she realize that she was completely buried in Lee Hyun’s arms.

“Eh…”

Lee Hyun was sleeping deeply, without making a sound, as he hugged her tightly like a cherished doll.

Yeon Minha’s face flushed red like an apple.

‘I definitely just asked for an arm pillow…’

It was so stimulating, yet at the same time brought an unmatched comfort.

Right now, she was practically half-naked, and that sensation could be felt even more distinctly.

Yeon Minha peeked her head out to check the time.

Sadly, there was little time left to enjoy being in his embrace.

Regretting her decision to take on a request so early in the morning, Yeon Minha wriggled her body to escape from his hold.

However, as soon as he sensed her movement, Lee Hyun tightened his grip even more, preventing her from escaping.

As if treating her like his possession.

“Ah…”

Yeon Minha found herself back in his embrace once again.

Unintentionally, a small moan escaped her lips.

Perhaps it was because she was wearing only thin underwear, but every touch felt incredibly stimulating.

“Looks like your sleeping habits are quite fierce…”

But Yeon Minha nodded.

This was bearable.

The sensations binding her weren’t exactly unwelcome either.

“Let me go… I have to get out…”

Murmuring softly against his chest, Yeon Minha tried once more to slip out of his grasp.

He was clearly still deep in sleep, but oddly enough, he didn’t hold her this time.

Carefully, Yeon Minha crawled out of bed, shaking off the dress that had fallen to the floor during the commotion yesterday.

Then she crouched at the head of the bed and stared intently at Lee Hyun’s face.

“This is… our first night together?”

Just the thought of it made her body heat up.

Yeon Minha shook her head.

“…So arrogant. How dare he treat me like this…”

After being ruthlessly overwhelmed and teased by him last night, she pouted her lips slightly.

“But still…”

Soon, a smile as soft as snow melting under spring sunshine broke across her face.

Sure, there were things she desired, but… overall, she felt somewhat satisfied.

Oddly enough, she had a more comfortable sleep than usual.

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

A tingling dilemma gnawed at her.

“…No. I’ll save this for when I’m fully awake… properly…”

Yeon Minha seemed to make a decision, her expression firming slightly.

Taking a deep breath, she shut her eyes tight and placed her lips on his forehead.

Chuu.

“Hi!”

Yeon Minha let out a sticky moan filled with desire.

A thrilling sensation shot through her body, like an electric current.

“Hih…”

With a hazy smile, Yeon Minha gently stroked Lee Hyun’s messy hair.

Then, she turned her body and tiptoed out of the bedroom, careful not to wake him.

‘…A cat? Speaking of which…’

As she quietly opened the door, Yeon Minha suddenly remembered something she had entirely forgotten about.

“…Ah.”

And just as she stepped into the hallway…

She glanced down and met the gaze of a certain tiny creature looking up at her.

It felt as innocent as can be, yet its round eyes seemed filled with all the grievances of the world. Perhaps the sorrow of being tossed out hadn’t faded, as tears glimmered around its eyes.

“…Hey. I’m sorry about yesterday.”

Seeing the cat that resembled a sulking child, Yeon Minha instinctively apologized to the feline that couldn’t understand her words.

However, the cat named Peanut turned away, as if saying Hmph!

With that, Peanut darted through the slightly open bedroom door, disappearing from sight.

Then it pushed the door closed behind it with a little squeak.

As if seeking revenge for the events of yesterday.

“…Is it really a cat?”

Yeon Minha mumbled in disbelief.

*

Yeon Minha had yet to show up on this early morning.

Since there were no regular lectures during the request week, I headed straight to the Cradle Library to meet Jin Yeseo.

After settling into my usual corner seat and passing the time, I spotted a female student wearing a hood pulled down over her head, glancing around as she approached.

Confirming that there were no signs of anyone around, Jin Yeseo dashed over to my side.

“Haah… why am I going through all this trouble…”

Without any greeting, the blonde girl sat down and let out a heavy sigh.

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

“…I’ll pass. I offered to help… and I’m already in too deep.”

With a resigned expression, Jin Yeseo shook her head.

Today’s meeting with Jin Yeseo was intended to gather various preliminary information needed for the request.

The widow in question possessed a bracelet adorned with a strange symbol.

And exactly that same symbol was engraved on a necklace worn by Yeon Minha’s father, Yeon Jeongmu, who was the main culprit behind the Jeokhwa incident.

The corpse had disintegrated in the poisonous mist, and a massive fire followed, making it impossible to confirm anything further, but… it felt somewhat like a relief.

If Jin Yeseo’s words were true, that item was a symbol of heresy forbidden by law in the Republic.

Had Yeon Jeongmu’s possession of that symbol come to the investigators’ attention, Yeon Minha’s situation would have plummeted even lower.

This was also my reason for needing to dig deeper into this case. Right now, there should be no anxiety factors for Yeon Minha.

And if I merely acted to dissuade the widow as per the special request, we would never uncover the truth.

“The name was… something like Heavenly Gate, right?”

“…That’s what I’ve heard.”

Jin Yeseo brushed her flowing hair aside as she answered.

Even then, she kept glancing around with an anxious expression. As if sensing a familiar voice, she occasionally flinched and nearly buried herself in her desk.

If I had known this would be the case, I should’ve suggested meeting in the training room. I could understand her feelings; after all, these factions had previously roared at each other like enemies just days ago.

If someone were to catch sight of us whispering in this library corner, there would surely be chaos, affecting each of our standings.

For me, dealing with just Yeon Minha was sufficient… but Jin Yeseo seemed to have a lot more at stake.

“The original request was for security and street cleansing in the slums. But after observing suspicious movements at dawn, we managed to catch a tail.”

Jin Yeseo shuddered lightly as she recalled those memories.

“…It was horrific. I saw such a terrible scene for the first time in my life. Walls soaked in blood, half-rotting corpses laid out on altars, fanatics charging at us like madmen…”

During the second request.

While I was facing the rebel army in the South, Jin Yeseo had stumbled upon and completely wiped out a cover church of a significant heresy.

“With such fierce resistance and no luck with interrogations, we had no choice but to execute everyone on the spot. And there, I saw symbols exactly like this one engraved everywhere.”

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

“Where the hell did this come from? Was the request to exterminate those bastards? Did we discover their headquarters?”

“No, it wasn’t an extermination request…”

“…And you’re keeping it a secret even while helping me?”

Jin Yeseo frowned subtly, clearly displeased. But this was a sensitive topic related to the secrets of Jeokhwa. I couldn’t divulge everything about my investigation.

I hadn’t even brought it up properly because I didn’t want to rekindle any emotional scars for Yeon Minha.

“…Alright. So what do you plan to do about it?”

Jin Yeseo sighed lightly, resigned.

“For now, there’s somewhere I plan to go. I’m thinking of leaving today.”

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

The nun who had appeared two years ago and had frequent meetings with Yeon Jeongmu during the tumultuous times of Jeokhwa.

If she was a religious person qualified to enter the territory of Jeokhwa, she must be associated with the religious organization or orphanage under that family’s sponsorship.

Currently, it seemed that the nun was the most likely person to have handed the symbol of heresy to Yeon Jeongmu.

“What about you?”

“…No need to say it. I’d agreed to help, so I’ve got to see it through.”

Jin Yeseo nodded despite her reluctance.

“Okay. Then let’s finish our preparations and meet again in the capital.”

“…Got it.”

“Hold on.”

Just as Jin Yeseo was about to rise, I called her back, recalling something.

“What?”

“If we leave on the same day, doesn’t that mean others might realize what we’re up to?”

“What can I say… There are hundreds of students in and out of the Cradle every day during request week. No one’s likely to spot us. And…”

After hesitating for a moment, Jin Yeseo wore a strange expression and continued.

“Who would even think that you and I would be hanging out together?”

*

“Ugh…”

Having packed her things simply, Jin Yeseo left her dorm with slow, shuffling steps.

Instead of taking the busy schoolyard route, she chose a quiet walkway.

Since she had agreed to meet the masked male student again in the capital, there was no concern about being spotted.

However, it was also clear that there was an unfortunate pressure weighing on her.

Wearing her hood low to conceal her face, Jin Yeseo glanced around as if she were a petty thief.

Doing her best to ignore her prickling conscience and creeping sense of treachery, she hurried her steps.

Her once-proud golden hair felt particularly cumbersome today.

Given that the campus was in an uproar, it was fortunate that she wasn’t drawing much attention to herself.

However, when she got near the front gate, Jin Yeseo, who had been nervously swallowing her spit, was about to relax a little.

“Eh? Is that you, Yeseo?”

When she heard a voice from nearby, her heart sank with a thud.

Gripping her pounding heart, Jin Yeseo awkwardly turned her head.

Three female students who had spotted her were approaching in sync.

The lead girl sported hair that gleamed black like the night sky.

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