Correcting the Villainess of the Academy – Chapter 200

Chapter 200

“…”

A fleeting silence cut between them. Even in that brief moment, Jin Yeseo managed to regain some composure.

When she opened her mouth, her voice had calmed somewhat.

“…Then?”

“What?”

“If I really said I liked you… what would you do?”

The male student hesitated upon hearing Jin Yeseo’s counter-question. Though her words carried a hint of certainty, it seemed he hadn’t expected her to respond this way.

He froze in place, lost in thought. Jin Yeseo’s eyes, gazing at him, trembled as though shaken by an earthquake.

After a long moment of contemplation, he finally opened his mouth.

“Sorry, but…”

“Pfft…”

However, the sound of a stifled laugh from somewhere immediately shut his mouth again.

Before he knew it, Jin Yeseo had a mischievous expression on her face, barely holding back her laughter.

The male student, who had been trying to respond earnestly, stared at her in disbelief.

“This is ridiculous. Wow, you’re actually taking this seriously…”

Jin Yeseo finally managed to calm herself and burst out laughing as she looked at him.

Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, likely from suppressing her laughter too much.

“I’ve never seen anyone respond so seriously to such a blatant question. I was wondering what you’d say…”

“…”

“Hey. You’re not misunderstanding something because of what happened during the social gathering, are you? I told you, that was all because of my mother. I appreciate it, but you shouldn’t get the wrong idea to that extent, okay?”

Jin Yeseo shook her head and spoke mockingly.

“This is why people with no experience… think every girl who’s a little nice to them must like them…”

“Who are you calling inexperienced— Never mind.”

The male student, seemingly hurt, tried to retort but gave up, letting out a resigned sigh instead.

“…Anyway, I’m sorry. Just forget it. It’s embarrassing.”

“How could I forget this…? I’m going to think about it every time I see you.”

“Haah…”

At Jin Yeseo’s teasing, the male student sighed awkwardly. After chattering on for a while, Jin Yeseo finally seemed to be in a better mood and changed the subject.

“Ahem. Anyway, congratulations. Honestly, I kind of expected it. You and Senior Yeon Minha have been bickering yet always hanging out together since the start of the semester. People like that always end up dating.”

“…Thanks.”

He accepted Jin Yeseo’s congratulations, albeit a bit awkwardly.

“This is the first time I’ve told anyone about it. I thought I could trust you as a friend.”

“Friend…”

Unknowingly, Jin Yeseo mulled over the word.

Her heart ached terribly. She almost fell into despair for a moment, but she quickly pulled herself together.

For some reason, she still had no intention of giving up on him.

“…Thanks for trusting me like that.”

Jin Yeseo spoke again, pretending to be nonchalant.

“Anyway, I was just taken aback earlier and shouted, but you should reconsider. You’re not planning to only hang out with guys now that you have a girlfriend, are you?”

“…Is that bad?”

“That—that’s just inappropriate…!”

“…Why?”

Jin Yeseo continued her desperate yet composed persuasion to the male student, who looked at her quizzically.

“Think about it. Sixty percent of the students in Cradle are female. Are you planning to have no interaction with them at all? Do you think that’s realistic?”

“…”

By now, he was silently listening to Jin Yeseo’s words. For the time being, this wasn’t a bad sign.

“You’ll end up cutting off all your connections. You hardly have any friends as it is. If you treat even your closest friend like this, how do you think others will feel? Hm?”

“That’s a bit different from—”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Feeling a pang of guilt, Jin Yeseo pressed her point even harder.

“You saw what happened earlier, right? With Seoyeon Unnie? I didn’t abandon you even in front of her. But as soon as you get a girlfriend, you’re treating me like yesterday’s leftovers? Or are you planning to cut ties with me altogether?”

“No… that’s not what I meant…”

By now, he was visibly flustered. Jin Yeseo felt as if she had finally figured out how to handle the person in front of her.

“And you’re the only one who can help me practice. No one else can match up to you. If you leave me like that, what am I supposed to do…”

Jin Yeseo murmured as if feeling lonely. Even she was impressed by her own acting skills.

Though, it wasn’t entirely a lie.

“And having a female friend is good for you too. Think about it. You’ll have all kinds of issues with your girlfriend in the future. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have someone who can give you advice from a female perspective?”

“…”

Jin Yeseo paused briefly and sneaked a glance at him. The onslaught of her words was clearly making him conflicted.

“Or is it that? Are you afraid?”

Sensing the decisive moment, Jin Yeseo delivered the final blow.

“Afraid that if you keep helping me practice, I’ll surpass you? Afraid I’ll take revenge for all the times you’ve beaten me?”

She snorted, feigning ridicule.

“Wow. I didn’t think you were such a coward…”

“Hey. Who are you calling a coward?”

He shot back, seemingly offended. When Jin Yeseo wordlessly shrugged her shoulders, he realized he’d taken the bait and clammed up again.

“I’m kidding. Let’s just pretend you didn’t say anything earlier. That’ll be fine, right?”

Jin Yeseo placed a friendly hand on his shoulder and patted it lightly.

“Then starting tomorrow, let’s spar again. I’ve been feeling stiff after practicing alone for a week. Plus, I need to test out the new blade you gave me. Got it?”

“…Got it.”

The male student reluctantly nodded at Jin Yeseo’s words. Only then did Jin Yeseo let out a silent sigh of relief.

Soon, the chimes of the clock tower rang loudly in the distance, marking the hour.

“…I’ll head out first today. I need to stop by the dorm and then go out for a bit.”

He turned to Jin Yeseo and spoke.

“Really? Got it.”

Jin Yeseo nodded casually.

The male student left the training room behind. Jin Yeseo waved him off nonchalantly.

And in the now-empty, worn-out training room, a heavy silence descended.

“…Girlfriend, huh.”

Jin Yeseo muttered as she stared at the space he had vacated.

For a moment, she nearly fell into the abyss of despair, but fortunately, she considered herself an extraordinarily positive person.

True to that self-assessment, she was determined to find a way this time as well.

Just as she had saved her dear Seoyeon Unnie from the pit of misery.

“…Well, it’ll end if they break up anyway.”

Jin Yeseo spoke in an incredibly calm tone.

As if she had completely forgotten about her earlier attempt to persuade Baek Seoyeon.

***

After parting ways with Jin Yeseo.

I headed straight down the back path toward the Beech Dormitory.

The conversation I had with Jin Yeseo earlier replayed itself in my mind, lingering there. It even made my face feel a little warm.

Why had I suddenly asked Jin Yeseo that question? Perhaps I’d been feeling a bit sensitive. Something I hadn’t noticed or cared about before must have rubbed me the wrong way.

“…”

Next, what flashed through my mind was the tearful face of someone who had looked at me with distorted eyes.

But she was already someone else’s now, someone who had completely changed after throwing me away.

If she were to offer a belated apology, what kind of feelings could I even express?

“Haah…”

Still, my heart wasn’t at ease. Maybe if I’d seen her laughing and chatting with her fiancé just once, it would’ve been a little easier.

“…Probably not.”

But I shook my head immediately.

I knew better than anyone that it would’ve only ruined my mood further.

It is clear now that the time has come to accept that everything is in the past. She has found someone else, and now, so have I.

Although my foolish mind seems unable to fully accept it yet… eventually, time will heal everything.

With such thoughts in mind, I found myself back at the dormitory before I knew it. While there was a sense of someone’s presence, Yeon Minha was nowhere to be seen.

I had come because she said there was an important matter to discuss, but what on earth could it be?

“Senior?”

I found Yeon Minha in the second-floor bedroom. She had left the door wide open and was engrossed in scribbling something on some documents.

“Senior, what are you doing?”

“…”

Yeon Minha, with her lips tightly closed and a pen stuck between them, seemed lost in thought.

She didn’t even respond to my question.

As I watched her curiously, she suddenly turned to me and asked an unexpected question.

“Do you prefer your first child to be a son or a daughter?”

“…What?”

The question was so absurd that I couldn’t even form a proper response.

As I walked closer, I finally noticed the title emblazoned at the top of the document Yeon Minha was working on.

-Child Planning Form

“…”

Just seeing those words made my head spin. Why was Yeon Minha seriously filling out such a form?

“…Senior, I think an explanation is in order. A child planning form… seriously?”

“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? It’s one of the documents required for the engagement certification process. It includes when we plan to have our first child, how many we’ll have, and even our preferences for their genders.”

Yeon Minha, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, looked at me with puzzled eyes.

“Wait. Is this what you meant by something we needed to discuss?”

“This is one of the most important aspects that the review committee evaluates carefully. So, shouldn’t we get it prepared thoroughly? Now, hurry and answer.”

Urging me with her words, Yeon Minha added one more comment.

“…I think I’d prefer a son over a daughter.”

“Senior. We’re still students. And we’ve only just started dating… Isn’t this a bit… too much?”

“Oh my, you didn’t know? In Cradle, dating as a student is practically synonymous with being engaged.”

“…Doesn’t that mean this becomes a matter between families? This doesn’t seem like something we can decide on our own.”

“For your information, both your mother and father have already given their approval.”

“…”

They sure are quick. When did they even meet with the Heukryeon couple to arrange this?

The situation was moving so fast that it felt impossible to keep up. Yeon Minha seemed dissatisfied with something again.

She abruptly stood up from her seat and glared at me with a sulky look.

“What now?”

“…It’s just. I feel a bit wronged.”

Yeon Minha slowly wrapped her arms around my neck. As I instinctively stepped back, my back eventually hit the wall.

“Who starts a relationship by shoving their tongue in someone’s mouth right away? Where’s the romance in that?”

Her reproach made me feel a bit embarrassed. She wasn’t wrong, and the truth of her words only deepened the awkwardness. There wasn’t much of a defense I could offer, even though I had my reasons.

But that didn’t mean I had nothing to say.

“For someone who complains, you seemed to enjoy it quite a lot yourself.”

“I know. That’s why I feel wronged.”

With a nonchalant reply, Yeon Minha stood on her tiptoes again. Naturally, I bent slightly to match her height.

Allowing her to do whatever she wanted.

“You’re so infuriating for playing with me like this… chuup…”

And before I realized it, what touched my lips was the moist, warm texture of mucous membranes.

“Haah… And yet, I feel so pathetic and stupid for not being able to resist… That’s why… heuh…”

The sound of sticky saliva mixing, the muffled breaths as we pressed closer together.

“And the more I feel this way… the more I like you… heup… chuup…”

Between those moments, soft words disguised as complaints slipped out.

“Haah… This is all your fault… Everything is your fault… That I’ve become a fool, that I’ve turned into such a vulgar woman, it’s all… chuup…”

“…”

“Haah… I want… to be closer… even closer…”

By then, words were no longer audible. We were fully engrossed in the act itself.

‘Hyun, you absolutely have to marry me…! You must…! Promise me, okay?’

A voice that might have once belonged to someone who could have been real echoed faintly in my ears.