Chapter Index

    Night.

    Night had fallen.

    Lying on the bed in her light pink pajamas, Jin Soyeon tossed and turned restlessly, unable to sleep as her mind was in turmoil.

    Unable to calm her restless mind, she shifted from side to side aimlessly.

    But her mood did not improve.

    Jin Soyeon clutched the large penguin doll tightly.

    The warm and fluffy touch gently comforted Jin Soyeon. Oh, that’s right, this doll was a birthday gift from Jinhyuk. It only made her heartache even more.

    “Sigh.”

    She let out a deep sigh and glanced out the window.

    The world outside the window was shrouded in cozy darkness, but Jin Soyeon’s mind was in disarray.

    Sleep… sleep wouldn’t come.

    The reason she stayed up all night was because of the conversation she had with Jinhyuk earlier.

    – If you have someone you like.

    – I don’t like you anymore.

    These two sharp words pierced Jin Soyeon’s heart and lingered, refusing to let go.

    She heard the answer she wanted, but her mood sank strangely.

    Why was her heart so unsettled?

    In fact, Jin Soyeon could somewhat understand the reason, which made her bite her lower lip nervously.

    She didn’t want to admit it, but now that the situation had come to this, it was difficult to continue denying it like a fool.

    Especially when Jinhyuk said he no longer liked her, it felt like her heart was being squeezed tightly.

    And when she heard that Jinhyuk had started liking another girl, it felt like needles were poking her heart.

    These emotions and feelings meant only one thing.

    Even the insensitive Jin Soyeon could understand.

    “Is it jealousy?”

    Jin Soyeon murmured quietly in a calm voice.

    The voice that had floated into her mind slowly penetrated her ears and confused her thoughts.

    “I thought so.”

    Jin Soyeon absentmindedly raised her arm.

    On her left wrist was the bracelet Jinhyuk had given her earlier.

    A simple design bracelet. Jinhyuk, who always carried it around for safety, came to mind.

    He sincerely cherished Jin Soyeon as a friend and family member.

    Like an older brother worrying about his naive younger sister.

    If it were the old Jin Soyeon, she would have accepted his kindness without a second thought, but now, it only made her uneasy in many ways.

    Truly unsettling.

    ‘Is it because of jealousy… because of that?’

    Of course, it’s impossible to know if it’s just liking or love.

    But as a rational person, the level of affection was crystal clear.

    Affection, it’s affection.

    Now towards Jinhyuk… sigh.

    When did it start?

    She thought deeply, but couldn’t figure it out, couldn’t understand.

    The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt.

    Jin Soyeon tightly closed her eyes.

    It was already late at night.

    She needed to sleep to think about tomorrow… huh?

    “Wait, what’s that? A presence?”

    A very faint presence could be felt outside the door.

    She thought it was a mistake, but the faint presence of unknown people was faintly coming through.

    ‘Inside the house? Who could it be?’

    Before entering Union Academy, she would never have felt such a subtle change.

    But the life-or-death battle with the powerful Black Hand Gibbon and the assassins from the Sung Yura clan had further honed her skills.

    “She’s not just a common thief. She knows how to hide her presence.”

    Jin Soyeon quickly grasped the sword that was placed near the bed tightly. It was the sword given to her by Lee Jinhyuk. She never thought she would have to use this sword so soon.

    And at that moment…

    With a creak, the door opened, and several people entered.

    They were villains who rivaled active heroes.

    ***

    I sat in my seat and checked the wall clock.

    “…What’s taking Soyeon so long to arrive today?”

    Soyeon usually arrived early at the academy, but today she was quite late.

    Could it be because of yesterday’s incident, or did she oversleep?

    Hmm.

    “Excuse me for a moment.”

    “Hm?”

    A girl with a clear and gentle voice softly touched my ear, causing me to blink my eyes.

    Curious, I slowly turned my head to see her face.

    Pink hair, eyes reminiscent of the blue sea, a straight nose, plum-like lips, and a dignified aura.

    One could say she was as beautiful as Soyeon.

    But she was…

    “Roksanne?”

    “Yes.”

    Surprisingly, it was Roksanne, Roksanne.

    Why was she talking to me? She wouldn’t do that for no reason. Oh, could it be because she helped me during the Battle Survival? But there were many trainees who helped, not just me.

    “Can you spare some time? I have something important to tell you.”

    “…”

    Something important…

    I might be at risk if I got involved with Roksanne and attracted Sung Yura’s attention, but if she came to me personally to mention it, maybe it was worth listening to.

    Knowing Roksanne’s character, she wouldn’t bring up something trivial.

    “Alright, just until before the ceremony starts.”

    “Yes. Thank you.”

    We went outside the classroom for a while.

    Walking down the hallway, we reached a place where there were no children.

    “Alright, go ahead.”

    Roksanne cautiously looked around and then flicked her finger.

    She used some kind of barrier.

    “Why would she use a barrier to talk?”

    Feeling uneasy, I scratched my chin, and Roksanne slowly looked at me and pursed her lips.

    “You… are you the one?”

    “The one what?”

    “The one who saved me at Chungnam Yookseongsan.”

    Chungnam Yookseongsan?

    I furrowed my brows.

    That was where I went to farm for spatial rings.

    I still remembered the image of a couple being attacked by three villains there.

    Could it be that the woman attacked by the villains was Roksanne?

    Her face looked completely different.

    Was it a disguise?

    “How did you know it was me?”

    It seemed pointless to deny it now, so I expressed my doubts.

    At that time, I was wearing a hat and a multi-mask to cover my face, so Roksanne couldn’t have seen through my identity.

    “Thanks to the sword and bow you were carrying, I could tell.”

    Sword and bow?

    “During the midterm exam, the equipment you used and the equipment you used at Yookseongsan were quite similar.”

    “Ah.”

    I remembered using the sword of Vipilante and the bow of the Crow during the Battle Yookseongsan and the midterm exam.

    I never thought I would be exposed like this.

    “To be honest, that alone wasn’t enough for me to be sure. But seeing you block the attack of the white-haired villain with amazing skills and even inflict wounds made me realize.”

    Yu Da-hee was hurt almost by accident.

    “And her voice sounded similar too.”

    “Well, okay, I get it. But you didn’t just call me to dig into my identity, right? You said there’s something important. What is it?”

    “I want help.”

    “Help?”

    “Yes.”

    Rok San-neu cautiously nodded his head.

    “It seems that Seong Yura was also involved in the recent Union attack incident. She probably has a deep cooperative relationship with the villain organization.”

    “Hmm.”

    “Seong Yura clearly crossed the line. Someone needs to stop her, but I’m not capable of doing that.”

    “…Why not report her to the police or the Hero Association?”

    “I already tried, but it was no use. Seong Yura already has considerable influence in politics, business, prosecution, and the hero community.”

    Yeah, that makes sense.

    How much money does Seong Yura offer as a bribe?

    Without concrete evidence, it would be impossible to deal with Seong Yura using the authorities.

    “Mr. Lee Jin-hyuk, I know that you have much greater skills than active heroes. So…”

    “Sorry, but I don’t think I can help.”

    I cut off Rok San-neu’s words and firmly refused his request.

    It was very dangerous to grant Rok San-neu’s request. I already didn’t want to be on Seong Yura’s bad side. Dealing with her now would be difficult, let alone later.

    Seong Yura is a formidable villain in the middle to late stages.

    The power of the group she has independently built is comparable to or even greater than that of high-rankers.

    “I don’t just want to receive help. I may be weak, but I can help you, so let’s help each other.”

    “What kind of help do you mean?”

    What help could I possibly get from Rok San-neu?

    “I noticed, so Seong Yura probably noticed too, that you were the one who interfered with the midterm exam. She knows.”

    “Oh, damn.”

    Come to think of it, Seong Yura was the one who sent the villains to Mount Yookseong!

    So, it’s highly likely that Seong Yura saw me since we used the same equipment during the Battle Survival.

    No, she definitely saw me.

    Considering Seong Yura’s character, damn, this is bad.

    “Considering Seong Yura’s usual behavior, she may target people around you before you.”

    Indeed, based on Seong Yura’s character setting, she might take a family member as a hostage.

    If Seong Yura mistakenly believes that I am strong, that is.

    But I don’t have any family.

    It’s really unfortunate, but my parents passed away a few years ago.

    Therefore, the only person who could be taken as a hostage is…

    “Our cartel’s power is weaker than Seong Yura’s, but it could help protect the people around you.”

    “…”

    “Of course, whether you accept or reject my request, I promise to do my best to protect them. It’s my responsibility since you helped me in the first place.”

    “…”

    “But if we leave Seong Yura alone, we’ll have to continue to face danger. So I think it would be beneficial for both of us to cooperate in capturing Seong Yura.”

    “…”

    I closed my eyes tightly and fell into contemplation.

    Why did I have to get involved with Seong Yura like this?

    Seong Yura is a real villain, a villain.

    Due to her character, who sees human life as a joke, if left alone, she might commit unforgivable acts.

    She even has several assassins under her.

    “Damn. If Seong Yura is really targeting me, I can’t just leave this alone….”

    Fortunately, Seong Yura has one weakness.

    A secret ledger, commonly seen in dramas, novels, and games. A weakness that can be considered Seong Yura’s Achilles’ heel is also present.

    Due to various illegal activities, the secret ledger contains handwritten key secrets such as bribery and transaction records of political figures.

    If only that could be obtained, it could threaten Sung Yura’s firm hold.

    Of course, the problem lies in the fact that the secret ledger is hidden deep within Sung Yura’s residence, known as the “Bokma House.”

    “I should have met you earlier and had a conversation, but I realized your true identity a bit late.”

    After all, it had been several days since the midterm exams were interrupted. If I had intended to have such a conversation, I should have come earlier.

    “Furthermore, due to this incident, the church’s opposition has been strong, and I couldn’t attend the academy for several days. I’m sorry. Still, it’s fortunate that Sung Yura doesn’t seem to be moving yet……

    – Ring. Ring.

    “You can answer it.”

    “It’s Soyeon’s phone number.”

    Something feels ominous.

    You could call it a gut feeling.

    The feeling is not good. Really.

    “Soyeon, why aren’t you going to school?”

    “Sorry, but I’m not Jinsuyeon. It’s better to come to the place written in the message by exactly 11 a.m., Lee Jinhyuk. You’ll know if you’re late.”

    “Jin, Jinhyuk, don’t come……!”

    Click.

    The call was cut off.

    I clenched my phone tightly.

    Beyond the phone, I could hear Sung Yura and Soyeon’s voices. Damn it. Isn’t this ominous feeling always right? Damn it, for real.

    “It seems like it’s already too late.”

    “What?”

    “It was Sung Yura’s voice. It seems like she kidnapped my childhood friend.”

    As the villain kidnaps the female lead, I could only bite my lower lip tightly.

    ‘Sung Yura, this woman is really something.’

    Dare to touch Soyeon?

    Although I’m concerned about the other Rebellion members, there’s no choice now.

    I have to somehow bring Lee Siwoon and Yoo Seolhyun in and definitely take down Sung Yura.

    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period.
    Note
    // Script to navigate with arrow keys