Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

Jin Yeseo stood tall in her seat, deep in thought.

‘Has my value run out… is that it?’

It was quite a plausible story.

After all, she had long known that those male creatures were lacking in virtue.

If that were not the case, how could they send those filthy glances at her when they clearly had Jeong In by their side?

“Ugh…”

Jin Yeseo felt her anger boiling up.

She had spent a considerable amount of time with that guy. And so, she had to slightly revise her judgment of him.

A man with a temperament so violent it could be suspected of sadism, a terrible obstacle that constantly obstructed others’ paths, yet somehow, compared to other scoundrels, he had a certain level of faithfulness and redeeming qualities.

Moreover, he unexpectedly appeared pitiful and precarious.

His destructive power was more intense than she had anticipated, and before she knew it, Jin Yeseo found herself wanting to care for him.

That was why she reluctantly endured the humiliation of him forcibly hugging her or making her play the role of a wife, which was never in her destiny.

She still treated him as a ‘friend’ up until now. But to be met with nothing more than such a one-night toy…

A pointless disappointment caused her shoulders to droop. Her previously elated heart plummeted through the floor.

She thought he wasn’t a bad guy after all, she thought she might finally make a male ‘friend’… but in the end, could he be just the same as all the other losers?

“Hah…”

What was even more frustrating was that, for some reason, she had no inclination to cut ties with him coldly.

*

“Uh… what did you say?”

In the café street of the Cradle’s bustling area.

A female student with a cynical impression, Haewon, looked at the blonde student who was unusually lost in thought with a puzzled expression.

“Did something happen in the Student Council?”

“…Ah.”

Then Jin Yeseo opened her mouth, her tone laced with a languid, droopy voice.

“…No, nothing happened.”

“Really?”

Her expression said otherwise. Haewon swallowed her thoughts.

After returning from the request. Jin Yeseo had officially taken on her duties in the Student Council as the representative of the first-year students.

Originally, that position should have been held by the Masked Male Student. However, after he declared his refusal following his victory in the last duel, the representative seat had fallen to Jin Yeseo.

It was a baffling series of events rumored to involve some questionable backdoor dealings… but anyway, there was no way to refuse it.

With her honor already tarnished, she had no choice but to grab whatever benefit was left. Yet, this was more a decision driven by her family’s intent than her own.

That, in itself, must have added to her humiliation.

So, she wondered if something had happened in the Student Council, but judging by her reactions, it seemed she had misjudged.

“Oh. Seoyeon also takes care of herself well… everyone else seems fine… although the Chairperson seems quite frail, so it raises some doubts… other than that, not much else.”

Jin Yeseo shook her head again.

“Hmmm…”

Haewon was one of the few students who had gotten somewhat close to Jin Yeseo. Although there were always many people around her, they were mostly more like fervent followers than friends.

Jin Yeseo had opened her heart a bit to her, sharing matters such as her family’s situation, her hatred for the Masked Male Student, and her praise for Baek Seoyeon.

But today, there was something uniquely different about Jin Yeseo’s appearance that Haewon had never seen before.

‘What could it be…’

“Oh, right.”

Just as Haewon was lost in thought.

Suddenly recalling something, Jin Yeseo thanked her.

“And thank you for helping me this time. Thanks to you, I really got through a big deal.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s nothing like that.”

Haewon replied in her trademark disinterested tone.

“Not a big deal anyway.”

Before the request week started, Haewon had once received a favor from Jin Yeseo.

It was to have her name falsely added to a request she had to carry out.

It was a serious breach of regulations that could result in punishment equivalent to expulsion if discovered, but managing hundreds of students one by one wasn’t an easy task.

It had been an act that had quietly circulated even among the seniors.

Of course, Haewon herself had no particular reason to take part in such a thing.

But Jin Yeseo’s rare request, coming from someone she thought was unrelated to such matters, piqued her interest, and she willingly accepted her request.

During the request week, Jin Yeseo had completely vanished. She returned after sustaining minor injuries that required a stay in the ward for about two days, and now stood before Haewon once more.

It was naturally an intriguing point.

“So what really happened?”

Feigning disinterest, Haewon threw a question at Jin Yeseo.

However, contrary to her usual demeanor, Jin Yeseo hesitated, taking her time. Yet eventually, as if she could not bear her own frustration, she cautiously opened her mouth.

“Just… there’s someone annoying these days.”

“Annoying… person?”

“Yeah. Don’t ask more. Just thinking about it makes my anger rise.”

But Jin Yeseo cut off her words decisively. Haewon, swallowing her disappointment, could not shake off the image of someone wearing a mask that popped into her head.

The only person who could have put Jin Yeseo in such a state was that guy, who was reported to be hospitalized in the ward. How he had managed to irritate Jin Yeseo, she had no clue.

‘Could she have heard something in the Student Council? After all, Yeon Minha-senpai is there too…’

During the last southern request, Haewon, like others, had been saved by that guy’s intervention. As a token of gratitude, she had even given him a piece of candy during the festival.

Along with the information he wanted about Jin Yeseo.

Yet she didn’t feel any pangs of conscience about it. After all, he was a life-savior to her, and the information she had given was mostly surface-level things that could be figured out with just a bit of effort.

Of course, the sight of him beating up Jin Yeseo remained a horrifying memory in her mind… but honestly, she thought Jin Yeseo had somewhat provided him the opportunity for that.

He may have maintained reasonable relationships with the girls, but regarding the boys, she knew Jin Yeseo treated them like pests crawling on the floor.

‘How could she not lose her head under such treatment…’

The only difference was that he had overwhelming strength.

Unlike most boys who couldn’t even think of opposing Jin Yeseo.

“And…”

“?”

Just then, Haewon was spreading her wings of imagination.

Jin Yeseo, hesitating but reigniting the dwindling flame of their conversation, spoke up.

“Uh… this is about a friend I know, okay?”

Haewon internally rejoiced. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to pass over such a troubled-looking face.

‘What on earth happened…’

But upon hearing Jin Yeseo’s story, Haewon could only muster a blank expression.

“What, what…?”

*

“What brings you here?”

In her frustration, Jin Yeseo had coincidentally arrived at the front of the ward where he was still hospitalized.

She had only ended up here by chance. Sunlight poured warmly over her well-kept hair, which shone with a glossy sheen. ‘Today’ she had put even more effort into fixing her appearance since the morning.

“I’d like to request a visit.”

“Is that so? First, please write down your name and year…”

It was truly an astonishing series of coincidences. This hadn’t been her plan, but given how it turned out, there was nothing she could do.

‘Since I’m already here, I might as well ask how he is…’

He was certainly an annoying and irritating man, but who else, if not her, would care for that pitiful person?

Jin Yeseo felt unnecessarily concerned. What if he spent the night crying? There was probably no one by his side now.

As a ‘friend’, it was only natural that she would ask after him.

‘…Ah, this is a good chance.’

Sitting quietly in a corner of the ward’s garden, Jin Yeseo steeled herself. In truth, she was not someone who evaded problems. She wanted to resolve her lingering worries today.

‘…How about just having an honest conversation? No, could you tell him that instead…?’

Though she had also certainly received such advice from Haewon, it was absolutely not because of that advice that she came out like this.

Absolutely not.

‘I’ve been too kind to him until now. Anyway, just a little kindness from a guy… and I need to firmly tell him it’s not like that…’

Just then, as Jin Yeseo clenched her fist tightly, she began to sense someone’s presence from the entryway of the garden.

It was the familiar heaviness of footsteps she had heard dozens of times before.

They sounded fairly lively, suggesting that his recovery was going well.

Unintentionally, a bright smile spread across her face. The determination she had just made melted away completely.

And without realizing it again, she was about to utter the title he had forcibly inscribed on her.

“Darling… huh?”

Having spotted something, Jin Yeseo couldn’t finish her sentence. She could only contort her face in shock.

The man was being firmly held by the wrist by a female student who had suddenly appeared from somewhere.

Someone she recognized well. A second-year student from the Magic Department, the girl who had stuck to him like a leech.

Yeon Minha of the Jeokhwa Family.

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