Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

Chaos returned to Hwayangkwan once again. Even someone familiar with the relationships among students would usually think it normal to choose someone else.

Yoo Jin-hyun designating Yeon Minha as his mentor was akin to declaring open war on someone present.

A sharp crunch echoed as Seunghun bit his lip beside him. Yena glared at the masked male student standing on the podium with eyes filled with rage.

“That jerk dares to disrespect my sister?!”

She quickly changed her demeanor and began contemplating something.

“…Wait. Is it better that there’s one less competitor? If that’s the case, it’s almost guaranteed that I get to pair with Sister Seoyeon…”

“Crazy girl.”

Woojin bluntly remarked, observing Yena, whose mood fluctuated like a rollercoaster.

“She’s such an unpredictable friend…”

Seunghun forced a wry smile as he watched him step down from the podium. On the opposite side where they stood, Baek Seoyeon and Yeon Minha’s contrasting expressions were starkly visible.

Baek Seoyeon wore a somewhat lonely smile, looking a bit disappointed that the freshman who placed first chose someone else.

Meanwhile, Yeon Minha seemed downright dissatisfied, her face scrunching up as if she had just heard something offensive.

For them, this event was essentially just a formality. Normally, students from prestigious families would mingle with seniors from similar backgrounds before the mentor nomination ceremony.

However, judging by Yeon Minha’s sour expression, it was clear that this was an unsolicited nomination with no prior conversation.

“What’s the plan…?” Seunghun muttered. There had been some buzz about the new freshman being recommended by the Heukryeon family, but the consensus so far was that he was an oddball who didn’t live up to his name.

Rumors suggested he was a hideously unattractive guy hiding behind a mask or that he had a sneaky personality, intimidating honest female students into hanging out with him.

For him, flipping the script on this reputation would require him to ride the wave of this recent first-place victory, creating connections with the mentor and gradually achieving good results in tests and homework.

But of all people, to have chosen Yeon Minha!

Seunghun had also heard rumors about her long before he enrolled. Unlike the current rumors surrounding Yoo Jin-hyun, most of what was said about her was true.

With an arrogant personality that seemed to point her nose to the sky, she belittled students from humble backgrounds or the outskirts, mercilessly casting aside even those from prestigious families who crossed her.

Though she didn’t think so, there were plenty of students who subtly agreed with Yeon Minha’s actions.

This was also the reason Yeon Minha hadn’t completely lost her standing yet.

But even those in agreement were reluctant to associate with her personally. The absence of a single top-performing freshman other than Yoo Jin-hyun naming her as a mentor illustrates just how strong the consensus against her was.

Rumors had recently spread that she often sat alone, staring blankly into space or even looked terrified at times.

It seemed impossible for someone like her to click with the well-known oddball, Yoo Jin-hyun.

Especially since he wasn’t even a direct descendant of the Heukryeon family. Based on his actions so far, the prevailing speculation was that he had rolled in from some distant outskirts to reach the cradle of admission.

His personality and background were elements that were widely regarded as things Yeon Minha would not just dislike but possibly detest.

They shared a commonality in standing on opposite ends of Baek Seoyeon, but apart from that, their connections were too weak.

At this point, rather than a turnaround in evaluations, it seemed more likely that things would head in a negative direction.

“Seunghun. Who are you thinking of designating?”

“I’m going with Senior Yuseong. He’s from a family involved with Dain Heavy Industries and has a lot of connections. And Yena totally said a female senior absolutely wouldn’t work…”

Seunghun answered Woojin’s sudden question.

“But what about you? Oh, did you say Yeon Minha Senior?”

“I did, but the situation has changed a bit. Now…”

“Hey. If you pick Sister Seoyeon, I’ll seriously kill you.”

Yena suddenly interrupted their conversation.

“Stop being ridiculous. I’m going with my sister, so don’t worry about it.”

Woojin dismissively replied.

“Your sister? Why all of a sudden?”

“Well, she said she wants nothing to do with Yeon Minha Senior. There’s this project collaborating with the Paecheon Baek family, and if something goes wrong, she was all over the place saying she’d take responsibility… I thought I was looking at a crazy person.”

Woojin scratched the back of his head.

“Honestly, I thought that would be more entertaining…”

“…Well, I guess it can’t be helped. But man, you really are weak against your sister…”

“What a shame. When I meet you in the joint sparring, I was planning to take you down. Choi Woojin, do you think you’re lucky?”

“But this girl keeps…”

“Stop it! Enough!”

Seunghun interjected, putting a stop to the two. By now, circular tables had been set up in various places, adorned with an assortment of snacks.

Those whose mentors had been decided were chatting with their seniors, while the others talked among themselves, searching for their partners for the next year.

Suddenly, Seunghun noticed a masked male student approaching Yeon Minha’s table.

*

First up, he managed to rank in the top 10% on the entrance exam. But that was merely a prerequisite to get started.

The success of his plans would depend on how smoothly things unfolded. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t worried about failure, but for now, the only path laid out before him was to see it through.

All around him, people exchanged light and friendly greetings with one another, and the atmosphere was filled with cheer.

In the midst of it all, he slowly walked toward his target.

At last, he spotted a female student sitting alone at a quiet table.

Even her dissatisfied expression seemed faintly beautiful and enchanting.

The increasingly fragrant scent of flowers hinted at her potential.

But as he approached, the thorns that flowered within began to reveal themselves.

Her arrogant, noble-like mindset and her contemptible attitude toward others could not be hidden in her demeanor.

Her slightly disheveled hair seemed to symbolize her instability. Her face was filled with emotional unrest and deep weariness that even fine makeup couldn’t hide.

Her hazy, red pupils suddenly stared into the void, seemingly fixated on something unseen. When she forced herself to meet his gaze again, the desperate effort was so palpable it could be felt from where he stood.

He locked eyes with Yeon Minha, who sensed his presence. Her previously vacant gaze filled with unmistakable loathing upon meeting him.

“…”

He felt an impulse to return the same icy glare. At that moment, his mask felt somewhat burdensome to wear.

It was a rather large round table, and yet there was no one around but him and Yeon Minha. Only the hundreds of pairs of eyes glancing over from nearby felt stinging.

He had heard that the bulky guy also wanted to nominate Yeon Minha.

However, for some reason, he was busy being scolded by a girl resembling her instead.

From his perspective, it was conveniently good. To ensure the smooth progress of his plan, minimizing any potential interference would be wise.

This was the third time he’d encountered Yeon Minha. They had exchanged glances during the entrance ceremony and he had stepped in to help Yena, who was frightened on the stairs.

None of those moments left any good memories, but he made an effort to be polite, recalling a piece of advice from his sister, Chaewon, who had the worst temperament among his sisters.

Surely the most effective provocation starts with well-packaged decorum.

“…Good morning, Senior. I’m Yoo Jin-hyun. I’m just grateful for the honor of being able to designate you as my mentor…”

“You. What’s your scheme?”

However, his polite introduction was abruptly cut short by Yeon Minha’s rude question, leaving him feeling completely dismantled.

“…I don’t quite follow your point.”

“Surely you’re not dumb enough to play the fool here? Why did you choose me as your mentor?”

“Well, naturally, it’s because I want guidance from you, an esteemed senior…”

“Hah. This lowborn jerk dares to wag his tongue freely…”

He held his breath internally. Each of her gestures and words possessed an extraordinary power to plant ill intentions in others.

He was filled with the urge to swing his chin at her and leave her speechless, but he barely managed to suppress it with a sense of satisfaction that the reaction he desired had indeed come out.

“…I apologize. I thought there was no other logical choice but to nominate you as my mentor. I heard that my sponsor’s family has a decent relationship with yours.”

“You sure know how to make a fool of yourself. You think a mere recommended student can compare with me? How dare you, a moron dragging storms right from the start…”

Yeon Minha’s voice radiated with intense hatred.

While he had heard that her family’s relationship with the Danjang family wasn’t terrible, it seemed that was only relevant to the direct descendants.

Was she considering her unelected protégés beneath her? It strangely felt irrational yet meticulously compliant by her standards.

“And… do you think I don’t know how much of a joke you’re making me look right now?”

Yeon Minha ground her teeth as though she were looking at her enemy.

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