Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

Lee Hyun immediately tried to turn his body at the sudden presence.

However, the voice of the female student that followed stopped him in his tracks.

“…Don’t look.”

“Senior?”

“I told you not to look.”

Yeon Minha tightened her arms even more as she mumbled. Now he could see that her trembling voice was mixed with resentment and tears directed towards him.

“Who told you to call my name so carelessly?”

Once her lips were open, they didn’t stop pouring blame onto Lee Hyun.

“Sniff… Who do you think you are to act like that? This is so ridiculous…”

“Ha…”

But upon hearing that voice, Lee Hyun let out a sigh of relief. The sense of stability wrapping around him felt strangely comforting.

“Senior.”

After listening to her pitiful ramblings for a while, Lee Hyun finally spoke up.

“Don’t call me… sniff.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m not.”

Even while she was sobbing, Yeon Minha diligently answered his question.

“What are you doing here all alone when it’s all in chaos? You should have evacuated already.”

“And you why did you come?”

“…Huh?”

It was Lee Hyun who was slightly taken aback by Yeon Minha’s casual counter.

“Because I thought you’d be waiting… We made a promise, remember?”

“So did I.”

Yeon Minha quickly responded as if she had been waiting for him to say that.

“I just waited because we promised… that’s all.”

“What would you have done if I couldn’t make it?”

“That wouldn’t happen. You’re the type to keep a promise. Just like back then… you did.”

She looked at him as if saying, “Why are you stating the obvious?” After a moment of hesitation, Yeon Minha added a little extra.

“Although I’m a bit late this time… sniff.”

“I’m sorry.”

“…It’s okay. Is it because of those strange guys?”

“…Yeah.”

Lee Hyun reluctantly nodded at Yeon Minha’s words.

“A few of them came here too. They were trying to set the garden on fire. The spirits were in a frenzy asking for help…”

“Then is that what’s at the entrance?”

“Those were the guys I faced. They seemed suspicious, so I just knocked them out for now… The rest should be handled by the guards. Their wounds are their own fault…”

The butterfly spirits were still flying around them, glowing brightly. After hearing Yeon Minha’s words, they looked even more joyful.

“Anyway… since you came, that’s enough.”

Yeon Minha’s voice was losing some of its moisture. Although she still sounded grumpy.

Seizing the opportunity, Lee Hyun spoke to her again.

“Senior.”

“What?”

“Can you at least show your face now?”

“…No.”

Lee Hyun could feel her slender arms tightening around him again. He couldn’t help but visualize some female student shaking her head from behind him.

“What’s the reason for that?”

“Because… it’s a punishment.”

Yeon Minha, seeming flustered, continued to stutter out her words.

“A punishment…?”

“I have no face to show to a clueless junior who calls my name so carelessly. And that’s not all. You don’t keep promises… Do you know how long I waited here…”

“Then I guess I don’t have to be here either. Can I go now?”

“Ah, no…!”

Yeon Minha cried out hurriedly at Lee Hyun’s attempt to pull away. She then tried to hold him tightly again.

What does she want? Lee Hyun let out a light sigh.

After some contemplation, he suddenly yanked Yeon Minha’s arms and turned away from her.

“Wait…! I’m a complete mess right now…!”

The high-pitched scream she let out abruptly cut off as Lee Hyun completely turned his body. He could still feel her warm body heat against his chest.

“I told you not to….”

The whispering voice full of resignation came from below him. The eyes of the female student looking up at him were shining with a clear red light. The makeup smeared around her eyes was unmistakably a sign of sadness and hurt.

Upon receiving Lee Hyun’s gaze, Yeon Minha swiftly bowed her head as if hiding like a rabbit in a burrow.

“I told you… I’m a complete mess…”

Her voice, now a little calmer, was once again filled with moisture.

“You idiot… really idiot… stupid…”

The hem of her light sleeveless dress swayed.

“I put so much effort into this… but…”

Her dress, colored to match her hair, clearly showed signs of meticulous effort.

As Lee Hyun stepped back, he could finally see the bright red splatters on the pristine white fabric.

“It seems fine to me.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Yeon Minha vigorously shook her head, vehemently denying his words.

“I don’t lie about such things. You know that.”

“Sniff… really?”

However, at Lee Hyun’s followed statement, she lifted her head slightly as if to say “When was that?”

“Really.”

Lee Hyun emphasized his previous words with more weight.

After a moment of silence, Yeon Minha walked over and grabbed his sleeve as she murmured.

“…Tell me more.”

“You’re pretty.”

“…More.”

“You look pretty even with the smeared makeup. The petals seem to suit the dress even more.”

After quietly listening to his words, Yeon Minha finally nodded slightly as if she were satisfied.

“…That’s enough.”

“Phew…”

Lee Hyun let out a sigh, realizing that Yeon Minha’s mood had lifted.

Suddenly, he turned his head toward the distance.

The screams and explosions seemed to have faded. However, he could still see the flames in various places that hadn’t been extinguished yet.

He looked at Yeon Minha and said.

“Senior. More importantly, we should move now. If we stay here, those guys might attack again.”

“It’s fine. You saw earlier. Even if a hundred of them came, they wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”

But Yeon Minha shook her head.

“And I’ve spread spirits around. There’s no one else in this garden except us, so you can relax.”

And then, she trembled slightly before adding one more thing.

“…Probably.”

“Probably…?”

“Forget it. It’s not really that important…”

Yeon Minha, avoiding his gaze, changed the subject.

Taking a deep breath as if preparing for something significant, she began to breathe slowly.

Her pale cheeks were once again flushing, but this time, the resentment was certainly different.

Finally, with a tense expression, she opened her mouth.

“…Do you remember why I asked you to come here?”

“You said you had something to say.”

Lee Hyun murmured as he tried to recall.

“Although I didn’t keep the time…”

“It’s fine. I’ve realized that time doesn’t seem that important.”

Then Yeon Minha, hesitantly, added one more thing.

“What’s more important is… feelings.”

“Feelings…?”

Lee Hyun ruminated over Yeon Minha’s words as if he were trying to grasp their meaning.

“What do you mean by that…?”

Yeon Minha fell silent instead of answering, taking his hand as she ventured deeper into the serene garden.

With each step, the sound of leaves brushing softly against one another was tickling his ears.

They soon reached a place under a massive Century Tree where an exceptionally bright light seemed to shine.

Between the glowing green leaves, vibrant green vines hung down along its trunk.

“What is this…?”

“It’s mistletoe.”

Yeon Minha’s sweet voice tickled his ears like the leaves.

“Have you… heard of it before?”

“Mistletoe…”

Though he had never seen it, he was sure he had heard of it recently.

– I wonder if it’s still there? Mistletoe.

– What? What is that?

– You know, they say if you confess under it, your love will come true…

The conversation of some wizards passing by during the festival flashed vividly in his mind.

And as he recalled that name, Lee Hyun froze in place.

“…You’ve heard of it.”

That mere superstition didn’t matter much. Finally understanding why Yeon Minha had brought him here, Lee Hyun’s heart began to race, and his mind went blank. The fearful conjectures he had been trying to avoid were crawling back.

He managed to look ahead. There, beneath the tree, stood a girl with her arms crossed, slightly bowing her head.

Her shoulders were shaking as if an earthquake had struck. Yet her gaze firmly remained focused on Lee Hyun.

“So… you know what I’m about to say…?”

*

Seoyeon was staggering as she walked.

She looked like she had already gone through several battles and appeared a mess.

She barely got up and collected her thoughts but found no trace of the man anywhere.

Despite that, she desperately moved toward where he might be.

‘I was the fool…’

It felt like her heart was being torn apart. Seoyeon scolded herself harshly.

‘What did I do to Hyun? To such a kind boy…’

The weight of the words she had hurled at him now pressed down heavily upon her.

“At the very least… I should apologize…”

Each time she recalled his vacant eyes, her body trembled with fear. The thought of becoming nothing to him was a dreadful image that made her shudder.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…”

Seoyeon purposely muttered to herself to calm down.

“Take it slow… start over… There’s plenty of time ahead… Anyway, Hyun is alive, so it’s okay…”

Before she knew it, she had entered the garden.

She didn’t even know why she stepped into this place. She just followed her instincts, stumbling along.

Then, using her magic to expand her senses, she finally discovered a familiar presence.

There were not one but two presences nearby. Seoyeon bit her lip.

“Could it be…?”

Unconsciously whispering, she moved toward the source of the presence.

Finally, she spotted two shadows standing under the enormous tree, facing each other.

‘W-What are they doing…?’

Suddenly, a sense of unease enveloped her. Cold sweat rolled down her brow as her heart raced incessantly.

And then, the next moment, she heard a shy voice filled with loathsome anger from one of the female students.

“So… you know what I’m about to say…?”

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