I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Dawn.

The morning has arrived.

Yumir and I swapped places with the agents in the underground parking lot near Busan Station. The agents, now disguised, boarded the car and left.

“How is it, Jeon Yeong-hui?”

“It’s easy to remember the name, Hyeon Cheol-su.”

Yumir and I became members of the security team.

Both Yumir and I completely transformed our appearances using our abilities.

“Isn’t it okay to talk normally when you set up a barrier with magic power?”

“No, act thoroughly. That’s the basic mindset of an agent.”

Although Yumir dyed her hair black and changed her face with her ability, she wanted to be herself and Do Ji-hwan when we were alone.

Maybe it’s still awkward for her, or she didn’t like being called Jeon Yeong-hui.

“Even when we’re alone. They say Jeon Yeong-hui and Hyeon Cheol-su are lovers.”

“Even if we’re in a romantic relationship, we must maintain professionalism. Once the mission is completed, we have to return the identities to the agents. Let’s not ruin our reputations.”

“How about we make it official? If we spread rumors about patriotism….”

“Don’t say weird things.”

“Ouch.”

Or maybe it’s because it’s uncomfortable to be patriotic alone with me.

“As a bodyguard, act like one. Act professionally. We learned that at the academy.”

“Just because I’m an E-rank.”

Yumir was E-rank.

Now she’s upgraded to D-rank, but at the beginning of the academy, she received training appropriate for E-rank.

The academy trained E-rank students in advance for jobs suitable for their rank in society.

Bodyguard work was one of those jobs.

“I’m the senior, you’re the junior. And another member joining us is ‘Black’. So, there’s no need to feel awkward. Got it?”

“Weren’t we supposed to be four?”

“It changed on-site. I was informed just before we boarded the car.”

“Ugh, a variable.”

It’s just a minor variable.

In fact, it’s more convenient.

“Don’t be weirded out by ‘Black Taejo’s’ appearance. Got it?”

“It might feel weird because of preconceived notions.”

“It may be unsettling, but just go with it. Now, let’s join the team.”

“Hee-ing.”

Though Yumir whined, I remembered clearly when she was an agent for the Hero Association.

Yumir was practical.

She would act professionally and never troll.

“Let’s go, Yeong-hui.”

“Yes, senior.”

After checking our suits again, we joined the ‘security team’.

“Hyeon Cheol-su. Jeon Yeong-hui. Did you two just come back from kissing in the car?”

“Sorry, team leader.”

“No, no. Just joking. Everyone else seems tense.”

The security team leader, Park Tae-sik, laughed and pointed to the other team members behind him.

“Let me introduce him. Mister K. His name is ‘Kim Tae-sik’. You can guess where he’s from, right? It’s the National Intelligence Service.”

They were clearly aware of one person, a ‘black-haired young man’ wearing black sunglasses like the other agents.

“Nice to meet you both.”

Yumir flinched in surprise.

I was also a bit startled because his deep, serious voice was entirely different from the frivolous, patriotic young man’s voice we knew.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Please follow my instructions in the field unless it’s an SA situation.”

“Of course.”

He clearly looked like an NIS agent.

Originally, NIS black agents usually dressed like journalists or ordinary people with checkered shirts, but now Taejo looked like an NIS agent straight out of a Korean crime movie.

“Then, let’s move to our respective zones.”

“Yes. Let’s head to the train.”

As soon as we moved with the security team, everyone disappeared to their positions.

“Hyeon Cheol-su. Did you volunteer for this mission?”

When everyone was gone and only our ‘team’ remained, Kim Tae-sik-Taejo carefully asked.

“Yes. I volunteered for the national interest.”

“You might die. I heard you two are getting married this year.”

“It’s for the country.”

“…Understood.”

Kim Tae-sik nodded heavily and followed next to me.

“Then, I’ll tell only you two. The security team will go to Gaeseong, but you two and I will go further north with a small team. To Sinuiju.”

“…….”

Yumir’s eyes wavered for a moment.

Her gaze questioned why the destination differed from what I previously mentioned, but fortunately, Taejo didn’t notice that.

“Before we talk, do you two…by any chance.”

Taejo tapped his wristwatch with the Taeguk symbol while heading to the site with us.

“Do you know how much gold is needed to make semiconductors?”

---

At that time, Harbin.

A street lined with shabby, old buildings.

The concrete walls were cracked as if they could split at any moment, and the street was strewn with trash.

It wasn’t just trash.

Homeless people, covered in what looked like piles of garbage, were using old blankets and newspapers to protect themselves.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Their actions were like those of zombies, but there were no zombies in modern times.

Demons existed, but zombies had not yet appeared, so there was no way for zombies to exist. However, they certainly acted sluggishly like zombies, repeating the same actions without any purpose.

It was nothing special.

They were just drugged, and the drug was opium.

“Hehe, Great Leader comrade….”

Mumbling nonsense to themselves, their focus was not on reality but on an illusion.

Among these people filling the street, several black vehicles were heading across the street towards a warehouse.

Screech.

As the cars stopped and the doors opened, blonde women stepped out.

They were all wearing black suits, their faces covered with sunglasses and masks, and each had a sword at their waist.

It was clearly strange for people who should be carrying guns to be carrying swords, but if you could see the magical power shining in their eyes behind the sunglasses, it wouldn’t be strange at all.

A 17-year-old female high school student with abilities stronger than a tank, and these women were ‘agents’ who evolved from those high school students.

Clunk.

The last blonde woman to get out of the car leisurely headed into the warehouse.

Unlike the other agents, she wore only a light and transparent dress and calmly pushed the warehouse doors open.

Screech.

As the warehouse doors opened, sunlight seeped into the space.

Inside the warehouse, where only the ventilator was running, black-haired men and women were mingling, all wearing shirts with various patterns, gathered in groups of four playing mahjong.

“Hello, traitor?”

The blonde woman approached a black-haired woman who was waiting alone with a mahjong set in front of her.

“You’re dead.”

“Oh my, can you kill me?”

It was clearly a meeting between Chinese and Russians, but the conversation was led by people speaking Korean.

“How about killing the common enemy first, then killing each other?”

“Have you watched too many noir movies? You sound like you’re trying to impress Snow White.”

“Isn’t life boring if you live too plainly? Since you’re named ‘Heavenly Demon’, why not ditch the suit and wear a black robe like in martial arts movies?”

“Shut up. You’re called ‘Rasputin’, so why aren’t you dressed like a monk?”

“That’s because.”

The blonde woman, Rasputin, lightly lifted the hem of her dress with both hands.

Cheonma immediately frowned at that action, but Rasputin giggled and sat opposite her.

“So, why did you call us this time?”

“Why ask when you already know?”

“I want to hear it from your mouth. Come on, brief me.”

“I’m not your minion. Hey, I was an officially recognized S-rank in Korea, and you were rated S-rank in Russia.”

“Both of us are traitors, so what’s the point of arguing?”

It seemed like a tense situation, and the subordinates were ready to attack each other, but the ones having the conversation were completely calm.

“Let’s get to the point. A gold mine was discovered under a lake in Pyeonganbuk-do. It’s a very high-purity gold mine.”

“A gold mine? Even if it’s gold, isn’t it insignificant if it’s buried in North Korea?”

“It’s not just gold.”

Cheonma flicked her finger, and soon a subordinate placed a black steel case on the mahjong table.

“Take a look. What do you think?”

“……Oh. This is interesting.”

“With something like this, don’t you think there’s enough reason for us to join forces?”

“Hmm.”

Rasputin licked her lips and reached out towards the gold.

“I wouldn’t have come down here if I didn’t intend to cooperate.”

“Good choice. Then, our teams have one task.”

Boom!

The Heavenly Demon lifted her leg high and then smashed the mahjong table with it.

“To infiltrate and understand the nature of the gold mine.”

Swoosh.

Beneath the split mahjong table, a hole large enough for a person to enter appeared.

“And to steal the gold from the mine.”

“What about the split?”

“Absolutely 50:50, so no one feels shortchanged.”

“Good.”

Rasputin looked down the deep hole and licked her lips.

“If it’s not a losing split and we’re taking something from Korea, there’s nothing we can’t do. Especially….”

Hehe.

“If it’s gold that can be infused with mana.”

---

“After the great upheaval, the world has changed.”

“Since Sejong Island emerged, the resources around the area have gradually changed over time.”

“Yes. We will protect the gold mine in North Korea.”

“It’s the purest gold in the world and can manage mana most efficiently.”

“To put it a bit fantastically….”

“We need to protect the ‘Magical Stone Vein’.”