The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

Chapter 66

066 – 6

“Hang in there!”

From noble mtl dot com

Yoo Yeoreum cheered on Seo Gaeul.

“Put in a bit more effort!”

“Hey! Do you think awakening a new ‘concept’ is like giving birth, just by putting strength in your belly? I need to concentrate, so please be quiet!”

Seo Gaeul was struggling to grasp a new concept.

The concept Seo Gaeul was trying to acquire was none other than ‘Candy’.

The concept of ‘Candy’.

The reason for acquiring it was simple.

When the secret window in the high ceiling opened and the mysterious fairy ‘Inonoi’ came back, it was to make a deal.

While Seo Gaeul was desperately trying to acquire the new concept, Yoo Yeoreum recalled a girl who had been her teammate.

Joyno of Class F.

A girl with the concept of ‘Nymph’, a very peculiar girl.

Her way of speaking was strange, her behavior was strange.

She looked more like a first-year middle school student than a high school senior.

She often said strange things, one of which was that she had met a fairy in the Great Labyrinth.

Fairies like candy, she said.

But Joyno’s words were true.

In this Great Labyrinth, there really were fairies, and they liked candy.

“I did it! I acquired the concept of candy!”

“…Already? Can a new concept be acquired so easily?”

Yoo Yeoreum looked at Seo Gaeul with genuine admiration and astonishment.

Yoo Yeo-reum, recalling how much struggle and effort she had put into acquiring the new concept of 「透視」, could not help but feel this way.

The awakening of a new concept required, quite literally, blood, sweat, and sacrifice.

However, Seo Ga-eul had awakened her new concept as if she were shopping.

‘So Seo Ga-eul was this amazing… ?’

Among the multi-concept awakeners that Yoo Yeo-reum knew, Seo Ga-eul’s potential was undoubtedly the highest.

At this point, it was puzzling why Seo Ga-eul had not honed her aptitudes and talents until now.

‘Could it be that Ha Nam-jin had seen through Seo Ga-eul’s talent?’

Swish-.

At that moment, Seo Ga-eul touched Yoo Yeoreum’s shoulder.

The intent was clear.

“…Seo Ga-eul, you!”

Yoo Yeo-reum was angry, but Seo Ga-eul was already sticking out her tongue and making a face at Yu Yeo-reum.

Soon, Seogaeul burst into laughter.

“Puhahaha! How is it? The concept of 「Candy」!”

The concept of 「candy」 settled within Yoo Yeoreum.

Thus, the concepts that Yu Yeo-reum became possessed a total of five: 「light」, 「photosynthesis」, 「caution」, 「vision」, and 「candy」.

The problem lay in the characteristics of this concept of “candy”.

The moment a sweet smell began to emanate from her body, Yu Yeo-reum realized.

Her ‘sweat’ had turned sweet.

Perhaps it was just her mood, but her mouth also felt inexplicably sweet.

Knock knock-.

At that moment, a secret window in the ceiling opened.

“Now, I wonder if I can eat candy… !”

“Lick her body! She’s a human candy! And help us a bit!”

Seo Ga-eul pointed at Yoo Yeoreum with her finger.

The thought of someone licking her body was extremely shameful for the modest Yoo Yeo-reum.

“This Inonoi that room cannot enter… ! That room is under a special spell, so only the fairy king or those with special artifacts can enter… !”

“What?”

Seo Ga-eul could not hide her disappointment and irritation.

Even that strange fairy could not enter this room.

Then suddenly, a curious thought struck.

“Then how did we get in here? How does Hanamjin come and go from this room in the first place? There’s some secret. Something…!”

A hint that might help them escape this room.

Yuyeoreum thought she knew what that ‘hint’ was.

Because ever since she grasped the concept of “clairvoyance,” the ring on Hanamjin’s finger had been bothering her.

‘Could it be a “special artifact”…?’

It was then.

A chilling shiver licked the nape of Yuyeoreum’s neck.

“Eek…! This Inonoi must return to its nest quickly…! You must not answer if anyone speaks or asks questions…!”

Rustle, rustle-.

The fairy Inonoi quickly spat out incomprehensible words and disappeared somewhere along the narrow ventilation duct on the ceiling.

Yuyeoreum and Seogaeul wanted to call the fairy and ask more questions, but they couldn’t.

The two stopped acting as if on cue.

“…Yuyeoreum, did you feel it too?”

“…Shh.”

There was something beyond the stone door.

Something very rough and terrible.

━Is anyone in there?

Knock, knock, knock-.

‘Something’ knocked on the stone door.

━Is anyone in there?

The voice was strange.

It felt like someone was clumsily imitating a ‘human’ voice.

A voice that evoked discomfort and repulsion from deep within their instincts.

Suddenly, Seogaeul recalled the story of the ‘uncanny valley.’

Humans dislike things that ‘clumsily resemble humans’ more than things that don’t resemble humans at all.

Then the question remains, why humans do instinctively dislike ‘clumsily resembling things’?

In the process of human evolution, was perhaps a natural enemy that ‘clumsily resembled’ or clumsily imitated humans─.

What was certain was that they could now understand why this room was unusually sturdy and why it was under a strange ‘spell’.

They unconsciously felt relieved that the room confining them was sturdier than necessary.

# # #

In the end, I couldn’t go to where Seo Ga-eul and Yoo Yeoreum were yesterday.

There wasn’t enough time.

But it was okay.

You don’t die from starving for a day.

In fact, a bit of fasting is good for your health.

So when I went to school early in the morning, everyone was surprised.

They looked as if they had seen a dead person.

“Han Nam-jin! Weren’t you caught by the police?”

“How are you at school!”

Since the midterms were over, the school had returned to its routine.

It was the same for me.

I didn’t know, but it seemed someone had filmed what happened at the villa yesterday and uploaded it on the internet.

The news that I had disciplined Jin Eun-byeol and made Wang Ja-hyun speechless had spread everywhere.

It felt like electricity was coursing through my whole body, and my tailbone tingled.

The most famous middle school dropout in the country right now.

That’s me, Han Nam-jin!

I never imagined it would feel this good to be the center of attention.

I immediately picked up my phone and searched for the name “Han Nam-jin.”

There were an overwhelming number of results.

I feel ecstatic!

Even the hate comments are plentiful!

And I enjoy even that!

For someone like me, who had fought against dull loneliness for years, this stimulation of attention was too strong.

“Han Nam-jin, are you really okay?”

Swoosh-.

At that moment, someone poked my side.

Bangdaengi Baek Yeoul.

“Turning Jin Eunbyeol and Wang Jahyun into enemies! You even got the president involved. Aren’t you afraid of getting arrested for some crime or another?”

The students’ eyes subtly turned towards me.

They seemed to be expecting how I would handle this situation.

“No one can harm me. Because even the smallest truth can defeat the biggest lie. The important thing is, what’s for lunch today.”

“…Lunch.”

Baek Yeoul opened his thin eyes.

Does he not like the lunch menu?

Creak-.

Soon, the classroom door opened and the Captain entered.

As the chaotic atmosphere settled, the Captain spoke.

“Hey, Han Namjin! Do you know how many calls I’ve received just today because of you? You’re the only one in Korea who can pull off such a bold move and walk around without fear.”

“Captain, don’t underestimate yourself. Any man can do what I did.”

“I’m a tax-eating public servant. And as long as I’m sitting here, you are my students and must follow my orders. Therefore, Han Namjin, you get an additional 20 hours of school service!”

“I… I don’t think Namjin did anything wrong.”

At that moment, someone raised their hand.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Deoksun.

Deoksun, who usually didn’t speak, started talking, and everyone naturally paid attention.

“Did Deoksun just speak?”

“I’ve never heard her voice before.”

“Isn’t it Deokhee, not Deoksun?”

Because of the murmuring kids, Oh Deoksun’s face turned red.

Deoksun seemed to shrink greatly from all the attention.

“We… we shouldn’t do bad things at school… we should use our… our strength to help those in need. I don’t think Namjin did anything wrong. The bad ones are the others.. ..”

Deoksun stuttered but clearly said what she wanted to say.

It was honestly amazing that Deoksun, who was introverted and shy, said something like that.

“I was bullied by Jin Eunbyeol…. I even got alopecia…. My father lost his job and we had to move to this D city. No one believed me….”

Everyone was greatly surprised by Deoksun’s story.

Many didn’t know that Jin Eunbyeol was such a nasty girl.

“It’s wrong for the wrongdoer to live comfortably… and for the person doing the right thing to be punished. If that happens, what we learn at school becomes meaningless….”

At Deok-soon’s words, the students began to agree, saying, “That’s right,” or “That’s true.”

Even though there was a lot of talk, the students of Yeongsa High School generally had a sense of justice.

Well, the school’s name is “Hero Academy.”

It meant that everyone, despite their differences, wanted to do the right thing.

Someday, these students would be called “supernovas” and become the hope of humanity for that reason.

And at the forefront of them was always Seo Ga-eul.

# # #

Lunch time.

For the first time in a while, I gathered with the “No Leftovers Day” kids and went to the upscale restaurant Noble.

But Geum Tae-seong was not there.

“Tae-seong must be very busy. He didn’t even come to school today.”

Baek Yeoul, feeling regretful.

Saying that, Baek Yeoul was stuffing buffet food into his lunchbox.

Chang-sik and I were doing the same.

Stuff it in! We have to get our money’s worth for the meal ticket!

Soon, Chang-sik, who had filled his lunchbox satisfactorily, spoke.

“It seems Tae-seong is busy with his part-time job. But does anyone know where and what he’s doing? He hasn’t been in touch lately.”

We knew that Geum Tae-seong was working hard at his part-time job.

But no one seemed to know exactly what he was doing or where.

As the meal progressed, Bang-daeng suddenly had a seizure while eating.

“Could Jin Eun-byeol be plotting against us? I heard from Deok-soon that Jin Eun-byeol is a really bad person. Girls like Seo Ga-eul love to retaliate!”

Come to think of it, I remembered that Bang-daeng and Deok-soon were at Jin Eun-byeol’s villa yesterday.

I don’t know what it was, but they were even ‘imprisoned’ by Jin Eun-byeol.

“…She’s a scary girl. Really….”

Deok-soon trembled as if she was greatly frightened.

There seemed to be a hint of anger mixed in.

It was rather good.

“Don’t worry. I found out Jin Eun-byeol’s weakness. Before she can plot against us, we should strike first. The best defense is a good offense. It’s an unchanging truth.”

Swoosh-.

I played the video “6” saved on my phone.

All eyes of those eating turned to my phone screen.

There was a girl tied up on the bed and four men standing around her.

“Say your name!”

“What is your name!”

“Your name!”

The men shouted as they sprayed an unknown liquid.

Then the girl bound to the bed and let out a very fierce scream.

Soon, the men were seen falling over in some unknown shock, or the bed was floating up into the air.

Chang-sik was in shock.

“Isn’t that Jin Eun-byul! Jin Eun-byul is tied to the bed! This, this scene is like…!”