Chapter 18
Chapter 18
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Witch of Rebirth - 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Light spilled across the academy desks, growing denser with every passing moment. As if to show the flow of time, the sunlight slowly illuminated the problem set on my desk. The air inside the classroom, a mix of fluorescent and natural light, felt strangely dreamlike.
I was passing the time by solving university-level math fundamentals. Thanks to the green spray I’d used in the morning, my mind was clear and my body felt light.
Amid the sound of pencils scratching in the classroom, I noticed the student in the seat ahead of me craning his neck to fill out his answer sheet.
Outside the window, the peaceful daily life of Daechi-dong continued to unfold. The streets were filled with the unique hustle and heat of the cram school district. Among it all, I was solving problems just like a normal retaker. Or rather, I was pretending to be a normal retaker.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over my problem set. At the same time, a sweet perfume brushed past the tip of my nose. A sweetness like freshly baked macaroons tickled my nostrils. An artificial sweetness that would normally make me cringe, but for some reason, her scent felt natural.
"Oppa, could I possibly borrow a pen for a moment?"
I looked up at the sweet voice coming from beside my ear. Just as I expected, it was Na-rae. Her brown pupils were looking down at me.
The student in the seat ahead turned around and clicked his tongue.
I silently took a spare pen from my bag. The moment I handed it to Na-rae, her pale fingers lightly brushed the back of my hand. It was a fleeting moment, but her body heat was vividly transmitted.
"Thank you."
Na-rae gave me a sweet smile. It seemed like she was returning to her seat, but she came back to my side, holding her problem set.
"Could you take a look at this problem for me? I just can't figure it out..."
It had been like this since the morning. Borrowing a pen, borrowing an eraser, asking about a problem. She always found an excuse to come my way.
I could feel the gazes of the other male retakers, who were sitting far away, piercing me. Someone was grinding their teeth while squeezing their pencil, and another turned his head away, unable to suppress his anger.
"Here. This integral problem is just..."
Na-rae, pretending not to know, leaned lightly against my shoulder and pointed at the problem while brushing her hair behind her ear. At that moment, a sweet shampoo scent brushed past the tip of my nose.
"Since it's a definite integral, you do it like this..."
As I explained, Na-rae drew closer and closer. The hem of her skirt brushed against my leg, sending a strange tension swirling around us.
"Ah, so that's how you do it..."
Her breath tickled my ear. At the same time, a honey-like sweetness stimulated the tip of my nose.
"But what should I do here...?"
Every time my gaze moved toward her chest, Na-rae would subtly adjust her posture, making her cleavage more visible. Every one of her actions, which seemed like an accident, felt calculated.
"Ugh..."
I could hear the sounds of male retakers snapping their pencils or grinding their teeth. Someone ran out to the bathroom, and another buried his face in his desk, groaning.
"Ah, I think I get it now!"
Clapping as if she were happy, Na-rae brought her face close to mine. Her hair happened to brush against my cheek.
'Thank goodness I have the Golden Branch Brooch.'
Thanks to the brooch that blocked the Repeater Witch's charm, my mind was clear... but honestly, if I hadn't used the green spray in the morning, I would have fallen for it long ago.
The lecture continued like that. Every time the instructor explained a problem on the blackboard, Na-rae would lean against me and whisper, "I don't get this part."
As lunchtime was drawing to a close, Na-rae approached me with a swaying gait. Every one of her movements was as elegant as a dance.
"Oppa, are you free today?"
I looked up at her sweet voice. A playful smile, as if she were hiding something, lingered on her lips.
"Hmm?"
"The other retakers are getting together for dinner tonight..."
She leaned slightly against the desk and continued.
"I was wondering if you could come too. It seems like it would be fun..."
Na-rae whispered as if breathing the words into my ear. Her sweet scent stimulated my nose once again.
"You'll come for sure, right?"
Her words made my head flash for a moment. This was a golden opportunity to capture the Repeater Witch. But at the same time, it was a dangerous moment for me.
'This is it.'
I gently fiddled with the Chiririt Gun in my pocket.
"Alright."
The moment I accepted, Na-rae's eyes glittered like a cat that had found its prey.
"Really? Yay, that's great!"
She clapped as if she were happy and ran off. Watching her, the other male retakers ground their teeth again. Curses mixed with sighs erupted from all over.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Evening. A pork belly restaurant.
"Oppa, please have one more glass!"
Na-rae pushed a soju glass toward me. It was already the seventh.
"That's enough..."
"Aw, just one more!"
Na-rae shook the glass with a sweet smile. An atmosphere that was hard to refuse continued.
A bottle of soju was already empty. The alcohol I'd drunk at Na-rae's urging was gradually clouding my head. After going to the bathroom and spraying the green spray, my mind became clear again.
"Our oppa is weak to alcohol?"
When I came back from the bathroom, Na-rae playfully struck up a conversation. She was already flushed, her cheeks reddened. Her usual elegant demeanor had vanished without a trace, and she was leaning against me with a foolish grin.
"Second round! Let's go for a second round!"
At her shout, the people around us looked at each other in confusion. Someone shook their head, and another looked at their watch, saying they had to go home.
"Hey, Na-rae. Aren't you a little too drunk?"
"I'm fine~ I'm not drunk at all!"
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Na-rae became more and more aggressive. She tried to lean on my shoulder or hold my hand. Each time, the gazes from around us were piercing.
"Excuse me... Mr. Jeong-woo?"
One of Na-rae's friends cautiously approached me. Her expression was full of concern.
"Na-rae seems really drunk, could you possibly take her home? We would, but..."
I nodded. While fiddling with the Chiririt Gun and the Repentance Handcuffs in my pocket.
"I will."
"Really? Thank goodness. Na-rae's address is..."
The friend whispered the address to me quietly. Na-rae wobbled as she stood up.
"You're taking me home?"
"Yeah, Mr. Jeong-woo is..."
"Yay~ That's great!"
Na-rae immediately grabbed my arm. Her sweet scent tickled my nose once again.
"Then be careful, everyone~"
On the way to the taxi stop, Na-rae suddenly stopped walking. Under the dim streetlight, I could feel her expression change.
"Um, Oppa..."
Her voice had dropped strangely low. The eyes that had been blurry from the alcohol became sharp in an instant.
"Can I... smoke one cigarette before we go?"
We stepped into a dark alley with no CCTV. The alley, where even the streetlight was broken, was pitch black. Na-rae continued to lead the way.
'She's planning to make a move here.'
Just as I expected.
As we reached the depths of the alley, Na-rae slowly turned around. In that moment, her appearance began to change.
The black hair instantly dyed itself pink. The brown eyes turned into the yellow eyes unique to a feline. Triangular ears sprouted from the top of her head, and three fluffy tails appeared behind her waist.
Her appearance was as if a fox and a human were mixed in equal parts.
"Heung..."
Na-rae grabbed my collar, pushed me against the wall, and held my face with both hands. Her yellow-dyed pupils met my eyes.
"You are now falling into a deep hypnotic state! Hup!"
I deliberately made my expression look as if my eyes had lost their focus.
Of course, with the Golden Branch Brooch, I was in a state where my mind was not affected at all. The reason I pretended to be under hypnosis was simple.
The ghost story itself, the Repeater Witch, belonged to the relatively low-risk E-rank to D-rank. Above all, I wanted to lure Na-rae into a state of carelessness so I could subdue her in one go.
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Malicious code detected in the original text.
The gibberish string has been removed.
"Heung... Our Jeong-woo oppa isn't interested in me even when I come on to him like this..."
Na-rae swished her tail and spoke in a nasal voice.
"Could you be gay?"
Gay? I was a complete heterosexual.
The reason I wasn't reacting to Lee Na-rae was purely because she was a ghost story, and fear outweighed my lust.
A hollow laugh threatened to escape me on the inside, but I kept a vacant expression without showing it.
She snapped her fingers and gave a command.
"From now on, you will answer my questions honestly!"
Na-rae's hand slowly groped my chest. Her yellow pupils glittered.
"Question. Are you homosexual?"
"...No."
I answered in a vacant voice, as if under hypnosis. At that, Na-rae asked another question.
"Then why do you show no reaction even when you look at me?"
Lee Na-rae's hand traveled up my chest. I could feel her sharp nails grazing the fabric of my shirt.
I hesitated for a moment, then answered.
"You... feel like someone from a different world from me..."
It wasn't wrong, since there was indeed a difference between a ghost story and a human.
However, Na-rae puffed out her cheeks, as if dissatisfied with my answer.
"Hmm, someone from a different world..."
Na-rae stroked my face and smacked her lips. Her gaze grew more and more beast-like.
"Our Jeong-woo oppa, you have a solid body and a face like a pretty boy, which is right to my taste..."
In an instant, Na-rae's gaze changed. She looked at me with eyes that flashed like a beast and said:
🔥 RAGE MODE 🔥
"Why don't I just make you my husband?"
At those words, my pupils unconsciously wavered.
Wait a minute. This is a completely different development from what I saw in the Ghost Story Gallery.