Welcome to Yukgi Academy
In the past, they had been on excellent terms. She had respected them, too. They were wonderful, strict, yet loving parents. To Eunsol, her parents had always been grand, towering figures, like the very heavens above.
But that was when she was still the human Eunsol. They were not the parents of the Amkeot Eunsol. She no longer thought of them as her "honored parents," but merely as her biological progenitors. Even using a respectful title felt like a waste—no, she didn't even care enough to feel it was a waste. Naturally, there was absolutely no reason to bestow such honorifics on any human other than her Master.
To Eunsol, her parents were now no different from strangers she had never met, or refugees on the other side of the globe. Ah, of course, there was one slight difference: whether they could be of use to her Master or not. And the fact that she could offer them to her Master right away made them quite valuable indeed.
Watching Jiho, who wore a peculiar expression, Eunsol continued eagerly. "My father is a pretty famous politician, and my mother holds a high position at a major hospital! They will definitely be useful to you, Master! Just give me the word, and I'll turn them into your slaves with my own hands!"
"Slave," "disposal." Words too chilling to simply brush aside slipped from her lips with terrifying ease. Looking at her completely shattered sense of ethics and morality, Jiho chuckled once more.
"Is that so? You don't care what happens to your parents, as long as it's for me?"
"If it is for you, Master... yes, absolutely!"
Jiho turned his head back and spoke to the Homeroom Teacher, who was standing nearby with her hands neatly clasped. "Send her out with the device on her next leave."
"Yes, Master. Right away."
The portable brainwashing device. Due to its compact size, complete mind control was impossible, but it was more than sufficient to implant simple suggestions or obsessive thoughts. I must visit my daughter's academy as soon as possible to see it with my own eyes and have a consultation. Implanting just that single thought would be highly effective.
Besides, Eunsol's mother was far from Jiho's type, so there was no need for delicate, meticulous brainwashing. He could just drug her at the right moment, fry her brain with the device, and a perfectly obedient slave would be complete. As for her father, being a man, Jiho had even less interest in him.
"Well, if they hold positions of social influence, you've certainly made a proper contribution as an Amkeot."
Jiho nodded, reaching out to lift Eunsol's chin. He gently tilted her head from side to side, murmuring, "You really are an interesting specimen."
Any other Amkeot would also brainwash their own parents without a second thought if ordered to do so, feeling nothing but joy in the act. However, for a subject to take the initiative and suggest it herself was rare—no, it was entirely unprecedented.
At a glance, she seemed to retain a strong sense of self, occasionally acting out of turn. Yet, in her quest for absolute submission, she proposed things that surpassed even his own expectations. Was it a difference in the brainwashing method, or simply individual variance? Whatever the case, he always welcomed this kind of variable.
Releasing her chin, he spoke. "Very well. Good girl. On your next leave, you will brainwash your parents with your own hands. Once your entire family is groveling at my feet, the 'next step' you desire so much will happen that very day."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Eunsol prostrated herself on the floor. Her vulgarly swaying breasts pressed flat against the cold ground, but she paid them no mind as she crawled forward to press her lips against his shoe. "Yes, Master! I will absolutely meet your expectations... ♥"
Indeed. For the sake of that 'next step,' and for her Master, she would do anything. Even after Jiho turned and walked away, Eunsol remained on the floor until his footsteps faded into silence, deeply contemplating how she could go beyond merely offering her parents to him—how she could make it an even more exquisite pleasure for her Master.
Vroom— A sleek, undeniably luxurious sedan wound its way up the steep mountain road. The two women inside stared straight ahead through the windshield in heavy silence.
Sharing remarkably similar features, they could easily be mistaken for sisters at a glance. A strange tension hung in the quiet cabin. Specifically, the younger-looking girl was anxiously stealing glances at the woman behind the wheel.
She parted her lips as if wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed her words, choosing instead to nervously fidget with the glittering earring dangling from her lobe.
After a long drive, they finally arrived at a destination that didn't even register on their navigation system. The first thing to greet them was a spacious parking lot. Despite its size, it was relatively empty, with only a few cars scattered here and there. Every single one of them was an incredibly expensive foreign import.
Parking in a nearby spot, the two stepped out of the vehicle. Though they hadn't exchanged a single word during the trip, the relief of finally stretching their legs after hours in the car eased their tension. The woman who had been driving looked around, tapping her cheek with her index finger. "Hmm. Not bad for a mere academy."
Built upon a leveled mountain slope, the massive structure boasted a grand presence that somehow avoided clashing with the surrounding nature. However, the towering walls enclosing the entire property evoked the image of a high-security prison rather than an educational institution.
It seemed like an absurd waste of resources just to establish a cram school for repeat students, but to the students' parents, it was a welcome sight. Or rather, it was only welcome to the parents. The girl who stepped out of the passenger seat, on the other hand, looked around in utter horror. She scanned the surroundings repeatedly, searching for something, but unfortunately, there was nothing to be found.
"...No way. Is there seriously nothing out here?"
No karaoke bars, no cafes, no clubs, not even a common convenience store. No matter where she looked, there was nothing but a vast, dense forest surrounding the facility. She had expected as much when she heard it was a boarding academy, but this wasn't boarding—it was incarceration.
The realization that she was going to be trapped here for an entire year with nothing to do but study made her skin crawl. She held onto a sliver of hope that there might be some entertainment facilities inside, but since the entire building was dedicated to the academy, the chances of that were practically zero. At best, there would be a tiny commissary.
The woman finished scanning the area and turned to the girl. "Well, they said all the basic amenities are inside the building anyway. Right, my beautiful daughter... Juyeon?" The woman smiled warmly, stroking her daughter's hair. Finding even this maternal affection suffocating, Seong Juyeon pulled her neck back like a turtle retreating into its shell.
"You know how much money I had to spend just to secure a vacant spot here, right? You were the one who refused to study abroad at a foreign university, even after we offered to make a donation. You have to work hard this time, okay?"
She wasn't exaggerating. Excluding tuition, boarding, and other miscellaneous fees, the admission fee alone was astronomical. It wasn't called an academy for the top 99 students in South Korea for nothing. Had it not been for their unprecedented promise of a 100% refund if a student failed their college entrance exams, even a wealthy family like theirs would have hesitated to pay. The sheer scale of the sum was mind-boggling. Of course, if Juyeon managed to get into her target university, her husband would gladly hand over his credit card with a smile.
Completely overwhelmed by her mother's subtle yet suffocating pressure, Juyeon nodded reluctantly. "Yeah..."
"Why the long face? Don't tell me you don't want to be here?"
"N-no... it's not that."
But looking at those suffocating walls, she couldn't bring herself to smile. The walls were easily several meters high, topped with sharp, barbed wire fences. Security cameras were densely mounted along the perimeter. Even if she managed to find a gap to squeeze through, there was absolutely no escape. She finally understood why the academy's brochure boasted that students could never run away. Though, considering the nearest residential area was a thirty-minute drive away, running away was pointless to begin with...
The two walked along the wall until they reached the academy's main gate. Beyond the iron-barred gates, four buildings loomed in the distance. Two ten-story main buildings, a slightly smaller dormitory, and a small annex. Though they varied in size, their designs were incredibly lavish, bordering on palatial. Even Juyeon, who had been thoroughly depressed until now, couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
As they stood before the firmly shut iron gates, someone inside must have noticed them, because a figure immediately began running toward them from the main building. Since the distance from the main building to the gate was quite far, the woman was panting heavily and drenched in sweat by the time she arrived. "Haa... haah! Hello—! Whew! Ah, just a moment... huff..."
She wore a light blue formal suit that, despite its neat appearance, did little to hide her voluptuous curves. She wore slightly tinted sunglasses and what looked like a wireless earbud in one ear. Catching her breath, the woman—Eunsol's Homeroom Teacher—opened the iron gate and welcomed them. Brushing off her undignified arrival, she greeted them with a professional smile.
"My, hello there! You've arrived a bit early! You must be student Seong Juyeon and her mother, correct?"
The mother and daughter had arrived fifteen minutes earlier than expected. Because of this, the teacher hadn't even had time to change properly; beneath her formal suit, she was still wearing the reverse bunny girl outfit she had been lounging in just moments ago. Juyeon gave a slight nod, while her mother, Seong Jua, clasped her hands politely. "Yes, I am Seong Jua. We didn't get as lost as we expected."
"Let me guide you inside! Please, come right this way." Rumble— The teacher slightly lifted her sunglasses and gestured toward the interior. "Welcome to Yukgi Academy!"
It was the height of irony—a cram school for repeat students that was harder to get into than most prestigious universities in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Acting as their guide, the teacher smoothly explained the academy's history and curriculum like a seasoned tour guide. "Our greatest source of pride is, of course, our unique methodology. Our learning system is on an entirely different level from other academies, yielding overwhelming results."
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and clapped her hands lightly. "Over ninety-seven percent of our students experience an overwhelming surge in their academic performance. Among them—"
"Excuse me," Jua interrupted.
"Yes?"
"What about the remaining three percent? I heard that you raise the grades of even the most unmotivated students."
"Ahaha," the teacher chuckled, scratching her cheek. "There are absolutely no dropouts in our curriculum. Even if a student has zero desire to study, as long as they are breathing, we will make it happen. However, we cannot help those who fail to adapt to communal life, cause trouble, and end up expelled. There are various reasons: illegal smoking, unexcused absences, escape attempts, violence, or violating academy regulations..."
She shrugged lightly. "Such cases account for about three percent every year. Perhaps my phrasing was a bit clumsy. Let me correct myself: for those who complete the full one-year curriculum and graduate, the success rate is one hundred percent."
Three percent of the student body expelled every year. Jua looked visibly startled by the statistic. Frankly, her daughter was far from a model student. If anyone was at risk of expulsion, Juyeon would be at the top of the list. She asked worriedly, "It sounds quite strict."
"I can't deny that. But then again, that's the reason a spot opened up for you, isn't it? Oh, and just so you know, tuition is non-refundable in such cases," the teacher said with a playful wink. "But look at it this way: as long as you follow these basic rules, we can guarantee a one hundred percent improvement in grades."
She added that they had never once had to refund tuition due to a student failing their exams. "Did you hear that? Listen to your teacher, and don't cause any trouble." Looking at Jua's gentle smile, Juyeon barely managed to nod. She had only just become an adult, and the thought of going another year without smoking made her head spin.
"By the way..." As they walked down the hallway, Jua furrowed her brow and pressed her fingertips to her forehead.
"Yes! Is something the matter?"
She hesitated, her lips parting slightly as if she wasn't entirely sure of her own senses. "Do you... hear a strange sound?"
"Ah!" The teacher beamed, pointing upward. Small speakers were mounted at regular intervals along the hallway ceiling. "You have excellent hearing, ma'am! That is our proprietary white noise! It's highly effective for boosting concentration!"
It was half-truth, half-lie. To the untrained ear, it sounded like a simple, monotonous melody, but in reality, it was a complex set of special frequencies designed to forcibly compress and relax the brains of unsuspecting targets. It was a far more advanced, updated version than the one used to brainwash Eunsol.
"How is it? Quite soothing, isn't it?"
"It... is. It's very nice..."
"I... like it too..."
Unlike Eunsol, whose consciousness had taken hours to cloud, the mother and daughter were already showing signs of susceptibility after just a few minutes. The teacher glanced at the clock on the wall. Since they had consciously registered the hypnotic melody, their brains were likely primed. She clapped her hands cheerfully.
"By the way, did you both watch our academy's promotional video and read the brochure?"
Jua and Juyeon nodded in unison. "Of course. The instructions said the student and parent must watch it together. So we watched the video on the living room TV and... wait. What was it again? It was..."
Jua's voice trailed off as she tilted her head. Something was wrong. It had been a fairly long video, and its contents had been so impressive and moving that she had felt an absolute conviction to send her daughter here. Yet, neither mother nor daughter could recall a single detail of what they had watched.
Seeing their "correct" reaction, the teacher smiled. "Judging by your expressions, you don't seem to remember the details. Well, that can't be helped. Let's watch it one more time in the Audiovisual Room."
Before the mother and daughter could muster any resistance, the teacher took them by the arms and led them into a room. The Audiovisual Room. Seated in the chairs at the center of the room, they watched the video playing on the screen. Or rather, they merely stared at it, completely unable to comprehend what was unfolding before their eyes.
On the massive screen covering an entire wall, blinding light flashed hundreds of times a second, like a rapid camera strobe. Simultaneously, colorful shapes floated across the display. What started as a blue triangle shifted into a green circle, then a red square, before morphing into complex geometric patterns that defied description, utterly mesmerizing them.
Any normal person would have closed their eyes or at least squinted to protect their vision from the flashing lights and shifting patterns. But the mother and daughter reacted differently. As if terrified of missing a single transition, they barely even blinked, completely absorbed in the video.
Their pupils were dilated and vacant, their bodies limp. Strands of drool escaped their parted lips, dripping down their chins to soak their chests. Behind their chairs, even the teacher who had started the playback stared at the screen with the exact same vacant, glassy eyes.
How much time had passed? By the time the drool had completely soaked their chests and began dripping down to wet their laps, the firmly shut door opened, and Jiho stepped inside.