Chapter 730
Chapter 730
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 730
Chapter Title: Savior of the Academy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I was looking at Yoon Hee-jeong's status window when Lee Si-eun approached me.
"Yu-jin. Have you picked all your weapons?"
"Yeah. You?"
"I have too. Four daggers."
Lee Si-eun showed me the four daggers. They all looked identical. I knew she had just grabbed them for show. Her fighting style was closer to a mage's anyway. She attacked from a distance using her abilities.
"And I did everything you told me to."
My gaze shifted to Lee Si-eun's right wrist. Hidden under her sleeve was a button-sized mini camera. She'd no doubt used it to take pictures of the girls, just as I'd ordered.
"Good job, Si-eun."
"......"
I stroked her head. Lee Si-eun's cheeks flushed slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Once we get into the girls' dorm, you'll know. Make sure you get good shots there too. And if you spot any weaknesses, report back to me right away."
"Just trust me. I'll help you devour them all, Yu-jin. But in return, you have to devour me too."
"Of course."
I nodded contentedly.
Lee Kang-hu gritted his teeth against the pain shooting through his hands and knees. He'd undergone training to endure agony. But enduring it didn't mean he felt nothing.
Instinctively, he glanced toward Sung Yu-jin. The guy was chatting with a blue-haired girl student. Their whispers were too quiet to make out, but it was clear they weren't strangers—they'd met before today.
'No matter how I look at it, that guy's dangerous.'
He tried to dismiss the faint trembling in his arms and legs as mere pain. Then he felt the scar on his face throb.
'...That guy's eyes were like Blade Wind's.'
A-rank Villain, Blade Wind.
Two years ago, Lee Kang-hu had crossed paths with that notoriously brutal villain. Blade Wind had left the scar on his face. He'd survived only because his boss was with him. Alone, he'd have been dead for sure.
'A guy who kills without reason... His mindset is completely off from normal people. The way he looked at the young lady wasn't right. She could be his next target.'
The reasons to kill him were ironclad. But Lee Kang-hu knew his own skills fell far short.
'If I can't do it alone... I'll call in backup.'
Sung Yu-jin had told him to meet at night. Probably to kill him, or torture him by ripping off an arm or leg.
'This is my chance. I'll kill him tonight. Even if it means getting caught by the Association... for the young lady...!'
Lee Kang-hu steeled himself quietly.
Choi Da-yeon approached him. A bow was in her hands. He pulled his hands from his pockets, clasped them behind his back, and straightened his posture. His fingers still hadn't healed—they were broken. He couldn't let her see.
"What is it?"
Her voice was beautiful but cold. Devoid of emotion.
"Nothing at all. Sorry I'm late."
"......"
Her amber eyes fixed on him for a moment. Then her legs moved again, passing him by. Lee Kang-hu slipped his hands back into his pockets.
'The young lady must know something's up between me and Sung Yu-jin.'
Yet she said nothing. It meant she expected him to handle it himself. He watched her back silently. Even if he couldn't get close, he had to protect her. That was his duty.
Moments later, his smartphone buzzed. A message from Sung Yu-jin: Come to the mountain near the academy by 10 p.m. Nothing around there but trees. Perfect for killing and burying a body.
'That arrogance will be your end, Sung Yu-jin...!'
After picking weapons, we returned to the classroom for textbooks and Yoon Hee-jeong's precautions. That wrapped up the schedule. Real classes started tomorrow.
I headed back to the dorm.
One perk of a high enrollment rank was the dorm. It was luxurious enough to pass for a five-star hotel. Separate buildings for guys and girls, of course. Rooms were a spacious 30 pyeong.
Even the low-rank dorms weren't bad—decent 10-pyeong studios. But the bottom ranks were never satisfied. Not with the glittering high-rank buildings right next door.
'The academy's ploy to stoke competition.'
Ranking students from day one made it obvious: Maruhan Academy thrived on rivalry.
I punched in the door lock code and entered.
"Huh?"
The lights were on inside.
"Welcome back, Yu-jin!"
Sung Ha-ri rushed over and hugged me tight. I hugged her back, flustered.
"Mom? What are you doing here?"
"To see my son, obviously. A mom has to check where her boy's living. Hmm, not bad at all. Still, I'm worried about you alone, so I'll drop by now and then."
"I can handle myself. And even you can't just waltz into the academy, right?"
Sung Ha-ri grinned confidently.
"I took care of it."
"...Took care of it? How?"
"I talked it out with Ji-young. I'm president of the Maruhan Academy parents' association now."
"......Oh."
The parents' association hadn't existed in the original story. This was my doing—or rather, Sung Ha-ri's. She'd thrown a fit at Kang Ji-young, but having her close was nothing but good for me.
"So I get to see you every day at the academy? Nice."
"Not every day—that'd be tough. But often, yeah."
I lifted her top, left hand on her breast, right slipping into her panties.
"Ah! W-wait, Yu-jin. Lunch first."
"I want to eat you for lunch."
"No. Lunch is ready. We can do it after—it's not too late. Lunch first, okay?"
"Fine. You're staying tonight, right?"
"Well... Ji-young might complain... but one night should be okay."
Mwah.
We shared a light kiss, then ate lunch at the table. Sung Ha-ri's cooking wasn't gourmet-level, but it was decent.
After, we devoured each other like starving beasts.
"Ah, aaah...!"
9 p.m.
Lee Kang-hu arrived at the meeting spot an hour early and scanned the area. The pitch-black mountain had no streetlights. No people nearby, naturally.
He hadn't come alone. Masked men armed to the teeth surrounded him.
Sewer Team 3.
His unit. Normally fifteen members, but only eight tonight, including him. The other seven had other missions.
"Lee Kang-hu. Is that guy really that dangerous? Enough to deploy Team 3?"
The team leader's voice was grim through his mask.
"Yes. Extremely. He's targeting the young lady. We handle him today."
"...Something feels off. We lack intel on Sung Yu-jin. Can't we pick another day?"
"......Team leader. Here's the text he sent me this morning. He summoned me here. You know what that means."
"He plans to kill you... Hmm. What kind of bastard acts so boldly?"
"No idea. I asked the intel team, but no word yet."
"Intel's swamped with the chairman's orders. Underground auction info has them frantic. You'll get what you want in a couple days, maybe."
They set up efficiently: digging traps, hiding. They'd kill the target and clean up perfectly.
30 minutes passed.
Lee Kang-hu stepped into the open at the spot. He was bait. His teammates were perfectly concealed, breaths controlled, waiting. But the guy didn't show.
20 more minutes. 9:50 p.m. Still no Sung Yu-jin.
The team leader's voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Meeting's at 10, right?"
"Yes. He's villain scum—won't be punctual. Probably after 10."
"Yeah, those bastards never keep time."
10 p.m. sharp.
Silence blanketed the mountain.
Lee Kang-hu hid his growing anxiety. Sung Yu-jin looked like a slacker. Tardiness was expected.
10:20 p.m.
"...Why isn't he here?"
Irritation laced the team leader's voice. Sweat beaded on Lee Kang-hu's forehead. These guys were here because of him. Their side-eyes were starting.
"Maybe he's already here, hiding..."
"Checked with the lookout at the entrance. No one's entered the mountain."
A cold wind blew. Early March nights were brutal.
"What if he knew and stayed away..."
"You saying one of us leaked?"
His tone bristled. Lee Kang-hu backpedaled.
"Slip of the tongue. Sorry. I'll contact him."
He called Sung Yu-jin. No answer after two tries.
Grinding his teeth, he texted.
Lee Kang-hu: You bastard. Where are you? Meeting time's long past. When are you showing?
Reply in a minute.
Sung Yu-jin: 11.
Lee Kang-hu nearly hurled his phone. Suppressing rage with superhuman effort, he spoke.
"......He says 11."
"...Tch."
The team leader's tongue-click lingered.
11 p.m.
No sign of Sung Yu-jin.
Lee Kang-hu called before the team leader could speak. This time, he picked up.
"You fucker...! When are you coming?!"
"12."
Click. Line dead. Lee Kang-hu's face twisted.
'Was that a woman's moan just now...? Is this prick screwing someone?!'
Delaying for a roll in the hay? Fury boiled. He wanted to storm the dorms.
'No, is he even at the dorm? No girl would be with him. Probably whoring around.'
A sigh through the earpiece.
"......When's he coming?"
"12, he says."
"Fucking around. This intel solid?"
"That’s... not sure."
"......"
Considering Sung Yu-jin's sleazy nature, he couldn't swear to it. Maybe this was all a ploy.
Midnight.
No Sung Yu-jin. Lee Kang-hu called again.
"Aaang! Ang! Haaaang!"
A horny woman's moans blasted through as it connected. Lewd voice, whoever she was.
"Goddamn it. Keep calling? Wanna die?!"
Sung Yu-jin's breathy, pissed voice. Lee Kang-hu's gut churned.
"...It's midnight! When are you coming?!"
"You impatient fuck! Wait. I'll be there soon. By 2 a.m. Stay put!"
Click.
"...Unbelievable."
The team leader was right beside him now.
"Sorry. Didn't expect this shit..."
"Sigh. Last time. We wait till 2 a.m."
2:10 a.m.
No Sung Yu-jin.
Teammates surrounded Lee Kang-hu. Their glares were hostile. With no target, their anger turned on him.
His phone rang with a deadpan voice.
-The number you have dialed is powered off...
"Lee Kang-hu. Anything to say?"
"Th-that bastard's toying with us...!"
"Toying with you, maybe. Sigh. Kang-hu. I'll handle the Sung Yu-jin probe. Stand down for now. I trusted kid you too much."
Lee Kang-hu squeezed his eyes shut. The team dispersed. He waited alone on the mountain. Maybe this was Sung Yu-jin's plan—show when isolated.
Sung Yu-jin never appeared, even as dawn broke.