Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Outsider Who Preys on Sheep Without Guilt
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ —Han Si-a's Perspective—
I came to my senses to find myself already kicked out into the hallway.
Wrapped up tight in a blanket, no less.
I swear I was just in Jeong Yi-an's room a moment ago... but for some reason, chunks of my memory are missing.
And there's this faint burning sensation lingering in my throat.
Earlier, I couldn't resist my curiosity and snuck a sip of the liquor Professor Park Jong-chan was drinking... Could that be why?
But nothing felt off right after I drank it...
...
Maybe it's the chilly air in the cold hallway, but my head is starting to clear up a bit.
Right. I was talking with him in front of his room...
Then that guy tried to push me away again, which pissed me off a little...
...
As I tried to recall what happened, bits and pieces of what went down in the room started coming back to me.
—"....No matter what, we're always on each other's side. That's what we promised."
—"Shut up and just answer me!"
Okay. Up to here, that's fine. A bit... overly excited, maybe, but still.
—"Heh heh... Just admit it already. You can't escape from me! Our fates are intertwined—we could never drift apart even if we tried!"
—"No way! I'm not letting go until you answer me...!!"
Uh... What? Did I really say that?
Why was I grabbing onto Jeong Yi-an's arms?
And why on the bed, of all places...?
Ah...! As he squirmed on the bed, the buttons on his shirt came undone.
—"Ngh...!!! What the hell—a high schooler with abs like that...!? Unforgivable. You always looked so indifferent, like some emotionless monk no matter how much I dolled up, but inside, you've got a body this lewd!!!!!!"
...What the hell was I trying to do?
At first, I just thought it'd be nice if Jeong Yi-an worked with me once I started my business.
No matter how you slice it, that sip of booze out of curiosity must've been the culprit.
I thought the drunken professor looked pathetic earlier, but here I was doing the exact same thing.
Whatever the cause, I definitely made a fool of myself, so I should apologize properly tomorrow.
...
Sigh... No matter how I think about it, I did something way too embarrassing.
Even if I try to stop thinking about it for a second, everything from the room comes rushing back vividly.
—"Th-that's... wait a sec. Si-a, calm down! This position on the bed is seriously dangerous!"
—"Why... why are you taking off my clothes...? Eek!"
Hm... Ahem... I really need to stop thinking about this now.
Approaching a heartbroken friend to comfort her, establishing a dominant-submissive dynamic, and dragging her to bed—
Even if it was the alcohol, doesn't that sound exactly like grooming?
If Jeong Yi-an had any ulterior motives and tried to take advantage, it could've turned irreversible.
...
But the fact that nothing happened... kinda pisses me off in its own way.
As I headed back to my room lost in these thoughts, I ran into my stepmother on her way out the front door.
She eyed me intently as I passed by her room,
then suddenly went pale.
...What?
I was staring at her in confusion when she whispered to me in a hushed voice.
"You didn't... do it, did you?"
"...?"
"Phew... Judging by your reaction, looks like you're safe. Don't scare people like that. If you're wandering around at night, at least make yourself presentable."
I had no idea what she meant when she said that at the entrance,
but after checking myself in the bathroom mirror, I finally understood.
My flushed face like I'd just worked out hard, disheveled hair sticking to my cheeks.
And my half-lidded eyes to top it off.
Was I really clinging to him looking like this until just now...?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Gifted Education Program, Day 2. Too much happened yesterday.
All because I dreamed of grad school.
Nothing ever goes right once grad school's involved.
Still, unlike the night before last, I slept soundly last night—no dreams or anything.
Maybe I was just exhausted from all the incidents from morning till night yesterday?
And after getting comforted by Han Si-a yesterday, my mind felt a lot lighter.
I still think her way of comforting is weird no matter how I look at it, but it worked, so that's what matters.
Which is why, starting today, somehow...
I feel like I could ruthlessly prey on Song Chang-won and his crew without a shred of guilt.
.
.
.
During the free morning hours before the lectures after breakfast, I compiled all the info I'd gathered so far and finished a draft of the presentation PPT.
Kept the design simple to avoid cluttering readability.
But added sleek emphasis effects to show it was made with genuine effort.
Any external sources? Only from credible institutions.
Citing papers? Only from top-tier journals.
Even a single photo—source clearly marked.
A half-assed high school presentation? Not even on my radar. I prepared it meticulously, like defending a PhD thesis—no room for nitpicks.
"Whoa... You finished the presentation materials to this level already? Everything you've shown so far was just the tip of the iceberg compared to your real skills..."
Han Si-a had been subtly avoiding my gaze all morning, probably still hung up on last night, but she was purely impressed by the draft I showed her.
Can't blame her.
This time, I didn't hold back at all—not caring about relative deprivation for her or the other high schoolers. I went all out for real.
"Those blank spots here and there? They'll be filled with content from upcoming lectures and field activities. I've already mapped out exactly what goes where, so it'll just be minor detail tweaks after the lectures."
"How can you know the content when you haven't even heard the lectures yet?"
"We've basically got the answer key to the assignment already. Check the speakers' careers, and you can predict their talks pretty accurately."
This program was bankrolled by elite parents to educate their kids, so it'll deliver the educational impact they expect.
They want the students to collaborate, compete, push and pull each other through major challenges.
That's why I've been holding back inwardly.
If I acted my age and went wild alone, it'd just annoy everyone else.
Even aiming for first place, I planned to win with high school-level results—without revealing I'm a regressor with a PhD.
"But this isn't the end, Si-a. Me rushing this draft on Day 2 isn't just to wrap up prep early. It's to show it off to others."
"...Showing it to the judges won't make a difference, so that leaves the other students?"
"Right. What do you think those naive kids, innocently plugging away, will think if they see this?"
She pondered for a moment before answering.
"They'll probably get anxious thinking their own progress is too slow?"
"And?"
"But no matter how hard they try, they won't match this... So their motivation will tank hard."
Exactly. An overwhelming skill gap crushes the motivation around you.
Plus, no hope of catching up no matter the effort, so the drive to suffer through it vanishes.
And with the assignment so easy—high workload but no penalty for ditching it to goof off—losing motivation means...
"Even without internal drama, you can induce infighting from outside?"
"On top of that, showing something this exemplary first makes competitors subconsciously avoid copying it. Feels like stealing and looking cowardly. So, by preemptively dropping something close to the model answer, rivals get hung up on it and naturally deviate from the ideal."
.
.
.
Day 3.
Two dropouts from Song Chang-won's team.
Both high school second-years, a year older than us. Song Chang-won chewed them out to rein in the slacking team, and the seniors rebelled against a younger kid bossing them around—ditched the project.
His team now down to 6, all middle schoolers younger than him excluding himself.
He's starting to feel the manpower shortage, stuck shouldering more work.
.
.
.
For reference, Han Si-a and I spent our free time strolling Daegwallyeong, enjoying the leisure.
Day 4.
Two more dropouts from Song Chang-won's team.
The two youngest, first-year middle schoolers.
Just half a year out of elementary, they couldn't keep up with his forced march anymore.
Team now at 4 members.
Too late for him to cover by doing more himself.
If he coldly assesses now, he'll have to compromise on presentation quality or recruit the dropouts back.
.
.
.
While Song Chang-won scrambled around, Han Si-a and I chilled at the Daegwallyeong Sheep Ranch during field activities.
Day 5.
The three besides Song Chang-won quit the project entirely, disbanding his team.
Instead of chasing yesterday's deserters, he'd compromised on quality yesterday.
But the team sacrificing all free time for the grind lost motivation seeing the drop in expected output.
Now Song Chang-won worries how to even finish by presentation day.
.
.
.
Han Si-a and I were already rehearsing for tomorrow's presentation, but his prep won't wrap today.
To make deadline, he'll skimp on sleep.
At that pace, even if he finishes tomorrow, no time left for practice.