Chapter 81
Chapter 81
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: 15. School's Star
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was horrific. It felt like snakes were slithering all over my body. I shook off the man's hand with my mana-infused palm. I caught my breath, inhaling and exhaling, gritting my teeth. Once again, I was in a state where I couldn't use magic.
I took a few steps back from him and asked,
"Please... don't do this...!"
But my voice trembled with anxiety. And it had every reason to. This whole situation was utterly absurd to me. Just a few days ago, before I even noticed the man's presence, could I have imagined something like this? With a quivering voice, I continued,
"Why me, of all people? We... we only met once in this neighborhood, and talked just that one time. So why... why do you keep... "
The man put on a hurt expression. He slowly leaned his head toward me and whispered,
"That's too much. You still haven't remembered?"
"You're the one who's too much! Why... why do something like this... "
"Not that... We've met before. If it weren't for that connection, I might never have felt these emotions."
My eyes widened at his words. Met before...?
"You mean... we met before...?"
"You really don't remember at all, do you? Well, even when I told you directly back then, you didn't react. I was wearing sunglasses covering half my face. But to forget even my voice... Was my presence that forgettable? Hearing it now just hurts."
I stared at him with shaking eyes, wondering what he meant. Then his next words made my expression harden.
"Black Jaguar."
"......!"
I swallowed hard.
"That... name..."
My trembling feet carried me a few steps backward. Black Jaguar. That name was deeply etched in "our" memories as a source of terror.
About two months ago, the terrorist who attacked our school.
The dark organization that had the neighborhood in an uproar with child kidnappings at the time.
And I had confronted that terrorist head-on. Even if it was in defense, that much was undeniable.
Only then did I realize the man's identity. Among the Black Jaguars I'd encountered, the one who wore sunglasses to hide his face and spoke to me—there was only one such person.
"No... way...!"
I covered my mouth with both hands in shock, my eyes bulging wide.
Yes, I remembered now. It was that man whose eyes I'd met right in front of my barrier. Back then, he was dressed in white robes and wore black smart glasses covering a third of his face.
Yes. And he had definitely used fire magic too. Why hadn't I thought of it until now...? I clenched my trembling fists.
"Yes. The first time I met you was 'that day.'"
The man advanced toward me as I retreated.
"From that moment, from the moment I saw your magic, I couldn't forget you. A frail little thing, so small you wouldn't even reach my chest, yet you protected the children and then moved all the elementary kids we were targeting to safety, ruining our plans. A girl with dazzling talent and mana strength beyond her years—the exact kind of talent our organization craves most!"
The man spoke exaggeratedly as he drew closer and closer. My mind flashed through everything that had happened up until now: him tailing me, taking photos, confessing his disgusting love. All of it.
"...Is this revenge? You've been stalking me, pressuring me, showering me with gifts like you're in love, all as part of that...?"
The man just grinned at my words without responding. I quickly pressed on. If I didn't keep talking, the anxiety would shatter my focus.
"I heard you got caught...?"
"I escaped."
"I covered my face."
"I'm a detection mage with a real talent for it. Finding you was pure luck. If we hadn't met that day, we might never have crossed paths again. But seeing you up close, I knew for sure."
"I erased the memories..."
"You know, the brain is like a computer circuit. Even if you wipe the memories, they're still stored somewhere. Manipulating the mind to prevent forgetting is simple."
With every answer, the man took a step closer. I took two steps back, until the door pressed right against my back.
"Th-that's..."
Bam!
In that instant, the door hit my back. The man thrust out both arms, slamming his palms against the door with force. I squeezed my eyes shut at the harsh sound, then opened them to find his face right in front of mine. He whispered in my ear,
"Well, have all your questions been answered now?"
I was trapped between his arms. It was a loose cage for a child, but enough to pin me down. I felt my body trembling uncontrollably.
"And revenge...? You think everything up to now was revenge...?"
I flinched and looked up at him. Without thinking, I opened my vision, and the color of his emotions came into sharp focus. Pitch black, it now surrounded me. It made me want to vomit, but there was nothing I could do in this situation. The man stared straight into my face and said,
"The answer is, not at all."
"......!"
I shuddered and met his gaze. Our eyes locked with a sticky intensity. He continued,
"When we first met, yeah, I planned to. Revenge, sure. But even if the initial pursuit was that... everything after wasn't about getting back at you. Don't misunderstand my feelings. The bouquets, cakes, dolls, expensive accessories—all gifts from my heart. And you think it's something else? This is the first time I've ever fallen for someone like this."
The man sighed with laughter in his eyes, feigning regret. He had no idea how much more chills it gave me. I lowered my gaze and stiffened my body.
"The first time I saw you, I recognized you instantly. The little girl who foiled all our plans. Black Jaguar was dismantled, but the dark organization still has plenty left. Comrades who escaped with me too. You're a rare talent, so at first, I planned to kidnap you. I went through so much to disguise myself—holding my breath until Daehyeon's people let their guard down, pretending to be ordinary... Tailing you, waiting for an opening. You had that transcendent by your side, after all."
The man's face drew even closer. I tried to pull back, but there was nowhere to go.
"That Kang Inha girl was impressive too, but she's Kim Seona's daughter, so I had to pass. I licked my lips and kept watching you. But..."
As he spoke, he lifted one hand from the door and grasped my chin, tilting it up. I met his eyes again with trembling ones.
"But the more I watched, the more I liked you."
My eyes widened in horror. All color drained from my face. What? What did he just say to a fourth-grader?
"Pretty, innocent, fragile, yet with mana that's astonishingly strong. Ahh... It was tempting enough to get me excited."
The man grabbed my wrist with his remaining hand. I startled and twisted my arm. But he gripped so tightly it wouldn't budge. He chuckled right in front of my face.
"You're like... the kind that stirs a sadistic possessiveness in guys like me. Poor thing. Making me fall this hard..."
"L-let go! Let go! I said let go!"
The man's body slid down, pressing me to the floor. He was poised to pounce completely. His eyes were already mad.
"I was going to take you right now, but... I've changed my mind a little. Calling for some other guy instead of me."
"Urk...!"
"So, I'll make you love me."
In that moment, the man's cold hand slipped inside my clothes. But here's the strange thing. Normally, a girl in this situation would panic, flail helplessly, or not even understand what's happening. An adult woman might freeze in terror or thrash about.
But the instant his cold hand touched my skin, I snapped awake as if jolted. At the same time, I remembered the mana crystal in my pocket. My eyes hardened coldly.
The man slowly lowered his head, burying his face in my neck. I closed my eyes, then opened them. My master's words echoed in my mind.
'Don't forget. If someone attacks you, you must attack them back. If you don't want to lose anything. If you don't want to die.'
I squeezed my eyes shut and slipped my free hand into my pocket. My fingertips touched the crystal's surface. The moment its mana synced with mine, darkness surged up from below without warning, engulfing me—and him.
Darkness attribute magic. An intensely aggressive manifestation of dark mana, highly threatening. I was truly glad I'd prepared this crystal in advance.
By nature, aside from incantation magic, all my spells have no precursors. And with my exceptional mana control, I can easily gather and compress mana around me instead of within.
That trait makes my magic inherently stealthy, showing no precursors. Even standard spell magic is like that, but attribute magic is even more covert.
For the first time, I cast magic with true "hostility." The dark mana enveloped my body too, but through the crystal, I controlled it effortlessly. The darkness eroded only that man.
In the gap, I used the remaining crystals to erect a barrier around him and me. A space where I could use magic again formed. I reached out, levitating the rest of the crystals from the drawer. They swirled around me and the man.
"Urk... Graaaah!!"
Flames—his magic—burst around him to resist my darkness.
I gazed at it, my eyes gleaming coldly.
That sensation. My mind cools, and my inner self calmly analyzes the entire situation.
Confirming the barrier was properly up, I cast magic this time with the crystals and my own mana. The surroundings warped and rippled instantly. Gravity twisted, objects floated, the room bent. A black hole yawned open beneath us. The man plummeted into it.
"Into the endless pit."
Only he fell. The hole under me was just a shadow on the floor. But for him, it would be different. He'd surely see it—an infinite abyss.
"Fall."
There was no sound of falling. They say in the magic world it's more likely to die of a heart attack before hitting the ground when falling, but what about this case?
The hole sealed instantly, the world snapping back. The man lay collapsed on the floor, gasping as if he'd just overcome the hallucination.
"You... you're...! How...!"
"...Do you like space?"
With my voice, the scenery shifted drastically. Beneath our feet was the distant Earth from videos. Stars surrounded us. We swam through space at light speed. Meteors and stardust poured toward us. They missed me but struck him without fail. He screamed.
I closed my eyes tight and turned my head away. He was a C-rank mage. Clearly stronger than me. Even with crystals boosting my mana and a barrier favoring me, falling into the hallucination so quickly felt off. But he'd been caught off-guard first, hit by my darkness ambush, then dropped into my hallucinatory pit. And third—I'd embedded real attribute magic in the meteors. Darkness again. Light rained down around him, blending with the dark attribute to distort the colors.
Moments later, the scenery returned. The man lay unconscious on the floor. Feeling my chilled mind slowly warm, I checked the outer barrier. It had held for days, so it wasn't him personally sustaining it... Sure enough, he was down, but the barrier remained intact.
I sighed and maintained my inner room barrier. Then I bound his body with incantation magic. Even if he woke, he wouldn't escape. I just needed to buy time until Joo Je-hyeon arrived.
'Yeah, Joo Je-hyeon...'
And explain the situation properly. Hurry and tell him everything, get him here. I slowly approached where my student ID had fallen, picking it up with trembling hands. Ah, my first time using offensive magic against a person. Tears welled up like a dam breaking. Clutching the ID, I sank to the floor.
At that moment, a shattering sound—"Crash!"—came from outside. Still seated, I blankly looked up.
The pitch-black barrier, which had held its shape until moments ago, was crumbling to pieces. My eyes widened. Then footsteps approached from below, and the door burst open.
"Yoo Eunha! Are you okay?!"
I'd stopped crying midway and turned my head blankly. It was Joo Je-hyeon. He looked shocked, scanning the man collapsed in my room and my tear-streaked face. I burst into loud sobs right there.
"J-Joo Je-hyeon... Hic, waaaaah...!"
I couldn't even approach him, just stood there sobbing. Joo Je-hyeon froze for a moment, alternating between me crying and the man on the floor, then rushed over with an urgent expression and pulled me into a hug. I buried my face in his chest, clinging and pouring out tears. Other voices followed.
"Hey, Je-hyeon! Where's Eunha?! There were your comrades collapsed outside! What was that barrier, and what happened to Eunha...!"
"Hey, Joo Je-hyeon! What's wrong with Eunha?!"
"......! Black Jaguar!"
"Why is this guy here?!"
I just kept crying like that for a while.
By the time I stopped, everyone who'd heard the commotion had rushed to our house—parents, my master, teachers—everyone except the little kids. Luckily, my tears didn't show much once they dried, so I could greet them with a relatively normal face.
"What...?"
Everyone's faces paled when they heard the Black Jaguar man had been stalking me. Mom asked in panic,
"A stalker...?"
"I didn't realize at first... But after you left, Mom, he started tailing me nonstop. Following me, taking photos..."
"Oh my god..."
Mom paled, clutching her forehead. Auntie Seona and the others ground their teeth.
"When exactly did it start? Tell us properly."
"I-I'm not sure. But I noticed after you left, Mom. At first, I thought he just kept showing up by chance, then he disappeared for a bit, and suddenly every time I went downtown, he was there..."
"You should have told me when I called!"
"I wasn't sure yet if he was really following me..."
Tears welled up again. I sniffled.
"But the next day, everything changed. He put up a barrier around the house that blocked magic."
"A barrier that prevents magic?"
"And he hacked my phone, deleted my contacts, cut the landline, and when I tried email, he hacked the computer and blanked it... Dad called, but that guy answered and said things I never would. You and the teachers couldn't be reached, Mom. I tried Dad or even Inha, but somehow it went to him..."
Auntie Seona grabbed the back of her neck.
"So..."
"This is insane. Didn't that guy not know where Eunha was? None of her info leaked."
"Yes. Definitely. His comrades had no info on Eunha in their documents or devices."
"Probably acted alone. But no traces of info extraction—how did he find her?"
Mom, murmuring gravely at Auntie Seona's words, suddenly looked up.
"E-Eunha. But yesterday on the phone, you answered, right? Said you were fine, eating out..."
What? My eyes widened.
"What are you talking about? I've been locked in the house for three days. Phone, landline, computer—all dead. No calls came."
"W-wait, then that was..."
A chill hit me late. So that man had answered Mom's call pretending to be me, reassuring her. Mom grabbed my shoulders, her face ashen.
"Eunha, that man didn't do anything to you, right? Tell me."
"Hic... I'm fine. I took him down before he could."
"But there was a no-magic barrier. How?"
"Well, using the mana crystals, it somehow worked. With them, I managed... somehow..."
If I'd known mana crystals let me cast magic beforehand, how great would that have been? No, even then, if he hadn't pushed so aggressively, I'd have holed up in my room for over a week, avoiding him. That's my nature—avoid danger, stay hidden, out of sight.
My eyes welled up again. Everyone sighed in relief. Amid that, Teacher Min, patting his chest, asked,
"What were all those roses downstairs? I accidentally hit the intercom—note bouquets, books, cakes, pricey accessories, snacks..."
Chills ran through me; I grabbed Joo Je-hyeon's sleeve.
"Tributes..."
"W-what?"
"I don't know. He said I'd like them and sent them."
"What?"
Everyone's faces paled again. Joo Je-hyeon asked urgently,
"Wait, so the stalking meant that? We misunderstood? It wasn't digging for your info or targeting your magic... So... he said he liked you?"
My eyes burned hot. I nodded, holding back rage, adding details.
"H-he said he spotted me by chance. Saw me use magic up close, and as a detection mage, knew I was Daehyeon's 'Yoo Eunha,' started following, and... I don't know. Fell for me, he said. So he... "
What was it? Gifts from the heart, rattling on about rose meanings. The ones that stuck: 'I suit you perfectly' and 'You are mine forever.'
Made me fall for him this hard—what now? All while nearly pouncing on me.
Joo Je-hyeon roughly ruffled his hair.
"Chance, fucking chance? While his comrades were kidnapping other kids, he was pulling pedo shit? Ha... I... Wait, be right back."
I flinched. Joo Je-hyeon's expression vanished. His coldly furious eyes pierced me. I instinctively stepped back from him. But Eunhee Sister coldly stopped him.
"Where do you think you're going? You're not the only one pissed. Comfort Eunha."
"...Got it."
Joo Je-hyeon halted his pacing and gripped my hand tightly. Mom hugged me close. As I slowly shook off the fear, a question lingered. Mom had said she was going after terrorists—turns out it was this Black Jaguar. What happened?
Black Jaguar's boss and all were imprisoned. Everyone thought it was over. But they escaped? What about the bomb terror? And the kidnappings mentioned?
'Escaped.'
As I hesitated to ask, Mom whispered in my ear.
"Sorry. Guess it wasn't just a business trip. Things were always fine before, so I thought this time too. Sorry. Really... You held up so well, our Eunha. You endured..."
My master's voice came too.
"Sorry. If I'd checked the intel better... No, truly sorry."
I closed my eyes and nodded. The comforting voices nearly brought tears again, but I held back this time.
"Yeah. It's all good now. To make sure this never happens again, we won't just erase his memories with mind manipulation—we'll burn out his brain cells entirely. Death penalty! That's not bad either."
I flinched at that. Death penalty...? The word alone was horrifying. Sure, if it's mentioned, he's probably killed plenty. But casually talking about someone dying... And frying all memories? That's as good as death. My expression darkened. Sensing it, Teacher Min looked up and said,
"Kim Seona, maybe tone down the harsh words... The kid's scared."
"Oh? Oops... Sorry, Eunha, sorry."
"She's soft-hearted... It's okay. Not your fault."
"Eunha, you're fine."
The adults surrounded and comforted me. My sunken mood lifted a bit.
"We need to interrogate him now, but a few should stay here."
My master, who'd been watching my teary, drained face worriedly, said that after a moment. Auntie Seona nodded at her words, gently stroking my head.
"Yeah, we should. Eunha, it's all over now, don't worry. We'll send Inha back too. Sorry for leaving you alone."
Auntie Seona bent down to meet my eyes, then hugged me tight.
"Really sorry. Should've called Mirae and stayed. You're just a kid. Shouldn't have left you alone. Sorry. Truly sorry for leaving you..."
Auntie Seona hugged me firmly, then stood. My master gazed at me with calm, sunken eyes, then as if remembering, said to Auntie Seona,
"Then we should contact Yoo Young and send Hyunho and Hansu over."
"Yeah, good idea."
"Oh, I'll call Minhee too. No reason for her to stay in the dorms now that the remnants are gone."
Auntie Seona nodded at Inho Brother's words.
"Better with friends around, right?"
The packed room began emptying as people prepared to leave. Eunhee Sister stopped Joo Je-hyeon, who was rising with her.
"Ah, Je-hyeon, you stay. I'll get Minhee. Keep comforting Eunha. Oh, Mirae..."
"Tell Baekhan I'm sorry."
Mom smiled bitterly. Eunhee Sister nodded understandingly.
"It's fine. You caught the most annoying one who stuck around till the end."
"Feels like I need to stay by Eunha..."
"Me and Min will stay too."
"Yeah, do that."
Teacher Junhwi and Teacher Min decided to stay.
"Then we'll head out."
In an instant, everyone except a few teleported away. But just before leaving, Eunhee Sister whispered in Joo Je-hyeon's ear. Whether from tension or annoyance, his body stiffened briefly.
"Just in case—take good care of Eunha. No funny business."
Eunhee Sister vanished after that. Her voice carried clearly to me. Wondering what she meant, I looked up at Joo Je-hyeon blankly. He sighed moments later.
I looked around the now-empty room, which had been packed just before. Mom patted me quietly for a while. Dazed in her arms, I grabbed her sleeve.
"Mom, um."
"Yeah?"
"Explain the situation. What happened? The one you went after... wasn't the hacking bomb terrorist?"
Mom gazed at me quietly, then sighed.
"...Yeah, it was. And the one we just caught is the hacking bomb terrorist."
"......!"
I swallowed. Mom, Joo Je-hyeon, Teacher Junhwi, Teacher Min—all looked at me with sunken eyes. Teacher Junhwi spoke first.
"I'll explain from the beginning."