Cute Revenge (2)

Tch.

The one who pushed open the classroom door and walked in was Trash No. 2. He was a man with a fairly tall frame and decent looks.

Of course, he wasn’t alone.

Clinging to his side was a woman with a rather pleasant face.

Even with Mind's Eye, nothing in particular stood out.

One thing I could confirm was that his disposition was the same as Yoo Ahyoung’s: an optimist.

Of course, Yoo Ahyoung had “timid” attached to hers, while he had “selfish,” but still, I found myself a little intrigued by the thought that the two might actually suit each other fairly well.

In any case, it made sense that the two sudden visitors looked surprised as they creaked the classroom door ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠open.

Unlike what they’d expected, there was already someone inside, so of course they’d be rattled.

After confirming Han Sora, the sound of voices trading words followed right away.

“Huh?”

“What do we do? Oppa? Should we come back later?”

“And who knows when we’d get another chance? We don’t have time anymore, and this is the only classroom where the instructors aren’t walking around.”

“We can do it all we want later.”

“I don’t want to. I want to be with you now. Hey.”

“……”

“Sorry, but if you’re not using this place, could we?”

“……”

There was no chance Han Sora could refuse their offer.

She didn’t answer, but her body had already finished preparing to leave.

After making sure they’d come in, she wiped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tears streaming down her face with one hand and shuffled toward the exit.

The way she limped outside was a sight to behold.

She looked like a puppy that had been caught in the rain.

Man, that’s really pathetic.

There were plenty of people in Lindel who had it worse than Han Sora, of course, but witnessing an event like this right in front of me made my chest ache for no reason.

They’d been the ones to start it, sure, but I was still human. Sympathy had a way of sneaking in anyway.

“What is this? No answer, and what’s with that face? Oppa, do you know her?”

“That’s Han Sora.”

“Han Sora?”

“Yeah. She used to be one of the攻略 group.”

“Really? You mean that mage Han Sora? Oppa, Kim Ki-cheol?”

“Why are you so oblivious to what’s going on outside?”

“And what, not knowing one thing is worth getting scolded over? I just wasn’t interested. I wasn’t interested in—”

“She got caught trying to raid Instructor Jung Hayan’s lab. I heard she was greedy, but… I guess she just had rotten luck. Apparently she messed with something she shouldn’t have while Instructor Jung Hayan had stepped out for a moment, and it exploded.”

“Aaah…”

“It was the work of a genius mage, so it’s natural enough that she’d want to steal it, but she must have been more insane than most. Thanks to that, a lot of mages resent her. Even though Instructor Jung Hayan’s lectures were a little all over the place and hard to follow, plenty of people still thought they were helpful. I learned how to handle mana because of Instructor Jung Hayan, too… and it’s useful even for warriors, so that says enough.”

“Aah… I see.”

“Han Sora was the one who screwed up, but then Instructor Jung Hayan lost her qualifications, so I’m disappointed too. I should’ve gotten a little closer to Instructor Jung Hayan….”

“Why? So you could maybe get into Blue?”

“Nothing’s confirmed yet. There’s a good chance I’ll end up somewhere else besides Blue, but it’s still useful to build connections with someone like that. This is already society. Rather than wasting time like an idiot, there’s nothing wrong with getting friendly with every instructor one by one.”

“So the reason you treat me well is because of that too?”

“Who knows… want to find out?”

“Forget it. I’ll just sit back and enjoy the payoff thanks to you, Oppa. I do like a casual type, after all.”

“That’s exactly why I like you.”

When I glanced sideways, Yoo Ahyoung was trembling all over.

It was only natural that she’d flinch.

But the Yoo Ahyoung beside me wasn’t Jung Hayan. She wasn’t pulling out a dagger or starting to cast any spell, so I could relax a little.

I didn’t know whether what was bothering her was that woman or some other incident, but today’s experimental man and experimental woman were putting on a rather sticky little performance.

I couldn’t be sure, but it was clear this wasn’t their first time doing something like this.

They looked close enough that anyone could tell, and almost uncomfortably familiar besides.

Tsk tsk.

The moment I confirmed his unique quirk, exactly the sort of quirk I expected popped up.

So he likes women.

I’d suspected as much, but the more I looked, the less I liked this type of person.

He seemed to know how to manage connections and keep an eye on his relationships with instructors, so he was clearly making an effort to handle the situation he found himself in, but there was no substance there. I’d seen enough people like that to know it.

“Besides, you already have a girlfriend… Oppa, is this really okay?”

“You ask me that every single day.”

“Because it’s a little more exciting that way. Don’t you think, Oppa?”

“Maybe a little.”

“You should treat Yoo Ahyoung well. That’s how you get into Blue, isn’t it?”

“It’s practically in the bag already. If not, I might head to another guild… Who knew a woman I was going to toss aside would turn out to be a gem? Bringing her along in the tutorial was the right call.”

“Still, if I were you, I’d be a little more careful. I mean, I don’t mind doing this with you, Oppa, but… aren’t you even a little uneasy? Just settle down. She’s got a great body, too.”

“Her body has nothing to do with it. The problem is she’s too boring. She’s the kind of girl you can marry but don’t want to date, you know what I mean?”

“Then who do you date?”

“Was that what you wanted to hear? You, of course. You little brat.”

“Ehehe.”

Watching the pair of cockroaches start smooching made my stomach turn a little.

Of course, not as much as the girl standing beside me.

She had clearly been holding on to some hope, because when the conversation turned to her, she stared hard at them, but as it went on and the two of them got closer and closer, she began to tremble.

Without realizing it, she clutched my hand tightly.

And the tears kept spilling from her eyes.

Han Sora was the same, too….

That made two women I’d seen crying bitterly in a single day.

It left a sour taste in my mouth.

“Shall we go?”

“……”

“I think it’d be best if we left.”

“Yes….”

“There’s no point staying any longer.”

She’d probably be startled when the classroom door opened on its own, but that wasn’t my concern.

I quietly led Yoo Ahyoung to the door and opened it. The people inside did startle and get noisy for a moment, but I ignored them and stepped outside.

Yoo Ahyoung’s condition wasn’t any better than Han Sora’s, and if anything it was worse.

Unlike before, when she’d only been dropping tears one by one, now she kept rubbing her face with both hands, pouring out everything she’d been holding inside.

Since comforting her seemed obvious, I patted her shoulder a few times, and she threw herself into my chest.

Just as I thought.

“Uwaaaaa… nghhh….”

It was only natural that I’d feel resentful toward Park Deokgu.

When I thought about the Gyeongsang-do love expert who’d caused this whole mess probably sleeping with his legs stretched out somewhere, my mood started to curdle.

“Huuuuu… sob….”

She seemed to have trusted him more than I’d realized.

It had been a short time, but given the nature of the tutorial dungeon, they would have depended on each other all the more and grown all the closer.

I hadn’t experienced a betrayal like that myself, so I couldn’t fully empathize, but I could feel just how painful it was for her all the same.

It took quite a while before she finally calmed down a little.

“Are you all right?”

She was still sniffling, but she was much better than before.

Her eyes were swollen, and she was still burying her face against my chest as if she couldn’t quite settle down, but then I saw her quietly nod.

If I let her cling to me any longer, Jung Hayan might show up to rest in Lindel, so I gently peeled her away and continued.

“I’m not sure what I should say to comfort you, but I’m sorry.”

“N-no… sniff. It’s okay. I sort of expected it already, and… if I really think about it, there were a lot of strange things.”

“I see.”

“He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do that. I kept telling myself that, but seeing it with my own eyes… h-huhh….”

She looked ready to start crying again.

I couldn’t really share her sadness, but I had no choice but to keep offering what comfort I could.

That was the only way I’d get the answer I wanted.

Her entry into Blue was effectively a done deal already.

Still, there was one more thing left to do.

It wasn’t something I’d done myself; it was something Park Deokgu had done.

Revenge?

Judging by her condition and personality, she probably wouldn’t be eager for that. Still, she might want at least a way to repay the betrayal she’d suffered.

Not enough to kill him or turn him into a cripple….

That sort of solution suited people like Jung Hayan, Lee Jihye, or Cha Heera, not women like her or little chicks like this.

I happened to think of a perfect enough method, but moving myself would be a pain.

As a service for someone who was practically about to become family, it wasn’t a bad offer, though….

Might be a little fun, actually….

Right then, while I was thinking that a little amusement might be a decent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reward after all the work I’d been putting in lately, she quietly bit her lip and opened her mouth. Her voice was fairly steady.

“I’ll join Blue.”

Nice.

“That’s the right decision. As the saying goes, the greatest revenge is success. I’m sure your ex-boyfriend’s stomach will twist itself into knots. I’ll make sure your salary and signing bonus are both top-tier.”

“Yes… It’s not like I have any special feelings about it or anything.”

“That man will be kicking himself once he realizes the woman he tossed aside and toyed with was actually such a precious catch.”

“Thank you… for putting it so kindly.”

“I’m not just being kind. I’m telling you the truth. Yoo Ahyoung, you’re talented, beautiful, and smart. Frankly, you’re wasted on that idiot in the classroom over there. If you’re all right with it, I’d like to recommend a very fun way to really get under his skin… Ah, of course, this is part of your joining gift for Blue.”

“Huh? N-no, you really don’t need to go that far….”

“Then come meet with me for a bit.”

“Huh…?”

“Ah, of course, just for a few days, so don’t worry. It’s fine if it lasts only until the training period is over. The truth is, there’s nothing that drives a man like that crazier than seeing the woman he thought belonged to him get taken by another man.”

“……”

“Especially when that other man is more capable than he is. In every sense, really. Sexually, financially, in power….”

“Ah….”

I figured she knew exactly what I was talking about.

At first, she might have planned to swallow the grief alone, but once I tossed the idea out there, it seemed to strike her as plausible enough. Her expression turned tempted, almost eager.

Human psychology really is entertaining.

There was no way her insides weren’t boiling over.

What she’d just seen was more than enough to shock her. Her grief hadn’t vanished yet, but in one corner of her heart, something dark and ugly—something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like a thirst for revenge—was slowly rising to the surface.

Maybe that’s why she wants to join Blue right away, too….

Rather than joining Blue only to keep crying and drowning in sorrow, it might actually be better to shake it off with something bold. If she kept everything bottled up, there was always the chance it would explode later.

And there’s no need to worry about her turning into someone like Hayan or Heeyoung.

It was the kind of revenge you could almost call cute.

I saw Yoo Ahyoung nodding hard before she even realized it herself.

“Then… please, Instructor.”

But if we were going to do it, we might as well do it properly….

It’s been a while since I checked on the little rascal. I should call White Pole, too….

After all, a car would make for a fine tool to trample a thug’s pride.

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