Secret of Birth (2)
After hearing those shocking stories, my head was spinning quite a bit, but I quickly regained my composure. It had always been like that. When Grandmother passed away, when I came up to Seoul with the little money I had left. Even when I shut myself in a corner of the room, overwhelmed by loneliness. I always pulled myself back up in no time. No matter what situation hit me, I could confidently say my adaptability was top-notch. That's why, even in this moment, I pieced together the information I'd been given and methodically sorted out my thoughts.
"So?" I looked at Kim Jihye and asked.
Kim Jihye paused mid-chew on her cigarette, her body freezing at my question. The way she lowered her gaze to me felt like she was asking what I meant by it.
"You still have more to say, right?"
Everything she'd told me so far was just the secret of my birth. Who I was, what kind of curse afflicted me. She'd laid out all these explanations about me, but she hadn't uttered a single word about the purpose.
As I quietly stared at Kim Jihye, she smirked.
"...Kid, you're just like him in this way."
Kim Jihye spat out the cigarette from her mouth and pulled a white envelope from the pocket of her suit jacket, where she'd stashed the photo.
"Here, take it."
I accepted the white envelope and asked if it was okay to open it. Kim Jihye nodded readily.
Sorcery Youkai Academy Enrollment Notice
Inside the envelope was a brown sheet of paper ornately embroidered. "...?" At the top of the brown paper, in elegant script, were the words Sorcery Youkai Academy Enrollment Notice.
As I blinked in confusion at the sudden enrollment notice, Kim Jihye spoke to me.
"In one week, that's the academy you'll be attending. Think of it like a school, and it'll be easier."
"...Next week?"
I shot back at Kim Jihye, who had so abruptly declared my enrollment. What the hell?
"Yeah, Kang Hanjun. You've already set foot in this world, so there's no going back to your everyday life."
Kim Jihye snapped her fingers with a crack. The cigarette that had fallen on the sofa was suddenly in her hand. She chewed it thoroughly once, then said to me,
"Until now, we've left you alone because of your grandmother's influence and some threats, but now that your necklace is off, we have no choice but to manage you."
Kim Jihye snapped her fingers again with a crack. The cigarette in her mouth crumpled up on itself and vanished into thin air.
I stared blankly at the magic-like sight, and Kim Jihye continued her explanation as if it were nothing.
"You're way more important than you think. Because you're the child of the greatest sorcerer and youkai who achieved harmony between youkai and sorcerers, and because you're a walking bomb packed with absurd yang energy."
"Th-that... yang energy is a bomb?"
Wasn't yang energy just something like stamina or virility? I interrupted Kim Jihye and asked. She furrowed her brow once, then answered me.
"I'll explain in detail later, but for today, just know it's the medium for sorcery, and if it falls into the hands of those damn youkai, it'll be a big problem."
"So," Kim Jihye continued. "In one week, you'll enroll in the Sorcery Youkai Academy, learn to control your yang energy, and come under the association's management."
"Where... is that academy?"
Kim Jihye smirked.
"Where else? The world your mother and father created. The academy exists in the otherworld on the opposite side."
"Ugh..."
It looked like I had no choice in the matter. Listening to Kim Jihye, I could see I was someone the association in that world would never let go of.
Transferring to Seoul, and now transferring again—it left a heavy feeling in my chest. The Sorcery Youkai Academy written on this enrollment notice didn't sound normal at all, and I wondered if a transfer student like me could even adapt.
As I groaned and pondered, Kim Jihye let out an "Ah" like she'd forgotten something and beckoned me over.
"Hang on, come here. Got something to do."
She'd been acting on her own whim so far, but since it was all to help and explain things to me, I approached her side.
Kim Jihye looked at me steadily, then reached for my neck.
"...Wh-what are you doing?!"
Kim Jihye was trying to snatch the necklace. I flinched back in shock, but she said flatly,
"Your necklace got broken once, so there's a gap. I can't fix it perfectly, but I need to seal it temporarily with sorcery until you enroll at the academy, so hand it over quick."
"...I-is that okay?"
I glanced at Kim Jihye's face. She scowled like it was a hassle.
"What, you think I'm gonna go into heat from your yang energy? It's protected by sorcery, so shut up and give it here."
"Yes, ma'am."
She'd teleported from the underground parking lot to my house in one go, made a cigarette vanish in an instant. With a high-ranking position like head sorcerer of the Seoul branch, I hesitated but unclasped the necklace.
"You're really sure it's fine?"
"Hand it over, you green kid."
Kim Jihye snatched the necklace the moment I undid it. Even seeing me without it, she seemed totally unfazed. She turned her head and peered intently at the inside of the necklace in her hand.
"Tch... she's loaded it with every damn curse imaginable..."
Kim Jihye fiddled with the necklace and handed it back to me.
"There, done. It's temporary, but unless they're really close, most youkai won't notice."
"Thank you."
I quickly hung the necklace Kim Jihye handed back around my neck. She watched me quietly for a moment, then tossed out one more line.
"Oh, right. Forgot to mention. Kang Hanjun, after you enter the Sorcery Youkai Academy, you need to fuck the female youkai there."
"...Pardon?"
For a second, I thought I'd misheard. But as if confirming I hadn't, Kim Jihye notified me again.
"Take the virginity of youkai with strong yin energy—you know, the ones that look tough at first glance."
"What the... that doesn't make any..."
"The yang energy suppressed by your necklace has burst out, so your body's a mess right now. You need to infuse it with yin energy no matter what."
Kim Jihye shot up from her seat. As she moved to leave, I panicked and begged for more explanation. She shook her head like it was annoying and added a few words.
"There's no more efficient way to infuse yin energy into your body than taking the virginity of a female youkai with strong yin energy. And if you don't do this, your yang energy will explode and you'll die naturally."
"W-wait a sec...! Explain more..."
Kim Jihye ignored my plea and kept going at her own pace.
"Don't worry too much. Thanks to your unique constitution, most youkai will take a liking to you anyway. Even if you have sex, it'll supply them with special nourishment, so they'll probably welcome it even more."
Then Kim Jihye glanced at her watch and waved at me.
"Alright, I'm swamped right now. See you next time."
"...Huh?"
That last declaration hit harder than anything before. I tried desperately to grab her, but Kim Jihye snapped her two fingers with a crack, and in an instant, she vanished from my room.
Left alone in the room, staring blankly at the enrollment notice left on my desk, I muttered to myself.
"What... the hell... is this?"
No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense. I just stood there in a daze for a long while.
The next day, morning.
As usual, I was moving supplies at Cafe Yuu. Yesterday's events kept replaying in my head, leaving me in a daze as I finished shifting everything and sat at a table to rest.
The manager snuck up to me.
"Hey."
The manager poked my cheek with her slender finger. I blinked and looked at her, and she grinned at me.
"Hanjun-ssi, you've got something weighing on you, right?"
"Ah... yes."
I had a ton of worries. Way too many. I let out a sigh without realizing it.
She hummed curiously, then naturally sat across from me.
"Hanjun-ssi."
"Y-yes?!"
I jumped and replied, and she chuckled as she said,
"Girl problems, right? It looks exactly like girl problems."
"......"
Girl problems—well, in a way, you could call it that. As I hemmed and hawed without responding, the manager let out an even more coquettish hum.
"Hmm~? Am I right?"
"...Can't say you're wrong."
Once I admitted she was somewhat on the mark, she grabbed my cheeks with both hands and let out a shrill squeal.
"Oh my! See? Girls your age can't help but be interested in you, Hanjun-ssi."
The manager poked my rolled-up sleeve, prodding my forearm.
"Such a nice body..."
She widened her eyes and looked at me.
"And such a handsome face—how could you not be popular? Come on, spill. What's the issue?"
"Ugh..."
There was no way I could bring this up. If I said, 'I have to go to another world and take the virginities of the female youkai there,' she'd definitely think I was crazy.
As I groaned without a word, the manager giggled.
"Hehe... Is it love? You look even more handsome today, Hanjun-ssi."
"No way."
"It's true! A guy brooding like that is the sexiest."
Looking at the manager, she had her massive breasts resting on the table, staring right at me. My eyes were inevitably drawn to those mature, alluring curves.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and tore my gaze away. She gave a subtle smile and stood up.
"A man with secrets is attractive too, so no need to say if you don't want to, Hanjun-ssi."
At the counter behind her. Watching the manager's back as she prepared a cafe latte just for me today, I found myself asking,
"Do you have secrets too, Manager?"
"Hmm... Why? Am I attractive?"
She turned her head, flashing a grown-up smile. As I nodded at that kind yet mature smile, she hummed happily and said,
"Of course. Adults always have one or two deep secrets they can't tell others."
The manager slowly brought her finger to her lips.
"Very deep secrets."
With an endlessly kind smile that somehow felt seductive, she disappeared behind the counter. After a bit, she emerged with a steaming cafe latte.
Her face was oddly flushed as she handed me the latte, filled with milk and topped with white foam.
"Here, do your best today too."
"Yes...! Gotta power through today."
I gulped down the cafe latte she'd given me. The manager swallowed hard, watching me intently.