Taming Villains (1)

Another busy day at Yoram Academy had finally drawn to a close. Three female students from the Hero Course were lounging in a quiet classroom, chatting away.

The hero with leaves sprouting thickly from her hair, Plant Lady, murmured sleepily.

"Ahh... Nothing beats afternoon sunlight... Yawwn..."

After basking in photosynthesis for a good while, she turned her head toward the blonde girl sitting beside her.

"Yuha. Speaking of which, you've been sneaking off alone after classes lately, huh?"

"Wh-what?"

Flame Mist blinked in surprise, her eyes going wide as she stammered a flustered reply.

"N-no, just... to the regular department for a bit..."

"The regular department...? Why would you go there...?"

"Why do you think? She's probably off to see him."

Cat's Eye, her cat ears twitching, answered on Flame Mist's behalf. Her snarky tone dripped with clear displeasure.

"Him?"

"You know, that childhood friend she promised to marry or whatever. That's why she's been like this since he enrolled in the regular department."

Flame Mist shot her a slight glare in warning.

"I told you not to say anything unnecessary."

"Jeez. Didn't you say he blew up at you not long ago? Ghosted you for months, right?"

"I said that's not how it was. Don't badmouth Woojin. It was my fault for not realizing how much he was hurting."

"..."

Cat's Eye's lips pursed even more at the firm response. Even from her own perspective, her friend Flame Mist was the epitome of a model hero—caring, heroic, and beyond reproach. Just yesterday, she'd dramatically rescued innocent civilians from a villain's clutches, and it was the talk of the school.

Until moments ago, Flame Mist had been fuming with rage over failing to catch that villain. Yet here she was, groveling like a puppy on a leash for some powerless civilian. It was impossible not to be annoyed.

Cat's Eye and Plant Lady had been Flame Mist's friends for years, even before enrolling in the Hero Course. They'd witnessed her heartache up close, especially over the past few months. She'd barely slept, showing up to school with puffy eyes from crying all night.

They'd even tried to confront the guy multiple times, only to back off at Flame Mist's fierce refusals. And yet, she defended him relentlessly. She wouldn't even show a photo, let alone introduce him. It was maddening.

"You're way too devoted..."

Plant Lady stuck out her tongue in exasperation.

"I just don't get it... Is the guy that hot...?"

"Woojin...? Hmm... He's just average-looking..."

Plant Lady tilted her head in even greater confusion at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Flame Mist's casual reply.

"So what is so great about him, anyway?"

"Well..."

"Woojin!"

Flame Mist spotted something and shot to her feet. Her face lit up with a radiant smile, as if her earlier gloom had never existed.

She dashed to the classroom door and stopped in front of someone.

The young man was a head taller than Flame Mist. Plant Lady and Cat's Eye immediately recognized him from her descriptions.

Plant Lady let out a short gasp laced with layered admiration.

"...Wow."

A flower had bloomed fully atop her head. Her cheeks flushed pink with shyness.

-Woojin...? Hmm... He's just average-looking...

Cat's Eye recalled Flame Mist's words from moments ago. Finally grasping the truth, she muttered in stunned disbelief.

"That bitch."

Flame Mist was now ignoring her friends entirely, her gaze locked solely on the young man.

"Hehe, what brings you here out of the blue? No heads-up or anything."

"...Just. You know, about what I mentioned before..."

"Oh, right! Got it!"

His somewhat listless, awkward demeanor irked Cat's Eye. This was Flame Mist—the girl who'd drawn media spotlight before even entering Yoram, the youngest to earn Prospective Hero status. Alongside Hwaryeon's Psyche and the saintly Snow White, she was one of the future's beacons of justice.

Flawless in skill and character—that was Cat's Eye's assessment. So seeing her treated this way naturally boiled her blood. So what if he's got a pretty face?

"Uh, Yuha. Wanna step somewhere quiet? I need to talk."

"About what?"

"Huh?"

His glance toward them only fueled her irritation. Unable to hold back, Cat's Eye wedged herself between them.

"Ahyun? What are you doing?"

"What's that you wanna talk about?"

Brushing past the bewildered Flame Mist, she shot him a sideways glare.

He looked visibly flustered, fumbling for words.

"Well..."

"Doesn't sound like anything aboveboard, huh? The way you're hesitating."

"N-no, it's not like that..."

"If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it's nothing big, you can just say it here, right?"

She pressed on with heavy sarcasm.

"There's barely anyone in the classroom—just us three. Or is it something we shouldn't hear?"

"Ji Ahyun!"

Flame Mist snapped at Cat's Eye in a rare burst of anger, her tone sharp.

She then turned to the flustered young man, her expression softening instantly as she soothed him.

"It's fine, Woojin. She's acting weird today. Just tell me. They're my close friends, so it's okay. What? What's going on?"

"Well... um..."

He squeezed his eyes shut, as if wrestling with deep inner conflict. After a long pause, he finally stammered awkwardly.

"...Could you lend me some money?"

"Huh?"

Cat's Eye let out a scoffing laugh. Of course. Just as she suspected—a pretty-boy scammer preying on girls.

But he'd underestimated them. No matter how kind, Flame Mist wasn't blind to ulterior motives. By now, even she must see through this deadbeat.

"Sure!"

"What? Hey, Baek Yuha! Hold on—"

And Flame Mist nodded eagerly without a second thought.

Ignoring Cat's Eye, she shoved past her and closed in on him.

"How much do you need?"

"Um, ten million... No, twenty if possible...?"

Cat's Eye's jaw dropped in disbelief. Even with Hero Course scholarships, that was an absurd sum. How delusional did he have to be to demand that outright?

Flame Mist immediately started calculating.

"With what I have... plus a Hero Scholarship emergency loan... Yeah, that should cover it. When do you need it by? If it's urgent, take this for now..."

"W-wait!!"

Cat's Eye finally snapped to her senses and barely stopped Flame Mist from handing over her card.

She bared her teeth like a cat, glaring daggers at the slick-faced guy.

"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are? How much of a sucker do you take Yuha for, asking for that ridiculous—"

"Ahyun."

A cold voice halted Cat's Eye ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mid-rant. The intensity was like facing a villain.

Flame Mist stepped up behind her, whispering sharply just loud enough for her ears.

"I told you Woojin's not like that. Everyone runs short on cash sometimes. Don't hurt his pride."

"But—!"

"It's fine, Woojin. They're just over-worrying. Let's go!"

Flame Mist beamed as if nothing had happened and approached him.

Without a backward glance, she naturally linked arms with him and vanished down the hallway.

"Huuuh..."

Cat's Eye stared blankly at the spot they'd left.

"Woojin. You're not upset, right? Sorry. I don't know what got into them..."

"...No. I'm the one who's sorry..."

Yuha apologized in a downcast voice. If anything, I felt more awkward.

Honestly, I'd assumed heroes raked in tens of millions easily. But as a student, she had all sorts of restrictions.

So I'd hesitantly asked for what I thought was reasonable... only to run into her friends.

"You sure this is okay...? Don't hold back—tell me if you need more. I can—"

"No, it's fine. I misspoke on the amount earlier."

I shook my head urgently.

After some back-and-forth, I'd settled for a tenth of what I'd originally planned. It still felt like too much to burden her with... but I had no other options right now.

From my hazy memories, at this point, I was a total shut-in, obsessed solely with Hero Course entrance exams, ignoring everything else.

I hadn't even considered running out of money...

"...Sorry."

"Sorry my foot. It's what I should do."

"No way... I'll pay it back within a month."

"Pfft, no need. Spend it however you want."

She wagged her head dismissively.

Of course, I fully intended to repay it—several times over. With my future knowledge, it was doable.

But man, how pathetic. I'd just vowed this life to change Yuha's view of me, and here I was, already begging like a loser.

No wonder her friends gave me the cold shoulder. Anyone would peg me as a gold-digging scumbag.

"Silly Woojin. You should've told me sooner. I had no idea..."

Yet Yuha seemed genuinely happy. I'd figured she'd be down after missing that villain yesterday.

Maybe I wasn't that memorable to her? I'd need to plan my next move carefully.

Glad ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she didn't catch on... but seeing the girl who'd glared daggers at me last night all smiles was oddly unsettling.

Yuha felt a bit... distant, somehow.

Pfft.

I shook my head. No helping it. Time to adapt.

Get it together, Kim Woojin. You've already decided to become Yuha's arch-nemesis.

Lost in those thoughts as we walked the hallway, something caught my eye through an open classroom door.

I spotted someone.

Jet-black hair gleamed with luster. Ruby-red eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun.

A stunning beauty that could steal your soul at a glance, paired with an impassive expression radiating innate arrogance.

"Who's that...?"