Chapter 16
Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Dragon Fear
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ye-in couldn't help but scoff at the recent rumors circulating.
What? Yoon Seo-hyun became a mutant?
Turned from a man into a woman?
A dragon?
They're just talking complete bullshit.
What? That she's the senior the freshmen most want to meet at the current orientation?
Ridiculous nonsense.
That Yoon Seo-hyun?
That brute of a thug?
Just like Seo-hyun harbored ill will toward Ye-in, Ye-in harbored the same toward Seo-hyun.
She had ruined Seo-hyun's college life, and in turn, her own college life had been ruined because of Seo-hyun.
Of course, it was all because she had started it in the first place, but that didn't matter to Ye-in.
All that mattered was the fact that she had suffered because of Seo-hyun.
From the first time she saw Seo-hyun, she hated his pretentious air of superiority.
At first, getting dragged into those senior gatherings felt utterly shitty, but Ye-in turned the situation to her advantage.
It was all about winning over the ones in charge of enforcing discipline.
Right.
She realized one of the seniors she had caught the eye of during freshman orientation was a big shot in his year and latched onto him.
After that, Ye-in's college life blossomed. Sure, there were female seniors who disliked her, but they weren't influential enough to matter.
In other words, no one left who could touch her.
It was childish as hell, but that kind of dynamic worked in real life too.
Ye-in was always exempt from gatherings, and anyone she disliked got marked by the seniors.
Prime examples: Han Tae-hoon and Yoon Seo-hyun.
Why did she hate those two so much? Their behavior and speech just rubbed her the wrong way.
The other classmates groveled before her. But not those two. They were born rebels.
Every time she suggested something, they opposed it. Reason? It was too convenient only for her.
Ye-in hated that.
Whether preparing freshman events, going on MT trips, or organizing festivals, she believed she deserved the easy position.
It wasn't strange that she was consumed by a petty sense of privilege.
Even the smallest taste of power corrupts, and Ye-in's tiny sip had done just that.
So she nitpicked Han Tae-hoon until the seniors tore into him, and badmouthed Seo-hyun behind his back, inciting the seniors by calling him a dog.
And then...
Suddenly, Yoon Seo-hyun laid out the seniors like gods.
Ye-in recalled that moment.
‘This fucking bastard.’
‘Hey, Seo-hyun, hold back!’
‘Let go, Tae-hoon. Seniors? I only respect seniors who act like it—these assholes aren't even worth it. You want to keep getting summoned by scum like this? Not me. Today, I'm uprooting the shitty discipline pillar of the National Literature Department. Just watch.’
After turning all the seniors into pulp, Seo-hyun glared at Ye-in and said,
‘You? An Ye-in.’
‘...W-what?’
‘Don't play dumb. It was you sticking to the seniors, trying to drown the classmates you don't like, you fucking bitch.’
‘I-I didn't do anything!’
‘Be grateful for your gender. If you weren't a girl, I'd have given you 12 weeks of recovery time, but that'd screw my life, so I'm holding back. Don't let me see your face again. If I catch you one more time pulling this crap... even if it ruins my life, I'll make you end up like these guys. Got it?’
‘It wasn't me!’
‘Bullshit. Everyone in the department knows, so quit denying it. Pathetic, relying on these losers. How the hell did you even get into this school?’
At that moment, Ye-in refused to admit she felt fear toward Seo-hyun.
An Ye-in scared of Yoon Seo-hyun? The mere rumor of that was humiliating to her.
So she wanted to socially bury him, and she nearly succeeded in framing him as a sex offender—but failed.
Because of that, her relationship with Teaching Assistant Shin Jeong-min grew awkward. She thought she was almost there, but his help turned all her efforts to dust.
That's why she hated seeing Seo-hyun draw so much attention from others.
Just looking at the photos of Seo-hyun floating around campus showed how much her life had improved.
A beauty that outshone even celebrities. Plus, the massive buzz of being a dragon-type mutant.
Regardless of wariness toward mutants, Seo-hyun was inevitably the hottest topic at Korea University right now. Like some SNS influencer.
That twisted Ye-in's nerves.
What a joke.
Feeling inferior to someone who used to be a guy.
But still... rage boiled up.
For someone like Ye-in, realizing the person she looked down on was actually above her was unacceptable.
Twisted inferiority colored her mind, making rational thought impossible.
And then... Seo-hyun appeared before Ye-in's eyes.
Black horns on her head. Golden eyes that seemed to suck you in.
An appearance anyone would find captivating.
It felt like it was all mocking Ye-in.
She wanted to pick a fight, but she couldn't.
If it were the old Yoon Seo-hyun, maybe, but crossing the current Seo-hyun would leave her body intact.
People get sensitive about men hitting women, but not so much about women hitting women.
In other words, if she started something, she might end up with over 12 weeks of injuries, just like he warned four years ago.
So she deliberately ignored Seo-hyun even after spotting her.
But... that only worked if Seo-hyun hadn't noticed her.
The moment Seo-hyun saw her, any chance of escaping peacefully vanished.
* * *
I laughed. I thought it was a unlucky day, but flip it around—maybe it's lucky.
Right now, I have more than enough power to punish that damn bitch.
Public perception of mutants? I can just grab a reporter later and chat it out.
Before I mutated, she tried to frame me as a sex offender.
Now that I know reporters are handling me carefully, if I reach out first, would that reporter write something bad about me or good?
Of course, I have to keep the punishment moderate.
Go too far, and it becomes a problem.
Talk about mutant perceptions, then do something that tanks them? No thanks.
Just put her in a position where she can't hold her head high anymore. That's enough.
I approached An Ye-in. Long time no see, that face.
Pretty, sure, but the slightly irritable vibe suited her personality.
I smiled. Meanwhile, An Ye-in's face soured as she looked at me.
This is fun.
“Hi? Long time no see?”
“Who are you?”
I could see her deliberately playing dumb. But I'm not backing down.
Pretending not to know me now? Bullshit.
Especially An Ye-in. More sensitive to my news than anyone, and she doesn't know me?
Lies have limits.
And if you're lying, at least hide your expression.
It's obvious she hates me, but her face management is that sloppy?
“Who? Everyone at school knows me now. My name, department, student ID—it's all buzzing. Especially you wouldn't not know, An Ye-in. Boldly strutting around campus with that shameless face? I figured you'd have dropped out from shame, but couldn't let go of the Korea University name tag, huh?”
“...What do you want, Yoon Seo-hyun.”
“Just saw a familiar face after so long. Seems you've forgotten what I said back then.”
I wiped the smile from my lips.
“What... words?”
“Didn't I tell you not to let me see your face?”
“...Y-you. If you try anything here, people won't let it slide?”
“You think I'm an idiot who doesn't know that?”
“Then what the hell...”
“You tried to socially bury me, but looking at you now, you haven't taken any real risk. So I came to let you feel what I felt back then.”
“What?”
“Getting socially buried feels fucking awful. The looks from our other classmates before my acquittal—I still remember them. I was a freshman then, remember?”
“So what the hell do you want!”
As I started grinding her gears, she exploded.
“Just this.”
I couldn't go overboard.
Deep down, like I told Han-gyeol, I wanted to make her unable to stand on two legs forever, burn her skin off, torch her hair.
But escalating that far would cause issues.
Sure, I could live alone no problem.
But letting it mess up the life I value... not appealing.
So, this should be just right.
You know how fantasy always has that?
The overwhelming presence from a dragon.
Dragon Fear, right?
Just like awakening other abilities, I naturally grasped how to use Fear this time too.
I looked into her eyes.
That was enough.
Her lips trembled, her whole body shook.
Because of that, her pants started turning yellow.
Oh dear, white pants on a day like this. Unlucky.
Even better, plenty of people watching this spectacle.
She won't be holding her head high anytime soon.
If she even has the mind to.
She probably wants to black out from the pressure I'm emitting.
But I didn't even allow her that.
I could control the intensity at will.
I peered into An Ye-in's eyes.
Fear was definitely etched into them.
Naturally, from now on, no matter what she does, she'll feel like I'm watching.
When sleeping, dreaming, walking, in class, working... I'll haunt her vision in every moment.
In short, fear of me is now engraved in her entire daily life.
Unsure when I'll appear before her.
Unsure when I'll grab and twist her neck.
I imprinted those thoughts into her.
That alone should make normal life impossible for An Ye-in from now on.
Pretty satisfying method.
Mental wounds last longer than physical ones, instead of inflicting harm.
She might even kill herself from the Fear someday... but that's not my problem.
If she'd succeeded in branding me a sex offender as a freshman, I'd have wanted to.
This is the rightful price she pays.
If you point a knife at someone, you gotta accept it might turn on you.
Finally, I left her with one last word.
“Last warning. Don't let me see your face again. Next time I do... it won't end like this. Not that you'll have the will for it.”
With that, I finished and smiled.
In that instant, the light faded from her pupils.
Oops. Broke her.