The Devil Genius's Unexpected Side
The devil genius of the In-Seoul class at the retake academy drives people crazy with her unexpected side. A genius is loved and hated like that, causing an unintentional typhoon around her.
"...Ji-tae-ya. Asleep?"
Those words fit Lee Ah-rang perfectly. The trauma from her past, her immature mind, and talent far beyond her years had only worsened her already free-spirited personality. In a word, it was a kind of arrogance. My lovely boyfriend is asleep. Wouldn't it be a shame not to look at his face while he's sleeping? Without thinking any deeper, she moved straight to action. That was the simplicity of it.
"He's... asleep, right?"
If Lee Seon-hee had been here, she would have immediately delivered three honey punches to the crown of her head. But Lee Seon-hee wasn't around, and the only ones in the room were a pair of healthy young man and woman.
Lee Ah-rang crept over and crouched beside Yoo Ji-tae's bed. Pale moonlight streamed into the room. Through his messy hair, she could see his long eyelashes and thick eyebrows. She gently stroked his tousled hair.
Handsome and cute, my boyfriend.... Even his sleeping face is cool....
Lee Ah-rang pulled out her phone and switched it to selfie mode. She leaned her head next to his and took a couple's photo. The corners of her mouth lifted as she looked at the picture.
"...Heh."
Lee Ah-rang, age twenty. She was still at the age where such things were thrilling.
In modern matriarchal society, sleep-related crimes targeting men—so-called "bride kidnapping sex"—are strictly prohibited. Such ruthless acts were only tolerated in the distant past, back when the matriarchal order hadn't yet been properly established. Of course, even today, a few rural areas with low matriarchal standards still see such incidents, but if they cross the line into rape, the entire village gets purged. Lee Ah-rang had received a modern education in the city. Naturally, she wouldn't do something like that. However, visiting her husband's bedroom at night to chat or feeding each other snacks and side dishes was strangely encouraged, so the hurdle was low. Of course, doing it to an unconscious person was already a no-go, but Lee Ah-rang didn't care about that.
"Ehehehehehehe."
Grinning widely, Lee Ah-rang kneaded Yoo Ji-tae's hand with both of hers. Her soft, feminine hands toyed with his thick, long masculine hand two-to-one. Then, getting an idea, she brought that hand to her chest.
"......Ah."
Yoo Ji-tae murmured in his sleep. Lee Ah-rang's body went rigid. Only then did she realize what she was doing. Slowly, she moved his hand away from her chest and back onto the bed.
Clench.
Yoo Ji-tae's hand tightly grabbed her right hand. If she tried to force it off, he would wake up immediately. A chilling fear ran up Lee Ah-rang's spine.
I'm screwed.
Lee Ah-rang cursed her past self. We're going to get married anyway, so why couldn't I hold back....
"Ah... ah...."
Yoo Ji-tae spoke again. Lee Ah-rang's mind went blank. Her black negligee, which left her shoulders exposed, was damp with sweat.
I'm screwed.
Only then did Lee Ah-rang understand her own situation. Sneaking into an unconscious man's bedroom at night and attempting physical contact—she was literally a would-be rapist.
While Lee Ah-rang held her breath, a single tear rolled down Yoo Ji-tae's cheek.
"Mother."
Lee Ah-rang's breathing stopped. It was completely unexpected.
...Mother?
Lee Ah-rang recalled what she knew about Yoo Ji-tae's family situation. ...He said he was abused. By his family.
Yet the voice calling for his mother was filled with longing. It didn't sound like a curse toward someone he hated, but like a child's cry searching for his mother.
"...Mother.... More... I'll... work harder...."
Lee Ah-rang's mind sank into subzero temperatures. Hatred toward a woman whose face she didn't even know and disappointment in her own past indifference spun violently inside her. Her now razor-sharp gaze examined the wounds of the man she loved.
"Please don't abandon me.... Please...."
More tears flowed down his cheek. Lee Ah-rang looked at their joined hands. That hand was gripping her as if it would never let go.
Clench.
Lee Ah-rang squeezed his hand tightly. Yoo Ji-tae's breathing calmed slightly.
"Ji-tae-ya...."
Lee Ah-rang wiped the tears from his cheek. The hand that touched the tears trembled as if it had touched ice. The hand that wiped away the tears rose to gently stroke his messy hair. His long silver hair swayed, partially obscuring her view. Between the strands of silver hair, her eyes gleamed. The corners of her mouth trembled strangely before her lips parted.
So this is the person I've been clinging to and acting spoiled with.
Lee Ah-rang pressed her lips together tightly.
...How pathetic. I am.
Her vision blurred with anger at herself.
"...Puh... huhuhu..."
Still holding Yoo Ji-tae's hand, Lee Ah-rang continued stroking his hair. When he pulled her hand, her 40kg body offered zero resistance and was drawn toward him. Like a tree taking root, Lee Ah-rang's arms stretched over Yoo Ji-tae's shoulders. She planted both knees beside his torso and looked down at him as if covering him.
"I'll protect you for the rest of my life. It's okay."
Lee Ah-rang whispered into Yoo Ji-tae's ear like a song. Her lips drew a strange arc.
"I'll accept everything. I'll do everything for you."
Her silver hair shimmered with a blue light, each strand rising and undulating. It was a characteristic of those who had mastered the Bubu Mind Method. When they felt uncontrollable affection, their magic power pulsed rapidly and strongly. That was why their hair swayed.
"I'll become strong enough that I won't need your help."
A genius drives people crazy with her unexpected side.
"Strong enough that you can depend on me completely, act spoiled as much as you want.... Strong enough that just thinking of me will make you forget all your pain... I'll become an incredibly amazing woman."
A genius is loved and hated like that, causing an unintentional typhoon around her.
"Sleep well, Ji-tae-ya. I love you so much."
Those words fit Yoo Ji-tae perfectly.
*****
After waking up in the morning, I had breakfast at Lee Seon-hee's mansion. Lee Ah-rang, sitting across from me, was smiling affectionately, which gave me goosebumps, but... well, maybe she had low blood pressure or something.
After leaving Lee Seon-hee's mansion like that, I returned to the Chirnix dormitory.
"Ji-tae-nim!!! Are you okay???"
The moment I opened the dormitory door, a haggard-looking Lee Se-rin rushed over and clung to my stomach.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Lee Se-rin approaching the moment I opened the door was like a jump scare from a horror movie to me. The Taeguk Cheonji Mind Method forcibly calmed my mind, which was on the verge of a seizure. Mind-method-type magic has mental effects, and the content of those effects varies depending on the incantation of the mind method. Among the incantations of the Taeguk Cheonji Mind Method, there is this line: Heaven and earth are heartless, and regard human life as a straw dog. The effect derived from that heartlessness is mental stabilization. Of course, with my current low level, all I could do was prevent a seizure.
While stroking Lee Se-rin's head, I told her what had happened with Lee Ah-rang.
"I'm fine. I just did some sparring, that's all."
"Huh? Th-then, nothing weird happened?"
"......What are you thinking? Do you want me to be subjected to weird things by women?"
"No! No! No! No! No! Absolutely not!"
After calming Lee Se-rin down, I waited for lunch. It was magic cuisine made from leftover ingredients at the restaurant. If I ate that and operated my mind method, the effects would be even better.
"Taa-daa! It's the 'Cheer Up, Cheer Up Special' I made just for Ji-tae-nim!"
Lee Se-rin spread both arms and introduced the magic cuisine on the table. Then, as if excited, she clenched both fists.
"From now on, all of Ji-tae-nim's meals will be prepared by me...!"
"Ah. About that. From now on, I'd like to stay at Lee Ah-rang's house as much as possible."
"...Huh?"
The reason was simple. Money. Lee Ah-rang gave me money just for being with her. I could earn 240 million won a day just by copying, and she even gave me elixirs. On top of that, she let me use the elixir hot spring. There was no reason not to go.
I sent a text in front of Lee Se-rin. Before I knew it, Lee Se-rin had come up behind me and was looking at my phone screen.
[Me]: [Should I come over today too?]
Then a reply came.
[Lee Ah-rang]: [You don't have to spar with me anymore. I won't ask for help anymore.]
For a moment, my mind went blank. Was she angry because of the hot spring incident yesterday?
Behind me, Lee Se-rin was grinning and flapping her arms.
"Ji-tae-nim. It's okay! I'm here by your side!"
"...Yeah."
A new message arrived.
[Lee Ah-rang]: [You can come to the house anytime. I told the maids that if you want anything, they should do it for you.]
[Lee Ah-rang]: [If you need anything, just say so. I'll send you whatever it is.]
".......?"
I couldn't tell if she was angry or not. I thought it over. From what Lee Ah-rang said, it seemed like she herself wasn't angry at me. But the sparring was over.
Then it must be Lee Seon-hee's decision after all?
No matter how much she dotes on her granddaughter, burning through 240 million won a day was probably too much.
I let out a sigh.
My 7 billion won....
*****
After that, I trained with Lee Se-rin and then greeted the delivery person from Nokjeong Pharmaceuticals who came to the dormitory. A woman with long hair wearing green clothes smiled brightly as she handed over the box and gave me her business card.
[Nokjeong Pharmaceuticals VIP Dedicated Manager]
"If you want anything, please consult me about anything. I'll gladly accept it."
I hesitantly took the business card and bowed my head. The manager looked at me, smiled brightly, and left.
Afterward, I continued training and swallowed three Cheonryong Cheongung at once. The standard way to handle this type of elixir was to give form to the rampaging energy within the mental world and suppress it with one's own mental image.
I could see three dragons rampaging inside my mental space. I had formed my own mental image. A mage's mental image was influenced by various things, such as the magic they had trained and their own disposition. The magic I had trained and used the longest, the Mansang Pajigwon Gakbeop, along with the elephant-shaped fist and the Taeguk Cheonji Mind Method representing heaven and earth, had influenced my mental image.
Thud!
A massive white elephant appeared. With every step it took, the ground couldn't withstand the elephant's weight and was crushed and burst. The three dragons froze and tried to flee into the sky.
Not a chance.
The elephant's trunk snatched one dragon and stuffed it into its mouth.
Crunch. Crunch crunch.
It took less than a minute to chew and eat it alive. One dragon tried to descend to the ground and hide. The elephant stomped on it with its foot, bursting it. It picked up the burst dragon with its trunk, put it in its mouth, and chewed. The remaining dragon, as if having given up completely, floated in place and looked at the elephant. The elephant opened its mouth and snatched it up. Then it chewed and ate it like a snack.
I left the mental space and loosened my shoulders.
"How many hours has it been?"
"Thirty minutes, sir."
Three Cheonryong Cheongung in thirty minutes, huh.
I think I can handle even stronger elixirs.
[Magic Power: 1.63] >>> [Magic Power: 5.01]
"Done."
After eating three Cheonryong Cheongung, my magic power had increased by 3.38 at once.
"Nice."
The rest of my routine was ordinary. I trained with Lee Se-rin, trained alone when she worked at the restaurant, and trained with Han Ye-jin after the restaurant closed. Before bed, I handled appraisal requests at the Alchemist. I spent several days like that.
"I'm off to the academy."
"Yes! Ji-tae-nim!"
Finally, the day of the ranking test had arrived. I wondered how different it would be from last time. I was a little excited.