The Three Demons of the In-Seoul Class
The three demons of the In-Seoul class at the retake academy simultaneously dropped to their knees and pressed their foreheads to the floor.
“My name is Lee Eun-ah! I… I really didn’t know you were Yoo Ji-tae-nim. If I had known… ugh… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”
“M-my name is Han Yu-ra! I’m sorry! I’ll spend the rest of my life atoning for the sin of daring to threaten Yoo Ji-tae-nim! Please forgive me!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! My name is Yoo Jin-sol… I committed something terrible against Yoo Ji-tae-nim, the son-in-law of the Samjin family, without knowing my place! I’ll accept any punishment, so please… forgive me!”
The three trembling women lay prostrate side by side, offering dogeza. Their hands were neatly folded on the floor, eyes fixed downward. Their breathing was ragged, and cold sweat poured endlessly from their exposed skin.
They fear me…
…No. That’s not it. What they truly fear is the Taeguk Divine Army, the police, and legal punishment. I don’t possess the kind of power that would make anyone prostrate themselves before me.
‘That aside, I have no idea where to look.’
A recent trend toward revealing fashion had swept through the academy. Baek Seol walked around in a tracksuit that exposed her white thighs, navel, and shoulders, and the other girls’ outfits were similarly provocative. These three were no exception. They wore crop tops that bared their navels paired with dolphin shorts, or similarly revealing clothes.
“…I’m sorry. Truly… I’m so sorry…”
A sobbing voice drifted up from below.
“Is that really true?”
My answer was clearly not what they had expected. The girl who had flipped a tray over my head—Lee Eun-ah—lifted her waist.
“…Yes?”
Her face was streaked with tears, yet she was quite cute. She had a rabbit-like, dainty appearance and a large bust. Once again, I was reminded that a person’s looks and their true nature rarely matched.
“You’re not apologizing because you’re genuinely sorry. You’re apologizing because you’re afraid of the Taeguk Divine Army and the authorities standing behind me.”
“N-no, that’s not it!!!”
She suddenly screamed so loudly that I flinched. Seeing my reaction, Lee Eun-ah’s shoulders shook violently before she twisted her body as if sobbing.
“I-I’m truly sorry for tormenting Yoo Ji-tae-nim… That’s why I’m apologizing and why I want to heal your heart, even a little! It’s true!”
“Your mouth says one thing, but your heart thinks differently, doesn’t it?”
“What? What do you mean?”
She looked genuinely confused. It was astonishing how drastically someone’s attitude could change depending on who they were dealing with. I cleared my throat.
“Why isn’t this guy forgiving me even though I’m going this far? Or something like that.”
Lee Eun-ah stared at me blankly, as if she had been struck by a hammer. I continued.
“This is the worst. Some insignificant guy is acting all high and mighty just because he has powerful backers. He’s making us apologize, so he should hurry up and forgive us. Don’t tell me a mere man is going to be so petty as to withhold forgiveness? Something like that…”
“…N-no… I-I really…”
“And once I forgive you, you’ll turn around and snicker. It was so easy. All it took was shedding a few tears and the idiot was happy. Maybe you’re even planning revenge. Next time, you’ll corner me more thoroughly and kill me. That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”
Lee Eun-ah’s face turned deathly pale. Her mouth opened and closed before she burst into tears again. Her breathing grew irregular. In her panic, she flailed her arms.
“N-no, that’s not it. I-I…”
“Well. From my perspective, you’re a bad person.”
“…Ah. I… I…”
Lee Eun-ah, who had been staring blankly, clutched her head with both hands.
“I… I like Ji-tae oppa. I liked him… all along…”
“…Suddenly saying that in this situation?”
“N-no!! It’s been since before!! Ever since I saw the news that you were rescued!! I kept thinking… this person looks like he’s in so much pain… so I wanted to take care of him… I kept thinking that if we ever met… I would love him properly, talk with him… I kept thinking about it…”
“If you’re going to lie, at least do it properly.”
“It’s true!!! I really wanted to stay with Ji-tae oppa… I hoped we would meet someday… I’ve been working hard thinking that… Ah… ugh… uuu… Why… why is it turning out like this…”
Lee Eun-ah sobbed while gripping her hair tightly.
“You love me. You like me. So forgive you and let you go?”
“No. I really…”
“Sorry, but I hate women like you the most in this world. Sneaky, bullying the weak, liars. No matter how pretty or well-endowed you are, I despise that type.”
The light vanished from Lee Eun-ah’s eyes. It was as if something inside her had shattered horribly; not a single emotion remained visible.
“…I’m sorry.”
Lee Eun-ah crawled on all fours across the floor and pressed her cheek against my sneaker.
“Really… it’s true… I really like you… I-if only this hadn’t happened… Why did it have to be like this…”
She kept muttering while hugging my leg and pressing her cheek firmly against my foot.
“I like you… I really like you… Oppa…”
Continuing this conversation any further seemed difficult.
‘Time to move on.’
I looked at the woman in the center who had performed dogeza. She was the one who had threatened to call the police earlier.
“Next. You. The one who said she’d call the police. What was your name again?”
The tall woman in the middle lifted her waist. She was a mature beauty with long straight hair and a tall stature. Her legs were long, giving her the air of a model.
“…My name is Han Yu-ra, Yoo Ji-tae-nim.”
“What were you planning to do once the police arrived? Tell me.”
“…Yes. First, we would tell the police that Eun-ah was assaulted. Then Yoo Ji-tae-nim would be expelled from the academy for causing the police to be called due to committing assault within the academy. That was the plan.”
“…Who ordered it?”
“It was Baek Seol. The disgusting blonde woman who competed with Yoo Ji-tae-nim for first place in the In-Seoul class this time.”
“…Ah.”
Now I understood. I had thought it strange that they suddenly picked a fight with me. So someone had put them up to it. Baek Seol, was it? She didn’t want to lose first place, so she tried to get rid of me by using these girls.
“…Is that true?”
“Yes. From now on, we will do whatever Yoo Ji-tae-nim commands. We will accept any punishment.”
“…Hmm.”
Unlike Lee Eun-ah, Han Yu-ra was someone I could actually converse with. It was eerie how she answered mechanically while staring blankly at me, but at least communication was possible.
“So what will you do if the police come now?”
“…We’ll say nothing happened. We won’t do anything that would be disrespectful to Yoo Ji-tae-nim. If you wish, we’ll turn ourselves in.”
Han Yu-ra’s fingertips trembled slightly. I knew that the crime of male abuse carried heavy penalties. It wouldn’t be the death penalty, right? Even so, there was no way they would execute someone for something like this. Still, the sentence would undoubtedly be severe.
“…Hmm. What about the one next to her?”
“Y-Yoo Jin-sol! Yoo Ji-tae-nim!”
“Is what Han Yu-ra just said true?”
“Yes. I-it’s all true.”
Yoo Jin-sol bit her tongue mid-sentence. She was a funny one. Compared to the other two, she was smaller in build and made mistakes, making her seem rather clumsy.
Now, what should I do?
I could believe their words. If they reported this to the police citing male abuse or whatever, their own lives would be ruined. In this situation, I held absolute power. The outcome Baek Seol had planned—my expulsion—would never happen.
‘Then that’s that.’
I had no particular hobby of tormenting people. Even if they told others what happened here, it would only harm them, so there was no need to silence them.
“Fine. Then I’ll let you go. Leave.”
“…Yes?”
Han Yu-ra spoke.
“You mean… just go? You have no interest in punishment?”
“Yeah. No interest. However, there are two conditions. Don’t tell anyone that I’m a man. And don’t approach me again from now on.”
“But will Yoo Ji-tae-nim be all right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Weren’t you hurt because of us? I was wondering if you’re still suffering from the wounds in your heart.”
“…What exactly do you want me to do?”
Han Yu-ra crawled on all fours and bent her arms. Tok. She pressed her lips to the tip of my shoe and gave it a kiss. Her eyes held a mixture of emotions—fear and anticipation of what was to come, and devotion. It was hard to understand in many ways.
“You may hit us as much as you want, or torment us as much as you want. Please punish us however you like until Yoo Ji-tae-nim’s mood improves. Of course, if you dislike touching dirty women like us, we’ll beat each other up until you’re satisfied.”
It was a dizzying statement.
“If only we can receive forgiveness…”
Through Han Yu-ra’s expression as she looked up at me, I realized something. Earlier, these girls had asked for forgiveness. At first, I thought they meant exemption from legal punishment. That was why I told them to just leave—I didn’t want to get entangled with the police either. But apparently, that wasn’t what they meant.
At least, what Han Yu-ra was saying did not refer to exemption from legal punishment. If it had, they would have opened the door and fled the moment I told them to go.
“So you want my mood to improve. Is that it?”
“…Yes. Rather than ending things like this with Yoo Ji-tae-nim, we want to properly atone for the atrocities we committed. Even if you forgive us like this, we’re worried you might still suffer because of us.”
“So I have to erase your sense of debt as well. Is that what you mean?”
“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant…”
“Ah. Fine. I get it. You just want me to give you some kind of punishment, right?”
“…Yes. We’ll do whatever you desire. If it will make Yoo Ji-tae-nim happy, anything. You may think of us as toys.”
I wanted nothing. I desired nothing, and I had no wish to treat people like toys. But I disliked leaving behind seeds of trouble. I hated the lingering emotional friction and its remnants.
‘It would be best for both sides to end things here.’
I would administer punishment, and they would rid themselves of their guilt. I would sever ties with them and feel refreshed.
What kind of punishment would be good? The first thing that came to mind was slapping their cheeks. I raised my hand and placed it on Han Yu-ra’s cheek. She looked at me with a flushed face.
‘As expected, this is difficult.’
I had never punished anyone before, nor had I ever thought about it. Come to think of it, I didn’t even harbor any desire for revenge against my family. Maybe I was just that kind of person from the beginning.
“Hmm.”
I removed my hand from her cheek. If I didn’t know something, it was best to ask appropriately. I activated Alchemist and posted a question.