I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Even though it was late at night, the streets of Jeju Island were still bright.

The Jeju Island in my world would quickly turn dark once you stepped away from the bustling areas, but this version of Jeju Island was filled with daylight-like brightness, probably due to its unique location.

“I haven’t been to Jeju often, but this place is full of shady characters.”

While walking beside me, Harang gestured at the crowds mingling around us with her finger.

“Look at those young college students flocking together. They’re all itching to go hunting.”

“Well, that’s Jeju for you.”

Even in the real world, Jeju Island felt somewhat like this during vacation season, but it didn’t have this overwhelming vibe of young people swarming the streets.

“Look over there. Those three Korean guys approaching a group of foreign women. Isn’t it obvious they’re trying to pick them up?”

“Probably. Both the guys and the girls likely came here with that intention.”

More than anything, with guesthouses overflowing like this, it wasn’t common in the real world to see places where both Koreans and foreigners mingled together.

But that was the typical scene visible on the streets.

As Harang and I walked, we both noticed that the people moving with purpose around us discreetly vanished into buildings.

Motels, hotels.

“Including me.”

“It’s a bit frightening that people come here with the intent of cheating.”

“Aren’t you filled with the same intent? At the very least, you wouldn’t have brought that.”

Harang picked up something lying on the ground.

It was a small, round item packaged to look like a vitamin candy.

“They say this is the best-selling item at convenience stores in Jeju.”

“Who would think to bring this along when they pack for a trip to Jeju?”

“True, but apparently, you have to use it quickly after buying it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like this.”

Harang created a small awl with magic power and pierced the center of the ‘vitamin candy’ with a needle as thin as a syringe.

“Be careful. Some of the women here in Jeju poke holes like this.”

“That’s a scary thought. Reminds me of an old American drama.”

“An American drama?”

“Yeah. At a victory celebration party for a football player, a woman tried to seduce him with one of these, but his friend poured beer into it. Guess what happened?”

I traced a balloon in the air with my finger.

“Just like a water balloon leaking, the beer sprayed everywhere through the holes.”

“That’s… interesting. Dramas do reflect reality, I suppose?”

“People say reality is stranger than fiction.”

As we walked deeper down the alley, more and more vitamin candies were discarded on the ground.

Unused ones, not discarded after use, were scattered around as if someone had spilled them.

Swish.

As Harang and I continued walking, something spun down from the sky.

Three vitamin candies, fluttering down like butterflies, landed gently in front of us.

Rattle!

We heard a window quickly shut.

“Throwing trash out of the window? Isn’t that villain behavior?”

“Or a courageous step toward patriotism from the woman’s point of view.”

“It looks like this date is turning into a street-cleaning session.”

“Leave it. Someone who needs it will pick it up. Or maybe… some guy will realize he’s out after taking a shower and come back to buy more.”

Building up and getting warmed up, only to find there was no shield?

Most guys would charge in, shieldless, thinking, ‘whatever happens, happens.’

“Don’t you need a lot of those? Rumor has it there’s a guy buying these every night at the Sejong Island convenience store, with a woman.”

“She’s just an accomplice to create that rumor.”

Harang narrowed her eyes.

“Oh, really? They say he buys two packs a week, too.”

“He’s just pretending to spend a lot of time with her for the act. Once he disappears, he stays at her place for at least two to three days.”

“Two packs for three days straight?”

“Sometimes even two packs aren’t enough.”

She looked at me as if interrogating me, like a girlfriend suspecting her boyfriend of cheating.

“You should know better than I do.”

“I wouldn’t know. It’s just a copy of myself.”

“Are you going to check it out yourself?”

Thud.

Our steps halted in front of a building.

Beyond the glass doors, a kiosk gleamed, and a few blue squares remained in a grid-like pattern.

“If you want to check, I can show you.”

“Even if it’s just a copy of yourself, you’re okay with it?”

“Won’t it all sync back to the original later?”

“…Hmm, true. Fine. Rather than talking outside, it might be better to chat alone inside.”

Harang went in ahead of me.

“…….”

Once inside, she hesitated in front of the kiosk.

Like someone who had never used one before, she fumbled around at the motel entrance.

“Hey, this….”

“I’ll handle it.”

I selected a room right away.

When I placed my Taeguk Watch on the barcode scanner, 200,000 won was deducted, and something dropped below with a click.

“Wouldn’t using the Taeguk Watch reveal that you went outside?”

“It’s linked to a burner phone, so it’s fine.”

“So, it’s a burner watch…?”

“Stop with the nonsense and just follow me. You don’t need to bring anything extra. Everything’s inside.”

Paying 200,000 won for a night and having missing or inadequate items?

Not only would I never come back, but I’d also leave a scathing review.

“Do you know what kind of review terrifies hotels and motels in Jeju the most?”

“The bed was uncomfortable?”

“Coming in as two, leaving as three.”

“For certain people, that would be an extremely uncomfortable review.”

“Exactly. …Here we are.”

I opened the door with the keycard, and as soon as Harang stepped inside, she threw herself straight onto the bed.

“Throwing yourself on the bed before even inserting the keycard.”

“Come in here and take a look. It’s amazing.”

“What’s so amazing… ha.”

As soon as I inserted the keycard and stepped inside, a blinding white light filled my view.

“It’s a theme hotel.”

“I’ve never seen a heart-shaped bed before.”

“Me neither.”

I would’ve thought two regular beds would be better, but instead, a white circular mattress was snugly fitted into a heart-shaped red frame.

“Isn’t it a bit cramped for two people?”

“If we came here just to sleep comfortably, we wouldn’t have come in at all.”

“Fair point.”

I lay down beside Harang.

“The room is full of hearts, making me feel dizzy. It feels like I’ve stepped into Wonderland.”

“Well, it is a place where people come to do strange things, so Wonderland fits. By the way, I have a question.”

Harang poked me in the side.

“Any girl who’s been flirting with you?”

“There was.”

“Who?”

“A woman named Baek Harang, who came to see me even if it meant bumping into a plane.”

“Not me.”

“There is. Lisa La Lakshmi.”

“…Why her?”

Harang’s eyes half-closed.

“There’s no connection between you two, so why would she flirt with you?”

“She was sitting in first class and came over to economy, sat next to me, and started a conversation.”

“So, did you talk?”

“I’m just a mere librarian. What could I possibly say to an influential professor at the academy?”

“Hmm….”

Harang’s poking finger pressed in a bit harder.

“Tell me the truth. Is she one of your organization’s members?”

“She’s not.”

“So she knows your identity?”

“That’s correct.”

“……?”

Harang lifted her upper body and tilted her head.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a simple story, really. Lisa La Lakshmi, she’s an ally of the Secret Society. I even received her help to enter as a librarian.”

She knew my identity.

But I pretended I didn’t know her, and she acted like it was our first time talking.

Because there were other people watching.

“Did you meet somewhere secret? Maybe the brewer?”

“No. Someone else.”

“…Then, what is she?”

“I told you, an ally of the Secret Society.”

There was nothing particularly special about her.

She was not affiliated with any other organization, not a government agent, not a spy from another country, and ultimately, not even an ability user.

“Her identity is….”

---

At that moment.

In a suite room of a hotel in Jeju City, Professor Lisa had just unpacked and was lying on the sofa, holding a tablet.

“…….”

She was going through the profile photos of students, examining each one carefully.

Her focused expression looked like someone worried about the upcoming education program here in Jeju—

Swipe.

But as each female student’s photo appeared, she mercilessly swiped to the next profile.

“Tsk.”

Professor Lisa shook her head as she took a sip of wine.

“Sigh. If I fail again this time, this year will be too late… It’s already too late, but it can’t get any worse….”

Grind.

Professor Lisa clenched her jaw.

“At least, before I turn forty…!”

She was desperate.

---

“She’s just a spinster backed by the Secret Society.”

“……”

“She’s a professor eager to catch a handsome guy and settle down. If she has any ambition, it’s probably to become the principal of Sejong Academy.”

She may have acted as if she had something more going on.

“Good job, house, car, plenty of money, fame. Just missing one thing.”

“…A man?”

“Yes. Her goal in participating in this training program is simple.”

I held Harang’s hand.

“To hook a 20-something, A-grade male student.”