I Became the Academy's Kibitz Villain

Chapter 360: Unexpected Encounter (1)

After a slow two-hour journey on a chartered bus, we finally arrived at our lodging, a day late.

‘Already watching.’

As soon as we arrived, I felt a gaze from the suite room window of the hotel, peering down at us.

Though it was too far away for others to notice, I could see a white-haired woman pressed against the window, winking at me.

‘She definitely has a different aura.’

Baek Harang, with whom I simply shared hobbies without any patriotic pretenses, exchanging honest thoughts with each other.

On the other hand, Baek Seol-hee stared at me as if ready to devour me, with a fierce look, as if she had been comforting herself, body and mind, alone in the late night.

If you asked me which one I preferred, I’d say I like both.

There was really no reason for me to distinguish between the two.

‘At a glance, it seems like they’re already merging.’

Her look said, “I’ve already enjoyed the date, now it’s time for patriotism!”

‘If I’d known, I would have made sure her clone was satisfied too.’

Her clone and I merely enjoyed a pure date, watching Jeju’s nightscape, strolling around, chatting, and watching a movie, which may have been insufficient for Baek Seol-hee.

Because Baek Seol-hee wasn’t just a purely innocent woman anymore.

“Okay, teachers, please head to your respective lodgings and prepare for the summer semester starting tomorrow. The association chairperson has one request: Please keep an eye on the students to prevent any wayward behavior...”

The representative from the association also reminded us to be vigilant.

After all, Jeju Island in the summer tends to lift students’ spirits, and some students are adults, so restraining them completely is impossible.

‘Out of the 50, I wonder how many will return to Sejong Island having grown.’

There were 50 A-grade ability users participating in this summer semester.

This number included not only Korean A-grade students but also foreign A-grade students attending Sejong Academy. Out of the total, only 33 were Korean nationals.

‘Judging by the students’ behavior, it seems they already got carried away on the first day in Jeju.’

Observing the faces of the A-grade ability users who came to meet the staff, it’s clear that some had already started something significant.

If they wanted to meet someone, Jeju Island offered endless opportunities.

They could flirt with passersby.

They could enter clubs or pubs and arrange group dates.

Or, they could meet people through SNS or apps.

There were probably even cases where two A-grade ability users disappeared in different directions, only to enter a hotel together an hour later, just outside the lodging area, to relax.

They probably hadn’t done anything serious yet, but no A-grade ability user came here thinking, “I’m going to become an S-grade.”

‘They’re all filled with patriotism, aren’t they?’

Wondering how to attract a more handsome man.

Wondering how to get close to a prettier woman.

From the foreign students’ perspective, figuring out how to catch a Korean ability user and bring them to their own country—or maybe settle in Korea.

Even among ability users, this was the mindset. What about the staff?

“...Obviously, it’s better to be with an ability user than an ordinary person, right?”

“Don’t be silly. They’re all A-grade. Be realistic about who you aim for.”

“But imagine if I actually got with an A-grade! Wouldn’t that be like winning the jackpot?”

“You’d have better odds winning the lottery five times in a row.”

The staff members also had their hearts wandering.

Some staff had already enjoyed the night breeze in Jeju City, yet they still longed for a romantic or marital connection with an ability user.

‘Even the political world must be less cutthroat than this.’

They were all out here searching with sharp eyes, as if seeking a potential partner, to the point where it felt like a battlefront in the realm of romance.

In that sense, I was in a less pressured position.

‘Compared to an ordinary librarian like me, an A-grade ability user is more appealing.’

“I specifically wanted to introduce myself to you, sir. Have you, by any chance, ever been told you lack social awareness?”

“Well, have you, student, ever been told you lack social awareness yourself?”

“...What?”

Her face twisted immediately when I gave back the little jab she threw at me.

‘Must feel humiliating.’

Showing kindness to a man far beneath her, expecting him to pant like a dog with his tongue out, only for him to put up a wall and pull away.

‘Sorry, but I’m not that easy.’

I was a married man, and I chose whom I would talk to or walk with myself.

Sorry, but Na Ji-young wasn’t even on my radar.

The same applied to me as Do Ji-hwan, and as Goblin, there was zero chance of recruiting her.

Instead of wasting my time on her, it’d be far more efficient to spend that time patriotically with Baek Seol-hee, keeping her favor up.

“Well then, have a good rest.”

“...Isn’t it a teacher’s job to manage students’ mental well-being?”

No sooner did I step into the elevator than Na Ji-young followed me.

Whirr.

Ignoring others trying to enter behind us, she pressed the button, closing the door.

With no staff in the elevator, it ended up just me and Na Ji-young alone.

“If a staff member made an A-grade student uncomfortable, that would be quite the controversy, wouldn’t it?”

“Is that a threat?”

“Oh my, a threat? Heavens, of course not. I just, you know, wanted a little chat—”

Ding.

The elevator suddenly stopped.

It hadn’t gone up very far before the doors opened, and another woman entered.

“...Huh?”

Na Ji-young’s face froze as she saw the woman naturally stepping inside.

As well it might; after all, someone she wouldn’t want to be around was now in the elevator.

“Professor...?”

“What.”

A cold voice.

Without even glancing in her direction, she responded, staring straight ahead with a voice that, despite the summer heat, felt like the chill of winter.

“What.”

“...Ah, no, it’s just that, why did you come out on this floor all of a sudden...?”

“Are you curious?”

“Oh, no.”

But I was.

A woman who should have taken the elevator from the suite floor got on here instead, on a lower floor.

“Why? Weren’t you saying something?”

“Oh, no, it’s just...”

“Ah. Hello.”

She nodded briefly to me in greeting.

“I’m Baek Seol-hee. Nice to meet you.”

A moment later.

There was a report that someone had dashed down the emergency stairs, but no one could find that person.