"Hey."
Whoosh.
"......"
Whenever I tried to approach Kim Yeon-hee, she would quickly change direction and hurry away.
She seed to sohow sense my gaze and imdiately flee. As a result, the only way to observe her was from a distance.
It appeared that she was managing her Disciplinary Committee duties well. However, other mbers didn't seem to be particularly fond of her.
─ "Kim Yeon-hee, she seems gentle, but there's sothing scary about her. You know those eyes that remind you of a psychopath? It's like that... Maybe I'm being too harsh?"
As her school records indicated, her social skills were probably lacking.
Even if I considered Yeon-hee as a spy sent by the Principal, it seed unlikely that she'd be this clumsy. It's especially noticeable in comparison to the precedent set by Han Seo-jin.
Disciplinary Committee Executive Office.
I was standing still, gazing out the window when I happened to spot Yeon-hee, who was on patrol duty.
"Chief, are you thinking naughty thoughts?"
"You always say that whenever I'm quiet, even for a mont."
When I continued watching Yeon-hee, Baek-seo fell silent. I could sense her gaze, like she was staring at from behind.
Soon enough.
"......!"
Baek-seo approached from behind and rested her chin on my shoulder, standing on tiptoe.
The gentle fragrance tickled my nose, and the soft sensation against my back made instinctively tense up.
There was no hesitation in her physical contact.
"Wait...?"
"Why won't you look at ?"
"We're in the office, you know...?"
Baek-seo's slender fingers slid between mine, teasing as if she might interlace them, only to pull away and repeat the motion.
"Right now, there's no one here except us."
Her seductive whisper brushed against my ear.
Now she's being blatantly obvious in her attempts to tempt .
"That may be true, but we're still in the office.... If soone happens to look this way, we could be caught..."
"And yet, you're not pushing away. Your body is being honest, isn't it?"
Of course... I'm only human, and it's hard to resist.
"...I won't deny it."
"Good, I like that honesty."
As if rewarding , Baek-seo fully interlaced her fingers with mine.
"But Chief, who were you watching?"
Baek-seo's question implied that she already knew I had been looking at soone.
Spending so much ti with her, it's no surprise she's developed such keen awareness. With Baek-seo, it feels like she knows everything.
'I can't even have a stray thought.'
All my attention was focused on the soft voice in my ear and the warm sensation on my back.
In the end, I had no choice but to turn my head. When I did, Baek-seo's smiling face filled my vision, so close I could feel her warm breath.
"I just happened to see so of the new recruits passing by."
"Really?"
"......"
"......"
As if we had agreed beforehand, we silently observed each other for a mont.
Then, out of nowhere, Baek-seo closed her eyes with a playful smile. I was taken aback.
"Why are you closing your eyes?"
"Just getting ready."
She was clearly anticipating a kiss.
But does a kiss really require preparation?
Baek-seo tilted her head, urging to get on with it.
I had never placed much importance on dating or romantic gestures, so naturally, I had never experienced a first kiss.
It felt strange to be having my first kiss in such an abrupt manner.
Yet, before I knew it, my body had already turned towards Baek-seo. Despite my hesitation, I found myself leaning closer to her.
‘This kind of mood isn’t so bad….’
At that mont.
Baek-seo suddenly pulled back, and I instinctively created so distance between us.
Bang!
"Wild Ha Ye-song has arrived!"
"Co on in."
Ye-song had appeared.
Suddenly, there was a noticeable gap between us. I quickly composed myself and turned to face Ye-song, my heart still pounding from the close encounter.
"Welco..."
"Chief, what’s wrong? Did sothing happen?"
"Nothing... happened..."
"?"
Ye-song looked puzzled and glanced at Baek-seo, who was still smiling warmly.
Suspicion flickered in Ye-song’s eyes, but then she suddenly seed to rember sothing.
"Hey! A new bibimbap place just opened today! They’re having a grand opening, so we should hurry before the line gets too long! Follow !"
Ye-song’s eyes sparkled as she turned and beckoned us to follow.
It was just around lunchti.
I exchanged a glance with Baek-seo.
"Shall we?"
Baek-seo led the way, and I followed close behind.
"......"
"Hey, are you alright?"
While on patrol duty, Kim Yeon-hee suddenly stopped and lowered her head. Her fellow Disciplinary Committee mber, who was on duty with her, noticed sothing was wrong and asked, but Yeon-hee remained silent for a while.
A chilling aura seed to radiate from her, sending shivers down her colleague's spine and causing them to break out in a cold sweat.
‘What’s this feeling?’
There was no way her fellow student could recognize the killing intent that only soone of the upper ranks, at level six or above, could emit.
Finally, Yeon-hee took a deep breath, lifted her head, and awkwardly smiled.
"...It's nothing. I just had a bad thought for a mont."
"Oh, do you have so kind of trauma?"
"Yeah, sothing like that."
"I understand. It’s okay, it’s okay…."
As her colleague tried to pat her back reassuringly, Yeon-hee turned away to avoid the touch.
"Oh."
An awkward silence followed as Yeon-hee realized her mistake. She smiled awkwardly.
"Sorry... I'm still not comfortable with things like this."
"No, I’m sorry. I won’t touch you anymore."
The fellow student nodded in understanding and withdrew their hand, assuming that Yeon-hee avoided human contact due to so untold trauma.
The two resud their patrol.
Yeon-hee turned her eyes to glance at the building where the Disciplinary Committee’s office was located.
Until just a mont ago, she had been watching Ahn Woo-jin and Oh Baek-seo from afar, observing their intimate mont.
They seed to have left the area, perhaps for lunch.
"......"
Yeon-hee lowered her gaze.
A sharp pain pierced her heart.
Lately, Kim Dal-bi’s daily life had beco repetitive, like a hamster wheel.
She would attend school, manage her Disciplinary Committee duties, and then head ho.
At 11 PM every night, she would report on the activities of Disciplinary Committee Chief Ahn Woo-jin and Oh Baek-seo.
She hadn’t been given any new orders as one of the Six Sinners. Perhaps they intended for her to focus on her role as a spy within the Ahseong High Disciplinary Committee.
Moreover, Dal-bi reported information that seed useful on the surface but was actually of little practical value. After all, she was on Woo-jin and Baek-seo's side.
"That’s the end of my report."
In the dimly lit room.
Dal-bi finished her report and sat at her desk. A small picture fra lay face down.
She closed her eyes. The scene she had witnessed through the window, Woo-jin and Baek-seo’s intimate mont, kept replaying in her mind.
"Haa."
With a sigh, she opened her eyes again.
Baek-seo was the one who should be by Woo-jin’s side. Together, they would unite to oppose the Principal.
Dal-bi just needed to stick to her plan and execute it at the right ti. For now, she had to set aside her lingering feelings for Woo-jin.
But it seed it would take so ti to do that.
‘It would have been better if I didn’t have to see him.’
Dal-bi slumped over her desk and used her fingers to right the small picture fra. Inside the fra was a photo of young Dal-bi and Woo-jin, both smiling innocently.
It would be easier to let go of her feelings if she didn’t have to see Woo-jin.
In her current situation, where she constantly ran into him, Dal-bi felt both happiness and heartache.
After all, if she had no intention of making important reports, what was the point of this mission to spy on Woo-jin and Baek-seo?
And yet.
"Why on earth…."
Dal-bi found herself revisiting a long-held question.
‘Why did the old woman give this mission?’
The Principal was well aware that Woo-jin was extrely important to Dal-bi.
Her dentia hadn’t progressed to the point where she couldn’t rember that Woo-jin was Dal-bi’s weak spot.
And yet, the Principal had assigned her to spy on Woo-jin.
Was it a test to see if she would remain loyal or switch sides?
Probably not. It was obvious that Dal-bi would side with Woo-jin.
Then was it because there was no one else to take on the task?
That didn’t seem likely either.
Before Han Seo-jin’s mission failed, the Principal had instructed Dal-bi to use Platinum Mileage to purchase FC303, the absolute disguise magic tool, in the first sester.
She had likely planned to give Dal-bi this mission from the start.
Still, there was no definitive proof.
Given the Principal’s dentia, any explanation could seem plausible.
‘What’s the purpose…?’
She couldn’t be sure, but she had a bad feeling about it.
However, whatever the problem might be, it didn’t matter. Assigning Dal-bi to be with Baek-seo would turn out to be a mistake.
After all, Dal-bi planned to bring down the Principal with Baek-seo.
Dusk was falling.
Kim Yeon-hee was on her way ho after completing her Disciplinary Committee duties. She was alone.
As she passed through a tunnel with a stream flowing below, she stopped to feel the cool breeze and gaze at the water. Then she lightly jumped onto the railing and began walking along it.
She did it just because she felt like it.
The wind felt good. The thrill was exhilarating. The view of the stream below, reflecting the city lights, had a certain aesthetic appeal.
A small smile ford on Yeon-hee's lips as she balanced and walked along the railing.
Then.
"Huh?"
Yeon-hee sensed soone watching her and looked up. A man sitting on the railing, near the road, ca into view.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"What are you doing up there, so dangerously?"
"Woo-jin...! Ch-Chief!?"
It was Ahn Woo-jin.
"I have a question. Why do you keep avoiding ...?"
"Aah!"
Startled, Yeon-hee lost her balance and toppled over the railing. She fell straight into the stream below.
"How foolish...!"
Crack!
Woo-jin quickly created a spatial rift and leaped into the stream.
Splash!
Yeon-hee had already fallen into the water.
It was dark around the stream. It was dangerous.
Woo-jin grabbed Yeon-hee before she could sink deeper.
Yeon-hee, who was already seasoned in combat, wasn’t particularly alard by falling into the stream.
However, being held in Woo-jin's arms in the cold water... that made her whole body freeze up.
When she looked up, she could see Woo-jin's face, drenched with water. It was a mont she couldn’t believe was happening.
To Yeon-hee, that mont felt like an eternity.
"Huff!"
Woo-jin, enhancing his body with magic, held Yeon-hee tightly and swam towards the shore.
Once there, he laid Yeon-hee down, and she began coughing up the water that had entered her lungs.
Relieved, Woo-jin caught his breath and then glared at Yeon-hee in frustration.
"What were you thinking? Why were you on the railing...? And as a mber of the Disciplinary Committee, how could you be so careless?"
Woo-jin's voice was stern.
"I'm sorry... I was careless... I just wanted to do it for a mont...."
Yeon-hee apologized, still breathing heavily.
"Because of , you're cold and wet... I didn’t an for this to happen...."
"......"
Hearing the tremor in her voice, Woo-jin noticed the guilt weighing on her and decided not to scold her further.
"...Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine...."
"Then that’s good."
"But Chief, how did you reach so quickly...?"
"I enhanced my body with magic and jumped in."
Woo-jin chose to keep the spatial leap a secret.
"Achoo...!"
As Yeon-hee took off her glasses and repeatedly sneezed while sitting up, Woo-jin took off his jacket and shook it out towards the stream.
"Ah."
Then, Woo-jin pulled a talisman out of his jacket pocket and wiped the water off it.
It was a coated talisman with a peony flower on it.
Seeing the talisman, Yeon-hee lowered her head.
"Chief, is that...?"
"This? Why?"
"You seed concerned about it first, so it looked important...."
Yeon-hee was asking what the talisman was.
She knew what it was. She was the one who had given it to Woo-jin.
After a brief hesitation, Woo-jin answered.
"It’s... sothing like a lucky charm. It’s special."
"Special?"
"Because it was given to by soone precious."
"Even you have soone precious, Chief?"
"What do you take for?"
Woo-jin shot a sharp look at Yeon-hee.
Yeon-hee quickly waved her arms in denial.
"No, it’s just... You usually have such a cold deanor...."
"I do have feelings, you know."
"Really...?"
Soone precious. That single phrase sank deeply into Yeon-hee's heart.
Her lips curled up into a smile despite herself.
"Hm?"
Yeon-hee stood up and approached Woo-jin. She cupped her hands as if she were scooping sothing.
Whoosh. A small fla ignited in her hands.
‘Will-o'-the-wisp.’
A pink fla that matched the color of her eyes.
Yeon-hee’s original elental magic produced red flas. But in this situation, producing red flas would be akin to revealing her identity, as magical energy colors match eye color.
However, Yeon-hee could produce will-o'-the-wisps in various colors, a power derived from her connection to the spirits. This ability was the key to hiding her true identity for so long.
The beautiful light from the fla spread out, illuminating the darkened area around the stream.
Woo-jin remained still. His wet body seed to welco the warm, comforting light from the fla.
"......?"
The expression on Yeon-hee’s face, illuminated by the fla, appeared to be a forced smile, masking complicated emotions.
For so reason, Woo-jin saw a resemblance to young Dal-bi in her expression.
It was similar to the look Dal-bi sotis wore.
"I thought it might help dry us off."
Between the two of them, the peony talisman caught the light from the fla.
"And... I'm sorry. Because of ."
"...It's alright. As long as you're safe."
Lingering attachnts suffocate people. And they distance people from their rationality.
Yeon-hee smiled faintly.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Luckily, she was already wet from the water.
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