I Became the Academy's Kibitz Villain-Chapter 405: Project Jeju (3)
Auction Time: 2:00 PM.
Auction Location: Haegneul Hotel.
Everything hinged on Chairman Desmond’s decision, but the circumstances leading to his choice undoubtedly involved me.
Why was the auction starting at 2 PM?
Why not in the evening, but instead in broad daylight? There’s certainly something peculiar about it.
This contradicted what was discussed before.
Crackle.
Something touched the barrier.
I felt it, Baek Harang felt it, and Yumir felt it too.
“…This is…”
[I’ll handle it.]
“Isn’t it right for me to go?”
[It’s not a signal looking for Baek Seol-hee. It’s looking for me.]
Whoever sensed the anomaly intended to find me.
If that current was sent to Baek Seol-hee’s room, it meant only one thing.
[You’re quicker to notice than expected.]
Perhaps it was natural to sense this, but I wouldn’t know for sure unless I met them in person.
So, I immediately donned my mask, shifted to my spiritual form, and passed through the adjacent room—not directly through the front door—and then moved toward the hallway.
“Mr. Do Ji-hwan! Are you in there?! Hey, what are you—who are you people?!”
“We’re agents of the Association. Please do not cause a disturbance inside the hotel.”
“The public has the right to know—stop! Where are you touching?! Stop touching me there!!”
Outside, agents of the Association were clashing with reporters.
I confidently walked through the middle of the commotion in my spiritual form, unnoticed by anyone.
Except for one person.
As soon as I entered the front door of the room across from Baek Seol-hee’s, a crackling sound erupted, and this woman, who had surrounded the room with magical energy and set up a barrier, noticed me.
[Were you looking for me?]
“…….”
It was Kim Yun-ji, the Thunder Emperor, who had summoned me from the opposite suite.
Using her electrical ability, she sent a signal into Baek Seol-hee’s room, essentially knocking, and as soon as I read the signal, I entered her room.
“Entering without knocking? How impolite for the Goblin.”
[Better than someone knocking on a barrier with their forehead.]
“…….”
The Thunder Emperor pressed her reddened forehead with her hand.
She had probably tried to enter Baek Seol-hee’s room using her electrical ability but was blocked by the barrier, ending up banging her head hard before returning to her room.
[You caught on pretty quickly, though. That I’m him.]
“That Do Ji-hwan is actually the Goblin.”
This woman.
She figured out the truth faster than anyone else.
[There’s no reason to suspect that just because I’m in Jeju, Do Ji-hwan is the Goblin.]
“…At this close range, not knowing would be foolish, wouldn’t it?”
Kim Yun-ji reached for the TV and displayed a photo of a man.
“Senior Baek Seol-hee wouldn’t date just any man. I simply thought there was something hidden about him. The most plausible theory was that the Goblin, who had been clashing with her for a while, was Do Ji-hwan.”
[You deduced that from just that? Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?]
“Wherever Baek Seol-hee is, the Goblin always appears. I just thought they had some sort of connection. Just like you approached me, I figured you approached Senior Baek Seol-hee in the same way. It’s just….”
[Just?]
“…Are you two really…in a romantic relationship?”
The Thunder Emperor looked at me with a mix of embarrassment and curiosity.
“Not just a simple relationship of light and darkness, but the kind where yin and yang merge into one?”
[What a patriotic perspective.]
“……This is wild.”
The Thunder Emperor, who had always been so rigid, suddenly sounded like a girl her age.
[Considering how things are set up now, isn’t it stranger not to think about it?]
“Even if it means deceiving people, I thought Senior Baek Seol-hee would hide that you’re the Goblin….”
Clap, clap, clap.
“Why are you clapping all of a sudden?”
[It’s just fascinating that someone could have such a pure and innocent soul.]
To think that Baek Seol-hee kidnapping Do Ji-hwan while claiming she was pregnant was seen as a self-sacrificing move to hide the truth about him being the Goblin.
[Logical, sensible, yet so clean-minded.]
“Is that a compliment?”
[Everyone around me has their minds clouded by romantic fantasies. You’re the first to approach it like this. Although, to be blunt, many people act like they’re possessed by a lust demon.]
“…But in reality.”
[The lust demon wins.]
I lightly rubbed two fingers together, and the Thunder Emperor’s face instantly turned red as she took a step back.
“D-Don’t even think about doing that to me!”
[Do you think I’m the type of villain who messes with just any woman?]
“But you’re surrounded by women—”
At that moment, the Thunder Emperor frowned sharply and glared at me.
“…How far have you gone with Se-rin?”
[What if I said all the way?]
“…….What did Se-rin say? About, uh, Goblin and other women….”
[Actually, she prefers it when it’s with multiple people.]
Her stern expression instantly crumbled.
“This can’t be….”
Learning the secret of the senior she admired left her in despair.
For a moment, I worried if she might turn into a demon, but honestly, if this made her become one, that’s on her mental strength, not me.
“Se, Se-rin unnie would… that kind of thing… overseas, perhaps?”
[It happened for the first time after she died, so let me make it clear—what you’re thinking never happened, for Hyeon Se-rin’s honor.]
“But the media says…”
[Don’t trust the media. Trust the Secret Society.]
“…….”
The Thunder Emperor clenched her fist tightly.
“Haah. I reached out to you to ask about the auction, but this has turned into an entirely different conversation….”
[How can someone just talk business without a bit of socializing? It’s important to converse, spend time together, and build camaraderie.]
“Even if I’m building camaraderie with the Goblin, and even if Se-rin unnie acknowledges you, I have no intention of forming any patriotic bond with you!”
[Well, I have no intention of forcing myself on a woman who doesn’t want to be with me.]
While I might reject women who come to me, I would never forcibly drag someone who doesn’t want to be here and make them sit beside me.
[If I were that kind of villain, do you think I could have made it this far?]
“……Fine. Let’s stick to the main point and finish this.”
The Thunder Emperor straightened her posture.
“Using electricity during the day—it’s pointless, isn’t it?”
[That’s right.]
I had asked her to momentarily shut off the electricity and light at the auction venue.
But with the auction happening in the afternoon, at a hotel under Haegneul’s ownership rather than a prearranged location, my earlier request had become meaningless.
“Unless blackout curtains are drawn in the auction hall, that would be impossible to confirm.”
[Then reverse it instead.]
I pointed to the ceiling.
[The key is to disrupt and obscure vision for a moment. Even the strongest opponent will falter briefly when faced with this magical technique.]
“……!”
As expected.
It seemed this approach resonated with the Thunder Emperor.
“This… this ability…?”
[Yes. While I can’t use it, you can. It’s just theoretical for me, but for you, it should be entirely possible.]
“Are you sure it’s okay to teach me this?”
[Of course. That is, if you’re willing to build a cooperative relationship with the Secret Society.]
The Thunder Emperor’s growth would directly bolster the Secret Society’s influence in South Korea.
Even if I shared this technique with her, it wouldn’t harm me significantly.
This technique was well-known before the Great Upheaval—a technique already recorded in the annals of this world.
[Here’s how it works, and in practice, you should do it like this. The target is…]
I proceeded to explain in detail.
[…Do you understand?]
“…You’re truly a terrible person.”
The Thunder Emperor glared at me with a hint of disgust, grinding her teeth.
“How can you justify doing such things to innocent people?”
[What if the target isn’t innocent?]
“What are you saying?”
[On the surface, he seems like a good person, but he’s hiding some enormous secrets. That man, Doul… he played a role in forcing Hyeon Se-rin to leave the country.]
“!!”
The Thunder Emperor’s expression shifted dramatically.
“Is that true?”
[Of course. He’s a media company CEO. He orchestrated a narrative painting female ability users who left Korea as traitors, prostitutes, or women obsessed with Western men. Who else could have done that? Am I wrong?]
“…….”
[If you don’t want to, you don’t have to help. While your assistance would be a big help to the Secret Society, we can create the situation ourselves if needed.]
“I’ll do it.”
The Thunder Emperor made her decision quickly.
“If it’s for the greater good, and the target is a villain deserving of public scorn, then it’s no problem.”
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She steadied her breathing and ran her fingers through her hair.
“…As long as the result is the same, the process doesn’t matter. I’ve learned something today. But this technique—why does it sound familiar…?”
[It’s originally one of the materials preserved in the library, something Librarian Do Ji-hwan would have taught his students.]
“The library archives?”
[Yes. It’s part of the old records.]
At first, I questioned whether this would warrant censorship and preservation in the library archives, but considering the context, it made sense.
The story included multiple resurrections, even of long-dead individuals, yet the protagonist’s close comrade from the beginning of the story was pierced through the chest by an EX-grade alien’s strike, dying instantly.
[You can’t replicate the technique’s name, but its effect can be recreated.]
The activation process didn’t involve the Thunder Emperor herself but was executed through someone else.
[Listen carefully. The CEO of Haegneul Daily will also attend the auction. And when any changes occur to him…]
I pointed toward the ceiling.
[Flash bang.]
A dazzling light will hit the CEO of Haegneul Daily and scatter in all directions.
