chapter 32
32 – 032. The Succubus Incident (6)
Lunch time. Greenhouse student cafeteria.
Ryu Tae-hyeon was eating fried rice with burn gauze attached to his left arm. With a red-haired girl.
Ryu Tae-hyeon raised his head and looked at the midwinter, a female student in front of him.
Long red hair that fell down to her waist and red eyes with a similar pink tint. The hairstyle, in which half of the back hair was tied with a white ribbon, showed off a lively yet restrained beauty.
The so-called ‘learned tea’ oozes from the appearance of eating a meal standing upright, along with an elegant atmosphere. Thanks to her beautiful appearance and her unique atmosphere, the eyes of many men turned to her every once in a while, but she didn’t care at all, as if she was used to such gazes.
Watching her continue her meal without saying anything, Ryu Tae-hyeon asked insinuatingly.
“Does the meal suit your taste?”
“…… No. It sucks.”
Midwinter put down the tableware and met Ryu Tae-hyeon’s gaze.
“I was looking forward to it because it was called pilaf, but I can’t get the taste of the original place at all. The grains of rice are soggy and the spices are not melting into the ingredients and are playing separately. Even so, it’s cheap, so I can’t do it. Besides, the flavor of the chicken was not well preserved. It would have been fine if I had added at least a little bay leaf when boiling it.”
“Everything on the student cafeteria menu for 6,000 won is like that.”
Ryu Tae-hyun stuck out his tongue at Midwinter’s harsh criticism.
However, it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand. The female student in front of her is the second daughter of the Hansung Group. Compared to the first-class chef’s dishes she usually encounters, the pilaf in front of her would be embarrassing to even call it a dish.
“Well, it’s a result tailored to your wallet, so it can’t be helped. Besides, I wanted to visit the student cafeteria at least once. I don’t think he’ll ever come again.”
“Are you a little dissatisfied with the subject of getting eaten?”
“You have to speak clearly. Aren’t these meals to make up for the damage you’ve done to me? I think I can do something about complaining.”
“If you hit it that way, this side suffers a lot of damage because of that side.”
Ryu Tae-hyeon raised his arm covered with burn gauze. Midwinter, who glanced at her, snorted as if asking what it was.
“Getting hurt during sparring is a common thing, but to be condescending about it. I didn’t see it that way, but you’re a little narrow-minded?”
“It’s not even before the rankings, so I can give you some rough-and-tumble.”
“Because I’m a bit clumsy at controlling the firepower.”
“The senior in the first year must be very clumsy. Do you think you wouldn’t know this on purpose because I was late for the lecture and the sparring order was pushed back?”
“Hmm? Are you still paying attention?”
At her shameless attitude, her Ryu Tae-hyeon glared at her with her arms crossed.
Thanks to Lee Tae-ho, he was released from the detention center and immediately headed for the interpersonal martial arts lecture. As a result, he narrowly arrived before the end of the lecture, but Midwinter, his opponent, had no choice but to wait for him.
Ryu Tae-hyeon finally arrives and the sparring between the two takes place right before the lecture is over.
Originally, the sparring in the first class was a practice concept to feel the sense of real combat, but mid-winter half-sincerely attacked Ryu Tae-hyeon as if expressing his dissatisfaction with his waiting. The result was his left arm covered in burn gauze.
The psychic power of midwinter is the ability to ignite. The fireworks she fired from Dalian were so high that even her B-class superhuman burned her. It was a minor injury to him that would heal in two or three days, but to another student it might have left a permanent burn mark.
Of course, the midwinter didn’t increase firepower without thinking. Based on the information she heard from her professor, she thought that Ryu Tae-hyun would be able to withstand her own flame.
But apart from that, it was true that he had a grudge against being late for class and increased his firepower.
In mid-winter, I didn’t like Ryu Tae-hyun, the man in front of me.
“It’s the fault of those who are late for class in the first place. Seriously, I still can’t believe that a person named Green House was late for class because he overslept. Aren’t you aware of yourself as a Green House student, as an elite leading a superhuman society?”
“I don’t really know about elite consciousness, but I think it’s good to have cheap tuition because it’s a national academy.”
“You said that now….”
Yeah, I just didn’t like that attitude. The man in front of me lacked the mindset that a superman should have, and furthermore, a Green House student.
Green House is the best super academy in Korea, and furthermore, one of the best in the world.
Being a student there means that he is a lumber that will lead the society of superhumans in the future, but how could this man be so lighthearted and self-indulgent?
It was an incomprehensible figure for a midwinter who had received elite education since childhood and had an elite consciousness that matched it.
“Anyway. Next time, make sure you’re never late. Remember the first day you and I were placed in the same practice group? I’m sure you know what that means.”
“…… Since we’re in the same group, let’s get along well from now on?”
“If you miss class like today, I will continue to suffer damage!”
Midwyeolyeo aimed at Ryu Tae-hyeon with a fork and frowned. Ryu Tae-hyun, who had been receiving that gaze, turned his head away and smiled shyly.
“That, I am sorry. I think I will have to skip the next lecture.”
“…… Yes?”
“Still, since it’s a theory class, there won’t be any group assignments from the first class. Anyway, so you know. Will you wake up first?”
Leaving behind the bewildered midwinter, Taehyun Ryu stood up after arranging the tableware.
“Wait a minute! What is the reason again this time?”
“Something happened.”
“So what is this and that?”
Ryu Tae-hyun left the table, leaving the midwinter unconvinced.
Left alone in the dead of winter, he looked at the back of Ryu Tae-hyeon, who was walking away in a daze, and thought while chewing his lips.
“I guess I should ask the professor to change the group.”
… A man I really don’t like.
***
Ryu Tae-hyeon has Talisman.
I was taken aback by what I heard from Lee Tae-ho’s interrogation.
That’s right, I stole the talisman he should have.
According to the development of the original story, Ji Ye-won should have handed over the Talisman he stole from the dawn. But in this world, I took that role away. If so, Ryu Tae-hyeon should not have Talisman. That was the natural order of things.
However, Taehyung Ryu only had Talisman. It was unknown whether the ability contained in it was the same as the original, or if it was a completely different Talisman. Because the interrogation content Lee Tae-ho told me did not include the abilities contained in Talisman.
However, one thing I found out was that the name of the person who handed over the Talisman to him was Kim Min-ah.
Mina Kim.
If it is not an unfortunate coincidence, that Kim Min-ah is probably Ji Ye-won’s friend, and Kim Min-ah, who betrayed her organization with her. If you think about it that way, the situation seemed to fit, but the details were still unclear.
Numerous questions quickly arise and subside repeatedly.
Originally, there were two Talismans, and Kim Min-ah and Ji Ye-won had one. Then why didn’t Ji Ye-won know that there were two Talismans? Did Kim Min-ah hide the truth from Ji Ye-won? Or did she not reveal it to us even though Ji Ye-won knew the truth?
I’ve thought about it, but it’s not a problem that can be concluded right away. Nor was it a matter that had to be decided right away.
The important thing to me right now is to solve this case. And for that, it was to get Ryu Tae-hyeon’s cooperation.
So, while waiting for Ryu Tae-hyeon in the guard conference room, I reviewed the current situation and my plans once again.
First of all, the basic premise. The culprit of this succubus incident and the person who attacked Ryu Tae-hyeon are the same person. And the culprit is a member of the Dawning Corps. The culprit is chasing Ji Ye-won and Talisman’s whereabouts, and through some process, Ryu Tae-hyun noticed that Talisman was there and attacked him.
‘If you listen to the statement, Ryu Tae-hyeon was nothing more than caught up in this incident. You don’t seem to know the inside story of Talisman at all. It would be unreasonable to say that he has a connection with Kim Min-ah or Ji Ye-won. But.’
But will the culprit really know that? That was the point.
Perhaps the culprit is mistaken for Ryu Tae-hyun as a collaborator who has a close relationship with Kim Min-ah or Ji Ye-won. It was a natural decision since he had the Talisman they stole. If so, what would the criminal who discovered the collaborators of the traitors think by now?
Perhaps you are delighted with the whereabouts of the Talisman you finally found, but you are probably keeping an eye on how he will turn out since the raid on Ryu Tae-hyeon ended in failure.
The key was that part. That the culprit is wary of the movements of Ryu Tae-hyeon and Ji Ye-won or other collaborators behind him.
‘Then, I can use that vigilance in reverse.’
It is extremely difficult to break the vigilance of those who are already wary. However, it would be relatively easy to induce an overreaction by stimulating that vigilance.
‘As long as he found Talisman in Ryu Tae-hyeon, the culprit must be keeping an eye on Ryu Tae-hyeon. If so, it would be possible for him to lead out the culprit through Ryu Tae-hyeon.’
The specific plan was as follows.
First of all, it shows the contact between the guards and Ryu Tae-hyun in an open place. And that night, he raids one of the hideouts of the Ryeoungdan that he found out through Ji Ye-won.
There is no connection between Ryu Tae-hyeon and the hideout raid. However, from the perspective of a criminal who does not know the circumstances, it would seem that Ryu Tae-hyeon sold his information to the guards for protection.
Don’t worry about the troops attacking the Dawning Hideout. Even the guards alone are more than enough hunter guilds, and if you mobilize Min Chaeryeong’s connections, it won’t be difficult to seek cooperation from the police.
During the day, Ryu Tae-hyeon and the guards continue to be together, and at night, based on Ji Ye-won’s information, they raid their hideouts one by one. In that situation, what would the culprit and the Dawning Team think?
‘It’s Ji Ye-won’s search, so he’ll decide that he needs to get out of bed after sleeping. No matter how much the dawn is the worst criminal organization in the country, it is a private organization in the end. It would be awkward to confront the public authorities head-on.’
However, Talisman is the key to their core plan, the Dawn Project. From their point of view, they would want to recapture it even if it was too much.
What if at that point Ryu Tae-hyeon was exposed to them defenselessly?
‘The Dawning Team will never miss that opportunity. They already missed Ji Ye-won once. You don’t want to repeat the same mistake.’
Even if they know it’s a trap, they have no choice but to fall for it. Even if you don’t get caught, you can lower the attention to Ji Ye-won through a raid on the hideout.
A plausible plan, if not perfect. Since Min Chaeryeong had hired her once, there was room for success.
However, as she pointed out, the key to this plan was to obtain Ryu Tae-hyeon’s cooperation. Because this was a plan based on using him as bait.
However, this was nothing to worry about. I already knew how to convince him.
-Kiik.
“Excuse me.”
I smiled kindly as I saw Ryu Tae-hyeon walking through the conference room door.
“Nice to meet you. Student Ryu Tae-hyun. My name is Ahn Su-ho from the Special Countermeasures Division of the Green House Guard.”
“My name is Ryu Tae-hyeon, a freshman in Green House.”
He responded to my handshake. I swallowed dry saliva as I felt a strong grip on my right hand.
‘We finally met.’
One month after being possessed by this world. I finally met the main character of this world.
I smiled at the strange feeling of excitement and excitement that came from that fact. How did he accept that smile? Ryu Tae-hyeon also smiled softly.
“You have a wound on your left arm. Are you hurt?”
“Minor burns. There was a mock battle in the interpersonal martial arts class. You will be well in three days.”
A burn sustained in a mock battle.
When I heard that, a smile naturally came to my lips. It was a smile born of relief.
“Is the other person a mid-winter student?”
He opened his eyes wide in surprise at my question.
“…… Wow, how else did you know that? Did you even watch me sparring?”
“Midwinter students are very famous, aren’t they? I’m the first year’s top student.”
“Well, that’s right.”
I wondered what to do if our first meeting with him in mid-winter, sparring, didn’t work out, but fortunately, the sparring seemed to go smoothly. Maybe it’s because he’s the main character, but somehow he gets involved with the heroine.
“I called Ryu Tae-hyeon today to ask for your cooperation regarding this case.”
I told Ryu Tae-hyeon the whole story of this case and my plan. Except for the story about Ji Ye-won, of course.
“Oh….”
After hearing the story, Ryu Tae-hyeon smiled and said.
“From what I’ve heard, I think I’m totally f*cked up, is that right?”
“Yes. You can almost see it as being on the verge of being f*cked.”
“So that means I’ll kill my enemies first before I get f*cked. Use me as bait.”
“Yes.”
“Huh… ….”
Ryu Tae-hyeon lay on the table with his head wrapped. No matter how he was, it must have been a shock to be involved with the Dawning Team.
“So I shouldn’t have accepted anything from a suspicious person.”
“…… You can’t turn a blind eye to people who are full of wounds and want to help you. Ah, but I can’t believe the opponent is the Dawning Team. I have no luck or support.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No way. It’s because it’s a caution not to regret what you decide on your own volition.”
Ryu Tae-hyeon answered right away and smiled refreshingly. Even though he said he was a ballmen, in the end Ryu Tae-hyun was the main character from nature. Ryu Tae-hyeon was such a man who couldn’t stand injustice and needed to help people in trouble.
“It is a good attitude to say that you do not regret the decisions you made. I want to emulate you personally.”
“Ahahahahaha. Stop the obvious candy coating. Even if you don’t, I’ll cooperate with the plan.”
Ryu Tae-hyeon readily accepted my proposal. Without the slightest worry.
“Are you okay? They will be targeted by the Dawning.”
“I can keep my body in order, so it doesn’t matter. And if you don’t catch them now, won’t they continue to bother you in the future? I didn’t want to interrupt my new campus life.”
“… Thank you.”
Bowing my head at him, I grinned. He cooperated with our plan without much hesitation. It was as expected.
Min Chaeryeong expected Ryu Tae-hyeon’s cooperation in my plan would be difficult, but you’re welcome.
When I first conceived the plan, I naturally believed that I would be able to seek Ryu Tae-hyeon’s cooperation.
‘Because Taehyung Ryu is originally like this.’
It is far-fetched, prefers adventure rather than safety, does not hesitate to do what it thinks necessary, prefers to fight directly rather than being protected, and decisively never turns away when someone asks for help.
Ryu Tae-hyeon was the main character from nature. Although he has a somewhat frivolous part, he is fundamentally a good hero type protagonist. That was the character Ryu Tae-hyun.
‘In the original story, he turns into a bloodthirsty revenge demon from the middle.’
The development of the original work was the end itself, to the point that even this person threw away his personality. It’s a development I don’t want to see again.
“Thank you for your cooperation. And I apologize for calling you this way when I have a lecture scheduled. It was inevitable because it was something that had to be dealt with very quickly.”
“It doesn’t matter as long as you handle the ballot. And since it’s the first class of theory lectures anyway, it must have ended after roughly OT.”
Keep it up. Come to think of it, Ryu Tae-hyeon in the early days of the original work was a character who was obsessed with grades and scholarships. Miss you, miss you
“For the time being, please live in the guards quarters. Avoid going out except for lectures. For the families, we will send separate bodyguards.”
“Okay. So, when did the operation begin?”
I answered Ryu Tae-hyeon’s question with a grin.
“It has already started.”
That night. One of the hideouts of the Dawning Corps, which had been hiding in the shadows, was raided by the police.