After confirming that Arna was asleep, I turned my gaze towards Baek Joo-hee.
“Why did you target Arna?”
It didn’t seem to be about the brooch. Currently, Arna didn’t have the brooch on her, so there was no real need to target her specifically.
There had to be some other hidden reason.
“…”
But Baek Joo-hee responded with silence, showing no intention of revealing the truth.
“Is it Kang Tae-hoon?”
“Ugh….”
Baek Joo-hee’s expression twisted. The thick foundation on her face cracked noticeably. It seemed I had hit the mark.
“Because he wouldn’t accept the challenge for evaluation, you decided to take revenge this way… Really, you’re such a kid.”
You wouldn’t believe how petty she could be. Merely retiring Arna in this test was her goal. If this was the Kang Tae-hoon I knew, he would have pulled off something bigger and more dramatic.
Then again…
“Or was this plan something you came up with, Baek Joo-hee?”
“…”
Of course. This was the kind of strategy that could only have come from Baek Joo-hee’s mind.
Though, it seemed to have worked on Arna. Getting a zero in this test would definitely endanger her top position. It would be quite damaging for someone like Arna.
Seems like she had prepared thoroughly.
“I do have a question myself.”
This time, Baek Joo-hee asked a question.
“Why are you trying so desperately to protect Arna? Weren’t you also one of those who disliked her? Why the change now?”
Someone else might think that way. After all, you don’t just start protecting the person you used to torment every day.
But this is only temporary. Once I’ve dealt with these nuisances, I’ll torment Arna again as planned.
“You don’t need to know the details, rag.”
“Ah, come on! Can’t you stop calling me that already? I’m not that kind of person!”
“Not that kind? My goodness.”
I widened my eyes in mock surprise.
“Now you’re even suffering from memory loss. Have you already forgotten the day you tried to seduce me with half your shirt off?”
“Ah, come on! Ever since you started singing that ‘rag’ song, people started looking at me weirdly!”
“Huh. People might think I’m making things up. I’m just stating the facts.”
“Uwahh…!”
In the end, Baek Joo-hee’s temper flared up and she stomped her feet.
“What facts? I’m not a rag! I’m not the kind of loose woman you’re making me out to be!”
Didn’t she try to seduce me that one time during the training session? How is that not being a rag?
Do I not know the definition of a rag?
“When was the last time you were with a man?”
“Huh? Last sex? Hmm, last night?”
“You’re a rag after all…”
It’s so absurd that it doesn’t even elicit a chuckle.
You really have to be careful about the kind of woman you choose. It’s like eating without thinking and ending up with food poisoning.
It’s like inviting oneself into a living hell.
“Then, when was the last time you had a medical check-up?”
“Check-up? What kind of check-up?”
“I mean the medical examination.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you…!”
And with that, Baek Joo-hee screeched and swung her whip forcefully against the ground.
Kooong!
A crack spread across the floor as if a mole were burrowing beneath it and headed straight toward me.
Paaang!
Sharp shards of rock spewed from the cracks.
I deflected the fragments using my giant spoon.
Ting!
“Don’t just break the floor pointlessly. Don’t you feel sorry for the facilities and the people here?”
“I’m the one who feels sorry every single day after being called a rag!”
Baek Joo-hee’s attack didn’t stop there. She swung her whip again.
Swish!
The whip stretched like elastic and coiled around my wrist. Despite looking flimsy, this whip was surprisingly heavy and sturdy.
“This will be much different from last time.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Baek Joo-hee yanked the whip forcefully with all her might.
Kung!
“Arggh…!”
Without managing to resist, I was sent hurtling face-first onto the ground.
It felt like I was in a tug-of-war with a sumo wrestler. I got pulled in an instant. Is this the power of an awakened individual?
“Ho ho, did you really think this would be the end?”
Baek Joo-hee yanked her whip one more time, dragging me within inches of her.
And then, nonchalantly climbed onto my stomach.
“Wow, this is quite the reversal from the last training session, isn’t it?”
Is she still holding a grudge over that? She leaned her entire weight on her behind.
I winced in pain.
“Ugh. To think that you’d dare to shove your dirty rear towards me. The stench of last night’s escapades is reaching me.”
“I showered this morning!”
Chak!
Baek Joo-hee bound both my wrists with the whip like cuffs.
It’s like an erotic movie scene or something. I never thought I’d be in a handcuff situation, and definitely not on the bare ground.
“Do you know how much shame I’ve endured because of you? I couldn’t even hold my head up after what you did!”
Tightly, Baek Joo-hee grabbed a fistful of my hair as if she were about to rip it out.
“Hold on. Pulling hair is a foul play. Could you at least grab something else?”
“Shut up! After all the things you said to me, now you want me to be considerate?”
By now, Baek Joo-hee was shedding tears as she violently shook her grip on my hair.
“Because of youuuu…!”
Wait. Why is she acting like the victim? Didn’t she say she slept with someone last night? Isn’t that what qualifies as a rag? I mean…
This shows how complicated and delicate the world of women can be. You can never predict their emotional patterns. Though we’re of the same species, it’s difficult to fully understand them.
Anyway.
I couldn’t just sit here and take it. I need to protect my precious hair. It’s time to knock Baek Joo-hee off.
By the way, my hands are bound, so I can’t do anything directly. But I still have my spoon!
I summoned the spoon from the floor using telekinesis.
“Even now, my name is circulating on the community boards! How do you plan to take responsibility for this!”
Thankfully, the opponent is blinded by anger and hasn’t noticed the spoon yet. Gradually, I moved the spoon toward the back of Baek Joo-hee’s head.
“…”
If the spoon were still giant, I could’ve tried a direct attack. Unfortunately, it reverted to its original size once it left my hand.
Still,
This small spoon would suffice.
I thrust the spoon into the inside of Baek Joo-hee’s collar.
“Huhk…!”
Baek Joo-hee flinched at the cold sensation entering her body.
“This feeling… could it be… bugs? Noooo!”
I stirred around with the spoon, exploring every area. I focused my efforts on her sensitive sides and armpits.
“That spot is off-limits!”
To clarify, I didn’t use the Blind Sight skill. What’s there to see anyway with that gum-slathered woman? It would just be a waste of my eyes.
“Where, where is it? Where is it?”
Baek Joo-hee began frantically searching for the spoon inside her clothes.
Now’s my chance to escape. The whip’s hold had loosened.
I put all my strength into breaking free from the binds.
Paht!
“Eh? Kyaak…!”
Without hesitation, I shoved Baek Joo-hee off. Losing her balance, she collapsed onto the ground.
Taking the opportunity, I decided to seize the higher ground.
“This makes it the second time.”
While earlier Baek Joo-hee had climbed over me, this time I sat atop her, reversing the situation.
“Hold on… y-you….”
Just moments ago she was violently tearing my hair out, and now she’s as docile as a dog encountering its master.
She appeared to already be remembering the pain from our past encounter.
“What exactly are you referring to? Oh, do you mean this?”
Chak!
I summoned the spoon again via telekinesis.
The spoon was quite warm, of course. It had just been inside Baek Joo-hee’s body after all.
Once again, my spoon has been tainted.
I’ll have to sanitize it thoroughly with bleach next time…
“Ahhh, please no, not the spoon…”
Recalling the past training session, Baek Joo-hee’s face turned pale as soon as she saw the spoon.
“You seem to already know what I’m going to do. This time, it’ll hurt more. Once for each time you grabbed my hair.”
“Hey, hey, wait a minute! Just listen to me first!”
Before I started swinging the spoon, Baek Joo-hee made her final attempt at negotiation.
Might as well listen.
“I… I give up! I admit defeat! I won’t bother Arna anymore, I’ll stay out of your way forever, I’ll just quietly disappear! Please….”
“That’s something you should naturally do.”
“Eh?”
With the negotiation dissolved, Baek Joo-hee took a deep breath and started rummaging through her jacket pocket frantically.
“How about this? Look!”
I wondered what she would pull out—two of the trial brooches.
“Here, I’ll give all of these to you! Isn’t this quite a fair deal? Both you and Arna can pass the test!”
“Hmm.”
With less than 30 minutes left until the exam ends, it’s uncertain whether I could even find more brooches searching wildly now.
To help Arna, securing these brooches here is the right choice.
“This is quite tempting.”
“Y-yeah…?”
“Good. I’ll take those brooches too.”
As the negotiation succeeded, Baek Joo-hee’s face lit up with relief.
“But. I think you need some training first.”
“Eh? Training…?”
Her joyful expression didn’t last long. Before Baek Joo-hee could celebrate, her expectations were dashed when I swung the spoon at her.
Snap!
“Ow!”
Snap!
“That’s not what we agreed on!”
Snap!
“Ahh…!”
Snap!
“You can’t keep changing things up! This was not part of the deal!”
Snap!
“Wait… I’ve already started bruising!”
Snap!
“Why are you focusing only on one spot?”
Snap!
“Ugh…!”
Snap!
Snap!
—
Quest
: Solo Villain <Cleared>
: Quest Reward <Active Skill: Reflection>
—
