How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 15. Conspiracy

– Creak!

In stark contrast to his hurried arrival, he opened the music room door leisurely.

“Hey, you made it?”

Woo Tae-seong flashed a sly grin at Kim Do-jin.

“Yeah.”

Kim Do-jin replied nonchalantly, surveying the interior of the music room.

“…….”

As expected, Woo Tae-seong and his gang were surrounding Im So-hee, speaking to her in a manner that seemed meant to intimidate.

“Keep going.”

Feigning indifference, Kim Do-jin gestured with his chin and trudged past Woo Tae-seong’s group.

“…….”

Im So-hee glanced at him with eyes brimming with tears, as if she might burst into sobs at any moment.

Whether it was just his imagination or not, there was something in her gaze that seemed to plead for help.

But he could not offer her any.

For the possessed Kim Do-jin was, in fact, the leader of this very gang.

– Thud.

Ignoring Im So-hee’s gaze, Kim Do-jin walked until he leaned against the wall.

He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, adopting an attitude that suggested she should just deal with her own business.

“Heh.”

Woo Tae-seong let out a light chuckle at Kim Do-jin’s demeanor before turning back to Im So-hee.

“Still not grasping the situation? The rumors are already all over the place. They say you pushed Renya to his fall out of jealousy.”

Im So-hee erupted in frustration, retorting fiercely.

“No! That’s just a rumor, it’s not true….”

—

“Just a rumor? There’s medical evidence that says you went blind from the light, you know?”

“Th-that’s!”

Naska and Renya fell, blinded by the light.

And Lim Sohee was the one who could conjure light with her powers during the exam.

These two facts were undeniable, and thus, Lim Sohee found it hard to escape suspicion.

However, there was one overlooked truth.

In reality, there was one more person with the ability to generate light besides Lim Sohee.

‘What a good actor he is.’

That other light-generating power wielder was none other than Woo Taesung.

Having hidden his second ability for a long time, he had planned to use it for nefarious deeds, and it just so happened that Lim Sohee fell into his trap.

‘That wicked b*stard…’

Thanks to rummaging through the smartphone of this possessed body, Kim Dojin had learned of Woo Taesung’s hidden power and, as a result, saw through the truth.

Everything was a trap set by Woo Taesung.

It was he who had blinded Naska and Renya and caused their fall, and with a meticulously prepared scheme, he was pinning the blame on Lim Sohee.

“Moreover, I saw everything. The moment you glowed and blinded Renya.”

As Woo Taesung began to give false testimony, Lim Sohee couldn’t help but feel wronged.

“What? Don’t lie! I never did that! How could you have seen it?”

Despite her timid nature, Lim Sohee raised her voice in protest, but Woo Taesung remained unfazed.

“Lie? Well, I suppose you’re the only one who thinks that.”

“What?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? I’m going to testify soon. Coincidentally, it seems I’m the only one who was around the scene of the incident.”

“…….”

“Are you starting to get a sense of the situation now?”

Woo Taesung watched Lim Sohee’s reaction with snake-like eyes.

“Your expulsion hinges on me.”

The moment Lim Sohee heard the word expulsion, her face turned ashen.

No student at ‘Ark’ would welcome expulsion, but for Lim Sohee, whose circumstances were dire, it was nearly a death sentence.

Her parents, afflicted with ‘Makyul Disease,’ and her young sister were currently surviving on her loans in the hospital, and the debts piling up at home were beyond words.

All of this was barely sustained because Lim Sohee had awakened her powers and enrolled in ‘Ark.’

But if she were to be expelled from ‘Ark’ now, it would mean not just the loss of her livelihood, but the very lives of her family hanging in the balance.

—

Thus, Im Sohee could never be expelled, and Woo Taeseong was well aware of this fact, having done his research.

“Sigh. Why did you even do something like that? I hear you’re managing to hold on thanks to your status as an Arc student, getting special loans and all. But if you get expelled, can you really handle losing all that?”

He didn’t ask how she knew all of this.

“…….”

As Im Sohee, lost in despair, slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze with a hardened expression, Woo Taeseong continued as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Honestly, I’m not such a bad guy. Considering your unfortunate situation, I could offer a false testimony for you.”

The very thing he intended to do was, in fact, a false testimony, yet Woo Taeseong’s audacity surpassed all imagination.

“What do you think? Should I smooth things over by saying it was just a simple mistake, not a malicious violation of the rules?”

Though it was a proposal to prevent her expulsion, Im Sohee’s face remained rigid.

“Why?”

It was clear to anyone that Woo Taeseong was not the type to offer goodwill without conditions.

“Ha!”

Indeed, Woo Taeseong let out a smirk, his true nature revealing itself.

“Of course, I’m not saying I’ll do it for free. If I give something, I expect something in return.”

In that moment, he paused, deliberately scanning Im Sohee’s body from top to bottom as he continued.

“Well, you probably don’t have any money… and since your only asset is your body, wouldn’t you have to pay with that?”

At his blatant demand, tears began to flow freely from Im Sohee’s once-glimmering eyes.

The malice of Woo Taeseong and his gang was terrifying, and she felt a deep resentment for finding herself in such a situation.

“Ugh!”

She thought it better to die than to be sullied by such filth, but the price for that would be the lives of her parents and her little sister.

Im Sohee lowered her head in sorrow, letting her tear-stained cheeks drip with the weight of her despair, while Woo Taeseong and his crew grew increasingly irritated by her display, urging her on.

And then, Kim Dojin felt it.

‘I can’t just stand by any longer.’

He sensed the limits of his patience.

Having to pretend to be the possessed Kim Dojin, he had initially remained silent, but he could no longer bear to watch these scoundrels wreak havoc.

Of course, he couldn’t just beat them up to stop it.

In this body, he couldn’t guarantee he could do that, and doing so would only complicate his act of pretending to be Kim Dojin in the future.

Therefore…

– Thud.

He continued to play the role of the villain as before.

“Keuk. Do you like it?”

As Kim Do-jin suddenly burst into a wicked laugh and stepped forward, Woo Tae-sung flinched in surprise and turned around.

“Uh?”

Expressions of confusion flickered across their faces.

“Hey, can I ask you for a favor?”

Kim Do-jin’s eyes roamed over Lim So-hee, her face streaked with tears, a sinister glint dancing in his gaze.

“I can take her, right?”

It was a request that was practically a command.

“…….”

Woo Tae-sung’s rigid face began to twist slowly.

“What?”

Struggling to maintain his composure, Woo Tae-sung met Kim Do-jin’s gaze.

That’s not quite right, was the most polite expression he could muster.

But Kim Do-jin paid no heed and continued.

“You guys can leave now; I’ll take care of the rest. Thanks?”

Woo Tae-sung and his crew were momentarily at a loss for words, taken aback by Kim Do-jin’s unexpected behavior.

Then Kim Do-jin frowned slightly and spoke again.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you leaving?”

Discontent flickered across the faces of Woo Tae-sung and his gang.

They had all come to have some fun together, yet Kim Do-jin was trying to hog it all for himself.

But this was Kim Do-jin they were dealing with.

The heir of the colossal Myungseong Group, he was essentially their leader and benefactor.

The reason they could indulge in their weekend revelries was all thanks to Kim Do-jin’s wealth.

“…Fine.”

In the end, Woo Tae-sung’s group retreated, and only then did Kim Do-jin turn his head to look at Lim So-hee.

“…….”

Lim So-hee was a bit startled by the unexpected turn of events, yet her face remained a mask of despair, tears dripping down.

The situation hadn’t changed; only the perpetrator had shifted, and that was hardly a cause for relief.

But then, at that moment.

“Don’t cry. It’s not what you think.”

Suddenly, words unexpected burst forth from Kim Do-jin’s lips.

“……?”

Lim So-hee slowly lifted her gaze to meet Kim Do-jin’s eyes, and he offered a bitter smile as he continued.

“Rest assured, I’m not about to let those scum do what they intended. What I said earlier was solely to get them to leave.”

“…….”

Was it the unusual tenderness in his tone and gaze that instilled a sense of trust?

The tears that had gathered in Lim So-hee’s round, rabbit-like eyes began to dry slowly.

“I can’t explain the details. All I can say is that this was the only way to help you, and sadly, it’s not over yet.”

“Uh?”

“We have to keep pretending. I’ll act as if I’m holding your weakness and forcing you into something vile… Otherwise, they might think I’ve lost interest and come charging back, like hyenas.”

A shadow fell once more over Lim So-hee’s previously bright expression.

“W-what should I do…?”

“…Those disgusting creatures. They’re still lurking outside, peeking in. It seems they want to watch.”

“…….”

Kim Do-jin looked down at Lim So-hee’s pale face, pondering.

How best to deceive them?

“…At least that’s a relief.”

With a subtle roll of his eyes, he scanned the surroundings and, fortunately, found a blind spot where they couldn’t be seen.

“Listen closely. In a moment, I’ll grab you roughly and drag you over to that corner to sit. From then on, you won’t be visible from outside, so just stay close. Do you understand?”

Lim So-hee swallowed hard and nodded.

“Okay… Are you ready?”

Kim Do-jin studied her tense expression and asked, while Lim So-hee looked up at him and replied.

“…Yes.”

Without hesitation, Kim Do-jin set the plan into motion.

– Thud!

He seized Lim So-hee’s arms, roughly pushing her back, and dragged her to the corner where he sat her down.

“Ah!”

Her feigned resistance felt a bit awkward, but from a distance, it was hardly noticeable.

“That’s enough.”

Lim So-hee slumped into the corner, her legs stretched out, while Kim Do-jin knelt beside her, pressing his body close with one knee on the ground.

—

Though there was no actual physical contact, from outside the door, it was enough to misinterpret that one was atop the other.

If time were to pass like this, it was clear that Woo Tae-sung’s gang would eventually back off.

“Shh!”

Kim Do-jin gestured for silence, focusing all his senses on the presence outside the door, trying to discern when they would retreat.

“…….”

For some reason, the face of Lim So-hee, sitting below, was flushed a deep crimson.