How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 18. Family

“Ahhh!”

Misaki Ai screamed, squeezing her eyes shut.

And Kim Do-jin was—

“…….”

Frozen in place.

One of Misaki Ai’s supernatural abilities was to enchant anyone who met her gaze.

Though he quickly averted his eyes the moment Winter tugged at the blindfold, he felt as if he had caught a glimpse of her unique white pupils for just an instant.

If that were true… was he already ensnared by her enchantment in this very moment?

“…Or not?”

Kim Do-jin couldn’t make a judgment.

‘When was the last time I experienced such enchantment, anyway?’

So, he decided to check on Misaki Ai’s condition first.

“Are you okay?”

Misaki Ai had somehow sunk to the ground, her face buried firmly in her hands, trembling all over as she asked again,

“D-did you perhaps see my eyes?”

Kim Do-jin answered her honestly.

“Well, I think I might have caught a glimpse, but… I can’t quite remember what they looked like.”

Was it the calmness in his voice?

Misaki Ai’s shivering gradually subsided.

“Is that so…? Ha… I’m sorry. I almost unleashed a mental attack…”

Seeing her speak like that, it seemed she hadn’t fallen under the spell after all.

“It’s fine. As long as you weren’t affected. And it’s Winter who’s in the wrong, to begin with, right?”

As Kim Do-jin said this, he turned his head slightly, and Winter appeared to show signs of remorse.

“Ki-hing…”

Kim Do-jin swiftly snatched the blindfold from Winter’s mouth and said to Misaki Ai,

“Looks like Winter is sorry, doesn’t it?”

With that, Misaki Ai finally managed to find a smile and replied,

“It’s… it’s okay, Winter.”

With her hands still covering her eyes, she couldn’t reach out to comfort him.

Winter approached her, gently rubbing against her leg as if to apologize, while Kim Do-jin held the blindfold out in front of her face.

“Here, the blindfold is in front of you.”

“Ah! Yes.”

Misaki Ai cautiously removed one hand to accept the blindfold.

Then, with her eyes tightly shut, she began to wrap it around her face once more.

“…”

Kim Do-jin stood silently, watching her, while Misaki Ai, her face somehow flushed red, moved her hands in a flurry of urgency.

After a moment had passed.

“I’m sorry.”

At last, with the blindfold securely in place, Misaki Ai stood up to apologize.

“No, it’s Winter who’s at fault, I tell you.”

Kim Do-jin waved his hand dismissively, saying he would take his leave.

“Ah, yes…”

Misaki Ai, still not quite acting like a classmate, bowed her head slightly in greeting, and Kim Do-jin nodded in response before departing.

On the way back to the dorm room.

“Blank…”

Winter looked drained, as if struggling to grasp the situation.

Why was Misaki Ai so terrified of showing her eyes?

‘It must be because she doesn’t want to create problems with her uncontrollable powers… but still, that was excessive. She was trembling so much… Could it be that she has some trauma from that ability?’

Indeed, Kim Do-jin’s suspicions were correct.

In truth, Misaki Ai bore a significant trauma unknown to the world.

Seven years ago, when she first awakened her power of ‘Fascination,’ a tragic incident had occurred…

At that time, Misaki Ai had suffered a profound mental shock, leading her to live like a blind person, sealing away her powers.

During that time, the strongest awakener in Japan, ‘Karasuma Tenshin,’ gifted her the special eye mask she now wore, allowing her to see freely once more.

And now, believing she had overcome her trauma, she had come to ‘Arc,’ yet she was still not entirely free from it.

“Hmm…”

As Kim Do-jin pondered what kind of trauma she might have, he suddenly tilted his head in confusion.

‘But why wasn’t I affected by her Fascination?’

For a brief moment, he had indeed seen her white eyes.

And since Misaki Ai was a powerful psychic, had she removed her mask in the classroom, dozens of students would have been instantly captivated by her.

Yet, Kim Do-jin felt nothing, which was certainly a bit strange.

‘Could it be that my mana essence and mydan have strengthened my magical power?’

In this world, the concepts of ‘magical power’ and ‘mana resistance’ existed side by side.

As an awakener’s magical power grew stronger, their resistance to external mana naturally increased, allowing them to even nullify psychic abilities.

No matter how overpowered a psychic ability might be, if used by an awakener of F-rank magical power, it would not affect an S-rank awakener.

As far as Kim Do-jin knew, Misaki Ai’s magical power rank was around mid-C rank, while his own current rank hovered just above the midpoint between B and A ranks…

Perhaps he could withstand her Fascination, even if just for a moment.

An awakener with even more overwhelming magical power could stare into Misaki Ai’s eyes for a long time without harm, but…

In any case, it was fortunate.

The unexpected incident with Misaki Ai, triggered by Winter, had ended without any major issues.

* * *

The next day.

As scheduled, at 5 PM, Secretary Jin arrived in a car to pick him up.

Kim Do-jin changed into a neat suit and soon climbed into Secretary Jin’s vehicle.

And after some time passed.

At last, they arrived before the ‘Myeongseong Tower,’ where the family gathering would take place.

A luxurious building soaring to a staggering 100 floors, the headquarters of the Myeongseong Group.

‘Still as imposing as ever…’

Kim Do-jin marveled anew at the scale of the Myeongseong Group, the wealthiest in all of South Korea, as he stepped inside.

“Good day, young master.”

Even though he was a reckless scion, the son of Chairman Kim Mu-ho, the employees he encountered offered respectful greetings.

Kim Do-jin accepted their salutations with a casual nod and continued on, finally entering the dining room located on the 99th floor.

“Eh?”

Kim Do-hyung, who had arrived first and was seated at the table, widened his eyes in surprise upon seeing Kim Do-jin.

“What’s this? You actually came here? What’s going on?”

Kim Do-hyung was one of Kim Do-jin’s half-brothers, and it was common knowledge that their relationship was far from cordial.

So, Kim Do-jin merely replied with a vague comment and took the seat the staff guided him to.

‘Hmm…’

Indeed, the dining table was grand and opulent.

Behind the seat of honor where Kim Mu-ho would sit, the panoramic view of downtown Seoul unfolded beyond the glass walls, eliciting a sense of awe.

‘It’s somewhat understandable that Kim Mu-ho wants to catch up to the Celestial Guild. The Astral Group, which couldn’t even touch the hem of Myeongseong Group’s garment before the era of magic, is now a rival…’

As he slowly surveyed his surroundings, ‘Kim Soo-ah’ arrived.

She was also a sister, but unlike Kim Do-hyung, their relationship was not as strained.

“Oh? Long time no see, Kim Do-jin?”

Kim Soo-ah, dressed in attire that unmistakably marked her as a chaebol daughter, tidied herself and engaged Kim Do-jin in various small talk.

How has he been lately? How’s life in the Arc? And so on.

It seemed she didn’t have much genuine interest in him, yet there was no sense of animosity either.

As Kim Do-jin answered her casual inquiries, passing the time, the last of the siblings arrived.

– Creak.

Kim Do-gyeom, also a half-brother of Kim Do-jin and the eldest son of Kim Mu-ho, stepped in.

He was said to resemble their father, both in looks and temperament, more than any of the other children.

A burning desire to be the best, a fiery disposition, and so forth.

While Kim Do-hyung had not yet given up, it was a fact that Kim Do-gyeom could be considered the official successor of Kim Mu-ho, and naturally, his abilities surpassed those of his siblings.

No, not just within this gathering; among the second-generation Awakened in all of South Korea, few geniuses could rival him.

Five years ago, at the mere age of 24, I had shattered the S-rank barrier, so there was no need to elaborate on my standing.

Regardless, even if I wasn’t as formidable as Kim Mu-ho, I was still a significant figure, and Kim Do-jin observed me with a hint of intrigue.

“Brother, you’re here?”

“You’re late.”

The other siblings greeted one another in their own ways.

Kim Do-jin felt he should offer a greeting as well, but he was at a loss for words, so he merely bowed his head slightly before raising it again.

“…….”

Kim Do-gyeom regarded Kim Do-jin with an expressionless gaze as he took his seat, then suddenly spoke in a chilling tone.

“You’ve come here with quite the audacity, Kim Do-jin. With all the disgrace you’ve brought upon our family, what face do you have to show our father?”

Though his words were coldly composed, they carried the weight of an S-rank Awakened’s hostility.

For a moment, Kim Do-jin felt a sharp pang in his chest, but he masked it well, meeting Kim Do-gyeom’s gaze without flinching.

“While it may be unavoidable that your grades fall short of expectations, your reckless behavior leaves no room for excuses. If you continue to cross the line, even if our father remains silent, I will not.”

Perhaps it was fortunate, but with that warning, Kim Do-gyeom lost interest in Kim Do-jin.

‘What a fierce little b*stard…’

In truth, Kim Do-jin’s true self was 29 years old, the same age as Kim Do-gyeom.

However, having gained fame as a monster just a year after awakening, Kim Do-jin was in a different league altogether, leaving him with little knowledge of Kim Do-gyeom.

Of course, from Kim Do-gyeom’s perspective, he would have known Kim Do-jin well enough.

In any case, the four gathered in this place were Kim Do-gyeom, Kim Soo-ah, Kim Do-hyung, and Kim Do-jin—the only attendees aside from Kim Mu-ho.

Regrettably, both Kim Do-gyeom, Kim Soo-ah, and Kim Do-hyung’s biological mother and Kim Do-jin’s mother had already passed away due to an accident.

However, it was noteworthy that Kim Do-jin’s mother had died before Kim Do-gyeom’s mother.

In other words, the reason Kim Mu-ho had taken Kim Do-gyeom’s mother, Woo Ji-yoon, as his first wife while welcoming Kim Do-jin’s mother, Min Ji-ye, as his second was tied to the ‘inheritance’ issue of Awakened ones.

Between Awakened individuals, an Awakened child is guaranteed to be born, while the offspring of an Awakened and a non-Awakened typically results in a non-Awakened child.

‘Was it because of the justification or strategic judgment that the successor must also be Awakened that Kim Mu-ho took Min Ji-ye, an Awakened, as his second wife to bear this Kim Do-jin? Coincidentally, shortly after, it was revealed that the first wife, Woo Ji-yoon, was also an Awakened…’

As a result, all of the first wife Woo Ji-yoon’s children became Awakened, which inevitably put the second wife Min Ji-ye and Kim Do-jin in a precarious position.

Of course, given Kim Mu-ho’s nature, there was no discrimination, but I couldn’t help but wonder if this environment had influenced the moment Kim Do-jin began to stray.

In any case, I was deep in thought about this tangled family dynamic.

– Thud!

At last, the master of the gathering had arrived.

The head of the Myungseong Group, one of the most powerful Awakened in South Korea, the true titan—Kim Mu-ho.