The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 21

"Look, see. You don’t seem to understand, but you and Kim Jin-seo are dating. Right?"

"Y-yes."

"But Kim Jin-seo met another guy during the closure period? What do we call this? Cheating, right?"

"N-no. J-Jin-seo wouldn’t do such a thing."

"Oh no, you frustrating bastard. Then should I just report it?"

"No! S-s-sorry."

"Please understand what I’m saying in one go, for crying out loud."

Go Jun-min cowered at Bae Seong-hyeon’s high-handed attitude.

"Now, again. Kim Jin-seo and you are dating... Ah, it’s annoying to even say. Anyway, she’s cheating. The guy she’s cheating with is Do Seon-woo, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Kim Jin-seo did that, no. She met another guy besides you. Right?"

"Yes."

"So, what should we do? Are you going to just sit there and let him steal her? No, right?"

"N-no."

Bae Seong-hyeon snatched Go Jun-min’s phone. Then he transferred several photos from Go Jun-min’s gallery to his own phone.

"W-what are you doing! Give it back!"

"It’s kind of evidence. Like insurance."

"Give it back! I said give it back!"

Go Jun-min’s height was 159cm. Bae Seong-hyeon’s height was 187cm. No matter how much Go Jun-min jumped, he couldn’t snatch the phone from Bae Seong-hyeon’s hand.

In the meantime, Bae Seong-hyeon transferred various pieces of evidence to his own phone. It was preparation in case Go Jun-min betrayed him later.

"Here. I’ll give it back, dude. You’re charging at me like you’re going to kill me over just one phone."

"P-please don’t do this kind of thing."

"Yeah, yeah. As long as you listen to what I say."

Bae Seong-hyeon continued with a cold smile.

"Look, you just have to do as I tell you. You understand? Then Kim Jin-seo will dump him and like you again. Right or wrong?"

"..."

"Answer."

"R-right."

"That’s right. When’s the optimal timing?"

"In 3 days. The c-commendation ceremony."

"Good."

Finding out that there would be a commendation ceremony after the closure period ended wasn’t very difficult.

Finding out that Kim Jin-seo and Do Seon-woo were scheduled to receive commendations was the same.

At least for Bae Seong-hyeon, it was.

"Right, you finished writing the post?"

"Y-yes."

Go Jun-min nodded his head in fear. Bae Seong-hyeon smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Go Jun-min who had become a docile sheep.

If the situation flowed according to plan, it would be a very good opportunity to bury both Kim Jin-seo and Do Seon-woo.

Even if things went wrong, there would be no harm to Bae Seong-hyeon.

Go Jun-min was the one taking responsibility. All the consequences arising from this incident would also be borne by Go Jun-min.

It was truly killing two birds with one stone without lifting a finger. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’Well, this will be interesting no matter how the situation unfolds.’

The reason Bae Seong-hyeon went to such lengths to orchestrate this wasn’t anything special.

Just because it seemed fun.

It would be fun if it succeeded and Kim Jin-seo and Do Seon-woo were ruined. It would be fun if it failed and Go Jun-min was ruined.

Whichever side was ruined, there would be no harm to Bae Seong-hyeon.

"B-but. If we do this, J-Jin-seo will d-date me again, right?"

"Of course! If you do as I say, everything will work out well. I’m helping your romance, you know?"

Bae Seong-hyeon encouraged Go Jun-min. A blush and smile appeared on Go Jun-min’s face.

’This bastard is the most disgusting.’

Go Jun-min had no relationship with Kim Jin-seo whatsoever. They had just exchanged a few texts, and even those were all official communications.

But his delusions had reached their peak, so he came to believe he was really Kim Jin-seo’s boyfriend.

Bae Seong-hyeon appropriately used Go Jun-min’s delusions for his plan.

Honestly, it was a bit disgusting, but there was no better chess piece to use.

* * *

"Hi."

There was no need to be hostile from the start. I greeted him lightly.

"Oh, hi. But you, why are you here?"

"Me? To meet someone. Why?"

"Ah. I s-see."

Awkward speech. Occasional stuttering. Turtle neck and rounded shoulders, unremarkable face. Weak-looking arms and legs.

It was Go Jun-min.

He sat on the bench pretending to be calm. Cold sweat was flowing on his forehead, and his gaze wandered through empty space. His lost hands were anxiously fidgeting with his nose bridge.

All those behaviors were signs and evidence of anxiety.

Go Jun-min was probably the post writer. That must be why Baron Samedi told me to come here at 8 o’clock.

However, there was no way to prove it. Even if I pressured him to force an answer, he didn’t seem like the type to readily confess. In the first place, the fact that Go Jun-min was the post writer wasn’t even certain.

Nothing was certain, just countless vague leads.

The way to make vague and blurry things clear is to use the most distinct emotion humans can have.

Anger.

"Were you close with Jin-seo?"

"Jin-seo?"

Go Jun-min would be close with Kim Jin-seo. No, rather than the expression ’close,’ it would be more accurate to say Go Jun-min unilaterally pursued Kim Jin-seo.

Anyway, Go Jun-min felt blind respect and affection toward her.

If I had to put it in words, it was no different from love. Distorted love, but still.

"Are y-you close with J-Jin-seo? Why are you calling her without the surname?"

"Huh? You call her that way too. I thought it would be okay because of that."

"I c-call her that because I’m close with J-J-Jin-seo. A b-bastard like you!"

Go Jun-min shouted while clenching his fists and getting agitated. Go Jun-min’s blurry emotions were gradually becoming distinct with anger.

Distorted love is usually based on possessiveness. Go Jun-min wanted Kim Jin-seo to look only at him.

He would want to be the only one to use the affectionate nickname ’Jin-seo’ too. But when I touched his possessiveness, he was growling like a dog whose toy had been taken away.

"I’m also close with ’Jin-seo.’ I came to meet ’Jin-seo’ now too."

I continuously touched Go Jun-min’s reverse scale while emphasizing certain words in my speech.

Go Jun-min’s face turned white beyond red. His trembling lips were impressive.

Honestly, I thought it was a somewhat childish method. But the effect was certain.

"You, you!"

Go Jun-min glared at me as if he wanted to kill me while clenching his fists tightly.

But it was still vague. I needed a decisive statement to make Go Jun-min’s emotions even more distinct.

"Oh, and I got jelly from Jin-seo. It was delicious. Did you get some too?"

Kim Jin-seo has a personality where she doesn’t even talk to men much, let alone give them gifts. The fact that she gave me jelly was also just a gesture of gratitude for reattaching her finger, so there was no way Go Jun-min, who had no connection with her, would have received jelly.

As expected, Go Jun-min’s face began to gradually distort.

His clenched fists trembled, and his lips vibrated. His eyebrows twitched intermittently.

Clear signs of anger.

Go Jun-min approached me with his lips half-bitten. His gaze toward me was solid without movement. He was thinking of hitting me.

"What are you doing?"

Then, a clear and clean voice broke the distant tension. The tone was sharp yet caring.

When I turned my head, Kim Jin-seo was there.

A face without any makeup. Simple attire wearing a sweatshirt and training pants.

"J-J-J-Jin-seo?"

Go Jun-min’s face stiffened completely.

* * *

Kim Jin-seo knew that Go Jun-min was the post writer.

The photo Go Jun-min sent to Kim Jin-seo. ’Edit’ and ’Delete’ were visible there.

Only the post writer has the authority to edit and delete. It meant Go Jun-min was the author of that exposé post.

[Can you come to the city park at 8:15?]

And she sent a text. Go Jun-min naturally said he understood. She intended to ask Go Jun-min to take down the post. It wasn’t just because of Do Seon-woo.

She prepared roughly. There was nothing good about looking good to Go Jun-min anyway. She thought Go Jun-min might cut off contact on his own if he saw her face without makeup.

When she arrived at the city park like that, a shocking scene was unfolding before her eyes.

"J-J-J-Jin-seo?"

Go Jun-min was raising his fist as if to hit Do Seon-woo. Do Seon-woo was standing calmly without any sign of fear even with a fist in front of his eyes.

A fight? If so, why did a fight break out? Is it something that must be resolved by fighting?

Kim Jin-seo felt complicated questions.

"Go Jun-min. ...Let’s talk."

Kim Jin-seo opened her mouth while sitting on the bench.

She sent Do Seon-woo away with an appropriate excuse. If Do Seon-woo found out that Go Jun-min was the post writer, he would surely receive considerable shock.

Sometimes it’s medicine not to know.

Kim Jin-seo remained silent in front of Go Jun-min the whole time, then opened her mouth when Do Seon-woo completely disappeared from view.

"You wrote the post, right?"

Go Jun-min’s body trembled at Kim Jin-seo’s words.

"N-no? What are you talking about?"

"The photo you sent me."

Kim Jin-seo held up her phone to show the photo Go Jun-min had sent. Clear evidence that Go Jun-min was the post writer was presented.

It was clear without any excuse. Go Jun-min rolled his eyes here and there. He seemed to be looking for ways to somehow break through the situation.

Go Jun-min maintained silence for about 10 seconds like that, then slowly opened his mouth.

"S-sorry."

What came out of his mouth was an apology.

"You shouldn’t apologize to me. I’m fine, so let’s take down the post. How about it?"

"T-take down the post?"

Go Jun-min pondered. He couldn’t take down the post yet. If he backed out here, he didn’t know what Bae Seong-hyeon might do to him.

Go Jun-min was afraid of Kim Jin-seo who was questioning him, but he was equally afraid of Bae Seong-hyeon.

"That’s n-not possible."

Go Jun-min hung his head.

Kim Jin-seo felt frustration inside but didn’t lose her smile as she slowly resumed persuasion. Her patience was still intact.

"Then why did you post that?"

"W-well. Only you should have received the commendation. But that guy received it together. Something seemed s-suspicious."

"The judging is done by teachers, and Do Seon-woo also contributed enough..."

"A-and! You got caught smoking by him! I was trying to h-help you. As your b-boyfriend!"

Go Jun-min floundered.

Kim Jin-seo suddenly felt chills. Questions became complicated and tangled, creating suspicions at random times.

How does he know I smoke? What does he mean by ’as your boyfriend’?

"Smoking? What are you talking about? And what do you mean boyfriend?"

Kim Jin-seo’s face, which always had a smile, lost its smile. Her eyes were coldly frozen as if looking at something disgusting.

It was a situation where she couldn’t manage her expression at all. She didn’t want to manage her expression either.

"I’m your b-boyfriend, aren’t I? N-no?"

"What are you talking about? Why would you be my boyfriend...?"

Go Jun-min’s pupils shook here and there.

"Huh? N-no. Boyfriend, r-right? Right?"

Go Jun-min took out his phone from his pocket and showed it to Kim Jin-seo.

"Look. We even t-took photos together, right? About c-cigarettes. This t-time. I’m talking about this time. Right?"

Kim Jin-seo was on the phone screen.

Kim Jin-seo sitting on her knees, crying and smoking. And even Do Seon-woo passing by in front of her.

It was voyeurism.

When was this taken? Has he been tailing me continuously? Why on earth?

Her hands trembled.

Fear, disgust, anger. All kinds of negative emotions mixed together and continuously overwhelmed her.

Smack!

Kim Jin-seo forcibly snatched the phone from Go Jun-min’s hand. And immediately deleted the photo.

"Huh...?"

When she deleted the photo, the next photo was revealed.

It was herself coming out of the gym drenched in sweat.

When she deleted that, the next photo was revealed.

It was herself entering her house.

And the next photo.

Her face glimpsed through a window gap inside her house.

Next.

Herself heading to the convenience store in shabby clothes.

Thud.

The phone fell from Kim Jin-seo’s hand.

The phone that crashed to the ground made a dry sound. The sound soon echoed through the silent park.

Kim Jin-seo just trembled while fixing her gaze on empty space. Her body was frozen with fear, so she couldn’t even turn her head.

Her mind went blank. She couldn’t think of anything.

"What’s wrong?"

Go Jun-min’s voice was calmer than usual.

Should I run away? Call the police? Or holy knights?

She was out of breath. Her vision kept trying to go dark.

"Why are you so f-frightened? J-J-Jin-seo."

Go Jun-min reached his hand toward Kim Jin-seo’s shoulder. She instinctively swatted his hand away.

With a dull thud, Go Jun-min’s hand was knocked away.

"Are you a-angry? Right? You’re p-pouting! Haha. I w-was wrong. We’re dating, right? E-earlier was just something I said because I was angry, right?"

Kim Jin-seo bit her lower lip until it bled. She felt nauseous. She felt like she might vomit any moment.

Kim Jin-seo’s mind was filled only with the thought of wanting to escape this place.

She just wanted to rest.

She missed just rolling around on the bed without thinking about anything.

"Let’s talk again later. Right now I’m too..."

Kim Jin-seo got up from the bench. Her legs were shaking. Her head was dizzy and her vision was dark.

"W-wait!"

Go Jun-min grabbed Kim Jin-seo’s arm. His face was dry without a trace of laughter. Kim Jin-seo turned her head to look at Go Jun-min’s empty eyes.

Eyes so eerily deep that their depth couldn’t be known.

"Let go, what are you doing...!"

"Why that e-expression again? N-no matter how angry you are, you can’t treat me like this. Right?"

Kim Jin-seo’s face was rigidly hardened.

She had practiced smiling. Not only when happy, but also when sad or angry. People thought she was a good child because she smiled often.

But while she knew how to smile, she didn’t know how to cry. The tears she couldn’t shed accumulated in her chest, but she left them there because she didn’t know how to drain the accumulated tears.

And now, Kim Jin-seo had forgotten even how to smile. There was nothing that could be called an expression on her face.

It was just distorted with disgust.

"I w-wanted you to think about me as much as I think about you. Right? B-but. Meeting other men outside and g-going around. Did you think I w-wouldn’t know? You c-can’t treat me like this. How much I...!"

"Stop deluding yourself. We have no relationship whatsoever. Let go. I said let go!"

Kim Jin-seo shook off his arm. But Go Jun-min didn’t let go.

His strength was strangely strong.

"No r-relationship? Delusion? That’s not right. What are you talking about? Right?"

At some point, Go Jun-min stopped stuttering.

"Ah, I see. Transfer? You transferred. You transferred to Do Seon-woo. After how well I treated you. How could you do this to me?"

"Huh? J-Jun-min. Calm down and let me go. Why are you suddenly acting like this...?"

Kim Jin-seo sobbed.

"Shut up, you filthy thing!"

Rip. Crack. Crunch.

Flesh tore and bones broke. New flesh and bones sprouted in their place.

Go Jun-min was shedding his human flesh and being reborn as a new form called a demon race.

In front of that, Kim Jin-seo couldn’t do anything and just stood still. Her spine was eerily chilled. Her legs wouldn’t move.

Demon race.

Not a fake demon race used for training. A real demon race. The thing that had torn her mother to death when she was young.

Thud.

Strength left her legs. Kim Jin-seo sat down on the spot.

Go Jun-min’s body was tearing and repairing itself again, growing in size.

"Ah, urgh. Augh, heh. H-how. Cool? If you a-apologize even now. I’ll f-forgive you. Right?"

Go Jun-min muttering incomprehensible words while growing his body.

He finally became a monster. A bizarre form with black flesh and bone fragments stuck all over his body.

The monster lifted Kim Jin-seo with rough and dirty hands.

"Ah, urgh...!"

Kim Jin-seo’s neck was being strangled by black and dirty hands. She s

truggled while expressing distress.

But no one was there to help her.

Bang.

When Kim Jin-seo’s consciousness was fading away, an explosion echoed through the park.

What exploded was Go Jun-min’s forearm that was gripping Kim Jin-seo’s neck. The forearm was severed by a stone fragment that flew from somewhere.

"Ugh."

Beyond, Do Seon-woo was standing. He shuddered looking at Go Jun-min who had transformed into a hideous monster.