I Became the Hidden Mastermind

007 – Life O人, Death O人

007 – Life O人, Death O人

Originally, there was no such thing as torment.

I was just an ordinary student in the class, unnoticed.

But one day, Kim Geon-ho said to me,

“Hey Ha Yeong-won, it’s April Fools’ Day today. I have an interesting story, listen to it once. As the ace, you’re perfect for this role. Perfect!”

It was only a month since the entrance ceremony in early April, but Class D had already become Kim Geon-ho’s kingdom, where he played and pushed the limits as if testing what he could do and how much would be tolerated.

“You know, Ha Yeong-won, about you and Yang Ju-hee….”

Rejecting Kim Geon-ho’s proposal would undoubtedly lead to noisy days ahead.

Due to circumstances, I wanted to lead a ‘normal’ life, so I accepted his proposal.

It wasn’t that difficult of a proposal.

“Yang Ju-hee, I like you. Let’s date.”

Before the first class began.

The kids clapped and cheered, creating an atmosphere.

Even the rowdy gang laughed and captured every situation with their phones.

“Start dating!”

“Start dating!”

“Kiss! Kiss!”

Note: Fictional context acknowledgment – All characters are fictional and above 21 years of age.

“What’s this, playing such pranks on April Fools’ Day? Not funny at all! Lame! Oh, go away! Stop filming! I told you not to! The teacher will be here soon, what’s all this?”

Even Yang Ju-hee, who always carried herself confidently, seemed somewhat flustered by the prank and lies concocted by the students in her class.

“Why is it that I don’t sense Ju-hee disliking it?”

“Forever, isn’t it cute? Tall and good at studies too!”

“Are you really dating? Eek! Answer quickly!”

The atmosphere was becoming tense.

It was when Yang Ju-hee’s white face started turning red.

Thinking they were about to set off fireworks or something as planned…

“Oh, damn, this is so lame. Let’s stop here.”

Unexpectedly, Kim Geon-ho, who popped up differently than scheduled, brought the situation to an end.

“Hey, Ha Young-won, you asshole. I told you to convincingly confess to Yang Ju-hee, but since you can’t act for sh*t, you got caught from the start with this April Fools’ Day lie. No wonder the views won’t go up. Wanna die?”

That was the beginning.

I became the explicit target of Kim Geon-ho’s harassment.

The reason this incident came to mind was that the current Yang Ju-hee had the same expression as back on that April Fools’ Day – flushed with embarrassment, shame, and tears welling up.

“Hey, Ha Young-won. What did you just say?”

“At least take off your shirt first. Or… should I do it for you?”

To escape the nightmare’s corridor, I nudged Yang Ju-hee.

It was my first time threatening and nudging someone, so the lines felt awkward, making me nervous.

Although I couldn’t get my hands on the “Hypnosis App” in the shop I opened with difficulty, I was, in the end, doing something similar.

Of course, this was a humanitarian and just act.

If it’s to escape from here, I willingly drink the venom of pseudo-evil.

“Hate it. Why should I do it your way?”

“Ha, Juhee. Do you think I’m doing this just because it pleases me? We have to do whatever it takes to escape from here. If you don’t like it, let’s live in this classroom for the rest of our lives! You and me!”

He threatened that we would never escape this dreadful corridor.

After that, there were even attempts to gently roll around.

“It’s not like it wears out just by showing or touching it briefly. You must have had many boyfriends, right? Aren’t you familiar with this kind of thing?”

“Do you really want to die? You might get an idea of how you’ve always thought of me. Loser. Seriously disgusting. Ugh. Just touch a fingertip on my body!”

“Well then, let’s just live here. I don’t know. Damn it. I like it here. No torment, no need to do anyone else’s homework! It’s paradise! Paradise!”

Swish-.

After pushing all the desks aside and creating a space to lie down, I just lay there.

It was surprisingly comfortable in a place where ghosts were supposed to come out.

Indeed, lying down is better than walking, and walking is better than running.

About 5 minutes passed.

Swoosh-.

I heard the sound of something thin and fibrous falling.

When I turned my head, Yang Juhee was taking off her shoes.

Honestly, the fact that a fellow student is taking off their shoes in front of me was quite strange.

Seems like I’ll discover a new preference!

“…Hayeongwon. Promise me one thing for sure. Are you really confident about escaping from here? If you promise, I’ll let you touch. Only here… not anywhere else… just your feet…”

Can we escape from here?

Honestly, it was about fifty-fifty.

To be frank, my skill of dream manipulation might not work.

So what should we do?

Rather than just dying here, wouldn’t it be better to try something with that girl who tormented me and then die?

If we manage to escape, that’s great, and if not, well… it can’t be helped.

Either way, I stood to gain something.

Of course, without mentioning such things, I maintained a serious expression.

“Promise me. When I wake up from this dream, go to where you’re sleeping, and definitely wake up Joo-hee. Can I at least take off your socks for now…?”

When I saw Jung So-jin taking off her stockings earlier, there were various reactions.

If I personally took off Joo-hee’s socks, the reactions would be the same… no, even greater!

“…”

Joo-hee remained silent. She just looked at me with a disdainful expression.

Nevertheless, her silence felt positive.

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

Now, my heart started beating more loudly than when encountering a ghost.

What should I do from now on?

With that feeling, when I reached out my hand, Joo-hee grabbed my wrist abruptly.

“…I really can’t let you just touch me! If we’re not in a relationship, I won’t let anyone touch my body. If you want to touch me, you have to date me.”

“Are you suggesting we date right now?”

“Also, I don’t like casually dating and breaking up. I believe that if you’re going to date someone, you should always do it with the assumption of marriage. Can you agree to that?”

Marriage, huh.

Isn’t that a bit far-fetched for a first-year high school student?

So Yang Ju-hee has this side to her.

“And if you want to date me, you have to go to church every Sunday.”

Go to church?

Ah, man, I really don’t want to do that. Let’s just go around it.

“Okay, I get it. I’ve been to church a lot. So, is that all? We start from today. We’re dating with the assumption of marriage. Is that settled?”

Swoosh-

I pulled my wrist out of Yang Ju-hee’s grasp.

Now I really have to escape.

From all these ‘nightmares’.

Thud-

But then Yang Ju-hee grabbed my wrist again.

“And I think it’s best to start by holding hands. There’s a progression in physical intimacy, right? Even if we’re dating, we should just hold hands for the first 100 days…”

“Hey, why is Yang Ju-hee so talkative? Are you a virgin until marriage or something?”

“…Are you talking about being a virgin until marriage?”

“Whatever. Are you a prude?”

I felt annoyed for some reason.

But… upon further thought, the idea of holding hands was quite appealing.

Do you know? Holding hands can create such a mood that it might lead to other things─.

These days, kids say they’ve done everything within a day of dating.

If I were one of those kids these days, I might be able to do all sorts of things too.

No, I can do it! I can!

“Then I’ll touch you.”

Swiftly-.

I grabbed the hand of Yang Ju-hee, who had been holding onto my wrist.

“Ah… why are you holding my hand so tightly… do you think I’m a pervert…?”

Yang Ju-hee trembled slightly.

It was a slender hand. Warm. Soft.

The nails were unpainted, but well-groomed.

“How did I hold your hand?”

“…You held it like a pervert.”

I thought I held it normally.

But more than that… a woman’s hand is so small, slender, and delicate.

Can the hand that was so forceful when it hit me be this soft?

If the hand is this soft, how big are those huge breasts─.

“Oh-.”

In that moment, I felt like my body was melting away.

This feeling was dangerous.

“…Just holding hands?”

As soon as I got up, I checked my pants.

Luckily, I didn’t need to change my underwear.

“7 o’clock!? I’m late!”

I hurriedly went out to the living room.

A huge American cockroach was crawling around the kitchen and suddenly flew towards my face.

“Whoa, sh*t, that scared me!”

It was really terrifying.

Having a thumb-sized American cockroach flying towards my face was more horrifying than being chased by a ghost in a dream.

I calmed my startled heart and quickly got dressed, heading to school.

I arrived at school around 7:30.

The school was already bustling.

There were police officers near the school counselor’s office, and students were murmuring.

“Oh, thank goodness it’s not a disappearance. Teacher. Then we’ll go. It wasn’t a big deal, so the rest will be taken care of by the school…”

“Yes. Thank you so much. You guys! What were you thinking! Sleeping in a place like this! If the teacher hadn’t come to work early and found you, what would have happened to you!”

At first glance, a woman dressed in a black suit and neatly cut short hair was scolding the students sternly.

She was the first-year Korean language teacher.

She was thirty-one years old this year, unmarried, and known for her graceful beauty among male students. I also had a bit of a crush on her.

“Damn, why was I sleeping in a place like this? My head feels like it’s going to explode. Teacher, please be a little quieter. I have a headache.”

The tall male student, who seemed to easily surpass 180 cm, scratched the back of his head, straightening his body. Next to him was a girl with glasses.

“What’s this? What time is it now… huh? Seven in the morning!? This is bad! I’m dead if my mom finds out! What do I do? Seriously!”

It was Kim Geon-ho and Jung So-jin.

Indeed, both of them were alive.

The heavy burden that had pressed down on me disappeared from my chest.

Next to them…

“…Oh, what the heck. My uniform is all wrinkled. Why did I fall asleep in a place like this?”

There was Yang Joo-hee, complaining with her head sprawled in all directions.

Everyone seemed puzzled about why they were sleeping inside the school gym.

Of course, the school had turned upside down.

“Have you guys heard? Kim Geon-ho, Yang Joo-hee, and Jung So-jin stayed out overnight with the teacher!”

“Wow, that’s daring. In a place that feels like a haunted house?”

Before the first class began.

The students of Class D chattered incessantly about the incident that unfolded since the morning.

Drrr-.

Soon, as the classroom door opened, Yang Joo-hee and Jung So-jin entered, and the kids fell silent.

The teachers, who were investigating the students, decided to proceed with the class for now.

Did Kim Geon-ho go home?

No, well, it doesn’t matter at this point.

I glanced at Yang Joo-hee sitting behind me and gave a faint smile.

She’s my girlfriend starting from today.

Honestly, it was hard to believe, but it felt good.

“What are you looking at? Geek.”

“Oh, Joo-hee, is that an appropriate way to speak to the future husband? Don’t you know that the Bible says the husband is the head of the wife, so the wife should obey the husband? Don’t you go to church every Sunday? A girl who goes to church has a very…”

“What? Future husband? Have you lost it? Where did you suddenly get the confidence on the geek subject? How do you know that I go to church? Did you investigate me…!?”

Joo-hee snapped like a sudden acceleration, and I was also surprised.

Is she pretending not to know about last night? Are we keeping our relationship a secret?

Just in case, I asked Joo-hee.

“Joo-hee, how do you feel about just holding hands until our 100th day anniversary?”

“Hey, what nonsense are you talking about since earlier? I feel like crap since the morning. Did Kim Geon-ho ask you to confess with lies again?”

“No, I used to have a girlfriend. We agreed to just hold hands until our 100th day…”

“Hayoung-won, you had a girlfriend? Who?”

“She’s gone now… We broke up.”

“hahahaha, serves you right if that’s the case! But who was that girl? Should I go and beat her up? Who dumped our Yeong-won? Huh? Who is it? Someone in our class? Someone in our school? Definitely an ugly one?”

Joo-hee seemed to have no memory of dreams.

About the “Corridor of Nightmares.”

About the stories we shared.

I felt like I lost a girlfriend I had never dated.

Someone precious.

Person Not to Forget.

The feeling of forgetting someone you shouldn’t forget.

Where should I appeal this emotion to…

Was it all just my own dream?

I was frustrated.

If it was a real dream, I should have just touched my heart.

“Status window.”

In my disappointed heart, I displayed words into the empty air.

Ding-.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the words came up.

But the displayed words were a bit different from usual.

『Congratulations! You have safely returned from the nightmare corridor!』

『Rebirth 1 person, Death 3 people, settling of accounts begins.』

『3 people who died acquire the boundary.』

『Kim Geon-ho ◀ Select to confirm』

『Jung So-jin ◀ Select to confirm』

『Yang Joo-hee ◀ Select to confirm』