I Became the Hidden Mastermind

Chapter 9

009 – The Aunt from Hell #2

Secrets of the old temple and Yeongji High School.

I was looking for someone who could share long-forgotten memories, and Kang Haneul was perfect for that role.

After all, Kang Haneul was also a student at Yeongji High School 16 years ago!

Originally, all adult women were high school girls.

“Have there been occasions when a shaman visited the school?”

“Tch, enough! Eternal, do I have to answer your question just because there’s a law that says the teacher has to answer you when you’re not honest with me? I won’t say anything either.”

Humph.

The teacher puffed up her cheeks and exaggeratedly pretended to be upset.

Kang Haneul, a 31-year-old teacher, unbelievably had a childish aspect, with only three years’ difference from my mom, who was 34.

Is it the difference between a married woman and a single woman?

“But if you change your mind, call me here. This is the teacher’s number. By the way, the teacher’s number isn’t something you give to just any guy, so consider it an honor, okay?”

“….”

“No answer?”

“Yes. Ah, honored.”

I left the library and headed home. On the way, I even took a roundabout path to avoid running into Kim Geonho’s gang during my commute.

When I arrived home, the bathroom was locked, and when I knocked, my mom was inside.

─Eternal, is that you?

“Uh.”

━ School’s over?

“Yeah.”

━ Did you happen to get a girlfriend at school today?

“Um… no…”

I really need to use the bathroom. I wonder how long Mom will be in there.

That’s when the thought occurred.

Woo-.

Kakao-.

“Yeongwon, since Mom can’t come home today, have dinner on your ownㅋㅋ By the way, did you meet any girls you like today? Introduce them to Mom if you did, and I’ll treat you to a mealㅋㅋ”

A Kakao message from Mom.

Just as I felt a shiver down my spine, the bathroom door creaked open on its own.

The bathroom I thought Mom was in just a moment ago… was completely empty!

“No, nobody’s here…!?”

Who the hell was in here just now!

“Advice!”

『Advice from the “Broken Clock”: Sometimes, silence is the answer.』

Damn it, sometimes the advice was useless gibberish, and of all times, it had to be now!

As if having a damn big cockroach in the house wasn’t bad enough, now ghosts too? There’s a reason why houses are cheap!

I was too scared and couldn’t calm down at all.

Pavabat-.

First, I ran outside the building.

Although I didn’t have a specific destination in mind, it seemed like a good idea to go where there were a lot of people.

It might make me feel a little better to go to a bustling and lively place.

In a place like that, not even a ghost would dare to come out!

“So, where should I go?”

The problem was that I didn’t know the area well since I had only moved here a few months ago. I had been living in Seoul until middle school.

This neighborhood was too run-down, with many back alleys and a lot of unknown noise and stench.

Flutter, flutter-.

At that moment, something fluttered and startled me.

“Mommy!”

I thought it might be something like a ghost’s robe, but upon closer inspection, it was a placard.

“Make GaeRyong City prosperous! GaeRyong City Development Revival! Jung Man-Sik will make Line 2 of the subway happen! – Candidate No. 1, Jung Man-Sik!”

Perhaps it was because it wasn’t properly secured, but one of the strings of the placard was loose and fluttering like a flag.

Damn it, scaring people like that.

If I ever get the right to vote, I won’t even consider voting for that person, seriously.

“This neighborhood is so crappy.”

Until last year, I had been living in sophisticated Seoul where everything was modern.

But because of my mother’s job, we moved to GaeRyong this year, and I was still adjusting in many ways.

“……”

So, what do I do now?

Grrr-.

I’m hungry.

# # #

━Well, it seems like it’ll take about 10 minutes, teacher. Do you want to go inside a nearby restaurant for now? I’ll order something to eat. Order the same thing for the teacher since we’ll be eating together. The teacher will cover the cost.

I was relieved to have my phone with me.

I quickly reached out to Teacher Kang Ha-Neul, who had told me to contact him if anything happened, and thanks to that, I was able to sort out dinner.

After ordering pork soup at a nearby restaurant, I waited for the teacher to arrive.

“…….”

However, this time turned out to be more free than I thought, and at the same time, it was eerie.

Damn, now ghosts are coming out of our house, which was already scary because of cockroaches.

Do I have to live there for the rest of my life?

I called up the status window, trying to ignore the fear.

Since I didn’t have time to check various items and accumulated points, it would be good to think about how to deal with them when I have the leisure.

『Name: Ha Youngwon Lv.1

Trait: 《Broken Watch》

Funds: 210 Points

Description: Once highly regarded, you now spend meaningless days, killing time. However, the broken watch tends to show the correct time twice a day.』

『Shop ◀ Click to Open』

『Clinic ◀ Click to Open』

Opened the treatment center, and there are still 210 points left in funds.

Seeing such a generous amount of points, it felt like my stomach was full even without eating.

Since I have some time, should I do some shopping at the store?

“Welcome to Level 1 Shop.

In our store, we sell various items that will help you in battles with warriors.”

“By raising the store’s level, additional products and discounts will be applied.

Store Level 1 Lv (0/100)

1. Trait Selection Ticket – 100P

2. Capsule Draw Ticket – 100P

3. Unlocking Locked Items – 100P

4. Opening the Second Floor of the Confucian School – 1000P”

What should I buy here?

The most appealing thing was the Trait Selection Ticket.

I already had a trait called “Broken Clock,” which was honestly an excellent ability to the point where it could be called a superpower. If I get one more like this, my life will become more abundant and prosperous.

Tick-.

Without hesitation, I chose the “Trait Selection Ticket.”

Ping-!

Soon, something like a roulette commonly seen in various draws in games started spinning. It felt like a spinning wheel.

“Hypnosis ability, let’s go!”

Drrr-Thunk.

Stopped!

At the spot where the roulette arrow pointed, these words were written.

『《Breath Holding》: Allows you to hold your breath 1.5 times longer.』

“…”

What is this?

It’s so subtle.

From Noble mtl dot com

I was secretly hoping for something like a “Hypnosis App,” but I couldn’t hide my disappointment. The ability to hold your breath better.

Of course, it’s better to have it than not, but considering I wasted my 100P, it was a bit dull. It would have been nice if I got an ability that would help with making money.

“Sigh.”

Nevertheless, since I drew this ability, I decided to test it by holding my breath.

Normally, my breath would become rapid after about a minute, but now I could easily hold it for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

“Huff.”

Now, I have 110 points remaining.

I thought about drawing another ability or trying this “Capsule Drawing,” but I put it off.

“Eternity!”

Since Teacher Kang Haneul was entering the store, I didn’t have time to manipulate the status window.

It wouldn’t hurt to leave some spare points, just in case.

Teacher Kang Haneul was driving a silver car.

As soon as he sat in the passenger seat, a refreshing air freshener scent wafted through.

It was a good smell.

“Teacher, it was delicious.”

“Wrong! When you say it like that, it sounds like you’ve eaten the teacher in a delicious way. Korean is a language where the subject and object are important. Next time, say that you ate the Gukbap deliciously.”

“……”

I guess because he’s my Korean teacher.

I received criticism from a place I never expected.

“So, shall we go to a café now? You had something you wanted to say, right? Finally, you want to be honest with the teacher and say everything?”

It seemed like Teacher Kang Haneul thought I called him because of the teasing and bullying written in the “note.”

Well, it’s because I didn’t say, “A ghost comes out of my house!” Even if I honestly said that a ghost comes out of my house, I wondered if he would believe it.

“There are many things I want to tell you. I have a lot of requests… Teacher, can you let me stay at your place just for today?”

“What?”

Teacher Kang Haneul frowned.

That’s the expression of “What is this guy saying?”

“I don’t want to go to my house. In my house… I can’t really tell you what’s going on…”

I tried to make the most pitiful and pathetic expression possible. It was one of the talents that I developed while being bullied by Yang Joo-hee and Kim Geon-ho.

However, Teacher Kang Haneul had a rather naive side to him.

“You want to stay at my place without even telling me what’s going on? What if there’s a rumor going around about a female teacher letting a male student stay at her house?”

“I’ll keep it a real secret. Please. Teacher. Please. Please think of it as saving my life. I could really die. Really… I really… I might really die. Ah…”

This wasn’t a lie.

Today, Mom said she won’t come either.

What kind of situation will I find myself in if I go home like this? Who can guarantee it?

# # #

Teacher Kang Hanul’s house was not far from the school.

It was an apartment with a corridor layout, and each house had a lot of garbage and various odds and ends in front of it, so the environment of the corridor was very dirty.

“Youngwon, you absolutely cannot tell anyone about what happened today. Come in quickly when no one is watching. Hurry! The neighbor is nosy, so if she finds out, it will definitely spread as a rumor!”

Swish-.

I quickly entered through the open door.

“To bring a student into my house. What am I doing right now…?”

Teacher Kang Hanul’s house had three rooms and one bathroom.

It was about 25 pyeong (approximately 82.6 square meters) in width.

In the living room, there was a laundry drying rack and various underwear─.

“Wait, turn your face that way! Quickly!”

“Yes.”

The drying rack in the living room quickly concealed any traces.

It was a house that exuded a sense of daily life in many ways.

So this is what a 31-year-old unmarried single woman’s house feels like. I was slightly nervous, even though it was just the two of us in a mature woman’s house, but Teacher Kang seemed unfazed.

“Youngwon, you can’t be too loud or anything, okay? Tomorrow is Saturday, so the neighbors will all be here. The soundproofing in this house, considering it was built a long time ago, is not good, so if you’re not careful, rumors might spread that you brought a man.”

Teacher Kang Hanul seemed strangely concerned about the neighbors.

“What will happen if rumors spread?”

“Youngwon, you’re a minor. If you make a mistake, I could go to jail. Even if that doesn’t happen, it will be difficult for me to get married. You’re still young, so you might not understand.”

Suddenly, I recalled a conversation among playing children: “Kim Geon-ho went to a motel with the English teacher.” The story unfolded. The English teacher, boasting sophisticated beauty at the age of 27.

“For now, sleep here tonight. It’s originally a room used by the teacher’s older brother, not well-maintained, but clearing a bit won’t be an issue for sleeping. Here’s your pajamas. Should I give you some warm milk?”

I changed into the pajamas the teacher gave me inside the room.

It seemed to be the teacher’s brother’s pajamas, and it looked oversized on me in many ways. However, it seemed better than continuing to wear the uncomfortable school uniform.

Knock, knock.

While I was undressing, the teacher knocked on the door.

━ Eun-won, may the teacher come in? I’ll tidy up what’s inside.

“Not yet. I haven’t finished changing.”

━ Now?

“No, not yet. Please don’t rush me.”

━ Can I come in now? Because there’s a young man in the house, the teacher can’t endure…

What can’t the teacher endure?

Is it because I need to use the bathroom urgently, and they have to tidy up the room I should sleep in first? Hearing the voice mixed with tension and sighs, it might be a significant matter.

I finally hurriedly finished changing my clothes.

“Yes, you can come in now.”

I waited for a moment, but there was no response.

I shivered with a sense of déjà vu.

Could it be that if I open the door and go out, the teacher won’t be there again?

Like when the ghost imitated mom in the bathroom!

Creak.

I went to the living room with the thought that I might swing my fist.

Fortunately, Teacher Kang Haneul was sitting at the dining table, sipping on alcohol.

However, his attire was quite conspicuous.

He was wearing an extremely thin see-through pajama, so translucent that the underwear that had been hanging on the drying rack could be seen.

“Uh…”