I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 12

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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‘…Is this right?’

Han-Na asked herself as she headed to Tae-jin’s house.

Lately, she felt like her instincts were taking precedence over her reason. But even when she tried to prioritize reason, her instincts always took the lead.

‘Haa… I just need to know the reason. That’s all.’

The reason why he stopped stalking her out of the blue after two years.

And what exactly had caused this change in him.

If she knew these two things, this embarrassing stakeout would be over.

It was just curiosity, a process to restore her wounded pride.

It was the absence of the attention she had received every day for two years, and although she felt a sense of unease, as if the absence of this one person might lead to countless other absences, she dismissed it as an overreaction.

What was the big deal about losing one stalker?

Stalking was a crime, and she should be happy he stopped.

But strangely, annoyingly, her regret outweighed her joy, and Han-Na was desperately trying to deny it.

‘I regret that he stopped stalking me? Nonsense! I’m just pissed off, that’s all!’

She was angry.

She was annoyed that she was angry.

Why would she, who was practically the queen bee of the academy, be annoyed by a mere stalker?

She had even managed to snag Choi Do-han, the academy’s strongest and a guaranteed success after graduation, as her boyfriend.

Why would she regret losing a stalker?

‘…Wait.’

[Lost.]

Han-Na stopped in her tracks at the word that had just flitted through her mind. Lost. She could dismiss it as a slip of the tongue, but the word resonated strongly in her mind.

‘Lost…? Me…? That’s bullshit.’

But for some reason…

She couldn’t think of another word to replace ‘lost.’

Didn’t ‘lost’ mean that something you possessed was gone, regardless of your will?

Why did the word ‘lost’ apply to a mere stalker she had never possessed, nor ever intended to?

…Could it be… obsession stemming from regret?

‘N-no! That’s not it!’

Han-Na shook her head violently, as if having a seizure at the word ‘obsession.’

It was a preposterous thought.

Obsession, wasn’t that the possessive desire for something unattainable?

She simply hadn’t ‘possessed’ Han Tae-jin, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t have.

‘Of course! There’s no man I can’t have…!’

She was the most beautiful girl in the academy and the daughter of Han Baek-ho, one of Korea’s top hunters.

There was nothing she couldn’t have, and she had always lived a life free of obsession.

‘I’m just checking!’

She just wanted to know why his seemingly eternal devotion had changed and if he had been swayed by someone else.

Once she confirmed that, she would leave him without a second thought.

‘Hmph, Choi Do-han is way cooler than Han Tae-jin.’

Yes.

No matter how much he transformed, Han Tae-jin was still Han Tae-jin.

An ordinary student with slumped shoulders, a hunched back, a haggard face, and a frail body.

But strangely, the Han Tae-jin in Han-Na’s mind was pictured with broad shoulders, a straight back, a vibrant face, and a toned physique with lean muscles.

Like a newly mined gem, covered in dust and impurities, being meticulously polished by a craftsman.

Her image of him was becoming distorted, but Han-Na didn’t realize it.

It was as if he had always been that way in her mind.

‘Ugh! Whatever! That’s not important right now!’

*Thump!*

Han-Na kicked the ground in frustration, took a deep breath to calm her anger, and finally arrived at Tae-jin’s house. She pressed the doorbell.

And…

—*Fling!*

“Master! Why are you so late—?!”

Bersha, diligently following the sixth rule of conduct – to polymorph whenever exposed to the outside world, regardless of the reason – opened the door and came face to face with Han-Na.

At the same time, Han-Na felt a sense of despair wash over her.

‘…Holy shit…?! She’s… she’s gorgeous?!’

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Long violet hair, fair skin, and features so perfectly sculpted they seemed divinely crafted.

Han-Na froze, her jaw dropping at the sight of the woman who looked like a goddess descended from heaven.

‘N-no way! How could Han Tae-jin be with a goddess like this?!’

The woman’s presence felt like an insurmountable wall, regardless of whether she was a student or a hunter.

Han-Na quickly composed herself and cleared her throat to mask her shock.

‘Calm down. Who knows? Maybe she’s his half-sister?’

Yes, it was too early to jump to conclusions.

Or perhaps she was a cousin.

‘Huh…?’

Bersha, equally surprised, also froze, her hand still on the doorknob.

She had been about to scold her master for being late, but a strange woman had appeared instead.

And the woman spoke first.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Me? Oh, um…”

Han-Na, who had shown up at the house at night, was now being asked who she was.

When Bersha asked with a puzzled look, Han-Na averted her gaze and chuckled awkwardly.

“Ah, haha, no, it’s nothing. I’m Han-Na, Han Tae-jin’s friend.”

She bowed politely, and Bersha, seemingly less wary, released the doorknob.

“Ah… I see. But what brings you here…?”

“Ah, as a friend, I thought it was right to inform you about my classmate’s situation… I know it’s late, but I came here…”

“Excuse me? Did something happen to Master, I mean… Tae-jin?”

“Well…”

Just as Han-Na was about to answer…

She thought of a clever tactic and softened her tone, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Ah, um… what is your relationship with Tae-jin? I was told he has no family… and, as you know, this is considered personal information, so I need to confirm your relationship…”

“Ah… our relationship.”

Han-Na rambled, her eyes darting nervously, but fortunately, the woman didn’t seem too suspicious.

It couldn’t be helped.

Bersha was in a rather awkward situation.

She hadn’t received any instructions or simulations on how to handle a visit from the class president of her master’s academy.

‘Uh… wh-what should I say?’

Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

She knew her master had no family.

It would definitely be strange for someone who wasn’t family, just an acquaintance, to be alone at his house at this hour.

Their relationship had to be closer than just acquaintances.

And she had been told never to reveal that she was a ‘summon.’

Therefore, she had no readily available options.

Moreover, when intelligent beings panic, their thinking becomes constricted.

“Ah, I, I am…”

The longer she hesitated, the more suspicious she would appear.

Bersha, her eyes trembling like aspen leaves, finally came up with an answer.

Of course…

It wasn’t a suitable answer like ‘cousin,’ but an answer that would only make sense in Bersha’s world.

“I-I’m his housekeeper! His housekeeper!”

Han-Na’s smooth brow furrowed.

‘What? Housekeeper? Housekeeper? Why?’

The steps she had taken to resolve her questions seemed to be leading her deeper into a maze.

Her father, Han Baek-ho, also had a housekeeper.

Well, it was more of an assistant, but the meaning was similar.

But she hadn’t even remotely considered the possibility of Han Tae-jin having a personal housekeeper, so she couldn’t help but be surprised.

So, was this why he lived in such a luxurious house?

Was this why he had been so carefree at the academy?

But if he could afford a housekeeper, he must be someone of considerable standing, right?

Han Tae-jin was just a student.

And above all…

Where in the world could you find such a beautiful housekeeper?

Han-Na’s head throbbed as the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together, yet somehow didn’t.

“…E-excuse me? H-housekeeper? Han Tae-jin’s…?”

“Yes! I’m the young master’s housekeeper, Renia! Ho, hoho!”

“Excuse me? Y-young master…? Han Tae-jin…?”

Han-Na’s blue eyes widened.

Was her throbbing head finally going haywire?

She even felt like she was seeing stars.

She had come here to put an end to her lingering regret and curiosity towards a stalker who had abandoned her, but instead, her curiosity had only intensified.

‘Han Tae-jin… who are you…?’

What kind of combination was a slacker who used to stalk people and a housekeeper?

He was supposed to be an orphan, but did he have some incredibly powerful backing?

‘Come to think of it, it was strange that he hadn’t been expelled with those grades!’

Han Tae-jin had the lowest grades in the graduating class, far behind everyone else.

Yet, he had attended the academy without a single expulsion or warning.

Of course, since he consistently occupied the bottom rank every semester, no one had suspected or paid attention, but in retrospect, it was strange.

‘Is his homeroom teacher backing him? Maybe they’re half-siblings?’

While Tae-jin was in a deep sleep, the situation was becoming increasingly strange and tangled.

‘That was an excellent answer!’

Bersha, however, was feeling quite proud of herself.

It was a reasonable answer, in her opinion.

All the masters who had summoned her over the past 1,000 years had been remarkable individuals in this world.

And it had been less than two weeks since she was summoned. She had no way of knowing what kind of things Han Tae-jin had been doing or what kind of academy life he had been leading.

Moreover, she came from Drugopia, where the concept of relatives didn’t exist.

Although she had experienced human society through five summons, she was only knowledgeable about monsters and hunters related to her masters’ missions.

She had no knowledge of, nor interest in, the intricacies of human relationships, so this was the best answer she could come up with.

‘At least it’s better than saying I’m his girlfriend, right?’

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At the same time…

Someone was walking under the starry night sky.

A man cloaked entirely in black, as if the night sky itself had taken human form.

His robust physique and confident stride suggested a powerful presence.

He was heading towards the ‘National Hunter Hospital.’

Passing through the brightly lit entrance of the hospital, the man continued walking without hesitation.

He eventually arrived at the reception desk, but the staff and nurses collapsed as soon as they came into contact with the dark aura he emitted.

‘Here it is.’

The man, who had effortlessly rendered even the hunter guards unconscious, stood before a hospital room labeled B12.

His dark eyes read the name on the patient record card.

[Patient: Han Tae-jin]

It was Han Tae-jin’s name.

The door slid open, and the man entered the room.

On the shoulder of his black cloak was an eye-shaped mark, the symbol of the villainous alliance, Illusion.

And the mark was a deep crimson, the color signifying an executive of Illusion.

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