I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 36

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Han-na was a character with a distinct duality in the original story. In a positive light, she was “multifaceted,” but more critically, she could be seen as “two-faced.”

Her biggest flaw in the early parts of the story was her “bitchy” attitude.

She was arrogant, even towards the protagonist, and often treated those around her with disdain, though not quite to the point of being a bully.

-You lowly commoner, how dare you try to steal Do-han away from me?

-Get lost, loser.

-Do you know who I am?

-Do you want me to ruin your Hunter career?

She frequently used her wealth and influence to belittle others.

Of course, it wasn’t excessive, and these instances were often offset by a single illustration.

She was like a modern-day version of a villainess in a fantasy novel.

But when villainess became the heroine, her most attractive trait was her “duality.”

Cold and cruel to those she deemed irrelevant, yet warm and caring towards those she considered her own. This two-faced nature made the villainess a compelling and multifaceted character.

That was Han-na.

She treated those within her circle with a tsundere-like kindness, earning her a good reputation among her friends and the maids and housekeepers in her family’s mansion.

She provided financial support to a housekeeper struggling with poverty and even pretended to be a close older sister to help a maid whose child was being bullied at school.

And…

…when the father of one of her friends passed away, she stayed up for three days, helping with the funeral arrangements.

Yet, she looked down on strangers, remained indifferent to their struggles, and even actively caused trouble for those she disliked.

She cherished those close to her but showed no compassion for others.

That was Han-na, a character with a complex duality.

Perhaps that’s why she was acting like this towards me now.

Or rather, towards the original Han Tae-jin.

Perhaps she had unconsciously started considering Han Tae-jin, who persistently stalked and obsessed over her despite rumors and gossip, as one of “her people.”

Anyway, thanks to this duality, she successfully redeemed herself in the latter half of the story and became the *true* main heroine.

‘…But I didn’t expect her to have yandere tendencies.’

In any case, Han-na was genuinely apologizing to me now.

Regardless of her reasons, she was apologizing for trying to use the stalking as leverage for a favor.

Accepting her apology didn’t mean condoning the stalking, so there was no reason to refuse.

Even the evidence of the stalking…

…hundreds of photos…

…I had shredded them all.

I had completely erased the original Han Tae-jin’s creepy behavior.

Cleanly and without any lingering issues.

So, I nodded.

“Well… if that’s all you want, I’ll accept your apology.”

“Really?”

To be honest, I was also accepting her apology because I didn’t want to get stabbed in the back.

I no longer needed to antagonize the main heroines.

Yep, that’s it.

Han-na’s face brightened, and she took a step closer.

…I instinctively took a step back.

“Well, if you insist on apologizing. It’s not a big deal, though.”

“N-no! I’m sorry…! I was wrong…! Please forgive me…!”

“Forgive? It’s not that serious… Okay, I accepted your apology, so you can go now.”

“Really? You’re forgiving me this easily?”

Who was forgiving whom?

Because of the original Han Tae-jin’s stalking, *she* was the one who deserved an apology.

Even if she enjoyed it, the original Han Tae-jin was legally more culpable.

So, I just went along with it.

It wasn’t forgiveness, just…

“Yes, really.”

Han-na looked at me with gratitude.

Her usually dull eyes sparkled.

The haughty Han-na, grateful for a simple apology…

Just like Choi Do-han, the morally gray protagonist, was turning into a psychopath due to the deviations from the original story, perhaps Han-na, a main heroine, was also being affected.

The drastic changes in the storyline were bound to have some impact on her.

Tears welled up in her blue eyes as she thanked me.

“Thank you…! Thank you so much…!”

But because of the original Han Tae-jin’s actions, I couldn’t fully accept her gratitude.

It felt awkward.

“…It’s nothing to thank me for.”

I pretended to accept her thanks and turned to leave, eager to indulge in the delicious school lunch.

Today’s menu was…

…spicy stir-fried pork with rice and a Western-style pork cutlet!

But unfortunately, Han-na didn’t seem interested in lunch yet.

“Um, Tae-jin…!”

“What.”

“Can… can we be friends?”

“…Friends?”

Awkwardly, Han-na asked to be friends.

So, the purpose of her apology was to establish a friendly relationship?

Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled.

This was different from Soo-ah and Mi-jin.

In stock market terms, they were like early investors who bought shares before the IPO, while Han-na was buying after the stock had already skyrocketed.

She was essentially switching horses after seeing Choi Do-han’s stock plummet and mine rise.

It was a surefire way to lose money in the stock market.

But while I wasn’t thrilled, I didn’t feel any particular aversion.

Han-na was just a main NPC following the original author’s script, now developing self-awareness due to the deviations in the storyline.

Her self-awareness might have developed a little later than Mi-jin and Soo-ah’s, but there was no need to be hostile towards her.

As I mentioned before, she hadn’t done anything wrong to warrant an apology from me.

Actually, looking back, Han-na was the first to attempt to “buy” me. When she tried to use the stalking as leverage, she was essentially trying to get in on the ground floor.

But I had rejected her offer.

So, there was no reason to leave her to a tragic fate.

Especially now, with Choi Do-han seemingly turning into a villain, pushing her away might corrupt her as well.

If her thoughts had revealed any resentment or ulterior motives, I would have rejected her outright.

But her apology was excessively sincere, and there was no need to draw a line with someone who hadn’t actually wronged me.

And so what if she was a bit of an attention-seeker and had a bad attitude?

If you were pretty, being an attention-seeker just meant being popular, and a bad attitude was just being “chic.”

Besides…

I knew Han-na’s character better than anyone.

Perhaps even better than her own father, Han Baek-ho.

As an ally, she would be an invaluable asset: a villainess, the only daughter of Korea’s top guild, a skilled and valuable tank, and a sassy main heroine.

There was no reason to push her away.

…Although I would have to keep an eye on the “sassy” part.

“Friends… aren’t all classmates friends?”

“H-huh?”

I hadn’t anticipated that simply stopping the stalking to live a normal life would have such a butterfly effect.

But I wouldn’t abandon the heroines who had become collateral damage in the rift I created.

With that thought in mind, I replied to Han-na with a nonchalant, cynical expression.

“Whatever.”

I put my hands in my pockets and headed to the cafeteria.

I had to prioritize the spicy pork and cutlet.

I was starving.

“Thank you! Tae-jin!”

Han-na’s cheerful voice echoed from behind.

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A church on the outskirts of Seoul.

The shabby church near the southern Great Wall had a cross and a faded sign that read [Retourne Church].

– *Crunch, crunch.*

In the late evening…

…as people were settling down for the night, someone walked towards the church.

The sound of footsteps on gravel echoed through the alley.

It was a secluded alley, filled with cobwebs and the musty smell of mold.

A chilly wind blew, kicking up dust.

A woman in a long black skirt walked through the alley.

She entered the Retourne Church, neatly placed her low-heeled black shoes at the entrance, and stepped inside.

Her steps were reverent, her demeanor calm.

The cross necklace she wore and the dust-stained hem of her skirt suited the sacred yet humble atmosphere.

The interior was quite grand.

The ceiling was high, and thick pillars stood throughout the space.

At the end of the rows of pews, a statue with a benevolent smile stood serenely.

It was a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The woman knelt before the statue, clasped her hands together, and prayed.

“אני מ … Ani meh.”

A prayer that sounded like a chant.

A faint, white light swirled around the statue of the Virgin Mary.

When the light subsided, a woman sat on the pedestal where the statue had been.

She was dressed in a white mourning garment, as if covered in freshly fallen snow.

Her long sleeves and skirt flowed down like a waterfall, creating a mystical aura.

Her long, straight hair was as white as her dress, and her eyes were almost white as well.

She looked down at the woman kneeling before her and asked, a gentle smile gracing her lips, “You’ve been working hard, sister. How are things going?”

“Cadet Choi Do-han challenged Cadet Han Tae-jin to a duel, and Han Tae-jin won. He demonstrated a clear advantage in skill.”

“Oh, that’s an unexpected development.”

The woman in white ran her long fingernails across her lower lip, impressed.

The kneeling woman looked up and smiled.

It was a pure, innocent, and satisfied smile.

“Yes. So, I think I’ll place my hopes on him this time.”

“Hoho, you seem quite confident.”

“I have a good feeling about this.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ll be waiting for good news, sister.”

“Yes, Sister Ercia.”

“Take care.”

Their brief conversation ended, the woman in white disappeared, and the statue of the Virgin Mary reappeared.

The kneeling woman stood up, bowed once more, and turned to leave.

‘I hope he succeeds…!’

She smiled again as she left the church. The light from a newly lit street lamp illuminated her face.

It was Yoo Soo-ah, the promising healer of this graduating class.

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