Chapter 65: The Smile That Twists Emotions

After finishing my workout and training session, I stepped out of my private training room.

I wiped the sweat from my face with the small towel So-ah had given me earlier, the fabric already damp from the heat lingering on my skin. As I walked down the hallway, my eyes naturally shifted toward the living room.

There, sitting quietly on the sofa, was Elvera.

Her posture was stiff, her gaze unfocused. She stared at nothing in particular, her hands folded on her lap. There was something off about her expression—uncertainty, worry, and unease all mixed together.

I frowned slightly.

Something was bothering her.

I walked closer and rested my hands gently on her shoulders from behind the sofa, leaning against it.

“Hey,” I said calmly. “What’s wrong? You look worried.”

Elvera flinched slightly, clearly startled by my sudden voice. She turned her head toward me, her expression easing just a little once she realized it was me.

A faint smile formed on her lips.

“I suppose… I’m still not used to seeing your handsome face so close to mine,” she said lightly.

I let out a small chuckle.

“Stop joking around,” I replied. “What’s really going on? You’ve looked uneasy ever since you came back from the mall yesterday.”

“….”

Elvera fell silent.

Her eyes lowered as if she were carefully choosing her words. The brief pause told me everything—this wasn’t something trivial.

After a moment, she finally spoke.

“Yesterday… when I was at the mall with the children… we encountered a villain.”

My smile immediately faded.

“A villain?”

“Yes,” Elvera continued. “He possesses the ability to manipulate emotions.”

The moment those words left her mouth, my thoughts froze.

Emotion manipulation?

That power didn’t exist in the original webtoon.

Not even once.

My mind raced.

A villain with emotional manipulation…?

This wasn’t just a minor deviation anymore.

This was completely off the rails.

“How does it work?” I asked quietly.

“I don’t know the full extent,” Elvera replied. “But I’m certain of one thing. He can influence emotions directly—fear, admiration, affection, hostility… all of it.”

That was bad.

Very bad.

A power like that could destabilize entire groups without a single physical attack.

I clenched my jaw.

This world was drifting further and further away from the original storyline I knew.

And I had no information.

No warnings.

No preparation.

I spoke again, my tone serious.

“Do you know what this villain looks like?”

Elvera shook her head slowly.

“I… don’t know. He wore a brown coat and a cowboy hat. But when I tried to look at his face… I couldn’t.”

“You couldn’t?”

“It was as if something was blocking my vision,” she said quietly. “No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t see his face. It felt… wrong.”

That confirmed it.

This villain was far more dangerous than Zofia.

Someone capable of concealing their identity while manipulating emotions wasn’t just a threat—they were a walking catastrophe.

“I understand,” I said after a moment.

I turned away and headed toward the bathroom, my head already pounding.

Unknown villain.

Unknown motives.

Unknown limits.

All I had was a single clue: emotional manipulation.

“I’ll look into it,” I muttered under my breath.

*The Next Day — Seoul University*

Friday.

The final day before summer break.

Ji-hye walked alone toward the university campus, her bag slung over her shoulder. She let out a small sigh, unaware that today would be anything but normal.

As she walked through the main path, her eyes were drawn toward a large crowd ahead.

Students had gathered in a tight cluster, voices overlapping with excitement and curiosity.

“…What are they doing?” Ji-hye murmured.

Curiosity got the better of her.

She walked closer, only to realize she couldn’t see anything.

There were simply too many people.

And with her shorter height, it was nearly impossible to tell what was going on.

“Ugh!”

She stood on her toes, trying to peek over the crowd—but still nothing.

Annoyed, Ji-hye forced her way forward, squeezing between bodies despite the cramped space.

It took some effort, but eventually…

She saw it.

Her eyes widened in shock.

People were lining up.

Dozens of them.

All waiting for a single man’s autograph.

Ji-hye followed the line with her gaze until she saw him.

Elias.

Her brows furrowed.

Why…?

He wasn’t a celebrity.

He wasn’t an idol.

He wasn’t even famous.

He was just a foreign exchange student from Germany.

So why were so many people—mostly women, but even some men—lining up just to get his signature?

It didn’t make sense.

Ji-hye glanced around.

Even professors were standing nearby, watching the scene.

But their expressions weren’t concerned.

They looked… happy.

Satisfied.

Almost proud.

A strange chill crept up Ji-hye’s spine.

Suddenly, Elias’s eyes shifted.

He noticed her.

The moment their gazes met, Elias stepped out of the autograph line and walked straight toward her.

“Oh! Isn’t this Miss Ji-hye!?” he exclaimed cheerfully.

Ji-hye froze.

She instinctively tried to step back, but there was nowhere to go. People filled the space behind her.

“H-Hello…” Elias said softly, leaning closer. “Sweetheart~”

Ji-hye grimaced, disgust clearly written on her face.

“What are you doing?” she asked flatly.

“Hm? Oh, this?” Elias gestured behind him. “I don’t really know either. They suddenly surrounded me and asked for autographs, so I just gave them what they wanted.”

Ji-hye stared at him, confused.

“I’m surprised too,” Elias continued with a smile. “I’m not even an artist~”

The situation felt deeply uncomfortable.

“Tch… do whatever you want,” Ji-hye muttered.

She turned around and pushed her way out of the crowd.

Elias’s eyes widened.

“W-wait!”

He followed her immediately.

The two of them emerged from the crowd together.

Dozens of eyes locked onto them.

Jealous.

Irritated.

Angry.

“Ji-hye~ why are you so cold to me~?” Elias asked playfully.

“Stop following me,” she replied. “Go back and give them your autographs. I’m going to class.”

“Ah~ but I’d rather be with you~”

Ji-hye clenched her fists but kept walking.

She could feel the stares burning into her back.

Elias, on the other hand, walked beside her casually, his smile unwavering.

“You should really stop following me,” she said again.

“Ah~ I don’t want to.”

Her irritation grew.

“This is making me uncomfortable.”

“But we have the same class, don’t we? I’m heading there too~”

Ji-hye sighed deeply.

He was nothing but a nuisance.

Inside the Classroom

The moment class began, Ji-hye felt it.

The atmosphere was wrong.

The professor kept glancing at her with visible displeasure.

And it wasn’t just him.

The students.

Their gazes were filled with hostility.

Confusion.

Disgust.

Ji-hye leaned toward Jin-ah.

“Jin-ah… why is everyone looking at me like that?”

Jin-ah replied coldly.

“I don’t know. Don’t ask me.”

“H-huh? O-oh… okay…”

Ji-hye blinked in surprise.

Jin-ah was never like this.

She glanced toward Elias.

He was calmly writing in his notebook.

Sensing her gaze, he looked up and smiled sweetly.

Ji-hye turned away immediately, her frustration mounting.

After Class

The professor left the classroom with a scowl.

Before Ji-hye could even stand up, several students surrounded her desk.

One of them slammed her hand down on the table.

“Hey you. Stop pretending to be close to Elias, you cheap woman.”

Ji-hye froze.

“What…?”

“Do you think we’ll believe your lies? Elias has been sticking close to you since yesterday.”

She couldn’t understand.

Why were they acting like this?

Why so hostile?

“I-I think there’s a misunderstanding,” Ji-hye said quickly. “I’m not close to Elias at all.”

“Hah? You expect us to believe that?”

Their faces were filled with anger and disgust.

Then—

“Uhm… everyone.”

Elias stepped in between them.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” he said gently. “Ji-hye and I are just friends. That’s all, so let’s stop here, okay?”

The moment he spoke, the students’ expressions softened.

They smiled shyly.

“Well… if Elias says so…”

One by one, they dispersed.

Ji-hye stood there in silence, staring at Elias.

She couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Something was very, very wrong.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep