A Veteran Teaches Very Well

part 41

He wasn’t just coming by occasionally like the other kids; he was hanging around all day. I couldn’t stand this sight any longer.

I needed to have a serious talk with Song Ji-hyuk soon.

Knock knock—

“Professor!”

Was it time for a break? I heard Ahn Se-ri’s voice from outside.

“Come in.”

As soon as I gave permission, Ahn Se-ri entered.

Standing behind her was Seo Da-yoon.

“Hello!”

“Yeah.”

“Why is this person here?”

Ahn Se-ri pointed at Song Seok-hwan and asked.

Song Seok-hwan bristled.

“Do you think a person is some kind of object? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“So why is he here then?”

“Just because I’m bored, why?”

Even though Song Seok-hwan’s personality had changed, his pride remained intact.

Not wanting to appear weak in front of Ahn Se-ri, he spat out whatever came to mind.

“Seok-hwan ran away from home. You’ll be seeing him in my office often for a while.”

“Ugh! What are you, some kind of middle schooler? You’re not a kid anymore to be running away.”

“Shut up! Why are you telling her that?”

Song Seok-hwan and Ahn Se-ri were bickering back and forth.

They sure knew how to argue.

Seo Da-yoon seemed to want no part in that childish spectacle and took a step back.

She glanced at my desk and asked,

“What were you doing, Professor?”

“Choosing additional staff.”

“Supplementary personnel, you say?”

“Thanks to someone causing an accident, all the A group students are in the hospital, and we’re expecting to fill their spots.”

At the mention of his own situation, Song Seok-hwan flinched.

An Se-ri seized the opportunity to strike.

“You must be having a tough time, Professor. All because of one troublemaker.”

“T-this is…”

The A group students had sustained serious injuries.

If it had been ordinary wounds, they would have returned quickly, but the power of the malevolent spirit was no trivial matter.

The doctors estimated it would take over a month for them to fully recover.

Originally, the plan was to continue classes with three groups.

After all, my grading is absolute.

The decrease in student numbers wouldn’t affect the others, and above all, having fewer students was more comfortable for me.

That thought changed because of President Ryu Jeong-ah.

“Isn’t that troublemaker doing the best these days?”

“I was just lucky.”

“Don’t you dislike that kind of humility?”

President Ryu Jeong-ah made a suggestion.

“There are many students who want to take your class. The registration period ended a while ago, but… I’ll allow an exception. Can you possibly take in a few of those who missed out to replace the ones who dropped?”

Calling it a request was an understatement; it was less menacing than holding a gun to my head, but not by much.

A request from the academy president could hardly be called a request.

“Understood.”

…And then I regretted it.

“Here! I’ve organized the profiles, so please take a look and choose.”

“…What is this?”

What Lee Ye-eun, the teaching assistant, brought wasn’t just paperwork; it was a mountain of paper.

A staggering 877 pages.

In reality, almost all the new students at the academy with available credits had applied.

“It took a ton of time just to print this. Please pay me back for the copying later. Now, I’ll go back to my research.”

With that, Lee Ye-eun fled the scene.

What a truly terrible person.

—

So this is what they call a teaching assistant.

Seo Da-yoon was taken aback by the mountain of paperwork.

“Is all of this paper? Wow! It’s really paper? How many pages is this?”

“Just over 800.”

“Wow, so the competition ratio is 5 to 800, huh? That means only the really exceptional ones will gather here?”

“I wish that were the case. It would be easier to line them up by admission scores. But we have to balance it with the other groups.”

I had to complete the new A-party before the next class, but I hadn’t even read half of it yet.

Moreover, I had to provide extra classes for those kids separately, and I was busy with all sorts of things.

An Se-ri spoke up.

“Speaking of which, doesn’t it remind you of when we first created the lecture?”

“Oh, that time.”

It was the day before the entrance ceremony.

It was still in the professor’s office.

I had envisioned the lecture, but no one was showing up, so I called An Se-ri.

“Isn’t it amazing how things turn out? Back then, we were brainstorming just to increase the six participants to twenty-two, and now we’re trying to reduce over 800 to five.”

“Right? I thought it was a guaranteed failure, but look how big it’s become.”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Hehe.”

Honestly, I never expected it to turn out this way.

I didn’t know my lecture would grow this large, nor did I foresee my students blossoming like this.

An Se-ri.

She has grown so well over these past two months.

The first time An Se-ri followed me was because of Cheonri-an.

I confessed a shocking truth to An Se-ri.

“Se-ri, to be honest, I never intended to give you Cheonri-an.”

“…What?”

An Se-ri blinked in surprise and asked back.

I explained slowly.

“Being recognized by Cheonri-an is an incredibly demanding task. I thought that even if I gave it to you, you wouldn’t be able to handle it. But I guess I was wrong.”

An Se-ri was momentarily lost in thought.

What could they be thinking? Do they feel betrayed by me?

The response I received was truly unexpected.

“Oh, right. The clairvoyance. I had forgotten about that.”

…My heart sank.

What is this?

The person involved had forgotten, and I was the only one who had become overly invested? It’s a bit embarrassing.

An Se-ri said,

“Still, I would appreciate it if you could let me know where it is.”

She added a slight explanation.

“Actually, that’s true. I used to want to cling to things like that, but now I’m different. I’m confident I can inherit the guild even without it.”

An Se-ri smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth.

It was a truly lovely smile.

“That doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m just here to listen to the professor’s class.”

Those words tugged at a corner of my heart.

Is she trying to make me cry? Is this what it means to be a mentor?

“What are you talking about? Since it makes the listener feel excluded, let’s not share inside jokes.”

Just as I was about to indulge in my thoughts, Song Seok-hwan interrupted.

What an oblivious jerk.

I responded appropriately.

“It’s just as it sounds. When I first opened the lecture, there were only six of us.”

“Oh, who were they?”

“Um….”

It wasn’t hard to recall.

“An Se-ri, Baek Seol-hwa, Nam Hye-joo, Lee Bong-nam, and two others whose names you don’t know.”

“Lee Bong-nam?”

An Se-ri tilted her head in confusion.

I was taken aback and asked again.

“You don’t even know your friend’s name? He’s in your group.”

“Excuse me?”

An Se-ri and Seo Da-yoon exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously.

“Where could a kid like that be… Ah!”

Seo Da-yoon clapped her hands.

“Abraham, you know! His real name is Lee Bong-nam.”

“Aha.”

Abraham? What’s that about?

“What does that mean?”

“His name is Abraham.”

“Abraham? Isn’t it Lee Bong-nam?”

“He wants to be called Abraham.”

“What a peculiar kid.”

Song Seok-hwan interrupted the conversation.

“Anyway, can’t you see your professor is busy? So go out and play. Shoo, shoo.”

Song Seok-hwan waved his hands, signaling them to leave.

An Se-ri snapped back and shouted.

“Song Seok-hwan, you come out too!”

“What? Why me?”

“You’re just as much a distraction!”

Nice one, Se-ri.

Thanks to An Se-ri’s efforts, all the distractions were sent away.

Finally, an environment conducive to focus was created.

Honestly, I was just feeling lazy and wanted to leave everything to Lee Ye-eun and run away, but she had already bolted.

Life really is strange.

Knock, knock—

“Ah, damn.”

Just as I was about to concentrate, a knock sounded.

The heavy knock was unrecognizable.

That meant it wasn’t someone who came often.

“Come in.”

As soon as I gave my permission, the door opened.

“Ah, Professor Cha, it’s a pleasure.”

An unexpected guest arrived.

Why is this person here?

Park Seo-hu’s master.

The Sword Master, Jo Seong-ung, entered.

* * *

Sword Master Jo Seong-ung.

The relationship between him and me was somewhat delicate.

We had some points of contact and held no particular ill feelings toward each other, but it would be a stretch to say we were close.

To exaggerate a bit, it was a more uncomfortable relationship than with a complete stranger.

“What brings you here?”

I couldn’t fathom why Jo Seong-ung would come looking for me.

He responded with an awkward smile.

“Ha ha! Professor Cha, what a disappointing thing to say! Do we need a reason to meet? If I want to see you, I just come!”

“Our relationship? What kind of relationship is that?”

“Oh! Aren’t we colleagues who shared sweat and blood in the training grounds, raising our disciples together? Our Seo-hu and your child are quite close too. Heh heh.”

Park Seo-hu and Baek Seol-hwa are close? That’s news to me.

Setting that aside, what does it mean to raise disciples together?

He was the one who drew the line, telling me not to let Seo-hu approach first.

“Stop saying things you don’t mean.”

“Oh come on, why don’t you understand my sincerity?”

Jo Seong-ung cleared his throat twice and got to the point.

“Actually, I ran into your kids on the way here.”

He must be talking about Ahn Se-ri, Seo Da-yoon, and Song Seok-hwan, who just left.

“They said you’re very busy selecting students right now?”

“Yes. I am busy.”

“Hmm, so I came to offer some consolation…”

Why would someone who knows that come here?

Cold words slipped from my lips.

“If you know I’m busy, please don’t disturb me and leave.”

“Oh dear! You really are quick-tempered, just like a true Korean.”

Jo Sung-woong finally got to the point.

“I want to recommend one of my favorite students to help you. What do you think? It’s an enticing offer, isn’t it?”

Favorite student, huh?

This man only has Park Seo-ho as his student.

I could roughly see why he was here.

He just wanted to push his student, Park Seo-ho, onto me.

My eyes turned into those of someone looking at a maggot.

In that moment, Jo Sung-woong looked as repulsive as a worm.

Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, he desperately tried to explain himself.

“Oh, no, wait! Just hear me out!”

Hear what?

This guy threatened me last time not to lay a hand on his student.

And now that I’m doing well, he’s changed his tune and come to butter me up for a lecture.

A scene played in my mind.

“Do you know what the handle of a millstone is called?”

Exactly. It was absurd.

“Don’t worry. I remember everything you said last time.”

“Uh, what?”

“We promised, didn’t we? Not to cross any lines.”

As I smiled, Jo Sung-woong’s face turned pale.

He spoke urgently.

“Wait! I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

“What for?”

“For what happened last time, and, well, I’m sorry for everything!”

Thud!

Jo Sung-woong knelt and bowed before me.

Then, sobbing, he said,

“Please, just think of it as saving a life! Huh? If Professor Cha keeps being this cold, the president will kill me!”

President Ryu Jeong-ah? Why is she being brought up here?

I decided to listen a little longer.

“Why, President?”

“I never intended to come here in the first place! Of course, I had the desire to show our Seo Hoo the best lectures in the world, but there’s such a thing as shame!”

“That’s true.”

“When I said that, the President looked like he wanted to kill me! He told me to go to Professor Cha, even if it meant splitting my belly in apology, to get Park Seo Hoo into the class! Please, just let me live!”

I understood the situation.

From the moment President Ryu Jung Ah told me to accept a new student, there was already a designated candidate.

It was none other than Park Seo Hoo.

They had planned from the beginning to hand over the academy’s top talent to me.

“Hmmm.”

I had lashed out at Jo Sung Woong out of spite, but in truth, there was nothing wrong with accepting Park Seo Hoo.

In fact, it was only going to bring benefits.

What I looked forward to the most was Park Seo Hoo’s swordsmanship, which could be honed under a mentor’s talent.

For now, Edeline’s skills were the best, but if he could make it through the latter half safely, Park Seo Hoo would grow into a swordsman superior to Edeline.

The experience points that would come along with it were beyond words.

For the sake of the class, a solid focal point was necessary to balance things out.

Just looking at Group D, the leader’s capabilities were lacking, always keeping them at the bottom.

The only student who could stand against An Se Ri and Baek Seol Hwa was Park Seo Hoo.

Alright, decision made.

Let’s accept Park Seo Hoo.

“I’m sorry.”

But I pushed back once more.

Since it had come to this, I was thinking of taking in everything I could.

Jo Sung Woong was now clinging to my legs with both hands, begging.

In the midst of it all, his grip was incredibly strong.

My leg caught in his grasp tingled.

“Am I the one who should be sorry? Huh? Professor Cha, please!”

What should I ask for?

The most coveted thing was Jo Sung Woong’s swordsmanship.

The skills he had built up over a lifetime couldn’t be bought with money.

“Then pay me with your life.”

“Mo, the price of a life?”

“Please give me Professor Jo’s swordsmanship vision.”

“……!”

Jo Seong-woong’s expression instantly turned fierce.

Of course, he would refuse.

Jo Seong-woong was that kind of man.

He would offer his life, but never his swordsmanship.

“Professor Cha, do you mean you want to become my disciple?”

“No. I only want the secret manual.”

“That’s ridiculous! It’s a greater insult than death!”

Regardless, even if Jo Seong-woong refused, the swordsmanship would soon be acquired.

Jo Seong-woong’s swordsmanship was inherited by Park Seo-hu.

If I could gain Park Seo-hu’s swordsmanship as a mentor, that would be Jo Seong-woong’s swordsmanship vision.

I felt a bit sorry, but it was all for the world.