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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“How?”
“The fastest and most effective way is to ask Professor Heo Tae-hyun.”
I had expected that to be her first suggestion.
“Professor Heo might be able to extract information through channels we don’t know about.”
“That’s true, but… Professor Heo is a bit…”
“Untrustworthy?”
Professor Yoo Hyun-joo had read my mind perfectly.
“People who engage in espionage don’t trust anyone and aren’t trusted by anyone. I never say anything unnecessary in front of Professor Heo.”
“Then tell me another way.”
Professor Yoo suggested a second method.
“This is a long shot, but check which academy Han Min-ha’s parents attended.”
I understood what she meant.
If they were alumni of our academy, I could search the academic records to find their personal information.
But they might have attended a different academy, or I might not find any clues even if I checked the records.
That’s why Professor Yoo called it a long shot.
“Even a small clue is better than nothing. It might open up other possibilities.”
“That’s true. You’re right, Professor Yoo. I’ll try that. Thank you.”
“But… don’t dig too deep. If it doesn’t feel right, back off immediately.”
As I was about to get up, Professor Yoo added,
“As you know, the Administration is a scary place. They might already be investigating you, having noticed your inquiry about those names.”
“I’ll be careful. Even if the Administration questions me, I can just say it’s a matter concerning my student.”
“Well… I hope so.”
“Anyway, thank you for the advice, Professor Yoo. I’ll buy you some spicy stir-fried pork sometime.”
Professor Yoo chuckled and shook her head.
“Se-young was the one who wanted to eat spicy stir-fried pork. If you’re going to buy me something, treat me to a wine bar sometime.”
“I will.”
Leaving the Comprehensive Offense classroom, I briefly considered where to go next and then made up my mind.
First, I needed to ask Han Min-ha which academy her parents attended.
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After Super Strength class, Yoo Hee-won declined her followers’ invitation to the snack bar during her free period.
“No, I’m not going.”
“Hee-won, are you still upset about the Basic Defense Studies thing?”
The “Basic Defense Studies thing” referred to the upper-class students subtly mocking Professor Hyun Kyo under the guise of asking questions.
The upper-class was composed of elite students selected through the basic evaluation.
Some were from wealthy and powerful families, while others had inherited their parents’ talents.
These were students who were practically guaranteed a C-Rank or higher after graduation.
How would Professor Hyun Kyo appear to these students?
He always had a gloomy expression, wore drab suits and coats, spoke and acted quietly, and his subject was the unpopular and niche field of defense techniques.
From the first day of class, he had shown eccentric behavior, staging a mock shooting, having his teaching assistants hit students with metal pipes under the pretense of helping them meditate, and firing rubber bullets.
And there were no news articles, videos, or even paparazzi shots of him online.
That’s why the students had asked those questions during class.
And Professor Hyun Kyo had answered that he was a retired hero, a C-Rank at that.
To the upper-class students, ignorant of the world and brimming with arrogance, Professor Hyun Kyo would seem like a gray scarecrow, incompetent and undeserving of his position as a professor.
But her followers had made a big mistake.
Professor Hyun Kyo was Yoo Hee-won’s advisor.
One of the two reasons Yoo Hee-won had chosen Professor Hyun Kyo as her advisor was because she liked him.
And Yoo Hee-won had a strong possessive streak.
It was like poking a vicious dog’s prized bone.
But that wasn’t the only reason Yoo Hee-won was rejecting her followers.
She had somewhere to go.
“Where are you going, Hee-won?”
Ignoring her followers’ calls, Yoo Hee-won took out a piece of paper.
It was the lower-class students’ timetable that Teaching Assistant Kim Yi-bitna had printed out for her.
Yoo Hee-won looked at it and headed towards a classroom on a different floor.
She was going to see Han Min-ha, though she wasn’t particularly thrilled about it.
Professor Hyun Kyo had asked her to help Han Min-ha adjust to academy life and improve her grades.
Yoo Hee-won wasn’t the type to listen to others, but she thought she should make that much effort to maintain a good relationship with Professor Hyun Kyo.
It was easier to raise a lower-ranked student to the middle rank than to raise a middle-ranked student to the upper rank.
And as for adjusting to academy life, it would be enough for Yoo Hee-won to simply take Han Min-ha under her wing.
Yoo Hee-won, who could objectively assess her influence among her peers, knew that if she took care of Han Min-ha, she wouldn’t be bullied.
Fine. She would do it.
It was nothing.
As Yoo Hee-won was about to climb the stairs to the classroom, she stopped abruptly.
Professor Hyun Kyo was standing in front of a classroom down the hallway.
Professor Hyun Kyo, with his usual dark gray coat and tired face, was talking to Han Min-ha.
The Basic Defense Studies classroom was quite far from here.
Had he walked all the way here to meet Han Min-ha?
Was it something important enough to require a face-to-face meeting instead of a phone call?
It must be something related to mentoring.
But… she was his student too, so why was he only talking to Han Min-ha?
Perhaps he had simply met Han Min-ha first and had the same thing to tell her as well.
No…? Then he could have just left a message in the group chat.
As she was pondering this, Professor Hyun Kyo finished his conversation and walked down the opposite hallway.
Han Min-ha, who was about to return to the classroom, noticed Yoo Hee-won standing there and cautiously raised her hand.
“Hee-won…?”
“Hey, come here.”
Yoo Hee-won beckoned, and Han Min-ha hesitantly approached.
“What were you talking about with the professor?”
“He asked me which academy my parents graduated from. That’s all.”
“Why did he ask that?”
“I don’t know. He just… said he was curious…”
“But why did he ask you in person instead of calling you?”
“He… said he was on his way to the administrative office…”
Han Min-ha cautiously gauged Yoo Hee-won’s reaction.
Fortunately, Yoo Hee-won didn’t seem too angry.
Because there was nothing wrong with Han Min-ha’s answer.
So that was it… Nothing much.
Relieved, Yoo Hee-won smiled sarcastically and said,
“You have a free period now, right? What are you doing?”
“Huh…? How did you know I have a free period?”
Yoo Hee-won erased her smile and asked coldly,
“What did I just ask you?”
“You asked… what I’m doing during my free period… Nothing… I was just… thinking about going to the library…”
“Snack bar.”
“Huh?”
“Do I have to say it twice?”
“No… let’s go. I’ll buy you some snacks…”
“A broke beggar like you? Forget it, just follow me.”
Yoo Hee-won regretted calling her a beggar but didn’t show it, turning around with a haughty attitude.
Han Min-ha followed her like a servant.
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I went to the administrative office, was greeted warmly by the staff, and headed straight to the director’s office.
“Director, do you have a moment?”
Chae Ga-yoon looked up at my voice, then smiled.
She still looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes.
Her messy hair and pale complexion made her look like a pile of laundry.
Similar to me.
“Professor Kyo? What is it? Come in.”
“I was wondering if the administrative office has the academic records of alumni? I’m trying to find someone.”
“Academic records? Um… you can’t just look at those. You have to submit a request.”
“A request?”
“Yes. It requires final approval from the department head and the dean…”
The department head and the dean? That was a bit problematic…
“Who are you looking for?”
“An old friend of mine. I was just curious. Can’t I just take a quick look?”
“Well… you have to submit a request…”
Chae Ga-yoon pondered for a moment, then said, as if an idea had occurred to her,
“Then, Professor Kyo, I’ll let you see them secretly… if you buy me dinner.”
“Alright.”
My ready agreement surprised Chae Ga-yoon.
She stared blankly at me, then quickly came to her senses.
“R… really?”
“Yes. You were the one who suggested it.”
“Oh, right. Haha… then… um… just a moment.”
Chae Ga-yoon frantically typed on her keyboard and then asked for the names I was looking for.
“Han Tae-woo and Seo Ji-ah.”
“Han Tae-woo… Seo Ji-ah… hmm…”
Chae Ga-yoon furrowed her brow as she scrolled through the records.
“Hmm… just a moment…”
Staring intently at the monitor with a stiff neck, she tilted her head.
“That’s strange…? There’s no one with those names.”
“Huh…?”
Could it be… that they had even erased their academic records…?
This was unexpected…
Did I really have to go to Professor Heo…?
As I pondered this, strengthening my Mental Barrier, Chae Ga-yoon asked,
“Do you know how old they are?”
“Their age? Hmm…”
As parents of high school students, they would be in their late thirties or early forties at the youngest.
Most would be older than that.
“Around that age, I think.”
“Ah, that’s why. You have to check the archives for those.”
“The archives?”
“Yes. The old academic records are about to be discarded anyway, so we didn’t bother digitizing them and just kept the originals.”
“That’s a relief. Can I access the archives?”
Chae Ga-yoon hesitated again.
But since I had firmly agreed to buy her dinner, she changed her mind and stood up.
“I’ll open it for you.”
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The archives were located in the basement of the administrative building.
We went through two thick steel doors, entering a code on a keypad and then scanning fingerprints.
“This is rather lax.”
“Not at all. This place can withstand even a nuclear bomb.”
The dark archives had the characteristic chill of a basement and the smell of old paper.
The inside was quite cluttered, as it also housed old documents nearing disposal, in addition to academic records.
“Director, I’m sorry, but I’d like to look for them myself.”
“Huh…? Ah… um… okay. I’ll wait outside then.”
“Thank you.”
After Chae Ga-yoon left, I slowly made my way to where the academic records were stored.
They were organized by year and then by name, so I started searching through them, roughly estimating the timeframe.
I wondered if I really needed to go to this length, but I had to.
Making Han Min-ha an S-Rank was the quest I had been given.
This was essential to completing it.
After a while, I found the academic records of Han Tae-woo and Seo Ji-ah.
I moved to a well-lit area, leaned against a metal shelf, and opened Han Tae-woo’s record.
The first page was a profile with a photo.
Looking at Han Tae-woo’s picture, I thought Han Min-ha didn’t look like her father, and moved my gaze downwards.
At that moment, my Mental Barrier suddenly started vibrating intensely.
“Ugh…!”
As I groaned, clenching my teeth, I heard someone call my name.
“Hyun Kyo.”
I turned my head and saw a man in a purple suit looking at me.
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[T/N: I have funny feeling that I know where this is going]
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