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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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In the smoking area outside the research building.
“Fuck.”
Even with my Mental Barrier up, I was slightly startled by Professor Yoo Hyun-joo’s outburst.
She lit a cigarette and cursed again, her pronunciation slightly slurred.
“Shiiit.”
She reached into her pocket for a lighter, glanced at me, and then shoved it back in.
“You’re lucky, Professor Kyo. You have only two students.”
A short, one-week break.
And home visits to over twenty students scattered across the country.
It was understandable why she was cursing.
“It just turned out that way. You must be exhausted.”
“If they had given us at least a month’s notice, I wouldn’t be so pissed.”
Professor Yoo grumbled, chewing on her cigarette filter.
The toned muscles of Professor Yoo, an expert in close combat, rippled beneath her thin summer shirt.
“Professor Yoo, the cancellation fees must be enormous.”
Professor Jin Se-young interjected cautiously.
“Cancellation fees?”
“Professor Yoo… you booked a vacation to a resort overseas for this break. You were supposed to leave tomorrow…”
“Oh dear…”
That would be infuriating.
“How about you, Professor Jin? Don’t you have a lot of students, too?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of getting special flight permission.”
Heroes weren’t allowed to fly long distances freely.
It could cause misidentification by air defense radar or accidents due to overlapping flight plans.
Of course, short-distance emergency deployments didn’t require special procedures.
But visiting all her students’ homes would require long-distance flights, hence the need for special permission.
“That’s a good idea. I should get permission too and get this over with quickly. Even though my overseas trip is ruined.”
“I don’t understand why this is happening so suddenly. Home visits by advisors, not management TAs…?”
Professors Jin and Yoo sighed simultaneously.
Professor Heo Tae-hyun, who taught Information Gathering and Operations, chuckled at their misery.
“That’s what you get for being so popular. It’s easier when you’re a nobody like me.”
“Well, Professor Heo, you were a spy!”
Professor Heo giggled and lit a cigarette at Professor Jin’s remark.
“You shouldn’t smoke with Professor Kyo here!”
“It’s fine. Kyo Soo-hyun doesn’t even cough anymore.”
“No! Professor Heo, your smoke will make him cough again!”
With lightning speed, Professor Jin flicked her hand, precisely severing the tip of Professor Heo’s cigarette.
“Whoa… scary…”
Professor Heo chuckled, looking at the cleanly cut cigarette.
“By the way, any idea about the internship assignments for next semester?”
He put the cigarette away, changing the subject.
First-year students in their second semester went on internships.
Hero agencies and Administration departments that observed the interpersonal combat evaluations would nominate students for internships, and the students would then choose where to go.
Since students usually ended up working at the places where they interned after graduation, it was more accurate to call it a “draft” than an internship assignment.
“I bet Yoo Hee-won will get all the nominations. She’s far superior to the other students, and her family background is impressive. Everyone will be scrambling to make connections.”
Her father was the chairman of the Administration’s advisory committee, a former S-Rank hero.
One of the three people who controlled the Administration, along with the director and deputy director.
Moreover, Yoo Hee-won had demonstrated skills far beyond her peers in the interpersonal combat evaluation.
“I think Han Min-ha will be popular, too.”
Professor Yoo looked at me.
“Han Min-ha, you say.”
“Yes. She doesn’t have any special abilities, yet she defeated an upper-class student in an unexpected way. Based on that match alone, she’s getting more attention than Yoo Hee-won.”
“That’s true.”
Professor Jin Se-young’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“They’re both your students, Professor Kyo. As expected…”
“Professor Jin, you look like a puppy staring at its owner holding a treat.”
Professor Jin flinched at Professor Yoo’s comment and quickly averted her gaze.
“How can you call someone a dog…?”
“I didn’t say dog. I said cute. Right, Professor Kyo?”
“Haha. Yes.”
I smiled faintly.
But seriously… Han Min-ha’s home visit… what should I do…?
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The midday summer heat was intense.
A clear blue sky and white cumulonimbus clouds drifted in the distance.
I was lost in thought as I drove to Han Min-ha’s house.
Han Min-ha had no parents.
So, I would have to go there and… talk to her.
We had already talked plenty during our advisory meetings and training sessions for the final evaluation.
And secondly, I was worried about seeing traces of Han Tae-woo and Seo Ji-ah in her house.
If my Mental Barrier crumbled like before, I would make a fool of myself in front of Han Min-ha.
Lost in thought, I soon saw a sign.
I had arrived.
Han Min-ha lived in a small, quiet town about two hours from the academy.
A peaceful place with a moderate population, adequate infrastructure, and unremarkable scenery.
It suited her.
I drove through the quiet streets and entered the residential area where she lived.
The navigation ended in front of a small, two-story house that looked particularly modest among the other houses.
This is it.
As I was about to get out of the car, the gate opened with a clatter of footsteps.
“Professor…! You came…?”
Han Min-ha, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, greeted me at the gate.
“How have you been, Han Min-ha? Although it’s only been a few days.”
“Yes…! I’ve been well! Thank you for coming all this way. Um… please come in. I’ll get you some juice.”
“Alright.”
I entered the small yard, and Han Min-ha hurried ahead and opened the front door.
The cool air from the air conditioner greeted me as I stepped inside.
“Isn’t it nice and cool? Please wait in the living room. I’ll bring the juice right away. Um… what do you like?”
“What do you have?”
“Grape, orange, aloe… I have everything. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I bought one of each.”
“Orange juice will be fine.”
“Okay…!”
As Han Min-ha clattered around in the kitchen, I wandered around the living room, looking around the house.
It was clean and tidy, not a speck of dust anywhere.
But there was a certain atmosphere.
Loneliness.
The house was clean because no one lived here during the semester.
And it hadn’t even been a week since Han Min-ha had returned for the break.
Had she been alone this whole time?
I didn’t see any family photos.
“Professor, please have a seat on the sofa.”
Han Min-ha returned with a tray of juice.
I sat down, and she handed me a glass, then sat on the floor.
“You must be tired from the heat.”
“Not really. I drove here. But…”
I took a sip of juice and continued,
“I was thinking on the way here. The main purpose of home visits is to talk to the parents, not the students.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right…”
“But… in a way, talking to your parents… One moment.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
It was Yoo Hee-won.
I had told her I would go to her house in the afternoon; why was she calling now?
Impatient, as always.
I declined the call and continued,
“As I said before, your parents and I were a team, and they were my only friends.”
“Your only friends…”
“I’m also quite introverted, like you.”
I smiled, and Han Min-ha smiled back.
“So… even without formally talking to them… I can already guess their intentions.”
“They wanted me to become an S-Rank, right?”
“Yes. And I’ll make sure that happens, no matter what. Even if you don’t want it.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
Han Min-ha said, still smiling.
“At first, I was just lost and confused, so I blindly entered the academy when the Administration offered me a place. That’s why I wanted to give up and quit so easily. But now it’s different.”
She looked at me with determination in her eyes.
“You took me on as your student, and Hee-won helped me. Just like my parents were your only friends, you and Hee-won are…”
Just as she was about to say something touching, she stopped and fumbled in her pocket.
“Sorry… I have a call…”
“It’s okay.”
Han Min-ha took out her phone, checked the screen, and gasped.
“P-p-p… Professor…”
“What’s wrong? Who’s calling?”
“H-Hee-won… it’s Hee-won…?”
She showed me her phone.
The caller ID displayed “Hee-won :)”.
“What should I do…?”
It would be polite to return the call later, especially during a home visit with her advisor.
But with Yoo Hee-won, it was different.
She had called Han Min-ha after I declined her call.
I had told her I would visit Han Min-ha’s house first…
If neither of us answered, there would be trouble.
“Han Min-ha, I think you should answer.”
Han Min-ha flinched and her hand trembled.
“Me…?”
“Isn’t that your phone?”
“Oh, right… yes…”
With a trembling hand, she answered the call.
“H-h-hello…?”
[Is Kyo Soo-hyun there or not?!]
“Eek?!”
Han Min-ha jumped, staring at me wide-eyed as Yoo Hee-won yelled into the phone, loud enough to be heard even without the speaker.
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