A Grandfather's Request
The more we talked, the more clearly I came to understand Kim Suhyun. Her self-esteem was far lower than I'd expected. Most of her stories began with "I couldn't do that" or ended with "I wish I could be like that." And whenever I so much as shifted in my seat, she would flinch in alarm. She probably thought I was losing interest in her words and about to do something else. It was so pitiful watching her constantly gauge my reactions that I had to force myself to stay perfectly still.
'At least she doesn't seem to have developed a nasty personality because of it…'
I'd heard that some people drowning in inferiority complexes tended to belittle and trample others to ease their own sense of inadequacy. Fortunately, Kim Suhyun didn't appear to be that far gone. From what I remembered, she'd never looked down on anyone at the Academy. The only problem was how often those self-deprecating remarks slipped out.
I used to know someone like that. A friend whose family was poor and whose every endeavor seemed to go wrong. He'd once been consumed by a crushing inferiority complex, and it had taken him a long time to overcome it. By learning to understand himself, acknowledging others' strengths, and setting goals while believing he could one day become like them, he'd managed to rebuild his shattered self-worth.
"Suhyun."
Kang Minsung entered the room and called her name.
"Grandfather's throat is a bit dry. Would you mind getting me some water? Take your time and walk around outside with the others."
There was already water in the room, so why send her out? The answer was clear in the look Kang Minsung gave me. He wanted to speak with me alone and was sending his granddaughter away for a while.
Kim Suhyun said she'd be right back and left, leaving Kang Minsung and me alone.
"…"
A battle-hardened veteran who carried a pressure similar to, yet distinct from, Ma Hakjun's. I couldn't help but tense up, wondering what he was about to say.
"Come to think of it, my thanks are long overdue."
Kang Minsung approached and bowed his head. The age gap between us was enormous, and our social standings were worlds apart. Yet he offered his gratitude without the slightest hesitation. It seemed the title of "hero" wasn't something one earned merely by being strong.
"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have lost my only granddaughter. I would have gone mad."
He truly was a grandfather who adored his granddaughter. I'd imagined some arrogant old man bloated with authority as the head of a great house, but the man before me was simply an ordinary grandfather grateful that his granddaughter had been saved.
"And… I'd also like to apologize."
"Pardon?"
"You've heard that you'll be returning to your post as an Academy examiner after discharge, correct?"
My superior had visited yesterday and told me exactly that. Once I was discharged, I was to report straight to the Academy. But how did Kang Minsung know about it?
"Truthfully, I asked a few acquaintances for a favor. I requested that you be allowed to return to the Academy as quietly as possible."
"You mean… you spoke to them, Chairman? Why would you make such a request…?"
"What do you think of Suhyun? My granddaughter?"
Suddenly asking what I thought of his granddaughter? What kind of answer was he looking for? Surely he wasn't asking about her appeal as a woman. Right?
"I'm… not sure I understand what you're asking."
"You were just talking with her. I imagine you have some honest impressions. Even if only for a day, you examined students and have records from the measurement department, so you must have a good eye."
It was more that I could see traits, but that counted as having a good eye too. After a moment's hesitation, I decided to be honest while watching Kang Minsung's expression.
"…Honestly, Suhyun—Suhyun seems to have rather low self-esteem. And…"
"No need to mince words. Just speak plainly."
"Uh, well, that is… she… has… um…"
Wait a second. Wasn't this an incredibly difficult request? How was I supposed to casually say "She's drowning in an inferiority complex" to a grandfather who adored his granddaughter? What if the old man took offense…?
"She's trapped in an inferiority complex. That's what you want to say, isn't it?"
"Huh? You… already knew?"
Kang Minsung closed his eyes and nodded.
"In a family where everyone possesses outstanding talent, she alone never showed anything remarkable. No one ever said anything about it. But it seems she came to believe she was hopelessly lacking."
"So Suhyun…"
"I thought sending her to the Academy, where there would be others her age, might help. But she continued to struggle even there."
The Academy was filled with geniuses, even if not to the same degree as her family. Kang Minsung had hoped that mingling with them would help his granddaughter accept her limits and grow. Instead, she had failed to adapt and grown even more timid.
"However, it seems something changed after she met you."
"Me… sir?"
"A mere Silver-rank examiner. Just like Suhyun, an ordinary ability user. Yet within that ordinariness, you've carved out your own uniqueness. I think she received quite a shock from that."
According to Kang Minsung, it had been Kim Suhyun who first suggested visiting me in the hospital. She'd never voiced her own opinions before, so her family had been shocked, even if they hadn't shown it.
"That's when I had a hunch. I thought you might be able to help my granddaughter. So I pulled some strings through my connections to ensure you could remain as an Academy examiner."
No wonder things had been too quiet for a civil servant who'd survived blocking an Elder's path. With Kang Minsung's connections in high political positions, it was entirely possible.
As I nodded, Kang Minsung suddenly let out a startled "Ah!"
"Don't misunderstand! I absolutely did not ask them to discharge you early. I only asked that if you were discharged, your examiner dispatch position would be maintained. That's the truth!"
"Excuse me?"
"Didn't Suhyun say it earlier? How could you return to work right after being discharged without even resting a few days? If she ever finds out the truth, please tell her this grandfather had nothing to do with it. I'm begging you. It wasn't done with any ill intent!"
It was the desperate cry of a grandfather terrified of earning his granddaughter's hatred. I nodded without hesitation.
"Whew. Thank you. Truly, thank you. Just imagining Suhyun asking why I did it made my heart pound."
Watching him sigh in relief, I revised my definition of Kang Minsung. From legendary hero to severe case of doting grandfather. He probably wouldn't deny it himself.
"Anyway, once you return to the Academy, please take good care of my granddaughter."
"I'm worried you're expecting too much. I'm not a professor, just an examiner."
"From what I hear, Suhyun is still Bronze-rank. If that's the case, she'll be seeing you far more often than any professor."
That was true. Perpetual Bronze-rank students were subject to academic warnings. It wasn't so much about looking down on Bronze as it was about lacking the drive to grow. Eventually, Kim Suhyun would have to take the Silver-rank exam…
'Wait, surely not. He wouldn't ask me to go easy on her during the exam, would he?'
A war hero wouldn't make such a request… but given how blatantly doting Kang Minsung was, maybe he would. Should I ask? No. What if it offended him? Better not…
…Actually, what if he really was thinking that? Wouldn't it be better to ask? But what if he got upset and said, "You thought I'd make such a request?"
"Grandfather."
Just as I was about to ask what exactly he wanted, the door opened and Kim Suhyun entered with the water she'd bought. The timing to ask was lost.
"Here, have some water."
"Yes, yes. Thank you. Our Suhyun is working so hard."
While Kang Minsung drank—or pretended to drink—the water, Kim Suhyun approached me again, glancing around cautiously.
"Why? Do you have something to say, Suhyun?"
"Um… you still have time before discharge, Examiner."
"Yeah, I do. Why?"
"Then… would it be okay if I visited again tomorrow?"
She wanted to visit again tomorrow? Even though villains might still be targeting her? We'd see each other at the Academy in a few days anyway, so there was no need…
"…Sure. Come if you want. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to when I'm bored."
Under Kang Minsung's subtle gaze, I had no choice but to accept Kim Suhyun's offer.
*
"I want to visit the examiner in the hospital."
Kang Minsung and the others had been greatly surprised by Kim Suhyun's suggestion. It was the first time the timid girl had ever voiced her own opinion.
She'd felt ashamed facing her family. Sorry toward them. She'd even worried that someone as insignificant as herself was being unreasonably stubborn. But she desperately wanted to see the man named Baek Seojin who had saved her. She wanted to tell him she was sorry, that she was grateful.
'And…'
She wanted to become someone ordinary yet special, just like the examiner. She wanted to tell him how much she respected him.
It was still vivid in her mind. From the moment he'd instantly subdued the arrogant Park Junwoo, to effortlessly repelling the students who had been showing off their skills, to standing in front of that terrifying Elder to protect her.
He wasn't someone born exceptional like her grandfather or her family. He was ordinary. Painfully ordinary—just a single examiner. Yet Baek Seojin had found his own uniqueness within that ordinariness.
A feeling far greater and more intense than the inferiority complex that had always tormented her. Was it admiration? Or something else entirely? Whatever it was, Kim Suhyun welcomed it. It was the first time something so warm had touched her heart.