Ch 122
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 122
It's often said that blood is thicker than water.
Teacher Kim and I are good colleagues, but since I had done that to her father right in front of her eyes, I thought it was inevitable that she would feel hurt.
But to think she would approach me first like this.
"Talk?"
"It's a bit awkward at school, so would tonight be okay for you?"
"Ah, I don't have any particular plans...."
I had told Teacher Park that I'd see how things went after work and decide whether to go or not.
"That's good. I want to clear up the misunderstanding. Then please contact me after work when you leave school."
"Ah, yes."
I don't know what misunderstanding she's talking about, but honestly, I was a bit worked up last time too, so it's not like I'm completely innocent.
If I'm not going to quit school, then talking is the right thing to do.
When I entered the faculty office, Teacher Park immediately approached me.
"Teacher Kang, you're coming with us after work, right? Teacher Jung and Teacher Yeon are coming too."
"Ah, about that... I had forgotten about a prior engagement. Instead, I'll definitely treat everyone next time."
"Really? Well, if you had a prior engagement, it can't be helped... You know vacation is soon, right?"
The closing ceremony is next Monday.
"I know. I'll definitely make time to buy everyone a drink before vacation."
"Is that a promise?"
"Yes, yes."
I barely managed to appease Teacher Park, came to my seat, and killed time pretending to work until it was time to leave.
I went to the parking lot, got my car, left the school, and made a call.
—Already leaving work?
"Yes. I'm near the school gate. Are you still at school?"
—I'm in the parking lot too. I made a reservation at a restaurant, so I'll send you the address.
"Ah... Yes, understood."
I hung up and waited briefly before receiving a text.
[Hwaran, 11 Yeonhwa-ro 11-gil, Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul]
Haha.... Of all places, here. Such a familiar name and address.
The Chinese restaurant that sold the Dongpo Pork that Master loved most.
He said he wanted to eat it again, but the reservations were always too backed up, so I could only talk about it but never actually take him....
Before the melancholy could weigh me down further, I started the engine and departed.
When I arrived at the restaurant and parked, Teacher Kim had also just arrived.
"I heard the Dongpo Pork here is really delicious... Have you been here before?"
"Yes. Once before."
If I had paid extra for a proxy reservation or something, it wouldn't have been that difficult....
Regret always comes too late.
"Really? I heard reservations here are incredibly hard to get. Shall we go in first?"
"Yes."
I followed Teacher Kim into a small private room.
I wondered if the Vice Principal might be waiting for us inside, but it's just the two of us.
While eating, Teacher Kim spoke, but I didn't quite understand.
"What do you mean by saying that even if I wanted to take on the role of chief instructor for new teacher training, he wouldn't let me do it... I don't really understand."
She still hasn't come to her senses.
I shouldn't have healed him.... No, but that still wouldn't be right.
"Teacher Kang, if you had said you wanted to be the chief instructor, Dad was planning to go and do it instead later."
"What? No, I was a bit worked up that day too, but... If the Vice Principal had said that, I wouldn't have challenged him to a duel."
What kind of pathetic excuse is this now....
"That's... Because of me, he did that."
"Because of you, Teacher Kim?"
"I didn't know, but it seems Dad had noticed that I liked you, Teacher Kang. He was thinking of coming to you with me, having me ask so that Dad would be the chief instructor instead, and in return, you and I could go on a date or something...."
I feel like I've been hit in the head with a hammer.
"Ah, of course I didn't ask him to do that, Dad just did it on his own.... I'm sorry."
"Ah...."
"Dad has no other relatives and I'm his only family, so he's extremely overprotective."
"No. I've also had some things going on lately, so I was sensitive and didn't need to go that far.... I'm sorry."
"What does Teacher Kang have to be sorry for? Father has been unreasonable about many things until now. I heard the whole story."
"That's true, but I think I went a bit too far during the duel.... You seemed very shocked too, Teacher Kim...."
"It would be a lie to say I wasn't shocked, but it was a mutually agreed upon duel. Teacher Kang healed him completely too, so Dad is fine, so it's okay."
Her speaking so coolly makes me feel much less burdened.
"Um, but about you liking me...."
"Eh, don't tell me you don't remember? I said I was interested in you, Teacher Kang, from the first time we met."
Ah... That's right.
But honestly, wasn't that half joking?
I think you said something cringeworthy about a lonely wolf or something, and you didn't express it separately after that....
"I thought you were just joking...."
"That's a bit too much. No woman would say such things to someone she's not interested in. When we went hunting together, I even packed lunch boxes... That's right, during Chuseok last year, I brought you holiday food, expressing myself in my own way."
That was an expression?
I think attempted poisoning would be a more accurate description....
"Do you dislike me?"
Honestly, Teacher Kim is extremely beautiful.
Her skin is fair, her features are distinct, she has long straight hair, and though she's a magician, she's slender without any excess fat and has a nice figure... Ahem.
Anyway, I know she's quite popular among the students too.
The Vice Principal is also an S-rank Hunter, so her background is quite good.
The fact that she doesn't have a mother might be a flaw to other people, but as an orphan, I'm not in a position to have a problem with that, nor do I intend to.
But there's a saying that you live with a beautiful woman for 10 years, with a kind woman for 20 years, and with a woman who cooks well for a lifetime.
Of course, there's also the saying that if she's pretty, everything is forgiven, and in this day and age, I could do the cooking myself... No, I have plenty of money, so I could hire a chef.
But she seems to really enjoy cooking herself....
"Why no answer.... Is it because I'm older? Because I'm old...."
Ah, thinking about it, Teacher Kim is twenty-eight this year, two years older than me.
I had forgotten since we always use mutual honorifics.
Teacher Kim doesn't look like the type who appears old either.
Rather, if a stranger saw her, they'd believe she was in her early twenties.
"Absolutely not."
Age isn't the problem.
Two years is well within the acceptable range.
"Then...."
"Um, I've always thought of you as a colleague, Teacher Kim, and never as a woman, so I'm a bit taken aback. I really thought what you said at our first meeting was just a joke...."
"Stop right there. I wasn't asking you to give me an answer right away."
"I got carried away. Despite appearances, I don't have that much dating experience."
Zero in this life, and exactly three times in my previous life over 30 years.
They say that if you've been single for over 5 years, all your romance cells die and you're no different from someone who's never dated.
"I've never dated at all."
"What? I would have thought you were incredibly popular during your school days, Teacher Kim...."
Since there's no cooking practice at school, it would have been fine.
"I'm from 1st Hunter School, you know. The Vice Principal now, but during my school days, Dad was the student advisor. Everyone was terrified of my father. That's why I changed my name now and don't publicize our relationship."
I understand immediately.
No matter how pretty she was, if she was the daughter of the Vice Principal who's like a muscle monster, people wouldn't have dared to approach her easily.
"I see."
"I'm a bit disappointed that Teacher Kang didn't know all this time, but since I've told you today, you can think of me a little differently from now on, right?"
"Ah... Yes."
Except for the fatal flaw of cooking, Teacher Kim is really a good person.
I really just thought of her as a colleague until now... But well, there's no law saying friends can't become lovers.
I don't have anyone I'm seeing anyway, so there's no need to draw lines.
"In that spirit, how about we go on a date tomorrow?"
Is it because she's older? She's quite proactive.
"Tomorrow I have a prior engagement, so that won't work."
"Ah, you always said weekends don't work because of the academy."
Since I've rejected weekends almost every time to meet Master, Teacher Kim is saying the same thing as Se-jin.
"No. I quit the academy now so it's fine, but tomorrow I promised to go to Se-jin's house."
"To Se-jin's house?"
"I really like cats, and she just started keeping one."
"You like cats?"
"Yes. They're cute, aren't they? I've been stressed lately with final exams being busy and various other things, so tomorrow I'm planning to heal by playing with cats."
"I like cats too. I have two at home."
"Really? I don't think I saw them when I visited before."
"They're very shy around strangers. When strangers come, they hide in my room and don't come out."
"There are cats like that. Do you have photos?"
"Of course I do. Here."
"A Persian and an Abyssinian. How can they both be so cute?"
"This was when they were thin, but now they're both complete fat cats."
"Cats are cute even when they're fat."
"I'll show them to you properly when you come visit later."
"Yes. If you tell me what snacks they like, I'll buy treats and toys and come visit."
"You really do like them. Do you like dogs too? Dad was saying we should get one."
"Doggies are the best too. But I'm still a cat person."
"Me too. What kind of cat did Se-jin say she's keeping?"
"I don't know. When I asked her to send me some photos, she said to come see for myself and wouldn't even send photos."
It's not like they wear out, so really stingy.
***
When the doorbell rang and I went out, it was my sister Hyeon-jeong.
"Sister? You're a bit late."
"Sorry, Se-jin. Mom said she was going down today, so I took her to the terminal and ended up being a bit late. Here, this is for you."
She hands me a shopping bag she was carrying.
"What's that?"
"What do you think it is? It's the weapon you'll use today."
"Weapon?"
"Today's D-Day, right? I brought everything, so let's go try it on quickly. The bedroom was that way, right?"
Pushed by Sister, I came to the bedroom.
As soon as we arrived, she poured the shopping bag onto the bed, and I was really shocked.
"Sister, what is all this?"
"Are you moved? Se-jin, who is my lifesaver, is finally confessing, so Sister has to do at least this much."
A few scented candles, a cat ear headband, and a thin black silk dress.
I have a few scented candles at home too, and I've seen cat ear headbands a few times during school festivals.
But this outfit seems too short....
"Uh... Older sister?"
"What?"
"This outfit seems too short. The top seems too revealing too."
"Oh my, did you come from the Joseon Dynasty? What's the big deal with this much? Might the chest be a bit tight? You lucky girl. But it'll stretch when you put it on. And look at this."
There's a tail attached to the hip area.
"Wh... What's this?"
"You told Hunter Kang Shin-hyeok to come see the cat, right? If you're going with a concept, you have to go all the way."
I thought we didn't need to go this far, but sister was so insistent that I changed clothes.
I've never worn clothes like this in my life... I feel like my face is going to explode.
"Sister, I really don't think this is...."
"Wow, our Se-jin is so pretty."
"But it's too embarrassing... I really don't think I can do this. The teacher will be shocked when he opens the door too."
"You're not going to show him right away. He'll ask where the cat is, right? Then you tell him to close his eyes and wait, change into this and come out. Then you go 'MEOW' in his ear and it's over!"
"Will this method really work?"
"Of course. If he doesn't fall for you after seeing this, he's not a man but a eunuch. What time did Hunter Kang Shin-hyeok say he'd come?"
"Six thirty."
"Less than an hour left. These scented candles are good for setting the mood too, so put them up here and use them. Well, Sister will be going now."
Shouting "Fighting!" Sister left.
It's really embarrassing but... since Sister came and took care of me despite being busy, I should appreciate her thoughtfulness....
After changing back into my clothes and preparing dinner, it was soon time for our appointment.
DING! DONG!
"Who is it?"
"Se-jin, it's me."
A very familiar voice, it's Teacher.
I've already simulated this dozens of times in my head, but now that it's actually happening, I'm so nervous.
I took a deep breath and opened the door.