ch 248
Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 248
"That's all for today."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"You worked hard."
I quickly returned to the principal's office, leaving behind the trainees' greetings.
It's almost time to get off work, which is usually the most enjoyable time of the day, but today it's not like that at all.
Far from enjoyable, I'm scared.
Because I have to go to Eunseo's house after work.
Should I have refused this morning?
But I had already said the time was fine, so I couldn't suddenly say it wasn't okay.
Actually, this isn't the first time I'm going to Eunseo's house.
Was it summer vacation when Eunseo was a first-year student?
When we were caught up in rumor articles claiming we were lovers, I was invited over after resolving that incident.
I met all the family members then, and I especially saw her mother often, even visiting the lawyer's office together.
But today's visit is completely different from that time.
If that was a visit as a teacher, today I'm going as someone who's dating Eunseo.
If it were just a regular visit to say hello, I would have been nervous but not scared to this extent.
Eunseo herself said it was fine, but would her family think the same way?
I'm already feeling dizzy imagining contemptuous looks.
Still, I have no intention of running away or avoiding it.
It's the price of my greed for deciding not to give up any of the three and to have them all.
Eventually, this is a mountain I'll have to cross someday.
Normally I would have processed some documents, but today I can't focus on anything.
There's nothing urgent anyway since Eunseo helped me during lunch.
I was about to contact Eunseo when I heard a knock.
Sure enough, it's Eunseo.
"Brother, do you still have a lot of work left?"
"No. I was just about to call you."
"Call me?"
"What do your father and mother like?"
"Huh? You don't really need to prepare anything like that."
"This isn't just anything - I'm going to greet them, so I can't go empty-handed."
"Hmm, that cake you bought before was good."
"Isn't cake something you like, Eunseo?"
"Hehe, you caught me. Should I call and ask?"
"You don't even know what your parents like? Now I see our Eunseo is a fire-attribute unfilial daughter?"
"Fire-attribute unfilial daughter? Wait, unfilial daughter? That's not true! Both of them aren't picky about food and like everything."
"Still, there must be things they like, right? It would be a bit much if their child doesn't even know that."
"Well... I do know what they like most. Mom likes Dad the most, and Dad likes Mom the most."
...When I visited last time, it definitely seemed like a harmonious family.
Well, just looking at Eunseo, you can feel how much she was loved growing up.
"I'm going to greet your parents, but I can't buy your parents as a gift. Should I kidnap them first and then rescue them?"
"Um... I think it would really be fine to just go."
"How about Red Ginseng?"
"Dad takes it well so that's fine, but Mom doesn't take Red Ginseng."
"Ah... Then should we go to the department store and choose?"
Since we wouldn't reach a conclusion like this, I decided to move first.
If I really can't choose, I'll just buy that cake from last time again.
I held Eunseo's hand and used teleportation magic to go to the car parked at the officetel in Gangnam.
"Teleportation is amazing no matter when I see it."
"Should I teach you after this batch graduates? Or you could go to Luciel's world and learn before that."
"The place you talked about last time? That was really amazing too - a space where time goes slowly, just like places that appear in comics. The trees and grass were so pretty too."
Maybe because I go there often, I don't feel much about it, but it seems different for Eunseo.
"I'm going to start driving, so just a moment."
I fastened Eunseo's seatbelt and started the engine.
It's almost spring now but still chilly, so I was worried it might be dead, but fortunately it started well.
There was enough gas too, so I headed straight to the department store.
When we arrived and parked, and I was about to get out, Eunseo grabbed my arm.
"Why?"
"Aren't you going to change your appearance?"
"Why would I? Ah! Would it get a bit troublesome if I go out like this? It's a department store so it shouldn't be that big of a problem."
"No, it's just that if other people see us walking around together just the two of us..."
"It doesn't matter now, right? You're my girlfriend."
I'm not going to announce it right away, but it'll be known anyway, so there's no need to hide it like we've committed a crime from now on, is there?
Originally, haters bark louder when you cower and shrink, so you need to go out boldly and confidently to get less criticism.
"Teacher... no, brother really has no hesitation."
Now I see Eunseo's cheeks have turned red.
"If it's burdensome, there should be masks and hats over there."
"No. I want to just go too."
"Right. We haven't done anything wrong, have we?"
I had already told both Se-jin and Luciel about going to greet them today.
Se-jin's reaction was that Eunseo was amazing for already talking about it, and Luciel wasn't particularly interested.
"Then shall we go?"
"Yes."
We entered the department store and went to the health supplement section.
"There are many types of Red Ginseng too."
There are various brands and types, so I don't know what to choose.
Should I just ask for the most expensive one?
"The most expensive one here..."
"Brother, how about this one?"
The Red Ginseng that Se-jin brought was a squeezable type, and whether it was a collaboration product, the packaging had animation characters that kids would like drawn on it.
"Oh my, that's a product that's really popular these days because kids eat it well."
"Is... is that so? In our house, father takes it."
"Ah... fathers take it a lot too."
The employee also seems a bit flustered... Well, since we're giving it as a gift anyway, it's better to go with what he usually takes.
"Is the 500-pack the largest size?"
"That's right, customer."
"Please wrap one set of this."
After buying one and leaving the store, I checked the time and it was already 6:30.
The appointment time is 7 o'clock. Eunseo's house is only about 10 minutes from the department store, but it's rush hour so traffic will be heavy, so I'll have to go using teleportation magic.
"What should I buy for your mother?"
"How about that? I saw it in a magazine recently and it's here too."
What Eunseo pointed to was a dessert shop.
"Isn't that something you want to eat?"
"Since I take after Mom, Mom would probably like desserts too, right? There's even a saying that there's no woman who doesn't like desserts."
The logic is a bit strange, but there's not much time left and I was thinking of buying cake if I really couldn't choose, so I entered the dessert shop.
"What should I choose? My mom likes strawberries. The green grapes also look delicious."
Looking inside, the scale is quite large, and there are as many products as that.
Just the ones with strawberries in them look like more than 10.
"Teacher... What looks the most delicious to brother?"
"Is there anything to worry about? Excuse me."
"Yes. By any chance, are you Hunter Kang Shin-hyeok?"
"Yes, that's right. I'd like to place an order. Could you please package one each of everything from here to there?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm asking you to package one each of everything from here to there. Ah! Please make two of each for the ones with strawberries."
Since you said mother likes strawberries, I should buy a lot.
"Tea... teacher? No, if you buy that many, you won't be able to eat them all."
Seeing that the title changed to teacher, she seems very surprised.
"It's better than not having enough."
"No, but this is still too much... How are you planning to carry it all?"
"There's a way for everything."
Master doesn't really like sweet things, but I do.
Luciel would probably like the ones with chocolate too.
Thanks to the employees working busily, the packaged desserts quickly started piling up like a mountain.
"Hunter, if you don't have enough hands, our employee will accompany you and move them to your car."
"It's fine."
At the same time as I spoke, I used subspace magic to put the desserts in.
The employees and people watching nearby all looked surprised.
"It's simple magic."
There's no subspace, but there are existing artifacts with space magic on them.
It's not that special.
"Ah, yes. Here's your card back."
"You can just throw away the receipt. Then shall we go now?"
"Yes? Yes."
As soon as the answer fell, I grabbed Eunseo's hand and used teleportation magic.
"Brother? This is our apartment."
"If I've been somewhere before, I can go anywhere."
I answered with a smile, but now that I think I'm finally going to face them, my stomach is churning.
Should I have bought and eaten some Cheongsimhwan at the department store earlier?
"It's really convenient. I want to learn quickly too."
"Then I'll teach you starting tonight."
If I'm still alive then, that is.
I swallowed the latter part and walked toward the apartment entrance with Eunseo.
As the elevator goes up floor by floor, the churning feeling gets worse.
"Brother, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"I'm not feeling well."
"When I told Mom at lunch earlier, she said she was going grocery shopping. When you go, there will be a lot of delicious food prepared."
Haha... I don't think I'll even be able to taste it.
"There's nothing to be nervous about. If they say anything to brother, I won't just sit still either."
Eunseo, who's holding my hand tightly while saying this, is so lovable.
Right. When even Eunseo is saying this, I shouldn't show a weak side.
"I'm fine."
The elevator stopped.
Eunseo got off first and pressed the door lock.
RING!
"Eunseo, are you here?"
"Teacher!"
The door opened and the first one to come out was Eunseo's twin sister Eunsu.
Seeing that she's quite dressed up and has full makeup on even though she's at home, it looks like she was preparing because I was coming.
"Long time no see, Eunsu. Give this to father. Ah, wait a moment."
I took out the desserts I had put in earlier using subspace magic, but the place was a bit too narrow to take them all out, so I only took out about half including the ones with strawberries.
Just then, father and mother came out too.
"Welcome, Teacher Kang. Oh my, what's all this?"
"It felt wrong to come empty-handed, so I stopped by the department store before coming, but is it too much?"
"You could have come comfortably without these things."
"That's right. Teacher, you can just think of it as our house and come comfortably."
Fortunately, the first impression is good.
We went inside together, taking care of the desserts.
Nothing has changed much from when I came 2 years ago.
It still gives off a warm and bright feeling.
It smells delicious too.
"Quickly wash your hands and sit down. My wife heard that teacher was coming and used all her cooking skills to prepare a royal feast."
"You... I didn't really do that much."
Fortunately, the atmosphere isn't bad so far.
I washed my hands and sat next to Eunseo.
"It'll be cramped there, why don't you sit here..."
"Oh no, that's fine."
Father offered me the head seat, but that wouldn't be proper.
The meal started right away.
Mother said she didn't prepare much, but honestly, the large dining table was completely filled to the point where the table legs might break.
"I didn't prepare much, so if you had told me a little earlier, I would have prepared more."
Braised short ribs, grilled eel, japchae and various jeon, seasoned vegetables, various fresh-looking sashimi, and seafood soup with steam rising from it.
If this is not much, then the food I've eaten so far wouldn't even be considered food.
I also cook a bit so I know, but to prepare this much, she must have been preparing since lunch.
"What do you mean by that, that's not true. Everything looks so delicious. I'll eat well."
Even though I was nervous about having to make a bombshell announcement later, the food was so delicious that I emptied two bowls of rice.
Since she said she made everything herself except for the sashimi, it felt like eating home-cooked food for the first time in a while, and it was good.
Father recommended alcohol saying he had good liquor, so I also had a little to drink.
It's not enough to get drunk, but it's still better than being completely sober.
During the meal, we only talked about ordinary topics like Eunsu and Eunseo's stories, so we ate without any problems.
"Please eat more."
"No, I've already eaten plenty."
"Right, Mom, if you eat more now, you won't be able to eat dessert."
That girl Eunsu was all smiles when she saw the desserts I bought earlier, so she must be looking forward to them a lot.
"The rice stomach and dessert stomach are separate."
They always seem to get along so well.
"I'm really fine. If I eat more, I think it'll be hard to move..."
"Right. If you say it's fine, don't be like that."
Mother, Eunsu, and Eunseo cleared the eating area, and father and I moved to the living room.
"How is our Eunseo at school? She just graduated and became a teacher, so I'm worried whether the trainees will follow her well."
Come to think of it, both father and mother said they were Hunter School teachers too.
"I'm receiving a lot of help. Even though Eunseo is young, her skills are certain, aren't they? Ah, and please speak comfortably. I'm much younger."
"That's not right. You're Eunseo's teacher, so how can I..."
"It's really fine, so please be comfortable. It makes me more uncomfortable."
"Oh no, that's not right."
Father is also so kind, which makes it even more frightening.
This good atmosphere will soon be shattered.
But now I need to start talking about it.
I can't postpone it forever just because I'm scared.
Just then, everyone came with desserts and tea - Eunseo, Eunsu, and mother.
"I tasted a little while preparing and it was so delicious. Thank you. According to Eunseo, it's from a very famous place."
"Yeah. It was even in a magazine."
"I was really touched that you bought two of each strawberry one for me to eat separately because I like strawberries. Thanks to Teacher Kang, I'm living luxuriously."
"Haha. Well, it's not that big of a deal. Um... Rather than that, the reason I visited like this today is because I have something important to tell you."
"Something to tell us?"
"What kind of..."
Feeling everyone's gaze, I got down from the sofa and knelt on my knees.
"Teacher Kang?"
"Why are you suddenly doing that?"
"Actually, I am officially dating Eunseo."