Ch 33
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 33
“Time’s up. Please pass your answer sheets to the person in front.”
I handed over my answer sheet, which I had finished marking 20 minutes ago, to the person in front.
The exam questions turned out to be harder than expected, judging by the constant sighs throughout the testing period, but they were too easy for me.
The moment I saw the questions, memories kept surfacing.
It seems Kang Shin-hyeok studied intensely for the certification exam.
After collecting all the answer sheets, the proctor said, “Good work,” and left. People began streaming out in a crowd.
I’m a bit tired.
Not because of the exam, but because the training institute is in Daejeon, and the exam started at 9 AM, so I had to leave Gangwon Province at the crack of dawn.
Moreover, since I drove to Gangwon last weekend, driving to Daejeon myself made me even more exhausted.
If it were Seoul, I would’ve left the car and taken the train.
On days with practical exams, I should definitely come down the night before.
As I was about to leave, I spotted someone I never expected to see.
“Huh? Sunbae.”
It was Choi Seo-ra.
Do middle school instructors also attend the same training?
“Why are you here?”
Even if middle and high school instructors train together, Choi Seo-ra isn’t a new recruit, so she shouldn’t be a trainee.
“I came as an exam proctor. Why are you… Oh, I heard outstanding teachers are required to take exams starting this year. So that’s why you’re here.”
“Right. The vice principal got me. Just thinking about coming back here in two weeks already feels daunting.”
“Stop exaggerating. Others have to stay here for three weeks.”
“Exactly. Ugh, the thought alone is horrifying.”
“It’s not as bad as you think. I actually enjoyed it… If you manage your training schedule well, you can go out freely. There’s no restriction except for overnight stays.”
“Well, Teacher Choi Seo-ra is a Hunter School graduate, so that makes sense.”
“Anyway, are you leaving right now?”
“No reason to stay. Lingering might just invite trouble. I’d rather run away quickly.”
“What’s there to fear for someone who even sparred with Kim Man-dong?”
“Do you avoid poop because it’s scary? No, because it’s gross.”
“Sunbae, you’re really… Oh, how did you get here?”
“By car, obviously.”
“Oh, you bought a car? Then, could you wait 30 minutes? I’ll ride with you.”
“Are you paying for gas?”
“How stingy! Is this how you treat someone close?”
“If people hear ‘close,’ they’ll misunderstand. Don’t you know freeloaders go bald?”
“Fine. I’ll pay for gas.”
“Never mind. Just buy me lunch.”
I was planning to wait from the start.
Though Choi Seo-ra was the one who dragged Kang Shin-hyeok into Antas, thanks to her good advice, I’ve left Antas now.
Turns out she’s not so bad, and it’s nice to see her after so long.
“Then I’ll wait in the car. Call me when you’re done and come to the parking lot.”
“You’re not just saying that and leaving first, are you? I have something to talk about, so wait.”
Something to talk about?
I agreed and parted ways, heading to the parking lot, where I ran into another familiar face.
“Oh, Teacher Kang?”
“Ah… You’re here for the exam too.”
It was Lee Ji-ah and Yoon Iseul—the latter had organized the new teacher gathering at the start of the semester.
I thought they’d pretend not to know me, but surprisingly, they approached first.
Ah, now that I think about it, both of them didn’t speak to me all semester but greeted me on the last day of school.
“Ah, yes.”
“Are you leaving right away?”
“It would’ve been nice if Teacher Kang joined the training too.”
“I have plans. I’ll take my leave now.”
They seemed eager to keep talking, but I cut them off and headed to the main gate.
Honestly, neither of them were the type to gossip during gatherings, and they’re both quite beautiful.
But after not speaking to me all semester, their sudden interest feels too transparent.
As I once told Teacher Kim, I’m not really interested in getting close.
I’ve grown closer to Teacher Kim and other general-subject teachers, and Lee Seol will join us next semester.
If they bowed their heads and apologized, I might consider it, but given their current attitude, I doubt they’ll go that far.
After waiting briefly in the car while browsing the web, Choi Seo-ra called and got in.
“Nice car. When did you buy it?”
“It’s second-hand.”
“Even a used car is better than nothing. It’s clean. You used to say you weren’t interested in cars. What changed?”
“Didn’t realize how inconvenient it was until I had to leave campus during break.”
“You said you’d hunt during break. Made a lot of money?”
“Enough, I guess?”
“And you still made me buy lunch?”
“You should hunt instead of volunteering. Donate the earnings to the orphanage.”
“I still donate regularly. And money isn’t everything.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Enough lecturing. So, what are you buying me?”
“What do you want to eat?”
“I asked first… What’s famous in Daejeon?”
“This is only my second time here for training. You had 30 minutes… Since I’m paying, you should’ve at least looked up the menu.”
“I saw a famous bakery. Not sure about restaurants.”
Searching “Daejeon restaurants” online mostly showed bakeries and generic ads.
Everything felt overly promoted.
“You mean Seongsimdang? Their bread is good. How about eating nearby and grabbing some bread for the road?”
Not a bad idea.
Since we’re in Daejeon, buying plenty of bread to share tomorrow with Lee Seol and Teacher Kim sounds good.
We ate noodles at a nearby restaurant and visited the bakery.
I offered to pay for the bread since she bought lunch.
“It’s fine. I’m buying extra for the orphanage kids.”
“Really? Don’t hold back. Pick whatever.”
Thanks to hunting profits with Teacher Kim and Lee Seol—earning at least 10 million won daily—and rising Hwasin Electronics stocks, I can afford this.
Might as well do a good deed.
After buying bread, we returned to the car.
“Thanks.”
“It’s not much. By the way, didn’t you say you had something to talk about?”
“Ah, Antas contacted me a few days ago.”
“They said they wouldn’t bother me during break. What’s up?”
“It was a routine check-in, but they mentioned you.”
“Me?”
I thought I was done with Antas.
“You’ve been active lately. The school’s Together Time videos, especially your spar with the vice principal before break.”
“Those videos were taken down ages ago. And no one could film the spar. I made sure of that.”
Students watched, but I banned recordings to avoid humiliation if I lost.
“I wouldn’t do that. Even without footage, the witnesses posted online.”
Who did that…
A wave of unease hit.
“Did you see it?”
“I did. Most think Kim Man-dong went easy, and students exaggerated. It didn’t go viral.”
“If it didn’t, why is Antas…?”
“But it still proved your abilities. They’re short-handed and want to reel you back in.”
“Haha… So they want to use a honey trap. Did you agree?”
Should I distance myself again?
“They just suggested persuasion, not seduction. I brushed it off, but who knows?”
Looking back, I did stand out too much…
SIGH.
I thought it was over.
“Don’t worry. I smoothed things over. We’re safe for now.”
“What did you say?”
“Huh? Oh, well…”
She seemed hesitant.
Was she lying to spare my feelings?
“Just tell me the truth.”
“Well… They brought a whip out of nowhere and asked me to hit them, wanted to smell my feet, tried to steal my socks… Their obsession was too much. I said I couldn’t deal with them.”
“Uh… Seo-ra?”
Hahaha…. What does Antas think of me?
“Sorry. But after I said that, they backed off…”
“That’s… Good, then.”
Relieved, but I almost teared up.
***
“Good morning.”
“Did yesterday’s exam go well?”
“Ah, yes. Thanks to your advice, it was easier than expected.”
“Um… Teacher Kang, I need to talk to you.”
I noticed her hesitating earlier.
I hope she isn’t quitting.
“What is it? Feel free to speak. We’re a team.”
“My uncle contacted me… He asked if we could lend support.”
Is she quitting after all?
This is awkward…
“Teacher Lee’s uncle is the guild master of Hwarang Guild on Jeju Island. Last week, they had many casualties during an A-rank portal raid. They’re short-handed.”
Teacher Kim, who went shopping with us yesterday, chimed in.
Is Teacher Kim joining too?
“He begged me to help for a week…”
A week is long, but since I took time off for the exam, I can’t refuse.
“If that’s the case, I’ll help. Is Teacher Kim coming too?”
“Huh? I offered to help…”
“If you’re okay with it, we’ll all go. My uncle will cover flights, lodging, and vehicles. Is a week manageable?”
“A week should be fine.”
“Can we leave tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
I’ll visit my master after today’s hunt since I’ll miss this weekend’s training.
The prepaid hotel fee is a waste, but skipping hunts is costlier.
Might as well enjoy Jeju while we’re there.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. It’s nice to take a break from constant hunting during vacation. We can relax by the sea and eat well.”
Come to think of it, students are going to Jeju too.
Not for leisure, but they won’t hunt all day.
If schedules align, meeting them could work.
“True. Not visiting the sea in summer feels wrong.”
“I’ll treat you to lots of good food in Jeju.”
“Looking forward to it.”