Ch 85
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 85
"Yes. I'll select good properties for you. When would you like to visit..."
"I have a lunch appointment and I'm not sure how long it'll take, so I'll visit around 10 AM tomorrow."
"Understood. Still, I'll organize and send you the information by this afternoon so you can take a look."
"Yes. I'd appreciate that."
I asked the real estate agency that handled my building purchase last time to look for an officetel or apartment for around 20 pyeong.
Actually, since it's not for me to live in, I wondered if there was really a need to look in a place as expensive as Gangnam, but thinking about it differently, it makes sense.
I'm not buying them a house, and the protagonist will move out on his own after graduation anyway, so I asked them to look for properties as close to the building as possible, somewhere safe where I could also aim for capital gains.
Officetels start around 900 million won, and apartments start from 2 billion depending on the developer. It's not as expensive as the building, but they're still quite accommodating.
Well, I did give them about 800 million in brokerage fees last time.
I hung up the phone and drove for about 10 more minutes to reach my destination.
I parked and got out carrying the fruit basket I had bought in advance.
Since I cleared their debt and am even finding them a house, it wouldn't matter if I came empty-handed, but thinking 'going empty-handed isn't quite right,' I stopped by the department store next to the hotel this morning and bought it.
The protagonist in the original work was quite fond of fruit too.
I straightened my clothes and was about to knock when the door opened.
I thought his mother heard the car and came out, but it's the protagonist's younger sister I briefly saw yesterday.
I couldn't see her clearly from a distance yesterday, but even though her clothes are shabby, she must take after her mother—her features are distinct and she's cute. She'll probably be popular when she grows up.
"Hello."
"Angel?"
Angel?
"Mom said an angel would come today. Aren't you the angel?"
From Do-hyun's mother's perspective, I'm no different from an angel, but hearing it directly from such a young child is a bit embarrassing.
"Kim Yeon-ji, Mom told you not to go out when guests come... Huh?"
"You must be Do-hyun. Hello."
I greeted him trying to act calm, but I was quite shocked.
Since becoming Kang Shin-hyeok, I had never once thought I was lacking in the looks department anywhere I went...
Kim Do-hyun was really, I mean really... No, he was so handsome that even famous first-tier actors known for their looks would have to step aside.
The original work did frequently mention that he was handsome, but this was really... How should I put it... Right, 'man who tore through manga.' It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was so handsome he could have torn through a manga and stepped out.
He's only in 9th grade but his height is already almost the same as Jinsu's.
As expected of a protagonist, I thought admiringly, but it seems I'm not the only one surprised.
"Ah, hello. I really didn't expect Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok to come to our house..."
"Oh, you know me?"
"Any student learning swordsmanship would naturally know. You were the instructor of Senior Kim Se-jin who won the WHCU this time."
"I've heard a lot about you from your junior and mother too. You're much more handsome than I heard. You must be popular at school."
"Ah... No, I'm not."
Seeing him get flustered right away with just a little praise, his personality seems to be the same as in the original work.
"No way, you probably are popular. May I come in?"
"Yes!"
Going inside, it's definitely shabby but still reasonably well-organized, so it's not as serious as it looked from the outside.
Since I said I'd come today, they naturally would have cleaned up too.
It doesn't feel like they hastily tidied up, so they seem to manage it well normally.
"Mom, Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok is here."
She came out wearing a blue apron, probably in the middle of cooking.
I handed over the fruit basket and exchanged simple greetings, then we went into the inner room.
She said she'd prepare a meal, and since the appointment time is 1 o'clock, she probably thought I'd come without eating.
Actually, I had brunch when leaving the hotel so I wasn't particularly thinking about it, but I didn't refuse.
I'm not extremely hungry, but it's not like I can't eat anything either.
"I'm sorry the food isn't much."
"Not at all. This is a feast. I'll eat well."
I'm not just saying that—knowing the family's situation, I didn't expect much, but it's better than I thought.
Stir-fried pork with shellfish seaweed soup, quite large grilled mackerel, and kimchi.
It feels like she put effort into it because I was coming.
Though hotel food is delicious, I've been getting a bit tired of it lately from eating it constantly, so having home-cooked food for the first time in a while felt quite good.
While eating, I once again told her not to worry about the debt and briefly explained the support I'd provide going forward.
Like when we talked on the phone yesterday, she tried to decline, saying that just solving the debt was grateful enough and receiving such support would be shameless, but when I said she should think of the children, she gave up.
"I really don't know how to repay this kindness... Thank you."
Tears are welling up in the mother's eyes.
"I told you last time, you don't need to repay me. When you have some spare time later, please help other people in need through good deeds. That's how you repay me."
"I'm really so grateful."
"Mom, why are you crying? Don't cry."
"Ah, I'm sorry. I should be discussing this separately, but I brought up such a serious topic at the dinner table. I'm sorry."
"Ah... It's okay."
With mom getting teary, Do-hyun who was eating well also put down his spoon, and even the younger sister who didn't seem to understand became sad, dampening the atmosphere.
Actually, I wasn't completely unprepared for this kind of atmosphere.
While future support can be overlooked, things like loan shark debts aren't topics to discuss in front of the kids.
Thinking about how the younger sister called me an angel earlier, Kim Do-hyun probably knows to some extent that I helped their family, but to clearly show him what kind of help I provided, it was unavoidable.
I'm definitely not helping Do-hyun's family out of pure goodwill.
The show-off strategy seems to have worked well—Do-hyun also has quite a moved expression.
Though I feel a bit guilty... Well, good things are good things.
Thinking I'd shown off enough, I finished eating and left Do-hyun and Yeon-ji at home while going outside with the mother to talk separately.
We walked around the neighborhood discussing things like moving and employment, then returned home.
"Ah, please wait a moment."
Remembering I hadn't given her the bond documents earlier, I took them from the car and gave them to her, making her tear up again.
She bowed her head deeply saying thank you, which made me feel guilty again.
The documents say 400 million, but I beat it down to 5 million and even recovered that when I dealt with the boss yesterday.
The actual money that went in was just about gas money, so I feel a bit bad.
"I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this. Thinking about being freed from those devil-like bastards makes me so happy..."
I understand since she would have suffered tremendously not just yesterday but for three years.
"It's cleanly resolved, so those bastards will never contact or visit you again."
If the mother gets her social worker certification and goes to work at a psychiatric hospital, it's not completely impossible, but since she's decided to work at our building's cleaning company, it's unlikely she'll see them again.
"Excuse me, Teacher... Can I tear this up?"
"Of course."
She tore the documents to shreds.
"I'll help you finish it."
I created Sammae Jinhwa flames to burn it, surprising her, but she watched until the end.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Please go inside. I'll visit again next Tuesday."
Even if I contract for a house tomorrow, we might need to replace wallpaper or flooring, and we need to stock up on appliances, so we decided to move next Friday.
And no matter how much I'm letting them live for free, I should show it to them at least once before moving, so by Tuesday it should be ready even if not perfect, so we decided I'd show them the house.
"Huh, are you leaving already? Come inside and have some tea before you go."
"Uh... Then tea is fine, just give me a glass of water."
I was thinking of going to look at houses or visit the real estate office, but I talked a lot and my throat is dry.
I could buy something at a convenience store on the way, but well, it wouldn't be bad to leave another impression on the protagonist before leaving.
Following the mother inside the house, I could see Kim Do-hyun and his sister eating the fruit I brought.
"If you had waited, Mom would have cut it for you... Let me get you some water, Teacher, please have some fruit too."
"Yes. Thank you."
The mother went to get water and I sat next to the kids.
Do-hyun is busy cutting and the sister is busy eating.
"Is it delicious?"
"It's really delicious! Angel, you eat too."
HAHA... It's not the first time, but I just can't get used to being called an angel.
"I'm fine, so you should take care of your brother too."
"Ah, brother, you eat too."
When the sister brought a piece of melon with her tiny hands, he glanced at me briefly then accepted it with his mouth.
In the original work, he particularly liked melons among fruits, and it's nice how he takes care of his sister first.
"I gave some to my brother, so now Angel should eat too!"
This time she offered some to me, but I couldn't accept it with my mouth like Kim Do-hyun did, so I took it with my hand and ate it.
Maybe because it's department store fruit? It's definitely sweet.
"Teacher, here you go."
"Thank you. The melon is really sweet. Please have some too, ma'am."
"Yes. Do-hyun, give me the knife. Mom will cut it."
"No, it's okay. I'm done."
I drank the water in one gulp and stood up from my seat.
"Are you leaving? There's still a lot left, have some more before you go..."
"I ate a lot earlier, so I'm fine. I have other appointments this afternoon too."
"Excuse me... Teacher, could you spare me a moment? I'd like to talk with you about something too."
With me?
"Do-hyun, the teacher has an appointment."
The mother scolded him, but it's not just anyone—if Kim Do-hyun wants to talk with me, I can't refuse.
I told the mother it was fine, and since Do-hyun wanted to talk separately, we went outside the house together.
At first I thought he was going to ask questions about swordsmanship lessons, but if that were the case, he could have talked about it back there...
I can't figure out what he wants to discuss.
His expression is quite serious too, and he's hesitating while watching my reaction.
"Excuse me, Teacher..."
"Go ahead. I have time, so speak comfortably."
"Do you perhaps like our mom?"
For a moment I doubted my ears, wondering if I heard wrong.
Asking if I like his mom...
I really never imagined this.
"No. What are you talking about..."
His mother is beautiful and looks young for her age, but she's ten years older than me and has two children—what would I be lacking to...
"Really not? Then why are you helping us?"
Ah... I explained it to the mother yesterday, but Do-hyun wasn't there, so he must have misunderstood that I'm helping because I'm smitten with his mother.
"Why? Are you scared I'll steal your mom away?"
"As expected... You really do like her?"
"Huh? No, actually..."
"Could you listen to my story first?"
"Huh? Okay."
"After Dad left, there was an uncle who approached Mom. He helped with the funeral until the end and came to visit often afterward, buying us snacks and toys for Yeon-ji, treating us really well. So both Yeon-ji and I followed him and liked him, but I overheard that uncle telling Mom to abandon us and live with him."
"Ah..."
I was thinking of teasing him a bit by making him flustered, but I had no idea there was such a situation.
This kind of story was never mentioned in the original work either.
"Back then I was young and worried that Mom might abandon us, but as time passed, I started thinking that we were a burden to Mom."
"That's not true. A burden? How can you say such things."
"But it's true. So if you're sincere, Teacher, I won't oppose it. You have ability and you're a good person, so you could make Mom happy. If you find me or Yeon-ji burdensome like that uncle back then, I'll take Yeon-ji with me after I graduate. But if you're not sincere and just thinking of playing around temporarily, I absolutely won't stand for it."
I never expected this kid who's only sixteen to say such things.
Suddenly, I remember a line from a drama I saw in my previous life.
'Wounded children grow up too fast.'
Well, in the original work too, Kim Do-hyun was thoughtful and cared deeply for his family.
"Excuse me, sorry but as I said earlier, I'm really not interested in your mother. The reason I'm helping... If I had to say, it's more because of you than your mother."
"Me, me?"
He suddenly steps back two steps.
What is this kid thinking?
"I think you're misunderstanding something... You have good grades, right?"
Kim Do-hyun is an exemplary student who has never missed first place in both theory and practical subjects from the first year of Hunter School's middle division.
"Grades? What does that have to do with helping... Ah, are you planning to make a guild later and scout me...?"
"No. I have no plans to make a guild or anything."
"Huh? Then why...?"
"Why indeed, that's all there is to it."
"That's all? I don't really understand..."
"Is it a bit difficult? To put it simply, if I'm going to help anyway, isn't it better to help kids who show promise?"
"But there's no such thing as kindness without a price..."
"Hmm, Do-hyun, do you know that I'm from a non-Hunter school background?"
"Huh? No, this is the first time I'm hearing this..."
"I grew up in an orphanage. The orphanage director stole aptitude evaluation kits and reported me as the lowest grade on his own, so I couldn't go to Hunter School."
"Are you talking about the aptitude evaluation manipulation incident? I learned about it at school too."
"If you learned about it, it'll be easy to understand. When I later found out I had aptitude, I was at a loss and it was extremely difficult. There were people who helped me then. If I hadn't received that help, the current me wouldn't exist, but the people who helped me didn't expect any compensation from me."
Changsu was like that—he introduced Kang Shin-hyeok to a guild and helped him become a Hunter.
Actually, not just Changsu, but even the previous me experienced pure goodwill.
As a third-rate writer, my income was irregular, so I worked part-time at a restaurant to make ends meet.
But when a pandemic suddenly spread worldwide, the restaurant I worked at closed and other part-time jobs became hard to find, making it difficult to even pay rent.
Since I lived paycheck to paycheck, I didn't have much saved money, and as a freelancer, loans weren't easy either, so I was at a loss when my landlord came to visit.
When he asked if something was wrong since I seemed to be home all the time lately, I explained the situation, and he said I could pay rent slowly and encouraged me to hang in there.
He even brought kimchi and fruit...
Of course, I found another part-time job and settlement income started coming in, so I paid all the overdue rent within two months.
But during those two months, the landlord never once pressured me.
"You might have felt the world was heartless and cold until now, but actually the world isn't that harsh. And it's not completely free either, right?"
"Huh?"
"Did you forget that I told you to help people in need around you when you have spare time later?"
"But that doesn't benefit you at all..."
I never expected this kid, who was so frustratingly kind in the original work that he was pushed around and called a pushover, to say such calculating things.
"Originally, charity isn't done expecting something in return."
Seemingly moved, Do-hyun looked at me with eyes full of respect as I ruffled his hair and told him I'll see him next time before getting in the car.
Why wouldn't there be benefits?
Later, Kim Do-hyun will stand at the pinnacle of the world, defeating Antas along with Lee Ji-sung and saving the world.
He'll gain tremendous influence incomparable to the current 10-Star level, and among those who stand at the pinnacle together, he's more popular than Lee Ji-sung because he's more handsome.
Though readers did say Lee Ji-sung made him into a puppet because he got pushed around so much.
Anyway, given Kim Do-hyun's personality, he won't forget me who helped him with both material and moral support during his difficult times.
Of course, I know the future and I'm doing pretty well with investing, so I probably won't particularly need his help later, but insurance is better to have than not.
Moreover, if that insurance pays back dozens of times... No, maybe even hundreds of times the principal with interest when it matures, there's no reason not to get this honey insurance.