Don't You Know Who My Father Is?
I was still on the fence about the whole thing. Honestly, I had no idea.
"Ugh, whatever. Just get lost already."
Wow. The mouth on this girl.
If she'd just accepted the apology and let us settle things amicably, that would have been the end of it. But insulting me like that, with zero manners? Whatever guilt I'd been feeling evaporated on the spot.
Judging by her face, she looked like a high schooler. Real promising start.
"Look, I know I was in the wrong, but—"
"I said leave! Do you not understand plain Korean, you idiot?"
The moment I took a step closer, she went off like a feral cat in heat. One wrong move and I was pretty sure she'd bite me.
I kept my cool and spoke slowly.
"Haa… All right. Just calm down for a second."
"Did you just sigh at me? Are you insane?! What the hell did you do right that you're sighing like you're the victim here?"
For fuck's sake. I'm already having a rough day—why is she screeching at me like this?
I fought down the anger boiling up inside me with everything I had.
Right. They say if you endure three times, even murder can be forgiven… Hmm…
But do I really need to waste that much patience?
Flip it around and one murder saves you three rounds of putting up with crap.
And let's be real—I'm the one who should be the most pissed off right now.
All because I made one lousy friend, I got dragged into a novel.
"You know what… Forget it. How much was it?"
"What?"
"Your clothes. How much did they cost? They look expensive, so I'll just buy you a new set."
When Ma Seong-yong shows up later, I'll just borrow some cash off him.
"Your tone is really starting to piss me off. Hey—do you even know who I am? Do you have any idea whose daughter I am?! I'm from the Haeseong Gr—"
I let it go in one ear and out the other.
Her nonstop yapping was getting on my nerves, so I cut her off mid-sentence.
"Don't know. Don't care."
"……Can you handle the consequences of that?"
She seemed to think she had a temper worth showing off. Well, I wasn't exactly a saint myself.
A line of black-suited attendants stood waiting, forming a protective ring around a single black car.
Before long, a middle-aged man stepped out of the black sedan.
"We've arrived at the meeting place, Chairman."
"Hmm……"
The man who emerged from the car caught sight of Ma Seong-yong approaching in the distance, and the corner of his mouth curled upward.
He adjusted his clothes with care.
"Perfect timing—Brother has come out to greet us. All of you, mind your manners. Do not say anything disrespectful."
After issuing his instructions to the attendants, he started walking toward Ma Seong-yong.
The distance between them closed, and the two men met, clasping hands in greeting.
"Sorry for being late, Brother Seong-yong. What a poor first impression I've made."
"Haha. Think nothing of it. He's a man of such generous spirit that he's lenient even about punctuality. A few minutes won't trouble him."
"I see. A man of truly great caliber, just as you said. Shall we go, then?"
"Let's."
Ma Seong-yong—an upper-tier S-Class hero and master of the Glorious Guild.
Walking beside him was Na Tae-san, chairman of the Haeseong Group.
Unlike the superhuman Ma Seong-yong, Na Tae-san was an ordinary, unawakened man. His true strength lay not in combat, but in business, capital, and connections.
The reason the two titans were meeting today was simple enough.
A few days earlier, over a casual round of drinks, Ma Seong-yong had let something slip.
—My master will be coming down from the mountain soon. The thought of it has me restless. I haven't slept a wink for worrying.
His master, Cheon Hae-beom, who had spent over a decade in seclusion deep in the mountains.
After so many years cut off from civilization, the man was finally rejoining society—and Ma Seong-yong couldn't help but feel anxious.
So, half to vent and half to complain, he had poured it all out to Na Tae-san.
—The one whose name is Cheon Hae-beom, you said? I'd very much like to meet him myself, if the opportunity arises.
For Na Tae-san, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.
And that was how the seeds of this meeting had been sown.
I wonder what sort of man he is.
The one person his dear friend and sworn brother Ma Seong-yong acknowledged above all others.
How could he not be curious?
He had heard enough stories about the man from Ma Seong-yong over the years to develop a personal admiration of his own.
And yet here he was, making the man wait at their very first meeting. If that wasn't a breach of etiquette, nothing was.
Started off on the wrong foot. I'll need to score some points.
Na Tae-san quieted his racing heart and quickened his pace.
Sensing his tension, Ma Seong-yong tossed out some idle conversation to put him at ease.
"No need to be so nervous. Come to think of it—how's your daughter doing?"
"Eun-sol, you mean? Don't even get me started. The girl's hit her rebellious phase, I swear. Nothing but trouble from dawn till dusk."
"Haha. Kids that age are all like that. Looks like you've got your work cut out for you."
"If it were only me suffering, I'd count myself lucky. With Eun-sol's personality, you wouldn't believe how many people end up as collateral damage. Just thinking about it gives me chills."
Na Eun-sol—eldest daughter of the prestigious Haeseong Group.
She had powerful backing, no shortcomings to speak of, and striking good looks on top of it all.
And then there was the superhuman training school famous for its brutal cutoffs: Arena Academy.
The girl who had enrolled as the second-ranked freshman was none other than Na Eun-sol.
With her personal ability proven on top of everything else, her pride had only grown day by day.
That pride had curdled into arrogance—and that arrogance had become a source of constant worry for Na Tae-san.
"Sometimes it genuinely scares me. She's not some alley cat—but the way she lashes out, you'd never know the difference."
"Hmm? I wouldn't know about that. The girl always seemed rather gentle to me. Impeccable manners, too—just like her father."
"Brother, I appreciate the kind words, but that attitude is reserved exclusively for you."
Na Tae-san shook his head.
His daughter Na Eun-sol looked down on the entire world—but even she had idols, and she wasn't so far gone as to throw a tantrum at one of them.
Is that just how superhumans are?
They held a particular reverence for top-tier heroes. His own daughter was no exception.
"Speaking of your daughter—she looked rather down today. Something happen?"
"Pardon? You saw Eun-sol?"
"I did. Ran into her by chance at the café. She looked so gloomy I decided to leave her be."
"……You know how it is. The homeroom instructor she was so attached to turned out to be a plant for a Main organization…… The sense of betrayal must have hit her hard."
"Ah, yes. I'm well aware. I was the one who arrested the bastard, along with Cadet Cha Hyun-woo. The boy is just as shaken, for what it's worth."
The Main episode.
It was the arc where the original protagonist, Cha Hyun-woo, truly started to suffer.
His homeroom instructor had been a Main. Even a friend he trusted had been a Main.
Crushed by that bleak reality, Cha Hyun-woo would break down mentally—and then, gradually, grow. That was the shape of the episode.
"Of course, I'm not blaming you, Brother. I simply can't stand those black-hearted scum."
"Haha. Yes, yes. I understand."
"In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing who you'll scout as the new instructor. The saplings who will one day become great trees need proper soil to take root in, after all."
"Don't worry yourself over it. That very problem has been giving me no end of trouble."
His first choice was his own master, Cheon Hae-beom.
Unfortunately, the man had shown not the slightest interest in becoming an instructor.
So Ma Seong-yong had turned his attention to other superhumans as a fallback.
"Ah—you mentioned Eun-sol is at the café as well?"
"That's right."
"Then, since things have worked out this way, would it be all right if I introduced her to him? The girl has been saying she desperately wants to meet him."
"Haha. That child is welcome anytime."
They traded idle talk back and forth, and before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination.
Na Tae-san looked at the shabby café and offered an embarrassed smile.
"I really should have arranged the venue myself. Bringing such a distinguished guest to a place this humble……"
"Don't give it another thought. I rather like how modest it is."
With that, Ma Seong-yong pushed open the door.
—Jingle.
"You lot wait out here. If the whole pack of you piles in, you'll only draw stares."
"Understood."
Na Tae-san gave the order to one of his attendants and followed Ma Seong-yong inside.
For a while, the two of them walked without hesitation.
Then those steady footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
"……?"
Ma Seong-yong, who had been leading the way, had stopped cold.
Na Tae-san opened his mouth to ask what was wrong—then thought better of it.
"……"
An unusual atmosphere was rolling off Ma Seong-yong.
That was rare enough that Na Tae-san couldn't bring himself to speak lightly.
At last, he managed to find his voice.
"Is something the matter, Brother?"
No answer came.
Ma Seong-yong simply stared fixedly at a single point, as if nothing else existed.
What on earth is he looking at?
Na Tae-san's eyes followed his gaze.
A moment later, he sucked in a sharp breath.
C-Could it be…… that young man standing in front of Eun-sol……
He had heard descriptions of the master's appearance more than once.
An excessively youthful face. Handsomeness so striking it was almost unreal.
It matched the young man before them almost perfectly.
And right now, that young man was locked in a shouting match with his daughter, Na Eun-sol.
Surely not……
Deep down, he already knew.
Ma Seong-yong's reaction alone made the man's identity all too clear.
After watching in silence, Ma Seong-yong finally spoke.
"……Your daughter has quite the foul mouth."
He couldn't disagree.
Not with what he was hearing right that second.
—What kind of pathetic loser are you?! Do you even know who my father is?! You really want to find out the hard way?
The scene was so sudden, so shocking, that Na Tae-san's words stuck in his throat.
He stood there, stunned, before his wits finally returned.
"That—that little—!"
Na Tae-san swallowed his rage for a beat.
Then a thunderous bellow erupted from his mouth, filling every corner of the café.
"Na Eun-sol!"
The voice shook the air.
Na Eun-sol's shoulders, mid-argument, gave a sharp flinch.