Guild or Child?
The next morning before dawn, all five of them gathered at the training grounds without fail.
They had come out early to warm up before the first light of day even broke—but the air felt heavier than usual, more awkward than it already was.
“Come on, you’re making me feel weird.”
It was all because of Kwak Do-jin.
“I’m not some death-row inmate waiting for the gallows. Why’s everyone keep glancing at me like that?”
Well, it wasn’t that far off. Expulsion instead of execution, sure—but still.
“Hey, kid.”
“Twenty-first batch! Han Tae-ho!”
“What’s with the full name and rank? This a military base?”
Kwak Do-jin snorted a laugh and clapped Han Tae-ho on the shoulder.
“I’ve seen you a few times now. Loosen up, will you?”
“……Understood.”
“And about last time—when I called you an idiot. Sorry about that. I was on edge.”
“Oh, no, sir! That was my shortcoming—”
“Nah. I was the one acting like trash.”
The surrounding cadets stared in surprise at Kwak Do-jin freely admitting his own faults. They already knew the Mad Dog had changed. Showing up every single dawn without fail and sweating in silence wasn’t something just anyone could do. But they never expected him to actually spit out an apology out loud.
Apologies were easy to swallow down inside. Spitting them out took courage—the kind that meant breaking a scrap of pride.
“Yoon Hyun-jong. I’m sorry to you, too.”
“Me, sir?”
“Yeah. Grabbing you by the collar on the first day of class. Looking back, you were right.”
“It’s fine. Men can grab each other by the collar on first meeting. Happens.”
Yoon Hyun-jong didn’t dodge the apology either. He wasn’t so petty as to swat away an effort to mend things.
A little later, after finishing training, Kwak Do-jin showered and changed into street clothes. Then he checked his bank balance.
“Damn it.”
What was left after tuition had been deducted. Precious money his grandmother had scraped together from her private savings and sent him.
I was gonna graduate and give her the good life…
Well. Not like he’d be paying tuition anymore.
He arrived at the liquor department store in front of the Academy’s main gate and cleaned out every last won for a single bottle of top-shelf single malt whiskey. Tuition money had hurt like hell to spend—but tuition paid to the professor didn’t sting at all. If he’d had more, he would’ve bought something even pricier.
Yu-yeon said it yesterday.
That a Taewang Guild executive had shown up, smashed her phone, and threatened her. That the professor had stepped in and saved her—just like when Hwang Min-woo had tried to blackmail her with that contract.
How was he supposed to sit still after hearing that?
Kwak Do-jin carefully cradled the elegantly boxed bottle and headed for the faculty building.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Kang Hyun was sunk deep into the sofa in his office. Across from him, a woman he’d never seen before was tapping away at a tablet.
Kwak Do-jin’s eyes went round.
W-who’s that? His girlfriend?
Kang Hyun jerked his chin at Kwak Do-jin, who was standing there awkwardly with the bottle in his arms.
“What are you doing? Get in here.”
“Ah—yes, sir. But the person next to you—”
“My secretary.”
“Secretary?”
An involuntary sound of pure admiration slipped out of Kwak Do-jin’s mouth. A secretary this pretty? So a man really did have to be strong after all?
“What are you staring at? What’s that in your hands?”
“Ah.”
Kwak Do-jin carefully set the luxurious box he’d been cradling onto the table.
“You treated me to drinks last time, sir. This is tuition on top of that.”
In truth it was every last scrap of money he’d had left for school—but he didn’t bother advertising that.
“Oh. This is a pretty expensive one.”
Kang Hyun’s eyes lit up as he opened the box.
“I never turn down a gift of liquor.”
Pop!
He pulled the cork without a second’s hesitation, and a rich, fragrant oak aroma spilled out.
“Nice nose. Sit. Let’s drink together.”
“With me, sir?”
Even as he said it, Kwak Do-jin’s backside had already glued itself to the sofa. Honestly, his hands had been shaking when he bought this top-shelf single malt.
For what that cost, I at least gotta taste it or I’ll never get over it.
Kang Hyun didn’t dig into why he’d bought it or where the money had come from. He simply poured the amber liquid into a glass with a soft glug and slid it across in front of Kwak Do-jin.
Then his gaze shifted to Lee Se-ah across from him.
“Chick. Want some?”
“I’m on duty, so…”
Lee Se-ah waved him off—but her eyes were already locked on the whiskey bottle. A label you clearly couldn’t afford on a Bureau salary. She swallowed hard, saliva rising unbidden, then forced her gaze away and pressed on.
“More importantly, Professor. You’ve been complaining that the liquor cabinet never gets restocked lately, right? There’s no budget left to fill it.”
“Petty. What about the secret manuals I gave you last time?”
“Those ran out ages ago. We replaced the furniture with top-grade pieces twice over, and we kept restocking the booze.”
“Did I really drink that much?”
“Yes, sir. You really did. Honestly I’d love to keep taking care of you, but… you know how it is.”
Black’s budget was allocated from national funds. Of course, the potential gains from keeping Kang Hyun tied to the Republic of Korea were enormous—but there were still limits.
“Still, don’t worry.”
Lee Se-ah tapped her tablet a few times and slid it toward Kang Hyun. The screen was packed with a list stamped with red warning marks.
⚠ S-Rank Dungeon Raid Support Request
⚠ Search of the Collapsed Jeju Underground Labyrinth
⚠ Annihilation Request: International Wanted Organization
……
“If you quietly handle any one of these, you could restock the liquor cabinet several times over.”
A transparent Bureau scheme to put Black to work. Kang Hyun waved a dismissive hand, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
“Get rid of it. These bastards think I’m some easy mark?”
Then he looked fondly at Kwak Do-jin sitting across from him and raised his glass.
“Still—thanks to you, I’m drinking good liquor today.”
“Not at all, Professor. Looking forward to your guidance going forward.”
Kwak Do-jin was just scratching the back of his head when—
Knock knock.
Another knock sounded at the quiet door. Lee Se-ah’s eyes sparkled as she asked,
“Think the bait we tossed out yesterday got a bite?”
“Sadly, no. Come in.”
The door swung open—and Kwak Do-jin’s eyes went huge at the person who appeared.
“Yoon Hyun-jong?”
What are you doing here?
Yoon Hyun-jong had also come carrying a wooden box.
That is…?
An ultra-premium limited-edition fine liquor, complete with ornate gold-foil decoration and a serial number! It was a bottle so expensive it made what Kwak Do-jin had brought look cheap by comparison.
This bastard—of all times, he shows up with that right now?
Kwak Do-jin bit down hard on his lip. Kang Hyun let out a dry little laugh, looking thoroughly amused.
“What is this, a flash mob? Everyone showing up like you all planned it.”
Yoon Hyun-jong carefully set the box on the table, a little awkward.
“My greetings are late, Professor. This is a token of gratitude for saving my life last time.”
“That so? Then we open this one too. Sit. Drink with us.”
Kang Hyun didn’t refuse this time either. If anything, he looked delighted as he pulled out a fresh glass. Lee Se-ah muttered under her breath, looking half-exasperated.
“At this rate, all five of those cadets are going to end up in here.”
“See? No need for missions. The kids take care of me like this.”
“……True enough.”
Kang Hyun filled the glasses and continued at an easy pace.
“That’s how the world works. You do right by people without asking for anything—and later, they do right by you without asking for anything.”
What Kang Hyun had received from them wasn’t expensive liquor. It was their hearts.
Don’t worry. In the lives ahead of you, I’ll give you something far more precious than the price of this drink.
I know that well enough, Lee Se-ah murmured inwardly, nodding.
My salary tripled thanks to the professor, after all.
She made up her mind. A portion of her paycheck would go toward restocking the liquor cabinet. If the cadets could express their gratitude, how could their dedicated manager fail to do the same?
Just as the warm little drinking party was starting to hit its stride—
Knock knock.
Another knock.
“Who is it this time? Cha Yu-sik? Or Han Tae-ho? Seo Hae-in?”
“No. This time I think the bait from earlier finally got a hit.”
Kang Hyun lazily swirled the glass in his hand.
“Come in.”
The door burst open—and the man who walked in was built like a mountain.
“……!”
Kwak Do-jin shot to his feet. He knew exactly who the man was. The root cause of the ruin of his life—Hwang Min-woo’s father.
Hwang Tae-gwang!
What the hell is that man doing here?
The two of them relocated and sat facing each other in the faculty reception room.
“I apologize for calling on you so abruptly.”
Hwang Tae-gwang bowed his head first. Kang Hyun returned the courtesy.
“Contract professor. Kang Hyun.”
Outwardly he observed the forms—but Hwang Tae-gwang knew. This man was the monster the Bureau was protecting.
“Ahem. I’ll be direct. One of our people committed a grave discourtesy yesterday. The responsibility is entirely mine.”
Kang Hyun didn’t bother answering. He simply rolled the whiskey glass with his right hand. Hwang Tae-gwang understood perfectly well what that meant: skip the fluff and get to the point.
“The video in your possession, Professor. I would like to resolve that matter quietly.”
“Quietly?”
Kang Hyun lifted the glass and took in the aroma.
“A moment ago it was ‘we committed a discourtesy’—and now the solution is to handle it ‘quietly’…”
“Your point is not wrong.”
Hwang Tae-gwang nodded.
“I am the head of an organization. I cannot move on emotion alone. I simply wish to contain the situation before it grows any larger. If compensation is required, Taewang will take full responsibility.”
The corner of Kang Hyun’s mouth curled faintly.
“Any compensation at all?”
“Within what Taewang can bear.”
Kang Hyun set the glass down.
Click.
A small sound—but Hwang Tae-gwang felt his shoulders lock up on instinct.
“One question.”
“Please.”
“Your son means a great deal to you, doesn’t he?”
At the sudden question, Hwang Tae-gwang’s gaze wavered for a fraction of a second.
“……He does.”
“And the guild?”
“Means more.”
No hesitation. Kang Hyun stared at him steadily. It wasn’t a lie. Which only made it more interesting.
“Good. Then one more.”
Kang Hyun rose slowly to his feet. The feel of him was nothing like when he’d been lounging on the sofa. The air in the reception room grew heavy.
This presence—!
Hwang Tae-gwang finally understood why Song Cheol-ho had made such a scene. A man who’d weathered every storm could read it from the eyes alone.
This one is a tiger.
A predator that could devour anyone. You didn’t need to fight a tiger to know it was strong. Instinct was already screaming it.
You fight him, you lose.
“What is it you want to protect right now?”
“Taewang.”
“So you’re saying you can throw away your own son?”
Hwang Tae-gwang’s brow twitched. He wasn’t stupid enough to miss the meaning behind those words.
“If necessary.”
Kang Hyun gave a short, dry laugh.
“Easy to say. When the blade is actually at your own blood’s throat—it’s different then.”
His voice was still lazy, but there was a strange chill in it. Hwang Tae-gwang didn’t answer. He’d judged that saying nothing was better.
Kang Hyun walked over toward the window. Looking down through a gap in the curtains at the Academy grounds below, he spoke.
“The compensation I want is two things.”
Hwang Tae-gwang’s eyes went still and cold.
“Please name them.”
“First. Hwang Min-woo will personally pay the price for what he did to Baek Yu-yeon and Kwak Do-jin.”
“……!”
“Second. Taewang will clean up every rotten line it’s planted in the Academy.”
Kang Hyun didn’t raise his voice. He simply turned his head and looked Hwang Tae-gwang dead in the eye. But in that instant, Hwang Tae-gwang’s instincts screamed.
This man was not negotiating.
He was warning him.
Spare the son, and the guild dies. Kill the son, and the guild lives.
And at the same time—he was offering a chance.
Whatever dirty business your Taewang Guild gets up to out there—however deep you roll in the muck—I won’t dig into those sins. But the filthy schemes you’ve run inside my territory, the Academy: those you will clean up, thoroughly and without fail. Cross even that line, and I will smash guild and all into nothing. Not a trace left.
Hwang Tae-gwang’s throat bobbed hard.
Kang Hyun walked over and took hold of the doorknob.
“I’ll hear your answer at tomorrow’s disciplinary committee. Choose wisely.”
Click.
The door shut firmly behind him—and Kang Hyun was gone.
“Haa…”
Only then did Hwang Tae-gwang finally let out the breath he’d been holding.