The Field Training That Turned Into Chaos (1)
"Ah, yes. Goshawk. Good afternoon." [I heard you called.]
"Yes. One of my students is heading out for her internship, so I wanted to discuss that with you. They told me you were out on a request." [Things have been hectic lately. With several agencies getting wiped out, the requests are piling up.]
That was her way of describing how heroes were taking heavy losses as villains began moving in organized groups.
[So, about this intern…]
"Her name is Song Do-yun. You specifically requested her, and she also wanted to train under you." [Ah, I remember marking one. Right, the girl who got knocked out in a single hit?]
The phrasing rubbed me the wrong way, but showing it would be foolish. Goshawk was going to be Song Do-yun’s field supervisor, so it was better to keep things smooth.
[And?]
"Ah, yes. Please take good care of her. She can be a little shy at first, but I’ve already told her not to cause any trouble and to do her best…." [You don’t need to call for that. I’ll handle it. I’m a Graford graduate myself. I’ll guide my junior with love.]
"I’d appreciate that. I’ll come visit the site soon to greet you in person." [See you then. Take care.]
After hanging up, I stood there for a moment, staring at the darkened screen. Goshawk… a Graford graduate?
I walked to the window and looked toward the administrative building. The lights were still on in the administrative manager’s office on the first floor. Good, she was still working late.
When I called, Chae Ga-yun answered in her usual bright voice. [Yes, Professor Kyo!]
"Manager, you’re working late again. I had a quick question." [Go ahead, go ahead.]
"Do you know the hero Goshawk?" [That rotten hero? I know her.]
Rotten hero. Fitting description.
"Could you check if she’s a Graford Academy graduate?" [Huh? She’s not from here.]
Chae Ga-yun answered immediately, as if there was no need to look it up. [When I first started here, I looked through the records of all the heroes I knew. Goshawk wasn’t in them. She’s probably from the 3rd Training Center, not Graford.]
"The 3rd Training Center?" [I asked their administrative manager a few times when we talked. She’s memorable because she’s so unusual.]
"Ah, I see. Thank you." [By the way, why are you suddenly asking about Goshawk’s background?]
"It’s nothing. Thank you, Manager. Get some rest."
The 3rd Training Center. That was certainly an unusual background.
The 3rd Training Center was closer to a correctional facility than an academy. It wasn’t exactly a prison, but the people sent there made it feel that way. It was where ability users who failed to get into an academy or didn’t meet the admission standards ended up. They weren’t strong enough to become proper heroes through an academy, yet they were still far above ordinary people—an ambiguous group. The reason such places existed was to prevent villainization. People with mediocre talents were highly likely to go down the wrong path without proper management and control. That was why the Management Bureau had established “training centers” around the world to gather, train, and deploy them into public sectors according to their abilities. The one in our country was the “3rd Training Center.”
So Goshawk was from there. Given her current behavior, it wasn’t surprising, but it still felt off. Those from the training centers were supposed to be people who couldn’t enter an academy, so how had she reached A-class? Maybe there had been some mix-up, or perhaps she had an additional aura awakening later. That could happen, I supposed.
But why had she lied to me, claiming to be a Graford graduate? If she was ashamed of her background, she could have just stayed silent. Making a lie that would be exposed the moment anyone checked didn’t make sense.
This was troubling. The internship started tomorrow, and I already had a bad feeling.
"Song Do-yun, listen carefully. If the agency tries to make you do anything unreasonable, refuse. Remember, an intern is not a sidekick."
I held Song Do-yun back in front of the academy bus heading to Graford’s main terminal.
"Understood, Professor." "If anything difficult happens, call me right away. Don’t just endure it. You could lose your life. An agency isn’t an academy—it’s the field…."
"Professor! What are you doing?!"
Yoo Hee-won couldn’t take it anymore and shouted.
"People are going to think she’s the only one going on internship." "Don’t be like that, Hee-won. Do-yun’s going somewhere special, after all." At Han Min-ha’s words, Yoo Hee-won’s eyes widened.
"What’s so special about it? Huh? What’s so special about someone like Goshawk?" "Ah, isn’t it…? Goshawk is extremely dangerous and…." "Shut up!"
I knew exactly why Yoo Hee-won was so irritated. She was jealous that I was only fussing over Song Do-yun and ignoring the others. Still, even if it upset her, I had no choice. If I didn’t drill some sense into Song Do-yun now, I had a strong feeling she would cause some kind of accident.
No matter how late she joined or how negative she could be, as long as she was my student, it was only right to take responsibility and guide her.
"Got it?" "Yes, I understand."
Once Song Do-yun answered, I finally turned to Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha.
"Hee-won, be careful with your words and actions at an S-class hero’s agency. Even the sidekicks there are at least B-class. There are plenty of people qualified to become academy professors right now…." "Ah, yeah, yeah."
Yoo Hee-won, already in a bad mood, answered half-heartedly.
"And don’t be rude to the heroes." "Ehh? Why are you only saying that to me? That girl has even less manners!" "At the very least, Song Do-yun doesn’t reveal her true feelings right in front of people." "Seriously, this is ridiculous." "Exactly like that." "Ha…."
Yoo Hee-won let out a hollow laugh, as if she couldn’t believe it.
"Min-ha, Regal Might is an old colleague of mine. He’s a straightforward hero who loves justice. You’ll learn a lot from him." "Yes! Understood. I already looked up Regal Might last night. I’ll do my best to learn!"
Han Min-ha shouted energetically, then suddenly made a pitiful face.
"Hing. Professor…."
She ran over and hugged my waist.
"Thank you for everything so far, and please stay healthy while we’re apart…." "Tang! Are you leaving a will or something?!"
Yoo Hee-won, exasperated, approached and smacked Han Min-ha on the back.
"Come here, Hee-won. Since we’re saying goodbye, we should hug once…." Han Min-ha pulled Yoo Hee-won by the waist.
Before I knew it, both Han Min-ha and Yoo Hee-won were in my arms. Yoo Hee-won stammered in surprise.
"Th-this, let go?" "Don’t get mad. I just already miss you." I spread my arms and pulled both of my students into a hug at once.
"Alright. Since we’ll be apart for a week, let’s have a proper farewell hug."
Yoo Hee-won, who had been complaining just moments ago, suddenly fell silent and hunched her shoulders. Han Min-ha sniffled and rubbed her large chest against me.
"Huueng, Professor…." "Hey, Tang…. Stop deliberately rubbing your chest…." "But it’s so big, what can I do…." "Ah, damn…. People without them must be so sad they want to die."
Song Do-yun watched us from a slight distance. Her expression gave no clue what she was thinking. She seemed a little left out, but knowing her personality, she would never come over even if invited, so I simply smiled at her.
"Alright, everyone. Time to get on the bus."
When I released them, Yoo Hee-won stepped back, but Han Min-ha remained glued to my waist. Yoo Hee-won grabbed the back of Han Min-ha’s neck and pulled her away.
"Text me when you arrive at the internship site. I’ll visit soon, so do your best until then." "Yes, Professor!" "Yup." "……."
Yoo Hee-won’s face turned bright red as she looked away, Han Min-ha clenched her fists and cheered, and Song Do-yun remained expressionless. A truly mismatched trio. But they were all my students.
Together with the other professors, I waved as the buses carrying the interns lined up and left through the main gate.
"Professor, you seem really close with your students." Jin said cheerfully.
"They’ve been with the same group since the beginning of the semester." "I’m jealous. I have too many students, and they keep changing, so I barely have any close ones."
As he spoke, Jin casually linked arms with me.
"By the way, Professor, you don’t have any lectures or students for a few days. What are you going to do?" "What else? I’ll be visiting the internship sites for on-site guidance." "Right…."
Jin muttered with a dejected expression. I only had three students, but he would have to run around all week with his feet on fire to check on his many charges.
"Hey, Professor Kyo. Earlier, Han Min-ha was really clinging to you." Yoo said, nudging my shoulder.
"She looks so innocent, but she’s got a bold side." "Haha. You’re right. I was a bit surprised too." "Be careful, you. Don’t get tempted and end up in handcuffs." "That won’t happen."
No matter how pretty or well-figured Han Min-ha was, what Yoo was worried about would never occur. Han Min-ha was the daughter of my only friend, Han Tae-woo, and Seo Ji-ah, and my Mental Barrier kept my mind firmly in check against such thoughts.