Chapter 97

Winter Break.

Finally, freshmen get a full month off starting from the winter break.

However, the professors don’t have the same luxury. With the end and beginning of the year, they are buried under mountains of administrative tasks and are only given a short week-long vacation.

This semester especially, with the implementation of a new educational system, there will be even more work analyzing its outcomes and determining future directions.

It seems like it might be busier than during the actual semester.

On top of that, there’s also the directive to visit the homes of their guidance students during this break.

Since the existing mentoring system has been converted to a team-based model, all the professors have to visit new homes.

In my case, I only have to visit Song Do-yoon’s home, but it’s enough to completely exhaust the other professors.

“Oh, this break is shot,” Professor Jin sighed deeply while organizing the documents.

“Does the Academy really hate seeing us professors relax so much?”

“Exactly what I was thinking. There must be some connection to the villains’ organized activities,” another professor responded.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better just to send the professors out and have them all captured?”

Though that isn’t entirely wrong, it would only be a temporary solution.

During the administrative work, heroes from the organization occasionally stopped by to brief us on the current field situations.

It was a reminder to carefully and meticulously guide the students amidst the rising concerns.

The situation in the field appeared rather serious.

Villains were becoming increasingly organized. Initially, it was just a few major villains commanding weaker ones as sidekicks, but now even lower-tier villains are forming alliances of at least three or more.

In response, the organization is striving to form hero teams but is struggling, as heroes are reluctant to cooperate.

I suspect that Sikritos must have a significantly increased workload.

Meanwhile, the organization, seeing the current state of affairs, suspects that there’s some hidden force behind all this but hasn’t been able to obtain concrete information yet.

The organization’s heroes have referred to this as the “Villains’ Bureau.”

The Villains’ Bureau… Just hearing the name gives me a headache.

When I visit Yu Hye-won’s home during the break, I should ask the Chairman of the Advisory Board about this. That person must know something.

* * * * *

Finally, the endless administrative tasks are over, and the faculty officially begins their one-week vacation.

After cleaning the dormitory and packing lightly, I drove out of Graford Academy.

First, I’d visit Song Do-yoon’s home before heading to Yu Hye-won’s place.

While driving on the highway, I repeatedly saw heroes flying by, dragging long auras from their hands out the window.

Judging by their flight patterns, they were likely performing emergency patrols in the sky.

The system works such that if an incident occurs in their zone, they immediately move to address it.

Though it’s normal for heroes to monitor certain areas under contract with the organization, the frequency has definitely increased compared to the past.

It’s definitely due to the villains’ increased organization. The organization must have its hands full too.

After a two-hour drive, I entered the city where Song Do-yoon lived.

The navigation led me through labyrinthine narrow and steep alleys.

Where exactly does this road lead? I couldn’t have made a mistake with the address, could I?

After driving up as far as the vehicle could go, I parked and continued on foot.

Song Do-yoon lived in an old neighborhood perched on the hillside in the old downtown area.

Between the telephone poles were tangled webs of electrical wires, and stacks of flyers for various seedy establishments littered the ground.

The rotten smell emanated from manholes, and piled under the walls were heaps of garbage carelessly stuffed into ordinary plastic bags.

Stray cats scavenging through the mess added to the chaos.

After walking for some time,

“THE WORLD HATES ME!!”

A sudden shout from a balcony of an old apartment building caught my attention. A man stood there, bearded and naked from the waist up.

“That crazy bastard is acting up again,” muttered an elderly man passing by, wagging his tongue in disdain.

Noticing me, he asked curiously, “Who are you? I don’t recognize your face.”

“I’m a professor from Graford Academy. I’m here for a home visit. My guidance student lives in this neighborhood.”

“Ah, a professor? To think such an esteemed person would come to such a run-down place. It must be Song Do-yoon. He lives here.”

The elderly man pointed to a five-story apartment building where the madman was yelling.

A sudden sense of unease washed over me, but the old man chuckled and reassured me,

“Don’t worry. The crazy man lives in a different unit.”

Checking my phone’s navigation, it was definitely the right building.

Thanking the old man, I entered the apartment complex.

It was an extremely old place, at least thirty years old, its facade peeling off in patches, and some sections even had visible cracks at the bottom.

On the balconies with rusted anti-theft bars, various clutter like old kimchi jars, tattered quilts, small flowerpots, rubber basins, and more were cluttered everywhere.

I found Song Do-yoon’s home while passing by a winter-dry lawn and overgrown trash-filled flower beds.

Let’s see, apartment A, room 201… here we are.

The entrance was so low that I had to lower my head slightly, with a discarded bicycle and a dusty wheelchair standing nearby.

Before climbing the narrow staircase, I checked the mailboxes. Most of them were stuffed full of unopened notices and advertisements.

Seeing the mailbox for Song Do-yoon’s home, 201, I furrowed my brow slightly. The bright red letters read “Overdue Notice.”

Is this for unpaid management fees? Or credit card debt?

Curiosity got to me, but I decided it wouldn’t be right to snoop without permission.

I climbed the narrow stairs and arrived at apartment 201.

Upon inspection, the entrance was plastered with stickers and the half-removed traces of others. The plastic doorbell had yellowed from the sun, and it seemed that this door was still locked with a regular key.

When I pressed the doorbell, no sound came out. After a few more attempts, I confirmed it was broken and knocked instead.

“Student Do-yoon, it’s me, Professor Hyun.”

“The door is unlocked!”

The voice wasn’t Song Do-yoon’s. It sounded like it belonged to a middle-aged woman. Perhaps the mother?

Opening the door, the first thing that greeted me was a vivid jade green.

The jade green shoe rack, the jade green mop stand, the jade green bathroom door.

It had been such a long time since I’d seen a color so vibrant.

The home was so small that one didn’t even need to turn their head to see everything at once.

The living room was cramped, and the kitchen was even narrower and darker. The tiled balcony was stacked high with various mysterious objects, making the interior even dimmer.

To top it off, there was a strangely musty smell.

Interestingly, the person who had replied earlier wasn’t in sight.

“Hang on a moment.”

The voice came from the room next to the bathroom opposite the entrance.

“I was told that Do-yoon mentioned you were coming, but I completely forgot he said you’d wait outside. Please give me a moment.”

“No, it’s fine, you don’t need to come out. I’ll come inside.”

Taking off my shoes, I stepped in. If the voice belonged to Song Do-yoon’s mother, it would take her a while to reach the entrance.

Entering what appeared to be the bedroom, I saw Song Do-yoon’s mother struggling to get into a wheelchair by the bedside.

Song Do-yoon’s mother had paralysis in the lower half of her body, something I had learned during the handover from Professor Hyun Ju.

“You don’t need to bother standing. Please stay in bed.”

“Sorry about this. It’s because of my body condition…”

“Really, it’s no trouble at all. Are you Song Do-yoon’s mother? I’m the head professor of Song Do-yoon, Professor Hyun. We haven’t met before.”

“Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you from Do-yoon. It’s true; you’re as handsome as he described.”

“Does Do-yoon say that?”

“Yes, he’s been praising you quite a bit. By the way, Do-yoon hasn’t arrived yet, so what should we do?”

“Where’s he gone?”

“He went to work. He hasn’t returned yet. You might have to wait a little longer.”

“Work? What kind of job?”

“I’m not entirely sure. He works at a restaurant on the main street, but he doesn’t give me specifics.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Just then, the door opened, and someone entered.

Looking behind me, I saw a girl who resembled Song Do-yoon standing at the entrance, staring at me with wide eyes.

She must be Song Do-yoon’s younger sister, presumably in middle school.

“Uh… who… are you?”

Song Do-yoon’s sister’s face turned red as she began to stutter, then took a step back.

“I’m Do-yoon’s professor. I assume you’re his younger sister?”

“Yes… uh, but… why are you here?”

“I’m here for a home visit. Sorry if I’ve caused any inconvenience. I’ll stay for a short visit.”

“Oh… uh… will you stay here in this room?”

Confused by her question, I turned to Song Do-yoon’s mother, who gave an apologetic smile.

“There’s only this room. If you need to change clothes…”

“Ah, yes, of course. I’ll move to the living room.”

Walking back out to the living room, Song Do-yoon’s younger sister quickly passed me and closed the door behind her.

“Mom, mom! That’s Do-yoon’s professor, isn’t it? I thought he was some kind of celebrity at first!”

Through the cracks of the old wooden door, I could hear the younger sister chatting noisily with her mother.

While listening to the chatter, I took a look around the living room.

There was no sofa or TV. Only a heated electric blanket and neatly folded bedding lay spread out.

I imagine that during the break, Song Do-yoon sleeps here.

As I was standing and waiting, Song Do-yoon entered the home.