Chapter 107

“Retaliation operation?”

“Exactly. Since they caused the death of our operatives, they must pay the appropriate price, don’t you think? The Sikrito way.”

The idea is that if you harm someone, no matter how much time passes, retribution is inevitable.

This is precisely the Sikrito way.

And the form of that retribution is death.

It’s also one of the reasons I’m still trying to kill that guy even after all these years.

“Please explain further.”

“Literal terms. We’re putting together a team to capture and kill him. Since Han Tae-woo and Seo Ji-ah disappeared after their deaths, we’ve finally managed to track him down again, so now it’s time for retaliation.”

“I want to join the team.”

“It’d be great if you could come, but… it’s been years since you retired. Can you keep up with the active members?”

“Is beating up Gos Hawk twice not enough?”

At my words, the Chairman of the Advisory Board sighed.

“There should be no issue. However… do you really have to go yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since we are sending a team, the guy is definitely going to die anyway. Is it absolutely necessary for you to go?”

“If I don’t go, what’s the point?”

“True…”

The Chairman left the sentence hanging.

“You told me to return to Sikrito the last time, but now you’re suddenly pulling me out? What’s this about?”

“Our situations have changed, including mine. That’s why.”

The Chairman stopped talking, but I could roughly guess why he kept trying to exclude me from the retaliation operation.

“Because of Student Yu Hye-won?”

“Yes. If something happens while you’re out on this operation, I doubt she’ll be able to bear it.”

For a moment, I wondered if Yu Hye-won might have told the Chairman everything that happened between us.

But that’s an unnecessary worry.

Yu Hye-won holds her father in high regard and thus wouldn’t bring up any secret details.

“She’s inviting people home for the first time ever. I never thought she’d do it twice. It seems like she really likes you a lot.”

“Does she?”

“Yeah. Stop pretending, Professor Hyun. She’s very honest. Even though she acts cold on the outside, she can never hide her true feelings.”

I didn’t say anything, so the Chairman continued.

“I’ve rarely seen Hye-won be as bright and happy as she is now. If something goes wrong during your retaliation operation, she’ll be overwhelmed with grief and will blame me.”

“This time, I won’t fail.”

“There’s always that tiny chance.”

“If I can’t shake off the guilt after killing him myself, I won’t be able to guide Student Hye-won properly in the future.”

After staring at me for a moment, the Chairman slowly nodded.

“Alright… If you miss this chance for revenge, it’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. I understand your heart.”

“Thank you, Director.”

“Drop the ‘Director’ title. Thinking about the past isn’t pleasant.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because it reminds me of your former self.”

The Chairman smiled faintly.

“I’m not sure exactly, but that Mental Barrier thing—making wild dogs human again is a very useful skill.”

“Hahaha… Is that so?”

“Least of all, now we can at least talk face to face without turning red.”

I wondered if I’d changed that much, but when I reflected on the past, the Chairman’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

If it weren’t for the Mental Barrier, the moment I sensed his reluctance to include me in the retaliation team, I might have already taken some other action.

Or maybe, it’s not because of the Mental Barrier but simply because with age, patience and other traits suitable for social life have strengthened in me.

The Chairman sighed again.

“You’re joining the team. Trying to stop you would be pointless anyway.”

“Thank you. Please let me know the start date of the operation.”

“Since he was accidentally caught on a bodycam, we’ve sent reconnaissance satellites and human intelligence to confirm his exact location and intelligence. Once we have the coordinates, we’ll deploy immediately. I’ll contact you separately.”

“Understood. Please do not forget your promise.”

I sent a serious glance, and the Chairman solemnly nodded.

That’s all for today.

Sikrito is preparing a retaliation operation against that man, and the Chairman has agreed for me to join.

That’s enough for now.

“Then, I’ll head out.”

“Stay a bit longer. You don’t have anything urgent to do, right? Think of this as a parent-teacher conference.”

“Would you like to know about Student Hye-won’s academy life?”

“Of course, since she won’t tell me anything, I need to know.”

I was half-risen from my seat but sat back down.

Even rational and composed Advisory Board Chairmen are still fathers after all.

I told him about how remarkable Student Hye-won’s achievements at the academy have been and how she has helped Professor Han both materially and spiritually.

Of course, I left out what only Yu Hye-won and I know.

If I accidentally mentioned that, I’d probably end up like Gos Hawk, sprawled out on the ground.

* * * * *

About three days of vacation remain.

I’m unsure what to do, so I’ve decided to stay at Yu Hye-won’s house.

Just stay until the day before the school resumes, then return to the academy with the children together. That seems best.

Alone, I don’t have anywhere else to go. Even if I return to the academy, it’ll just be me alone in an empty dormitory, eating frozen food, wasting time uselessly.

So I told the children about this, and everyone was pleased.

Han Min-ha even came to see me every night, returning to her room secretly in the early morning.

Even after engaging in physical intimacy multiple times through the night, thanks to the robust recovery power characteristic of manifestation users, we would engage in passionate love-making again in the evening.

When it was over, Han Min-ha talked about our future as she snuggled into my arms.

How many children we should have, that her house could serve as our home if necessary, that with the professor’s salary and a hero’s pay, we could probably raise four children, etc.

I was somewhat taken aback, because I’ve never considered marriage, but it was clear that Han Min-ha firmly believed we would marry, and I didn’t want to upset her, so I replied with a smile.

We would talk like this, until Min-ha, consumed by desire, would tackle me again and we continued exploring each other until the early hours of the morning.

Han Min-ha’s sexual drive was endless; if the sun never rose, I suspect we could have continued for a week without pause.

Even while being with Han Min-ha, I was somewhat worried that Yu Hye-won might come.

However, surprisingly, Yu Hye-won hasn’t come down to the room even once since I’ve been here.

Given her character, she should have busted down the locked door, yet I had no explanation for this.

“Hye-won not coming is a blessing…”

Drenched in sweat, Han Min-ha moved her hips and smiled as she panted.

“What were you planning to do if Hye-won came?”

“Huh… uh… nothing can, stop… haa! Make her… haa! a co-conspirator…”

“Hye-won is out of the question. She’s a minor.”

But Han Min-ha couldn’t respond, as she was curled up on top of me, drooling, trembling uncontrollably.

After several more rounds, we would collapse in each other’s arms for an hour or two.

And then began the nightmares.

* * * * *

Since the ski trip, I’ve been dreaming every night.

The setting changes every time, and it’s all so confusing I’m unsure what I’m seeing.

I’ve seen Yu Hye-won clinging to Chairman of the Advisory Board’s collar, weeping.

Another time, I saw Song Do-yoon lighting a cigarette with tear-streaked face.

“Student Do-yoon, you don’t smoke, do you?”

But Song Do-yoon just let out a deep sigh and exhaled a long white stream of smoke, ignoring my question.

I’ve also seen Professor Jin, once lively and bright, now dark, gnawing at her nails and biting her parched lips.

And then there was a completely unknown young woman who shyly smiled at me.

Who is she? But she never answered my questions.

The most shocking were the different versions of Yu Hye-won and Han Min-ha that I kept seeing.

Yu Hye-won sat on the cold floor, her eyes expressing alternating hope and despair.

“Professor… it’s me…”

A voice filled with frustration from Yu Hye-won, which I’ve never heard before.

Hearing it felt like my heart was being ripped apart.

I tried to tell her to get up because the floor was cold, but my lips wouldn’t move, and despair crept onto Yu Hye-won’s face.

Suddenly, the scene changed, revealing a horrifying sight.

A burning city, the earth shaking with explosions. Countless bodies.

Passenger planes crashed from the sky, and cruise ships sank into the ocean.

I was standing on the rooftop of a tall building, watching all this.

A dazzling purple light came pouring down from the vast sky.

“Die, bastard!”

Han Min-ha swooped down in mid-air, her fist heading toward me.

I instinctively threw up a defensive barrier, but crossing my arms wasn’t enough. Her aura was unimaginably strong and heavy.

Her punch tore through my barrier and shattered my arms.

Even though it was a dream, the pain was so vivid that I woke up screaming.

I looked around with terror, drenched in sweat, and sighed in relief.

Alright… there’s no problem…

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and took a deep breath.

It’s fucking insane.

Since the Mental Barrier isn’t functioning properly, I keep dreaming up all sorts of strange dreams and can’t sleep properly.

What kind of dreams are these anyhow?

Anyway, I should take a shower.

After loving Han Min-ha, I was sticky all over, and with the cold sweat from the nightmare, I was a mess.

After showering and dressing, I opened the door to the hallway to get some fresh air and called out.

“Student Do-yoon.”

Song Do-yoon, leaning on the wall with arms crossed, slowly lifted his head.