Chapter 56

Professor Han pulled the cellphone away from his ear in panic.

Then Yu Hye-won shouted even louder.

“Hey! Purple pig! Boobs! Are you listening?!”

I gestured for him to answer, but Han urgently shook his head.

However, I couldn’t take the call instead.

Finally, Han spoke with a trembling voice.

“Uh… Hye-won…”

“&^%$#@*$@(*)!!!”

“Uh… Ah, um… I’m having a meeting with Professor… Uh…? Just a moment…?”

Han extended the cellphone toward me hesitantly.

“Professor… She wants to switch…”

“Give it here.”

I took the phone from Han.

“Hye-won student.”

[Professor?! Why didn’t you answer the phone?]

“I’ve come for a home visit to have a discussion with Student Min-ha. Besides, we already planned to visit your house this afternoon, did we not?”

[So when will you be done?]

“We just arrived, and we are about to start the conversation.”

[Hmmm…]

Yu Hye-won stayed silent for a moment as if contemplating, then suddenly said something unexpected.

“Anyway, Han Min-ha. Aren’t you alone at home?”

“That’s right.”

[Don’t you also have nowhere to go during the vacation?]

“That I don’t know. I haven’t asked.”

[Turn the speakerphone on, please.]

For some reason, I turned on the speakerphone as Yu Hye-won requested.

“Hey, Purple Pig. Haven’t you once left your house since you went back home?”

“Huh? No? I went out. I went to the mart to buy food.”

“That doesn’t count. I’m talking about going out to have fun!”

“I haven’t gone anywhere for fun.”

[Do you have any plans to go out in the future?]

Han looked at me with those big eyes, having no idea what Yu Hye-won was up to.

I shrugged, not knowing either.

“Uh… No, I don’t have any plans.”

[Then come over to my place with the professor.]

“Eek…?! You’re telling me to come to your house?”

Han stared at me and the phone with wide eyes.

“E… Why?”

[Pack your stuff and come over. We’ll leave directly to the Academy from my place.]

“Uh… Why?”

But Yu Hye-won had already hung up, so we couldn’t get the answer.

Han stared blankly at the darkened phone, and I tried to guess her intentions.

It’s simple.

She considered Han Min-ha as a friend and decided to invite her.

There can’t be any other hidden agendas with Yu Hye-won, as far as I’ve observed.

Though she appears devious and cunning, surprisingly she’s secretly kind in her own way.

I thought she might be trying to make amends for her earlier blunder regarding Han’s parents by inviting her.

“Professor. Did Hye-won really tell me to pack my things and come over to her place? I didn’t hear it wrong, right?”

“Yes, that’s what she said. What will you do?”

“Hmm… Well… The vacation is set to end in a few days anyway… but it’s surprising to get such an invitation so suddenly.”

“There’s no need to think too hard about it. Hye-won student probably just wants to spend the rest of the vacation with Min-ha student.”

“Is that so?”

Han slowly nodded.

“Perhaps you’re confused because you don’t fully understand Hye-won student’s intentions. She considers Min-ha student as her friend, as Min-ha student does to her.”

“Friend…”

“Yes. Let’s go. Hye-won student comes from a wealthy family, lives in a large house, and will definitely serve a lot of tasty food.”

I joked, and Han smiled slightly.

“Alright, then please wait a moment. I’ll pack my things and come down.”

Han got up immediately and hurried up the stairs leading to the upper floor.

While waiting, I took the empty cup and washed it.

Yu Hye-won.

She actually thought about inviting Han Min-ha to her house.

She really is… becoming more and more unpredictable the more I get to know her.

A few moments later.

With a loud clamor, Han appeared with a large suitcase, coming down the stairs.

“I’m sorry! Did I make you wait long? Oof!”

Han tripped on the suitcase’s wheels and tumbled down a couple of steps.

I used my aura lightly to create a concave defensive shield mid-staircase, stopping Han.

“Thank you… phew…”

“Min-ha student aims to become a hero. Get into the habit of using your aura for such daily situations.”

“Understood!”

After readjusting her glasses, Han gave an awkward smile.

Han currently had her long hair pulled up.

She wore a white shirt with short shorts.

She was sweating profusely, as the air conditioner had not been turned on in this floor.

When Han looked at me and smiled, I saw her mother Seo Ji-a’s face overlaid.

She really does resemble her mother so much that one might believe they’re twins.

At that moment, the face of senior Han Tae-woo, who always greeted me with a bright smile, also surfaced in my mind.

Then, an overwhelming sense of heart-wrenching guilt, longing, and sorrow surged through me, a feeling too strong even to suppress with my mental barrier.

Damn it.

What an annoying couple…

That oath of theirs really left me with full responsibility for their daughter.

I let out a bitter smile while feeling dizzy.

“Professor!”

Han noticed me swaying slightly as I pressed my forehead and rushed over, leaving the suitcase behind.

“Professor, are you alright?”

Han firmly grabbed my forearm.

Despite being in her academy year, she already had considerable strength.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about anything, it’s nothing.”

I smiled while gently pushing her arm away with my hand.

“I really am fine.”

“Do you possibly have a cough again?”

“What are you talking about in the summer? I’m completely healed, thanks to Student Min-ha.”

Han just smiled, not understanding the meaning behind my words.

She hardly smiled when we first met, but lately, she’s smiling a lot.

It’s a good look.

She’s pretty despite wearing thick glasses.

Most of all, seeing my guidance student gradually become brighter fills me with a strong sense of pride as her academic advisor.

No matter how powerful a mental barrier may be, it seems it can’t completely dry up human emotions.

“Shall we go?”

Han turned off the air conditioner and the lights, looked around the window, and finished securing the door.

“Since I won’t be coming back for a few months.”

With all final checks done, we loaded the suitcase in the car and headed towards Yu Hye-won’s house.

—

Yu Hye-won’s place was located not too far from the Organization, next to an area filled with government buildings and embassies.

It’s about a two-hour drive from Han Min-ha’s house.

While traveling on the highway, Han Min-ha and I exchanged various topics.

Mainly related to the Academy and the ‘field.’

This semester’s field training.

Curriculum for this grade and the third year.

The career path that must be chosen before graduation.

Whether to enter a hero agency as a sidekick or become an official under the Organization, and so on.

Han Min-ha meticulously jotted down everything I mentioned in a small notebook.

Glancing at it, the corners were already worn out from extensive use and reading.

She carried her notebook and notepad wherever she went, even during our mentoring sessions.

“Professor, I have a question.”

“Sure, ask.”

“How do I join the organization called Sikrito, where Professor and my parents were part of?”

“Ah, Sikrito. There is only one way to enter—it’s pure luck.”

I explained to Han Min-ha the method to enter Sikrito.

“In fact, it was already illegal for me to mention Sikrito to Min-ha student. They might impose penalties on me if they find out. That’s how strict they are about confidentiality, and thus they don’t conduct public recruitment.”

“Then…”

“At the point of graduation, they discreetly contact you to inquire if you’re interested in working for humanity.”

“Wow? Do they really ask like that?”

“Yes. And not everyone with good grades will receive the offer. Sikrito needs heroes who have abilities matching their special tasks.”

“So that’s how Professor joined Sikrito.”

“That’s right. There’s a scarcity of heroes specializing in defense techniques.”

“Hence, Professor joined Sikrito with the noble intention of serving humanity?”

“No, I joined because of the stable salary.”

“Wh—!”

Han let out a small gasp.

“Surprised? But back then, my graduation grades weren’t good. I focused too much on defense techniques, neglecting the skills the Academy looked for. So, I received a D grade upon graduation. As you know, Min-ha student, a D-ranked hero has an uncertain future.”

Not even a C rank but a D rank, which makes it impossible for a standard hero career.

Sometimes, heroes insult each other using the idiom ‘talkative heavy machinery,’ and that’s exactly the kind of work D-ranked heroes below that level often end up doing.

Working in construction sites for low pay, lifting heavy materials that cranes and excavators would normally handle.

With an unexpected D grade and a sudden offer from a subsidiary organization under the Bureau, who could refuse?

That’s how I ended up joining Sikrito.

“What about Mom and Dad?”

“Min-ha’s father joined because of that talk about self-sacrifice for humanity and fell into her mom’s trap, leading her to tag along.”

“Wow…”

And without missing a beat, Han Min-ha scribbled it all down in her notebook.

“But Min-ha student must absolutely not join Sikrito.”

“Why is that?”

“Sikrito is a dirty place. It doesn’t suit someone like Min-ha student at all. Also, promotions there are quite tough. So, don’t even entertain the thought of Sikrito, and…”

Suddenly, Min-ha shouted, dropping the pen.

“Professor! Look ahead!”

I slammed the brakes, deploying a defensive barrier in front and behind the car.

KAAANNGG!!

A car falling from the sky collided with the barrier and bounced off to the opposite side.