Chapter 26: Park Ye-na, Year 2 Class A (2)
“I apologize for eavesdropping. I didn’t intend to listen in.”
Ye-na, who had been bowing her head for a long time, straightened her back.
The sunset, which had been the same color as Ye-na’s eyes, was now almost completely swallowed by darkness.
A considerable amount of time had passed since the conversation with Jin-ho ended.
Despite that, Yoo jin was still on the rooftop.
The story between Yoo jin and Jin-ho had concluded, but it seemed a new student’s story was about to begin.
Yoo jin merely nodded in response instead of answering, and Ye-na continued.
“I usually come up to the rooftop often after school. I came up today just like any other day, but when you and Jin-ho suddenly entered, I unknowingly... ended up hiding. I’m sorry.”
Ye-na bowed her head slightly once more.
He could feel the sincerity in her apology from her expression and voice.
However, from Yoo jin's perspective, it didn't really matter.
Whether the child's words were true or false.
This kind of thing was not a big deal, and most importantly.
He believed it wasn't something Ye-na needed to apologize for by bowing her head, as trusting first was what a teacher ought to do.
Well, a monster who had been rolling around on the front lines, playing tug-of-war with the Grim Reaper for 100 years, wouldn't be fooled by the sweet lies of little kids anyway.
But.
More than that.
‘How on earth was she hiding?’
Yoo jin wasn't a Detection-type Awakener, but he had spent 100 years walking the front lines.
He was also incomparably stronger than S-Rank individuals called Transcendent and Returnees called Gods, although he didn't know his exact rank.
Even so, Yoo jin hadn't detected another person on the rooftop.
Of course, he wouldn't have been caught off guard by a surprise attack.
However, the mere fact that he hadn't detected her was enough for Yoo jin to be intrigued by this child's ability.
“......”
“......”
The problem was simply that he was intrigued and was lost in his own thoughts.
The silence grew longer.
“......”
“......”
From the perspective of an 18-year-old high school girl who couldn't possibly know Yoo jin's thoughts, the meaning of the silence might have been perceived differently.
“B-But you don’t have to worry. It was far away, so I couldn’t hear the detailed content well. A-And, also! My memory is bad, so I’ll forget the conversation between you and Jin-ho right away!”
Ye-na forced a smile to break the awkward atmosphere.
As the female student’s exaggerated laugh spread, Yoo jin finally realized that his student was feeling uncomfortable and opened his mouth.
“You don’t have to worry about that. It wasn’t a secret we were hiding. And you don’t need to apologize. I think it’s completely understandable to react that way when you're surprised.”
Ye-na's eyes trembled at Yoo jin's voice.
Her forced high tension subsided.
“Th, thank you.”
A voice laden with many thoughts flowed out.
Yoo jin didn't know what the child felt in that short time, but upon seeing the words Yoo jin spoke and the expression he wore while speaking them, the child hardened her expression as if she had made another resolution.
And...
“Thank you for understanding! I really, really won’t tell anyone! That Jin-ho is going to crush Tae-wook!”
“......”
“That the Athletic Meet is the D-Day. That he’s going to give Tae-wook a proper lesson in front of the whole nation. That you train only Jin-ho here every day. Oh, and also. The Returnee, no! The 100 years, I mean the other world, stuff like that!”
“......”
Silence followed once more.
The gazes of Yoo jin and Jin-ho were fixed on Ye-na.
Ye-na’s sparkling eyes lost their color.
“Uh...”
Ye-na slumped down and pulled at her hair.
Yoo jin and Jin-ho exchanged glances.
“This, surely...”
“Yes. I think she heard everything from the very beginning.”
“Our secret special training, too?”
“Yes, and your 100 years in the other world, Teacher.”
Even though there was no one on the rooftop, Jin-ho, being cautious, had spoken very softly, just loud enough for Yoo jin to hear.
Yet, it seemed she had heard every word exactly.
The secret conspiracy between the bullied student and the teacher.
The revenge plan, and the teacher’s secret, which was highly classified even from the school and the nation, had been exposed so easily.
“I’m sorry...”
Ye-na, groaning and pulling at her hair, apologized again.
Ye-na couldn’t lift her face.
And two faces were looking at her.
Naturally, they wore slightly heavier expressions than before.
There are levels of secrets.
Some are secrets that end with a ‘Why did I say that?’ the day after drinking.
But some secrets are life-threatening just by knowing them.
The current secret was definitely the latter.
“Hmm...”
Yoo jin, who was looking at his self-reproaching student, shrugged once and moved towards Ye-na.
“There’s no helping this. Since the secret has been exposed.”
Ye-na’s head lifted at Yoo jin’s voice.
“You’re on the same boat now.”
Ye-na saw Yoo jin’s face, which held a faint smile.
“Teacher... are you saying...”
“Well, it means we’re on the same side until we get caught by the pirates.”
“......”
Into her shaking orange eyes came a strange adult with the smile of a child.
An odd adult who seemed mischievous but was more trustworthy than anyone else.
“Since we’re on the same side, should I listen now? Why do you want to train?”
The consideration of instantly glossing over her mistake and changing the atmosphere to a lighter one.
It was a feeling that seemed like nothing special, yet she had never received it from any other adult.
Ye-na once again firmed her resolve and hardened her expression.
“The reason I want to receive training is because I want to return my family to the way it was when we were happy.”
It took a long time, but now Ye-na was finally showing her true feelings.
“Is there discord in your family?”
“Discord... you could say that, but the essence is a little different. It’s not that our relationship became bad; it’s that Dad unilaterally abandoned us.”
Jin-ho’s eyes hardened into a straight line as he listened quietly.
As his trembling eyes met Yoo jin’s, a voice flowed out, reflecting Jin-ho's inner thoughts.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you’re uncomfortable, but may I ask why you think he abandoned you?”
Her comfortably resting hand tightly gripped the hem of her skirt.
“He came home after a week, and the first thing he said was, ‘Where’s the bankbook?’ He didn’t even look at the meal that was prepared. Mom and I were waiting for that day. It was our birthday, which only happens once a year. Even though he clearly saw the cake on the table, Dad...”
Yoo jin, who had been stroking his chin, moved his lips.
“Cheating... doesn’t seem right. If it’s a bankbook, is it gambling?”
Ye-na’s head nodded up and down at Yoo jin’s voice.
“Yes. Specifically, an illegal fighting ring.”
At Ye-na’s voice, not only Yoo jin’s eyes but also Jin-ho’s shook violently.
They knew about it, even if not in detail.
The new world where monsters and Dungeons appeared, and Awakeners emerged.
It was a world of upheaval, but people called it the beginning of a new golden age.
An era where anyone could break through the ceiling and become a dragon.
However, conversely, many new darknesses sprouted within that radiant light.
New drugs, crimes committed by Awakeners with mental disorders, and those who sought to amass wealth by ignoring the laws of the new world.
Among the biggest issues were the dark market and the underground illegal fighting rings, whose names were known but not their locations.
“I’ve heard the name. Underground illegal fighting ring. Where people bet money and enjoy gambling on fights between Awakeners or between monsters...”
“I’ve heard it, too. Most people consider it an urban legend, but in any era, there are people who are good at catching the scent of money-making opportunities at the beginning of a change. Even more so for the bad side.”
Behind the voices of Jin-ho and Yoo jin.
“Yes. Although it’s not widely exposed, Dad was addicted to that illegal gambling, which is a major social problem.”
Ye-na’s drooping voice flowed out.
“I was greatly shocked and disappointed that Dad was gambling... and at an illegal fighting ring, which is called a major social problem. But still, I had no choice but to wait.”
“......”
“I had no choice but to wait, thinking he would quit and come back after some time. Because Mom... was waiting. Because Mom didn’t give up. And even if I hated him, even if I was upset, he was family.”
Although she spoke at length, the last single sentence.
That single sentence was enough.
The 100 years spent in the other world.
The only promise Yoo jin made to himself, thinking he was receiving punishment in hell.
‘If I ever return. I will never do that again.’
Yoo jin recalled the face of the student he now buried in his heart.
“You might not be able to return to a harmonious family right away. There’s a price to pay, a debt that must be settled fairly. It might take a little longer than you think.”
Ye-na’s already dark face became even darker at Yoo jin’s voice.
A silence as heavy as the darkness that had completely covered the sky followed.
“So.”
A powerful single sentence that changed the atmosphere.
“Let’s go, quickly.”
Ye-na’s vision blurred.
Nevertheless, she saw clearly.
No, she absorbed it more certainly.
The only adult who didn’t look away, who didn’t weigh the situation.
The adult who looked her straight in the eye.
***
The next day.
Outskirts of Namyangju.
A cafe street famous as a drive spot.
Since it was a holiday, every place was bustling with people.
Similar-looking buildings, and similar high-end cars filling the parking lots.
Yoo jin was there.
He moved his steps towards one of the large cafes that looked just like the others.
Then, Yoo jin opened the cafe door.
“Ye-na’s father!!”
All eyes converged at once.
“Ye-na’s father! Are you here?!!”
The eyes inside the cafe turned toward Yoo jin.
Yoo jin, confirming the gazes fixed on him, turned up the corners of his mouth.
Smirk.
“I’ve come for a home visit.”