Chapter 31: Face-to-Face
Taewoon High Principal’s Office.
“Then... please feel free to talk.”
Unlike his muscle-bound physique that seemed about to burst his shirt, Ma Jae-min, the Principal of Taewoon High, fled the principal’s office.
Then, a low voice echoed in the principal’s office without its master.
“Thank you for taking the time.”
Unlike the gentle voice, there was no gap or flaw to be found in any part of the sitting posture.
I knew the thanks would come, but I did not expect the person right in front of me to come in person.
Kang Yu.
Vice President of the Hunter Association.
Given his position, he was not a person one could easily meet.
“Well, thank you too, for coming all the way to the school.”
It had been a while since honorifics left Yoo jin’s mouth.
“Not at all. It is only natural to come to the school to meet a teacher.”
Frankly, this person’s position or power didn't matter.
There was a separate reason why Yoo jin was showing a minimum of courtesy.
Normally, he should have attended the Association under the pretext of being a reference witness.
However, Yoo jin refused the attendance request in the official document and used the school as an excuse.
Unprecedented.
No, I heard there had never been a Hunter like this before.
Nevertheless.
Because a favorable gaze was directed at Yoo jin.
“Thank you for your understanding.”
The Vice President’s face entered Yoo jin’s field of vision.
He had sharp features, but a gentle smile that almost covered them.
Nine times out of ten.
He was so gentle yet charismatic that people would say his first impression was good.
He even had the composure to make the atmosphere comfortable.
“Rather, we apologize for sending the official document so abruptly. It seems the staff below proceeded according to the manual. You are a hero who protected the students from an unprecedented terror incident, yet they truly lacked flexibility.”
Although it was their first encounter, Yoo jin instantly knew what kind of person the man in front of him was.
Yoo jin’s eyes captured the full figure of Vice President Kang Yu sitting across from him in one glance.
A posture without a single bit of disarray.
A gaze that never left for a single moment.
The same eye level.
However...
He was certainly looking at him from the same height, but strangely.
I felt like he was looking down on me.
Yoo jin’s lips curled up slightly.
‘Now I know why they called him a wily raccoon.’
Yoo jin quickly composed his expression and opened his mouth.
“A hero, that’s too much praise. I only did what a teacher should do.”
“What a teacher should do... Well, that’s true. But those who can do the obvious are extremely rare. Especially in this day and age.”
Silence flowed briefly between their meeting gazes.
“Even if I wasn’t there, the terror incident would have been safely suppressed. You know that well, don’t you?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because you are a parent before you are a Vice President.”
For an instant, Kang Yu’s expression froze.
“Since you sent two talented children here, I thought you knew the level of the school and the teachers well.”
A small smile spread across Kang Yu’s lips.
“Even if I weren't a parent, I know the level of Taewoon High well. Early Hunter education is an industry that the Association is greatly invested in, and furthermore, this is a prestigious high school called one of the top 3 in the Republic of Korea.”
Kang Yu quickly regained his composure and looked at Yoo jin.
Thus, another moment of unspoken silence flowed, and as if to change the subject, Kang Yu’s lips moved again.
“But you are younger than I thought.”
“Do you know my age?”
“No. I mean, you look younger than I thought, literally. I don’t know your exact age, but somehow I feel you’ll look young even as you age.”
“Vice President, you look young yourself.”
“Do I? Ha ha ha. I feel good because the people around me think you can only hear that you look young if you look at least ten years younger.”
“……”
The two people finally brought their hands to the teacups in front of them.
It was a natural action, but Yoo jin’s eyes did not move.
“Well, enough of the greetings. Aren’t you curious why I, the Vice President, came here?”
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
Kang Yu’s eyes, which had looked only gentle with his smile, hardened into a straight line.
As Yoo jin’s lips did not move, the answer to the question flowed naturally.
“Didn’t you come to conduct an inspection as a reference witness for the terror incident?”
“That is also true. But if that were the only reason, I wouldn’t have come here myself.”
There was not a single tremor in the gazes that met in the air.
“I believe people have a place where they belong. And I believe there is treatment that they rightfully must receive.”
When I met him before, Cho Sang-geun, the Ignis Guild Master, had told me about Kang Yu, who was right in front of me.
He talked for a long time, but two things stuck in my memory.
A wily raccoon wearing a human mask.
And another was that the humans reflected in his eyes were divided into only two types.
Those who could be tools.
Garbage that couldn’t even be a tool.
His greedy dark brown eyes shone.
“Are you satisfied with the position of a teacher?”
“What is your intention in saying that?”
“This is purely my personal opinion, but in my view, Teacher Yoo jin is too good for the position of a teacher.”
“……”
Kang Yu’s eyes were directed at a tool.
“I received the final report from the Forensics Team before coming. The humanoid monster that attacked the second-year Class A. It is a new species that has never been discovered before, but we could at least prove that the monster is one of the fairly high-ranking monsters even among those in S-rank Dungeons.”
Yoo jin knew those eyes well.
It was the same look in the eyes of a king I met in the Otherworld about 50 years ago, whose name I couldn't even recall.
“Based on that result, and adding the testimonies of the teachers and students who were there, I made my own deduction. And this was the answer I came up with.”
Swoosh.
Kang Yu’s upper body leaned forward.
“Teacher Yoo jin must have power at least equivalent to Hunter Lee Si-wang, who is ranked 1st in A-class, no, at least A-class.”
It was the quietest voice yet, but it was a statement that commanded attention more than any other.
Two unwavering gazes.
This time, Yoo jin’s lips moved first.
“That is merely the Vice President’s personal opinion.”
Kang Yu smiled, returning his upper body, which had been leaning forward, to its original state.
“Ha ha ha. That’s right. It’s purely a personal opinion. That’s why...”
His gently curved eyes hardened into a straight line.
“I came here to say something extremely personal. What do you say, would you consider working under me?”
His true intention suddenly broke through.
Kang Yu’s hand reached for the teacup again.
“As I said before, I believe people should receive the treatment appropriate for them. And I am the only person who can give you that treatment.”
Even as he drank his tea, Kang Yu’s dark brown eyes were focused on Yoo jin.
“Treatment...”
A different smile than before appeared on Kang Yu’s face.
The cup was gently placed down.
“The old saying goes that there was always a great vassal in the shadow of an outstanding king.”
“……”
“I believe Teacher Yoo jin is the person who will become my wings.”
Because Cho Sang-geun had given him a hint, Yoo jin had expected this to some extent, but he had never imagined he would push like this.
If he was a wily raccoon, true to his nickname, I expected him to test the waters, scatter bait, and cast his fishing line in a place from which escape would be absolutely impossible.
Therefore.
‘How short on talent are they?’
Yoo jin could not help but be flustered.
The Ignis Guild Master knew I was a Returnee, so that was understandable.
But this case was different.
He was impressed just by me defeating a single monster, even if it was S-class.
And not just some random nobody, but the Vice President of the Hunter Association.
The real number two in Korea, whom everyone who should know, knows.
“……”
Yoo jin scratched his chin and fell into thought.
“Well, I understand your surprise. This is a first for me, too. I’m the one who suggested working together first.”
“Ah... well, yes.”
“You don’t have to feel unduly burdened that it’s too grand a position. It became even more certain as I spoke with you here. That you are the right person for the position I have chosen.”
A short time.
But because it was a short time, Kang Yu could be certain.
It had been too long since he had met someone who didn’t try to read his mood and didn’t avoid his gaze at a first meeting.
They even landed a hit on him.
It was the second time.
A human who didn’t look up at him.
Therefore.
“Do you know the power the Association holds? Especially...”
The only power in this country that cannot be refused.
“The power that I, who has a direct line to the President, hold.”
He utilized that power.
“I can pave any path for you. A good position, a stable future. A place higher than anything you can imagine. Well, conversely, you can also go to a very low place.”
“……”
The combination of appeasement and threat was clearly visible.
But no human can refuse this hand.
“So... money, power, strength, position, I will make you possess all the things every human desires. If you just take my hand.”
Especially people in the current Republic of Korea.
And even more so, Hunters, Awakened individuals.
“You don’t have to answer today. I just don’t want to go around in a hard circle for an obvious answ...”
“Power, strength, money, position.”
Kang Yu’s final remarks were cut short.
“If you have those... can you bring back the dead?”
Kang Yu’s eyes wavered.
At the completely unexpected reaction.
The air froze.
“...What did you say?”
Yoo jin’s firm expression was visible in his wavering sight.
“If you have power, money, strength, and a high position. Can those things bring back a dead person?”
The Vice President could not answer.
No, he could not answer.
Because humans were fundamentally incapable of doing such a thing.
As Kang Yu couldn't utter a word.
Yoo jin smiled quietly.
But the smile was cold and sharp.
“So, I don’t need it.”
Kang Yu couldn’t react at all.
“Thank you for the offer, but my place will always be this teaching position. I need nothing else.”
Behind Yoo jin’s voice, the bell signaling the end of the break time rang out.