Retire 301
by Cristae301 Future Aspirations (2)
Woo Hee-jae straightened up from where he had been leaning against the teacher’s desk. Having set down the other students’ drawings, he approached Soon Soon-jin.
Screeech.
Woo Hee-jae dragged a nearby chair over. The chair scraped across the floor, making a grating sound that set one’s nerves on edge. Startled, Soon Soon-jin flinched, her shoulders jerking up, and Woo Hee-jae sat down with an apologetic look.
“You went to a regular high school for your first year too, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“Did you ever see the seniors back then? The third-years? Did any of them study that hard because they had some grand ambition?”
Soon Soon-jin pressed her lips tightly together.
Back then, she’d known she wouldn’t be at that school for long anyway, so she hadn’t put much enthusiasm into school life itself. In that year or so, Lee Seung-yeon had been bullied, and because she was close to Seung-yeon, nasty rumors had spread about her as well. Still, perhaps because others were wary of her background, she hadn’t suffered any direct harm, but it had been hard to watch Seung-yeon’s face grow darker by the day.
‘I shouldn’t have just let it go, thinking it was fine since I’d be leaving soon. If I’d at least told Dad, things would have been much better for Seung-yeon too.’
Soon Soon-jin shook her head, trying to shake off those memories.
Fortunately, after transferring to the demonstration high school, Seung-yeon had brightened up again.
“Well, you were only a first-year, so it makes sense you wouldn’t know,” Woo Hee-jae said, shrugging as if he’d interpreted Soon Soon-jin’s reaction differently. Her eyes regained their focus.
She knew what misunderstanding Woo Hee-jae had, but she didn’t bother correcting him. In truth, there was nothing to correct. With no cousins her age, Soon Soon-jin’s only knowledge of third-year high school students came from what she’d seen online. Even now, as a third-year herself, it was no different. Still, she at least understood that life as a third-year at Yangseong High was different from that of most high schoolers.
Besides, the way Woo Hee-jae had asked made it clear that those students weren’t studying hard because they had some lofty goal.
So… probably.
“Usually, people aim for college.”
College.
“…College.”
“It might have been a bit different back then… But there are far fewer kids who actually think specifically about what they want to become than you’d expect.”
Woo Hee-jae’s voice carried a trace of laughter.
As if to say that not being able to draw a single picture was no big deal.
“So, it’s not wrong for you to feel lost right now.”
That must be true. If being bad at drawing was something to be scolded for, Oh Hyun-wook would have been dreaming of dropping out by now. He couldn’t draw things far more important than this, even.
At least when it came to drawing runes, I was better than Oh Hyun-wook.
“But…”
Soon Soon-jin looked down at the blank sheet on her desk.
[Let’s imagine what kind of work you’ll be doing in the future and draw it ^^]
That annoying phrase refused to disappear.
“But, when we were writing our career plans, the teacher said it too. That becoming a Hunter isn’t necessarily the only answer. That we should… consider other paths.”
She had never considered a future where she wasn’t a Hunter.
It was difficult. Soon Soon-jin had no idea what Woo Hee-jae wanted from her. He said it wasn’t wrong for her future plans to be uncertain, but Soon Soon-jin had always been certain. Besides, the very name of this school was Hunter Training High School, and from the way Woo Hee-jae was talking now, didn’t it almost sound like he was being negative about becoming a Hunter?
“Yeah. Other paths. But for some people, being a Hunter might be the answer.”
“That sounds strange!”
“If Oh Hyun-wook doesn’t become a Hunter, what do you think he’ll be?”
“……”
Soon Soon-jin closed her mouth, watching Woo Hee-jae’s expression.
“…Do I have to answer honestly?”
“What were you thinking?”
“A violent terrorist.”
“……”
“Or maybe he’d stab that old guild master and end up in jail?”
“…I thought he’d just end up drinking himself silly at best.”
“…Was I too harsh?”
“No, that could happen.”
“……”
“……”
Soon Soon-jin fell silent.
An awkward silence lingered for a moment, and Woo Hee-jae, perhaps sensing the need to change the mood, quickly returned to the original topic.
“I wasn’t telling you not to become a Hunter.”
“…Okay.”
“But compared to the other kids, your career plan was just so empty. That’s all.”
“……”
Soon Soon-jin opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“If I hadn’t intended for you all to become Hunters, what do you think I’ve been teaching you all this past year? I taught you how to become a living Hunter.”
Woo Hee-jae muttered briefly.
“But, Soon Soon-jin. Are you really becoming a Hunter because you want to?”
“……”
Still, Soon Soon-jin couldn’t answer.
For the first time in her life, someone had asked Soon Soon-jin, “Do you want to become a Hunter?”
Because she’d awakened, her father had taught her how to control her power.
Because she had talent, Lee Mi-seon had asked if she wanted to join her guild.
Everyone had simply assumed Soon Soon-jin would become a Hunter. Even Lee Seung-yeon. No, even she herself.
She’d thought it was only natural. She didn’t dislike it. All she had to do was walk down a single, straight path. What was so hard about that?
Even now, Woo Hee-jae’s question didn’t change her mind about becoming a Hunter. Soon Soon-jin wanted to be a Hunter. Maybe she’d started because the adults had pushed her into it, but at least now, she thought it was her own choice… or so she thought.
Her gaze still wandered over the blank paper.
“Or do you just think that if you quietly graduate from this school, you’ll become a Hunter?”
“…If I just get the license, I’ll be a Hunter, right?”
“There are people who get the license and don’t become Hunters.”
“……”
“I never intended to become a Hunter, either.”
Woo Hee-jae’s voice was self-mocking.
“I went to college, too. Somewhere completely unrelated.”
“…So it must have been something useful. Like how Seung-yeon wants to study business.”
“Nope. Really, completely unrelated.”
Woo Hee-jae gave a small laugh.
“I wanted to make movies. So I went into that field.”
“What?!”
“Finally, you look up. Is that so strange?”
“Movies?”
“Yeah. I even made some short films. I loved watching movies since I was a kid, so I wanted to try making one myself.”
Soon Soon-jin stared at Woo Hee-jae, dazed.
Woo Hee-jae often sparred with other Hunters. Han Tae-kyung was the most frequent sparring partner, but sometimes he’d warm up with other Hunters from Daseon, and he’d spar with Hong Seok-young fairly often, too.
She’d never thought Hong Seok-young would bring in a half-baked fighter as a teacher, but… as her eye for these things grew, Woo Hee-jae became someone who couldn’t be described as merely skilled.
There were plenty of Hunters who were simply strong.
But Woo Hee-jae?
He was deeply knowledgeable about monsters and dungeon raids, and he didn’t just spout what he knew—he could teach it in a way that even students with no background knowledge could understand. Of course, they couldn’t give all the classes to Woo Hee-jae, so other Hunters from Daseon filled in, but even then, they followed his curriculum.
And as for his strength—there was plenty to say about that, too.
Before Woo Hee-jae came to the demonstration high school, he’d spent several months under Hong Seok-young’s guidance. Of course, being trained by Hong Seok-young was an honor. It was a priceless opportunity, worth more than any fortune.
But whether that was helpful for students just taking their first steps as Hunters… that was another question.
Only Soon Soon-jin, who’d trained under her father for years, and Oh Hyun-wook, who at least had some guild experience, could barely keep up.
In the end, the demonstration high school only truly began to function as a school after Woo Hee-jae arrived.
And someone like that? Wanted to make movies?
“Even now, if someone told me to quit being a Hunter… maybe I’d try making a film. I’d probably have enough funds for it.”
“That’s not the issue right now!”
“Then what is?”
Woo Hee-jae glanced at the blank sheet on the desk. Automatically, Soon Soon-jin’s gaze followed, and she flinched.
[Imagine what kind of work you’ll be doing in the future….]
“There was someone I knew who tackled dungeons as if he meant to close every last one in the world.”
“…Okay.”
“And someone else who just wanted to save people.”
“…By clearing dungeons?”
“Probably, yeah. So, what do you want to do if you become a Hunter?”
“……”
Today, Soon Soon-jin felt more tongue-tied than ever.
Woo Hee-jae gave a small laugh. It was the same light smile as always, but it didn’t feel mocking.
“Do you know what Yoo Ji-eun wrote on her career plan?”
“No…”
“She wrote that she’d be a good daughter to her older sister.”
“……”
“She said that if she became a Hunter and made a lot of money, that’s what she’d do.”
That sounded just like Yoo Ji-eun. It seemed too childish to write on a career plan, but still.
“That’s what I wanted to know. It’s fine to write things like, ‘At this age I’ll do this, I’ll do that,’ like Lee Seung-yeon does.”
Woo Hee-jae tapped the paper Soon Soon-jin had been fixated on with a raised finger.
“And this is about five years from now, right?”
“……”
“Did you see what the other kids drew?”
“Yes…”
“What about Oh Hyun-wook?”
“…I didn’t see. He wouldn’t show me, not until the end.”
“Really? Don’t tell him I showed you, but take a look.”
Woo Hee-jae fetched Oh Hyun-wook’s paper from the teacher’s desk and held it out.
As expected, it was a poorly drawn picture. The reason he hadn’t wanted to show it was obvious.
“……”
Or at least, it should have been obvious.
“Maybe he just couldn’t imagine himself as anything but a Hunter—he drew himself as Hunter Oh Hyun-wook.”
If he hadn’t written his name with an arrow, it would have been hard to tell who it was. But once you knew, even without the arrow, Soon Soon-jin could recognize Oh Hyun-wook’s drawing.
Just as Woo Hee-jae said, Oh Hyun-wook had become a Hunter. Even with that clumsy drawing, you could make out the weapons and armor.
“But does this look like a Hunter to you?”
“…No.”
Next to Oh Hyun-wook stood Seo Han-seong. That tall, lanky guy could only be Seo Han-seong. Beside him was Lee Seung-yeon. Maybe he’d used a picture of college student Seung-yeon studying for exams as a reference—she was holding a book at her side, and in front of her was a bottle of soju.
The other friends were similar. Han Eun-young, holding a book to her chest; Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo, wearing wizard robes; Kang Tae-woo, holding the hand of a small child who must be his younger sister.
“…Isn’t this almost daughter-aged? There’s no way the age gap is that big.”
“You know Tae-woo’s sister?”
“Yeah. She’s in America now.”
“Really, America?”
“Is there a fake America?”
“……”
There were also the Yoo sisters, Yoo Hye-eun and Yoo Ji-eun, with identical smiling faces.
And of course, Soon Soon-jin was there too. The sword at her side, just like Oh Hyun-wook, showed she’d become a Hunter.
Counting Kang Tae-woo’s little sister, there were eleven of them, all beaming behind a grill loaded with meat.
Woo Hee-jae started to chuckle.
“He’s got a surprisingly sentimental side, you know.”
“……”
“It’s supposed to be a class reunion, five years from now. What do you think?”
“Even if you ask…”
“Soon-jin.”
“……”
“You’ll do well as a Hunter. But I’m not so sure about Soon Soon-jin who isn’t a Hunter.”
Soon Soon-jin who isn’t a Hunter.
Soon Soon-jin’s eyes went wide, as if struck by lightning.
“Being a Hunter doesn’t mean you’re raiding dungeons and hunting monsters every day. Soon-jin, what do you want to do then?”