Retire 537

537 (Hunter Academy Side Story 4) A New Face_1

Woo Hee-jae was nervous.

Lee Mi-seon found this fact somewhat amusing.

“Are you worried?”

Woo Hee-jae turned to look at Lee Mi-seon a beat too late. There was something on his face that didn’t quite sit right with him, but it wasn’t a particularly grave expression.

“Why? She’s a good kid.”

Lee Mi-seon spoke with a hint of laughter in her voice.

“I met her once after her admission was decided. She doesn’t take being a Hunter lightly, you know. That was my concern.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about…”

“If anything, she’s so serious it’s almost scary. Is that not it?”

Woo Hee-jae’s face refused to relax.

Before Lee Mi-seon could press further, a flashy car appeared at the end of the school’s entry road. The speed dropped dramatically, as if the driver had spotted the people standing out on the field. At the sight, Woo Hee-jae pressed his temples firmly.

Only then did Lee Mi-seon realize the source of Woo Hee-jae’s distress. Well, anyone would get a headache at the sight of a pink cat painted on a car hood. It was still as ridiculous a car as ever.

Lee Mi-seon pulled a stick of gum from her pocket and began to chew.

“Did you know?”

“Hm?”

“About Teacher Han’s… love for cats. I asked him about it once.”

Woo Hee-jae looked at Lee Mi-seon with suspicion. She returned his gaze with a mischievous smile that did nothing to reassure him.

“I asked if I could help him get the copyright.”

“…For free?”

“Well, and if he’d work with Daseon, that’d be nice too.”

Lee Mi-seon laughed out loud at the look on Woo Hee-jae’s face. At her laughter, Hong Seok-young and Kim Chae-min turned to look. Kim Chae-min seemed amused, but Hong Seok-young looked a bit surprised that Lee Mi-seon had made such an offer to Han Tae-kyung.

Unfazed by the attention, Lee Mi-seon blew a bubble with her gum.

Hong Seok-young clicked his tongue in exaggerated disapproval.

“Hey, don’t go stealing our guild members! We’re already short-handed as it is.”

“Teacher Han wouldn’t join Daseon anyway, says there’s too much work.”

“Oh, but that’s not the reason he turned me down.”

Lee Mi-seon waved at Hong Seok-young and Kim Chae-min.

Woo Hee-jae wore an expression that was equal parts curiosity and dread.

“So what did he say?”

“He said love is something you have to win for yourself.”

Woo Hee-jae and Hong Seok-young’s faces crumpled in unison. Kim Chae-min, in contrast, burst out laughing. There was not a drop of blood connecting them, but at moments like this, it wouldn’t be strange if someone declared him their son—they were that much alike.

Lee Mi-seon didn’t bother to hide her amusement at the others’ reactions.

“So then I thought, what if we got the copyright ourselves and used it to lure Teacher Han over?”

The car slowed further as it approached the people standing on the field. Lee Mi-seon grinned.

“But then I realized Teacher Han would probably see that as an obstacle to love and get offended. That annoyed me.”

“You’re the one who thought of it, so why does it annoy you?”

“Hey, I didn’t expect you to be so petty. After all the work I’ve done for free? Should I start charging for everything now?”

“…If Han Tae-kyung could be bought with just that, it’d be a bargain.”

Lee Mi-seon snorted at Hong Seok-young, who slyly averted his gaze.

“Forget it. You’d have to be someone like Hunter Hong to handle Teacher Han. I can’t do it.”

“Han Tae-kyung knows that much, too.”

“Even Teacher Woo finds him overwhelming, doesn’t he?”

“Why am I being dragged into this?”

“Look at you now. You’re out here because you’re worried about Teacher Han.”

“Is that really what I’m worried about?”

Woo Hee-jae grimaced in denial.

“I came out to check if the student coming with Teacher Han would be all right. And she’s our only new student this year, so of course I should greet her. I need to explain the facilities… and show her that our school is running properly.”

Woo Hee-jae grumbled, shooting a glare at Hong Seok-young that clearly meant, Don’t say anything unnecessary to the new student. Hong Seok-young only grinned mischievously, as if he wanted to make Woo Hee-jae even more anxious. Kim Chae-min didn’t intervene, just smiled brightly. Woo Hee-jae’s worries deepened.

Lee Mi-seon twisted her lips.

Every one of them was a talent worth coveting. If she could bring even one of them over, there would be plenty of places to put them to use. Hong Seok-young and Kim Chae-min were obvious, but she’d never expected Woo Hee-jae, who had seemed so suspicious at first, to be running the school with such dedication.

Among Guild Mimi’s members, Woo Hee-jae was the most realistic candidate to poach. He was the one with the most practical uses.

Of course, it was just a thought. She’d even run the numbers, and the joke about luring Han Tae-kyung with the copyright was half-serious, but she’d never had any real intention of acting on it.

They were certainly desirable talents, but whether you could actually make use of them was another matter. Not a single member of Guild Mimi was the sort to work under someone else. The only reason things worked at all was because they stuck together; under her? Unthinkable.

Just imagining it was a disaster.

If she were the master of Guild Mimi, she’d never let those people work on the same team.

Including Woo Hee-jae, who now wore such a composed face.

Contrary to appearances, Lee Mi-seon had only recently realized that this man never actively stopped the others. He pretended to, but it was just for show. The real problem was that the more impulsive people always jumped in first, leaving Woo Hee-jae with no chance to intervene. If they hadn’t been there, he would have stepped in himself.

The fact that they’d left Hope in America without considering who would clean up after him was proof enough. No, the fact that they had considered it was even more infuriating. Hong Seok-young was no help at all.

“So it’s come to this, Hunter!”

From behind Hong Seok-young, Woo Hee-jae nodded with an infuriating air.

“So it’s come to this, so I’ll leave it to you, Hunter.”

Like a pair of annoying father and son…

……

Just then, Han Tae-kyung’s noisy car finally pulled into the field.

Lee Mi-seon glared at the back of Woo Hee-jae’s head as he walked toward the car, then shook her head.

This wasn’t what mattered. The relationship with Guild Mimi was just right as it was. They knew the other side was making unreasonable requests, so they kept things courteous and did each other favors when needed.

In the end, Lee Mi-seon had taken the chair of the Academy’s director because, as Hong Seok-young said, she saw the need for the school.

Frankly, it was hard to say the graduates had started out at a proper school. Though there was only one, this new student would be the real measure of the Academy’s potential.

“Ha ha ha! Han Tae-kyung has returned with an adorable chick!”

Han Tae-kyung shouted as he got out of the driver’s seat. The moment he arrived, the quiet school became noisy. To put it nicely, the place came alive.

Without waiting for a response, Han Tae-kyung immediately opened the back door. Bending down to peer inside, he raised his voice in mock exasperation.

“What’s with you, why are you so stiff? You were talking just fine earlier!”

“Ah, n-no…”

“Come on, out you go! Leave your luggage for now. Here, look! All the teachers are out to greet you. Didn’t you say you wanted to meet Teacher Kim? I didn’t even know he’d be at school today.”

“No, it’s just…”

The frail voice didn’t reach Han Tae-kyung.

“Teacher Kim! Come over here and talk to her. She’s your fan.”

“Oh, me?”

At Han Tae-kyung’s words, Kim Chae-min approached the car. It seemed he, too, was curious about the first-year student who still hadn’t gotten out.

“She saw the American video. The one with the fish. Teacher Kim’s magic is unforgettable! Ah, it’s tough being a Hunter. Maybe I should’ve become a mage instead.”

“As if you can just decide to be a mage…”

Chiding Han Tae-kyung, Woo Hee-jae naturally joined the conversation.

With Woo Hee-jae and Kim Chae-min both there, Lee Mi-seon watched from where she stood as the Academy teachers welcomed the new student. Hong Seok-young also strolled over at a relaxed pace to join the group.

Lee Mi-seon remembered Kim Abel as a child who, despite his age-appropriate liveliness, was fundamentally a quiet kid. The fact that he’d come all the way to school alone with Han Tae-kyung was impressive in itself. Even her own nephew, who had a strong personality, found a drive with Han Tae-kyung to be a challenge.

Well, even aside from that, it would be hard for most kids to open up to this group. Even veteran Hunters might find it daunting. Hong Seok-young and Kim Chae-min? Woo Hee-jae was less well-known than those two, but with his tall frame and sharp features, he didn’t exactly look approachable to kids.

“Give the kid some space to breathe. Kim Abel, right?”

Still, it was Woo Hee-jae who took charge of the situation.

Moving his laughing colleagues aside, Woo Hee-jae opened the back door and spoke gently. Was the trip to school hard? You must be tired from the long flight. Today, we’ll just do a quick introduction, and tomorrow we’ll explain everything in detail… They were routine words, but perhaps reassured, the tense-faced boy followed Woo Hee-jae’s gesture and got out of the car.

“Uh, ah, hello! My name is Kim Abel!”

The graduates and current students were young, but seeing someone so tense and full of energy felt different. Perhaps it was because those kids had gone through so much before and after enrolling, and had quickly found their footing as Hunters.

But this boy was a true fledgling Hunter. No, not even that—just as Han Tae-kyung said, a chick. He’d only just broken out of the shell of awakening.

Lee Mi-seon paused her gum-chewing and smiled deeply.

From this angle, she could see Woo Hee-jae’s face. For a brief moment, a flash of confusion crossed his features as he looked down at Kim Abel. He’d realized it too.

When Woo Hee-jae had arrived at the school, the graduates were already used to Hong Seok-young’s teaching. There was no need for Woo Hee-jae to intervene from the start.

And then there was Yoo Ji-eun, who’d also quickly adapted, perhaps because she’d spent so much time under Hong Seok-young’s care. She’d been coming to the school even before officially enrolling, and had even stayed at the pension. Plus, being Yoo Hye-eun’s younger sister, Woo Hee-jae had found it easy to adjust to her.

Kang Tae-woo was the same. Given his upbringing, he’d found his place as a Hunter even more quickly than the other students. Maybe the Academy suited him better than a regular school.

But Kim Abel was different. He’d grown up with nothing lacking, in an environment far removed from Hunters. The Hunter’s mindset? Talent? Would this child be able to adapt to the school?

All Woo Hee-jae knew about Kim Abel were a few documents and what Jean Robinson and Lee Mi-seon had told him. And videos of his piano performances.

From now on, there would be more students like him at the Academy. Kids whose backgrounds were a complete mystery. But isn’t that what schools are always like?

Kim Abel’s parents and Jean Robinson had entrusted the boy to Woo Hee-jae and Hong Seok-young. And as far as Lee Mi-seon was concerned, Woo Hee-jae’s abilities would be judged through this boy.

Could Woo Hee-jae turn this boy into a Hunter?