novelraw Chapter 215 : Chapter 215
Chapter 215 : Chapter 215
Chapter 215: Stance (2)
After making eye contact with Ho-cheol and being momentarily flustered, Da-yeon's expression instantly brightened.
The other students, with classes not having resumed, had no opportunity to hear any information related to Ho-cheol and were unaware that he had even quit his professorship and disappeared, but Da-yeon was different.
She had been periodically—to be precise, once a day—personally reporting her training status and physical condition in rambling text messages.
And Ho-cheol, though not every day, had been sending back proper feedback to her reports once every three or four days.
But that feedback had suddenly stopped at the time of the academy attack.
Feeling a sense of unease, she had asked around here and there.
And through the Sword Demon, she heard the story that Ho-cheol had turned back into a villain.
Of course, Da-yeon never believed that nonsense.
Our professor?
That's ridiculous.
However, after checking the circumstantial evidence that followed, So-hee's reaction when she visited her, and secretly checking the Association's confidential information that only the Sword Demon could see.
She confirmed that he was truly on the run from the Association again.
But wasn't that just them arbitrarily evaluating and concluding Ho-cheol's actions?
She couldn't believe it until she saw and heard it from him directly.
Da-yeon still believed in Ho-cheol.
That the stigma of 'villain' now attached to him was all a false accusation.
The very reason she had sought out a job experience under the Sword Demon was all for Ho-cheol.
There must be some misunderstanding.
There's no way Ho-cheol would do such a thing.
At least the Ho-cheol that Da-yeon had seen, heard, and felt until now was absolutely not that kind of person.
I'm the only one!
So she thought.
Ho-cheol had been by her side during her most difficult moments and had always saved her.
This time, it was her turn.
However, he had already become an enemy of the heroes, of this country.
There wasn't much she could do.
The situation was not favorable for her to simply take his side.
That's why she put aside her pride, her desire for revenge.
She put it all aside and went under the Sword Demon.
With the Sword Demon's information network, perhaps she could find Ho-cheol before the Association did.
Her actions, which had puzzled Ho-cheol, were all for him.
And finally, she had found him before the Association.
Da-yeon lowered her bow and took a step toward him.
“You've been well, right?”
She hadn't seen him in almost a month, and she had been so worried.
Fortunately, his complexion looked even better than it did during the semester.
“It's all a misunderstanding, isn't it? The Association and the academy are going around saying you've turned back into a villain, and it was so absurd.”
But Ho-cheol didn't answer.
At his reaction, an unknown anxiety seemed to grip Da-yeon's heart.
“It's not that people are bad, it's the situation that's bad. Right?”
Ho-cheol still just looked at her, one hand covering his mouth.
Even though he was just not answering, the silence was strangely heavy.
Da-yeon took another step forward.
“I! I can solve everything.”
She shouted urgently.
Da-yeon was always emotionless, but her emotions churned whenever she stood in front of Ho-cheol.
If she used the Sword Demon's power, she should be able to cover for whatever crimes Ho-cheol had committed so far.
But she couldn't take that second step toward Ho-cheol.
Before she could, he spoke first.
“That's right.”
His voice, which she hadn't heard in a long time, was colder and heavier than she had ever heard before.
And the words that followed made Da-yeon despair even more than his cold tone.
“Chatter, chatter. A noisy brat who was a nuisance.”
At his single, harsh, almost cruel remark, Da-yeon froze on the spot.
“What?”
“A damn brat I'm sick of.”
The strength drained from her legs, and Da-yeon collapsed to the ground.
There was none of the pressure she had experienced from him several times in the past during what he called practical training or exams.
It was just that every single word flew like a blade and tore into her chest.
“Ah, ah……”
Could that really have been his true feelings?
Were all the expressions, voices, and actions he had shown until now just well-crafted fabrications?
“Professor……”
“Who's your professor.”
Saying so, Ho-cheol held his sword horizontally and aimed it at Da-yeon.
“Did I ever tell you that I quit this professorship because I was so stressed out because of you lot?”
Seeing the sword pointed at her brow, Da-yeon's face was a mixture of shock, hurt, and depression.
It felt as if everything she had meticulously built up until now was crumbling.
Silence flowed between the two.
Da-yeon was completely frozen and on the verge of tears, and Ho-cheol just looked at her with a complicated expression.
“Dammit.”
He muttered very quietly, so no one could hear, and wiped his face again.
And his expression after wiping his face again, the coldness from before had all melted away.
He moved the sword aside, and he slowly approached Da-yeon.
Even though Da-yeon knew she was completely defenseless, she couldn't move.
In the first place, she didn't want to move.
If everything she had believed in was truly just a lie.
No, it wasn't that she didn't want to move, she didn't want to live.
Ho-cheol crouched down in front of such a Da-yeon and slowly reached out his hand.
Da-yeon just squeezed her eyes shut.
But…….
Thwack—!
The strong impact of a flick on her forehead forced her to open her eyes again.
A bright red, swollen forehead, and Ho-cheol's middle finger, flicking up and down as if to brag that it had been the one to hit her forehead.
She blinked, as if she couldn't understand.
“Eh?”
He acted as if he was going to kill her, so what was this?
But Ho-cheol didn't say anything.
Instead, he brought his middle finger and thumb together again, getting into a position as if to flick her forehead again.
Da-yeon squeezed her eyes shut again, but the second pain never came.
Instead, his hand, which should have flicked her forehead, was gently tidying her hair.
He pushed aside the strands that had fallen forward, tucked her side hair behind her ear, and soon his fingers lightly brushed her ear, cheek, and cheekbone.
Ho-cheol's lips moved lightly.
Sorry—
Although no sound came out, he was clearly saying that.
“……Ah?”
Before Da-yeon could say anything, he tapped her earlobe with his fingertips.
Only then did she understand.
Was there a listening device?
And Da-yeon's guess was spot on.
Although Ho-cheol was well-prepared for someone secretly observing him from outside his detection range, listening was a different matter.
That's why he had no choice but to say things he didn't mean, like just now.
Of course, for Ho-cheol, maintaining the attitude from a moment ago was the safest option.
If Da-yeon went around telling everyone, everything would be ruined, but the her he had seen for the past six months was by no means that kind of student.
At least, that's what Ho-cheol believed.
He stood up again and held out his hand.
Da-yeon also stared blankly at his hand before extending her own and taking it.
Having barely stood up, she opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it again.
She could easily tell that if she said anything unnecessary now, he would be in trouble.
Her expression brightened again, just like when she first met him.
She was relieved, now realizing that Ho-cheol was saying things he didn't mean.
At that, Ho-cheol chuckled and lightly patted her head.
Well done—
Although it was only the shape of his mouth, it was the praise from him that she had so longed for.
Da-yeon's face turned beet red with joy and embarrassment.
Ho-cheol put his other hand in his pocket.
Then he took out a tattered notebook.
Da-yeon knew that notebook well.
Because he always carried it during lectures and in his daily life.
He dropped it to the ground with a thud—and took a step back.
“Ah.”
As the hand that was stroking her head fell away, a sigh of disappointment instinctively escaped Da-yeon's lips.
Looking at her, Ho-cheol smiled lightly and said.
“I'm busy today so I'll be leaving first, but next time we meet, I'll show you what's what……. baby hero.”
As he said that, he leaned back over the railing and fell down from the building.
After Ho-cheol disappeared, Da-yeon, belying the fact that he had just helped her up, collapsed to the ground again.
For a different reason than before, the strength had completely drained from her legs.
She hugged herself tightly with both arms.
Although the modifier 'baby—' was attached to it.
Hero.
Ho-cheol had definitely called her a hero.
While taking his lectures for the past semester, he had always attached expressions like fledgling, student, or assistant to them.
She had been acknowledged by him for the first time.
That alone sent a dizzying thrill from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
Because Ho-cheol had gone down the building, an unexpected commotion broke out below.
And the sound of people coming up to the rooftop could be heard.
Da-yeon belatedly came to her senses and immediately picked up the notebook Ho-cheol had just dropped.
Why on earth did he leave this behind?
But she couldn't check its contents right away.
Because the sidekicks from the Sword Demon's office came rushing in.
They asked worriedly.
“Are you alright?”
She wasn't just a student under their care, but the boss's only daughter.
Naturally, the sidekicks had no choice but to treat her as preciously as gold and jade.
“Yes. I'm fine.”
Da-yeon, hiding the notebook in her bosom, refused their help and stood up.
They brought the radios attached to their vests to their mouths.
“This is the rooftop of the Hanseong Building. Unhappy is currently on the run. Team 3 is in pursuit.”
“Unhappy?”
At Da-yeon's question, one of the sidekicks answered.
“That's the new name of the villain from just now.”
“……I see.”
Da-yeon smiled to herself.
What an unfitting villain name.
She, who had met him, was so happy and joyful.
Of course, she didn't tell anyone.
Because it was a promise with him.
***
Unhappy's hideout.
After hearing Ho-cheol's explanation of the situation, Ha-rin frowned.
“Good grief. Why don't you just go around and announce it to the whole neighborhood? I'm actually a good guy. Please refrain from the slander. Like this.”
When was it that he was making such threats about it being a secret, and now he's gone and blabbed it all to his student?
The other executives, too scared of Ho-cheol to say it out loud, were inwardly in agreement.
“Well, what can you do.”
Ho-cheol knew he was in the wrong, so he made excuses while watching her expression.
“I was trying to let it go like that, but she seemed really hurt. I felt bad.”
Of course, it was a truly absurd excuse.
In fact, Ho-cheol's judgment had been perfect.
If he had treated Da-yeon so coldly, she would have completely broken down and been so shattered that she would never have been able to recover, even if Ho-cheol explained the situation later.
Of course, that was a future that had already disappeared.
Ha-rin shook her head in disbelief.
“How about feeling a little sorry for us too.”
“I don't feel sorry, I feel grateful.”
“Tsk. If only you couldn't talk. You're a total pushover.”
Of course, Ha-rin had also benefited from Ho-cheol being such a pushover, a good person.
Still, from a third-person perspective, it was quite frustrating.
“So what now? Are you just going to go around busting villain organizations again?”
“There's not much else besides that. How's the old man?”
In Ho-cheol's organization, there was nothing much to do for now other than expand their power as a villain organization.
The guys from the Society, whom they had designated as their enemies, were nowhere to be seen, so even if they wanted to fight, there had to be an opponent to fight.
Of course, he had his subordinates searching, but as expected, they couldn't find a single trace.
They had no choice but to wait for them to make the first move, or vaguely wait for the Sage to somehow catch their tail.
“The Sage? He's tracking them diligently right now, but it seems he's having a hard time finding a lead.”
“They have to leave a trail for us to do anything.”
Crash—!
With the sound of a door opening violently from upstairs, the Sage came running down the stairs quickly.
Seeing that, Ho-cheol clicked his tongue.
“Hey, an old man who can't even see. At your age, your bones won't knit if you fall. Can't you be more careful?”
Despite Ho-cheol's advice, the Sage paid him no mind and shouted.
“I found that pasty-faced bastard! I found him! Dammit! How I've turned this country upside down looking for him!”
It was natural for the Sage to be excited.
He thought he'd at least play some Go with Ho-cheol when he came here, but everyone was so busy that he didn't even have an opponent for Omok, let alone Go.
Finally realizing that he couldn't enjoy his hobbies until he caught the Society guy, he activated his Trait at full power to track him, and finally, he had caught his tail.
It was a good thing Ho-cheol had mobilized his subordinates to eliminate many areas.
If he had tried to find him alone, he would have died of old age before he could.
“Location?”
“Would you even understand if I explained it? I'll give you the coordinates, so you go and beat the crap out of him! And then come back and play some Go!”
“Right.”
Saying so, Ho-cheol stood up from his seat.
He had always stayed within the bounds of the law since his release.
As a result, he had to react after the enemies had made their move, and that had been quite stressful.
But it was different now.
For him, who could commit any illegal act under the excuse of being a villain, such a line was the kind that could be instantly erased by scuffing it with his foot.
“I think that guy is probably the first one to piss me off so much and still walk around on two legs for this long.”
Ho-cheol thought of the Society's boss and quietly ground his teeth.
“I'm finally going to break that bastard's legs.”
As he picked up the sword he had placed next to him, he gestured with his chin towards the executives who were still sitting down.
“What are you doing? Grab your tools.”
“Ah, are we going too?”
Wolf Fang asked back, momentarily flustered.
He thought Ho-cheol would go alone and take care of it in a jiffy, as always.
But to be told to grab their tools.
“Of course. We've always been the ones getting ambushed and ganged up on. Don't you think they should experience it for themselves, with the tables turned.”
Just how annoying and unpleasant it is.
He was going to make them experience it directly.