Chapter 58 (Please Teach Me Tutor)
Episode 58: Teacher, do you have a favorite food?
<Han Mina’s POV>
Han Mina felt dizzy.
She couldn’t forget what the two first-year students had said on the way home from school.
They were first-year students who had recently been promoted to Class A due to their unusual growth in Class D.
Among them, there was a familiar face named Yu Ah-ra.
She was once in the same grade as her.
Although she was half the class, she was a celebrity. The only repeat student among the first-year students last year.
I heard that she has now moved up to Class A.
I thought there must be some great secret behind it.
-The only thing that really interested me was Mr. Si-woo’s abilities, nothing else.
-Yeah, there’s no need to take your clothes off during class. So, you can rest assured.
‘Kim Si-woo, was he really the kind of person who would take off his clothes for a woman?’
But their faces showed more pride than shame.
They didn’t seem proud of exposing their bodies.
‘Teacher Kim Si-woo.’
She clearly said he was a teacher. But if he was a professor, you wouldn’t call him teacher.
“What the heck?”
My thoughts were jumbled and confused.
It was clear that he was not an ordinary person.
‘Are you a capable hunter?’
Then it made sense that he wasn’t easily hypnotized.
I had previously found out through tests that her hypnosis worked even on A-class hunters.
That’s it.
‘At least S-class, I guess… ‘
He was a strange man. He couldn’t be hypnotized, he was known to all the students, he was called teacher, and he even made them take off their clothes.
What kind of man was he?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.
He was a strange man who I couldn’t figure out.
Of course, she couldn’t be sure that the person named Si-woo was the same Kim Si-woo she had seen.
‘But… … somehow it feels right.’
Han Mina recalled the image of Kim Si-woo telling her his name while under hypnosis at the end.
‘Should we meet in person and check?’
No. That’s too dangerous.
Then there’s no point in spending points to erase memories… …
Let’s erase them.
Erase everything from my memories.
Han Mina returned home and closed her eyes tightly.
***
<Kim Si-woo’s POV>
-Teacher, can I come to your house today? I have something urgent to ask you.
Yu Ah-ra called me and said she had something urgent to tell me and would come to my house.
I wondered what was going on, so I gave her my address and waited for her to come.
Ding dong!
The doorbell rang, and as soon as I opened the door, Ah-ra smiled brightly and shouted.
“Teacher! Teacher teacher! Teacher teacher teacher! This is awesome! This is awesome!”
“What do you mean, this is awesome? No, let’s come in and talk first.”
“Hehe, yes!”
As we entered the house, she came to me with a very excited face and looked around the living room with a voice full of excitement.
“Teacher, you live in a nice place. The living room is really big. Wow! The TV is really big, too?”
“I bought it when I was doing well as a Hunter. It’s nice. It’s a bit old, though.”
“Oh, have you invited anyone here?”
“People used to come here often when I was a Hunter, but this is the first time since I quit.”
“T-That makes me the first student to come here out of all the students you tutored?”
“I guess so.”
“Hehehe, first time… Hehe.”
I brought snacks to Yu Ah-ra, who was laughing bashfully.
It was a comprehensive snack set that I had quickly gathered from snacks I had found at home after hearing that she was coming.
“Eat. How about something to drink?”
“Oh, just some water, please.”
“Okay? Got it.”
While the water was being brought, Ah-ra sat in the living room and looked around the room.
“Teacher, do you live alone?”
“Yes. I live alone.”
“Isn’t it too big to live alone?”
“Well, I’ll have to get married later. If I think about it, it’s not that big.”
“Marriage… Hmm, that’s right. It’d be perfect if you were to have and raise two kids.”
Yu Ah-ra, who had been lost in thought for a moment, changed the subject by clapping her hands.
“Oh, that’s not what I came here to talk about… Teacher, I was scouted by Daesung!”
“Daesung?”
“Yes! Daesung! Prof. Park said they scouted me after seeing me during the second regular exam… Teacher, are you okay?”
“Huh? What?”
“Your eyes were really fierce just now.”
“Was I? Sorry, I’m okay. Is it because I didn’t sleep well last night? My eyes are heavy.”
As soon as I heard the name Daesung, I frowned without realizing it.
I expected that they would approach Yu Ah-ra, but when the time came, I didn’t feel good.
It showed in my expression.
‘It’s faster than I thought.’
I thought the first exam of the second semester would come after that.
No matter how much Yu Ah-ra showed outstanding performance in the first semester, she was from class D.
‘Was winning first place a stimulant?’
They might have thought she was unusual.
Sudden growth, and sudden number one.
‘Maybe they thought Korean Academy were pushing Yu Ah-ra to create a star?’
But if they seriously came here to recruit Yu Ah-ra…
“A scout came from Daesung?”
“Yes, that’s right! What do you think? Do I look different now? Yu Ah-ra, who was a repeater, becomes the ace of class A!”
Yu Ah-ra asked me with sparkling eyes. She was speaking with her expression.
-Please compliment me.
The look in his eyes was like a puppy carrying a tennis ball in its mouth, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Good job.”
“Right! Right? I did well, right? Amazing, right? I think I’ve shown you the fear of the teacher’s number one member to this extent?”
“Yeah. I’ve shown you enough.”
“Ahem, I know that too. I’m telling you how great I am right now.”
It was cute how she spoke with her shoulders raised high. What should I say?
It was like the way a precious pet dog was making itself known.
“Oh, of course I know it’s all thanks to you, Teacher. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now. So don’t worry. I don’t plan on just falling for Daesung’s temptation!”
“Then you were planning on falling for it?”
“Of course not!”
Yu Ah-ra shook her head and cleared her throat, looking at me.
Her eyes looked as if she was hoping for something.
Like a dog that has finished showing off its long legs and wants a snack, she also wanted something.
“Isn’t there a… prize?”
“Prize?”
“Yes… Um, like last time, a date or something like that, or maybe some special tutoring.”
I looked at her in silence.
So, this was the goal.
Now, I know why she looked excited, she was here for this reason.
She wasn’t happy about Daesung’s attention.
She was expecting a reward from me for receiving Daesung’s attention.
“Hmm, how was class A? I guess this is your first time meeting the students from class A.”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I had a war of nerves with Lee Hye-ri today… No. Forget what I just said.”
“A war of nerves with Lee Hye-ri? You’re not.”
Yu Ah-ra covered her mouth with both hands and avoided my gaze.
“You didn’t fight, did you?”
“We didn’t fight! Just a little argument?”
“…….”
“T-and we made up! We won’t fight anymore. The misunderstanding has been resolved.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“T-That’s what happened.”
She was sweating profusely.
It didn’t matter that she was possessive.
However, it was difficult for future guild members to fight each other.
“I won’t tell you to force yourself to become friends. But you two should never fight. Class A is a rough jungle. It might not be easy for you two to survive unless you two join forces.”
“Oh, I know. We won’t fight anymore.”
“Yes. I know that. You always keep your word.”
I stroked her head.
She closed her eyes and felt my hand.
She pressed her face against my hand and rubbed it, then she met my palm with her lips.
“Then there’s no reward?”
“You mean the one you got scouted by Daesung?”
“Yes…….”
“You want to do that?”
“Yes.”
“Then there’s an evaluation at the end of the month?”
“Yes, there probably will be one. They said they’ll test how much you’ve improved during the semester.”
The first month-end evaluation of the second semester.
If I remember correctly, it was a one-on-one match.
“Go there and beat your opponent.”
“Do I have to beat Lee Hye-ri?”
I shook my head.
“There’s no need for the two of you to compete. Usually, you’re given opponents of similar ranks……”
“Then I’ll spar with the cadets in the rear guard.”
“Yeah. But Kwon Jun-hyeok is also in the rear guard, so it’ll be pretty tough. If he is my opponent, then I’ll lose?”
“Don’t worry! You can beat him!”
“Really?”
“Yes! I saw you fight last time.”
She shouted in a confident voice.
“It’s nice to see you so confident.”
If she defeats Kwon Jun-hyeok, what will be the talk within the Academy?
There’s probably going to be chaos. They’re going to re-organize the rankings.
In the second test, they will realize that all the things that Yu Ah-ra showed were not just coincidences. Then, they will be more interested… … .
‘I need to move quickly too.’
I had to obtain the ultimate weapon to drive out Daesung as quickly as possible.
Han Mina.
I kept that name in my head.
‘I can’t go to the academy… … .’
I thought long and hard about how to approach it.
***
“Then I can just take the bus from here.”
“I’ll wait until the bus comes.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
“You look happy.”
“I didn’t get an award today, but I did get some praise and… and a promise.”
“Are you sure you’ll get one?”
“Of course! Someone taught me.”
Yu Ah-ra asked while waiting for the bus at the bus stop.
“Teacher.”
“Huh?”
“Do you have a favorite food?”
“Favorite food?”
“Yes, that’s what it is. It’s my favorite food. I can’t live without it. Something like that……”
“There’s nothing I’m picky about. I just didn’t have the energy to pack things like that when I was a hunter.”
“Well, I’m not a hunter anymore.”
“Um……”
I thought deeply about Yu Ah-ra’s question as she looked at me with an anxious face.
Because it’s my favorite food,
I never thought about it.
I just ate it thinking that it was just a meal.
There was no particular food that came to mind at this moment.
If I had to choose one, it would be this.
“Egg roll?”
“Egg roll?”
“Yes. Before I awakened, my mother often made it for me.”
“Aha. Egg roll…”
“But why?”
“Oh, no! I was just asking.”
“And you?”
“Huh?”
“Ah-ra, what’s your favorite food?”
“Oh, me? I like sundae gukbap!”
“Sundae gukbap?”
I was a little surprised by the unexpected menu. Don’t girls like things like pasta and tteokbokki?
“If you buy just one bowl, you can eat it for three meals. You could say it’s the favorite food of people living alone. Hehehe.”
Meanwhile, the bus arrived.
“Then I’ll go!”
As I watched her humming as she got on the bus, I sensed a suspicious presence.
‘What is that?’
From the moment I left the house with Yu Ah-ra, I felt strange stares.
‘Stalker?’
No.
He was too agile to be a stalker. His stealth was so skillful that even my recently heightened senses could barely catch him.
‘Villain?’
No.
I didn’t feel any life in the gaze chasing after Yu Ah-ra.
Rather, it was a gaze closer to exploration. A gaze that wanted to know everything about Yu Ah-ra.
There was only one person who would look at me with those eyes.
‘Scout.’
The main character of the gaze was chasing after Yu Ah-ra, who was leaving on the bus. In that short moment, I focused my eyes on Mana.
As my vision expanded, I saw the figure of a woman who had been hiding and secretly watching us.
Female, mid to late 20s.
Short hair that barely reaches shoulders.
Ginger hair with a reddish tint.
‘This is Daesung’s team leader, Kim Hyeon-jeong.’
Is that woman in charge of scouting Yu Ah-ra?
‘This is going to be a headache.’
She was a capable scout.
Fortunately, she didn’t know me.
Only a few people in Daesung knew the identity of the Shadow Mask.
Since I was involved in a case related to Daesung’s massive corruption, only someone who wasn’t a senior executive could know my identity.
But I know that woman.
Daesung’s legendary scout and headhunter.
She is a woman with an outstanding ability to persuade talented people, to the point that there is a superstition that anyone she handles will definitely go to Daesung.
By the way, I met her when I was in Shadow Mask.
‘Come to Daesung. We will treat you best.’
Because when she was a rookie, she tried to scout me while I was wearing the Shadow Mask.
***
< Kim Hyeon-jeong’s POV>
‘Who is that man? Her lover?’
Daesung’s team leader Kim Hyun-jung looked at the man next to Yu Ah-ra.
The man standing next to her and chatting.
Yu Ah-ra was smiling happily just by being next to the man.
Who on earth could it be?
No matter how hard I tried to look at his face, he wouldn’t give me a chance.
‘Are you a hunter?’
He delicately avoided her gaze, as if he knew where she was hiding.
‘If you knew where I was, you wouldn’t be able to stay still…’
He was a mysterious man. But it wasn’t him that was important to her.
Team Leader Kim Hyun-jung’s target was Yu Ah-ra. She needed to contact her and find out if her grades were true.
She needed to know if she was really Daesung’s target.
Team Leader Kim Hyun-jung left the man behind and chased Yu Ah-ra, who got on the bus.
So, she didn’t know.
The fact that the man was watching her as she chased after Yu Ah-ra.