Chapter 30
I looked at the pile Do Yudam was carrying on his back and flicked my fingertips. As a wave rippled out, the magic stones embedded in the pile began to crack.
As soon as I snatched Do Yudam by the neck and lifted him up, the stacked piles collapsed noisily. I could see teachers rushing over at the sudden commotion.
"Oh my, Hamin-ah!"
The person closest to the pile was Do Yudam, but the teachers were worrying about Baek Hamin, who was far away.
"Ha..."
I sighed and looked at Do Yudam.
So this is why 'Seong Dohyeon' saw himself overlapped with Do Yudam. While the teachers only took care of Baek Hamin, I crouched down and checked if Do Yudam was unhurt first.
As expected of an S-rank, thankfully he was fine without a single scratch. If he had been hurt even a little, I could have thrown a fit foaming at the mouth.
The Baekwoo guild members who came running late took Baek Hamin away, and the kid avoided my gaze until the very end.
No, I really don't understand why he's acting like that. If he was the type to avoid me from the start, I could at least understand, but why is he avoiding me now when he used to stick close to me? Tsk, if he were a full-grown adult, I would have shaken him down and asked.
I stared at the departing Baekwoo group, swallowed a sigh, and met Do Yudam's eyes again.
"You were moving all of that by yourself, right?"
"Huh? Yes. That's right."
Then the time he was organizing the training ground alone must have been a similar situation. I looked at the teachers who finished seeing off Baek Hamin and were running this way.
"Aw, do you know how much money this is all worth..."
"Yudam, why did you make such a mistake?"
"That's right."
"Huh?"
I pushed through the teachers who were scolding Do Yudam and lifted the collapsed pile.
"Why would you make such a young kid move piles like this? Do you know how much money this is worth? Who's going to take responsibility if the kid makes a mistake?"
"No, what does Hunter Seong Dohyeon have to do with this..."
"...It was training! Training to get used to the weight of the piles."
"You call this training."
"Of course, um..."
When I coldly questioned back, the teacher who met my eyes couldn't say anything. Even to them, this meaningless pile-moving probably didn't seem like training. That's why they couldn't answer confidently.
"Hoo."
I let out a deep breath and cracked my neck loudly.
'These people called teachers are tormenting a kid because of their inferiority complex?'
I had already caused a scene once, so even if I got labeled as a troublemaker here, I'd just be a vicious troublemaker. Just as I, furious to the tip of my head, was about to hug the anxious Do Yudam and open my mouth, I felt a distinct presence approaching us.
"What's going on?"
The man with dark gray hair and sky-blue eyes looked me up and down, not hiding his wariness. He had a familiar appearance, and before I could even search my memory, a teacher ran out and solved my curiosity.
"Hunter Jeong Uichan!"
Ah, so that person is Jeong Uichan.
The teachers who had been confronting me ran toward the man—no, toward Jeong Uichan—as if a rope had descended from heaven. Jeong Uichan stretched out his arm as if to protect those people and sent them behind him, then raised the corners of his eyes at me.
"I asked what's going on, Hunter Seong Dohyeon."
"Can't you see for yourself, Hunter Jeong Uichan?"
I pointed in turn at Do Yudam, the mountain-like pile of stacks next to him, and the teachers with unconfident expressions.
"I can't, so I would appreciate it if you could explain..."
Hmm. I miss Baek Eunseong a little, who would understand at a hint. I let out a small sigh and looked at Do Yudam.
"Can you explain properly? If you can't, I'll speak."
"I can explain!"
Do Yudam, who raised his hand brightly, explained clearly to Jeong Uichan.
"I made a mistake during class today, and Yumin almost got hurt, so I'm doing supplementary training to not make the same mistake again! Right, teachers?"
"Uh, yeah..."
"It's training I do every day!"
"Every day...?"
"Yes! I had to move 200 piles today too, but because I made a mistake... the pile broke. What should I do?"
"Just for the record, I broke the pile. Because it looked like the kid would get hurt."
I added the last part. Even with Do Yudam's perfect explanation, Jeong Uichan couldn't hide his reluctant expression. Probably... because I had taken Do Yudam's side.
'Justice,' which Jeong Uichan valued dearly, was not something 'Seong Dohyeon' embodied. So it was natural for him to be confused that such a person was taking Do Yudam's side and pointing out the unfair treatment toward a child.
He seemed unsure whose side to take, but you idiot. You should obviously take the protagonist's side.
Clicking my tongue, I kicked the pile rolling on the ground with a thud.
"Does the Academy normally give this kind of supplementary training to students who make mistakes during class?"
At my crooked question, Jeong Uichan answered with an annoyed face along with a sigh.
"That's a matter of the teacher's discretion, not something for Hunter Seong Dohyeon to interfere with."
"Ah. So Hunter Jeong Uichan thinks it's fine for a student who made a mistake to move 200 piles?"
"When did I say..."
"You just said so. That it's a matter of the teacher's discretion."
Please stop trying to fight with me and look at the essence of the problem! Suppressing the urge to slap Jeong Uichan's neat head, I pressed my eyebrows firmly with my fingers.
When I gave him a moment to think, even Jeong Uichan's rock-like head seemed to have a thought. Jeong Uichan slowly alternated his gaze between the collapsed pile, Do Yudam, and the teachers.
"You said you did this kind of training every day... First, I'll check the CCTV. The disposition of the teachers in charge will be decided then."
"Will you take responsibility?"
"Of course."
"Can Hunter Jeon Jiyoon take responsibility instead of you?"
"No. I discovered this situation, so I will take responsibility and punish them."
Tsk... If Jeon Jiyoon handed down the punishment, it would be easier to intervene. But Jeong Uichan seems like someone you couldn't even slip a needle into. Still, his arms wouldn't bend unreasonably inward, so I figured he would punish them properly.
I glared at the backs of the teachers being led into the building and called Do Yudam.
"Repeat after me. I don't want to. I won't do it."
"I don't want to, I won't do it...?"
"Yeah, from now on, if they try to make you do strange things outside of class time, always say that."
"But supplementary training is because I'm weak..."
"Don't say that when there's no one in the Academy stronger than you even if you combine all the students."
"But..."
"Not being able to control your strength will naturally resolve over time. You've practiced using chopsticks, right? It's just because you're still clumsy, so don't be anxious."
How can I be so sure? Because I saw it in the original work.
In the original work, Do Yudam often made mistakes because he couldn't control the immense power he suddenly gained. Due to his perfectionist tendencies, he would shed tears every time, saying this shouldn't happen.
Anyway.
"The more you try to hide your power, the greater the backlash will be. It's easier to just let it out."
"I don't have to hide it...?"
"Forget everything the teachers said until now, and play while using your strength as you please. Then you'll adapt quickly too."
Do Yudam, who nodded with flushed cheeks at my words, came trotting over and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for teaching me. And for worrying about me earlier... hehe."
"Alright. If you know, practice hard."
"Ah, and also."
Do Yudam, who grabbed me, lifted the bracelet he was wearing. It was the artifact that 'Seong Dohyeon' had gifted to Do Yudam.
"Thank you... for this too."
"Give your thanks to someone else later for that. I wasn't the one who gave it to you."
Strictly speaking, it was true. The one who gave that was 'Seong Dohyeon,' not me, so he should receive the gratitude. Do Yudam looked puzzled, but changing the topic, he continued to hold me back.
"Ah, yes... And um, wait a minute."
He seemed excited to have found someone who would listen to him. Most of what came out of Do Yudam's mouth were trivial stories about things happening at the Academy, but among them was one important piece of information.
"It's about Hamin, he's been a bit strange lately. He keeps making mistakes during class too."
* * *
—I can't answer the phone right now...
Why, on earth, won't you pick up the phone?
I was banned from entering the Academy until the teachers' punishment was decided, and instead, I called Baek Hamin once a day.
But at the end of the long ringing tone, only a mechanical announcement played, and he never picked up even once. I thought I should stop caring, but it felt strange to have Baek Hamin's contact cut off when he used to call me ten times a day chattering away.
Just one more call.
I was sighing and calling again when the Association President passing behind me saw my phone screen and asked reluctantly.
"Is there really something between you and Baekwoo?"
"Don't look at someone's phone screen without permission. And no."
"You're the one holding it where it's visible... Honestly tell me. You said you even took the entrance test for Baekwoo. Are you going to join Baekwoo?"
"I told you I'm not joining."
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
'Seong Dohyeon' would foam at the mouth and rush to kill me if he knew. At my firm answer, the Association President scratching his chin sat across from me.
"The Baekwoo Guild Master is really amazing too."
"Baek Jiseong?"
"No, I mean, right? It was chaos after the former Guild Master suddenly died in an accident. How many years did it take to clean that up? On top of that, taking care of his sick younger sibling and diligently looking after the nephew who was left alone—that's not an easy thing."
Hmm. So this is the public reputation after all. Not knowing that the brother who seemed so kind to the world was actually casting a terrible curse on his younger sibling.
"So, how was it when you actually saw him?"
"Saw what."
"No, did Hunter Baek Eunseong seem to have any bad intentions... or anything like that?"
"Bad intentions?"
"You know, that kind of thing. A highly capable younger brother trying to bring down his older brother... something like that."