I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 192

192

What more needs to be said?

As the old man had guessed, both Seonghyun and Liche knew everything that had happened.

Of course, Seonghyun knew far more than the old man imagined, but he didn’t show it. He only wanted to hear what the old man was willing to share.

“Where should I begin…”

The old man recounted everything from the moment he first took over the shop until now.

He hadn’t spent all 80 years solely for the sake of others, and originally, he hadn’t intended to take over the shop at all.

But he ended up running it, and that’s where it all began, providing daily sustenance to the less fortunate.

“Some complained about the taste, but everyone around here said it was delicious. Haha.”

The shop became completely different from what it was before the old man took over.

Before, it was a place with good food, like eating home-cooked meals. After he took over, it became a place that offered solace, even if the taste wasn’t as good.

As word spread, it gradually became a meeting place where those without means could come and gather without *budam* [feeling burdened or obligated].

There was no inheritance like he had mentioned to Liche in the first place.

What inheritance could there be from running such a small shop?

The only inheritance was the small house his parents had lived in and this shop.

“I already knew I was sick. It’s a genetic disease, so I couldn’t not know.”

But getting treatment would mean others would have to go hungry by the amount of money spent.

Prices rose, but the shop’s prices didn’t, and eventually, the old man’s expenses kept increasing.

It became harder and harder to earn enough to survive each day.

He endured for quite a long time, and then they approached him.

They asked if he was having a hard time.

They weren’t running a charity, so they would charge interest, but because they knew the shop well, they would only charge a little.

“…I brought it on myself. There was no coercion or threat.”

At the time, the old man didn’t foresee that things would get worse.

As Class 1 Mana Beasts began to frequently flood the area, the number of visitors significantly decreased, and the old man, who barely made enough to cover the cost of ingredients, couldn’t even do that anymore.

“Old man! I’ll pay it back…”

“More importantly, are you alright?”

Seonghyun deliberately cut Liche off.

In Seonghyun’s nature, when solving a problem, he preferred to eliminate the cause rather than just changing the outcome.

He understood what Liche was trying to say, but that was just a temporary fix.

Providing regular support was an option, but that would essentially be hiring the old man as a cook.

The old man’s happiness didn’t come from that.

It wasn’t about giving because he was affluent, but about the things he could feel because he understood those in the same situation better than anyone else.

Seonghyun wanted to protect the old man’s happiness, not just eliminate his unhappiness.

“Haha, my body is fine. People get sick when they get old anyway. I just take it as it comes.”

“Old man! You should go to the hospital…”

“When do I have time to go to the hospital? Everyone’s waiting for me.”

Watching their conversation, Seonghyun took the old man’s hand, which was covered in cuts and countless scars.

“It’s good to do things for them, but isn’t that only possible when you’re healthy?”

“That’s true…”

The old man, who had been scratching the back of his head awkwardly, seemed surprised by the sudden warmth he felt.

He had never experienced this sensation directly, but he had seen it.

It used to happen every day, and it still happens occasionally.

There were times when Seonghyun healed people directly, and there were interviews with those who had been healed by Seonghyun.

‘So this is…warm.’

It was hard to explain in words.

It wasn’t just about feeling healthier or more energetic; it was a sensation that couldn’t be described with simple words.

It was as if even the problems deep within his body that he didn’t know about were being completely erased, like meticulously cleaning each cell.

Moreover, the feeling of clarity in his head gave him so much relief that he couldn’t even think about the events of the day.

Would such treatment be possible if medical advancements reached their peak in the distant future?

Not just treating external wounds and illnesses, but also healing the hearts of those who were hurting.

It was just a fleeting question, but the answer was simple.

It would never be possible.

Except for the man holding his hand right now.

“It doesn’t seem life-threatening, but if you had continued to neglect it, you would have had trouble moving around.”

“…”

The old man couldn’t hear what Seonghyun was saying.

It might be a small wish, but the thought that even a little of the feeling he was experiencing now might be felt by those who came to his shop made him happier than ever.

“This is the first time the old man has shown such an expression.”

The old man’s expression was the happiest in the world, to the point where it made one wonder if all the smiles and laughter he had shown until now were fake.

It was clear from his expression that the reason for his happiness wasn’t just that his body had been healed.

“Kim Seonghyun Hunter’s healing…doesn’t just heal physical wounds and illnesses.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

“Thank you. Kim Seonghyun Hunter.”

“Then…I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor? What…”

The expression on Seonghyun’s face as he spoke was more serious than ever, causing not only the old man but also Liche next to him to swallow hard.

What favor could the top-ranked hunter in Korea, with the incredible ability of healing, possibly ask of an ordinary person?

Of course, the old man was more grateful to Seonghyun than anyone else for healing him and even healing the scars in his heart, but the possibility of what could happen in the face of overwhelming power stimulated a primal fear in human nature.

“Let’s trade it for the cost of the meal.”

“…Yes? The, the cost of the meal?”

“Yes. The cost of the meal.”

The relief was as great as the tension had been, which lightened the heavy atmosphere and relaxed the old man’s body, which had been stiff from the constant tension.

“I don’t usually do business through barter, but I’ll make an exception for Kim Seonghyun Hunter.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

“Oh, right. This isn’t the time for this. You need to have dinner soon.”

Everything was good, but this was hard to accept.

The limit of his cooking was exactly once a day.

“I, I have a dinner appointment…”

“Huh? A dinner appointment?”

“Y, yes! A dinner appointment.”

Liche seemed to be thinking the same thing as Seonghyun.

Even without coordinating, she seemed to have judged that it was impossible to eat here twice a day and was *matchwoojugo* [going along with] Seonghyun.

“A dinner appointment…”

The old man looked back and forth between Seonghyun and Liche for a long time.

The slightly flustered expression and stuttering *maltoo* [way of speaking], based on the old man’s life experience of meeting countless people, there was only one explanation.

“Haha! I was being so oblivious again.”

“Yes?”

“Yes?”

“It must be rare for you two to meet like this, and you must have missed each other so much. You’re going to have dinner at a very fancy place tonight, right? No, wait. Having dinner together this late means…”

“Let’s stop there.”

“S, stop! Stop it, old man!”

The old man was probably the only person who had recently flustered Seonghyun and Liche.

“Hehe, don’t be shy, Liche. You should start thinking about getting married…”

“Seriously!”

Eventually, Liche couldn’t hold back and *beoltteok illeona* [jumped up] from her seat, and the old man also *beoltteok illeona* [jumped up] and ran into the kitchen.

“I didn’t heal him so he could run away so well.”

It was a mischievous joke, but he couldn’t bring himself to hate the old man.

After talking a little longer with the healthy and energetic old man, Seonghyun and Liche left the shop together.

“Come again! The menu will be a little different next time!”

“Yes. I will.”

“Take care, old man.”

After leaving the shop, Liche looked at Seonghyun for a moment and bowed her head again.

“Really…if it weren’t for Kim Hunter…”

“But I am here, right? Don’t think like that.”

“Yes. Thank you. As a hunter. As a person.”

“I wanted to have dinner together, but I have somewhere to go. Is that alright?”

“Ah, yes! Of course. Be careful on your way.”

She seemed a little disappointed, but Liche didn’t stop Seonghyun.

For some reason, she had a feeling of what he was going to do.

As soon as Liche left, the space right next to Seonghyun rippled, and Chief Cha appeared.

“Are you going right away?”

“Isn’t now the time when they start working?”

“That’s right.”

There was no need to hesitate.

He had already finished making all the judgments.

“Are you going to kill them all?”

The expression on Chief Cha’s face as he asked this wasn’t one of dissatisfaction with Seonghyun’s decision to kill them.

If he had decided to kill them, it was an expression of *gominhaneun* [contemplating] how to efficiently and quickly handle it and how to clean up the aftermath.

“…I don’t just kill people indiscriminately. Unless they pose a threat to me or those around me.”

“Understood.”

Seonghyun was just planning to give a very gentle and peaceful warning.

“I’ll guide you to the vicinity.”

Chief Cha’s fissure opened right next to him, and Seonghyun and Chief Cha entered together.

Emerging from the fissure, they arrived in the outskirts of the city.

A place with only small gardens and roads.

“The person in charge is on the top floor. I’ll take care of the rest of the rabble, so please finish up comfortably, Hunter.”

“Sounds good. Then I’ll go ahead.”

“Yes.”

Seonghyun quickly ascended to the top floor of the building.

Thanks to his constantly evolving physical abilities, he could easily go up and down a five-story building just by running.

“…So, if we quickly buy out that shop…”

It seemed they were talking about the old man’s shop.

Since the purchase of the surrounding shops was already complete, they were planning to quickly finish the demolition and start construction.

“If we finish this job well…”

Next was a detailed briefing on the benefits they would gain when they succeeded, which inevitably followed such plans.

There was no need to listen further, and there was no need to wait.

He was just unpleasant that they had caused such a thing to happen and wasted his precious time.

Seonghyun broke the window of the room where the man in charge seemed to be and entered.

“Wh, who is it!”

“Nice to meet you.”

The mysterious man who appeared in a somewhat rough manner by breaking the window appeared with a friendly smile, as if he had forgotten that he had committed such an act.