I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 82

82

Whether it was genuine consideration from the hotel staff or not, Seonghyun didn’t encounter the troublesome man again during the majority of his stay.

It seemed the incident would fade away as a minor annoyance. However, on his last day at the hotel, after breakfast, he finally ran into him.

“You’ve been hiding, haven’t you?”

The man seemed convinced Seonghyun had been deliberately avoiding him.

“Let’s just drop it. It’s my last day here anyway, and I’m with my family.”

The man, interpreting Seonghyun’s words as a weak excuse, scoffed. “You should have just given in that day, right? Why make things difficult and annoy me?”

“Ha… so, what do you want?”

Dealing with someone so petty made Seonghyun feel like he was lowering himself. He wanted to resolve the situation quickly.

“I want a proper apology.”

“A proper apology?”

“Yeah, preferably with some sincerity. Kneeling would be nice.”

Needless to say, Seonghyun had no intention of doing that.

It wasn’t about being stubborn or looking down on the other person.

Frankly, even if the person in front of him was the chairman of the Hunter Association’s son, he wouldn’t kneel.

“I won’t do that…”

Just as Seonghyun was about to refuse outright, someone appeared behind the man.

“What’s all the commotion?”

“Ah, Father. This guy is ignoring us.”

At the word ‘ignoring,’ the man’s father frowned.

“If not giving up a seat in a movie theater is ‘ignoring,’ then I guess I am ignoring him.”

“See! He’s still not coming to his senses!”

The man’s father, who had been looking at Seonghyun with a stern expression, paused, recognizing his face.

“…Father?”

The man’s father quickly searched his memory.

Although he wasn’t a Hunter himself, as someone running a company, he was deeply involved with the Hunter community.

Of course, he knew Seonghyun’s face.

He had personally ordered an investigation into the Hunter with healing abilities.

“Ho, 혹시. 김성현 헌터님 이십니까? [Ho, perhaps. Are you Hunter Kim Seonghyun?]”

“Ah, Father?”

“Be quiet. Are you Hunter Kim Seonghyun?”

“…Yes, I am.”

The man stared blankly between Seonghyun and his father, hearing his father use honorifics for the first time in a long while.

“So… what happened? Something about movie theater seats?”

“Ah, yes. A few days ago, I was going to watch a movie, and your son came into the theater I had already entered.”

The expression on his father’s face, as he looked at his son, was like that of a superior looking at an incompetent subordinate who hadn’t handled a task properly. The man’s shoulders slumped.

“Then he asked if I could give up my seat.”

“Haha…”

“So I said okay. It was a rare day out with my family, and I didn’t want to cause a scene.”

Seonghyun recalled the unpleasant experience and spoke with a slightly hardened tone.

“But he gave me a wad of cash. When I said I didn’t need it…”

“I think I know enough without hearing more.”

It could be seen as interrupting Seonghyun, but the man’s father was so ashamed of his son’s behavior that he didn’t want to hear any more details.

Seonghyun understood and waited silently.

“This is my youngest son. I have three sons in total, and as you experienced today, he is the most hopeless of them all.”

“Ah, Father…”

The man’s father frowned deeply and looked down at his pathetic son.

He had wondered why his son had briefly left the room that day, but he had never imagined he would cause such trouble.

“I apologize on his behalf. It’s my fault for not raising him properly.”

The man’s father bowed deeply to Seonghyun, who was much younger than him, and then grabbed his son’s head, who was still standing there cluelessly, and pushed it down.

“Apologize… you should, right?”

“Ah, yes, yes. I’m, I’m sorry…”

Seeing his son’s reaction, it seemed he still didn’t know who Hunter Kim Seonghyun was, so he whispered to his son.

“The Hunter in front of you has healing abilities.”

“Yes, yes? The one who was on the news…”

Now he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation.

No matter how immature his son was, he couldn’t be completely ignorant of the existence of a Hunter with healing abilities.

“I overheard some of the conversation earlier, and it seems my son told you to kneel.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Kneel.”

In the hallway slightly away from the hotel restaurant, it was still morning, and people were bustling about, going to or returning from breakfast.

“Ha, but Father!”

“Now!”

The voice wasn’t loud, but it contained an authority that demanded obedience.

“It’s okay. I’ve received enough of an apology.”

If there was no one around, he might have pressed the issue further, but there were already many eyes on them, and his mother and sister were watching from the front. This was enough.

“It may not be sufficient as a sign of apology, but please contact me if you ever have any trouble in the future.”

The man’s father handed Seonghyun a business card.

‘Daeil Group?’

A company known to those in the know.

It had built a solid foundation in many fields and even operated its own Hunter guild.

“I will make sure to properly educate my son.”

“It’s alright. Then, I’ll be going now, my family is waiting…”

“I kept you for too long. Oh, and I wish you the best in the National Competition.”

“Thank you.”

As expected, the rumors about the National Competition seemed to have already spread far and wide.

‘Well, it would be stranger if they didn’t know.’

The situation ended more smoothly than expected, and Seonghyun, not particularly upset, returned to his family.

“What was that about?”

“There was a bit of a misunderstanding, it seems. It’s all sorted out now.”

“As expected of you, Oppa…!” [Oppa is a Korean term used by a younger woman to refer to an older brother or male friend.]

His sister had already sensed something.

She had felt something was off from the moment the man first approached them. Perhaps the man, not knowing who her brother was, had been scolded by his father for acting carelessly.

She couldn’t help but feel proud.

“More importantly, how was your trip?”

“I thought a trip would only be about scenic views, but this place isn’t bad either. No, I think it was great.”

“Let’s come again next time. The facilities here are amazing.”

Fortunately, everyone seemed satisfied, and Seonghyun smiled gently.

—

The man’s father watched Seonghyun’s departing figure until he was out of sight.

Once Seonghyun disappeared from view, he turned to his son with an icy glare.

“So, do you think this situation makes any sense?”

“Huh? W-well, that’s…”

He mentally repeated the word ‘patience’ dozens of times and returned to the room with his son for now.

As soon as they entered the room where no one else was present, a harsh reprimand came from the father.

“The son of Daeil Group!!!!”

If the soundproofing was even slightly inadequate, it would have been loud enough to be heard by the people on the first floor.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

He was trembling so much that he couldn’t even speak properly, but at this moment, his father was treating his son not as a father, but as the head of Daeil Group.

“Running a guild within the group. Not recognizing a Hunter with a unique ability that exists only one in the entire world?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Moreover! Not only did you not recognize him, but you even caused trouble?”

He had no excuse, even if he had two mouths, no, dozens of mouths.

He wondered why the face seemed familiar, and then he realized it was the face on the list of Hunters to watch out for, which he had received from his father’s secretary.

‘Why am I realizing this now…!’

Regret always comes too late.

He wished he could turn back time, but it was too late.

“You have kicked away your last chance yourself.”

“Yes?”

“Go live abroad for the time being.”

“Ah, Father!”

“Shut up! If you weren’t my son, you would be buried in that mountain over there by now.”

The father approached his son, who was kneeling and trembling, placed his hand on his shoulder, and replied.

“Haven’t I always told you?”

The man, who had barely raised his head at the sudden warm tone, immediately lowered his head again.

It wasn’t a warm tone.

A tone devoid of emotion.

“Not having ability. Not having talent. I understand all of that. But… shouldn’t you at least try?”

“Yes, yes… Father…”

“Yes, yes…”

The father, as if praising his son, patted him on the shoulder, then got up and made a phone call somewhere.

“Yes. No. To America. 3 years? No. Make it 5 years.”

In a short phone call that lasted less than a minute, his 5 years were decided, and the man remained kneeling without resisting even that.

—

Although there was a slight commotion, Seonghyun enjoyed a quite satisfactory vacation and immediately began preparing for the National Competition.

Preparation was just using the equipment in the basement of the Academy Association.

And he also achieved the result of forming an official raid team and subjugating several gates.

Of course, the grade of those gates was 4th class.

Just in case, he wondered if he could increase the number of objects of faith or receive new quests before departing for China, but unfortunately, that did not happen.

Since the explanation of the spear was originally insufficient, it seemed that new quests would only open or abilities would only be unlocked when their own standards were met.

“Finally, departure…”

He had diligently completed daily quests and had not neglected training for a single day, so he was able to depart with a slightly stronger body and in top condition.

It wasn’t too far, so he was able to arrive shortly after boarding the plane, and people were waiting at the gate to guide him.

“Are you the representative from Korea?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Since they already knew Seonghyun’s face, they immediately began guiding him in fluent Korean.

“The competition starts in a week, and you are free to act as you please until then. However, you have already heard about the precautions, right?”

“I have.”

“Just be careful about that, but there is a slight change. Originally, you would entrust the equipment production request the day before, but it has been changed to 3 days before due to Demarche’s schedule.”

“I understand.”

It was Demarche’s schedule, so even China couldn’t help it.

“Then, I will help you to the hotel.”

Seonghyun and his party followed the guide to the hotel where they would spend at least a week.

The more victories they achieved in the competition, the longer their stay would be, and Seonghyun had no intention of returning on the first day at least.