Academy’s Villain Professor-Chapter 154 : Chapter 154

Chapter 154 : The Gift (2)
Ho-cheol chuckled.
“Well, it’s a nice thought.”
It was merely an extension of the proposal he had heard before.
And since his feelings hadn't changed compared to then, the answer he would give wouldn't change either.
“That’s still a long way off, so there’s no need to decide now…”
But before he could finish his words, So-hee reached out with both hands and grabbed his knees squeezed.
Her nails left a clear mark on his pants.
So-hee said in a firm and low voice.
“No. Decide now. Don’t just brush it off like you usually do.”
Ho-cheol, for a rare moment, showed his bewilderment on his face.
“Suddenly?”
To think she would ask for a definite answer so blatantly.
“It's not sudden at all. In fact, I've been waiting for a very long time since you brushed it off last time. I'd like to get an answer now.”
Ho-cheol's strong point was that honesty, and her heart had leaned a lot towards his lack of pretense.
The problem was that that attitude and method were not directed only at her.
What if she foolishly kept waiting, thinking he would answer someday, and some other person snatched him up?
She would rather be rejected than have that happen.
In fact, So-hee didn't want to create a situation where she was pushing him like this.
But this situation was strictly Ho-cheol's fault.
To be precise, his gift was the catalyst.
The necklace he had given her as a gift had solidified So-hee's wavering heart.
“I can’t stand it anymore.”
Until now, even if she had such worries, the only people he had contact with were all students.
Even if they were quite interested in Ho-cheol, they were just students in the end.
The ones who saw him a lot saw him for only three or four hours a week.
And Ho-cheol drew a clear line when dealing with students.
The problem was Se-ah and Ji-an, who were not in a student-professor relationship.
Of course, Se-ah's appearance was quite criminally enticing as a member of the opposite sex, but Ho-cheol was the type of person who would seriously consider it, regardless of appearance, if the other person approached him seriously and sincerely.
And Ji-an, although in the position of a daughter who only listened to her father, was expressing her affection for Ho-cheol more blatantly than anyone else.
In a sense, she was the type most similar to Ho-cheol.
What if those two received a gift like this from Ho-cheol for a similar reason?
She was endlessly rational and had her head screwed on straight, so this was her reaction, but those two would surely misunderstand in a big way.
Perhaps even the worst-case scenario she had imagined could happen.
“Tell me quickly. Accept or refuse.”
This time, she had to hear an answer.
Her blazing eyes were saying so.
“I guess I can't just let it slide this time.”
Ho-cheol definitely felt it.
He thought for a moment and then put down the can of drink he was holding.
Then he placed his hands on So-hee's shoulders.
He gently pushed her body away.
“Thank you. But I’m sorry.”
This time, So-hee's expression crumpled.
A clear rejection.
Of course, she had asked him to be clear, whether it was acceptance or refusal, but now that she was actually rejected, a sense of injustice washed over her.
“Wh-why? I’m not your surveillance officer anymore. Do you dislike me that much?”
“……Absolutely not.”
A rainbow-colored band flickered over Ji-an’s pupils.
She, who had activated her lie detection Trait, asked again.
“You’re saying you don’t hate me?”
“Of course not. How could I hate you? In fact, I’m genuinely grateful that you would say that to someone like me.”
So-hee was slightly relieved.
Thankfully, the color shining on his chest was clearly white.
It was the truth.
But that's why she couldn't understand Ho-cheol's reaction even more.
If you don't hate me, can't you just accept it?
Honestly, it wasn't a huge request.
What's wrong with crashing at a friend's house for a while?
Ho-cheol got off the bed and sat facing So-hee.
He silently touched the back of his neck.
Even though he prided himself on his honesty, it was still embarrassing to reveal his true feelings.
But his hesitation was fleeting, and he met So-hee's gaze with a very serious expression.
“So I'll be honest.”
It wasn't just anyone, but So-hee, who was worthy of hearing his true feelings.
“I don't want anyone to become bigger inside me than they are now.”
That didn't just apply to So-hee.
The same went for Se-ah, the students, Ji-an, and everyone else.
The current relationship was the limit of what Ho-cheol could handle.
No, honestly, it had been a long time since he had crossed that limit.
He was quite burdened even by the current relationship.
It wasn't just about receiving the emotions of others, but an external problem.
The scope of what the current Ho-cheol had to protect far surpassed that of his villain days.
If he were to have more precious people, or if they were to become even more precious than they were now.
“It’s my physical limit, of course, but I don’t think my mental state can handle it. I might even neglect the things I have to do.”
The precarious balance would surely collapse.
He was half-convinced of it.
Most importantly, the biggest reason was.
“I always look relaxed, but in fact, I’m half-dead. It wouldn’t be strange if I died tomorrow.”
The enemies he had faced so far, and the enemies he would face in the future, all had enough capability to threaten Ho-cheol's life.
“To have someone precious, or to become a precious person to someone. Right. It’s really scary. If I feel that sense of loss again, probably. No, I’ll definitely break down completely.”
The sorrow that one could somehow overcome and stand up from, and the sorrow that would make everything collapse completely.
Ho-cheol had experienced both in extreme situations.
Of course, he didn't want to experience either anymore.
And he didn't want to make others experience it either.
“The reason I keep putting off my answer is not to run away, but because I think it’s the right thing to do. You’re being sincere, so I can’t just give you an insincere answer while being swayed by those around me.”
At the very least, after everything was over.
That was the only answer Ho-cheol could give right now.
“……Haa. You made it seem like I was the only narrow-minded one.”
So-hee sighed as if the ground would collapse.
Even as she said that, his chest continued to shine pure white, without a single speck of murkiness.
That was Ho-cheol's true feeling, his truth.
And now that she had heard this much, she couldn't bring herself to rush him for an answer.
“Then.”
So-hee mumbled her lips and said, as if spitting out the words.
“At least make this much clear. I was the first. Even if I’m not the first priority, that I’m the first in line to hear the answer.”
“Right.”
Ho-cheol also obediently nodded his head.
That much, well. It was a right she could fully claim, and one he could grant.
So-hee's eyes darted over to look at Ho-cheol.
Perhaps because she had said something a little embarrassing, she couldn't look at him properly and was pretending to be nonchalant.
If she's off her guard like that.
She reached out and grabbed Ho-cheol's cheek.
“Wooh.”
The situation was completely reversed from when Ho-cheol had discreetly given her the necklace.
However, what she was going to give him was not a necklace.
So-hee pulled Ho-cheol's face with force, and at the same time, pushed her own face forward.
The two touched for a very short moment, and then separated.
Ho-cheol, who had been completely caught off guard, blinked his eyes, not even understanding the situation.
So-hee shot up and ran towards the front door as if fleeing.
“Consider this a promise seal!”
Not just her face, but her neck was also flushed bright red.
I must be crazy.
I really did it!
I didn't mean to be so forward!
So-hee slammed the door shut and disappeared.
But had even 10 seconds passed?
She opened the door and came back in.
“Come to think of it, this is my house! Get out!”
Ho-cheol, who was touching the space between his lips and cheek, asked, flustered.
“No, if you kick me out like this, what am I supposed to do?”
You were the one who told me to come in, in the first place.
“I don’t know!”
She rushed at Ho-cheol, forcibly stood him up, and kicked him out the front door.
“Heo. Good grief. The reaction I should have had…”
Anyone would think he was the one who had forced it.
The sound of the door closing, and the lock being triple-locked, was clear.
Ho-cheol repeatedly knocked on the door, asking her to open it, but So-hee was silent.
In the end, Ho-cheol waited for 30 minutes, squatting in front of the hallway, until Ji-an finished studying.
The next day.
He was already busy preparing for the start of the semester, but the dean suddenly summoned Ho-cheol.
“Why did you call me?”
Ho-cheol grumbled irritably and plopped down on the sofa.
He had even skipped his usual rummaging through the snack cupboard, which showed that he was genuinely annoyed, unlike usual.
The start of the semester was less than ten days away.
Of course, unlike other professors, he didn't have research, assignments, or papers.
But even considering that, he had no more leisure than other professors.
Because he didn't have a dedicated slave.
He had to handle everything from A to Z himself.
From the second semester, he had a whopping five lectures.
At least for the Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday lectures, he was just a guest lecturer, so there wasn't much to prepare, but the first-year lecture on Friday was entirely his.
And the number of students who had signed up for it was beyond imagination.
“Let’s just get to the point and wrap it up quickly.”
Ho-cheol urged, even skipping his usual coffee.
“Alright.”
The dean knew that most professors became irritable at this time of year, so he didn't mind Ho-cheol's attitude.
In fact, being so sensitive meant that he was seriously preparing for his lectures.
However, if he heard what he was about to say, even Ho-cheol would probably have his words of wanting to leave stuck in his throat.
The dean took a paper envelope from his office desk and held it out to Ho-cheol.
“Take a look.”
“What the hell is it?”
You have to give me some explanation.
Just telling me to look at it out of the blue…
Ho-cheol grumbled, opened the envelope, and took out the contents.
A thin sheet of paper.
It was a fingerprint analysis result.
And he read the contents from top to bottom.
Looking at Ho-cheol, the dean muttered as if sighing.
“Your ominous premonition. It really is… you even find out things it would have been better not to know. To think that happened to Smiley.”
The content Ho-cheol had requested for a comparison analysis was the fingerprint left on Ye-jin's adoption application, and the fingerprint left on Smiley's weapon.
The two.
The relationship between Ye-jin and Smiley that he had suspected since the beginning of the semester, after repeated tracking and failures, a firm answer had finally come out.
Fingerprint Match Rate: 99.98%
It was Smiley herself who had left the young Ye-jin at the facility.
Then Jeong Ye-jin was, in the end, something like Smiley's younger sister.
Ho-cheol, who had put down the paper, tilted his head back and covered his eyes with the back of his hand.
“……Damn it.”
He had found the answer, but it was also the answer he had wanted to avoid the most.
“This is crazy.”
“Wh-what is it? Please explain it to me too.”
So-hee, who couldn't follow the flow of the conversation or the situation at all, was just frustrated.
What are they talking about, as if only they know.
“In the first place, why Smiley?”
Of course, since they were a hero and a villain who had been active in the same era, there must be some connection.
But from the results of observing Ho-cheol up close for the past few months, there had been no mention of Smiley at all.
But suddenly now?
Only then did Ho-cheol raise his head again.
Looking at So-hee, he said.
“You know the C-rank hero's grave I sometimes visit.”
“Yes.”
“That’s Smiley’s grave.”
“Uh……. Huh? Hmm? Why?”
She had heard the explanation, but now she understood even less.
So-hee's eyes spun.
Ho-cheol let out a sigh and leaned back on the sofa.
“That was her will. There’s nothing under the publicly known grave and statue. The only ones who know that are a very small number of heroes, Association officials, and maybe me.”
“That’s a complicated story. No, then that means Mr. Ho-cheol is complicatedly entangled with all three S-rank No. 1s?”
“That’s right.”
So-hee nodded her head.
Honestly, she couldn't understand even half of Ho-cheol's story, but one thing was certain.
The best course of action now was to keep her mouth shut.
The dean stroked his beard and said.
“So you’ve confirmed the blood relationship. What are you going to do now? Doesn’t she have a right to know?”
“Well, I have to tell her. I have to tell her, but……”
“That’s strange. You were so persistent in digging into her background, and you finally got a clear answer. But your expression doesn’t look relieved at all.”
“Because this isn’t the end of it.”
In fact, it was the beginning of the problem.
In fact, Ho-cheol had sincerely hoped that there was no relationship between Ye-jin and Smiley.
If everything was just his delusion, he could see her as a student without any worries.
“I can’t say it. How can I tell her that I killed her only family?”
Of course, back then, it was at Smiley's request, and he had only relieved her of her pain.
But in any case, the one who had ended her life was definitely him.
In the Sword Demon's case, he had honestly harmed him without any awareness, and since he was in a hurry, it couldn't be helped.
But Smiley was different.
Just thinking about confessing all that to Ye-jin already made him feel sick.
Most importantly, Ye-jin was the rightful family to inherit Smiley's legacy.
But she was not a hero.
He turned his head and asked So-hee.
“You know Smiley’s Trait, right?”
“I’m not a spy, how could I not know?”
It was the Trait of the No. 1 hero of this country, after all.
“It’s Cheering, isn’t it.”
Trait Cheering.
She becomes stronger when she is cheered on by someone.
This absurd trait had no limit, and with a single opportunity, she could become exponentially stronger.
In fact, Smiley, who was originally a C-rank hero, had received the support of tens of thousands of people through a single incident and had immediately risen to S-rank.
“That’s 99% correct, but not 100% the right answer.”
The real core, even the air-headed Smiley, had kept it hidden.
“The power received from that cheering can be transferred back to the person Smiley is cheering for. And right now……”
Ho-cheol briefly clenched his fist.
On his open palm.
“I have it.”
A bright radiance floated in the air.
At the bright light, the dean muttered softly.
“Smiley’s legacy……. It really did exist.”
And it was also the real reason the Association had gotten Ho-cheol out.
“What a legacy.”
When Ho-cheol clenched and opened his fist again, the light disappeared.
“It's just a final gift from a friend.”