Chapter 111: Semester End

Semester End Celebration Party.

The location sent via text was unexpectedly not at the academy but in a city quite far away, even by car.

When Ho-cheol saw the name of the establishment on the car’s navigation, he doubted his eyes for a moment.

“…A bar?”

“A bar, huh?”

So-hee mumbled, sounding just as startled.

The age range at Clington was structured in a peculiar way.

First-years were minors, while second-years were adults.

This was because the temporary license for using Traits, mandatory in the second year, could only be obtained by adults, and the Hero Activity Certificate issued in the third year required one to be well over the legal adult age.

It was an optimized system for graduating and immediately starting hero activities.

However, even for adults, abstaining from alcohol and smoking was the norm.

It wasn’t due to the strictness of a military school but rather because a hero aspirant smoking

didn’t sit well with public opinion or the citizens’ gaze, so there was an atmosphere of restraint.

In reality, this applied mainly to the Hero Department.

In the Operator Department or the Support Item Engineering Department, some students practically lived with cigarettes and alcohol.

Since it wasn’t during the semester but during the break, the academy’s stance was: Don’t get caught or cause trouble.

Still, a bar for a gathering where even a professor was invited?

“Is this insane, or is it some kind of tradition?”

Ho-cheol, completely unfamiliar with academy culture, couldn’t quite grasp it.

While he was pondering, they arrived at their destination.

After parking nearby, they stepped into the bar.

The place was already buzzing with excitement, a stark contrast to the early semester when everyone saw each other as competitors, subtly checking one another.

One student spotted Ho-cheol and jumped up.

“Hey, Professor!”

“He’s here!”

Other students stood up one after another to greet him.

Then, noticing So-hee entering behind him, they cheered even louder.

“Why’s the treatment so different?”

So-hee teased, poking Ho-cheol’s shoulder playfully.

“Guess it’s called popularity.”

“That’s unfair. I’ve been so good to these kids.”

Exchanging light banter, they headed to the central table.

The neatly set cutlery confirmed this was their spot.

It seemed the entire place had been reserved, as no other customers were in sight.

Seeing the bottles scattered on the table, Ho-cheol let out a long sigh.

“You guys, this alcohol…”

At first glance, he thought it was liquor, but it was just soda.

Perplexed, he asked?

“If it’s like this, why pick this place?”

A student nearby answered.

“The restaurants in the academy were fully booked. And they say it’s a tradition. Since we can’t drink anyway, it’s about enjoying the vibe, you know?”

“What a bizarre tradition. By the way…”

He glanced around quickly.

“Where’s that guy?”

The students immediately knew who he meant despite the vague reference.

They turned and pointed to a corner.

Behind a curtain in the corner of the bar, a pair of shabby shoes peeked out from the gap where the curtain hovered slightly above the floor.

He said curtly.

“Come out.”

“Uh, haha.”

Ye-jin, who had been hiding behind the curtain, popped her head out with a boop.

Ho-cheol silently raised his index finger and wagged it back and forth.

She gave an awkward smile and shuffled out.

“Hel… Arghhh!”

Ho-cheol placed his hand on her head and pressed down.

Screaming from the pain as if her head were splitting, she stomped her feet.

“I’m sorryyyy! My head! My heaaaad!”

“Ugh. If only you listened.”

Only then did he release her.

Rubbing her head quickly, she returned to her seat.

“Now that the professor’s here…”

The students sat down as well.

Bottles were opened, and glasses were filled.

So-hee, sitting to Ho-cheol’s left, quickly filled his glass too.

Ye-jin, passing the bottle to So-hee, asked?

“Counselor, you too?”

So-hee waved her hand, looking troubled.

“I’m not big on soda.”

“Oh, then here’s some water.”

“Thanks.”

Ye-jin sat down and spoke to Ho-cheol.

“So, it’s the semester-end party. Shall we start with a toast from the professor?”

“A toast, huh.”

Ho-cheol stood up.

“First off, good job on the finals, everyone. Back during the first lecture, it was so obvious you all wanted to kick me out. But you followed along better than I expected.”

At that, some students gave awkward smiles, avoiding his gaze.

No, most of them looked guilty—it was undeniable.

“That reaction was natural back then. And despite all the incidents outside the academic schedule, I’m so relieved no one got seriously hurt. I’m also grateful that you all kept up with the curriculum without anyone falling behind. So…”

What would make a good toast?

He raised his glass.

“To the future S-rank heroes.”

To the dream every student here held.

To the goal that, compared to half a year ago, felt far closer to reality than just a dream.

Unlike the students who downed their drinks, Ho-cheol stared at his glass quietly.

“It’s just soda now, but even later, it’s better if you don’t drink.”

“Why’s that?”

“Surprisingly, very few villains drink. And the ones who do are small fry—barely better than back-alley thugs.”

He raised his glass to eye level.

“Cigarettes are stimulants, but alcohol is a depressant.”

What if you were drinking and suddenly ambushed?

Or if a hero stormed in?

Villains who drink don’t last long.

Sure, some villains sip wine or liquor for the aesthetic, but those types are usually the ones who stay behind the scenes, never showing up on the front lines.

Villains who actively operate in the field and enjoy drinking?

They die early.

Poison for assassinations, for instance, stands out in water but blends seamlessly into alcohol.

“Heroes have similar reasons. Especially field heroes, who are basically on call 24/7. Imagine being caught drinking.”

The mood grew heavy with the unexpectedly serious reasoning.

Sensing it, Ho-cheol shrugged playfully.

“Quitting is hard, but not starting is easy. I’ve never even touched alcohol myself.”

The lively table fell silent in an instant.

Everyone stared at Ho-cheol, eyes wide with shock.

“Really?”

“Why would I lie about that?”

“But then, isn’t smoking the same? Lung capacity’s super important too.”

“Obviously.”

Ho-cheol gave a look as if to say, Why ask something so obvious?

“But I’ve touched cigarettes, so I can’t exactly tell you not to smoke.”

Laughter erupted among the students.

* * *

As the semester-end party went on, the atmosphere ripened, and the conversation, initially centered on Ho-cheol, began to splinter.

With over 40 people and so many tables, it was inevitable.

Chewing on a squid leg, Ho-cheol grabbed his glass and stood up.

He sat next to Da-yeon, who was half-hiding in the corner.

“Oh, uh, Professor.”

Startled, she put down the chopsticks she’d been using to poke at her fries.

“What’re you doing over here?”

“Nothing… just sitting.”

“You don’t look so good. You okay?”

“It’s not that. I’m just not great with places like this.”

It wasn’t exactly “Leave me alone” or “I want to be by myself,” but mingling and being rowdy clearly didn’t suit her personality.

Still, in the past, she wouldn’t have even considered showing up to something like this, no matter how much she was encouraged.

Just being here was significant progress.

Ho-cheol silently filled her glass with cola.

Da-yeon politely accepted it and, in turn, filled his empty glass from the bottle.

“This semester, you worked hard as class leader.”

“Thank you. But I don’t think of it as hard work.”

She lightly rubbed the rim of her glass with her finger.

“It helped me improve my skills too.”

At first, it was just to score points with Ho-cheol, but now she felt pride in the role itself.

Ho-cheol had made it clear there’d be no special treatment, just hard work.

Yet that hard work had undeniably helped her grow.

“And, well, I made some friends.”

“Friends are great.”

If anyone had grown the most this semester, it was undoubtedly Da-yeon.

Ho-cheol’s growth was merely internal, mental maturity.

But she had grown outwardly as well.

He raised his glass.

Clinking glasses, Da-yeon downed hers in one go, then hesitated slightly.

“Um, so, next semester… am I still the class leader?”

Amid the subdued atmosphere, her eyes gleamed like a predator sizing up its prey.

Ho-cheol let out an incredulous laugh.

He flicked her forehead lightly with his fingers.

“Ow!”

“Next semester, we’ll have a proper vote. So, have you memorized all the kids’ names by now?”

“…Of course.”

“Good. Then…”

Ho-cheol refilled his glass.

“Here’s to making not just a few friends next semester, but a lot.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Of course, Da-yeon’s ambitions for the next semester went far beyond just making a few more friends.

Emptying her glass, she quietly gazed at her goals for the next semester.

“What? Something on my face?”

“No.”

* * *

A few more hours passed, and Ho-cheol took charge of wrapping up the gathering.

Some students suggested heading to a karaoke bar for a second round, but a flick on the forehead for each of them quickly quieted the idea.

“Get home before the last bus. If I catch anyone pretending to go home but sneaking off…”

Ho-cheol warned in a low voice.

“You’ll wish you were dead. No, scratch that. Everyone, whether you’re going home, to your lodging, or the dorm, text me when you get there. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll call or track you down myself.”

After sending all the students off, Ho-cheol and So-hee returned to the academy’s lodging.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

Ho-cheol groaned, twisting his body to loosen up.

His neck felt stiff and sore—those kids had really drained him.

He was about to wash up and collapse into bed when—

Beep—Beep-beep-beep—Clunk—

So-hee opened the door and walked in.

Not only did she skip knocking, but she was now entering his password without hesitation, as if it were her own place. Dressed in comfortable loungewear, she held a black bag in one hand.

“What’s that?”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ho-cheol looked puzzled as So-hee smirked.

“The kids might be one thing, but there’s no real issue if we drink, right?”

“True.”

Of course, So-hee had driven, but that could be solved with a designated driver.

Yet she hadn’t sought out alcohol earlier.

With everyone drinking cola or soda, it would’ve been odd for her to drink.

More than that, it felt uncomfortable drinking among the students.

To be precise, she didn’t want her first drink with Ho-cheol to be in that setting.

But now, things are different.

Above all, his unexpected confession of never having drunk lit a fire in her, an avid drinker.

She was dying to see the usually cool-headed Ho-cheol loosened up by alcohol.

“So why didn’t you drink?”

“You didn’t either.”

Ho-cheol answered matter-of-factly.

But So-hee let out a high-pitched hum and gave him a strange look.

“Hmm…? Really, just for that reason?”

Smiling, she pulled a bottle from the bulging bag.

It wasn’t just strong liquor made for Awakened to get drunk—it was a much more expensive kind.

“You’re not scared of drinking, are you, Ho-cheol?”

And it wasn’t just one bottle.

Placing them one by one on the table, she blatantly provoked him.

For a moment, Ho-cheol blinked, not quite processing her words.

A bewildered breath escaped his lips.

“Hah. Seriously?”

It was an obvious taunt, but effective.

Standing up from the bed, he asked?

“Are you sure you can handle the consequences of that?”

“Don’t worry too much~”

So-hee, pulling out glasses from the cupboard, smiled softly.

“Isn’t drinking something you learn from adults? I’ll teach you well.”

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