Chapter 130 : Parent-Teacher Conference

A little.

No, frankly, an incredibly random topic left Ho-cheol flustered for a rare moment.

The request would be awkward even if Da-yeon's mother were alive, but to a deceased person, no less.

Or was it?

Was it better now that she was deceased?

Of course, he didn't have a strong aversion to mumbling to a grave, but that was only meaningful if the person was someone he knew well.

With a complete stranger, there was an undeniable sense of burden.

As he was having all sorts of rude thoughts, he belatedly came to his senses.

“Ah, right. An introduction.”

He muttered, somewhat reluctantly, then glanced at Da-yeon's expression.

Half anxiety at the thought of being rejected, and half anticipation.

The hand gripping his arm tightened squeeze.

Seeing that expression, it was hard to say no.

In the end, he chuckled and turned around.

“Alright. A parent-teacher conference. If you ask for it, I have to do it. It's vacation anyway.”

Technically, the meeting with the Sword Demon could also be considered a type of parent-teacher conference, but at least Ho-cheol didn't think so.

Unfortunately, he wasn't a parent yet.

Whether he was forgiven by Da-yeon or remained an enemy to the end, he would only be treated as a parent once the relationship was clearly established.

At the positive response, Da-yeon's face brightened as she led Ho-cheol by the arm.

“Let's go then.”

Guided by Da-yeon, they arrived at the S-rank hero section of the cemetery.

They said all heroes had standardized grave specifications, but there were still subtle divisions.

Even the path leading up was better maintained, with fewer weeds.

Of course, Ho-cheol wasn't dissatisfied with such differences.

With limited manpower, it was clear which side would receive more time and attention.

It wasn't discrimination; a degree of separation existed everywhere.

After climbing quite a bit further even within the S-rank section.

Da-yeon stopped and pointed to a grave.

“Here it is.”

Da-yeon's mother.

They had arrived at her grave.

Ho-cheol looked around.

“It's tidy.”

It was a different kind of clean than just being frequently cleaned by a caretaker.

It was clear someone had spent hours cleaning it diligently and with great care.

Above all, fresh flowers were placed on the flower stand in front of the tombstone.

A bouquet of rainbow cosmos.

It was all too easy to guess who had been here and left those flowers.

“What's the point now……”

Though it seemed to bother Da-yeon.

But that annoyance was fleeting, and she soon knelt down next to the grave with a faint smile.

“……Mom. I'm here.”

Ho-cheol tactfully moved a good distance away to give the mother and daughter their time.

Still, just in case he might overhear, she subtly turned her head to find an angle where Ho-cheol couldn't see the shape of her mouth.

Then she spoke to her mother in a whisper.

It was a little disappointing not to be able to speak freely as she usually did, but it also felt like a secret conversation just between the two of them, which was a rather novel pleasure.

“See over there. The person with their hair pushed back.”

It seemed that emotions that were always suppressed would well up whenever she came here.

She couldn't hide her excitement even on normal days, and now there was the presence of Ho-cheol, who turned her colorless world into all the colors of the rainbow.

She was feeling the strongest emotions she had in years.

“What do you think, Mom? Really? No. He's surprisingly very sincere.”

As she had a heartfelt conversation, Da-yeon smiled softly.

The wind that blew from afar every time she spoke was her mother's answer and reaction.

She placed the bouquet she was holding in her arms down.

“This bouquet. I actually forgot the one I bought and left it in the car. The professor gave me these flowers. What do you think? Aren't they pretty? Maybe I'll start buying these from now on.”

How long had she been talking so joyfully?

A gust of wind, stronger than ever, blew and tousled her hair.

“Ah, I get it. You're done with me, is that it?”

Da-yeon finally stood up.

Brushing off the dirt and grass clinging to her, she approached Ho-cheol.

“Thank you for indulging my selfishness.”

She knew full well that she was peculiar.

The fact that he had listened to this strange suggestion and followed her was enough to show how much he cared for her.

Da-yeon held out a single flower she had taken from the bouquet to Ho-cheol.

Therefore, she was more than satisfied with him just placing a single flower.

“What are you talking about?”

But Ho-cheol had no intention of just getting it over with so casually.

“It's the first parent-teacher conference, so I have to do it properly.”

Ah, I guess there is Ye-jin.

He approached the grave and stood next to the spot where Da-yeon had been sitting.

“Hello.”

He bowed his head in greeting, then knelt respectfully in front of the grave.

“I am Jeong Ho-cheol, Professor in charge of student Choi Da-yeon.”

He was serious, as if speaking to a living person.

Da-yeon's school life, incidents, the MT, her grades and attitude in class, her relationships with friends, and the fact that she was the class president.

He explained them one by one, trivial things that a parent would naturally consider important.

Before long, his ‘consultation’ was over.

Ho-cheol briefly turned his head back and asked Da-yeon.

“If your mother had seen me, what would she have said? Honestly.”

Da-yeon's lips twitched for a moment.

If it were up to her, she would have said only what was pleasant for him to hear, but the word ‘honestly’ attached to the end weighed on her mind.

In the end, she confessed her mother's honest reaction.

“I think she would have been angry, asking why someone like this is a professor.”

She was a kind person to herself and to others, but Ho-cheol was, after all, an ex-convict, so she couldn't help but be biased.

“Is that so? I suppose so. No, it's natural.”

Ho-cheol took a long breath.

After pondering his words for a moment, he turned his head back to the grave and said.

“There was a time when I was a more pathetic human being than anyone else. Just as your husband does, I believe it's natural that you don't trust me.”

Veins popped out on the fists resting on his knees.

In fact, it was his true feeling that he had always kept in a corner of his heart.

Today was just a slightly unusual situation, but someday, other real parents might become aware of Ho-cheol's existence and protest vehemently.

And at that time, the best Ho-cheol could do was to just confess his true feelings.

“I don't think I'm a great person even now. However, as I have been doing until now, I am striving to become a better person in the future. And I'm not just teaching the students; I'm also learning something from these kids every time.”

Just as the students had made dramatic progress from the beginning of the lectures, Ho-cheol had also learned much more than when he first started teaching, and had become better than he was back then.

He relaxed his fists again.

“It is only natural to feel anxious about a ‘professor with a villainous past.’ But I want to overcome that past and change. Please, I hope you will entrust the students to me, not by looking at my past self, nor my present self who is better than that, but at the me who will become even better in the future.”

He stood up again.

“As a teacher, I will contemplate the right path that should be presented, walk that path together, and protect them to the end.”

He bowed his head lightly and turned away from the grave.

Turning around, Ho-cheol flinched for a moment.

Da-yeon, who had been standing quite far behind, was now right in front of him.

Her eyes shining, she reached out and grabbed the front of Ho-cheol's shirt.

“Wh-why all of a sudden.”

“I can't…… I just can't contain this feeling.”

Although the words weren't directed at her, if one's emotions didn't stir after hearing such sincerity, they weren't even human.

This feeling of wanting to make him quit being a professor and everything else and keep him by her side forever.

It was lighter than obsession and love, but definitely heavier than simple admiration or goodwill.

“I really do need you, Professor.”

“That's.”

Cutting Ho-cheol off, she corrected him.

“Not you as a professor, but you as my companion.”

She tilted her head with a flushed expression.

Her cheek touched Ho-cheol's chest, right over his heart.

The sound of his heartbeat was loud and strong.

It was much slower than her own, but still definitely faster than a normal heartbeat.

“Of course, I like you as an educator too, but what I need more than anything is you as an understanding person who will affirm me.”

Lifting her head again, she looked at Ho-cheol and asked.

“Professor. Do you remember the first words you said to me?”

“……Um.”

He still remembered clearly, but he pretended to think and said.

“That's not how you shoot a bow?”

“You said that was a monologue. After that, it was advice for my posture.”

He knew, actually.

It was just that this proximity was a little bewildering.

In the end, Ho-cheol gave Da-yeon the answer she wanted.

“You have talent. That was it.”

“Yes. That's right.”

Self-loathing and denial.

The moment she was completely crushed by the harsh reality of having no talent and wanted to give up everything, Ho-cheol's words had lifted her up from her slump and made her run until now.

In fact, it was a separate issue from Ho-cheol's abilities.

What she desperately needed was someone else to affirm her.

“If that's the reason.”

Ho-cheol slowly and carefully removed Da-yeon's hand from his clothes.

“It doesn't seem like it has to be me.”

“Pardon?”

If the Da-yeon of back then and the Da-yeon of now hadn't changed at all, he wouldn't know.

But she had clearly changed.

And in a completely positive way.

“That little kid, you took him to his parents, right? What was their reaction then?”

“……They said thank you.”

Although she had been forcibly entrusted with the lost child by Ho-cheol, she had clearly done her best to find the child's guardian, their parents, and return the child.

He had already removed her hand from his clothes.

Instead, Ho-cheol lightly swung his hand over her palm.

The two hands met with a slap sound.

“How would a kid that age know about hero licenses or ranks? To that kid, the first hero in his life was you. And it will remain in his memory forever. Even if he meets some great hero. That won't change.”

Slap― Slap― Slap―

As if clapping, Ho-cheol continuously patted her palm.

“It's not a very desirable attitude to be a hero just to receive recognition from others. But if you act as a hero, that affirmation from others will naturally accumulate.”

Honestly, the Da-yeon of the past had a personality that made it difficult to accumulate that affirmation from others.

Even if she built up her skills and was active as a hero, that was a separate issue.

But not anymore.

She got out of the car, guided the citizens to evacuate, and held the lost child's hand to find his parents together.

That was not forced by anyone; it was entirely her own choice.

“You're already a great hero. Everyone who saw you today is your supporter, the others who will affirm you. So.”

He lowered his hand.

“If you fixate too much on me, you might miss out on other supporters. I'm telling you to broaden your perspective.”

It was a gentle but firm rejection.

“……Yes.”

Da-yeon answered obediently with her head bowed.

And she realized.

If she had wanted Ho-cheol to stand by her side merely as someone to affirm her, she would have given up on him with this persuasion.

“Now, let's go down.”

But surprisingly, it seemed that wasn't the only reason she felt this way about Ho-cheol.

She slowly raised her head.

The ambiguous feelings that she couldn't easily distinguish until just a moment ago.

But with Ho-cheol's persuasion, one side had been clearly erased.

What remained now was her clear, true feelings.

Da-yeon smiled more refreshingly than ever before.

“Yes. Let's go down.”

As they were heading back down the path they had come.

Ho-cheol suddenly stopped walking.

A very faint sense of unease had stopped him in his tracks.

He turned back and looked at the source of the unease.

A grave not much different from the others, but unlike the other clean tombstones, the name on the surface was blackened as if someone had scorched it with fire.

He knelt down and looked at the tombstone.

He reached out and placed his finger on the scorched surface.

The late Lee Yu-seon.

Father Lee Byeong-hoo.

The characters were read by his fingertip.

The inscription written below it was so burnt that the stone had melted, making its contents impossible to guess.

Lee Byeong-hoo.

A familiar name.

Ho-cheol muttered with a displeased expression.

“……I didn't hear that he had a child.”

The Sun during his hero days was a man who would live a bachelor's life.

Above all, one of the entries had not even been engraved with a name.

It seemed like a complicated family situation, but one thing was certain.

The fall of Eclipse into a villain was definitely related to the owner of this grave.

Especially the date of death read by his finger.

It was a date just a few weeks before Eclipse was caught.

Perhaps it wasn't just related; this might be the real reason.

Da-yeon, who had been walking ahead, belatedly realized that Ho-cheol was not following and stood next to him again.

“What's wrong? Do you know them, by any chance?”

“Probably. An acquaintance of an acquaintance…… no, seems like someone precious.”

He silently scratched the back of his head.

And he reached for the paper bag he had placed beside him.

In his hand were a few wet wipes.

“Let's tidy up here too before we go.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

Although she had many questions, Da-yeon silently helped him.

It wasn't a large area anyway, and it was mostly just pulling weeds and wiping away the dirt and dust caught between the tombstone and the stone pedestal.

Looking at the clean grave again, Ho-cheol placed a single flower.

“Professor. That flower is……”

Da-yeon looked back and forth between the flower that had been placed and Ho-cheol, looking surprised.

Wasn't that the last one?

“……I'll go get one from my mom's grave quickly.”

“No. There's no need for that.”

Ho-cheol, now empty-handed, dusted off his hands as if he felt unburdened.

“He was the kind of guy who would be happy even after giving away his own share to others. In fact, for a reason like this, he would probably like it too.”

He turned around again.

“Let's go down.”

C-rank hero section of the cemetery.

Ho-cheol tapped the tombstone with his palm.

“You're doing well.”

It wasn't a hidden meaning, but a literal expression.

As Ho-cheol tapped the tombstone, he sensed what was below the grave.

The coffin and the body were both fine.

This was actually the biggest reason he had come today.

Since there were crazy bastards who claimed to revive the dead, the thing he was most worried about was the corpse.

No matter how strictly this place was managed, it was vast, and the security couldn't be better than other national facilities.

If villains were determined to dig up a corpse, they would have no choice but to give it up.

Of course, he would have to check in periodically in the future to see if things were fine, but he didn't feel it was particularly bothersome.

Da-yeon, standing next to him, gazed at the grave.

And a question that suddenly came to mind made her mouth open slightly.

“Professor. But by any chance. Is this person, then. That.”

There was no proper context, but Ho-cheol could fully understand why she was hesitating like that.

“That's right.”

He tapped the top of the tombstone with his palm again.

“It was this guy. The one who ate the medicine made from rainbow cosmos. It’s a shame.”

He bent his index finger and rubbed his forehead with his knuckle.

“It would have been great if I could have introduced you two.”

He would have liked it too.

Saying that I'm finally acting like a person.

“Is that so?”

Da-yeon knelt down and gazed at the tombstone.

Looking at the name and rank, it was a hero she didn't know at all.

“Were you happy?”

“Happy?”

At the unexpected question, Ho-cheol's expression went blank for a moment.

Then he smiled wistfully.

“I don't know. That thing called happiness was just barely in sight, and just when it seemed like I could grasp it if I reached out, things turned out like this……. It's a shame.”

Just how great of a person must they have been.

“I'm sad too.”

She muttered.

But her inner thoughts were a little different.

If this person had been alive, would an opportunity have ever come her way?

No, she probably wouldn't have even received a single glance from him.

‘Professor. Well, I'll make you happy instead.’

Da-yeon closed her eyes and prayed inwardly to Ho-cheol's unknown friend.

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