Chapter 38

Seonghyun left the association with just those words, as if to offer only a single chance.

“…”

Staring blankly at the door through which Seonghyun had exited, the secretary promptly headed to the vice chairman’s office.

“Vice Chairman.”

“Did the meeting go well? I heard Hunter Kim had come to see me, but it turns out he came to see you.”

“Vice Chairman. There’s something I need to inform you…”

“Speak freely.”

As the vice Chairman stopped his work to listen, his brows began to furrow more and more with each piece of the story.

“I-Is that true?”

“…Yes, it’s true. I’m sorry. I should have understood the situation more clearly…”

“No, this is… the association’s fault.”

The vice Chairman hadn’t expected such an event to unfold at all.

If these were individuals chosen by the association, they naturally should have been aware of Seonghyun’s existence, the contributions he had made to the association and the country, and the value of his abilities along with their impact.

‘How could they be so foolish…’

The vice Chairman was someone who rarely showed anger.

Even when someone made a mistake, he thought it was understandable and would offer advice instead of letting emotions dictate his actions, but this time, it was difficult to do so.

“So… what did Hunter Kim Seonghyun say in the end?”

“He said he would observe the association’s stance until tomorrow.”

It was an opportunity Seonghyun was giving to the association.

A message that he expected them to handle the situation clearly enough without his direct intervention.

“To think such a foolish and vile person is a professor…”

The vice Chairman suppressed his desire to confront the professor immediately.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Expose everything Hunter Kim Seonghyun has found—the list of names, the recordings, everything—to the media. No, simply exposing it won’t be enough.”

Although the vice Chairman was an honest and upright individual, he wasn’t necessarily of a gentle nature.

Having dealt with many monster subjugations, his threshold for tolerance was much higher than others’, but once that line was crossed, he was not one to let things slide easily.

“Then, I’ll have it released to the media by tomorrow morning…”

“No. Do it right now. There’s no need for further investigation. The very fact that Professor Lee made those statements means he deserves to be punished.”

“Understood.”

The secretary shared the same sentiment.

Just because someone doesn’t often show their emotions doesn’t mean they don’t feel them.

The fact that a person he had vetted and recommended had committed such acts left him with no room for excuses, should Seonghyun directly hold him accountable.

“I will not hold our secretaries responsible for this incident. Ensure the situation is handled definitively. I will wait.”

“Yes, understood.”

“You’re well aware of what the association’s priority is right now.”

With a slight nod, as if fully understanding, the secretary left the room, and the vice Chairman leaned back on the sofa with a deep sigh, as if laying down.

“Thinking they’re above their station, the pathetic fool…”

The vice Chairman had not anticipated that such people still existed within their ranks. This was why he hadn’t held the secretary accountable.

“We’ll have to set a proper example.”

No one would be allowed to underestimate Hunter Kim Seonghyun, or any hunter for that matter, ever again.

Professor Lee Ik-hyeon sighed in relief as he headed home.

“Ah, what a hassle because of those vermin.”

Even for someone from the association, handing over all those names was a sigh-inducing affair.

“Well, things will quiet down in a few days.”

As usual.

No matter the crisis, this comfortable space would quiet down in a few days, or at most, a few weeks, and then busy itself finding another issue to fuss over.

“I guess I’ll have to lay low for a while.”

With a click of his tongue in regret, he turned into a somewhat dim alleyway, when a voice called out from behind.

“What do you mean by ‘lay low’?”

“Wh-Who…”

The professor was startled and instinctively stepped back as he looked behind him.

“What are you planning to lay low from?”

“Wh-Who are you!”

The unfamiliar man answered by slowly approaching.

Likewise, the professor continued to step back in sync with the stranger’s approach.

‘Wh-Who is this? Who could it be?’

His mind was in turmoil, and his body stiffened, hardly moving in response.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recognize the person.

If there had been only one person he had wronged, perhaps he could have guessed, but it was impossible to keep track of all the families of the numerous students he had dealt with.

Moreover, the aura emanating from the stranger was not that of an ordinary person.

Though he wasn’t holding anything in his hands, there was a dangerous aura about him, as if he could tear him apart at any moment.

“You’re aware of this, right?”

The unfamiliar man came right up to him and pulled something out.

Then, pressing something, his own voice started to play back.

So, have you thought about it?…

“How did you…!”

There was only one person who could have recorded this.

The man from the association who had visited earlier.

Now that he thought about it, the voice, the build, it all seemed very similar to that man.

“Could you be…”

“Yes.”

The professor was momentarily lost in thought.

Why had this man secretly sought him out with this recording?

And the conclusion of his thoughts was surprisingly simple.

‘Perhaps this is for the best.’

“Ha, haha. If you had just said earlier… So, how much will it be?”

“What?”

“The reason you’ve come to me so secretly with evidence must be obvious, right? Ten million won? Twenty million won? Or perhaps even more?”

The professor looked at the man with a faint smile, as if he had found someone he could reason with, someone of his own kind.

This perception only served to aggravate the man further.

“I can’t transfer it directly to your account, so if you could just set a date, I’ll ensure the money is cleanly laundered…”

The professor couldn’t finish his sentence.

A heavy fist flew, silencing his words with a groan instead.

“Ack! Why, why are you doing this!”

“Scum.”

“Who, who are you exactly…!”

Struggling to his feet, the professor extended his arms in an attempt to calm the man down.

“I didn’t know your face. But I thought you’d surely know, given that the association supported you.”

“Who…”

The professor racked his brain, trying to remember.

Then, he recalled the photo shown to him by the association when they arranged the tutoring job.

‘This, this man is Kim Seonghyun!’

“Oh, it’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding? The things I’ve heard?”

No matter how much the professor thought, he couldn’t come up with an excuse.

“T-The truth is Hyein also didn’t refuse…”

Once again, the professor couldn’t finish his words.

The punch that flew this time was a bit stronger, as if measuring the exact amount of force to use.

“!”

Just enough to keep him from passing out.

“Please, please let’s talk this out…!”

Seonghyun could not contain his boiling rage.

He wanted nothing more than to pull out the tongue that had spewed such vile words and cut off the wrists of those dirty hands that had reached out, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Taking a deep breath, Seonghyun calmed down somewhat and spoke in a relatively composed voice.

“You… won’t be able to continue as a professor any longer.”

“Why, why is that…”

However, the response that followed only further provoked Seonghyun.

“Why? Why, you ask? Can you really say that after considering the things you’ve done?”

“It was all consensual!”

Seeing Seonghyun’s clenched fist, the professor shrank back, but this time, Seonghyun didn’t throw his fist.

“You’re not even worth my punch.”

“Th-thank you…”

As Seonghyun turned to leave, he couldn’t hold back at the professor’s expression of gratitude and had to throw a punch.

“You won’t be the only one I’m coming for.”

“What, what do you mean…?”

With that, Seonghyun left the scene.

Leaving the professor marked with a stigma.

“Argh! Ack!”

Echoes of agony writhed through the alleyway, and soon, people began to gather.

“I wonder how the association will respond tomorrow…”

He was slightly worried, seeing as there hadn’t been any contact yet. Perhaps they were going to pretend they didn’t know.

With a heavy heart on his way home, Seonghyun checked his phone, only to find unexpectedly shocking news articles.

[The Disgusting Truth About Professor Lee Ik-hyeon]

[Professor Lee, who had been wearing a mask all along, is now exposed for targeting a total of 38 students…]

“Was it the association?”

Before even a day had passed, the association had clearly stated its position.

Just after checking the articles, a call came in from the association.

“Hello.”

“…Hunter Kim. This is the Vice Chairman.”

“Ah, hello.”

A small sigh came from the other end, followed by a brief silence before he continued.

“Regarding the events of today, or rather, up to now, I have no words. I am truly sorry.”

“…Honestly, I can’t say that it’s all fine.”

How many could claim it was alright when their sibling had been treated so poorly?

And Seonghyun felt he didn’t have the right to say it was okay.

“Of course. For what has happened… I would like to personally apologize to your sibling.”

“That’s not for me to answer.”

“…Understood. We will take responsibility and resolve this issue.”

“Okay.”

Seonghyun ended the call without offering thanks.

Before hanging up, he heard a relieved sigh from the other side.

In fact, this incident wasn’t entirely negative for the association.

Maintaining a problem-free relationship with Seonghyun, while publicly addressing the issue he had brought to light, would undoubtedly boost the association’s reputation.

In essence, Seonghyun had given the association both an opportunity and assistance.

The Vice Chairman was certainly aware of this fact.

“…I hope this is good enough”

Although this wouldn’t completely erase the scars his sibling had received, perhaps it was akin to administering timely treatment.

Hyein wasn’t only hurt by the association and the professor.

Seonghyun, who had unwittingly harbored the complacent thought that providing a good environment was all that was needed, was also one of those who had inflicted pain.

The next day, the academic world was completely turned upside down.

These weren’t merely clandestine activities.

Systematically organized operations came to light, revealing facts that simple inquiries couldn’t uncover, and were now exposed for all to see.

In a community exclusive to those professors, their misdeeds were proudly logged like diary entries, including incidents that had been silenced with money.

And a few days later, Professor Lee Ik-hyeon appeared on TV screens, just as Seonghyun had mentioned, having met quite a number of others, his face barely recognizable due to the injuries.

I am, do you know who I am?

Indeed, the professor held a somewhat prominent position within his industry.

However, this prominence ultimately worked against him. All the students he had wronged belonged to notable families, ensuring that his judgment was thorough and uncompromising.

Following this, the association assigned a new professor to Seonghyun’s sibling.

This time, the secretary personally vetted candidates from their school days to the present, ensuring a spotless record for the new instructor.

“I’m home!”

“Ready to eat?”

“Yeah. I’m hungry.”

Fortunately, from that day on, Hyein began to recover herself.