I'll Retire After Saving the World-Chapter 109: Observer of Youth (4)

TL: SHW

“Lee Seung-yeon!”

- At first, I didn’t realize it. No, maybe I wasn’t supposed to realize it. But still, still…

Lee Seung-yeon mumbled something difficult to understand. Even so, I could roughly guess what he was trying to say.

“Lee Seung-yeon.”

Lowering my voice, I called out Lee Seung-yeon’s name.

At first, he didn’t hear and kept rambling, but after calling his name calmly a few more times, his words began to slow down little by little.

“Lee Seung-yeon.”

- ….

Finally, it became quiet.

After a moment, Lee Seung-yeon responded. If I could see his face, I’d have a clearer idea of his condition, but that’s impossible over the phone.

- …Ahem. Yes, teacher.

“Have you calmed down?”

- Yes. I’m sorry.

“No, you don’t need to apologize. Could you explain what’s going on? You said you’re being watched?”

...At that moment, it hit me.

These kids. They’ve finally noticed the man in sunglasses appearing in all the photos.

I used to be baffled as to how they didn’t notice him, but in hindsight, it would’ve been better if they had continued to remain oblivious. Once you notice, troublesome things are bound to happen.

The same person appearing in photos taken at different locations? Over the course of several days?

If it were me, I’d also think I was being followed.

Han Tae-kyung had been tailing them ever since the day after I contacted Lee Seung-yeon. That’s when he started appearing in the photos. While there were, of course, some pictures where he wasn’t present due to the angle, he was captured in every shot where he could possibly appear.

And then there were those ridiculous sunglasses. Sunglasses!

If Lee Seung-yeon had even glanced at his phone’s photo gallery once, he would’ve had to notice the man who appeared in all the pictures.

I’d asked Hong Seok-young several times to make sure the guy didn’t show up in the kids’ photos, but he completely ignored me and now it’s come to this.

Even Hong Seok-young, who was on the phone with Han Tae-kyung, seemed to realize what had happened when he heard me and grabbed his head in frustration.

Every time he looked at the photos, he would just let out a deep sigh.

“…Lee Seung-yeon. Hold on a moment.”

I muted the call to prevent my voice from being transmitted, then looked at Hong Seok-young.

“Should I tell them?”

Still holding his head, Hong Seok-young answered.

“You have to. What else can we do?”

“Right?”

“Explain it carefully so they don’t get too startled… If the kids seem okay, tell them to come back. I’ll tell Tae-kyung to bring them back.”

“They’re more likely to be startled.”

“Won’t it work if you say it’s Eun-young’s oppa?”

“…You mean Han Eun-young’s oppa, right.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“Tell him to take off those damn sunglasses before approaching the kids. Or rather, let’s not have him go to the kids at all. Tell him to stay somewhere appropriate… like a café or something.”

“Understood.”

Hong Seok-young made the same expression he always did when my old man talked about Han Tae-kyung. The look of someone whose resilient life as a Hunter was weighed down by sheer exhaustion.

If only he had done something truly unforgivable, we could’ve gotten rid of him long ago. But whether it was a stroke of bad luck or good, Han Tae-kyung wasn’t the kind of person to cause that kind of trouble. It was just endlessly annoying to have to clean up after him.

Look at this. Even the 1st team used to go into Dungeons without a leader because their team leader’s license was constantly being suspended due to disciplinary issues. Those who had been under Han Tae-kyung for a long time just accepted it as the norm. The reason we didn’t send new recruits to the 1st team but instead trained them in the 2nd team wasn’t for nothing.

I’ve suffered plenty because of Han Tae-kyung too. From dealing with his disciplinary issues and quelling the Ability Management Agency’s negative rumors to preparing the old man’s press conferences and more. And not just that… Who do you think covered for Han Tae-kyung’s absence? Every time his license was suspended, I was the one who entered the Dungeon. I didn’t join the Ability Management Agency to play the role of a Hunter….

‘Hwijae, I hear you’re entering the Dungeon in my place this time?’

‘…….’

‘Oh, come on, don’t frown like that. It’s just your uncle being considerate, worried that your spear might get rusty!’

‘…….’

‘Take good care of my team for me!’

Would it be possible to knock some sense into Han Tae-kyung’s thick skull like I did with Park Seo-hyun or Oh Hyun-wook? If only I could just implant a little bit of responsibility into that head of his, I’d have no regrets.

But Han Tae-kyung is not like the kids,

his brain isn’t soft and malleable anymore. It’s already hardened with age, and there’s no way to fix it… or is there? Is there truly no method at all?

After pressing the mute button, I called Lee Seung-yeon again. He still answered with a voice full of anxiety.

“Lee Seung-yeon. That….”

How am I supposed to explain this?

No matter how I put it, this situation sounds way too ridiculous.

You guys irresponsibly ran away from home and went on a carefree trip, so I assigned a new teacher to guard you. But that person, with no sense at all, kept appearing in your photos, showing himself off?

And to top it off, that clueless bodyguard just happens to be the older brother of one of your classmates?

It sounds like complete nonsense.

- Teacher?

But, unbelievably, it’s the truth.

Thinking about Han Tae-kyung and his sunglasses makes my irritation bubble up again. I should’ve been more forceful with Hong Seok-young. Did he think watching over the kids was a joke?

…No, wait. If that’s the case, then it’s partly my fault too. I’m the one who decided to give the kids more time instead of telling them to come back immediately.

Damn it.

Pressing my fingers firmly against my temples, I asked,

“So… this thing about being watched….”

- There’s this strange man in sunglasses in all the photos!

“I see….”

Let’s look on the bright side.

Thank goodness it’s Han Tae-kyung we’re talking about.

If it had been anyone else instead of Han Tae-kyung, that would’ve been a real horror show, something impossible to handle.

“That… that person.”

Still, I needed to confirm it properly.

“You’re talking about the guy wearing sunglasses, right?”

- How do you know about that, no, wait. I sent you the photos, so… you already knew and didn’t say anything?!

Lee Seung-yeon exclaimed indignantly.

If I handle this poorly, I could lose Lee Seung-yeon’s trust. While I don’t think our relationship is built on trust and affection, I’d like to believe there’s at least a normal level of trust between a teacher and a student.

I’d rather have him crying that he can’t handle being a Hunter than refusing to attend school in rebellion. Or… maybe not? Would it be better if he just quit being a Hunter altogether? Come to think of it, wasn’t I already discussing with Lee Mi-seon how to get him to quit? I had completely forgotten about that because of the raid incident!

“Ahem. That’s not it.”

- Then what?!

“Well, it’s just… he’s not the kind of person you think he is.”

- Not the kind of person?

Lee Seung-yeon hesitated.

“Is Kang Tae-woo with you?”

- …Yes, I’ve got the speakerphone on.

- Ah, hello, teacher.

Kang Tae-woo greeted me in a slow, awkward voice.

It’s probably better to explain everything at once. And if Kang Tae-woo is listening, it’s smarter to be honest than to try and come up with some clumsy lie. Even if Lee Seung-yeon freaks out, Kang Tae-woo could help calm him down. They seemed to have grown quite close during their runaway adventure.

I sighed and switched to speakerphone myself.

It’s tiring to see Hong Seok-young pacing around so nervously. He’s usually calm and composed, but now he’s weirdly formal about something trivial.

“Well, it’s just that you guys… you never know what might happen.”

Lee Seung-yeon doesn’t know about Ark. He doesn’t even know the reason for the raid. While Hong Seok-young wasn’t entirely opposed to telling the students about it, Lee Seung-yeon ran away before he got the chance to explain.

His decisiveness rivals that of active Hunters.

“This is complicated, and it’s hard to explain….”

- Are you talking about the incident at the research lab that Tae-woo was in?

Before I could finish my sentence, Lee Seung-yeon abruptly cut me off.

“…What?”

How does he know about that?

For a moment, I wondered if someone had told Lee Seung-yeon but not me. I glanced at Hong Seok-young, but his wide eyes staring at the phone suggested that wasn’t the case.

Lee Seung-yeon continued in a sulky voice.

- Tae-woo told me.

“…Kang Tae-woo told you?”

- I, I only told about myself. That I was... No. 3.

What the hell? I thought they were getting along better, but close enough to talk about the research lab? Since when?

What the heck happened between them in Yeosu? How did they suddenly become so close? And what else might’ve happened that I don’t know about…!

I suppressed my curiosity and cleared my throat.

"...Ahem. If he told you himself, I have nothing to say about it."

- So is that why you sent someone after us? My aunt’s Hunter?

Lee Seung-yeon’s voice was sharp. It’s natural for a teenager to have secrets they don’t want their aunt to discover.

Even though I knew Lee Seung-yeon couldn’t see me, I shook my head out of habit.

“No. It’s a Hunter the principal knows. He’s also going to be your new teacher.”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

Did they hear that properly?

I repeated myself.

"He's a teacher. You'll be able to meet him at school soon."

Experience has taught me that it’s better to deliver shocking news all at once.

It’s better to reveal his identity now before the kids develop any worse feelings toward the new teacher.

“And he’s Han Eun-young’s oppa.”

Since he’s a friend’s older brother, they’re not going to kick him or bite him… probably.

---

- …Yes, okay. Alright, then… yes, we’ll come back….

As expected, Lee Seung-yeon’s energy deflated significantly. Kang Tae-woo didn’t seem to think much of it, but Lee Seung-yeon was clearly shaken by the news that the older brother of a classmate from last semester was coming in as their teacher.

Taking over for the shaken Lee Seung-yeon, Kang Tae-woo spoke politely.

- If you text us where you are, we’ll head there. I’ll make sure to bring him along safely.

“Alright. See you when you get here.”

- Yes.

The call ended.

“…….”

Is this settled now?

Hong Seok-young also ended his call with Han Tae-kyung and showed me a map. It seemed to be a café nearby.

After texting the café’s name to Lee Seung-yeon…

I turned to Hong Seok-young and asked.

“What’s with him?”

“…Ahem.”

Hong Seok-young coughed loudly, as if to clear the air.

“I asked you to tell him not to show up in the kids’ photos.”

“Well, yes, I definitely told him. You were there when I called, weren’t you? I told him multiple times!”

“…….”

“Ahem. Cough. But since the kids are coming back now anyway, let’s look on the bright side. It worked out well in the end. The kids understood.”

“…….”

“……”

"Is this what you meant when you said he had a troublesome personality?"

“…….”

Hong Seok-young quietly avoided my gaze.

"To be honest? This is him showing restraint."

"This is?"

"He only appeared in photos, didn't he? He even made some effort to hide, in his own way."

"This is?"

"He pretended to be a passerby."

"This is?"

“…I’ll make sure to tell him to take off the sunglasses when indoors.”

I let out an exaggerated sigh, making sure Hong Seok-young could hear it.

Fine. As Hong Seok-young said, the kids said they’d return quietly, so there’s no real issue. Considering the unresolved matters like Alex Hope and Ark, it’s much safer to have the kids where I can keep an eye on them rather than letting them roam freely outside.

But still.

“…When Lee Seung-yeon gets back.”

“Hm?”

“Make sure he quits Pilot High School under your watch. I don’t think I need to explain why.”

“…….”

There was a time when Lee Seung-yeon had shed tears in the container classroom. He probably didn’t want anyone to notice, but I could tell.

Even putting aside future Archmage Park Seo-hyun, who’s in a league of her own, just watching Oh Hyun-wook steadily improve his skills even by rolling around in the dirt would’ve made it impossible for Lee Seung-yeon to ignore his own lack of talent.

Forcing a young person to give up on their dreams is a cruel thing to do. Just as Lee Mi-seon gave her nephew time to figure things out, I also wanted Lee Seung-yeon to step away from Pilot High School for a while and reconsider his choices.

Although Han Tae-kyung’s interference made things more complicated, I hope Lee Seung-yeon had enough time to reflect.

I really hope he doesn't come back just to say being a Hunter is his calling.

Not that everything else would be perfect if he didn’t say that, but still.