The Academy’s Unrivaled Professor - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Academy’s Absolute Professor Episode 017
Guild or Family?
The next morning before dawn, all five gathered without fail at the Training Ground.
They’d arrived early and were already limbering up before the sun rose…….
It had always felt awkward, but today the air hung heavier than usual.
“Man, this is embarrassing.”
It was Gwak Do-jin’s doing.
“I’m not some death row inmate waiting for execution. Why’s everyone sneaking glances at me?”
He had a point, actually.
Just Expulsion instead of execution, though.
“Hey, youngest.”
“Sir, Han Tae-ho!”
“What’s with the military report routine? Is this the army?”
Gwak Do-jin burst out laughing and clapped Han Tae-ho on the shoulder.
“I’ve seen you a few times now—loosen up. You’re killing me.”
“……Understood, sir.”
“And about what I said before, how you seemed timid. I’m sorry about that. I was too wound up back then.”
“No, sir! It’s because I was lacking…….”
“No, I acted like garbage. That’s on me.”
The other students looked surprised at how readily Gwak Do-jin acknowledged his faults.
They all knew the mad dog had changed.
You didn’t get up every dawn to toil in silence without real effort.
But none of them expected to hear an actual apology cross his lips like this.
Apologies are easy to swallow but hard to spit out.
It takes courage to break even a flimsy wall of pride.
“Yun Hyun-jong, I owe you an apology too.”
“Me, sir?”
“Yeah, that first day in class when I grabbed you by the collar. Looking back, you were right.”
“It’s fine, sir. Men can do that on first meetings.”
Yun Hyun-jong didn’t deflect the apology.
He wasn’t narrow-minded enough to reject an effort at reconciliation.
After training ended, Gwak Do-jin showered and changed into street clothes.
Then he checked his account balance.
[Balance: 2,450,000 won]
“Damn it.”
It was what remained after tuition was deducted.
Money his grandmother had carefully saved and sent him.
‘I was going to take care of her after I graduated.’
Well, there wouldn’t be any tuition to pay now anyway.
At a liquor department store in front of the Academy’s main gate, he spent every last won on a bottle of the finest Single Malt Whiskey.
The tuition loss stung, but buying a gift for the professor felt nothing like throwing money away.
If he’d had more, he would’ve bought something even more expensive.
‘That’s what Yu-yeon said yesterday.’
A Tae-wang guild executive had shown up, smashed her phone, and threatened her.
Just like when he’d appeared to protect him from Hwang Min-woo’s contract threats, he’d saved her then too.
How could he possibly stay quiet after hearing that?
Gwak Do-jin carefully cradled the bottle in its elegant box and headed toward the Professor Building.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Kang Hyun sat deep in the office sofa, and across from him, an unfamiliar woman tapped away at a tablet.
Gwak Do-jin’s eyes widened in an instant.
‘W-who is she? His girlfriend?’
Kang Hyun glanced at Gwak Do-jin, who stood awkwardly with the bottle in hand.
“What are you doing? Come in.”
“Ah, yes. But the lady next to you is…….”
“My secretary.”
“Your secretary?”
An exclamation escaped Gwak Do-jin’s lips without thought.
A secretary this beautiful!
So it really was true that men should stick with the strong types?
“Why are you staring off into space like that? What’s in your hand?”
“Oh.”
Gwak Do-jin carefully set down the elegant box he’d been cradling onto the table.
“You bought me a drink last time without asking. Consider this an additional tuition payment.”
In truth, he’d scraped together every won he had for his school fees to purchase it, but he saw no point in showing that.
“Oho, this is quite an expensive one.”
Kang Hyun’s eyes glimmered as he opened the box.
“I never turn down a bottle of liquor.”
Pop!
Without hesitation, he uncorked it, and a rich, woody aroma wafted into the air.
“Smells wonderful. Sit down. Let’s share a glass.”
“With you, sir?”
Even as the words left his mouth, Gwak Do-jin’s backside was already firmly planted on the sofa.
It was a top-grade Single Malt Whiskey—his hands had trembled the entire time he was buying it.
‘At this price, I’d better at least taste it or I’ll regret it forever.’
Kang Hyun didn’t bother pressing him about why he’d bought it or where the money came from.
He simply poured the amber liquid into a glass and slid it across to Gwak Do-jin.
Soon Kang Hyun’s gaze drifted toward Lee Se-ah across from them.
“Want to have a taste?”
“I’m on duty, so…”
Lee Se-ah made a brushing gesture, but her eyes were already fixed on the whiskey bottle.
That label—definitely not something you’d casually drink on a Management Bureau salary.
She swallowed involuntarily.
Lee Se-ah forced her gaze elsewhere and continued speaking.
“By the way, Professor, you were complaining recently that your liquor cabinet was empty. Now there’s no budget left to fill it.”
“That’s petty. What about the premium liquor I gave you last time?”
“We ran through that ages ago. We even replaced all the furniture twice with top-grade sets, and kept refilling the alcohol stockpile the whole time.”
“Did I really drink that much?”
“Yes, sir, you did drink quite a lot. I’d honestly like to allocate more for you, but… you know how it is.”
Black’s budget came from national funds.
Certainly the potential gains from keeping Kang Hyun tied to South Korea were substantial, but there had to be limits to propriety, didn’t there?
“Don’t worry though.”
Swish.
Lee Se-ah tapped her tablet a few times and slid it toward Kang Hyun.
The screen was crowded with lists marked by red warning icons.
[Request for S-rank Dungeon Suppression Support]
[Search Operation for Collapsed Jeju Island Underground Labyrinth]
[Request for Elimination of Internationally Wanted Organization]
……
“If you just happen to resolve any of these, you could easily refill your liquor cabinet multiple times over.”
The Management Bureau’s transparent scheme to exploit Black’s capabilities.
Kang Hyun waved his hand dismissively.
“Get that out of here. You bastards think I’m an easy mark?”
Even so, he gazed fondly at Gwak Do-jin seated before him and raised his glass.
“Thanks to you, I’m enjoying a fine drink tonight.”
“Not at all, Professor. I hope to serve you well going forward.”
Gwak Do-jin was just scratching the back of his head.
Knock-knock.
A knock sounded at the quiet door once more.
Lee Se-ah’s eyes brightened as she asked.
“Is it the bait we cast yesterday, hooked at last?”
“Unfortunately not. Come in.”
The door swung open.
Gwak Do-jin’s eyes widened at the sight of the figure who appeared.
“Yun Hyun-jong?”
What are you doing here?
Yun Hyun-jong had also brought along a wooden box.
‘What’s that?’
An ultra-premium limited-edition Premium Liquor with elaborate gold-leaf decoration and a serial number!
It was liquor vastly more expensive than what Gwak Do-jin had brought.
‘What the hell? Why does he have to show up with that now, of all times?’
Gwak Do-jin bit his lip hard in silence.
Kang Hyun laughed with an air of bewilderment.
“What’s with all the visits today? You’d think everyone made a pact to show up.”
Yun Hyun-jong hesitated and carefully placed the box on the table.
“My apologies for the late introduction, professor. This is a token of my gratitude for saving my life last time.”
“Ah, well then we should open it. Come, sit. Join me.”
Kang Hyun made no objection whatsoever.
Instead, he eagerly retrieved a fresh glass.
Lee Se-ah watched the scene unfold and muttered in exasperation.
“At this rate, all five cadets are going to end up gathered here.”
“See? No need for formalities. The kids look after me like this.”
“……That they do.”
Kang Hyun filled his glass and continued speaking at a leisurely pace.
“That’s how the world works. When you give without expecting return, people learn to give back the same way.”
What Kang Hyun had received from these students wasn’t expensive liquor.
It was their hearts.
Don’t worry.
I will give your futures something far more precious than the cost of this bottle.
‘I know that well.’
Lee Se-ah nodded inwardly, her lips moving silently.
‘My salary tripled thanks to the professor, after all.’
She had made a decision.
A portion of her salary would go toward restocking the liquor cabinet.
If the cadets could express their thanks, shouldn’t a dedicated manager do the same?
Just as the warm gathering was reaching its peak.
Knock, knock.
The sound of another knock echoed.
“Who could it be this time? Cha Yu-sik? Or maybe Han Tae-ho? Seo Hae-in?”
“No, this time it really does seem like something took the bait I mentioned earlier.”
Kang Hyun twirled the glass in his hand and spoke in a drowsy tone.
“Come in.”
Bang!
The door swung open, and the man who entered was built like a mountain.
“……!”
Gwak Do-jin leaped to his feet.
He had recognized the man.
The one person who had destroyed his life—Hwang Min-woo’s father.
‘Hwang Tae-gwang!’
What was he doing here?

* * *
The two men had moved to the reception room in the Professor Building and now sat facing each other.
“I apologize for arriving so suddenly.”
Hwang Tae-gwang bowed first.
Kang Hyun returned the courtesy.
“I am Kang Hyun, contract professor.”
While maintaining proper etiquette on the surface, Hwang Tae-gwang knew.
This man was the monster the Management Bureau was protecting.
“Ahem, I’ll be direct. One of my men committed a grave breach of conduct yesterday. Full responsibility lies with me.”
Kang Hyun, offering no reply, rolled a whiskey glass with his right hand.
Hwang Tae-gwang understood perfectly—it meant to skip the pleasantries and get to the point.
“The footage you possess. I would like to resolve that matter quietly.”
“Quietly?”
Sniff.
Kang Hyun lifted the glass to his nose and inhaled the aroma.
“First you say a grave breach occurred, then you want to handle it quietly…….”
“That statement contains no contradiction.”
Hwang Tae-gwang nodded.
“I am the head of an organization. I cannot be ruled by emotion alone. I simply wish to contain the matter before it grows further. Should compensation be necessary, Tae-wang will ensure it is provided.”
Kang Hyeon’s mouth curved up faintly.
“Any reward at all is acceptable?”
“If it’s within what Tae-wang can manage.”
Kang Hyeon set down his glass.
Clink.
It was a small sound, but Hwang Tae-gwang felt his shoulders stiffen instinctively.
“I have one question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Your son means a great deal to you, doesn’t he?”
The abrupt question made Hwang Tae-gwang’s gaze waver for a moment.
“……He does.”
“And the guild?”
“It means more.”
No hesitation in his answer.
Kang Hyeon stared at him intently.
It wasn’t a lie.
That was what made it interesting.
“Good. Then one more question.”
Kang Hyeon rose slowly from the sofa.
The air felt entirely different from when he’d been reclining.
The reception room grew heavy with tension.
‘So this is the presence everyone feared.’
Hwang Tae-gwang thought he finally understood why Song Cheol-ho had made such a fuss.
Having weathered everything, he could read it from a glance alone.
‘This man is a tiger.’
A predator that could devour anyone.
You don’t need to fight a tiger to know it’s dangerous, do you?
His instincts were screaming.
If you fight, you lose.
“What is it you’re trying to protect right now?”
“Tae-wang.”
“So you’d abandon your son if it came to that?”
Hwang Tae-gwang’s brow twitched.
He wasn’t fool enough to miss the meaning beneath those words.
“If necessary.”
Kang Hyeon let out a soft laugh.
“Words come easy. But when that blade’s edge actually touches your own blood, suddenly things look different, don’t they?”
His voice remained languid, yet carried an unsettling chill.
Hwang Tae-gwang said nothing.
He’d decided silence was the better course.
Kang Hyeon moved toward the window.
He gazed down at the Academy spread below through the gap in the curtains and spoke.
“My compensation has two parts.”
Hwang Tae-gwang’s eyes grew cold.
“Name them.”
“First. Hwang Min-woo will face justice directly for what he did to Baek Yu-yeon and Gwak Do-jin.”
“……!”
“Second. You will clean up the rotten roots Tae-wang has spread through the Academy.”
Kang Hyeon didn’t bother raising his voice.
He simply turned his head and looked Hwang Tae-gwang directly in the eye.
In that instant, Hwang Tae-gwang’s instincts screamed in warning.
This man wasn’t negotiating.
He was issuing a warning.
‘Spare your son, and the guild dies. Sacrifice him, and the guild lives.’
And at the same time, offering a chance.
‘Whatever filthy business your Tae-wang guild conducts outside these walls—roll in shit for all I care. But the corruption you’ve planted here within the Academy, within my domain, you will answer for it completely. Step beyond that line once more, and I’ll erase the guild without a trace.’
Gulp.
Hwang Tae-gwang’s throat bobbed.
Kang Hyeon moved to the door and grasped the handle.
“I’ll hear your answer at the Disciplinary Committee meeting tomorrow. I trust you’ll choose wisely.”
Click!
As the door swung shut with a definitive thud, Kang Hyun disappeared.
“Hah.”
Only then did Hwang Tae-gwang exhale the breath he’d been holding.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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