Ch.41Episode 9. Parent-Teacher Conference (1)

“There are a lot of people today too.”

Gu Yeonhwa was looking down at the outsiders entering the academy with a bright smile.

Most people coming to the annex were either lost or here to look around the academy with students.

“Ah, Instructor. When did you say my parents are coming?”

Her face, which had been looking out the window, suddenly turned toward me.

“…They said they’d contact us later.”

“I see. When I contacted them, they said they weren’t coming. Seems they told you differently. That’s a relief.”

“Huh? Really?”

I was flustered.

I tried to tell a white lie but only ended up digging my own grave. How do I fix this?

“Hehe.”

“…W-well, pay attention in class.”

Having parents visit didn’t mean classes were canceled.

Only students whose parents were visiting were given free time.

Of course, I had no free time since I had parent consultations to attend.

I was just about to turn around and head to the faculty office for the parent consultation when my phone vibrated in my inner pocket.

I took out my phone. Bin Yoon’s mother’s number was displayed on the screen.

I glanced inside the classroom.

Unusually, Bin Yoon was sitting at her desk with her eyes open, scribbling something in her notebook.

“Bin Yoon.”

“Ah, yes!”

She quickly stood up when her name was called. I gestured with my hand for her to come over. She approached me with hurried steps.

“Your mother called. Do you want to stay in the classroom? Or would you like to meet her?”

I asked once more to confirm. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

“…I’ll stay in the classroom.”

“Alright.”

After hearing her answer, I answered the call.

[Ah, Instructor Yujin, this is Yoon’s mother. I’ve arrived at the academy, but the security guards say I can’t enter unless a teacher or instructor who works at the academy comes out.]

“Yes. I’ll be right out, so please wait there for a moment.”

[Okay.]

After ending the call, just before I left, Bin Yoon grabbed my sleeve.

“Um.”

“Yes?”

“If… if my mom says anything unnecessary… please ignore it all.”

“Alright.”

If what her mother says is truly unnecessary, then ignoring it would be the right thing to do.

* * *

“Where is this place?”

She asks while brushing back her pink hair.

Must be genetic, that hair color.

Facing her with makeup so heavy it looked almost white, the strong perfume scent rising unmistakably stung my nostrils.

I felt like my nose would go numb if I didn’t open a window.

I opened the window, made coffee, and placed it in front of her.

“By the way… you’re really handsome. Like the epitome of a good-looking bad boy.”

“Well… I hear that a lot.”

I nodded appropriately to the sudden compliment. She covered her mouth and laughed.

“Wahaha~ How annoying~! Yoon must be happy having someone like you as her instructor.”

“I’d be glad if she were truly happy. I hope she doesn’t get held back by the people around her.”

I sat across from her and said.

Her face hardened at my sarcastic tone. She eyed me suspiciously, trying to gauge my intentions.

“So… when can I see my daughter?”

She asked cautiously.

“First, let me confirm once more. You are Kim Soyang, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. You already checked my identity at the gate, didn’t you?”

Kim Soyang seemed puzzled that I was asking for her name again. Judging by her furrowed brow, she didn’t seem to appreciate my attitude.

“It never hurts to be careful.”

I smiled, pretending not to notice her displeasure.

After all, you played a part in driving Bin Yoon toward evil. I can’t just stand by and watch that happen.

“Um… you asked when you could see your daughter, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid it will be difficult for you to meet your daughter today.”

“What? Why?”

Her reaction showed she couldn’t understand.

Fair enough, few families would normally understand an instructor interfering in family matters.

But what can I do?

I know all about Bin Yoon’s personal family history.

“Bin Yoon doesn’t want to meet you. I asked her twice. She says it’s uncomfortable.”

“Hmph! So what?”

She snorted, apparently finding it absurd. She asked curtly, as if to say “who do you think you are?”

“Unfortunately, meeting is impossible. However, you can hear about how she’s doing at the academy through me. That’s why I called you here.”

“So you’re saying I can’t even see my daughter’s face and should just listen to you and leave? Does that make sense? I’m Bin Yoon’s mother. Her mother.”

I stared blankly as Kim Soyang spoke while pounding her chest.

I’d acknowledge you as a mother if you acted like one.

I barely managed to suppress a derisive snort.

“What right do you have to act like this as a mere instructor? A third party who doesn’t even know us well? What do you know about our family?”

Now she’s not even hesitating to point her finger at me.

Is it okay to throw manners out the window when you’re unhappy with a situation?

I leaned my upper body slightly toward Kim Soyang with my fingers interlaced. Then I whispered:

“Then what right did you have to sell the copyright to the potion Bin Yoon developed to pay off your debt? And at a dirt-cheap price too.”

“…!”

She who had been arguing so forcefully suddenly became speechless.

I didn’t want to listen to someone who only insisted on her own rights forever.

“H-how did you… Did Y-Yoon tell you about that?”

She asked timidly, her demeanor much less confident than before.

“Whether Bin Yoon told me or how I found out isn’t what’s important here, is it?”

Since you acted like you’re the boss, I’ll use your weakness to put you in your place.

“Do you know something? Bin Yoon spent two years developing that one potion. Two whole years. It was far better quality than any potion being sold on the market at that time.”

“S-so what? Better quality potions have come out by now anyway. It would have become useless eventually—”

“Ridiculous.”

Time to prove you’ve got shit for brains.

As expected, this woman has no interest in Bin Yoon. She’s only interested in the ‘money’ Bin Yoon could earn.

This confirms that she’s no different from how she was portrayed in the story.

I shouldn’t expect anything from her.

“Hey. Listen carefully.”

“Hey?! This is—!”

I took out two potions from my inner pocket.

One was the potion Bin Yoon had given me recently, which she developed in high school, and the other was a potion currently being sold on the market.

“This recovery potion currently being sold on the market is based on what Bin Yoon developed.”

I tapped the old bottle with a polystyrene tube.

“If Bin Yoon had retained exclusive rights, she would be a master in this industry by now. Because Bin Yoon can make potions of even better quality than what’s currently being sold.”

“…T-then Yoon can just make better recovery potions. Since she created the foundation.”

Her tone rose as if my statement sounded like money-making news to her.

Does this woman even understand what she’s saying?

…No, absolutely not.

“You know nothing about Bin Yoon. You don’t even care.”

“Look. You’ve been speaking informally to me this whole time—”

“Shut up and listen to me. You should be grateful that she hasn’t given up on making potions.”

Because if she had, I would have beaten you up.

“E-even so, this is our family matter! I can’t accept you interfering! Call Yoon right now!”

Until the end…

I let out a deep sigh. This is why I don’t want to talk to people who won’t listen to reason.

It was obvious how much stress Bin Yoon, as a child, must have endured with a mother like this.

“…Let’s part ways peacefully. Don’t make this bigger than it needs to be. If you’re aware that you’ve blocked Bin Yoon’s path.”

“Enough, just call her! If not, I’ll contact the chancellor directly and get what I want.”

The door suddenly opened with a clatter!

When I turned around, a female student with the same pink hair as Kim Soyang was standing confidently at the entrance. She entered with her white coat fluttering.

“Bin Yoon?”

“Y-Yoon?”

Both Kim Soyang and I were surprised by her sudden appearance.

But I tried not to show it outwardly. I looked at her calmly.

“…Instructor.”

“Why aren’t you in the classroom? Why did you come?”

“I was worried you might apologize one-sidedly, so I came. But it seems I worried for nothing. You’re even confronting my mother boldly… What if she files a complaint against you?”

“If you’re so confident, tell her to file it. I don’t have the right to interfere in family matters, so I might get criticized for overstepping. But so what? Do I look like someone who would cower at others’ finger-pointing?”

“—Kuk! Not at all.”

At my bold answer, Bin Yoon blinked a few times, then covered her mouth and laughed.

“Mom.”

“Y-yes. Yoon.”

Kim Soyang quietly approached Bin Yoon. She coldly brushed away her mother’s hand that tried to grab hers.

“Go home.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve seen my face, right? How do I look? Do I seem to be doing well?”

“Uh, well…”

“Then go home now. I have nothing to say to you.”

Bin Yoon spoke firmly and walked past her. Seemingly quite shocked, her mother stood there blankly.

“Ah, Ms. Kim Soyang.”

“What?”

She answered irritably.

“If you want to remain Bin Yoon’s respectable parent, don’t do ‘drugs.’ And if you are doing them, quit.”

I don’t know the exact timing.

The fact that she’s a drug addict is revealed after Bin Yoon gets hit hard by the Potion Research Department.

I vaguely remember some foreshadowing before that, but it doesn’t come to mind clearly.

Being human, I couldn’t remember every detail.

However, one thing I remember clearly is that the group supplying drugs to Kim Soyang is Akcheon.

I couldn’t forget it because Bin Yoon ends up connected to Akcheon through her.

“If you can’t do that, you’ll cross a line.”

From our conversation and observing her behavior, she doesn’t seem to be on drugs now. But if the story follows its original course, she’s likely to start at some point.

“Ha! Nam Isa. Mind your own business!”

“This isn’t a warning. It’s a threat.”

If she’s already doing drugs, I planned to use that opening to catch Akcheon.

“Tsk!”

After looking back and forth between me and Bin Yoon, she slammed the door shut and left.

“Phew, what a temper.”

Bin Yoon naturally took the seat next to the sofa and shook her head.

“…Will you be okay?”

“She was never someone I could rely on anyway. I’m not ready to forgive my mother either.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

After her answer, silence filled the room.

Except for occasional voices from outside the open window, we didn’t say anything.

More precisely, I didn’t know what to say. The atmosphere was too awkward.

“…Are you someone I can trust, Instructor?”

I didn’t answer immediately to her sudden question. I sipped my coffee, organizing my thoughts.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know if I’m someone I can trust either.”

I said as I put down my cup.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She laughed dryly at my unsatisfactory answer.

“Trust isn’t something that works as intended. Whether you like someone or not is separate from whether you can trust them.”

“So if I say I trust you, you won’t stop me?”

“I won’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I think it’s the best investment I can make?”

“How is that an investment?”

It’s true though. She’s dismissing it.

“Then… can I ask one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“…Because it’s my job to set you kids straight when you go astray.”

“I don’t think that’s the only reason, but I’ll accept that answer for now.”

Such a sharp one, this kid.

“By the way, you know skipping class gets you penalty points, right?”

“Yes, I know. But missing once or twice doesn’t matter, right?”

“That’s right. In that spirit, I’ll let it slide today.”

“Kuk kuk. How generous.”

“Right?”

Bin Yoon and I looked at each other and grinned.

And so, the first parent visit ended without much of a consultation.