Ch.53Haven’t I Seen You Before? – 2

Minseong Kang had always thought this day would come.

That his beloved grandchildren would bring home their future spouses.

His deepest wish was to live long enough to see even his great-grandchildren, if possible.

That’s why Minseong Kang had meticulously taken care of himself.

He had promised himself to stay healthy and strong until that moment arrived.

‘But…’

Still, when that moment actually unfolded before his eyes, he couldn’t help feeling flustered.

“Gr-Grandfather.”

“It’s been a while, Chairman.”

His granddaughter, Soohyun Kim, wore an unusually awkward smile.

And the man standing beside her was Seojin Baek, the young man who had saved Soohyun twice.

The pair had appeared before him completely out of the blue.

In truth, the two were actually escaping from Rina Lee.

They had made up an excuse to slip away, wondering how they would handle that crazy woman otherwise.

But Minseong Kang, unaware of this, could only see it one way.

Ah, my granddaughter has brought her boyfriend to introduce him to her grandfather.

‘Has he really become Soohyun’s boyfriend?’

Honestly, he had somewhat anticipated this development.

Anyone, man or woman, tends to develop feelings for someone who helps them in difficult situations.

Especially when that person had gone out of their way to help not once, but twice.

Moreover, if they had boldly stood in harm’s way, risking their own life.

‘It’s no wonder our Soohyun fell for him. Yes, it makes perfect sense.’

Minseong Kang examined Seojin Baek again as he stood there nervously after greeting him.

When he first met him, he had thought he was just an ordinary, lucky superpower user.

Nothing particularly special had stood out to him. At least, that was how it seemed at the time.

But looking at him now, he thought his initial judgment might have been wrong.

He had grown. In such a short time, to a degree that impressed even Minseong Kang himself.

Whether his superpower had finally blossomed, or if this was the result of relentless training just now bearing fruit.

What was certain was that he was practically a different person from before.

‘He wasn’t like this when I saw him at the hospital. No, definitely not like this.’

As he observed Seojin Baek, the inevitable curiosity of a martial artist stirred within him.

He wanted to know the true extent of this young man’s abilities.

The skill that allowed him to face The Elder and survive, to fight dozens of villains.

He wanted to see the limits of this rapidly growing young man.

“Grandfather?”

“…Hmm? Ah, yes. I’m sorry. This old man was just a bit surprised. I didn’t expect our Soohyun to bring home a boyfriend so soon. Ho ho ho!”

“Wh-what? No, that’s not it! Grandfather! The Arbiter just, um, dinner…”

What kind of person would suddenly invite someone to their home just for dinner?

He may be old, but he hadn’t lost all his perceptiveness.

Even now, Soohyun Kim, his granddaughter’s face was bright red.

If this were truly just a simple dinner invitation, there would be no reason for such a reaction.

‘This girl. She’s completely smitten. Well, a young man like him would certainly pass as our Soohyun’s boyfriend.’

First and foremost, he was a superpower user like Soohyun.

Was Minseong Kang discriminating against non-powered people? No, that wasn’t the reason.

Men and women naturally understand each other better when they’re on similar footing.

Superpower users and non-powered people can certainly fall in love, but such relationships often end poorly.

If they stand in different places and must move in different directions, they’ll inevitably clash.

And eventually, they’ll part ways with wounds, unable to understand each other.

In that respect, the fact that he was a superpower user was reassuring.

Additionally, his abilities as a superpower user were exceptional.

Standing alone against The Elder, fighting a group of villains by himself.

And hadn’t he also distinguished himself during the gate incident?

‘Even that lunatic Rina treated him with respect.’

He had laughed in disbelief when he saw the news article recently.

Who would have thought that crazy woman would be photographed shaking hands like that?

That same Rina who would scoff at promising talents, calling them pathetic.

And unlike many young people these days, his character was excellent.

Why he insisted on being an Academy Arbiter despite the inevitable resentment it brought.

Soohyun had already explained the reason to him.

If his strict friend, Hakjun Ma, had acknowledged him, then he was already vetted.

He was definitely not the type to mistreat his granddaughter or abandon her midway.

‘Most importantly, he’s saved our Soohyun not just twice, but… no, three times.’

Once from The Elder during the Academy attack, once from the roadside attack a few days ago.

And once more from the negative thoughts that had been eating away at Soohyun’s mind.

There could be no greater benefactor. He deserved to be called a godsend.

With Soohyun’s approval, there was no reason for him to stand in their way.

However, if there was one thing he wanted to address before moving on…

“You should have told me in advance. I would have prepared a more splendid dinner.”

“Right? We came in such a hurry that I couldn’t tell you.”

“No, Chairman. I should apologize for visiting so suddenly.”

“Don’t say that. Thanks to you, our Soohyun has changed so much.”

With those words, Minseong Kang called for the household staff who resided in the home.

He instructed them to prepare a banquet for the esteemed guest.

Even if it took some time, he wanted the most exquisite and elaborate meal possible.

“Chairman, this is too much…”

“Don’t worry. Actually, I’m trying to buy some time because there’s something I’m curious about.”

“If you’re curious about something, what would that be?”

“Seojin Baek, was it? Would you care to spar with me?”

“Pardon?”

“Gr-Grandfather?!”

Soohyun Kim was even more surprised than Seojin Baek, clearly at a loss.

She seemed worried that Seojin might find it offensive.

‘…This is an opportunity.’

But Seojin Baek himself didn’t seem particularly bothered.

With each opponent he faced, he learned all their strengths.

At the same time, he learned their weaknesses and imprinted them in his mind to avoid making the same mistakes.

Currently, he wasn’t just getting stronger by being the Gatekeeper.

He was encountering various opponents and utilizing their movements and judgments.

The more excellent opponents he met, the more beneficial it was for him.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not forcing you. It’s just this old man’s whim. Soohyun has been talking so much about your recent exploits. She makes you sound like an S-rank superpower user.”

“Soohyun said that? I’m embarrassed. I think I’d still struggle against an A-rank.”

Seojin Baek scratched his cheek once, cleared his throat, and continued.

“Let’s do it, Chairman.”

“Oh?”

“The sparring match, I mean.”

“Hoho. Are you really okay with it?”

“Yes. I think it would be a good opportunity for me too.”

“I’m absolutely not forcing you. So let me ask again. Are you really accepting my request?”

Seojin Baek responded with a crisp “Yes” to Minseong Kang’s question.

Minseong Kang burst into hearty laughter at his straightforward answer.

He really liked this young man. Yes, he was definitely worthy of being his granddaughter’s husband.

“But I have one condition.”

“A condition? Go ahead. Tell me. I’ll grant anything.”

“I want Soohyun to come and watch our sparring match.”

“Hmm. You want to show her your skills?”

In reality, it was to establish the conditions for activating his Gatekeeper trait.

But Seojin Baek knew well that it wasn’t always necessary to tell the whole truth.

“One learns by doing, but a genius also learns by watching.”

“Hahaha! That’s right! Our Soohyun is indeed a genius!”

He inadvertently scored points in the process.

*

An unexpected sparring match with Minseong Kang had been arranged.

To be honest, he was a bit scared that this might be reckless.

He was a veteran stronger than most A-rank users.

Even villains referred to him as the Sword Wraith and found him extremely formidable.

Although he had clashed with The Elder and observed Rina Lee’s movements.

He hadn’t fought with his full strength.

At least recently, Hyunwoo Lee and Soohyun Kim’s skills had improved significantly.

Thanks to them, his level had risen sharply, but it was still insufficient.

In that situation, sparring with Minseong Kang had its advantages, but there were also concerns.

‘More importantly, how big is this place to even have a training ground like this?’

When he first visited Minseong Kang’s family home, he thought he had entered a university.

Even wealthy homes usually consisted of just one large house with a spacious yard.

But Minseong Kang’s family compound boasted dozens of magnificent buildings gathered in a massive complex.

Whether this was a residence for people or a gathering of several clans.

It was truly at a level where one could genuinely be confused.

“Well then, shall we have a simple match?”

Excuse me, Chairman. Your expression doesn’t look like someone planning a simple match.

Until just a moment ago, he was an ordinary grandfather with deep love for his granddaughter.

But as soon as he gripped the sword, his aura transformed instantly.

– Activating The Third Eye. –

◎ Minseong Kang

: The Sword That Does Not Age

◎ Details

: Even in the flow of time, he has not lost his edge.

When holding a sword, all abilities are enhanced.

Except for one case, he will not falter.

A very simple trait, but that’s what makes it more frightening.

All abilities enhanced when holding a sword. As expected of Soohyun Kim’s grandfather.

“You’re in the Support Class, right?”

“That’s correct, but I won’t ask for any special consideration.”

No need for things like giving me a three-move advantage or such.

To gain something, one must pay a corresponding price.

That could be money, time, or in this case…

‘I’ll just have to tough it out.’

Minseong Kang clapped and laughed heartily at my answer.

Then he said let’s begin and slowly took his stance.

“Arbiter! You can do it!”

“Soohyun, what about your grandfather?!”

“G-Grandfather, you can do it too!”

“Yes, yes! Ho ho ho ho!”

What a doting grandfather, he’s really excited.