Chapter 29: A Small Incident (2)

“Finish it by tomorrow morning.”

Chung-hyeon dropped a stack of papers on Jo Hyeon’s desk.

“Yes, Head Instructor,” she replied.

“I’m heading home now.”

She sighed as she watched him leave.

‘Tomorrow morning? It’s not even urgent.’

It wasn’t the first time this had happened.

It was the nature of working in Dongcheon Hall, the lowest-ranked hall in the Shinmu Academy.

They were always expected to provide information to the higher-ranking instructors as quickly as possible, so even routine tasks had to be completed “as soon as possible.”

She flipped through the papers.

They were evaluations from the day’s sparring matches.

Her task was simple: to compile the instructors’ evaluations and the results of the matches into a concise and organized report.

It was a tedious task, and any mistakes could result in complaints from her fellow instructors or a reprimand from her superiors.

She reluctantly lit her oil lamp and began working.

Hours passed.

“I’m leaving now.”

“Have a safe trip home.”

“I’m leaving too.”

The other instructors left one by one, leaving her alone in the office.

She continued working, her brush gliding across the paper.

It was well past her usual quitting time when she finally finished.

“Phew, I’m finally done. Now what…”

It was a task that the Head Instructor should have handled himself.

She had reluctantly taken on the responsibility, but she was a new instructor, and there were some things she wasn’t sure about.

She didn’t know the names of all the instructors, and there were some martial arts techniques she had never heard of.

She needed a senior instructor to review her work.

But there was no one around at this hour.

“I’ll have to come in early tomorrow morning.”

She was finishing up her review when she heard footsteps outside.

Yeom-gwang and Instructor Yang, the Nine Hundred Iron Fist instructor, stumbled into the office, both of them drunk.

“Oh, you’re still here?”

“I was just about to leave.”

“My, my, such a diligent worker.”

“Haha, you’re both drunk.”

Instructor Yang helped Yeom-gwang onto a makeshift bed in the corner of the office.

“Ahhh…”

Yeom-gwang lay down and started singing drunkenly.

“Hic… Isn’t that our lovely Instructor Jo? Come here.”

“Chief Instructor, you’re drunk.”

“Don’t you ‘Chief Instructor’ me! I’m just showing my appreciation for Instructor Jo!”

He snapped at her, and she reluctantly approached him.

“That’s right! Instructor Jo is the best!”

He reeked of alcohol.

She was about to make her escape when he started rambling again.

“She’s diligent! And hardworking! And efficient! And… oh, what was I going to say…?”

He hiccuped.

“Anyway! She’s nothing like that damn Cho Un-hwi!”

“Why are you bringing up Instructor Cho all of a sudden?”

“That son of a…!”

“Ugh, here we go again.”

“I’m going to… I’m going to teach him a lesson! I’m going to…”

Instructor Yang frowned and whispered to Jo Hyeon, “He’s upset about the sparring matches.”

It was understandable.

The students he had trained had lost badly.

He had lost face after being defeated by students trained by a new instructor.

He had even pitted his best students against Baek Ri-seol and Mo Yong So-hye, thinking they would be easy victories, but they had been crushed.

‘I heard some of them even had to withdraw from the midterm exam.’

His attempt to rig the matches had backfired.

It was his own fault, but he was still upset, and Instructor Yang had to deal with the aftermath.

“You’ve had a long day.”

“It’s nothing compared to what you’re doing, working so late.”

She thanked Instructor Yang for taking care of Yeom-gwang and was about to leave when Yeom-gwang called out to her.

“Instructor Jo! You’ve worked hard! Let’s have a drink sometime!”

“Yes, Chief Instructor. Of course.”

She dreaded the thought of having a drink with him.

But she had to agree to get what she wanted.

“Can you please review this tomorrow morning? The Head Instructor said it was urgent…”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

“Thank you.”

She pleaded with him several times before he finally let her leave.

She felt dizzy.

She was exhausted, and the combination of alcohol fumes and Yeom-gwang’s drunken ramblings had made her head spin.

All she wanted to do was go home and sleep.

***

She trudged back to her room in the Dongcheon Hall dormitory.

She reached the top floor, where the new instructors’ rooms were located, and stared down the dark hallway.

‘Instructor Cho’s room is at the end, right?’

She unlocked her door, changed into her sleepwear, and collapsed onto her bed.

As she sank into the soft mattress, she thought about the man she had met that morning.

He looked much younger than his age.

He was shorter than her, and his long hair obscured his face, making it difficult to read his expressions.

He looked more like a mischievous boy than a twenty-five-year-old man.

But there was one thing she envied about him.

“Where did you get that?”

“Hehe, it’s a gift.”

“Oh my, it’s beautiful.”

Yeo Mae-hong’s sword was adorned with the same red tassel she had given Cho Un-hwi.

“A sword ornament…”

She glanced at her own sword, which was hanging on the wall.

It was plain and unadorned.

She had bought an ornament for it, but it was still in her desk drawer at the office.

‘What’s that? It’s so childish.’

‘Haha, you have a surprisingly cute side.’

‘Tone it down, the students are watching.’

She had finally achieved her dream of becoming an instructor, but she was already nearing thirty.

And now that she was here, she was facing new challenges.

She was a rookie instructor, struggling to navigate the complex social dynamics of the academy.

Cho Un-hwi, the eccentric genius, seemed to be living a charmed life.

“Instructor Cho, where are you?!”

Even the fearsome Head Instructor couldn’t control him.

“Cho Un-hwi, you bastard!”

And Yeom-gwang, who ruled the instructors’ office with an iron fist, was powerless against him.

And his students were all improving rapidly. He had even earned the gratitude of the Baek Ri Clan, one of the Ten Great Clans.

“I’m so jealous…”

She was ignored by her colleagues.

She was given all the tedious tasks.

And she couldn’t even wear a sword ornament without feeling self-conscious.

Cho Un-hwi seemed to have it all.

“Maybe he’s the Head Instructor’s secret son?”

Maybe I should be reborn as the Head Instructor’s daughter in my next life.

She shook her head, dispelling her envious thoughts.

“No, this is not the time for daydreaming.”

She regained her composure and muttered, “Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will…”

She drifted off to sleep before she could finish her sentence.

***

‘I overslept.’

She woke up with a start, threw on her uniform, and rushed to the instructors’ office.

The atmosphere was tense.

Head Instructor Chung-hyeon was sitting at his desk, his back to her, tapping his finger impatiently.

‘He’s already here?’

She panicked and bowed deeply.

“I-I’m late! Instructor Jo Hyeon reporting for duty!”

She wasn’t actually late.

It was still half an hour before the official start of work.

But if your superior was already at work, you were considered late.

Only Cho Un-hwi, the fearless rule-breaker, could get away with arriving after the Head Instructor.

“You’re here.”

Chung-hyeon’s tone was icy.

‘Something’s wrong.’

Before she could compose herself…

He exploded.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“W-what?!”

She was so startled that she couldn’t process his words.

“I told you to double-check your work! Are you deaf?!”

“B-but…”

She had no idea what he was talking about.

But in situations like this…

“I’ll fix it immediately!”

It was best to apologize and promise to do better.

“You misspelled two instructors’ names!” he roared.

“And you got some of the students’ names wrong!”

“Did you even bother to proofread this?!”

She glanced at Yeom-gwang, who was pretending to be busy with something else.

He had probably just dumped the report on Chung-hyeon’s desk without bothering to check it.

“I’m going to be humiliated when I present this to the Euncheon Hall instructors!”

“I-I’ll fix it.”

“Are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to sabotage me?!”

“No, sir!”

“Then why did you do this?!”

“I’ll fix it.”

“Why did you do this? Are you trying to sabotage me?!”

“No, sir!”

“Then why did you do this?!”

She bowed repeatedly, her back aching.

As Chung-hyeon’s anger subsided, Yeom-gwang interjected, “Calm down, Head Instructor. I’m sure Instructor Jo didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Hmph, who said I was angry?”

“She’ll revise the report and resubmit it, so please calm down. I checked with the academy administration, and the Head Instructor of Euncheon Hall is away on business. He won’t be back for at least five days, so we have plenty of time to fix the report.”

“Hmm, is that so? I’ll trust you to handle it.”

Chung-hyeon left, and Jo Hyeon’s heart sank.

Yeom-gwang, the master manipulator, smiled awkwardly.

“Um, I put the report in my drawer, but I guess the Head Instructor found it.”

That was impossible.

Chung-hyeon wasn’t the type to go through other people’s drawers. He wasn’t that meticulous.

But she couldn’t say that out loud.

“Don’t worry about it. Just focus on doing your best. Alright, Instructor Jo?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t cry. Let’s have a drink sometime to cheer you up.”

She hated them all.

But she had to endure their company to achieve her goals.

***

Two days later.

Jo Hyeon was relieved to have finally finished revising the report.

If she had known that the Head Instructor of Euncheon Hall was away on business, she would have asked for more time.

But it was too late now.

She had been through similar situations before, and she knew that dwelling on the past was pointless.

As she was putting away her papers, Yeom-gwang stood up and clapped his hands.

Chung-hyeon had just left the office.

“Alright, everyone! Listen up!”

The instructors turned to look at him.

‘Instructor Cho is here today?’

He usually disappeared the moment Yeom-gwang entered the room.

She noticed that Yeom-gwang was exchanging glances with the other instructors.

They had all been waiting for an opportunity to get back at Cho Un-hwi.

‘Could it be… today is the day…?’

She remembered Yeom-gwang’s drunken rant from two days ago.

“Cho Un-hwi! That bastard! I’m going to teach him a lesson!”

She gasped.

She had no idea what he was planning, but Yeom-gwang was a ruthless man.

He was known for his tenacity, his unwillingness to let go of a grudge.

‘What should I do?’

She was trying to figure out how to warn Cho Un-hwi when their eyes met.

He winked at her and raised his index finger to his lips.

*Shhh.*

It’s a secret.

His gesture, playful yet strangely compelling, was etched into her mind.

The world seemed to slow down, and his image filled her vision.