[144] Hero Academy [23]

Cho Seo-hyun suddenly asked Sung Suah an incomprehensible question when they ran into each other in front of the cafeteria. 

"…What? Are you alone?" 

To others, it would have been an incomprehensible question, but Sung Suah immediately understood and answered. 

"…Yes." 

The two looked at each other and thought to themselves. 

'Huh? Weren't we supposed to eat together?' / '…Why does unnie suddenly want to eat with Instructor Seong Suho?' 

But the inner voices they held onto did not reach the other. 

After a long silence, Cho Seo-hyun scratched her head and spoke. 

"Uh… wasn't that person supposed to eat with you?" 

"Instructor Seong Suho said he had something to do with Ara later, so he'd eat afterward." 

"Ara? Song Ara?" 

"Yes." 

Hearing Song Ara's name, Cho Seo-hyun recalled the conversation they'd had earlier that morning. 

"If I teach you and some weird habits rub off on you, it might cause trouble for Instructor Cho Seo-hyun, you know?"

"Got it. I'll help you out whenever I have time after dinner."

Even while standing in front of Sung Suah, Cho Seo-hyun unknowingly smiled as she remembered the conversation. 

Seeing her grinning like that, Sung Suah made a puzzled expression. 

'Don't tell me… No, she's not the type to be interested in men….' 

Noticing Sung Suah's meaningful look, Cho Seo-hyun cleared her throat and spoke. 

"Ahem… Yeah, got it. Take care of your business." 

Just as Cho Seo-hyun was about to give a half-hearted farewell and head to the dormitory— 

"Um… unnie." 

"Huh?" 

Cho Seo-hyun frowned as if asking why she was being stopped and looked at Sung Suah. 

Just by her expression, it was clear she had no desire to stay with Sung Suah any longer. 

Sung Suah cautiously asked.

"Uh… is Oppa Kang-hyun doing okay?" 

"…? What are you talking about? Why are you asking me that?" 

"Well… it's hard to get in touch with him. I'm worried…" 

"…" 

Cho Seo-hyun couldn't understand Sung Suah's words, nor did she particularly care to. 

'What is she even saying…?' 

Scratching her head, Cho Seo-hyun replied.

"I don't know. He's probably busy or something." 

"Okay… Sorry for stopping you." 

"…" 

Cho Seo-hyun turned away again and headed toward the dormitory. 

As she walked, she mulled over Sung Suah's earlier words. 

The woman who had dated her younger brother and taken him away was now suddenly asking about his well-being. 

Naturally, Cho Seo-hyun had assumed her brother and Sung Suah were meeting every day, being all lovey-dovey. 

"…Did something happen to Kang-hyun? Ugh… that guy could turn a dungeon into a wasteland with just his fingers. What could possibly happen to him?" 

Cho Seo-hyun's younger brother, Cho Kang-hyun, was a top-tier hero. 

The media consensus was that he could hold his own against even a monster leader without faltering. 

Shaking off her worries, Cho Seo-hyun let out a bitter laugh. 

"Besides, what could possibly happen to a guy working as an instructor at Hero Academy?" 

The safest place in South Korea. 

A place where the heroes from different top guilds were always on standby, prioritizing the safety and security of the students. 

That place was Hero Academy. 

On top of that, Cho Kang-hyun was a hero even the Hero Academy couldn't trifle with. 

But even if he was a top-tier hero, familial concern was a separate matter. 

"…I'll send him a text." 

She typed out a single line—neither too long nor too short—and sent it. 

A simple, casual check-in. 

The moment she sent the message, Seong Suho and Song Ara popped back into her mind. 

"Now that I think about it, why archery all of a sudden?" 

Song Ara's main weapon was the sword. Of course, it was her freedom to train in other weapons. 

But the timing was just too abrupt, making it odd. 

"…I'm curious. Maybe I'll stop by and check." 

It wasn't like she was particularly concerned about their relationship. 

But as Seong Suho had said earlier, he was an assistant instructor. If something went wrong, assistant instructors weren't the type to let things slide easily. 

With the intention of just taking a quick look, Cho Seo-hyun headed to the shooting range. 

...

...

...

Whoosh!

As she got closer to the range, the sound of arrows cutting through the air grew louder. 

Just in case there were others around, she stealthily peeked inside. 

'…Only two people.' 

In the large shooting range, only Song Ara and Seong Suho stood side by side. 

After firing an arrow, Song Ara started a conversation. 

"Teach, how do you nock and shoot an arrow so smoothly?" 

"Well… just instinct, I guess." 

"Ooh… aren't you flexing your talent a bit too hard?" 

Watching them, Cho Seo-hyun could dismiss all the worries she'd had on the way here. 

As soon as Seong Suho lifted his bow and nocked an arrow, he released the string without a moment's hesitation. 

Though the force behind the shot seemed weak, the arrow struck the exact center of the target 200 meters away. 

'Huh… Did he even properly look at the target?' 

Cho Seo-hyun had explored dungeons with archers from her guild and hunted countless monsters. 

But even most skilled archers didn't shoot like that—just glancing at the target. 

The more skilled the archer, the more they seemed to focus intensely, pouring all their energy into their gaze. 

At first, she thought maybe Seong Suho had already locked onto the target since they were in a training range, but she quickly dismissed that idea. 

'During the last training session, he accurately hit the weapons of the students hiding behind others. Seems like he just has really sharp eyes… Well, I've seen enough. Time to go.' 

Feeling a bit guilty for eavesdropping, she prepared to leave. 

But just then, Song Ara brought up the very thing she'd been wondering about. 

"Teach, how do you shoot like that after just a glance? I pour all my focus into aiming and still can't hit the bullseye like you…" 

"It's not about seeing." 

"Huh?" 

"…?" 

Hearing that, Cho Seo-hyun unconsciously stopped and listened closely. 

"What matters is the feeling in your hands. Your vision only needs to see it once." 

"Ugh… it's hard to understand advice from a natural talent." 

Watching Song Ara, Cho Seo-hyun thought the same thing. 

'Vision is the most important thing in everything. You have to keep looking, over and over.' 

The moment she thought that, the voice of a ghost from her past echoed in her mind. 

"Eyes wide open, you stupid bitch!"

"Closing your eyes? You wanna die? Then I'll kill you!"

'…Damn it. Why am I remembering something completely unrelated…?' 

As she clutched her throbbing head, Seong Suho's voice reached her ears. 

"Get into the habit of trusting everything you see." 

"Huh?" 

Along with Song Ara's confused voice, Cho Seo-hyun listened intently. 

"It means you have to trust yourself. If you can't trust the eyes that illuminate your vision, the rest of your senses won't function properly either. That's what I think." 

The moment she heard those words, another line flashed through her mind. 

"Doubt yourself! Doubt what you see! The body and brain you've had until now are trash! Got it!?"

While Cho Seo-hyun pressed her temples, enduring the headache, Seong Suho finished his thought. 

"Trust what you've seen once, trust yourself, and release the bowstring. But honestly, you're already better than me, so I'm not sure if my advice is even right." 

"No! I think it's really great advice. Hehe." 

Song Ara smiled brightly at Seong Suho, who stood there awkwardly. 

Watching them with a gloomy expression, Cho Seo-hyun thought: 

'I wish… I wish I had someone like that by my side too…'

She felt envious of Song Ara, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel pathetic. 

The fact that she was unknowingly jealous of her own student filled her with self-loathing. 

As she wallowed in that feeling, Song Ara suddenly spoke up with a bright smile. 

"Ah, teach." 

"Yeah?" 

"What do you think of Instructor Cho Seo-hyun?" 

Hearing her own name out of nowhere, Cho Seo-hyun's eyebrows twitched as she snapped back to attention. 

There was nothing more intriguing—or concerning—than hearing yourself talked about in your absence. 

Seong Suho answered without much expression. 

"She's very passionate." 

"Ehh… not that kind of thing." 

"…?" 

"Isn't Instructor Cho Seo-hyun cute?" 

The moment she heard that, veins bulged delicately at Cho Seo-hyun's temples. 

'That damn brat…'

She hated nothing more than being described as "cute." 

Being called childlike or adorable was the most detestable thing in the world to her. 

As she struggled to contain her rage, Song Ara's backhanded compliments poured into her ears. 

"She's cute, right? When I first saw her, I thought she was a kid visiting the school for a tour!" 

Grind teeth.

'Oh, that little—!'

Consumed by anger, she forgot she was hiding and nearly rushed at them— 

But Seong Suho's words stopped her in her tracks. 

"Cadet Song Ara, you shouldn't say things like that." 

"Huh?" 

"…" 

Seong Suho fired another arrow before continuing. 

"You shouldn't speak about Instructor Cho Seo-hyun that way. She spends all day thinking about how to teach you all better. It's disrespectful to describe someone like that as 'cute,' don't you think?" 

"Oh… I'm sorry." 

"I'm not scolding you. But I hope you'll show respect even when she's not around." 

After firing another arrow, Seong Suho went on. 

"From what I've seen, among all the instructors here, no one is as responsible and hardworking as her. It's no exaggeration to say she's dedicated to teaching you all." 

"Yeah… I'll be more careful from now on!" 

Seong Suho placed a hand on Song Ara's shoulder with an apologetic expression. 

"Well… I might've overdone it too. Sorry for killing the mood." 

"No way! Not at all! Thinking about it, I was the one who… huh?" 

"…? What's wrong?" 

Song Ara tilted her head, looking toward the entrance of the range. 

"I think… someone's there. I heard something just now." 

"…?" 

Seong Suho walked toward the entrance just in case. 

And there… 

"…? No one's here." 

"Huh? I could've sworn someone was… Huh?" 

Song Ara's eyes caught tiny droplets of liquid on the floor, reflecting the light. 

"Huh? Sweat?" 

As Song Ara looked around, Seong Suho walked back to his spot. 

"Alright, let's shoot a few more and head out. The cafeteria's gonna close soon." 

"Okay!" 

Leaving the droplets behind, Song Ara ran after Seong Suho.

***

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