I’ll Retire After Saving the World

TL: SHW

The first thing to return was the sense of pain.

"Ugh… hk, hic."

The sound of someone crying.

I was tired and couldn't be bothered, so I tried to ignore it and keep sleeping, but the sniffling, far from quieting down, only grew louder.

So I opened my eyes.

A girl in a gym uniform was bawling her eyes out. It was Yoo Hye-eun.

Somehow, it felt like I'd been through a similar situation before. Back then, Hye-eun had been wearing her school uniform. When was that again?

It wasn't hard to recall. Myeong-dong. The day I'd just crossed over to the past. That time, too, I'd opened my eyes to find Yoo Hye-eun there.

…She hadn't been crying, though.

If anything, she'd slapped me across the cheek and barked at me to get up.

After blinking a few times, my vision fully returned. A faint, dull ache throbbed through me. Hye-eun was too busy crying to notice I was awake, and since I had no idea what to say to comfort her, I just kept my mouth shut and stayed quiet.

I lifted my head slightly to survey the surroundings.

It was one of those lounge areas where you'd occasionally spot a kid or two sprawled out in passing. The needlessly sprawling Villa had quite a few spaces like this. The chairman of Daeyeon had apparently used this Villa almost entirely by himself, so what did he need spaces like these for? No, honestly, wasn't it too big to even call a vacation home? Even if high-ranking officials had the wealth for a place like this, actually owning one would get them dragged out at every confirmation hearing. I felt a pang of indignation. My father earned his money through honest physical labor. Not through corruption and backroom deals like certain politicians.

…Well, even if my father had said it was fine to buy a vacation home, I would have refused. No point owning a building you'd never use. It would just mean more taxes.

Anyway, besides Hye-eun, Kim Chae-min was also there, staring out the window with an anxious expression. A little further away stood a Hunter from Daseon, wrapping bandages around Han Tae-kyung's arm.

Even as I calmly took stock of my surroundings, Hye-eun kept crying.

"……."

I gave in and spoke.

"Why are you crying?"

"T-Teacher!!!"

Hye-eun called out to me with eyes red as a rabbit's. It was still hard to find any resemblance to that Yoo Ji-eun in her, but she looked similar enough to the younger Ji-eun that anyone would take them for sisters. Was it the aura?

"You healed him well."

The Han Tae-kyung I had propped up carefully in the hallway now looked this pale. He still hadn't regained consciousness, but at least he appeared stable.

At my words, Hye-eun burst into tears all over again.

…Were kids that age always this prone to crying? I wasn't sure. Given that this was an earlier time, maybe they were more emotionally sensitive than in my day.

"B-but, Teacher, you…!"

"Are you going to cry every time you heal someone?"

"Because it's you, Teacher!"

The more I listened, the more absurd it got.

"Didn't you slap me in Myeong-dong and tell me to snap out of it? Where'd that nerve go?"

"Back then you weren't my Teacher, you were just some Hunter ajussi passing by!"

I'm not a "Ajussi".

I let out a sigh and slowly sat up. The distinctive dizziness you feel after being treated by a Healer hit for a moment, but it passed quickly.

"Ah! Teacher Woo! Are you awake?"

Kim Chae-min came over after hearing my voice.

Seeing her face, the memories gradually returned. Everything that had happened before I lost consciousness. Sem Bloom's pallid face materializing as he sliced through the air, and the explosion. The weight of my brother on my back and… the warmth growing distant.

"Where's I-rok?"

"Principal Hong went to get him."

"Principal Hong?"

"I'm holding that thing in place as hard as I can. Principal Hong said once he grabs him, it'll be over fast…."

Kim Chae-min's lips twitched. She looked thoroughly displeased about something.

"Anyway, do you have any idea how shocked I was hearing both you and Teacher Han were hurt?!"

Ah. Starting with this, are we?

"It's a good thing Principal Hong carries emergency Potions on him…. You could manage since it was just burns and nothing else, but Teacher Han was bleeding so badly it could've been dangerous if things went even slightly wrong!"

The moment Kim Chae-min's eyes met mine, she launched into a rapid-fire speech. I figured she had her own share of frustrations, so I just sat there and listened. She must have been stuck in the Study because of the kids, unable to move. That had to be maddening.

Usually, I was the one giving those kinds of lectures. Being on the receiving end was a first.

I felt oddly indignant. What, did I get hurt because I wanted to?

But Kim Chae-min had no intention of acknowledging my grievance and gave me no room to speak. This was also something I did all the time…. If Ji-eun saw this, she'd laugh and say it was all karma.

"This is why I keep saying you should always carry Potions, even when you're not going into a Dungeon. You can't skimp on them just because they're expensive."

"Ahem."

Hye-eun, who had been blankly rolling her eyes, sniffled. Maybe Kim Chae-min's words had startled the tears out of her.

"See? Hye-eun agrees with me."

"That's not agreeing, that's…."

"What was that?"

"……."

Kim Chae-min narrowed her eyes and spoke in a pointed voice.

I nodded.

"You're right. Should we give a bottle to each of our students?"

"Out of your own pocket, Teacher Woo?"

"Principal Hong is loaded, so why would I spend mine? He's probably got plenty of Potions, too."

"True…."

Bzzzz.

Kim Chae-min looked at the phone in her hand. Before the second vibration even finished, she answered the call.

Just before she picked up, I caught the name on the screen.

Hunter Hong Seok-young.

"Did you catch him?!"

Slowly, the memories that had sunk away rose to the surface.

I should have kept them buried. But right after the explosion, right after losing Woo I-rok, the footsteps approaching me had been….

'Daddy.'

Fuck.

I clutched my head.

"Uh, w-what? Teacher, what's wrong? Does it hurt? I, I already finished healing you…. You didn't hit your head, did you?"

Hye-eun floundered. I waved her off, telling her it was nothing.

What the hell did I just do?

"Teacher, you don't have a fever, do you? What should I do? Maybe we really should go to a hospital…."

"I'm fine."

I steadied my voice and called out to Kim Chae-min. Whatever garbage had come out of my mouth, I needed to confirm that I-rok was safe.

"Teacher Kim. Can you ask if I-rok is okay?"

Kim Chae-min nodded.

"What about I-rok? Teacher Woo asked about him the second he woke up."

I held my breath without realizing it. After a brief silence, Kim Chae-min turned to me with a bright expression.

"Oh, thank goodness! Teacher Woo, I-rok's fine! He's with Principal Hong."

The tension drained out of me.

Right. If Hong Seok-young stepped in and still lost him, that would be absurd.

Kim Chae-min continued her call with Hong Seok-young, but I didn't bother listening. Hye-eun was still watching me with a worried face. Even that didn't matter.

Woo I-rok.

My brother.

From those few short words, something welled up inside me. My father was gone, but I had another family. I should have made this decision sooner. Now that I'd resolved to, it was this easy.

'Dad will bring your brother back for sure.'

Just then, a voice pierced through my mind.

'Leave everything to Daddy and rest.'

"Fuck…."

"T-Teacher?!"

"No, I wasn't talking to you."

I've lost it.

I've definitely lost it, Woo Hwijae!

Why the hell did that word come out of my mouth there?! At the very least, I could've said "Ajussi" like I always have!!

Part of me wanted to just run away. More precisely, less running away and more bashing my head against something and dropping dead on the spot.

Fuck, I've seriously lost it, Woo Hwijae….

I had no idea what process Hong Seok-young's brain went through after hearing that word from me. No, I could probably guess, but I didn't want to. That man was sharper than he let on, so he must have figured out everything from that one word.

My already exhausting life just got even more exhausting.

Hye-eun and Kim Chae-min were staring at me with puzzled eyes. I ignored them. There was no way they could understand my anguish.

"Hyung!!"

A child's voice rang out from the distance. I had no choice but to release the hair I'd been tearing at, stagger to my feet, and stand. Thankfully, the burnt shirt had been changed to a plain t-shirt. Couldn't let a ten-year-old see something like that.

Woo I-rok came running with a beaming face. I peeled the kid off as he launched himself into my arms and examined him head to toe for injuries.

Head. Still attached. Arms. Both present. Legs. Standing perfectly fine.

There was a small scratch on his cheek, but aside from that, he looked unhurt.

"Ah, hyung!"

Still, the dirt-caked socks bothered me.

"Are your injuries okay?"

Hong Seok-young sauntered up behind I-rok at a leisurely pace. Grinning smugly. That obnoxious face.

Before he could say something unnecessary in front of the others, I struck first.

"Did you just make a kid with no shoes walk here?"

"Hm?"

Hong Seok-young, who'd been about to say something, froze with his mouth open, blinking.

I glared at him. If he opened his mouth right now, I'd kill him. If he said that word, I'd really kill him.

"No! He carried me on his back up until right over there."

But defying all comprehension, I-rok spoke up in Hong Seok-young's defense.

…Why?

"Then why are your socks such a mess?"

"I walked from the garden on my own…."

I glared at Hong Seok-young again.

"No! I asked him to put me down. I wasn't even hurt… I don't want to be carried like a baby."

"……."

"Oh my, like a baby, he says. I-rok, compared to this old man, you're still very much a baby."

"Am not!!"

"You're still this tiny."

"I'm gonna grow! I'm still growing!!"

"Sure, sure. If you eat well and sleep well, you can shoot right up as tall as your hyung."

"……."

What is this?

Why are they weirdly close?

That antisocial little brat had been shutting out the entire world except for me. He'd recently started mingling with other kids and talking to adults a little, but still… not like this. Not this close.

When it came to I-rok, I knew him best. The fact that he was yelling and getting annoyed like that meant he was comfortable with the person. It meant he trusted that no matter what he did, the other person wouldn't get angry and would accept it.

……What on earth happened with Hong Seok-young while they were chasing Sem Bloom? What did Hong Seok-young pull during the brief window I was unconscious?!

Fuck!!

I should have listened when Ji-eun told me to stop goofing around and do some real combat training. When I filled in for the Team 1 leader and ran Dungeons, the highest I'd done was B-rank, and it had been years since then… so of course my instincts had rusted. If I'd gone into Dungeons once in a while like Ji-eun said and kept my senses sharp, I wouldn't have been taken out by something as stupid as a Rune.

I dragged my palm down my face.

"Listen… can we talk for a moment?"

Better to get the unpleasant business over with quickly. Hong Seok-young followed me, that slack grin still hanging at the corners of his mouth. I-rok tried to follow, but I handed him off to Kim Chae-min and Hye-eun.

"Check if he's hurt anywhere. Especially his feet. I-rok, hyung will be right back. Be good."

I-rok's cheeks puffed up with displeasure. I poked one of those cheeks with my finger and the discontent hissed out, but I quickly dragged Hong Seok-young out into the hallway.

Somewhere suitable to talk….

The kitchen was out, and the other direction was where Han Tae-kyung had collapsed, so it would be a mess. While I was wandering around, Hong Seok-young didn't seem to mind at all. From behind me, instead,

"Pfft… heheh."

…the sound of laughter crept up, and it made my skin crawl. What was with this man now?

Anyway, I found a suitable spot. Another lounge area, the kind this Villa was littered with. A sofa, a small table, and an incomprehensible, expensive-looking painting on the wall.

Unfortunately, there was already a guest who'd gotten there first.

"Hello!"

Alex Hope waved, pulling his gaze from a painting covered in geometric patterns.

***

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