Star Instructor, Master Baek

“Fucking asshole,” Hyonwon Kang muttered as he glared at the letter he had pinned to his bedroom wall.

Four days ago, he had received a letter from Peng Sa-Hyuk, who had left for the Heavenly Martial Academy. It read: “See you at the Heavenly Martial Festival. We’ll settle our match there.”

Hyonwon Kang had immediately put the letter up so he could see it every morning, in moments of training fatigue, and before bed. It was a constant reminder to himself.

“So you win and run off to the Heavenly Martial Academy, huh?”

If stares could pierce, the letter would be in shreds by now.

“Fine. We’ll meet at the Heavenly Martial Festival, and I’ll crush you in front of everyone.”

Gritting his teeth, Hyonwon Kang tore the letter from the wall. He was moving out today, and the letter was the last of his meager belongings after three years of living in the dorm with hardly any personal items.

At the main gates of the Azure Dragon Academy, he found Baek Su-Ryong chatting with Mae Geuk-Lyom.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Baek Su-Ryong asked, noticing his approach.

“Yes… Sir,” Hyonwon Kang replied, still using the formal language he wasn’t used to. He had decided to shed his pride and commit entirely to his training under Baek Su-Ryong’s tutelage. Speaking formally to his teacher was only natural, and he had even impulsively cut his messy long hair to signify his determination to change.

Scratching his still awkwardly short hair, Hyonwon Kang said, “I have everything I need.”

Baek Su-Ryong nodded. “Good, I’ve also taken care of all the necessary paperwork. Grandpa, may I take this punk with me?”

“Come here for a moment,” Mae Geuk-Lyom called Hyonwon Kang over to evaluate his attitude. “Is it true that you’re going to dedicate yourself to martial arts from now on?”

“Yes. From today onward, I’ll be staying with Mr. Baek and concentrating on martial arts.”

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Except for special circumstances, students who remained at the academy over the vacation period were required to stay in the dorms. However, Baek Su-Ryong had arranged for Hyonwon Kang to move out under the pretext of remedial training.

How the hell did Baek Su-Ryong persuade the Headmaster? Hyonwon Kang wondered.

“You have a good look in your eyes now,” Mae Geuk-Lyom noted, nodding in satisfaction. He had seen countless students in his years at the Azure Dragon Academy, including delinquents worse than Hyonwon Kang, like the one who had kidnapped his daughter…

“Baek Mu-Heun, that son of a bitch…” he grumbled.

“G-Grandpa? Please take a deep breath and calm down!”

“Phew… I was just reminded of that bastard for a moment.”

After calming down, Mae Geuk-Lyom turned his attention back to Hyonwon Kang. The boy’s eyes had told him all that he needed to know. He placed a hand on Hyonwon Kang’s shoulder and said, “I believe you. There aren’t many days left until the end of school vacation, so learn as much as you can from Mr. Baek and return ready for the new semester.”

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“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused in the past. I’ll show you that I’ve changed.” Hyonwon Kang bowed deeply.

Mae Geuk-Lyom’s lips curled slightly, acknowledging Hyonwon Kang’s desire to change for the better. Thus, he decided to offer the boy some final words of advice, “Quit drinking.”

“…I’ll never touch it again.”

“And stay away from women.”

“I will.”

“If I hear you’ve been to a brothel…”

A shiver ran down Hyonwon Kang’s spine. Holy shit, is that killing intent!?

“…I’ll cut off both you and your teacher’s jewels.”

“G-Grandpa? Why me too?” Baek Su-Ryong yelled, bewildered.

Mae Geuk-Lyom replied expressionlessly, “A teacher is also responsible for their student’s mistakes. Always remember that.”

“Yes…”

“Okay…”

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Baek Su-Ryong and Hyonwon Kang nodded obediently, their faces pale from terror.

With that, it was time to leave.

“Are you prepared to go through hell?” Baek Su-Ryong asked as they walked.

“Yes, I am,” Hyonwon Kang replied determinedly. For three years now, he had strayed from the path of martial arts, so if he wanted to make up for the lost time, he had to put in the effort.

He would face Peng Sa-Hyuk and avenge his previous loss at the Heavenly Martial Festival. He would also say what he couldn’t say to him before he left.

Seeing Hyonwon Kang grinning to himself, Baek Su-Ryong smirked and commented, “Relax, or someone might mistake you for a debt collector.”

“F… Okay.”

Their destination wasn’t far. After leaving the Azure Dragon Academy, they arrived at a mansion.

“This is where you’ll be staying,” Baek Su-Ryong said.

“…Here?” Hyonwon Kang gaped at Baek Su-Ryong in disbelief. “Teacher, are you… wealthy?”

Baek Su-Ryong smiled proudly. “This isn’t my house. It belongs to my buddy Heo Cheon, an up-and-coming local businessman.”

Why does he sound like he’s boasting about himself rather than his friend? They must be really close, Hyonwon Kang wondered.

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Noticing Hyonwon Kang’s unspoken question, Baek Su-Ryong answered, “He’s like a brother to me, so don’t worry and make yourself comfortable. I have already informed him that you’re moving in.”

With that said, Baek Su-Ryong entered the mansion through a gate wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage. Although the mansion was huge and even had a training field, it felt strangely empty.

“He bought this place recently, so there aren’t many people here. I planned to establish the White Dragon Academy here if I failed the instructor exam…”

“Eh?”

“Oops. Anyway, don’t worry about it,” Baek Su-Ryong shrugged. Suddenly, he noticed a presence approaching them and added, “Oh, by the way, you’re not the only one training here.”

“Who is it?”

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“Our secret weapon for the Heavenly Martial Festival…”

“What?”

“…And someone who will soon be your junior.” Baek Su-Ryong grinned.

Just then, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen came out of the mansion. His stature was a little smaller than his peers, but he wore a bright smile on his innocent but somewhat pale face. “Suryong-hyung!” he greeted.

“I told you to call me Mr. Baek. Anyway, are you feeling better now, Cheon?”

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“Yes!”

Baek Su-Ryong ruffled the boy’s hair as he ran toward him like an eager puppy greeting its master.

“Why did you take so long? Grandpa and I waited forever!”

“I was busy for a while, but now we can see each other every day. I’ll be working here starting tomorrow.”

“Really?” The boy’s smile widened, genuinely pleased.

Meanwhile, Hyonwon Kang, the academy’s number one delinquent, squirmed uncomfortably. Such a kind and fragile-looking kid…

Sensing his awkwardness, the boy turned toward him. “Hi, who are you?”

Baek Su-Ryong introduced, “This is Hyonwon Kang, a third-year student at the Azure Dragon Academy. He’ll be staying here from now on.”

“I’m Hyonwon Kang. As of today, I’ll be under your care.” Hyonwon Kang nodded stiffly, obviously not used to being polite.

The boy greeted him with a bow, “I’m Wiji Cheon! I’ll turn fifteen this year! Please feel free to talk to me informally, Sunbae!”

“Sunbae?” Hyonwon Kang looked suspiciously at Baek Su-Ryong.

“Cheon will be taking this year’s entrance exam. Soon, he’ll be your hoobae,” Baek Su-Ryong clarified.

“Do you really think the Academy would accept just anyone? Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean…” Hyonwon Kang began before suddenly realizing his slip of the tongue and apologizing to Wiji Cheon.

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With a broad smile as if nothing had happened, Wiji Cheon giggled, “Hehe, it’s fine. I heard that the entrance exam for the Azure Dragon Academy is quite challenging, so I’m working hard!”

“O-Okay, do your best.” Hyonwon Kang stuttered, thrown off by Wiji Cheon’s easygoing manner.

Baek Su-Ryong watched the two boys, who were like oil and water. It’s like a cat and a dog meeting for the first time. If Hyonwon Kang is a grumpy cat, then Wiji Cheon is an affectionate dog. It’s quite the reassuring sight.

“From now on, you will train together and spar frequently,” he said.

“Please guide me, Sunbae!”

“Yeah, sure…” Hyonwon Kang reluctantly replied. Not only is he two years younger than me, he also looks kind of sickly… I guess this is going be a chore.

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“Why don’t you two warm up with a spar? Just remember, no internal arts allowed,” Baek Su-Ryong suggested.

Thinking this was his chance to show his skills, Hyonwon Kang confidently picked up a wooden blade.

“Keuk!” Hyonwon Kang doubled over like a cooked shrimp as a wooden sword struck his stomach.

Wiji Cheon rushed to his side and asked worriedly, “Sunbae, are you okay?”

“I’m fine… Bleargh!” Having emptied his stomach earlier, Hyonwon Kang now vomited only bile. Wiping his mouth with his hand, he groaned, “One… One more round.”

“Again?” Wiji Cheon looked as if he wanted to stop.

“Again.” Hyonwon Kang scrambled to his feet using his wooden blade as support, his eyes burning with determination. He had underestimated Wiji Cheon at first, but not any more. He raised his wooden blade toward Wiji Cheon as if it were a life-or-death battle.

“Haven’t we already sparred nine rounds? Sunbae, maybe we should stop now…” Wiji Cheon mumbled, on the verge of tears.

“Just one more time,” Hyonwon Kang said firmly.

I decided to mediate, “This will be the last round.”

“…Okay.”

“Yes…”

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Hyonwon Kang and Wiji Cheon raised their wooden weapons. Their blades clashed once more, and I watched the show with a fan in hand.

“As expected, Wiji Cheon is stronger.”

Although Wiji Cheon had lost most of his inner qi after recovering from qi deviation, his skill remained, and in terms of pure skill he was far superior to Hyonwon Kang despite their age difference.

SMACK!

“Oww!”

In the end, Hyonwon Kang was struck in the stomach again and collapsed.

“Um, S-Sunbae…”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“…Okay.”

Hyonwon Kang, the prodigious delinquent who had become a punching bag, lay on the ground, gazing up at the stars. “I want to bury my head in the sink and fucking drown myself right now…” he mumbled hopelessly.

He looks pitiful. Very pitiful. I turned to Wiji Cheon and asked quietly, “Cheon, could you help him wash up and then take him to his room?”

“O-Okay!”

Hyonwon Kang got up with Wiji Cheon’s assistance, and they hobbled to the bathroom.

Even then, Hyonwon Kang remained irritable. “Let go. I can manage…”

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“I think you’ll fall if I let go…”

“I won’t say it again. Let go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay, I’ll let go.”

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Wiji Cheon released Hyonwon Kang.

Immediately, Hyonwon Kang’s legs gave way, and he crumpled to the ground. To add insult to injury, his face collided with a rock on the ground.

CRACK!

“I let go because you told me to, but… are you okay?”

After a moment, Hyonwon Kang looked at Wiji Cheon and smiled as if he’d never been healthier. “Hah, this is nothing.”

But you’re bleeding from both nostrils… Wiji Cheon thought.