To think he’d say something like this.
Not many people could tolerate seeing their own organization insulted right to their face.
If this weren’t a place students frequented—if it were even a slightly more secluded area—she would’ve flipped the table without hesitation.
No, could it be that he deliberately chose the cafeteria, calculating this exact reaction?
If so, he was no ordinary schemer.
Clang!
Water splashed out of the glass Se-ah slammed down forcefully.
Lowering her voice menacingly, she growled, her glare sharp and fierce as it locked onto Ho-cheol.
“Do you think you can take responsibility for those words?”
“Responsibility?”
Ho-cheol chuckled dryly, shrugging his shoulders.
“Why would I?”
“What?”
“Sure, Cington Professor might be an accredited authority, but this isn’t an official setting, is it? This is just a casual meal. Off the record. Whatever I say here is just a personal opinion. Do I need to take responsibility for some idle chatter during lunch?”
Leaning his chin on his hand, Ho-cheol casually tapped his fingers against the table.
“The recent villain attack—it all lined up way too neatly, don’t you think? It feels like there’s a leak from within the academy. If that’s the case, who could it be?”
Se-ah’s lips twitched in irritation at his nonchalant demeanor.
“So you’re saying the union is the cause?”
“Based on the evidence and reasoning, it seems the most likely.”
Ho-cheol maintained his composed tone as he continued.
“Don’t take it too personally. I just happened to have questions, and here you are, the head of the organization. Naturally, I had to ask.”
“Don’t tell me… did you actually join the union just to figure that out?”
“Well, if you put it like that, it sounds terrible. But wasn’t it you guys who insisted I join in the first place? Parading the benefits, pestering me relentlessly. Now you’re flipping the script?”
Se-ah, having cooled down a bit, took another sip of water.
“Considering my position and status, it’d be laughable to think I’d just let such nonsense slide. Instead of answering your baseless claims, how about I kick you out of the union entirely?”
For a moment, Ho-cheol’s expression flickered with surprise, but then he burst into laughter.
“Well, that’s unexpected.”
Two days had passed since the union leader had confronted Ho-cheol.
He hadn’t wasted that time; gathering information for two days had been more than enough.
“This academy is wonderfully straightforward. Academic ties, regional ties, familial ties—all deeply entrenched. If someone shares the same traits, they’ll get support regardless of their ideology or stance.”
The rhythm of his tapping quickened slightly.
“The dean, being from the Enhancement Division, has the professors there entirely under their thumb. Honestly, who would dare join the union in that context? On the other hand, the Manipulation Division is firmly in your grasp since you’re both the union leader and the department head. The Miscellaneous Division is practically a name-only group, so let’s leave them out. And as for the Operators and Support Item Creation Departments, they’re just there to fill the numbers.”
Tap, tap, tap.
Se-ah found his rhythmic tapping increasingly grating.
“So, the academy’s power struggles boil down to how much influence one can pull from the Enhancement Division. The balance has been maintained for now, but I, who manage an entire grade level, also hold considerable sway. Even if they’re villains, they wouldn’t take me lightly.”
Ho-cheol’s fingers stopped tapping.
“Considering all the political dynamics… if you can dismiss me purely for emotional reasons…”
He pointed a raised finger at Se-ah.
“Go ahead.”
Se-ah wrapped her hands around her cup, her thumb brushing lightly over the rim.
Outwardly, she showed anger, but her thoughts were far from simple.
Her emotions were more tangled, her thoughts layered.
Anyone could analyze this power dynamic and political reasoning.
However, having the confidence to voice such conclusions was a different matter.
Even in a private setting—no, especially in a private setting—it wasn’t something one could easily bring up.
Did he have a reliable source of information?
Or was he simply drawn in as a pawn to bolster their numbers?
After a brief pause, Se-ah asked, “And you? Can you prove your innocence?”
“If I weren’t innocent, I wouldn’t be sitting here waiting for my fried pork cutlet with cheese, mini rice bowl, and tempura udon. I’d have been dragged to the association ages ago.”
It was true.
In fact, Se-ah knew very well that Ho-cheol was one of the most innocent figures in the academy.
For someone to endure such intense interrogations and investigations for a mere C-class villain incident was already excessive.
The two exchanged a silent gaze.
“How strange,” Se-ah finally said, breaking the silence.
“Why are you only suspicious of our union? Sure, we have a lot of members, but there are still more staff who haven’t joined. Are the dean’s faction staff supposed to be trustworthy?”
Ho-cheol shifted slightly, seemingly surprised by her remark.
If he were unaware of Ho-cheol’s ties to the dean, her question was perfectly valid.
But Ho-cheol’s surprise wasn’t directed at her reasoning.
After a moment of consideration, he asked, “The dean is an S-class, right? Do you think they’d stoop to something like that?”
“That’s naive. Sure, the dean is an outstanding hero; there’s no disputing that. But their character and achievements don’t necessarily reflect on their subordinates.”
As expected.
Ho-cheol found it unexpected.
He had assumed that the union leader was at odds with the dean, but her respectful tone, even adding “sir” when referring to him, suggested a level of admiration and respect.
So, they weren’t simply adversaries?
This warranted further investigation.
A moment of silence passed before Ho-cheol’s meal ticket number lit up on the display board.
Rising from his seat, he excused himself.
Se-ah stared at his retreating figure, trying to decipher his intentions but finding herself at a loss.
Initially, when he had exposed the union’s vulnerabilities, she thought he was fishing for information to gain some advantage.
But there seemed to be no ulterior motive.
His tone was too arrogant for someone merely seeking information.
Instead, it provoked and unsettled her, pushing her into a more defensive stance.
After all, no organization is perfect.
Even groups without self-interest can’t control the actions of individuals.
How could a union, with all its vested interests, manage every member’s actions?
People simply turned a blind eye when it was convenient.
But if someone within the academy was leaking information…
‘What kind of crazy person would do something like that, knowing what kind of fate awaits if caught?’
Just last year, didn’t the professor originally in charge of this lecture lose their position after being caught leaking test questions to a private hero agency for a bribe?
And that was just for cooperating with heroes.
Leaking information connected to villains?
In that case, even if their neck were literally severed, there would be no argument to make.
But if, as Ho-cheol suggested, there truly was someone within the union leaking academy information—
Crack—
The cup in her hand crumpled.
There was no other explanation except that they had underestimated her.
If she ever caught the person responsible, they’d be lucky if prison was the worst punishment they faced.
Meanwhile, Ho-cheol, who had already returned with his food, casually picked up his knife and fork.
“I’ve wanted to try this for a while, but it’s so expensive. Well then, let’s dig in.”
After that, he didn’t mention the topic of the internal spy again, focusing solely on his meal.
After all, he’d already achieved his goal.
The best-case scenario would have been for her to confess everything, but that was impossible from the start.
He hadn’t even expected it.
As long as the eavesdropping feature on the watch remained active, his options were extremely limited.
To dig for more information, he would have to disclose his own evidence or leads, but he couldn’t reveal his sources.
All he could do was bluff.
Ho-cheol’s purpose in bringing up the internal spy was purely to stir up trouble and sow discord.
Even a small seed of doubt, making her wonder if such things could really happen in the union, was more than enough success for him.
If just one person showed any suspicious behavior under such circumstances, that doubt would spiral uncontrollably.
Even now, no matter how much she trusted the union members, human relationships were inherently more fragile than tissue paper.
From just two meetings and a few minutes of conversation, it was clear she had strong attachment to the union.
There was no need for him to go out of his way to identify the spy.
They’d handle it themselves.
Even if she were somehow connected to it, that didn’t matter.
If an outsider like him could point it out, she’d be forced to tread more carefully for now.
Sure enough, Se-ah was now deeply engrossed in narrowing down the list of suspicious individuals, hugging a teddy bear tightly.
Her rounded chin pressed repeatedly against the bear’s head.
She glanced over to Ho-cheol, who was diligently cutting his pork cutlet.
He had plenty of personal strength, and his mind was sharp.
He was brazen enough to call out the union’s corruption right to her face and had enough initiative to back it up.
There was definitely something she could use him for.
Lifting her head, she addressed him.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. But if I had to guess, the Enhancement Division would be the first place to check.”
“Enhancement, huh?”
“The Manipulation Division professors are closely connected and have deep relationships with one another. It’s hard for anyone to do something shady without being noticed. Leaking information to the outside world while avoiding all those watchful eyes? Not easy. On the other hand, the Enhancement Division professors don’t interfere much with one another. It’d be much easier to pull something there.”
Hearing her reasoning, Ho-cheol nodded.
It seemed she had been somewhat aware of this herself.
“That’s some pretty useful information.”
After some thought, Ho-cheol reached into his pocket.
“I don’t have much to give you in exchange for that.”
When he pulled his hand back out, Se-ah’s expression twisted.
Just the sight of the wrapper brought back the taste of that torment in her mouth.
“How about a candy?”
Unable to hold back, she threw her teddy bear at him.
***
Sunday noon.
Ho-cheol was at his desk, spinning a pen idly between his fingers.
Forget the union or any other organization—his priority was the fourth lecture scheduled for tomorrow.
He had finally been hoping to hold a practical lesson in the training facility, but this time external heroes were coming in for a trait output test, so his request had been denied.
It was absurd from his perspective, but having already used the facility once, he had been pushed down the priority list.
He didn’t want to waste more time with another pointless theory class.
As he mulled over the issue—
Squeak.
The sound of buttons being pressed was followed by the door opening.
At this point, she didn’t even bother knocking, treating the place like her own home.
“Ah, you’re here.”
Since it was lunchtime, Ho-cheol figured she’d brought food and got up from his chair to greet So-hee.
But something was off.
Standing by the entrance, she was dressed in a perfectly pressed suit, far from her usual attire.
Her expression was also unusually stiff.
Curious, Ho-cheol asked, “What’s this? Did you get invited to a wedding or something?”
“Well, you see… I think something big is happening.”
“Something big?”
“The association suddenly summoned me.”
“Working on the weekend, huh? That is pretty big.”
No wonder she looked so grim.
But that had nothing to do with Ho-cheol.
“And I wasn’t the only one summoned.”
She pointed at him.
“They want you to come too.”
“Why me?”
“No idea… but the person who summoned us isn’t the director—it’s someone from the other faction.”
“The other faction?”
She added further explanation.
“The faction opposed to the director.”
“That’s… unsettling.”
Ho-cheol clicked his tongue.
If it was the faction opposed to the director, it was obvious.
It meant the people who had opposed his release were involved, making it highly likely this summons was some kind of ploy.
“What about refusing?”
“Not an option, obviously.”
And this was just the beginning.
There was no doubt there would be plenty of annoying situations to deal with in the future.
The fact that official business allowed for leaving the academy also meant that the association could summon him freely.
While he would comply quietly this time since it was the first instance, he felt the need to arrange things to ensure it didn’t happen again.
He opened the wardrobe.
“All right, let’s just get this over with.”
“Wait! Change your clothes after I leave!”
***
In the car heading to the association, Ho-cheol, who had been asleep for over an hour, suddenly opened his eyes.
As soon as he did, So-hee spoke as though she had been waiting for him.
“We still have another hour to go before we get there.”
However, he said nothing.
Instead, he reached out and placed his hand over hers.
“Uh?”
Startled by the sudden contact, So-hee began to feel flustered.
But what happened next made her earlier reaction seem like an understatement.
Ho-cheol grabbed her hand, still on the steering wheel, and pulled it hard.
The steering wheel jerked violently, causing the car tires to skid sharply.
Screeeech!
“Ahhhhhh!”
Despite her quick reaction in slamming on the brakes, the already accelerating car spun wildly in circles.
Long, black tire marks streaked across the road.
Thud!
After her head slammed against the steering wheel, So-hee quickly lifted her head and shouted at Ho-cheol.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
But Ho-cheol didn’t even glance at her, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
And then, just a few seconds later—
Rumble!
Massive boulders the size of houses rolled down from the mountain beside the road, crashing onto the asphalt and blocking the path.
So-hee took a moment to calculate.
The speed, the remaining distance, the size of the boulders…
If Ho-cheol hadn’t pulled the steering wheel and they had continued forward—
Sweat beaded on her hands gripping the wheel.
If it had been her alone, she would have been as flat as a dried fish.
She asked with a trembling voice, “…How did you know?”
No, more than that—
“Thank you.”
She heaved a sigh of relief, her chest rising and falling as she calmed her pounding heart.
If there was ever a moment when “thanks to you, I survived” was appropriate, it was now.
But Ho-cheol seemed uninterested in her gratitude.
His eyes remained fixed on the boulders that had tumbled down the mountain.
Leaning his elbow on the car window, he muttered indifferently.
“What a surge in popularity.”
“Excuse me?”
When So-hee questioned him, Ho-cheol didn’t bother to respond.
After all, the answer would soon come from those descending from above.
Cliche Novel 