Chapter 59: Why Should i Listen to You?

“According to your logic, I won’t need to know your name in the future either.”

“Because you’re weaker than me.”

Song Mina glared at Choi Juwon resentfully at his cold words. But Choi Juwon ignored her completely and walked away.

“W… Wait a moment!”

Song Mina called out to the departing Choi Juwon.

“How… How did you do that just now? Not only did you split the released Mana into multiple strands, but the power was almost uniform. Did you use an Artifact?”

Choi Juwon sighed and said,

“Someone with your skill should know I didn’t use an Artifact. How did I do it? Do I have to tell you? To someone who won’t even tell me her name and acts so obnoxious?”

Song Mina hesitated and then opened her mouth to apologize.

“I… If you tell me, I’ll apologize…”

“No need.”

As Choi Juwon turned to leave again, Song Mina spoke urgently,

“Th… Then, you don’t have to tell me how. Just answer this. If I take your class, will I be able to do what you just did?”

Choi Juwon chuckled.

“If you learn from me, you’ll be able to do this sort of thing without even thinking about it. I guarantee it.”

With those words, Choi Juwon left to observe the other prospective students. Song Mina stared blankly at his retreating figure and thought,

‘Why is someone with that level of ability at this academy?’

Helmunt Academy wasn’t lacking compared to others. However, considering it hadn’t yet earned the title of a prestigious institution, it was puzzling that an instructor with Choi Juwon’s abilities worked there. It seemed like many would be willing to pay him a much higher salary.

Song Mina thought,

‘Pride isn’t important right now. In a few years, this instructor will be the best in the country.’

Born with an innate magical ability, she could instantly assess and roughly estimate how skillfully others wielded magic.

The Choi Juwon she had just witnessed possessed astonishing magical control. He hadn’t even seemed to be using his full power. It was difficult to even imagine how much greater his abilities could be.

‘I need to be humble for now.’

She decided to appease Choi Juwon and learn all his knowledge and magical abilities. That was her sole intention. A purely business-like relationship, devoid of any genuine emotion.

However, as time passed, Song Mina would develop a fondness for Choi Juwon.

On Song Mina’s first day in the practical magic class, after the lesson, Choi Juwon approached her.

“So, your name is Song Mina. I’m sorry about the other day, during the test. Honestly, as an instructor, I shouldn’t have reacted so sensitively. I apologize if you were uncomfortable. And this is a token of my apology.”

Choi Juwon handed Song Mina a ring.

Song Mina stared at the ring with a bewildered expression and thought,

‘This isn’t an ordinary ring…’

An immense magical energy emanated from the ring. It even resonated with Choi Juwon’s Mana while he held it.

“I… Is it okay for me to have this? I don’t know its exact abilities, but judging by the energy it emits, you could get a substantial amount of money if you sold it.”

Even without knowing its exact abilities, Song Mina could gauge the ring’s high value.

“Well, I don’t really need the money. Oh, and I made this ring myself. I felt a little bad for embarrassing you in front of the other students, so I put some effort into it.”

-Touch

Placing the ring on Song Mina’s finger, Choi Juwon explained,

“The ring’s effect activates just by wearing it. The effect is simple: it enhances your Magic application. While wearing this ring, you’ll be able to understand and use magic more efficiently.”

In truth, that wasn’t the ring’s only effect.

It was an Artifact imbued with various beneficial functions, such as increased Mana recovery rate, enhanced Mana utilization, increased magic power, and improved magic comprehension.

-Hoooooong

The moment Song Mina put it on, she could immediately feel the ring’s exceptional power.

‘He made this himself?’

Song Mina revised her assessment, realizing Choi Juwon’s abilities far exceeded her expectations. Staring blankly at the spot where he had left, she thought,

‘He apologizes first to someone clearly weaker than him and casually gives her something like this? There’s no need for him to do that…’

This was a world where the weak were disregarded and the strong thrived. Song Mina had experienced the principle of “survival of the fittest” firsthand since she was young and believed she had to trample others and become stronger to survive in this harsh world.

Moreover, her father was a firm believer in the power dynamic, and having been raised by such a father, Song Mina always reminded herself,

‘Power is supreme, and power is everything in this world. It’s natural for the weak to be preyed upon and the strong to be the predators.’

However, someone who defied her ideals had just appeared before her. Someone who didn’t flaunt his strength, readily admitted his mistakes, and wasn’t arrogant despite his abilities.

She had encountered someone incredibly mature.

‘There’s no way someone like this exists…’

From then on, Song Mina followed Choi Juwon. She was curious about his actions.

She was curious about how he lived, how he treated people, what his hobbies were.

On Choi Juwon’s days off, Song Mina would stake out his house and follow him wherever he went.

-Thud Thud Thud

‘Where is he going?’

Choi Juwon arrived at an orphanage.

“Kids, I’m here!”

As Choi Juwon approached the children with a smile, they all rushed out to greet him.

“Big brother! Why are you so late?!”

“Juwon oppa, we were waiting…”

“Sorry, sorry. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to come.”

Choi Juwon smiled apologetically and stroked the children’s heads.

Just then, the kind-looking female director of the orphanage came out and bowed in greeting.

“Oh, Instructor Choi Juwon, thank you so much for visiting again. I heard you recently opened a new class. It’s truly appreciated that you came despite your busy schedule.”

Returning the greeting, Choi Juwon casually handed her an envelope filled with money. He whispered, so the children wouldn’t hear,

“I put about 50 million won in there. Please buy the children delicious food and use it where it’s needed.”

“I… I can’t accept such a large sum…!”

The orphanage director waved her hands in alarm, but Choi Juwon spoke firmly,

“I think I’ll be very busy from now on. I won’t be able to visit the children often. Please accept this as compensation.”

After Choi Juwon’s repeated offers, the orphanage director reluctantly accepted the money and bowed her head.

“I’ll make sure to use it for the children’s food and education.”

Choi Juwon smiled and went to play with the children.

Watching from afar, Song Mina felt her mind go blank.

‘Is it even possible for someone like this to exist?’

Objectively, Song Mina was strong. Yet, he, who had been so cold to her during their first meeting, was now as gentle as a lamb, smiling warmly in front of the powerless children and the orphanage director.

His polite demeanor towards those who had nothing, neither possessions nor power, was quite strange. The strong people Song Mina had known were all selfish and domineering.

-Thud Thud Thud

Late in the evening, as Choi Juwon returned home, Song Mina stood before him and spoke,

“Instructor.”

“Oh, what? Song Mina, why are you here?”

Song Mina asked with a bewildered expression,

“Instructor, to be honest, I’ve been following you for a few days because I was concerned about you.”

Choi Juwon replied calmly,

“I thought I’d been seeing you around a lot lately. So you were secretly following me. Why? Honestly, I don’t appreciate it.”

“I just… I was curious. Why do you help and consider others despite possessing such great power?”

Choi Juwon said calmly,

“It’s just self-satisfaction. Does there need to be a reason?”

“I can’t understand. My father always told me that humans are selfish.”

Song Mina exclaimed,

“He taught me where a person’s vital points were as soon as I could walk. From the moment I started walking, he told me that it wouldn’t be strange for someone to try to take my life at any moment.”

“He taught me how to be suspicious at the same time he taught me how to communicate.”

“When he taught me how to socialize, he also taught me how to gain an advantage over others.”

“He said that trusting someone would only lead to terrible ruin. He told me that helping
people was pointless and that showing kindness would only make them take it for granted and become ungrateful.”

“He said I shouldn’t let myself be underestimated. That if I appeared weak, I would become prey, so I had to be tenacious and appear strong. He told me to crush anyone who tried to challenge me. That those at the bottom only thought about bringing down those above, so I shouldn’t even look at them, just crush them.”

Her voice choked with emotion as she cried out,

“He told me I had to live like that to survive in this world! That compassion and relying on others were useless!”

Choi Juwon shook his head and sighed.

“Yes, maybe he’s right. So live your way. Isn’t that fine?”

The girl said tearfully,

“I don’t want to. I don’t want to live like that.”

“You see… My father monitors everything I do. He tries to destroy anything I might become attached to, in case my heart becomes weak.”

“When I first grew cotton flowers, my father broke them, saying I should be training instead of wasting time watering plants.”

“When I brought home a pretty doll, he tore it to shreds, saying those were only for weak children.”

“The day after I secretly brought home pets because I was lonely, a dish made from those animals appeared on the dinner table.”

“There was a woman who was in the same guild as my father. I relied on her a lot. I confided in her when I had problems. Thanks to her, I felt much more emotionally stable. But my father found out. He happened to check my phone.”

Song Mina looked at Choi Juwon with a troubled expression and continued,

“… The day after my father found out, news arrived that the woman had died in a dungeon. The cause of death was an accident. But it must have been my father’s doing.”

“After that, I stopped trusting people. I stopped trying to form attachments. Because my father would destroy them anyway.”

“After deciding not to form attachments, I decided to consider everyone my enemy. To trample on the weak and prioritize my own safety. That way, there would be no betrayals, no need to betray anyone, and no one would get hurt because of my father. I tried to live like that, thinking of everyone as selfish.”

“But I’m sick of living this way. I… I want to live normally… Just once… I need someone I can rely on. You’re strong, so please… help me live a normal life. I also want to trust, rely on, and help others, and live happily.”

-Touch

Choi Juwon looked at Song Mina with pity and stroked her hair.

“You must have had a hard time. If you’re struggling, lean on me. As you can see, I’m not easily broken like a toy. I don’t know what kind of guild leader your father is, but even if you rely on me, I won’t end up dead somewhere. You saw, right? How strong I am. I’m not overwhelmingly powerful, but I can certainly take care of myself.”

“I… Is that okay?”

Choi Juwon patted her and said,

“Of course. You did nothing wrong. You don’t need to feel guilty. From now on, do whatever you want. I’ll help you. Tell me if you’re having a hard time. I’ll listen to everything. I’m your instructor, right? It’s natural to help a student who’s struggling.”

-Hug

Song Mina hugged Choi Juwon and said,

“Thank you… You’ll forgive me for my mistake on the first day… and for following you today, right?”

“Well, you didn’t do anything terribly wrong, so I’ll forgive you.”

Wiping her tears, she asked,

“Instructor, can I live like a normal person?”

“Of course. I’ll help you.”

Back in the present, at the broadcasting station where Shim Jihyuk had carried out the terrorist attack, Song Mina pleaded with Choi Juwon,

“I… I can explain everything…”

She had her reasons. Reasons for not believing Choi Juwon. That’s why she wanted to explain. Why she did what she did, why she couldn’t believe him.

However, Choi Juwon’s gaze was icy.

“I don’t need explanations. Remember what happened before? You asked for my help, and I sincerely did my best for you. I listened when you had problems and willingly helped when you needed it. You had exceptional magical talent, so I put in even more effort. But as you can see, the result was disastrous.”

-Click

Choi Juwon opened his work phone and showed her the screen. It was filled with thousands of hateful messages.

“Instructor, the truth is, my father…”

“Shut up.”

Choi Juwon stared at her with a cold expression.

“How long are you going to keep making excuses for other people? Live like that forever. No one will interfere. But don’t come to me. I don’t want to be involved with you anymore. Whatever your reasons, whatever your circumstances, the time I lost won’t come back.”

“Did you even imagine how I felt the day you all turned your backs on me? I did my best. But no one believed me. No, even if there were other reasons, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t offer me any comfort. Do I have to forgive you just because you apologize after stabbing me in the back?”

“Why? I did nothing wrong to you. It was you who ignored me and didn’t believe me, even though I desperately pleaded with you to trust me.”

Choi Juwon turned to leave.

“Ugh…”

Song Mina burst into tears and grabbed his ankle.

“You said you would help me. You said you would help me live a normal life. You said you would forgive me. You always said that people make mistakes, that they can change. Please, just this once, forgive me. I’ll do anything. I’ll really do anything…”

Choi Juwon sighed and whispered to Song Mina,

“People can make mistakes… They can change… Yes, I used to think that way. I believed anyone could be reformed, and I gave them many chances.”

Choi Juwon shook off Song Mina’s hand gripping his pants leg and said,

“But not anymore. Why should I give you a chance? Why should I listen to you?”

“Instructor, why are you saying that? Why are you looking at me like that? I won’t make excuses. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Get lost if you don’t want to see something unpleasant. Don’t test my patience any further.”

Every single word from Choi Juwon pierced deeply into her heart, as if each word were a knife. He was so cold, as if the kind words and expressions, everything she had felt in the past, were all an illusion.

But what was even more cruel was the look in his eyes.

His eyes were filled with disgust, devoid of any pity.