Academy's Silver Gatekeeper

Chapter 10

Creak—

The hospital room door opened slightly, and a girl with black hair peeked inside.

“Uhm… Examiner Baek Seojin?”

“I’m here.”

“A-ah, hello! May I come in?”

“You’ve already opened the door, haven’t you? Come on in.”

Only then did Kim Suhyeon carefully step inside the hospital room. She looked… well, like a nervous little kitten.

It wasn’t an act to show off her cuteness. I knew she was just naturally timid. After all, wasn’t her special trait "A genius consumed by inferiority”?

‘How could someone like her become the Crimson Witch?’

A girl this shy… destined to become a villain who would be responsible for the deaths of 500,000 people? Just what kind of horrific process would the villains have to put her through to break her mind?

Villains are villains for a reason. The world has always been that way.

“Uhm… Are you alright?”

Kim Suhyeon approached hesitantly, concern written all over her face. She seemed to feel guilty, as if my injuries were somehow her fault.

But she had no reason to feel sorry. I made my own decision to act. The fastest way to ease her guilt was simple— Show her I was perfectly fine and blur out the worries she carried.

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. I guess I was lucky.”

“Th-that’s a relief… I was really worried. I wanted to come visit you right away, but everyone stopped me… I’m really sorry. I'm so sorry, Examiner. You risked your life to save me, and I….”

“It’s really okay. Even if you had come right after, I was unconscious, so we wouldn’t have been able to talk like this.”

Besides, it was dangerous for Kim Suhyeon to be wandering around during a time like this. The ones who failed could still be lurking, waiting for another chance to strike. If they succeeded, all my efforts to prevent her from becoming the Crimson Witch would be in vain.

“Still… I’m really sorry. Truly, I am.”

“I told you it’s fine. Oh, how’s your injury? Last I saw, you had a pretty bad wound on your leg.”

“Oh? Ah… I-it’s fine now. I received treatment right away, so it’s all healed.”

Well, if it hadn’t healed, she wouldn’t be here visiting me.

“By the way, Examiner, you can speak casually with me.”

“Me? No, no, I’m fine with this.”

I once got a formal complaint for being too friendly with a student. A parent complained that government employees shouldn’t talk down to children and should always use formal speech.

It was ridiculous, but I had no choice but to comply. Since then, I just made it a habit to use polite speech with everyone.

It’s a habit born out of a sad experience, but now it feels wrong to break it. Not following the rules feels like committing a major crime. Getting complaints from the public is an incredible source of stress.

“But… you’re older than me.”

“Well, Suhyeon, isn’t it a bit rude to bring up age?”

“Oh! A-ah! I’m so sorry!!”

I was just joking, but her overly serious reaction made me feel guilty. As I was about to tell her not to worry, a coughing sound interrupted us from behind.

Ahem! Ahem!

I didn’t sense anyone approaching. Kim Suhyeon had entered the room alone— Could it be those damn villains had followed her here?

“Grandfather.”

At that moment, Suhyeon stepped toward the old man. Wait… Grandfather? Did she just say grandfather? Now that I looked closely, they did resemble each other a little.

Hold on a second. That face, that outfit.

I’d seen him on the news before—on a program called “Heroes of the Past.” He was alongside Ma Hakjun…

“You must be Baek Seojin. I heard you saved my granddaughter. I came to personally thank you.”

-Activating The Third Eye.

? Kang Minseong

The Everlasting Sword

? Details

Even with the passage of time, his aura remains undiminished. When wielding a sword, all abilities are enhanced. Except in one particular scenario, he will never falter.

…He’s really Kang Minseong? The very man villains feared and called the Sword Demon? One of the heroes who saved South Korea alongside Ma Hakjun… standing right in front of me?

‘And his granddaughter is… Kim Suhyeon?’

Now I could fully understand why the villains were targeting her. If they kidnapped someone with connections to such a big figure, they could use her as leverage.

Kang Minseong’s family was the pinnacle of the Weaponry lineage in South Korea. I’d heard they produced one S-rank and several A-ranks. They also had deep ties with politicians and major corporations, making their influence immense.

From the villains’ perspective, capturing Kim Suhyeon was the ultimate move.

“I’m Baek Seojin. It’s an honor to meet you.”

I quickly stood up from the bed and bowed.

There are times when a person needs to set aside their pride. This was undoubtedly one of those times.

Bowing wasn’t embarrassing or degrading in this case. The old man standing before me commanded respect and power. Ma Hakjun was impressive, but Kang Minseong was equally formidable.

“If you’re honored to meet me, would you do me a favor?”

I hesitated for a second—should I say I’ll do my best? That seemed too subservient, so I held back.

As I quietly waited for his words, Kang Minseong cleared his throat and spoke.

“I’d like you to accept my granddaughter’s request.”

“…Excuse me?”

“She’s been asking you to drop the formalities and even apologizing.

I think it’s enough. Just give in and go along with it.”

“I-I mean….”

“She’s asking you to speak casually, young man.”

Wait a second. Shouldn’t he be saying ‘Don’t speak informally to my precious granddaughter’ instead? Why was he asking me to be more casual with her?

“Is that such a difficult request?”

“No, sir! Since Suhyeon is younger, speaking casually should be fine.”

Call me a coward if you want. This is just basic survival tactics. And when a hero from the past asks for something, you comply!

“Then… Suhyeon? Is it okay if I call you that?”

“Yes! I like it, Examiner!”

She beamed at me, moving closer. I didn’t understand why dropping formalities made her so happy, but if it made her smile, why not?

In truth, I wanted to stay close to her for another reason. Not just because she was pretty and came from a powerful family.

‘The villains might target her again.’

For now, I could say that the immediate threat of kidnapping had passed thanks to my efforts. But the villains could target Kim Suhyeon again at any time. If they succeeded, she would inevitably become the Crimson Witch as originally intended.

The problem was that I couldn't explain any of this to anyone. Not even to Suhyeon herself. The reason was simply too absurd. If someone told me, "You're destined to become a mass murderer in the future!", I'd tell them to shut up and stop spouting nonsense.

The only option was to stay close and watch over her, ready to detect any danger. Since she was Kang Minseong’s granddaughter, there would be plenty of people willing to protect her. All I had to do was buy enough time until they arrived.

‘Just like I did at the Academy.’

While I reached this conclusion in my head, Kim Suhyeon sat beside me, chattering away.

She talked about how she had seen me take down Park Junwoo from a distance—

how cool it had looked, how grateful she was that I had stood in front of the Elder to protect her. And then she asked if I was really just an ordinary examiner… which made me feel a little guilty.

Actually, I am an ordinary examiner. It’s just that I don’t stay ordinary when it comes to evaluations.

“Uh, wait a second. Suhyeon. And, uh… Chairman? Would you like to sit down too…?”

“I’m fine. Go on, have your conversation. Don't mind me.”

But it’s hard not to mind you when you're just standing there silently, staring at us like that. I don't even know if Suhyeon's words are going in one ear and out the other anymore.

While I struggled with my thoughts, Suhyeon seemed genuinely happy. Eventually, I found myself so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot about Kang Minseong's presence.

*

TN: Kang Minseong's perspective

"…"

Kang Minseong stood by the entrance, quietly watching his granddaughter.

She looked so much like her mother when she smiled. It felt as though his late daughter had come back to life.

‘I'm sorry, my dear.’

Having such a prominent grandfather, an exceptional family, and relatives who were all extraordinary… In comparison, Suhyeon, who could only be considered average, must have felt immense pressure.

‘Even if we only meant to encourage her, it must have weighed heavily on her.’

As Kang Minseong’s granddaughter and the only remaining legacy of his late daughter, she had to become stronger—no, she must become a remarkable superhuman. The overwhelming pressure crushed her, making her smaller and smaller over time.

Not everyone can be special, even if they come from a special family. Ordinary people exist so that the extraordinary can shine. But Suhyeon viewed her own normalcy not as a trait, but as a flaw.

She spoke less and became more withdrawn. Even after entering the Academy, things only got worse. He had even begged his old friend Ma Hakjun to keep an eye on her.

And then, the villains attacked. An Elder personally tried to kidnap his granddaughter.

A tragedy that could have been irreversible— but one young man had prevented it. His name was Baek Seojin, an examiner dispatched to the Academy that day.

‘He stood in front of the Elder to protect Suhyeon.’

It was such an unbelievable tale that the media hadn’t even covered it. But Ma Hakjun had personally confirmed it to him. Baek Seojin had indeed faced the Elder, saved Suhyeon, and survived.

‘Because of that, he must be Suhyeon's hero… and someone she now admires.’

He had also apparently defeated every student upon his arrival. Perhaps he was an ordinary person who found his own way to stand out. To Suhyeon, there probably wasn't anyone she wanted to be like more.

To be honest, he did have some doubts. It had taken a lot of effort to dissuade Suhyeon from rushing to visit him immediately.

But in the end, Kang Minseong couldn't say no to his granddaughter.

“Examiner, you looked so cool when you did that…”

“No, no. That was just luck….”

Watching the two of them chat quietly, Kang Minseong eventually left the room.

Whatever it was, if it made his granddaughter happy, that was enough for him.

TN: I can’t wait for Suhyeon’s training arc! Will she become the Crimson Witch as foretold, or will she be something else?