I looked at my father, then at Ha-Yoon, then at the sleeping boy. My life had just taken a 180-degree turn without having any say in the matter.
A return to Apex.
With a girlfriend.
And her little brother, my forr enemy/victim, who was about to beco my protégé.
It was the most absurd situation I had ever experienced.
My father must have seen the dismay on my face. He ca over and patted on the back, a little too hard.
"Co on, son," he said with a wide grin. "It’s a good thing. Having so responsibilities will do you good."
He lowered his voice so only I could hear, a twinkle in his eye.
"Besides, it’s ti you beca a little more independent, don’t you think? You can’t spend your life hiding in a burger joint and waiting for your old man to co and fix all your problems."
He was teasing . After everything that had happened, after fighting gods and monsters, he still treated like a kid who couldn’t manage his own life.
I sighed. A long sigh, full of fatigue and resignation.
"Fine," I said. "Fine. We’re all going back to Apex."
Ha-Yoon let out a small cry of joy and hugged .
My father smiled, satisfied.
I felt like I was the only responsible adult in a room full of overly enthusiastic children.
My normal life was definitively over. And my new life, my real life, was going to be utter chaos.
And for so reason I didn’t understand, I didn’t dislike the idea that much.
My father wasted no ti. A few calls, and everything was settled.
We left the hospital. A black van, the sa kind used by the Kings, was waiting for us. It was a world away from my old scooter.
During the ride, I called Min-Soo.
"Hey. I’m coming back to Apex," I said, without preamble.
"What?!" His voice was a mixture of shock and relief. "That’s great! But what happened?"
"Long story. And... I’m not coming back alone."
When we arrived at the academy, the van didn’t drop us off in front of the Beta building. It took us to a residential area of the campus, a place I had never seen, reserved for high-ranking staff.
We stopped in front of a small, modern, elegant building.
"This is your new ho," my father announced.
It wasn’t a simple dorm. It was a real apartnt, with several bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen. It was spacious, modern. More luxurious than anything I had ever known.
Ha-Yoon looked around, her eyes wide, unable to believe her luck. Tae-Hyun, who was just beginning to co out of his shell, timidly explored the place.
My father gave an access card. "Tae-Hyun’s classes will start next week. As for Ha-Yoon, I found her a small position at the academy library. It will allow her to stay on campus and earn so money."
He had thought of everything.
He looked at his watch. "Well, I have to go. I have an academy to run."
He left, leaving there, in the middle of this new apartnt.
I looked at Ha-Yoon, who was shyly unpacking her few belongings. I looked at Tae-Hyun, who was watching TV with childlike wonder.
My new life. My new improvised family.
It was the most normal and the craziest thing that had ever happened to .
I was just starting to get used to the idea of having a sofa that didn’t sll like fried food when my terminal vibrated. A ssage from my father.
"et out front. We have to go to the academy. For real."
I sighed. I felt like I never got a break.
"I have to go," I said to Ha-Yoon. "Work calls. I’ll be back soon."
She smiled at . "Okay. Be careful."
I left the building.
The black van was still there, waiting a few ters away. My father stood beside it, tapping his foot, looking a little nervous. Which, for an S-rank hero who had fought in other dinsions, was quite surprising.
"So?" I asked as I approached. "The new director already has stage fright?"
He gave an annoyed look. "Very funny. Stepping into a rift and facing an ancient god, that’s fine. But giving a speech in front of hundreds of rich students and their influential parents... now that’s terrifying."
I mocked him. "The great Kang Min-Ho is afraid of a few bureaucrats? I never thought I’d see the day."
"Shut up and get in the car," he grumbled. "I need my moral support. And also, the board wants to see you. Apparently, making you an S-rank without everyone’s approval has ruffled a few feathers."
We got into the van.
"So basically, you’re bringing along to take the heat for you?" I asked.
"Exactly," he said with a big smile. "That’s what father-son teamwork is all about."
When we arrived in front of the academy’s main building, there was already a crowd. Students, professors, mbers of the administration, all gathered to welco their new director.
The van stopped. The door opened.
And my father stepped out.
A surprised silence fell over the crowd. The younger ones didn’t recognize him.
Then I stepped out behind him.
And that’s when the murmurs erupted.
"Is... is that Kang Ji-Hoon!"
"The forr F-rank? Number 11?"
"What’s he doing with that man?"
A very old man, one of the most important mbers of the board of directors, stepped forward, his eyes wide with shock and respect.
He ignored everyone else and bowed deeply to my father.
"Master Kang Min-Ho," he said, his voice filled with an almost religious admiration. "The ’Void Blade.’ We never thought we would see you again. It is an honor."
The na hit like a bombshell.
The Void Blade.
He was a legend. One of the first and most powerful S-rank heroes in history. A na that all Awakened learned in their history classes. A man believed to be dead or missing for years.
In the middle of the crowd, I saw Min-Soo and Bora. Their jaws had literally dropped to the floor.
They looked at my father, then at , then back at my father. Their brains were connecting the dots.
Kang Ji-Hoon. Kang Min-Ho.
The F-rank they knew, the loner, the anomaly... was the son of the most badass hero in history.
The secret was out. And my life at the academy would never be the sa.
While most people were in shock, a small group broke away from the crowd.
It was the stern, elderly professor from the board, the one who had judged after the Pit massacre. And next to him, Han Jae-Hyeok, the student council president. They didn’t look impressed. They looked furious.
"Kang Min-Ho!" the professor said, his voice sharp. "Legend or not, you’ve been gone for nearly a decade! You have no idea how this academy operates today! You are not qualified for this position!"
"Exactly!" Han Jae-Hyeok chid in. "The student council officially protests this appointnt! We demand your imdiate resignation!"
They were trying to kick him out before he had even set foot inside.
My father raised a hand, trying to speak calmly. "Listen, I understand your concerns, but..."
"We have nothing to listen to from a ghost of the past!" the professor cut him off. "This academy needs stability, not an irresponsible adventurer!"
My father sighed. He lowered his hand.
And he stopped being nice.
A pressure.
That’s the only way to describe it. An invisible, but imnse, pressure descended on the entire square. It was as if gravity itself had just multiplied by a hundred.
Every student, every professor, every board mber, without exception, collapsed. So fell to their knees. Others, like the professor and Han Jae-Hyeok, were forced flat on their stomachs, struggling to breathe.
Only I remained standing, used to his Aura.
My father didn’t shout. He didn’t raise his voice. He just spoke, his calm, icy tone echoing in the sudden silence.
"I was speaking."
He looked down at the professor and the president, crushed on the ground.
"I am the new director of this academy. That is a fact. If anyone here objects..."
He gave a smile that was anything but friendly.
"...let him stand. And dare to face ."
No one moved. No one could move.
The demonstration was over. There were no more protests.
My father released the pressure in an instant.
The air beca breathable again. People began to get up, coughing, trembling. The arrogant faces of the professor and Han Jae-Hyeok were now filled with fear and forced respect.
"Good," my father said, as if nothing had happened. "Now that we’re all on the sa page, I have work to do."
He turned to the elderly board mber who had greeted him. "Mr. Choi, please lead to my office. We have much to discuss."
The man bowed again. "Of course, Director Kang. This way."
My father started walking towards the main building. Before entering, he turned to and gave a wink.
I remained there, in the middle of the silently dispersing crowd, still in shock.
Min-Soo and Bora approached, their eyes as wide as saucers.
"Your... your... your..." Bora stamred, unable to finish her sentence.
"Your father is the Void Blade," Min-Soo finished, his voice barely a whisper. "The hero who closed the ’Dragon’s Breach’ all by himself."
"I... I didn’t know," I half-lied. I hadn’t known before, anyway.
They looked at . Their gazes had changed. There was still friendship, but now, there was also a kind of fearful awe.
I was no longer just Kang Ji-Hoon, their friend, the C-rank who beca an S.
I was the son of the greatest living legend.
I sighed.
My life had just beco even more complicated. And I really, really didn’t like it.
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