Chapter 47: The Sole Guardian Part 1

Released:

Rohan’s call to Joo-yeon had been brief.

It was a polite request, asking if she could come, as he was on his way to the Public Safety Department.

The moment Joo-yeon ended the call, she closed the book she had been reading and got moving.

Clack!

Joo-yeon arrived at the Elysium Public Safety Department’s parking lot. She was still dressed in a formal suit despite it being a day off for Orion Academy.

With a burning feeling of urgency in her chest, she swept her red hair back and moved quickly.

“Excuse me!”

As soon as she stepped into the Public Safety Department’s headquarters, she strode purposefully forward.

The officers on duty recognized who Joo-yeon was and understood why she was there, so they merely stepped aside to clear the way for her.

Click, click, click.

There was no need to ask where Rohan was. All she had to do was follow the direction where his presence could be felt.

Suppressing the urge to cut straight through, Joo-yeon quickened her pace.

How many steps had she taken when she finally caught sight of him?

There was Rohan, seated among the officers.

“Instructor-nim! Over here!”

“…….!”

His voice was lively, but Rohan was covered in bandages from head to toe.

The sight overlapped with memories from the past, flooding her mind.

Joo-yeon shut her eyes tightly to shake off the stray thoughts and took heavy steps forward.

Before trying to figure out what Rohan had gotten himself into, she headed toward the person organizing medical supplies to check on his condition first.

“I’m Joo-yeon, an instructor at Orion Academy. What’s Rohan’s condition? Is he badly hurt?”

“He has a mix of cuts and abrasions distributed all over his body. Some of the wounds will leave scars, but there’s no injury serious enough to cause permanent damage.”

The woman in charge of medical care at the department provided a detailed explanation.

It was only after hearing a definitive confirmation that he was fine that Joo-yeon finally turned toward Rohan.

Seeing his confident demeanor, she wondered if he wasn’t in trouble after all.

“Rohan, what exactly is this…?”

“Instructor, I’m so sorry to call you when you should be resting on the weekend.”

“That’s not important. Are you in pain anywhere?”

“It looks worse than it is. I’m fine.”

“Phew…”

Joo-yeon let out a heavy sigh as she sank into an empty chair.

The officers in the room, aware of who she was, tensed up and maintained an awkward silence.

The youngest officer discreetly excused himself, likely to prepare something for her to drink.

“Could you explain exactly what my student has gotten involved in?”

“Instructor, I can explain it myself—”

“Quiet. I’ll hear it from you later.”

Joo-yeon cut off Rohan’s attempt to speak and her sharp gaze shifted to the officer.

A burly man, as large as Gilbert, picked up a file from the desk and began speaking.

“General Joo-yeon, I’ll explain.”

“I’m just an instructor now, but… please go ahead.”

“The organization that Student Rohan dismantled is known as the Yellow Toad Gang. They were involved in human trafficking and illegal organ trade.”

“Dismantled…? Rohan took down a human trafficking organization…?”

Joo-yeon blinked at the utterly unexpected revelation, but the officer nodded his head mechanically and continued his explanation.

“Yes. After cooperating with other countries’ agencies and receiving information, we confirmed that the individuals matched those on our wanted list. Currently, officers are combing the area, and we believe there are no remaining members.”

“.……”

“Student Rohan rescued a total of fifteen individuals from the organization. They have all been transported to the hospital for treatment.”

“.……”

As Joo-yeon calmly assessed the situation, the officer placed the drink the youngest officer had brought in front of her and added a word of praise.

“You truly have an extraordinary student.”

“To the contrary, it’s because I had an excellent instructor that I’ve grown this far.”

“Hahaha! Our junior student must have been blessed by fortune. I wish I’d been able to enroll in the academy at the same time.”

Rohan interjected and added a word, causing the officer to laugh heartily.

But Joo-yeon was different. Her lips curved into a thin, cold line.

Her sharp gaze shifted to Rohan.

When their eyes met, Rohan attempted to diffuse the tension with an awkward laugh.

This brat…

It was clear to Joo-yeon that she needed to have a private conversation with him.

Just as Joo-yeon made up her mind, the officer added an explanation while saying there was a part he had forgotten to mention.

“The reward money will be paid through the Public Safety Department once it’s approved by the respective other countries. In addition, the reward for protecting Academy City will be considered separately by the committee.”

“…Thank you for the detailed explanation. Would it be alright if I had a word with my student?”

At Joo-yeon’s request, the officer’s gaze turned to Rohan.

When Rohan nodded his head, indicating it was fine, the officers quickly gathered their hats and equipment and began preparing to leave.

“Understood. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

One of the officers, having finished preparing to leave, respectfully handed over a document he was holding to Joo-yeon.

“This is a log recording student Rohan’s testimony. With the student’s consent, it is permitted to disclose it to his guardian, so you are welcome to review it.”

“Thank you.”

After the officers who were a mix of various builds and ethnicities departed, Joo-yeon began carefully reading the document she had received. Meanwhile, Rohan remained silent.

As Rohan endured the suffocating silence alone, Joo-yeon finally reached the last page of the testimony.

Her gaze lingered on the period at the end of the final sentence before she finally spoke.

“A car recklessly speeding down an alley threw a cigarette butt out the window, and in the midst of that, you thought you heard someone screaming for help? So you followed it?”

“Yes, that’s correct. To this hour, I’m still not sure if it was a hallucination or a real scream.”

At Rohan’s response, Joo-yeon bit her lower lip tightly.

For some reason, words of praise didn’t come out of her mouth easily.

Saving lives was certainly something worthy of praise. This kind of real-world experience would also serve as excellent nutrition for growth.

And yet, instead of praising him, she found herself on the verge of reprimanding him for not calling her first.

“Instructor.”

“Do you have something to say?”

“I’m sorry.”

Joo-yeon, who had been staring fixedly at the log with a stoic expression, slowly raised her head.

Her fiery eyes locked onto Rohan.

“I knew it was a dangerous situation for someone of my abilities. Even so, I thought it was something I had to do.”

“…….”

“When I became certain of the situation, I did consider contacting you, Instructor. But I judged that waiting could result in deaths.”

His explanation made it clear this wasn’t an impulsive act driven by emotion.

If he had called her, she would surely have told him to stay away.

Ah.

Joo-yeon snapped out of her thoughts at Rohan’s behavior, which seemed to plead for forgiveness.

He hadn’t uttered a single word claiming he had done well but instead remained silent in the tense atmosphere as if he had made a mistake.

“…I see. You did well. You accomplished something remarkable.”

“Thank you.”

“Even calling me after everything was over was the right decision. It’s something the instructor must always be informed about.”

“I apologize for creating such a situation over the weekend. I’m truly sorry.”

“There’s no need to keep apologizing for the same thing. Really, it’s fine.”

“Yes!”

As Joo-yeon watched Rohan respond firmly, she relaxed her expression and smiled gently.

Rohan didn’t have a family registered in his household records, which meant that, as his instructor, she was likely his only guardian.

“Now that you’ve helped maintain order in Academy City, your chances of passing the entrance exam for the Public Safety Department after graduation are very high.”

She swallowed the bitter words lingering on her tongue and teasingly grabbed Rohan’s cheek.

It was partly to reprimand him to be more careful and partly to offer him soft praise.

“I’ve actually been keeping that career path as a candidate for some time.”

Rohan added while his cheek was stretched by her playful pinch.

“A career in public safety, huh… So, you’re still weighing different paths?”

“Yes, but I’ve roughly decided on a direction.”

“I’d like to hear about it once you’ve made a clear decision.”

“Of course. I’ll definitely share it with you.”

How could he answer so well, despite looking so battered?

Joo-yeon tugged at his cheek again.

“Ugh…!”

“In practical training, you endure without showing a hint of pain, but here you are whining.”

Rohan’s voice fell silent, as if caught red-handed.

Seeing this, Joo-yeon’s smile deepened and she scolded him as lightly as she could.

“What you did today was an act of kindness worthy of a hundred praises. But from now on, you must be even more cautious and deliberate. Understood?”

“Yes,! I’ll also work harder in training!”

For some reason, the current situation reminded her of the ordinary moments she used to share with her younger brother.

Joo-yeon suppressed her turbulent emotions and gave him heartfelt advice.

“If you get seriously hurt, no amount of regret will undo it. You’ll suffer the most, and the second to suffer will be those around you.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll take it to heart.”

Rohan, sensing the unspoken shift in Joo-yeon’s demeanor, closed his mouth for a moment.

But only for a moment.

There were things he needed to say, after all.

“Instructor-nim.”

“Speak.”

“If the same situation occurs in front of me again, I will act the same way.”

“…….”

Joo-yeon pressed her lips tightly together and a sense of nostalgia washed over her.

The other students never evoked this feeling in her. Only Rohan seemed to stir these long-buried memories repeatedly.

“I apologize in advance.”

At Rohan’s forward-looking apology, Joo-yeon let out a small laugh.

“I didn’t think you were like this… Turns out, you’re quite the troublemaker.”

Rohan tried to smooth things over with an awkward laugh.

Joo-yeon watched him quietly for a moment before standing and heading toward the officers.

After a brief conversation with them, she returned to Rohan.

“Rohan. Can you walk?”

“No problem!”

Rohan shot to his feet and spun in a quick circle.

It was partly to reassure Joo-yeon, but truthfully, he really wasn’t injured.

“Good. Follow me.”

“Does this mean I can go back to the dorms now?”

“No. We’re going to the instructor’s house.”

“…Huh?”

Rohan reacted as if he misheard her.

For once, Joo-yeon showed a rare hint of playfulness as she explained.

“The search for any remaining threats isn’t over, and the investigation on-site hasn’t concluded yet. If you don’t want to go to the instructor’s house, you can wait for it to be finished at the public safety office.”

Her implication that he’d have to sit and wait for hours was clear.

“……..”

Rohan didn’t take long to make his decision.

He trailed closely behind Joo-yeon, who had clearly taken it upon herself to act as his guardian.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *