Epilogue Chapter 23 - Open Class for Parents (4)

“Come on, man. I told you not to act as if you know me in public.”

Oh Kang-Woo frowned at Kim Si-Hun running to him like a dog to its owner.

“N-Not to act as if I know you? Aren’t you being too harsh?”

“I get way too much attention just from you calling me

hyung

.”

He had tried his best to be erased from history but those efforts would go down the drain if people found out he was called

hyung

by the Martial God.

“But isn’t it normal to call someone

hyung

if you’re close to them?” asked Si-Hun sorrowfully.

Kang-Woo wavered as he stared at the dejected Si-Hun. He sighed deeply and handed him one of the drinks he bought from the vending machine.

“Haha. Thank you, hyung-nim.”

“Where’s sister-in-law?”

“She’s with Si-Ah.” Si-Hun slowly shifted to Jeon Tae-Hun as he accepted the drink. “That aside, who is this...?”

“Oh, he’s the father of one of Kang-Hyun’s classmates.”

“Oh, I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Si-Hun with a smile as he stuck out his hand for a handshake.

“G-Greetings, commander!”

Tae-Hun courteously bowed ninety degrees instead of accepting the handshake.

“Commander...?” Si-Hun tilted his head in confusion and soon realized something. “Oh, are you perhaps a former member of the third battalion...?”

“Yes, that’s correct! My name is Jeon Tae-Hun!”

“Ahh. Yes, I remember you, Player Jeon Tae-Hun.”

Si-Hun remembered him as one of the top ten Players in Korea, albeit Players of his skill couldn’t be more common worldwide.

“It’s an honor to see you again, commander!” Tae-Hun shouted.

“Haha, I’m flattered. More importantly, weren’t you no longer a member of Guardians?”

“Ah, yes! I left due to personal reasons three years ago!”

“Then I’m not your commander anymore.”

“N-Not at all! You are and always will be my commander!”

‘Dammit. Why did I have to meet the Martial God of all people here...?’

Tae-Hun gulped as cold sweats flowed from his forehead. He did not act this way because Si-Hun was a hero worshiped worldwide as the Martial God.

- All Guardians forces, assemble.

He was reminded of past nightmares from seeing Si-Hun. Guardians, as its title of

international police

suggested, was famous for its military discipline. Si-Hun carried a gentle aura around him with his innocent looks but turned into a Rakshasa when he forced hellish drills on all the Guardians members after assembling them. It had been so bad that it had left a trauma deep in his head.

“Oh, what? You were a Guardians member too, Tae-Hun?”

Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hun in surprise. He had left Guardians after leaving the organization to Si-Hun but was still Tae-Hun’s senior since he was also a former member.

‘I never expected one of the parents to be a former Guardians member.’

It felt like meeting an army squad mate by chance after returning to society. Although Guardians was not an army, it gave off a similar feeling since they used to be on the same boat.

“Too...? Were you also a Guardians member, Kang-Woo?” Tae-Hun asked.

“Yes, but I quit long ago.”

“I-I see.”

Tae-Hun had never expected the parent of the child whom his son asked to scold to be a former Guardians member. He could feel his mouth getting dry due to the unexpected turn of events.

“What do you mean, quit? You are still a Guardians member, hyung-nim!”

“Unofficially, yeah.”

“B-But you can still come back anytime you wish—”

“Forget it. Call me crazy if I ever go back.”

“Guardians needs you, hyung-nim!”

Tae-Hun was in deep thought, in pallor as the two men argued about Kang-Woo returning to Guardians.

‘A former Guardians member and someone whom the Martial God Kim Si-Hun calls hyung.’

A rumor he had heard during his time in Guardians popped into his head— that Martial God Kim Si-Hun had not been the one who killed Bael, the Prince of Gluttony.

‘Everyone brushed it off as nonsense at first.’

However, the rumor turned out to be not as baseless as people thought with the testimonies of Players who had fought in the final war.

‘They said the one who killed Bael and ended the war against the demons wasn’t Kim Si-Hun... but the man he called

hyung

.’

Of course, this rumor had never been made public— information about the man had been lost as if someone had intentionally erased it. However, one piece of information had stayed.

‘That the Martial God’s brother was known as... the Demon King.’

No one knew why an unsettling title like

Demon King

was given to the world’s savior but the individual’s achievements were closer to those of a demon’s feats than a human.

‘A monster who wiped out hundreds of thousands of demons by himself.’

The rumors about the Demon King were on par with the Martial God’s astonishing achievements— no, his legendary achievements dwarfed what the Martial God had achieved. Even if a tenth of the rumors were true, Tae-Hun would be ripped to shreds with just the flick of the man’s finger.

‘The rumors about the Demon King were true.’

Someone had hidden the Demon King from history, turning his legendary feats into ones that only a select few knew. However, Guardians was an organization of the strongest Players in the world, created by those select few. Over thirty Players witnessed the Demon King, hence the rumors couldn’t be brushed off as baseless.

‘Which means...’

The man arguing with Si-Hun was the legendary Demon King.

‘H-Holy shit!’

Tae-Hun couldn’t believe he almost took the Demon King to a deserted area to give him a scolding. Chills ran down his back and his legs shook uncontrollably.

“Oh, come to think of it, you wanted to discuss something with me, right?” Kang-Woo asked, changing the subject to stop the argument with Si-Hun.

Tae-Hun flinched.

“Oh, u-umm...” He racked his brain to think of an excuse, covered in cold sweats. “I-I heard that my son caused a huge discourtesy to your son!”

“Oh, it was about that?”

Kang-Woo slowly filled with anger again as he recalled his injured son.

“Yes! I wanted to offer you my sincerest apologies about that!” Tae-Hun smashed his head into the hard concrete. “I apologize for not educating my son properly! My son and I have caused a great disservice to you and your son!”

Kang-Woo’s rage gradually subsided as Tae-Hun prostrated to him. He remembered seeing on social media that there were many senseless parents these days who argued with the parents of the child who fought back against the bully about why they hit their child instead of scolding them about the bullying.

‘I guess you can’t believe everything you see on social media.’

The man prostrating to him was in no way a senseless parent.

‘I’m so glad I didn’t lose myself and beat him senselessly earlier.’

Kang-Woo would have dragged him to the back of the school and taught him proper education skills by force but he was a changed man.

‘Ahh, yes. This must be how it feels to have become an adult.’

“Umm... Kang-Woo?” called Tae-Hun as he cautiously looked up at Kang-Woo relishing in his growth.

“Oh, please get back up.”

“Yes! Th-Thank you very much!” answered Tae-Hun like a fresh military recruit.

“Thank you for your apology. I was worried that you might pick a fight when you struck up a conversation with me but I’m glad that wasn’t the case.”

“H-Haha. P-Pick a fight? Why would I do that when my son was completely in the wrong?”

“Parents these days don’t seem to have that common sense.”

“I-It is only natural for a parent to take responsibility for their children’s wrongdoings.”

“Haha. You couldn’t be more right.” Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction and continued, “But I think you mistook the person you should be apologizing to.”

“Pardon? What do you...”

“Kang-Hyun and Springie were the victims of this incident, so they should be the ones apologized to, wouldn’t you say?”

“I-I see! O-Of course! But... I’m sorry, but who is Springie?”

“He’s our dog whom your son tried to kill.”

“Pardon...?”

Tae-Hun’s expression froze. According to his son, he had simply tried to chase away a stray mutt who trespassed onto school grounds.

‘But it was the Demon King’s dog? And he tried to kill it, no less?’

“Y-Y-Yes! Of course, I will apologize to them!”

Tae-Hun trembled, soaked in cold sweats.

“Tae-Hun...?” Kang-Woo called.

“A-Allow me to go apologize to them right now!”

“Oh, just a moment.” Kang-Woo grabbed Tae-Hun’s collar as he was about to charge into the classroom. “Calm down. We’re in the middle of an open class, aren’t we?”

“Oh, th-that’s right.”

“And it shouldn’t be you, but your son... umm...”

“H-His name is Yeong-Woong. Jeon Yeong-Woong.”

“That’s right. Please have him apologize to my son.”

“U-Understood!”

Tae-Hun lowered his head and sped to the classroom as if running away.

Ding, dong, ding, dong.

The bell signaling the end of break time rang just in time.

***

Tae-Hun brought his son to his study after the open class.

“Dad, are you sure you gave him a scolding? I didn’t see any change in—”

“Get down on all fours.”

“H-Huh?”

“You heard me.”

Tae-Hun pulled out a golf club he carefully stored in a corner of the study and swung it at his son’s butt.

Smack!

“Aaaaaahhh!” Yeong-Woong screamed. “Wh-Why are you hitting me, Dad? Wh-What did I do wrong...?”

“Shut your mouth!! You said you tried to chase out that dog but I know you tried to kill it!”

“Th-That’s...”

Yeong-Woong averted his gaze from his father. This time, Tae-Hun slapped his son in the face.

“Argh!” Yeong-Woong clenched his cheek and shouted frustratedly, “Yeah! I tried to kill it! So what?! Who cares about a stupid dog?!”

“Did you just say... a stupid dog?” Tae-Hun’s expression crumpled. “That stupid dog’s owner is the Demon King, you goddamn moron!”

Whoosh!

The golf club slashed through the air.

“Argh!”

That night, Tae-Hun’s golf club got bent like a bow.