Private Tutor (2)

The Muryu Family.

One of the top three sorcery families in Korea, and currently led by S-rank sorcerer Shin Cheon-gyun—also known as Eun-gyeok—the family mansion was an enormous palace-like residence in traditional Eastern style.

And, at the end of this school term, Shin Se-yeon, who had returned to her family, encountered her father, Shin Cheon-gyun, five days after her return while making her way to the training ground within the mansion.

"..."

"..."

Shin Cheon-gyun stared at her with a face completely devoid of expression.

Seeing him, Shin Se-yeon involuntarily furrowed her brow.

That was because, the moment she saw Shin Cheon-gyun, memories from her early childhood flashed through her mind.

Memories of finding her mother and older sister, both horribly murdered, when she was very young.

And Shin Cheon-gyun, who had watched that scene with a blank face.

"I'm home."

Although murderous intent boiled within her, Shin Se-yeon forcibly suppressed it and greeted him.

For now, at least at this moment, she knew all too well that the timing was not right.

However, upon receiving his daughter's greeting, Shin Cheon-gyun simply continued to stare at her.

"..."

Then, with not a single word in response, he walked past her, brushing by.

"..."

Even as Shin Cheon-gyun passed by her without a word or change in his expression, Shin Se-yeon didn't avert her gaze from him.

Over ten years ago, after mercilessly killing his wife and daughter for an experiment, he had dismissed Se-yeon's tearful confrontation with just one sentence: "It was something I had to do for our family."

With that simple phrase, he erased their deaths as if nothing had happened.

Se-yeon stared at him unflinchingly.

Squeeeeze—!

She glared intently.

####

Go Ryuwon, the true eldest son of the Gogoong Corporation, had never been hit in his life.

... No, that wasn't quite true. He'd been hit just once.

After causing a disaster even the Gogoong Corporation couldn't handle, his father struck him with an ashtray.

Other than that, there was no reason for anyone to hit him.

After that incident, go Ryuwon had become someone whose existence was simply not to be acknowledged within the company.

But that didn't mean the fact that he was the company's eldest son disappeared. Wherever he went, he could wield power without restraint.

Thanks to this, he became the very image of a wild rascal you'd only read about in novels, swaggering through life without fear.

"What's 1+1?"

"2."

Whack!

"Argh! Why the hell are you hitting me!?"

"You brat, have the nerve to speak so rudely?"

Whack! Whack!

"Aaah! Stop! Stop!"

... At least, that was the case before his private tutor arrived.

At Go Ryuwon's mansion.

He looked at Kim Dojun, who was staring back at him with an unfair expression.

"What are you looking at?"

"Wha—"

"Wha?"

"Let's get started, sir..."

Ryuwon mumbled, tearing up a little.

In fact, two days prior, Kim Dojun had suddenly shown up, claiming to be his private tutor, and beat him like crazy.

Naturally, ryuwon immediately contacted his father.

He expected that, having his own son beaten, his father wouldn't just stand by.

But—

'I sent him personally. Don't question it.'

Those were the words he received.

His father himself had dispatched that maniac.

Even so, ryuwon didn't give up and tried to stop Kim Dojun using the security sorcerers in the mansion, but that failed as well.

The security sorcerers belonged to the corporation and followed Go Gungcheon's orders, not Ryuwon's.

Word got back to Dojun that Ryuwon tried to have him stopped, and as a result, he got beaten like a dog for another two hours.

That's when Ryuwon realized:There was no way to escape this crazy bastard.

With a face full of annoyance and dread, ryuwon glanced at Kim Dojun, who stood next to him.

There was a big, underlined label: "Correction Machine No.1," and beside it, "Rod of Love No.1" written on the hideous aluminum bat in Kim Dojun's hand.

"What's 2+2?"

"4... sir."

"What's 3+3?"

"6, sir?"

"What's 23232+125334?"

"Huh?"

Whack!

"Ow!"

"Just say the answer. Don't answer with a question."

"How the hell is this a lesson, you psycho!?"

"Still mouthing off?"

Whack!

"Aaaargh!"

As soon as Ryuwon spoke, Kim Dojun swung the bat and began his corporal punishment.

Ryuwon screamed involuntarily, but nobody came to help.

Ryuwon howled.

"If you're going to make up nonsense like this, you solve it! What the hell is 22323+32232!!"

"58842."

For a moment, ryuwon wore a blank expression as he tried to think.

"You idiot! That's wrong!"

After about 30 seconds, he frowned and shouted.

"But I was fast, wasn't I?"

"?"

Dumbfounded by the bizarre reply, he froze for a moment.

Whack!

"Aaaah!"

He screamed again as the bat struck him.

Kim Dojun, wildly hitting Ryuwon, thought to himself,

'Not easy.'

Even as he kept mouthing off through all the beatings, ryuwon had some guts, Dojun admitted. But that didn't mean he planned to stop.

After all, ryuwon was supposed to become one of the pre-bosses leading the Sorcery Killing Technique's maglignant spirit. The trigger: entering the Sorcery Institute.

'In short, I have to make him study his ass off.'

Honestly, if Ryuwon got his act together in his senior year and entered the Sorcery Institute, Dojun wouldn't have needed to do this.

The problem was, ryuwon only entered the Institute eight years from now.

That meant he slacked off until late and then pulled himself together at the last minute. Dojun had no intention of wasting those eight years, just sitting on his hands, so he decided to force him to study now.

'I don't even know how to study, though.'

Granted, Kim Dojun couldn't teach Ryuwon how to study.

Everyone knew the reason: he himself sucked massively at studying.

Especially when it came to sorcery basics—he couldn't even make it past the intro without falling asleep.

Still, Kim Dojun had something to rely on.

'This guy enters the country's top college for sorcery—Sorcery Institute—in a few years.'

So what did that mean?

Ryuwon wasn't stupid.

In other words, he just needed a push to get started—he'd be fine once he actually started studying.

Kim Dojun saw hope in that.

He couldn't directly teach study skills, but he knew many ways to force independent study.

"All right, sit."

"Y-"

"Y?"

"... I'll work hard from now on."

Watching Ryuwon collapse into his seat, looking completely resigned, Kim Dojun nodded in satisfaction.

"Finally ready to study, are we?"

"... Yes."

"Let's start with basic sorcery theory. Open your book."

Grumbling, ryuwon picked up his textbook at Dojun's words.

On the cover, thanks to graffiti, sorcery Foundations Theory had become "■ourc■ ■■eory."

Kim Dojun opened the book.

'Pristine.'

A sparkling white book.

It was so new it still smelled like a fresh print, as if it had never been opened. Examining the Sorcery Foundations Theory, Kim Dojun set it on the desk.

"Here."

He handed Ryuwon another book.

Ryuwon looked dumbfounded, staring at the book.

"This is your new workbook."

Of course, he didn't know whether it was a good one. Kim Dojun had just picked up a random sorcery foundations workbook from the bookstore.

'It was on the "best books" shelf, so it must be decent.'

Thinking so, he handed Ryuwon another object.

"... Now what's—"

"...."

"What is this?"

What Ryuwon received this time was something thicker than a normal necklace, in the form of a choker.

"Put it on."

"... This?"

"Yes."

"Just what the heck—?"

"Defying me, huh?"

Kim Dojun raised his bat.

Ryuwon, at the sight, reflexively put on the necklace at lightning speed.

'Three days of etiquette training really worked, huh.'

Feeling strangely satisfied with Ryuwon's response, Dojun showed him a remote control in his hand.

"Let's begin class."

Without hesitation, he pressed the button.

Then—

Beep—beep—beep—

A mechanical sound came from the choker around Ryuwon's neck.

"... What's that sound?"

Ryuwon, puzzled by the sound from his new necklace, asked. Kim Dojun answered,

"Nothing special. It's just the timer on the bomb necklace around your neck counting down."

"... What?"

"Oh, by the way, the timer is set for 15 minutes. 15 seconds have already passed."

"You're kidding, right...?"

Ryuwon, momentarily panicking, glanced at Kim Dojun.

Dojun just shrugged and pulled out another necklace exactly like the one Ryuwon was wearing.

Beep!

After manipulating the remote, he threw it to the side.

And—

BOOM!

A huge explosion blasted Ryuwon's door off its hinges.

"...."

Stupefied by the power of the blast, ryuwon went blank.

"Oops."

"?"

"Maybe I put in too much explosive."

Muttering as he began putting distance between them.

"Why are you backing away!?"

Ryuwon shouted involuntarily.

"Don't you see my school uniform?"

"... Your uniform?"

"It's the Sorcery Institute's uniform. Each set costs over 2 million won."

"... And?"

"I only have one. It's a pain to get bloodstains out."

Ryuwon gaped in shock.

"If your head explodes, there'll be a lot of blood—"

"Aaaaagh! You crazy bastard!! Turn this off!!"

Ryuwon screamed, desperately trying to remove the bomb necklace, but no matter how he tried, it wouldn't budge.

"It's useless."

"At least stop the timer!"

"Sorry, there's only an activation button. No stop button."

Dojun showed him the remote control.

"Holy shit!"

Just as he said—there was only one button, plus the timer control.

Seeing this, ryuwon cursed involuntarily. Dojun immediately tossed him a box with a number lock on it.

"If you solve problems 1 through 5 in the sorcery basics workbook and enter the numbers, you'll find the key to disable the choker inside."

"You psycho! What if I actually die!?"

"Nothing to be done—we'll have a small funeral."

"You maniac! This is murder!!"

"It's fine. Your father already promised to cover it up. Oh."

"?"

"13 minutes left."

At those words—

"Aaaaaaaagh!!!"

Ryuwon screamed as he dove into the sorcery basics workbook.

Twelve minutes later...

Kim Dojun watched with satisfaction as Go Ryuwon, sniffling with tears and snot running down his face, unlocked the bomb necklace with a key and removed it.

Click—!

"?"

Before Ryuwon could react, Dojun immediately strapped another bomb necklace on him.

Beep!

"All right, let's start Sorcery Foundations Theory, lesson 2."

Beep—! Beep—! Beep—!

"Fifteen minutes."

"Fuuuuuck!!!"

Ryuwon screamed again as he threw himself at the textbook.

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