Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Club Union students gazed at Hyonwon Kang with suspicion, utterly baffled.

"Hey, did I hear that wrong?"

"What's gotten into him?"

Hyonwon Kang, the Azure Dragon Academy's worst delinquent who was always starting fights and causing chaos at every Club Union event, was now bowing his head and offering a sincere apology?

"Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?"

"Is this a trick? Or a lame excuse to pick a fight?"

Seeing their reactions, Hyonwon Kang sighed, "Like I said, you can punch me or kick me until your anger subsides. I won't fight back. You can even seal my acupoints if that makes you feel better."

Hyonwon Kang closed his eyes to assure the Club Union that he wouldn't retaliate, even though he could still detect their movements using his inner arts.

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Ever since he started enduring daily beatings from Baek Suryong, his physical resilience had grown significantly. As long as no edged weapons were involved, he was sure he could withstand any non-lethal hit.

"What the…"

"Is he serious?"

The Club Union students looked at each other, confused. Even though Hyonwon Kang had just told them to hit him, they found themselves strangely hesitant. Their reluctance, however, soon faded as the first person took the initiative.

The student at the reception desk, who had been glaring daggers at Hyonwon Kang, stepped forward, grinding his teeth grudgingly. "You'll keep your word, right? My name is Oh Jinyang. You broke my arm before right before an important exam."

Hyonwon Kang bowed his head. "…I'm sorry."

As soon as one student spoke up, the others quickly followed, voicing their own complaints.

"You broke my nose."

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"Remember when you humiliated me in front of everyone?"

"You treated me like a incompetent fool!"

"……" Even though some of these people had picked fights first, and some accusations weren't even true, Hyonwon Kang kept quiet and didn't make excuses.

Seeing his reticence, the anxious students grew bolder and approached him.

"You promised you wouldn't fight back, right?"

"Don't go back on your word later."

"Not that it would matter by then."

WHOOSH!

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Suddenly, Oh Jinyang rushed in and sealed Hyonwon Kang's acupoints.

Hyonwon Kang frowned for a moment, then sighed, "I apologize again. Lately, I've been reflecting on my past actions. You can punch me as much as you want, but after that, please accept my new club application."

Curious, Oh Jinyang asked, "Why are you going this far?"

Hyonwon Kang hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly, "Because I want to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival."

There was a brief silence, then laughter erupted from all sides.

"What? The Heavenly Martial Festival?"

"Haha! You, Hyonwon Kang?"

"Guess you haven't heard the new rules. Scum like you aren't allowed to participate anymore."

"Are you thinking of restoring the glory of your declining family at the Heavenly Martial Festival? Dream on."

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"Just be glad if you don't embarrass yourself."

The surrounding students mocked Hyonwon Kang mercilessly, no longer fearing him now that his acupoints were sealed.

"Kneel down!" Oh Jinyang shouted, punching Hyonwon Kang in the abdomen with all his might.

Hyonwon Kang's upper body shook slightly, but his expression didn't change at all. Rather, Oh Jinyang, the aggressor, seemed to be in more pain.

"Keuk! Is your body made of rock…? Don't defend yourself with inner arts, you bastard!"

"…I didn't use any inner arts. Not like I can with my acupoints sealed."

"Shut up!"

Oh Jinyang led the charge as six or seven students rushed in and brutally attacked Hyonwon Kang. Within moments, his martial arts uniform was torn to shreds and his hair was a mess.

Oddly though, it didn't hurt as much as Hyonwon Kang thought it would.

These guys… Why are their punches so weak? Are they deliberately going easy on me?

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It failed to occur to him that his usual close combat training partners were Baek Suryong, Geo Sangwoong, and Ya Suhyeok, the strongest external arts experts in the Azure Dragon Academy.

"You can hit harder, you know… And, uh, a bit more on the left shoulder…" Hyonwon Kang mumbled sheepishly.

"SHUT UP!"

The Club Union students hit Hyonwon Kang the hardest, but somehow they were the ones getting tired. Meanwhile, Hyonwon Kang looked as relaxed as if he was enjoying a massage.

Eventually, lost in his rage, Oh Jinyang unsheathed his sword.

"You bastard!" he screamed, swinging it at Hyonwon Kang's head with all the inner qi he could muster.

SWOOSH!

Hyonwon Kang instinctively twisted his body to dodge the attack. He had intended to let the Club Union punch him until their anger subsided, but taking a sword slash was a different matter altogether.

In a low voice, he warned, "If you cut me with a sword, things will escalate. Don't do something you'll regret later."

"Ha! You dodged! Weren't you going to let us hit you as much as we wanted?"

"……"

Sneering, Oh Jinyang held up the new club application form Hyonwon Kang had handed over earlier. "You're the one who broke your promise first, so you have no complaints if I do this, right?"

RIIIIIIIIP!

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In front of Hyonwon Kang, Oh Jinyang tore up the club application and tossed it on the floor, laughing derisively, "Bastards like you have no right to join our Club Union, and those who want to be in the same club as you must be trash too. The Azure Dragon Academy's clubs aren't a garbage dump."

Hyonwon Kang immediately lost it.

"…I came here to apologize sincerely, but you guys are really pushing it," he snapped, releasing a terrifying killing intent. He didn't care if they insulted him, but Oh Jinyang had crossed the line by insulting his friends.

"Ugh!" The students who had hit Hyonwon Kang fell back in shock, gasping.

Hyonwon Kang had always possessed a fierce fighting spirit and a natural inclination for violence, and ever since his return from the Valley of Evil, that side of him had grown so intense that few could rival him.

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Approaching Oh Jinyang, Hyonwon Kang snarled, "Hey. Did you just call my friends trash?"

Horrified, Oh Jinyang stammered, "H-How? I sealed your acupoints…"

"I undid that long ago."

"D-Don't come any closer! If you hit me here, you'll never be able to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival!" Oh Jinyang cried hysterically, backing away, but in his desperation to get away from Hyonwon Kang, he tripped and fell.

Hyonwon Kang crouched down, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "You said you wouldn't accept my club application, right? Well, if I can't compete anyway, I wonder if beating you to a pulp would make me feel a bit better?"

"T-That…"

Hyonwon Kang reached out and grabbed Oh Jinyang's shoulder. Slowly, he tightened his grip, causing Oh Jinyang's face to contort in pain.

"Ugh…"

"So, while I'm still being nice…"

"Enough!" a voice imbued with inner qi interjected.

Everyone turned towards the speaker, only to see a young man gently remove Hyonwon Kang's hand from Oh Jinyang's shoulder.

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"Seonwoo Jin!"

"Senior Jin!"

"President!"

"We're saved…"

Cries of relief came from all over.

Hyonwon Kang looked at the person who had stopped him. "Seonwoo Jin," he growled, standing back up.

"Hello, Hyonwon Kang. It's been a while," Seonwoo Jin replied.

Seonwoo Jin was slightly shorter than Hyonwon Kang, with a lean build, delicate features that gave him a refined, almost noble presence, and a slender dao at his waist. He was the heir of the Seonwoo Clan and also the President of the Bladesmanship Research Society, one of the biggest student clubs.

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With a gentle smile, Seonwoo Jin continued, "I heard that you went to the Valley of Evil and came back injured… but it seems that you have grown even stronger than before."

"On the contrary, you look as slick as ever."

"Haha! I get that sometimes." Seonwoo Jin laughed pleasantly.

Frowning, Hyonwon Kang asked, "Someone called you 'President' earlier. Are you the new Club Union President?"

Seonwoo Jin shook his head. "No, I'm just the temporary stand-in. Someone needs to fill the gap left by Peng Sahyuk until a new President is elected. Anyway, Oh Jinyang, accept his club application."

"But President…"

"Jinyang, you know better than anyone that letting personal feelings influence your decision to accept an application is an abuse of authority."

Clenching his teeth, Oh Jinyang lowered his head deeply. "…Understood."

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He says he's temporary, but he's already acting like the President, Hyonwon Kang thought, furrowing his brows. From the moment Seonwoo Jin appeared, it was obvious that he had already taken control of the Club Union.

Noticing Hyonwon Kang's stare, Seonwoo Jin smiled awkwardly and said, "We're still accepting candidates for the election, but I'm the only person who applied, so… haha."

"……" Hyonwon Kang fell silent. Seonwoo Jin, the President of the Bladesmanship Research Society, hailed from the renowned Seonwoo Clan, known for their swift bladesmanship. Though not as prestigious as the Peng Clan that Peng Sahyuk belonged to, they were still well-regarded.

With his martial arts skills, good looks, and family background, it was almost a given that he would be the next president of the Club Union, so no one else even considered running against him.

"Sorry about how these guys acted. I rushed over as soon as I heard you were here… If I had been any later, things might have gone south."

"It's fine. I'll just rewrite the application and leave," Hyonwon Kang replied curtly, heading to the reception desk.

Fortunately, the Club Union had spare application forms on hand, so rewriting everything wasn't much trouble. He quickly filled out the new form and handed it over to Oh Jinyang.

Oh Jinyang accepted the form with a sour look. "You know the pre-requisites for new clubs, right?"

"Yeah. We have the required five members, with me as the club president. Our advisor is Mr. Baek Suryong. It's all written there in black and white, so read it yourself. If you're illiterate, why are you even sitting at the reception desk?"

"Grrr…" Oh Jinyang's face darkened as he reluctantly accepted the application form. Hyonwon Kang's new club had checked all the boxes, so officially, he had no reason to complain.

With that, the Medicinal Cooking Research Society was officially established.

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As Hyonwon Kang stood up to leave, Seonwoo Jin barred his path and apologized, "I'm really sorry about earlier. I hope you'll let it go for my sake."

"I'm not upset," Hyonwon Kang muttered, though the hint of irritation on his face said otherwise.

Despite that, Seonwoo Jin kept smiling, extending his hand. "Welcome to the Club Union, Hyonwon Kang. Let's put the past behind us and move forward together."

"Together? Us? Yeah, right," Hyonwon Kang scoffed, brushing past Seonwoo Jin's outstretched hand without even glancing at it.

As he strode toward the exit, he could hear the Club Union students muttering behind him.

"What a rude asshole!"

"He didn't even thank the President!"

"The Medicinal Cooking Research Society? What kind of weird club is that?"

When they saw how blatantly Hyonwon Kang had ignored Seonwoo Jin, the Club Union students were livid.

"Everyone, quiet!" Seonwoo Jin's sharp voice sliced through the murmurs. Turning back to Hyonwon Kang, he called out, "Hyonwon Kang, I know you've had issues with Peng Sahyuk. That arrogant jerk bullied you, ignored you, and you ended up in a lot of fights because of him. So, it's no surprise you don't think much of the Club Union."

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"……"

"But I'm not him."

"……" Hyonwon Kang kept walking, refusing to answer.

"I plan to erase everything Peng Sahyuk left behind in the Club Union. Making peace with you is part of that. He's gone now, so let's leave the bad blood behind. I hope we can see each other more often. Take care on your way back, and maybe next time, we'll even be able to smile when we meet," Seonwoo Jin continued, smiling as radiantly as ever, as if the lack of response didn't bother him.

Hyonwon Kang stopped in his tracks, lost in thought. "Hmm…"

He abruptly turned on his heel. Overthinking never suited him. With firm steps, he strode straight back to Seonwoo Jin, stopping just inches away. "I need to ask you something. Just one thing," he said, a faint, mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

The students nearby instantly froze, sensing that something wasn't quite right.

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Seonwoo Jin, however, remained calm. "Shoot. I'll answer you honestly."

Hyonwon Kang could see the fake concern hidden in Seonwoo Jin's eyes, but that didn't matter. The Medicinal Cooking Research Society was already up and running. With his goal met, he could have walked away without a word…but why should he?

An idea sparked in his mind—a way to rack up even more Social Engagement points. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth a shot.

Hyonwon Kang pointed to a nearby banner with bold lettering that read, 'Election Notice: Now Accepting Candidates for Club Union President!'

"That. I'm thinking of running. How do I sign up?" he asked.

"…What?"

For the first time, a crack appeared in Seonwoo Jin's flawless smile.

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