It was after I returned from meeting Chun Seo-hee.

While waiting for her to contact me, I was enjoying a rare at-home date with Na-gyeong on a Sunday.

She had been pouting about how I hadn’t spent time with her lately, so I had to make up for lost time.

“If you even think about going out, I swear, you won’t get away with it.”

Because of her, I had even turned down Choi Yeon-jung’s invitation for a meal.

I’d read on mom forums that once kids got older, parents regained some freedom—but for some reason, my daughter seemed to cling to me even more as she grew.

It was endearing, yet at the same time, a little concerning.

‘Does she really have no friends…?’

Judging from the feedback of her past homeroom teachers, it wasn’t that she lacked social skills.

But she didn’t seem to have any “real” friends—the kind people called ride-or-die best friends.

How could she, when she rushed home every day just to spend time with me?

Whenever I asked if she had any plans to hang out with her friends, she would always respond the same way:

“I’d rather spend time with you, Dad.”

Her adorable filial piety always shut me up before I could say anything more.

At this rate, if she suddenly brought home a boyfriend one day, I might actually pass out on the spot.

“Hup.”

“Do you really have to sit on my lap to watch?”

“This is my designated seat, remember?”

Honestly, our “home dates” weren’t anything special.

We’d just stick to each other like glue on the couch, each fiddling with our phones or watching TV together. Then, when it was time, we’d eat.

Na-gyeong’s favorite thing was watching a good movie or drama while nestled in my arms.

If there was ever a homebody, she was the ultimate one.

“Oh.”

It was while we were snacking and watching TV—just like any other day.

“This looks interesting.”

Na-gyeong, holding the remote, reacted with curiosity to something on the screen.

“What is it?”

It was an old weekend program that introduced fascinating stories with reenactments.

“Something about forbidden magic.”

“Magic, huh? That’s your specialty. Do they teach this at the academy too?”

“They do. But more like ‘You must never use this kind of magic.’”

“Makes sense. I guess it’s like swordsmanship—they also teach that you shouldn’t just swing it at people carelessly.”

I absentmindedly scrolled through my phone while having this lighthearted conversation with her.

…Until suddenly—

[“Forbidden magic?“]

[“The forbidden magic that Jane kept hidden was…“]

A familiar topic played on the TV.

[“It was the magic of soul-swapping.“]

‘Huh? Soul-swapping magic?’

Memories from the past surfaced in my mind.

Back when I was still active as a Hero—before Na-gyeong was even born.

We had received reports of a village where people were disappearing.

After an extended investigation with no leads, we were about to dismiss it as a string of unfortunate accidents…

Until the village chief’s own children vanished.

Fortunately, we found a trace of them and immediately launched a pursuit.

That’s when we uncovered the truth behind the disappearances.

The culprit was a cult seeking eternal life through an ancient, forbidden spell—

A ritual to swap souls.

“Persistent bastards.”

They had treasured that forbidden spellbook more than their own lives.

I had scoffed at their obsession back then, but seeing a similar concept pop up on TV now felt strangely surreal.

“At least this world doesn’t have lunatics researching things like that.”

Feeling a sudden wave of gratitude for that fact, I absentmindedly checked my phone, which I had left untouched for a while.

“…….”

Still, no message from Chun Seo-hee.

“She’s taking longer than I expected.”

When I last saw her, she had simply said she’d think about it and then left in a hurry.

At first, I was confident she’d reach out soon.

But now, with no response at all, I was starting to feel… a little uneasy.

“I can’t be the one to ask first.”

If I gave in now and sent a message, it would make it obvious that I was the one who was impatient.

I wasn’t planning on playing mind games with a kid much younger than me, but after all the bold claims I had made…

‘…She’ll contact me before the day is over. She has to.’

Resolving to stay patient, I flipped my phone face down and waited for Chun Seo-hee’s message at a relaxed pace.

And then—

“Wait. Why hasn’t she sent anything yet?”

As night fell and it was almost time for bed, my patience wore thin.

“Did something happen to her?”

She had too much pride, sure, but she wasn’t dumb enough to throw away an opportunity that was practically being handed to her.

Meanwhile, I had wasted an entire day out of my already limited time waiting.

“Tsk… Should I just nudge her a little?”

Just as I considered giving her a push—

Bzzzt.

My phone vibrated. A small notification popped up on the screen.

“!”

And there it was—

[Swordsmanship and First-Year Chun Seo-hee]

The name I had been waiting for.

“Stay calm. I can’t celebrate yet.”

For all I knew, she could just be rejecting me again.

I swallowed dryly and cautiously tapped the message to open the chat.

And the moment I saw Chun Seo-hee’s message sitting at the top—

I couldn’t stop the grin from forming on my face.

[I’ll give it a try.]

It was the first step in raising Chun Seo-hee.

*

Teachers are not allowed to give private lessons.

Public servants cannot have secondary jobs.

The same rule applies to academy instructors.

Although the academy operates under its own set of laws as a specialized educational institution, it is still treated similarly to a regular school.

However—

Things are a bit different for contract instructors.

Most contract instructors are either retired warriors who made a name for themselves during their active years or currently famous professionals still making their mark.

Some of them even take on personal students or operate for-profit training centers.

Because of this, the subject of private tutoring or secondary employment was never even up for debate.

In short—

I could give Chun Seo-hee as much preferential treatment as I wanted, and no one could say a word about it.

“She should be here soon...”

The new week had begun.

Classes had ended for the day.

Even though work hours were over, I was still at the academy, staring intensely at my phone.

Waiting.

Waiting for a call from my one and only prized student.

Bzzzzt—

‘She’s calling!’

The moment my phone vibrated, I snatched it up instantly.

I took a deep breath and counted to three in my head.

I had to act natural. Couldn’t let her think I was too eager.

“Hello?”

A voice, smooth and elegant, flowed through the speaker.

[I’m here.]

Even though it was slightly muffled by the phone’s mic, her voice was clear, beautiful.

“O-oh, yeah. Right. Uh…”

For a second, I was completely dazed—as if I had just encountered a siren whose voice could enchant people.

Snapping myself out of it, I quickly spoke up.

“G-go change into your training gear! I’ll see you at the training ground.”

Thankfully, Chun Seo-hee had no reaction whatsoever and simply hung up immediately.

…So much for my attempt to act calm.

“……Sigh.”

Training Ground.

When I entered the training facility, I saw several dedicated students still training hard.

Most of them were upperclassmen—second and third years—more desperate than the new first-years.

And among them—

“…….”

In the far corner, a pretty girl sat crouched on a training platform.

My prized student, the one with the beautiful voice—Chun Seo-hee.

“You’re here.”

“…Hello.”

She gave a polite bow as she greeted me.

Dressed in the academy’s standard training uniform, she was so breathtakingly gorgeous that even after just two days apart, I found myself taken aback again.

The fact that our relationship was purely student and teacher was honestly a tragedy.

‘If only I were three years younger… No, wait. That’s still not okay. Get it together, Han Do-hyun!’

I barely suppressed my rising impure thoughts, forcing myself to stay composed as I spoke.

“Starting today, we’re going hard. Hope you’re ready.”

“…Yes.”

We agreed to hold private lessons for exactly one week, up until the end of the deliberation period.

Since the only available training time was after school, I made sure to get a promise from her—

That she would absolutely follow my instructions during training.

In other words—

I had secured a commitment of “unquestioning obedience to any command I give.”

‘Hehehe.’

With my ulterior motives thoroughly satisfied, I masked my scheming expression and asked:

“Did you warm up?”

“No.”

…Right from the start, things weren’t going as planned.

“Wait… Weren’t you already warming up?”

“You never told me to.”

Chun Seo-hee stared at me blankly, as if to say, “What’s the problem?”

‘So what if you’re pretty? Does that mean you get to be difficult too?’

I was about to lecture her—because obviously, warming up before training should be common sense.

But then…

‘Technically, I never actually told her to… Hmm.’

Fine. I’d let it slide.

“…Alright. Let’s start with stretching, then.”

There’s a common misconception that swordsmanship only involves using your arms.

In reality, it engages the entire body’s muscles, much like gymnastics.

Skipping proper warm-ups can easily lead to muscle injuries or strain.

“…….”

Without complaint, Chun Seo-hee gave a small nod and began her “stretching.”

Or at least… she thought she did.

‘This is stretching?’

Her movements were so half-hearted, I couldn’t even call them warm-ups.

Even at a glance, it was obvious she was barely making an effort.

At first, I decided to stay quiet and let her be.

…But eventually, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“…Stop for a second.”

“?”

“Is that what you call stretching? Stretching means loosening up the muscles you don’t normally use—”

Watching her timidly rotate her shoulders and ankles triggered my inner drill instructor.

“Ugh. Sit down. I’ll help you.”

I plopped down on the floor and patted the space in front of me.

“…….”

For a moment, she stared at me with a mildly displeased expression—

But after a brief hesitation, she silently sat down.

“Stretching is the foundation of every workout. Magic can’t solve everything, you know.”

“…….”

“Answer me.”

“…Yes.”

And so, I taught Chun Seo-hee my long-standing stretching routine.

“Ugh…”

From her grimacing expression, she was not a fan.

‘At least her form is good.’

As expected, Chun Seo-hee was naturally very flexible.

Honestly, if she switched to gymnastics, she’d probably be a prodigy.

…If only certain “obstacles” weren’t getting in the way of her movements.

‘…Yeah, being too big can be a problem too.’

“How long do I have to do this?”

With her body pressed flat to the floor, Chun Seo-hee peeked up at me with mild annoyance.

She didn’t say anything, but her eyes screamed: “How long are you going to torture me?”

“Today, we’re doing nothing but stretching.”

“……Excuse me?”

For a brief moment, her expression fell into despair.

“You agreed to follow my every command, didn’t you? No stopping. Keep going.”

“…Haah….”

And just like that—

The real training of Chun Seo-hee had begun.