Chapter 110 - Meeting the In- Laws (1)
I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 110
EP.110 Meeting the In- Laws (1)
Last night.
Park Tae-ho was at Stellaport. He had taken a vacation to spend some quality time with his granddaughter, Park Shin-hye.
However, when he contacted her to have dinner together, he was met with a cold refusal. Shocked, he asked for the reason…. She said she had to cultivate her mana.
Park Tae-ho thought it was a good opportunity and decided to visit her dormitory. In reality, he practically barged in.
“Ah! Stop bothering me! Get out! Get out!”
“Grandpa is here to help, okay?”
“I don’t need it! Get out!”
– Sulking…. –
“Ah! Really! Then I will to stay quiet, okay?”
– Smiling! –
“Argh!”
After a long struggle, Park Tae-ho was allowed to observe Park Shin-hye’s mana cultivation.
Park Tae-ho sat quietly by the bedside, as much as he could, until she put an unfamiliar elixir into her mouth.
“Wait a momeeeeent!!!!”
“Ah, argh! My ears! What is it, really!! You said you’d stay quiet!!”
“What is that! Where did you get it! You can’t just eat anything!!!”
“It’s not just anything!? A friend gave it to me!”
“A fri…? end?”
Park Tae-ho was dumbfounded when the word “friend” came out of Shin-hye’s mouth, as she was never good at making friends.
“You?”
“What is it!!??”
“I can’t believe it!! It must be a scammer!!”
“It’s really a friend!? He helped me several times!! Better than you, Grandpa!!”
“Hu, huh!”
– Thud. –
Park Tae-ho’s world crumbled.
With a sullen face, he left Park Shin-hye’s dormitory and headed to the Taesan Group headquarters.
“Find all the information on a guy named Kang Seo-jun, who is in the same grade as our Shin-hye.”
As expected of the power of the Taesan Group’s influential figure, the information was gathered at lightning speed.
“Hmm….”
At a glance, he was indeed an unusual guy.
A suspicious past with no common health check- up records. His growth rate was so phenomenal that he was considered a promising talent within less than a month of entering the academy. Recently, he had demonstrated rare spirit magic and highly advanced spatial teleportation magic simultaneously.
His talent was so extraordinary that even the term “unprecedented” seemed insufficient.
However, what stood out the most was his face. It wasn’t just because he was handsome.
“He looks familiar….”
He looked incredibly familiar.
“Where have I seen him….”
He was sure he had seen him somewhere before….
Park Tae-ho massaged his temples, trying to-jog his aging brain. Soon, he managed to pull out a memory buried deep in his subconscious.
“I can’t believe I forgot this!”
It was an event from over 30 years ago.
“The prophecy…! The magical parchment…! The man from 《Record of Destiny》!!!”
Kang Seo-jun.
He was the man Park Tae-ho had once fervently searched for.
“The Dis- man!”
A man registered with the World Hunter Union as a mysterious time traveler.
And….
The man who would someday marry Park Shin-hye and become his grandson- in- law.
The man who would someday fend off the great demon invasion and protect the Taesan Group.
Codename Dis- man.
Kang Seo-jun.
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[Park Shin-hye: I met my grandfather yesterday. He wants to see you.]
[Park Shin-hye: He insisted I bring you no matter what.]
“……?”
Grandfather?
The-honorary chairman of the Taesan Group?
[S+] Hunter Park Tae-ho?
‘That monstrous grandfather wants to see me? What is this all about? Why does that grandfather want to see me!? Why!?’
Kang Seo-jun immediately pressed the call button and dialed Park Shin-hye.
– Ring… Ring…–
‘What the hell is going on!? Why does that monster want to see me!?’
He had to ask Park Shin-hye immediately to understand what was happening. Why would the old monster of the Taesan Group want to see him? He needed to figure out the reason to prepare or plan accordingly.
– Ring… Ring… –
‘Why would Park Tae-ho, practically the real power behind the Taesan Group, be interested in a mere cadet like me…. Could it be…!?’
Even as the ringing continued, countless thoughts raced through Kang Seo-jun’s mind.
‘Could it be that he found out I was leeching off Park Shin-hye with 《Parasitic Growth》!? Or…. Did he discover that I was trying to pit the Taesan Group against the Red Cross Society!? Oh, no!’
Given the numerous offenses he had committed against the Taesan Group, all he could think about were anxious thoughts. Each offense was a serious crime that could easily result in his head being chopped off.
‘Why does he want to see meeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!’
As the saying goes, a guilty conscience needs no accuser. He felt like a drug offender summoned by the police.
‘If…. If he found out about the things I did….’
In that case, he would have to put everything on hold, including the Fruit of the Sun, and run for his life. Park Tae-ho was a colossal figure with enough power and influence to replace even the President of South Korea if he wished. If such a person considered him an enemy, living openly in South Korea—or anywhere—would be impossible.
– Click! –
Finally, Park Shin-hye answered the phone.
[- Ah, Grandpa! Wait a minute! I got a call! Ah, ah! Give it back!]
“……?”
But the ominous sound coming through the smartwatch was unsettling.
‘Grandpa? Wasn’t Park Shin-hye supposed to be alone…? Could she be with Park Tae-ho right now!?’
[- Ahem! Ahem. Is this Seo-jun?]
‘Oh.’
The deep, resonant voice that reminded him of a tiger’s roar. A voice he often heard in the original [Grand Hunter Academy].
It was undoubtedly Park Tae-ho’s voice.
‘Damn it.’
Kang Seo-jun ran his hand over his face. In this situation, he couldn’t gauge why Park Tae-ho wanted to see him.
“Yes. Nice to meet you. This is Kang Seo-jun.”
Given the situation, Kang Seo-jun decided to respond as naturally as possible. He couldn’t just hang up out of fear, and with a luck stat of ’50,’ he figured nothing too bad would happen. If he couldn’t gauge Park Shin-hye, he might as well ask Park Tae-ho directly.
[- Hearing your voice confirms it.]
“……?”
What exactly did that confirm?
[- You must have heard from Shin-hye. I want to see you this evening.]
“Hmm….”
[- I assume you won’t say no.]
“…….”
He wanted to say no. He had too many secrets that the Taesan Group must not discover, making the meeting uncomfortable. However, if Park Tae-ho wanted to see him, the meeting would happen regardless of Kang Seo-jun’s wishes. This wasn’t an invitation; it was more of a summons.
Refusing wouldn’t end the matter.
“I can make it….”
In the end, there was only one option. He might as well ask about the intention.
“But… I’m curious why the Chairman wants to see me.”
[- Hmph.]
An enigmatic chuckle came from the other side of the smartwatch.
What does that mean?’
[- Do I need a reason to see my future grandson- in- law?]
“Wha, what? Cough! Cough!”
Kang Seo-jun choked on his saliva. He never expected the words “future grandson- in- law” to come out of Park Tae-ho’s mouth. It was an uncharacteristically frivolous joke for Park Tae-ho. He wasn’t the type to make such unpleasant jokes….
“Ha, haha, I am close to Shin-hye, but we aren’t at that stage….”
[- I’d be disappointed if you were playing dumb.]
“…Excuse me?”
Gulp.
For a moment, Kang Seo-jun felt a shift in Park Tae-ho’s tone.
[- You know I’m not talking about Shin-hye. Seo-yoon. Aren’t you married to Seo-yoon?]
“…Huh, huh!”
For a moment, Kang Seo-jun couldn’t find words and just swallowed his breath.
‘This, this…!’
There was only one possibility for Park Tae-ho to say such things.
‘Did he see the records from the previous timeline!?’
Unless he had seen the item 《Record of Destiny》, there was no way Park Tae-ho would link Kang Seo-jun to his precious granddaughter, whom he had never even met.
“Su, su, surely…! No! That…!”
To be certain, Kang Seo-jun needed to ask Park Tae-ho directly, but the words wouldn’t come out easily. There was still the possibility that he hadn’t seen 《Record of Destiny》, and Kang Seo-jun had no idea what Park Tae-ho’s intentions were.
[- Hahaha….]
Seeing Kang Seo-jun’s evident confusion, Park Tae-ho chuckled.
[- Judging by your reaction, it seems my guess was correct. I was half- convinced, but it looks like you came from far away.]
“Ah, ah…!”
[- You seem quite flustered. Well…. I have many more questions, but it would be better to discuss them in person.]
“Wa, wait…!”
[- It seems you have something to say as well. I’ll be waiting. This evening. Come safely.]
“Wait a moment…!”
– Click. –
“…….”
The call ended there.
“Ah, damn it…!”
He missed the chance to ask if Park Tae-ho had indeed seen 《Record of Destiny》 and, if so, which timeline’s record he had seen. It felt like Park Tae-ho had intentionally ended the call early. Probably to discuss the rest in person.
“Sigh….”
Still, he had a rough idea.
‘It seems he considers me his future grandson- in- law. That’s why he wants to see me.’
That wasn’t a bad development. It was likely a lucky situation created by his luck stat of ’50.’ In the timeline where he married Park Seo-yoon, Park Tae-ho had been a strong supporter and benefactor. At that time, Kang Seo-jun was the favored grandson- in- law of the Taesan family. If those memories and favor had carried over to this timeline, Kang Seo-jun would gain a very powerful backer. Being favored by the real power behind a major corporation was never a bad thing.
However.
‘The relationships are getting complicated.’
Currently, Kang Seo-jun was officially dating Jin Se-rin. If Park Tae-ho found out about this, it was unpredictable-how he would react. He might feel betrayed or even try to eliminate Jin Se-rin to monopolize Kang Seo-jun. Conversely, if Jin Se-rin found out that Kang Seo-jun had once been married to Park Seo-yoon, it would be troublesome. Given her recent increase in possessiveness and jealousy, she might truly awaken as a yandere if she found out.
‘The skills of a veteran are being tested.’
Although some troublesome issues had arisen, he wouldn’t complain about the situation. His willpower stat of ’33’ wouldn’t allow it. The veteran’s way was to always find a solution, no matter the situation.
‘Everything depends on me.’
What he needed most was strength. If he had the power to mediate, even if the Taesan Group and the Seongjin Group ended up fighting, there would be no need to worry.
It was a moment that gave Kang Seo-jun even more reason to push his growth further.