Even if one did not know him, the dozens of men in black suits that appeared with him were changing the atmosphere of the parking lot.
Just by standing there, a sense of tension spread around.
"Have you arrived, Don?"
As I bowed my head and spoke, my father grimaced.
"Disgusting. Why do we need formalities here, among family?"
"Still, since we're outside..."
"Keh!"
"Yes... Father."
I had always thought it was strange when he said he didn't use honorifics, but it seemed that this family disliked a stiff atmosphere.
"Good, you've worked hard. Let's go home."
"...Yes."
Without even asking about the results, my father patted my shoulder and reached for the door handle.
Suddenly, his movements stopped.
"Farnello."
"Yes, Boss."
As my father mentioned Farnello's name, the middle-aged man sitting in the driver's seat got out of the car and stood in front of me.
"Father?"
"Jin, stay still for a moment."
Father also stood next to the man called Farnello, as if to protect me from something. When I cautiously followed his gaze, I felt a chill.
Suddenly, a sensation like an electric current ran through my body.
An old man with blue hair was walking towards us, holding the hand of a girl who seemed embarrassed.
Although I couldn't see the old man's expression, I could tell his gaze was fixed on us.
As the distance between Father and the old man grew closer, the atmosphere around us became heavier.
Farnello slowly put his hand into his pocket, and the old man subtly placed his hand on the sword at his left waist.
In this tense situation,
I finally understood the current situation when I saw the face of the old man and the girl beside him.
A man who could exude such a presence in front of my father, with his distinctive blue hair and the setting of doting on his granddaughter.
Sword Immortal Choi Sun-ho.
His known age is 94, but his appearance looks like he's in his 40s, and his extremely well-trained body made it clear at a glance what level he had reached.
As the distance between Choi Sun-ho and my father grew closer, and when they were less than 3 meters apart, Choi Sun-ho slowly raised his hand, pointing in my direction.
"Over there."
A clicking sound came from Farnello's pocket, and an overwhelming silence followed.
The silence was broken by the girl, Yeon, standing behind Choi Sun-ho.
"Grandfather..."
The girl, who was holding Choi Sun-ho's right hand, tugged at it and mumbled, causing his shoulders to drop.
She must have sensed that something big would happen if this continued.
Choi Sun-ho, who had a stern expression just a moment ago, smiled and spoke to the girl beside him.
"Don't worry, child. Nothing will happen as you think."
After saying that, he pointed slightly to the side of where I was and spoke to us.
"I'm about to get in the car. Could you move a bit?"
...The car?
When I turned to check, I noticed a white SUV parked next to Father's black sedan.
Is this Choi Sun-ho's car?
A laugh came from in front of me.
"Whose car is this? It's the old man's, I see. I apologize."
Father, who had been shielding me with his back, moved to the side and smiled at Choi Sun-ho.
Choi Sun-ho shrugged.
"Is he your son?"
"Yes, he's our Calione's eldest son."
As if the tension just now was a lie, both men relaxed and started talking.
"Calione's eldest son entering the academy. Interesting."
"I wouldn't know, but our son should receive the best education."
"Hahaha! That's right. Parents will do anything for their children."
After saying that, Choi Sun-ho walked towards his SUV, stopping beside me and looking at me.
"Calione's son, I'll be expecting great things from you."
"Yes, please be careful on your way back, sir."
"What? Hahaha! You really take after him! Hmm."
After saying that, he patted my shoulder a few times with the hand that was resting on the sword hilt and got into the car.
The girl, who had been holding his hand, stared at me and Father for a moment before getting into the car.
The white SUV left the parking lot.
As the tension between the two giants dissipated, Farnello took his hand out of his pocket and bowed to Father.
"I'll prepare to leave, Boss."
"Good work, Farnello."
Farnello returned to the driver's seat.
When only the two of us were left in front of the car,
"Jin."
Father, who had maintained a stern expression throughout, called my name.
"Yes."
"Do you know who that old man was?"
"...Sword Immortal. Choi Sun-ho."
"Hmm, you managed to withstand his aura despite knowing who he was."
A thick hand was placed on my head.
"Like just now, never show weakness in front of any strong opponent. You are Vito Calione's son."
"...Yes, Father."
To me, who was tense from meeting a giant for the first time, his words were like a thousand troops.
* * *
"Hehe, Calione's son has grown so much. Seeing him at the academy today, he must be your classmate, right?"
Sword Immortal Choi Sun-ho, who was heading home with his granddaughter, spoke to her, still with a smile on his face.
"Yes, I remember he took the test after me."
Choi Sun-ho's granddaughter, Choi Yeon, who was looking at her phone without reading his expression, said this, making him tilt his head.
"Is that so? What do you think of that boy? Is he worth watching?"
In response to Choi Sun-ho's question, Choi Yeon raised her gaze and thought deeply.
"Gun."
"...Gun?"
"Yes, he seemed to have instructed someone who looked like his subordinate to shoot at the instructor."
"Huh, he made the instructor shoot a gun?"
"Yes."
Choi Yeon's calm explanation made Choi Sun-ho, who was driving, burst out laughing.
"Truly, that boy is interesting!"
"...Is he?"
Choi Yeon, who seemed to not understand, tilted her head, and Choi Sun-ho wiped the smile from his face and spoke.
"Yeon."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"Once you enter the academy, be careful of that boy."
"Huh? He didn't seem dangerous to me."
Choi Sun-ho shook his head at Choi Yeon's surprised response.
"That's not it. It's hard to explain... I sensed something from him."
"...Sensed something?"
"Yes, a smell. A very old smell, from when that Calione was just a young man."
Choi Sun-ho chuckled, recalling a man who had once flustered him.
"Your academy life will be quite interesting."
* * *
Finally, the mail from the academy arrived.
I already knew I had passed, but my heart was still pounding.
"What are you doing? Open it."
My father said.
"It's obviously a pass, why are you so nervous? It's not that big of a deal."
"Still, it's an acceptance letter from the academy."
Despite trying to look calm, the glass in Father's hand was trembling.
Is he nervous too?
"Ha, I understand. What is this..."
I said, tearing open the envelope with a paper knife.
A single sheet of paper inside.
As I slowly lifted it, the Korean word [Acceptance] appeared first.
I expected that much, but the problem was the text below.
[Second Place]
"Second place?"
"What? Second place?!"
The words that slipped out of my mouth made Father jump up.
"Wait a moment—"
But despite my resistance, Father took my acceptance letter.
"My son, second place. What a blessing! A blessing!"
Then, I heard footsteps running towards us, and a cute girl ran in.
"Second place? A blessing! A blessing! But, Papa, what does second place mean?"
The girl, who seemed to think it was her rightful place, naturally sat on Father's lap.
At the same time, my phone alarm went off.
[Character Entry (N)]
[Name: Ji-yoon Han Calione]
[Affiliation: Calione]
[Description: The youngest daughter of Vito Calione and the only sister of Jin Calione. She lost her mother at a young age and grew up with the love of her father, Vito Calione. She is the beloved of the Calione family.]
It seemed to be my sister.
"Is it a blessing? Is a blessing a good thing?"
Ji-yoon, who really didn't understand, looked up at Father's face.