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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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In principle, academy students were strictly prohibited from leaving the campus.
However, there were a few exceptions, such as short outings under the supervision of their advisor.
In such cases, the advisor had to directly notify the teaching assistant, so I called both of their teaching assistants.
Teaching Assistant Bae Ye-bin, Han Min-ha’s teaching assistant, answered the phone with almost excessive gratitude.
[Oh, thank you, Professor! I’m so grateful! Please take good care of Min-ha!]
Next was Yoo Hee-won’s teaching assistant.
Her teaching assistant was a senior teaching assistant with the unusual name of Kim Yi-bitna.
She was a veteran who had been working at the academy for ten years.
But the reason she hadn’t become a chief teaching assistant or assistant professor after all that time was…
[Hello?]
“This is Professor Hyun Kyo from the faculty, Teaching Assistant Kim.”
[It’s Teaching Assistant Kim Yi, not just Kim.]
“Ah, yes. Teaching Assistant Kim Yi.”
[Why did you call?]
…because she was incredibly rude.
I was already aware of Teaching Assistant Kim Yi-bitna’s temperament, so I continued without being flustered.
“I’m taking student Yoo Hee-won out for a short outing for an advisory meeting. I’m calling to inform you.”
[Sigh… What time will you be back?]
Teaching Assistant Kim sighed deeply.
“We’ll be back before the main gate closes.”
[Excuse me, Professor, but isn’t nine o’clock too late?]
“I’m not saying we’ll be back exactly at that time, but we’ll be back before then, at the latest.”
[You professors might not know since your work ends after your classes, but it’s a bit inconvenient when students are suddenly taken out during the evening.]
As the advisor of her student, I tried to smooth things over with a laugh.
“Haha, yes, I understand you’re working hard. I’ll coordinate the time with you in advance next time.”
[Alright.]
Teaching Assistant Kim Yi-bitna ended the call curtly.
I could hear her muttering to herself as the call disconnected.
[Honestly… so annoying…]
Hmm…
Looking at the darkened phone screen, I immediately called Kim Yi-bitna again.
“[What? I’m busy…]”
“Teaching Assistant Kim.”
[It’s Teaching Assistant Kim Yi…]
I calmly interrupted her.
“I thought Teaching Assistant Kim had been working as a teaching assistant for ten years because you enjoyed the work and found it rewarding.”
[Excuse me?]
“Of course, I understand that the work of a teaching assistant is difficult. But that’s because you’re a teaching assistant, not because I’m taking student Yoo Hee-won out for a meal, right?”
“[What are you talking about?]”
“What I mean is this: there’s a clear difference between an advisor and a teaching assistant, and that difference is hierarchical. To put it simply, I’m not someone you can treat the same way you treat your junior teaching assistants.”
Teaching Assistant Kim remained silent on the other end of the line.
As a senior teaching assistant at the academy, she had probably never been spoken to like this before.
But I knew she hadn’t advanced beyond her current position because she lacked the necessary skills.
So, she should know her place and do her job properly.
She shouldn’t try to challenge professors by nitpicking and making a fuss over things that weren’t even against the rules, using her meager authority.
“Am I wrong?”
[You’re right.]
Teaching Assistant Kim’s voice subsided as she grasped the situation.
“Let’s behave appropriately.”
[Understood, Professor.]
“Good work.”
Yoo Hee-won, who had been listening to the conversation, widened her eyes in surprise.
“Our teaching assistant is notoriously rude, but you handled that well.”
“I’m not sure who you’re referring to. Anyway, let’s go.”
“What? Professor, what do you mean by that?”
“Let’s go.”
Ignoring Yoo Hee-won’s retort, I left the classroom.
Han Min-ha followed behind me like a shadow.
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My car was in the faculty parking lot.
“Wait in the car. I have something to pick up from my housing.”
I said that and opened the car door for them.
I wanted to grab the antacid suspension I had gotten after my stomach had been upset by the spicy stir-fried pork last time.
If I didn’t take it beforehand, I might end up making endless trips to the bathroom like last time.
When I returned to the parking lot, Yoo Hee-won was nowhere to be seen, and only Han Min-ha was standing next to the car, waiting for me.
“I told you to wait inside.”
“But I thought you should get in first…”
Oh dear…
“Where’s Hee-won?”
“She’s already inside.”
I looked through the window and saw Yoo Hee-won sitting arrogantly in the back seat, as if she were royalty.
Anyone would think it was a chauffeur’s car sent to pick up a noble lady from a royal academy.
Still, I couldn’t deny the natural air of sophistication and authority she exuded.
If even I, a professor, felt this way, how overwhelming must it be for Han Min-ha, a classmate, and the bottom of the class at that?
“Get in.”
“Yes.”
Once Han Min-ha was in the passenger seat, I started the car and drove out of the parking lot.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw Yoo Hee-won meticulously inspecting the car’s interior as if she were a customer at a dealership.
“I thought you’d be driving a twenty-year-old clunker, but this is unexpected. It even has a navigation system and a dashcam.”
“Academy professors’ salaries aren’t that bad, Hee-won.”
“Really? How much do you make? Ten million won?”
She casually started with a figure in the tens of millions, proving she was indeed from a wealthy family.
No, not just wealthy, but incredibly rich.
“I make enough to not starve… Good work. It’s just me and two students.”
I showed my ID to the brigade soldier guarding the main gate, rolled down the window, and let him confirm the passengers.
“We’re going out for dinner with my students. We’ll be back before nine.”
“I don’t know what they think they’re going to stop with those weapons.”
Yoo Hee-won muttered, glancing at the brigade soldier armed with a bulletproof vest and an assault rifle.
“I think they’re there to stop parents who come to complain to the professors.”
“Pfft…!!”
Han Min-ha, who had been as quiet as a mouse, stifled a laugh.
It was the most expressive reaction I had seen from her since we met, so I was quite surprised.
Was it that funny?
“Hey, why are you laughing? Huh?”
Yoo Hee-won kicked the back of the passenger seat and pressed Han Min-ha.
“Sorry… I wasn’t laughing, my nose just got itchy…”
“Bullshit. You were laughing. The professor said that for me to hear, didn’t he? Was it funny?”
“No… sorry…”
“I told you not to apologize!”
“Oh, right…! Sorry… No, no… I… I apologize…”
“Ugh, you idiot!”
Yoo Hee-won was acting out in the professor’s car, kicking the seat and referring to my words as “that.”
But for some reason, I didn’t find it as repulsive as I had in the original story.
Compared to her actions in the original, her current behavior was just typical mischievousness of a rebellious student her age.
It seemed the author had really reworked Yoo Hee-won’s character.
At this rate… perhaps she could become a decent person with proper guidance.
If I could control Yoo Hee-won properly, raising Han Min-ha would become much easier.
I glanced at Han Min-ha; she was sitting quietly, looking straight ahead.
Now Han Min-ha was the real problem.
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“Gasp…Haah…”
Yoo Hee-won kept inhaling sharply, sticking out her tongue, and wiping away sweat as she ate the spicy stir-fried pork.
“Are you alright, Hee-won?”
“Yes…”
“You don’t look alright.”
She was the one who had suggested spicy stir-fried pork, but she was also the one who struggled with it the most.
I took the antacid suspension out of my pocket and handed it to Yoo Hee-won, who was gulping down soda.
“Take this so you don’t upset your stomach.”
“I’m fine. Gasp… It’s not like I’m going to be affected by this…Gasp…”
“Are you sure you like spicy stir-fried pork? Is this your first time trying it?”
“It is my first time, Ugh… I’m never allowed to eat this kind of food at home. Haah… It’s so damn spicy…”
She seemed to be casually speaking informally to me, using the spicy food as an excuse, but I decided to let it slide.
But… a home where she wasn’t allowed to eat spicy stir-fried pork?
It wasn’t just a rich family; it felt like she came from a completely different background.
“I have to eat it while I can. When I go back during break, it’s back to that boring organic stuff… Gasp… Hey, give me the rest of your soda.”
Han Min-ha handed over her soda, and Yoo Hee-won chugged it straight from the cup without pouring it into a glass.
“Ugh… I’m alive. When else am I going to get to eat this?”
“It’s not like this is your first time eating out…”
“It is.”
“What?”
“It’s my first time. Ah, correction. My first time at a place like ‘this’.”
Huh… Her pretending to be a commoner by eating tteokbokki and stuff might not have been an act after all.
“If my mom or dad calls, don’t tell them about this, okay? You’ll get in trouble too, Professor.”
“I don’t think I’ll get in trouble. You’re the one who held my allowance hostage and dragged me here.”
Yoo Hee-won scoffed.
“Ha! You underestimate my parents, Professor. They’re not the type to bleed even if you stab them.”
“Well, I haven’t spoken to them directly, so I don’t know…”
“Excuse me! One more steamed egg, please!”
Yoo Hee-won shouted her order before I could finish my sentence.
“And more corn cheese!”
“Corn cheese too!”
Compared to Yoo Hee-won, Han Min-ha was quietly eating as usual, without a word.
I stared at her, amazed that she wasn’t even sweating, and she met my gaze and looked down.
“I like spicy food…”
“Eat a lot. I’ll order more if you need it.”
“Yes, thank you, Professor. You should eat too.”
Han Min-ha said cautiously, looking at my clean plate.
“I’m going to eat with the steamed egg when it comes.”
Yoo Hee-won, who had been busy with her phone, looked at me incredulously.
“Huh? Professor… that’s mine.”
“Order another one, then.”
“Seriously…”
I felt a strange sensation watching my students diligently eating spicy stir-fried pork with flushed faces.
I was a reader who had been possessed into a failed academy web novel.
I was clearly aware that this fictional world and the real world were separate, and that the students in front of me, as well as the customers at the surrounding tables, were all characters in a novel.
Moreover, my robust Mental Barrier protected my mind, so I rarely felt any particular emotions towards others.
However, looking at the gloomy black-haired and the sassy blonde student in front of me, I felt a slight sense of responsibility, or something similar.
I cleared my throat and began to speak.
“Although we had a bit of a rocky start, we’re connected now, so let’s strive for a productive relationship until graduation…”
“Should we take a picture?”
Yoo Hee-won cut me off, holding up her phone.
“Hee-won, I was just…”
“Hey, Han Min-ha. Why aren’t you smiling?”
“Ah… okay…”
Han Min-ha smiled awkwardly and leaned into the frame.
“Come on, Professor, smile too. Say cheese.”
“Alright… cheese…”
*Click.*
“Wait, I didn’t turn on the filter. Again. I told you to smile.”
“Okay… hehe…”
“God, you’re so gloomy. So gloomy that even filters don’t work.”
Somehow… even with just two students, I had a feeling things weren’t going to be easy…
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