Chapter 11

Near the university, at an izakaya.  

(Izakaya is a type of Japanese bar in which a variety of small, typically inexpensive, dishes and snacks are served to accompany the alcoholic drinks.)

“Wow, Jin Seol-rin, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”  

“Haha, hello, Professor.”  

The Department Head, Jin Seong-tae, greeted Seol-rin, who sat next to him. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant reunion, considering he was a professor she and her peers had often criticized during her four years at school. She had even quietly liked posts criticizing him on the school community board.  

‘Assistant Jin Seol-rin already has dinner plans with me today.’

“Today was the day of the department dinner.”  

Recalling Tae-oh’s words, Seol-rin blushed. She hadn’t realized that today was the day of the Philosophy Department dinner with the professors and graduate students. Honestly, hearing Tae-oh say she had dinner plans with him had made her heart race for a moment. It had felt like receiving a date invitation.  

But the moment she found out about the department dinner, that illusion shattered. At the same time, she reminded herself to stay grounded.  

‘Don’t even think about having feelings for Professor Ma Tae-oh! Don’t imagine things, Jin Seol-rin! Get it together.’  

This turned out to be a good opportunity to regain her composure. There had been moments recently when the cold and indifferent professor seemed slightly more human, but Seol-rin reminded herself that crossing the line would only lead to trouble. If she did, that day would be the perfect day to resign.  

Awkwardly smiling, she sat among the professors, enduring a barrage of nagging from all directions. Since Tae-oh had joined after her graduation, she wasn’t familiar with him, but she knew most of the other professors.  

“Seol-rin, aren’t you going to graduate school? Since you’re already working as an assistant, why not continue?”  

“Right, haha.”  

“It’s been a while since you graduated. What have you been doing without finding a job?”  

“Right.”  

“Still no boyfriend?”  

“Sigh, right.”  

Jin Seol-rin’s strategy: respond to nagging with “Right.” Her macro-like answers eventually made the professors lose interest in her.  

Finally, peace returned to her mind. At times like this, she found Professor Ma Tae-oh surprisingly comfortable. At least he didn’t use familiarity to make people feel uncomfortable.  

Deciding to make the most of the awkward situation, she sipped on the green bottles of soju in front of her. In truth, she was a heavy drinker who only refrained because there wasn’t enough alcohol around.  

“You’re holding up well, aren’t you?”  

“Do I… know you?”  

It was then that a woman from the graduate students’ table approached Seol-rin and sat lightly across from her. The woman had long, jet-black hair and looked somewhat familiar.  

“Turns out we’re classmates, huh? Mind if I drop the formalities?”  

“Oh, are you the one who… made a scene about dying if the professor didn’t accept your feelings?”  

As if she suddenly remembered, Seol-rin clapped her hands. On her first day meeting Professor Ma Tae-oh, this woman had dramatically declared she’d die if her love wasn’t reciprocated. 

Was her name… Gu Yu-na?  

“…What nonsense!”  

Yu-na raised her voice as if offended by Seol-rin’s words. However, the noisy atmosphere meant no one paid attention to their exchange.  

“Anyway… you’re alive. That’s good. Life is precious, and dying over a man is a bit much.”  

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Seol-rin’s slightly slurred words spilled out. Yu-na frowned, clearly displeased by her comment.  

“How did you seduce SexMa? Did you bribe him with your body?”  

What did I just hear?

Seol-rin’s face twisted in disbelief.  

“What are you talking about?”  

“You know what I mean. Everyone else couldn’t last a month, but you’ve somehow managed to stick around for almost a month. I find that highly suspicious.”  

“For someone attending graduate school, your thinking is quite narrow. At least I don’t beg for someone’s love by threatening my own life. That’s practically blackmail for the person on the receiving end.”  

“Hah… Hey. Mind your own business. Do you even know how ridiculous everyone thinks it is that you, a mere graduate, are working as an assistant? After three years of struggling, shouldn’t you have found a job by now?”  

“Why is this conversation going in that direction?”  

“If you’re so eager to be an assistant, why not enroll as a graduate student? Stop meddling in other people’s business and take care of your own life.”

“…”  

“Oh my, are you about to cry? Don’t take it too hard; I’m only saying this because I care about you as a classmate. Anyway, I’m leaving now.”

With a bright smile, Yu-na walked away as if she hadn’t just delivered a verbal slap. Unsurprisingly, the graduate students at her table seemed to glance at Seol-rin from time to time. Among them were a few familiar faces from her undergraduate days.  

“So annoying.”  

Seol-rin grabbed her glass and downed the soju in one go. Everything tasted especially bitter today.  

Sip by sip, she drank alone in a corner until it was past midnight. The sounds of people wrapping up the dinner and saying their goodbyes filled the air.  

As she tried to steady her slightly blurry mind, she noticed the graduate students’ table was now empty. Next to her sat the Department Head, snoring drunkenly, and Tae-oh, sitting upright without a hint of disarray.  

‘He really is handsome… No matter how often I see him, he’s so good-looking.’  

As she stared at Tae-oh’s sharp profile, practically drooling, he suddenly turned to her.  

“Jin Seol-rin, are you drunk?”  

Startled, Seol-rin quickly composed herself and replied,  

“Oh, no? I’m fine. This much is nothing!”  

“Then can you call a taxi? Let’s send the Department Head home and leave as well.”  

“Got it!”  

In truth, she wasn’t entirely fine. Yu-na’s hurtful words had left a deep sting, leading her to drink more than usual. Pushing down the rising alcohol buzz, she called for a taxi.  

As the remaining professors exited the bar, the cold winter wind brushed against their faces. Most quickly called for designated drivers or taxis, leaving only Tae-oh, Seol-rin, and the snoring Department Head outside the bar.  

Shivering from the cold, Seol-rin watched as Tae-oh helped the Department Head into a taxi. Despite the weight of the drunken man, Tae-oh’s movements were effortlessly smooth and efficient.  

How could someone be so perfect in everything? 

Tae-oh seemed to live a life completely different from her own, one full of flaws.  

“Jin Seol-rin.”  

“Yes…?”  

Thump—  

Her heart skipped a beat as Tae-oh called her name. She tried to blame the alcohol, but her heart pounded so loudly it felt unnatural.  

‘It’s because he’s so handsome. Who wouldn’t be tempted by someone like him?’  

After all, there was only a four-year age gap between us. Feeling attracted to a young, handsome man was a natural human instinct.

Of course, confining our relationship within the boundaries of professor and assistant made it feel as though I was committing some great wrongdoing.  

Or was it actually a wrongdoing? After all, it was true that Ma Tae-oh’s sexiness had caused assistants to be dismissed one after another.  

Unaware of her impure thoughts, Tae-oh walked steadily toward Seol-rin.  

We had both been drinking, so why was it that he didn’t even smell like alcohol? 

As he approached, the faint scent of his cologne wafted toward her, and Seol-rin sniffed the air.  

“Where do you live, Jin Seol-rin?”  

“Oh, I live near the school, so it’s not far. How about you, Professor?”  

“I’m heading back to the research lab.”  

“What…? You’re going back to school now?”  

Seol-rin’s jaw dropped at the mention of returning to the lab. Then again, she thought, the title of youngest professor wasn’t given to him for no reason.  

“But it’s past midnight…”  

“It happens often.”  

“But you’ve been drinking.”  

“I didn’t drink much.”  

“Oh…”  

Having nothing more to say, Seol-rin pressed her lips together. The two naturally began walking toward the school. Unable to endure the awkward silence, Seol-rin spoke up.  

“By the way, Professor, I’ve been curious about something.”  

“Go ahead.”  

“Why did you ask Cha Yeon-woo to rewrite his academic plan? You’re not going to read it anyway.”  

Truthfully, she had been dying to ask this question. Even though Cha Yeon-woo’s admission was practically a done deal, Tae-oh had insisted he rewrite the plan.  

“He probably submitted a mess again, so what’s the point of checking it?”  

“What? But you acted as if you’d reject him if he didn’t do it properly this time.”  

“I can’t reject him anyway. The University President has already taken care of it. What power does a mere professor have to reject him? I just…”  

“Just…?”  

“I just didn’t want him to think he got into this department without any effort. That’s all. I still believe that, to someone, even a seemingly insignificant Philosophy Department could have been a desperately sought-after opportunity.”  

“Oh…”  

“Well, if there are many students like you who regret entering the Philosophy Department, maybe that’s a good thing.”  

“Th-that’s…”  

Her cheeks flushed with guilt. Seol-rin hadn’t been forced into choosing the Philosophy Department. She had genuinely enjoyed memorizing the names of philosophers, studying their ideas, and building new perspectives.  

But at some point, repeated failures in finding a job had made her lose all affection for the department. She had forgotten that it was her own choice and had started complaining that it was just a department with poor job prospects.  

‘To someone, it could have been a desperately sought-after opportunity…’  

As she reflected on Tae-oh’s words, he suddenly stopped walking. Seol-rin also came to a halt, and their eyes met. Tae-oh’s lips curved into a soft smile. He was smiling at her.  

“Jin Seol-rin, you’ve worked hard.”  

“What? I haven’t done anything…”  

“I’m talking about the Cha Yeon-woo matter.”  

“Oh…”  

“I know how difficult it is to change someone’s mind. In that sense, I think you’ve done something greater than me by moving Cha Yeon-woo’s heart.”  

“Professor…”  

It was unfair. How could someone with such a beautiful face speak so kindly?  

Even his expressionless face was handsome, but his smiling face was utterly breathtaking. Feeling recognized by Tae-oh made Seol-rin feel as though she were walking on clouds.  

“Professor, if it’s okay with you…”  

“…”  

“Shall we go for a second round?”  

She knew she shouldn’t have any personal feelings for him. But the suggestion she had just made… well, it came purely from gratitude and respect. Respect for the professor she would be working under for the next year. She had no intention of crossing the line between professor and assistant.  

But she couldn’t help feeling self-conscious. Having made the suggestion, she grew nervous when Tae-oh didn’t respond. 

Did he already think I had crossed the line?  

Thinking she should smooth things over before it got more awkward, Seol-rin opened her mouth.  

“It’s probably too much, right? You must have a lot of work to do. Oh, right, you said you were going back to the lab…”  

“Let’s do it.”  

Contrary to her expectations, Tae-oh accepted her suggestion. Apparently, her proposal hadn’t crossed any lines.