Chapter 15

“Ugh, I’m so exhausted I could die.”  

Back home, after finishing her bedtime routine, Seol-rin collapsed onto her bed. It had been a long day.  

During her part-time job in the morning, she endured all sorts of insults from a rude customer. In the afternoon, she’d been too busy helping Tae-oh to even catch her breath.  

Looking at the clock, she saw it was already past midnight. She should’ve been so tired that she’d fall asleep instantly, but instead, her mind grew sharper with every passing moment.  

She blamed it all on that ridiculous R-rated dream and shook her head.  

“Ah, seriously, Jin Seol-rin, get a grip.”  

Of all people, why did I have to have such a lewd dream about the professor? 

Thinking about it again made her want to crawl into a hole and disappear.  

And why did I have to recall the dream in front of his car, of all places?  

“How am I going to look at the professor’s face from now on… … .”

Her face burned again. Normally, dreams would fade over time, but perhaps because of how vivid and explicit this one was, the memory of being intimate with Tae-oh only grew sharper.  

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm her racing heart and fall asleep.  

But all she could think about was his handsome face, his cold expression, his deep, resonant voice, and the warmth of his hand on her shoulder.  

Thoughts of Tae-oh multiplied endlessly, spiraling out of control.  

“Argh!”  

Finally, she shot up from her bed, clutching her flushed face and gasping for air.  

“Why is this happening? Why can’t I stop thinking about him?!”  

‘I like you too, Miss Jin Seol-rin.’  

Even his words from earlier came rushing back.  

“Calm down. He doesn’t like me as a woman. He just said he likes me as a teaching assistant, as a professional!”  

No matter how hard she tried to stay rational, her heart kept pounding wildly. She couldn’t stop thinking about him.  

“Don’t tell me…”  

A creeping realization spread through her body. Though she had little experience with relationships, she wasn’t so clueless as to not recognize her own feelings.  

“Professor Ma Tae-oh…?”  

Her trembling voice broke the silence as she whispered to herself.  

“Could I… have fallen for him”?

…….

“No way. It’s not like I fall for people easily.”  

Seol-rin couldn’t easily admit that she had fallen for Tae-oh. She couldn’t even pinpoint what had made her feel that way.  

Sure, she had received help from him at the café this afternoon, but it was mostly gratitude that she felt. Everything else seemed far too sudden for her to harbor deeper emotions.  

“It can’t be. It’s probably just because the professor is so handsome and young. It’s natural to feel nervous when you see an attractive person, right?”  

But no matter how much she tried to rationalize it, a corner of her heart remained uneasy. Humans are always inclined to entertain “what if” scenarios, and Seol-rin was no exception.  

‘What if I really have fallen for Professor Ma Tae-oh…?’  

As soon as that “what if” entered her mind, it began to grow, swelling like a balloon. A memory suddenly flashed through her mind—the first day she had approached Tae-oh. His icy voice from the research lab echoed in her ears.  

‘Ms. Gu Yu-na, if you’re done talking, then please leave.’

‘W-what? Professor, didn’t you hear me? I said I’m going to die! I’m really going to die!’

‘If you can die, then go ahead and do it right here in front of me.’

‘Professor…!’

‘Don’t use your life as a bargaining chip, Ms. Gu Yu-na. There’s nothing more pathetic than that.’

Tae-oh’s voice had been colder than ice, laced with disgust. Seol-rin had felt uneasy, fearing that she might end up like the previous assistants if she made a mistake.  

She had only just begun to earn recognition as an assistant. If Tae-oh ever found out that she harbored feelings for him, she would undoubtedly be fired on the spot.  

The mere thought of it was horrifying. Imagining Tae-oh looking at her with disgust made her shudder. On top of that, she recalled Mi-yeon’s stern warning before she started working as an assistant.  

‘Jin Seol-rin, you have to remember! Don’t fall for Professor SexMa! If you do, you’ll be fired immediately!’  

She couldn’t afford to be fired, no matter what. Money issues aside, losing the hard-earned contract position so suddenly would be devastating. She feared she would spiral into self-loathing, calling herself useless for even failing at this job.  

“No, that’s not it. There’s no way I’ve fallen for the professor.”  

Muttering to herself as if chanting a spell, Seol-rin finally managed to drift off to sleep.  

***

“It’s already Monday.”

In the end, Seol-rin hadn’t slept a wink over the precious weekend. The moment she became aware of her feelings, Ma Tae-oh’s face floated in her mind incessantly.  

Even if she had never paid attention to someone before, once the thought ‘Do I like this person?’ crossed her mind, it became impossible not to notice them.  

That was exactly Seol-rin’s state now. Even on her way to work, her heart raced uncontrollably, making her morning a struggle.  

Her mind kept denying the possibility of suddenly liking the professor, but her heart betrayed her, pounding recklessly.  

“Whew, I mustn’t let it show. Act natural! Stay smooth!”  

Standing in front of the department office, Seol-rin took deep breaths, steeling herself. She hadn’t even received her first paycheck yet. Despite Mi-yeon’s stern warnings about Professor SexMa, she had been too naïve.  

From now on, she resolved to maintain her distance from him. She promised herself not to show any personal affection toward the professor.  

“This will pass eventually.”  

“What will pass eventually?”  

“Eek!”  

Startled, she turned around to find Tae-oh standing there. Dressed in a white shirt and black slacks, his outfit was simple and classic, yet he looked as if he had just stepped out of a TV screen.  

‘Seriously… How can a professor be this handsome?’  

Tears almost welled up in her eyes. She wondered if this was what it felt like to meet her favorite idol in person.  

To hide her blushing face, Seol-rin quickly turned her head.  

“It’s nothing. But… what brings you to the department office so early in the morning…?”  

It was perfectly natural for a professor to visit the department office, but Seol-rin’s stream of nonsensical chatter had begun again. Tae-oh’s reaction, however, was unexpected.  

He smiled faintly, as if finding her reaction endearing.  

“Is there a problem with a professor coming to the department office?”  

“No, not at all, Professor. I was just rambling nonsense this morning. My apologies…”  

“I don’t think you returned the USB I gave you last time.”  

“Oh!”  

A small exclamation escaped Seol-rin’s lips. She remembered the USB Tae-oh had handed her a few days ago. She had printed the thesis files it contained but had forgotten to return the USB itself.  

“It’s in the drawer! I’ll get it right away.”  

Hurrying into the department office, Seol-rin opened her desk drawer and began rummaging through it. But strangely, the USB wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Sweat began to bead on her forehead as panic set in.  

“Huh? I’m sure I put it here… Professor, just a moment.”  

“Take your time.”  

As Tae-oh leisurely stepped into the office and closed the door with a firm thud, Seol-rin grew even more flustered.  

‘Don’t tell me I lost it?’  

Desperate to avoid such a worst-case scenario, her hands moved frantically.  

“Ah, found it! Here it is, Professor.”  

Finally, her fingers touched the small USB at the back of the bottom drawer. Relieved, she quickly pulled her hand out—only to feel a sharp pain.  

“Ouch!”  

A cry of pain escaped her lips. Her arm had scraped against the uneven edge of the drawer, leaving a long scratch on her thin wrist. Bright red blood began to bead.  

“Are you okay?”  

Tae-oh, startled, strode over to her with his long legs.  

“Y-Yes… I just scraped my arm against the edge…”  

“Let me see.”  

Without hesitation, Tae-oh grabbed her arm and inspected the wound with a meticulous gaze.  

“You need to go to the infirmary right away. If you don’t treat it properly, it could scar.”  

He grabbed several tissues from the desk and pressed them firmly against the wound to stop the bleeding.  

The cut stung, but for Seol-rin, the pain was the least of her concerns at the moment.  

Her heart pounded loudly—  

Thump-thump, thump-thump— 

It felt like dynamite had exploded in her chest. Tae-oh had drawn so close that the familiar musk of his scent wafted over her. His signature fragrance left Seol-rin dizzy.  

Why did even his scent have to be so pleasant? Was there anything about this man that wasn’t perfect? 

Her mind blanked out, as though she had caught a fever.  

“Does it hurt a lot?”  

“N-No.”  

“Your face is red, Miss Jin Seol-rin.”  

Oh no, I must have blushed without realizing it. 

Her heart was still pounding uncontrollably, and she worried that Tae-oh might hear it. She couldn’t let him discover her impure feelings under any circumstances.  

“L-Let go of my hand, please!”  

Seol-rin pushed Tae-oh away. Startled, he let go of her wrist and stepped back, a brief flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.  

“Miss Jin Seol-rin…?”  

“I-I’m sorry! But… please refrain from physical contact in the department office!”  

Unintentionally, Seol-rin’s defenses against Professor Ma Tae-oh were growing higher and higher.