Chapter 20

Before she knew it, the workday was coming to an end. She had no idea how time had passed. All day, the professor’s face kept floating through her mind, making it impossible to focus on her tasks.

Seol-rin was preparing to leave room for Professor Ma Tae-oh, just as Mi-yeon had advised. Using a small hand mirror, she carefully applied a red tint to her lips, her expression determined. She liked how much livelier her face looked.

“Phew, alright.”

After taking a deep breath, she headed toward the research lab. Her plan was to ask Tae-oh to have dinner together. Since Tae-oh had previously suggested eating together several times, she thought this would be a subtle yet effective way to express her interest without being too obvious.

Knock, knock—

She tapped on the door, her heart pounding as if it might explode. Soon, she heard the professor’s voice inviting her in, and she cautiously opened the door.

“Professor, um, I was wondering if tonight—”

But before she could finish, Seol-rin froze at the sight of someone else in the research lab with Tae-oh.

“Oh my, we meet again.”

It was none other than Gu Yu-na, sitting comfortably on the sofa. 

Chapter 21

Yu-na smiled brightly and waved her hand as if she were genuinely happy to see her. However, Seol-rin’s eyes were fixed solely on the sofa where Yu-na was seated.

‘That spot…’

It was the very sofa where she had shared an intense kiss with the professor the night before. The memory made her face heat up, and a strange anger bubbled up inside her. She wanted to kick Yu-na off the sofa, unaware of its significance.

“What’s the matter?”

Only then did Tae-oh, who was seated opposite Yu-na, look at Seol-rin and ask. His gaze remained indifferent and detached. The man who had gently stroked her hair with half-lidded eyes the night before was nowhere to be found.

“Oh, um, well…”

Crack. A small fissure formed in Seol-rin’s heart. Her large, expressive eyes darted around, unable to settle on anything.

“R-right. Bento! I was thinking of ordering dinner. Since you might be working late, I thought we could eat together…”

She hastily disguised her dinner invitation as a suggestion to order bento boxes. She couldn’t bring herself to openly ask Tae-oh to have dinner with her in front of Yu-na.

At the mention of bento, Tae-oh hesitated for a moment before parting his lips to speak.

“Oh, tonight—”

“The professor said he’s not hungry. I already asked him before you came.”

“I wasn’t asking you…”

Before she realized it, an uncharacteristically sharp remark slipped out. She couldn’t help but find Yu-na’s behavior—answering on Tae-oh’s behalf—extremely annoying. On the other hand, Yu-na frowned at Seol-rin’s pointed response.

“Anyway, Professor Ma Tae-oh can’t have dinner with you.”

“Professor, is it true you can’t have dinner with me…?”

Summoning unexpected courage, Seol-rin asked Tae-oh again. Her tone was firmer this time. If she was going to be rejected, she wanted to hear it directly from him, not through a third party.

“I’m fine.”

“Oh…”

It was a clear avoidance. 

What had I been expecting from a man who had simply carried my bag earlier that morning? 

Embarrassment flooded her, and her cheeks burned with shame.

“Yes, Professor. Then I’ll take my leave now.”

With a dejected expression, she bowed her head and left the research lab. Her steps back to the department office seemed unusually heavy and forlorn.

Experiencing both directness and avoidance from the same person in a single day left her utterly confused. 

Was he being direct or avoiding me? 

That was the real question.

“Do you like this assistant more than the others? You haven’t fired her yet, after all.”

Yu-na narrowed her eyes as she stared at the door Seol-rin had just exited. A strange jealousy enveloped her.

“Gu Yu-na, you’re asking something that doesn’t even deserve an answer.”

Tae-oh’s flat response made Yu-na bite her lip in frustration. Saying it wasn’t worth answering was as good as confirming it. That made her even angrier.

‘That clueless girl is holding on pretty well.’

When Yu-na had first applied to be Professor Ma Tae-oh’s assistant, she was confident. While previous assistants were let go one after another, she was sure she could seduce him. She always got the men she wanted, no exceptions.

The social taboo of professor and student relationships meant nothing to her. To her, taboos existed to be broken.

Moreover, she knew all too well how older professors looked at her. She often mocked their pretense of dignity and intellect. She had assumed Tae-oh was no different.

But it had all been her mistake. Within a month, she was unceremoniously dismissed.

“Professor Ma Tae-oh, do you know why I decided to go to graduate school?”

Yu-na thought back to her undergraduate days. She had gone to study in France during her final semester, returning two years later. By then, a new professor had started teaching in the Philosophy Department.

She had never seen anyone lecture so eloquently. She wanted to hear more of his lectures and immediately decided to pursue graduate studies, something she had never been interested in before.

Even as his assistant, she constantly expressed her interest in him. But she never once felt his gaze on her.

Desperate, she had even threatened to harm herself if he didn’t return her feelings. Looking back, it was utterly pathetic—clinging to a man’s coattails like that.

“I really liked you, Professor.”

“…?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I mean I respected you as a professor.”

She decided to change her approach. Though she was no longer his assistant, she was still his student. That fact hadn’t changed.

The reason she had come to see him today was under the guise of a student consultation. If she weren’t a graduate student, Tae-oh would never have agreed to meet her.

“I’m still your student, aren’t I? Isn’t that right?”

Tae-oh remained silent, his icy expression unreadable. Yu-na continued to speak.

“So, I’m going to keep liking you, Professor.”

“Gu Yu-na.”

“And of course, I’ll continue to respect you.”

“Stop right there.”

“What…?”

“Respect. Just stop at respect. Don’t cross the line.”

“Professor…”

“Don’t overstep.”

His cold gaze behind his glasses felt particularly piercing today. Though she had once been drawn to his sharp gaze, now it sent chills down her spine.

Trying to mask her trembling, Yu-na forced a smirk.

“But this is strange.”

“What is?”

“You have dinner with your current assistant, don’t you? You never once ate with me.”

Yu-na immediately noticed Tae-oh’s face stiffen. The atmosphere felt tense. Sensing something was off, she decided to press further.

“But, Professor, there’s one thing I need you to clarify.”

“…?”

“I got fired because I liked you, didn’t I? So, if your current assistant likes you, she’ll be fired too, right?”

Her gaze toward Tae-oh was provocatively bold.