Chapter 27

Seol-rin, having dressed up to the nines for work, found herself unable to sit still despite her radiant appearance. She felt awkward about her sudden transformation and couldn’t predict how Tae-oh would react.  

‘I think this is too much. My makeup is too heavy…’  

She must have looked into her small hand mirror dozens of times. While part of her was eager to show her changed self to the professor, another part was filled with worry.  

Tae-oh was a man who drew a sharp line between work and personal matters, so he might consider Seol-rin’s outfit inappropriate for the workplace.  

“Ah, I don’t care anymore…”  

The tight-knit dress and high heels made her feel stiff from head to toe since the morning. Taking advantage of the empty office, Seol-rin suddenly stood up to stretch.  

As she opened her chest wide and stretched her arms upward, the hem of her dress, which had been covering her thighs, quickly rode up.  

Her slender thighs, wrapped in thin stockings, revealed a glimpse of her black undershorts, but Seol-rin, completely unaware of this, continued her stretches.  

Knock, knock—  

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.  

‘It’s the professor!’  

Stopping her stretches abruptly, Seol-rin gulped nervously. She had decided to settle things with the professor as quickly as possible, following Mi-yeon’s advice.  

Suggestions like leaving room for ambiguity or inducing a confession were, in truth, childish and ridiculous.  

If she were an outsider, she would have scoffed at such immature tactics.  

But having fallen in love herself, she found it impossible to resist. Love made her endlessly childish, and her heart swung between heaven and hell dozens of times a day.  

Even now, the fact that he had come to see her made her heart race uncontrollably. She worried about what expression, tone, and words she should use when he walked through the door. Every single detail concerned her.  

After clearing her throat softly, she responded.  

“Yes, come in.”  

“You’re here early…”  

But for some reason, Tae-oh’s face turned pale as if he had just seen a grim reaper when he looked at Seol-rin.  

Before she could even wonder why he reacted that way, Tae-oh’s face flushed bright red, and he lowered his head. It was as if he was deliberately avoiding looking at her, his actions painfully awkward.  

“I’ll come back at lunchtime.”  

“Pardon? No, Professor, didn’t you come to talk to me about something?”  

“No, it’s nothing. Then…”  

Bang—  

The firmly closed door left Seol-rin staring blankly, her face filled with disbelief. A flood of thoughts overwhelmed her.  

Could he have been offended by my attire? Was he about to tell me to forget about the kiss that night? 

A string of tragic scenarios played out in her mind, one after another.  

But it didn’t take long for Seol-rin to realize why the professor had turned so red and left so abruptly.  

“Oh my god, I must be insane!”  

A high-pitched scream escaped her lips. The knit dress had ridden up significantly during her stretches, revealing not just her hips but also her undershorts.  

Moreover, paired with the thin coffee-colored stockings and high heels, her exposed undershorts and legs presented a scene straight out of an adult movie.  

“Ridiculous, ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!”  

Shame washed over her. 

What had possessed me? Why did I always end up showing such embarrassing sides of myself in front of the professor?  

And with that, another question crept into her mind.  

“Did the professor really kiss me because he likes me…?”  

Though he had said the kiss wasn’t a mistake, he hadn’t explicitly said it was because he liked her either.  

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t believe that such a perfect man would be interested in someone as ordinary as her.  

With her face flushed red all the way to her earlobes, Seol-rin let out a deep sigh. She had a long way to go.  

***

Sizzle, sizzle.  

The meat on the grill released a delicious aroma as it cooked. It was premium Korean beef, the kind she couldn’t normally afford.  

Just before leaving work, Seol-rin had mustered the courage to ask Tae-oh to have dinner with her. She had been worried that he might refuse, especially after her morning disaster, but thankfully, he had readily agreed.  

“Eat plenty.”  

Tae-oh spoke kindly as he placed some perfectly grilled meat onto Seol-rin’s plate.  

Thump. Her heart raced wildly at his every action now.  

“Is this arrhythmia…?”  

“Hmm? Are you feeling unwell?”  

“Ah! No, nothing at all.”  

Startled by her own muttering, she waved her hands in denial, but Tae-oh’s eyes briefly showed concern.  

“You haven’t been looking well these past few days.”  

“Oh…”  

So he had noticed. Well, it would have been strange if he hadn’t.  

Her house had been flooded, forcing her to stay at others’ places for two days, leaving her looking worse for wear. She had even been taken to the emergency room with a fever early yesterday morning.  

Not wanting to worry him, Seol-rin smiled brightly.  

“No, I’m perfectly fine!”  

“Well, you do look better today than yesterday. That’s a relief.”  

Thump, thump. Her heart pounded again at his words. Hearing that she looked better today made all the effort she had put into dressing up feel worthwhile.  

Even though he hadn’t said she was pretty or asked her out, it felt like he had said something even better.  

People often say that being too happy leads to mistakes, but Seol-rin couldn’t foresee the blunder she was about to make.  

“Professor! Should we order some drinks?”  

“Drinks? I drove here.”  

“Then don’t drink, Professor! I’ll drink by myself.”  

“Are you sure that’s okay?”  

“It’s fine! No problem at all! I just feel like drinking tonight. Haha.”  

Ignoring Tae-oh’s hesitation, Seol-rin raised her hand high to order soju.  

When the green bottle was placed on the table, she reached for it to open the cap.  

“I’ll pour it for you.”  

Taking the bottle from her hand, Tae-oh filled her glass halfway with soju.  

“Drink slowly.”  

“Okay.”  

Before he could finish saying “drink slowly,” Seol-rin downed the soju in one shot. She just wanted to use the alcohol to ease the lingering awkwardness.  

“Professor, by the way…”

Although she hadn’t drunk much, Seol-rin’s speech was beginning to slur. It seemed her condition had made her tipsy faster than usual.  

“Are you already drunk?”  

“Why do you sometimes speak formally and other times casually? Is there some kind of standard you follow?”  

“……”  

How could he be so attractive? 

Even the slight furrow of his brow looked charming. He was already handsome, but with her love-filter firmly in place, there was no hope for her. Seol-rin’s cheeks flushed a deep red.  

Come to think of it, the professor’s outfit seemed different today. He was always impeccably dressed in suits, but today he looked slightly more relaxed. It even made him seem younger.  

Perhaps it was because his bangs were slightly swept up, but his prominent nose, as if sculpted by a divine hand, stood out even more. His blue shirt, paired with his black hair, created a striking, refreshing contrast.  

“A standard… hmm. Let me think.”  

His expression grew serious as if he were genuinely pondering her question.  

“I think I tend to speak casually when I’m being sincere.”  

“……!”  

“Do you dislike it when I speak casually?”  

“……No.”  

Dislike it? Even if the professor cursed at her, she would still like it.  

Giving a short reply, Seol-rin took another full shot of soju. A tingling sensation spread through her body, making her feel as if heat waves were rising. She couldn’t bear it without drinking.  

***

“Pardon? Can’t I go to your house, Professor?”  

“Do you even understand what you’re saying right now?”  

“Going to your house just means going to your house.”  

Seol-rin smiled bashfully. Tae-oh sighed shortly, as if baffled by her words. Then, Seol-rin hesitated before replying.  

“I can’t go back to my place…”  

“Why not?”  

“My house got flooded…”  

“Flooded?”  

What was this, the 1960s during wartime? Flooded? 

Tae-oh couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.  

But he knew that Seol-rin lived near campus and was also aware of the poor conditions of student housing in the area.  

Thinking her situation might be worse than he had assumed, Tae-oh felt a pang of concern.  

“Where have you been staying until now?”  

“Um… at Cha Yeon-woo’s place!”  

“……Cha Yeon-woo?”  

The voice that had been so gentle suddenly turned ice-cold. Tae-oh couldn’t believe what he had just heard. 

Were they close enough to stay at each other’s homes?  

“Cha Yeon-woo… the Cha Yeon-woo I know?”  

Tae-oh asked, his voice slightly strained with suppressed emotion.  

“Yes! Our Yeon-woo! The last hope of the Philosophy Department! Professor, you’ve never been to Yeon-woo’s house, have you? Our Yeon-woo’s place is amazing.”  

“……”  

Tae-oh was speechless. A crack formed in his rationality, and soon it crumbled entirely.  

“This needs correction.”  

“Huh?”  

A slip of truth escaped his lips.  

“It’s not ‘our Yeon-woo.’ It’s just Cha Yeon-woo.”  

“……??”  

“Repeat after me.”  

“Cha… Cha Yeon-woo.”  

Even in her drunken state, Seol-rin obediently followed Tae-oh’s words.  

“Good.”  

Seeming satisfied, Tae-oh lightly nodded and took Seol-rin’s hand.  

“Let’s go, let’s go home.”

“Ah, Professor. I’m serious, I can’t go home… It’s under construction…”  

“Not your place.”  

“Then?”  

“My place.”