Chapter 38

On the way home after the entrance ceremony, in the car. Jin-hyung glanced at Yeon-woo through the rearview mirror and spoke.

“You did great today, Yeon-woo. Watching you give the oath as the student representative, I felt strangely emotional.”

Lying in the back seat of the van with his eyes closed, Yeon-woo opened them at Jin-hyung’s words.

“Why would you feel emotional about me entering college?”

“Well… You’ve been preparing for your debut since you were young, taking the GED and missing out on all the normal experiences. I guess it’s always bothered me. Watching your university entrance ceremony, I got a little teary-eyed.”

“…Seriously, if someone heard you, they’d think you were my mom.”

“I am your mom, you punk. Honestly, I’ve raised you for 80% of your life.”

“Ugh, not the ‘80%’ thing again. Aren’t you tired of saying that? And for the record, I grew up on my own.”

“I know… Yeon-woo, I know better than anyone that you grew up on your own…”

Jin-hyung briefly recalled the day he first met Yeon-woo. He had been just a ten-year-old boy, but his eyes had been filled with such fierce determination. Jin-hyung had thought back then, ‘This kid will succeed no matter what.’

But that had only been Jin-hyung’s assumption. Debuting hadn’t been easy. Despite his relentless practice, Yeon-woo had repeatedly failed at the final hurdle.

He joined teams, got dropped, joined new teams, and faced setbacks again and again. After countless such cycles, he finally debuted in a boy group, only to fade away as a fleeting star without ever truly shining.

Even the agency seemed to give up on him after their debut album flopped, offering little to no support. There were days when they performed at local events without proper transportation or accommodations, even sleeping outdoors in the freezing cold for a three-minute performance.

Despite sleepless nights and exhaustion, Yeon-woo would step onto the stage with a cheerful smile, determined to deliver his best performance. Thinking about how much he must have struggled internally, Jin-hyung’s eyes still welled up with tears.

“Anyway, congratulations again. I was worried you’d feel bitter if you couldn’t experience what everyone else does… Congratulations on starting university.”

Jin-hyung’s voice grew heavier with emotion. Yeon-woo understood exactly what he meant. After all, Jin-hyung had been there, witnessing every moment of his life.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s eat.”

“Eat? Are you hungry? Want me to pack something for you?”

“No… Just eat with me. I don’t want to eat alone.”

“What’s this? You, who always said you preferred being alone?”

“Just…”

He pulled out a meal ticket he had carefully kept in his wallet. It was crumpled, probably from being folded and unfolded too many times. He stared at it for a long while.

“I don’t know. I just feel empty. So, please, eat with me.”

Today, for some reason, both his body and mind felt unusually hungry.

***

The next day, the Philosophy Department’s student council uploaded a flood of photos from the entrance ceremony to their SNS. Typically, these photos would feature the University President or students reciting their oaths, but this time it was different.

“What is this…”

The photos were dominated by what looked like a professional photoshoot of Cha Yeon-woo. The department’s SNS was instantly plastered with his pictures. The power of idols was truly extraordinary; not only had the number of likes already surpassed thousands, but the number of shares was breaking records every second. Jin Seol-rin, sitting in the department office and looking at the desktop, muttered to herself.

“Well, at least Cha Yeon-woo is effectively promoting the school.”

“…”

Tae-oh immediately shot her a disapproving look. Only then did she realize her mistake.

For some time now, whenever Seol-rin mentioned Cha Yeon-woo, Tae-oh would openly show his displeasure. At first, she found this amusing and intriguing, even feeling tempted to tease him more.

With a playful expression, Seol-rin tapped her lips.

“Oh dear, my mouth is trouble.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like you said anything wrong.”

“Professor, are you sulking?”

“Do I look like someone who would?”

“Then why are you suddenly being so formal?”

“We’re on campus. Please be mindful, Assistant Jin Seol-rin.”

“You’re definitely sulking…”

“I said I’m not.”

To think that the great Professor Ma Tae-oh was jealous because of her. Seol-rin bit her lips, trying hard to suppress a smile, as she scrolled down. While scrolling through the photos of Cha Yeon-woo, her mouse stopped at a particular image.

“Oh! There’s a picture of you, too, Professor!”

As soon as Cha Yeon-woo’s photos ended, a series of familiar pictures appeared—it was none other than Tae-oh. Like Cha Yeon-woo, these photos were of incredibly high quality, showcasing Tae-oh’s handsome features from various angles, rivaling professional actors.

“Wow… You look like an actor.”

She had known from the moment she first met him that he was strikingly handsome, but seeing him through someone else’s lens made it hit her anew.

“Professor.”

“Hm?”

“I’ve never thought of myself as someone who cares about looks, but now I think I do. Good looks are everything!”

“…”

Every time she clicked on a photo, she couldn’t help but let out a gasp of admiration. 

How could he look so good from every angle—above, below, or the side? 

She thought this must be what it feels like to be a fan of an idol.

At lightning speed, she created a new photo album folder and saved all of Tae-oh’s pictures. As she did, Tae-oh approached her from behind and asked casually.

“What are you doing?”

With a bright, confident smile, she turned her monitor toward him and replied.

“I’m saving your pictures, Professor.”

“Why?”

“So I can look at your handsome face whenever I want.”

Seol-rin leaned closer to the monitor as if she could dive into the screen. Then, Tae-oh’s large hands gently cupped her cheeks.

“Just look at the real thing.”

“…?”

“The real deal is right next to you. Why look at photos?”

With that, Tae-oh leaned his face closer to hers. His face, which was heart-stoppingly handsome even in photos, was now dangerously close. It was unfair. His sharp eyes, which once seemed cold, now felt irresistibly captivating.

Seol-rin’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon. She had always known he had a knack for catching her off guard, but no amount of mental preparation could protect her.

“Ahem, what’s this? You’re making my heart flutter.”

“That’s the point.”

“Wow, you’re so shameless!”

“Heh.”

Tae-oh chuckled softly. Feeling like she was being teased, Seol-rin puffed out her cheeks, but eventually, the two of them burst into laughter. It was yet another peaceful, warm, and happy afternoon.

***

As the university semester began, graduate school was also just around the corner. While others compared graduate school to the grueling life of preparing for national exams, this wasn’t the case for Yu-na. After graduating from her undergraduate program, she felt that simply lazing around at home wasn’t enough of a title for her, and graduate school became the perfect escape.

Born with a silver spoon, Yu-na had never lacked anything growing up. Whatever she wanted, she got. Whether it was an object or a person, it made no difference to her. This didn’t change in university. If she needed grades, she would approach professors and give them what they wanted, whether it was money or a night of fun—regardless of whether the professor was male or female.

Watching these professors, who acted so lofty and arrogant because of their academic titles, succumb to her offers gave her a twisted sense of satisfaction. She would silently curse them, calling them idiots, while mocking them in her mind. To Yu-na, the world was incredibly easy.

But when she decided to go to graduate school, something unexpected happened.

‘If you become Professor SexMa’s assistant, you won’t last a month before getting kicked out.’

‘Professor SexMa?’

‘You know that handsome new professor? Ma Tae-oh.’

‘Oh. I know who you’re talking about. But why does he keep firing his assistants?’  

Yu-na had already heard about the new professor with a rather attractive face. However, her curiosity never went beyond that—until a certain event turned her mild interest into genuine fascination.  

‘The funny thing is, all the assistants who start working under Professor SexMa end up completely losing their minds over him. Honestly, if young, pretty girls throw themselves at a guy his age, it’s understandable that he might be tempted. But apparently, he cuts them off mercilessly.’  

‘Wanna bet? I’ll seduce that professor within a month.’  

‘For real? Then go ahead and apply as his assistant. If you last more than a month, I’ll give you credit!’  

‘I’ll sleep with him within a month. I’ll even post proof from a motel.’  

‘Oh, you shameless girl!’  

Yu-na’s life was incredibly easy, but at the same time, unbearably boring. That’s how this bet started, and Yu-na immediately applied to be Ma Tae-oh’s assistant. At first, she was fairly confident. She believed that people who acted all high and mighty were often the most corrupt and filthy on the inside, so she approached him boldly.  

However, what she received in return was nothing but contempt and disgust directed squarely at her. The gaze she had often directed at other professors was now turned back on her by Ma Tae-oh. In the end, like everyone else, she didn’t even last a month and was also dismissed.  

“So annoying.”  

As Yu-na walked past the hallway, her steps came to a halt in front of the department office. She needed to check if Jin Seol-rin, the assistant who came after her, was still clinging to her position next to the professor.