Chapter 7

‘Jin Seol-rin, you’ve really lost it!’  

She screamed internally. This was definitely a situation that could be easily misunderstood. She had been staring at his face as if hypnotized and had even reached out to touch him while he was asleep. It was the perfect setup to be labeled a pervert.  

“Why are you in my office without my permission, Assistant Jin Seol-rin?”  

Tae-oh, now sitting up gracefully, tilted his chin upward, silently demanding an explanation. His piercing gaze, which usually made hearts flutter, felt particularly sharp in this moment.  

Thump, thump—her heart pounded wildly. Seol-rin racked her brain, trying to come up with a way to salvage the situation.  

“P-Professor! Why are you sleeping here?!”

Ultimately, Seol-rin chose to go on the offensive. Her voice rang loudly throughout the office, startling Ma Tae-oh, whose brows furrowed deeply in response. His expression was sharp enough to make her knees weak, but Seol-rin didn’t have the luxury of caring about that right now. She was on the verge of losing her job—what could be more important than that?

“I don’t see the problem with me sleeping in my own office.”  

“Well, y-you left the lights on!”  

Oh no. 

Her mouth was running like a runaway train, firing back at Tae-oh’s words. She felt as though she was crossing a point of no return, but it was better to change the subject than let him realize she’d been staring at his face like a lovesick fool.  

Seol-rin raised her index finger and pointed at the brightly glowing fluorescent lights.  

“Leaving the lights on while sleeping wastes electricity—yes, electricity! That’s a lot of money, Professor! Students pay their hard-earned tuition fees, and even kindergarteners know you should save electricity!”  

“……”  

Tae-oh was left speechless. His expression seemed to ask, ‘What nonsense am I hearing right now?’ In his entire life, no one had ever scolded him for sleeping with the lights on. Yet here was an assistant he’d known for barely a week, doing just that.  

“I understand you’re tired, but students work part-time jobs and take out loans just to pay their tuition. Shouldn’t we start saving where we can?”  

“……”  

“Professor, so please, sleep at home—and make sure to turn off the lights. Understood?”  

“Miss Jin Seol-rin.”  

“Well, since it’s past my working hours, I’ll be heading out now.”  

Having said everything she wanted, Seol-rin bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle and briskly walked away from him. Tae-oh remained seated on the sofa, still looking as though he hadn’t fully processed what had just happened.  

“Oh, right. Professor!”  

Just as she was about to leave the office, she suddenly spun around and approached him again, handing him a document folder. Caught off guard, Tae-oh accepted the folder and asked,  

“What is this?”  

“It’s that idol—no, Cha Yeon-woo’s study plan. He asked me to make sure you got it.”  

“Cha Yeon-woo…?”  

“Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow! Have a great evening, Professor!”  

Before Tae-oh could say anything else, Seol-rin rushed out of the office. Left alone, he slowly got up from the sofa, still looking bewildered.  

“Has she always been this talkative?”  

The office, which was usually silent, felt as though a storm had just passed through thanks to Seol-rin’s visit. Feeling a headache coming on, Tae-oh picked up a small desk mirror.  

“Ha… I looked like this?”  

His hair was a complete mess, resembling a bird’s nest. As he tidied it up, he noticed that he wasn’t wearing his glasses. For some reason, he felt like he had been showing his glasses-free face to the new assistant more often than usual. Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought.  

***

For some reason, Professor Ma Tae-oh seemed to be in a foul mood that morning. He sat at his desk, staring intently at something, occasionally letting out deep sighs.  

To avoid upsetting him further, Seol-rin kept a close eye on his mood.  

‘What’s wrong with him? Is he upset because I told him to turn off the lights when he sleeps?’  

Her eyes darted nervously as she tried to figure out what was going on. Thinking back to the previous day, she wondered if her words had been too rude. At the time, she’d been so flustered that she’d blurted out the first thing that came to mind—nonsense, really.  

In truth, Seol-rin herself couldn’t sleep in complete darkness because of her fear of the dark. Yet, she had lectured someone else about saving electricity. And not just anyone—her professor, no less. She couldn’t believe she’d said such a thing.  

Stealing another glance at Tae-oh, Seol-rin hesitantly spoke.  

“Um, Professor…?”  

At her voice, Tae-oh finally looked up. His slightly furrowed brows reflected his displeasure.  

“Is there a problem?”  

“Oh… no, I just wondered if something bad had happened…”  

Her cautious question was met with a cold response.  

“This is the worst, Miss Jin Seol-rin.”  

“Pardon…? What do you mean…?” 

“I had my doubts about competency from the beginning, but I never dreamed that it would be this reckless”

“……!!”  

She swallowed nervously. 

Was I about to be fired? Could telling the professor to save electricity really be grounds for dismissal? 

With a trembling voice, Seol-rin asked,  

“A-are you going to dismiss…?”  

“I’m seriously considering it.”  

“No, please!! Professor, I’m so sorry…”  

Feeling as though the world was collapsing around her, Seol-rin’s eyes filled with tears as she pleaded. Tae-oh, looking puzzled, asked,  

“What are you talking about? Sorry for what?”  

“For making such a big deal about the electricity bill. I overstepped. Even now, the interest on my student loans is increasing. Please…”  

“What does dismissing Cha Yeon-woo have to do with your student loan interest?”  

“Huh…?”  

What did this have to do with Cha Yeon-woo? 

Seol-rin stared at him, dumbfounded. Letting out a deep sigh, Tae-oh continued,  

“Did you look at Cha Yeon-woo’s study plan?”  

“No? I gave it to you right away yesterday…”  

“Well, it’s a patchwork of plagiarized materials from various thesis sites. I’m currently reviewing all the academic policies that could justify canceling his admission.”  

“Oh… so this was about Cha Yeon-woo. I thought it was something else.”  

Relieved that she wasn’t the one in trouble, Seol-rin visibly relaxed. Her mindset was simple: as long as it wasn’t her, everything was fine.  

“Come on, Professor. Don’t be too harsh. He’s a busy idol, after all.”  

“So, you’re saying I should just let it slide?”  

Tae-oh’s brows twitched in annoyance, but Seol-rin, oblivious to his mood, kept talking. Her lack of awareness was almost impressive.  

“Well, he seemed polite yesterday. He even said he’d do his best.”  

“And after submitting a study plan like that, what exactly is he planning to do his best at?”  

“Well, I mean… he didn’t seem like a completely irresponsible person. He seemed pretty grounded.”  

“You’re quite the judge of character, Miss Jin Seol-rin, to assess someone in such a short time.”  

“Am I? People do say I have a good eye for these things.”  

Completely missing the sarcasm, Seol-rin smiled brightly and nodded. Watching her, Tae-oh let out a dry chuckle, his expression growing more irritated.  

“Fine. Since you seem to have so much faith in Cha Yeon-woo…”  

“Huh? F-faith? I wouldn’t go that far…”  

Wait, what was happening now?

For some reason, Tae-oh’s expression grew colder and colder, prompting Seol-rin to finally shut her mouth. It seemed she had thoroughly upset him.  

Her suspicion was confirmed 100%. Tae-oh’s next words drained all the color from her face.  

“Miss Jin Seol-rin, you’ll contact Cha Yeon-woo directly.”  

“Me…? Wait, contact him about what…?”  

“Tell him he has exactly three days to submit a proper study plan. Not this patchwork nonsense, but something he’s written seriously. If he fails to meet the deadline, I’ll use every authority I have as a professor to revoke his admission.”  

“A-are you serious?”  

“Do I look like someone who jokes?”  

“No, not at all…”  

And that was the problem. Tae-oh seemed like someone who had never joked in his entire life.  

“What’s wrong? Can’t do it? You, who claim to have such a good eye for people, Miss Jin Seol-rin?”  

His sharp gaze pierced through her as he adjusted his glasses. Seol-rin thought to herself. If she said no, this cold-blooded Professor Ma Tae-oh would definitely fire her on the spot. He seemed perfectly capable of doing so.  

In the end, with a face on the verge of tears, Seol-rin nodded.  

“No, I’ll contact him.”