Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Seo Dayun (6)

After the duel, several things happened.

First, Han Daedong and his friends apologized to Seo Dayun.

At Florian, ability was everything.

Seo Dayun had proven herself through this duel.

The news spread across the academy.

Within the Combat Magic freshmen, perceptions of Seo Dayun shifted dramatically.

─Seo Dayun beat a third-year senior in a duel?

─Stronger in the field than she looks.

─Impressive. Seriously.

Seo Dayun was strong.

That belief cemented itself in everyone's mind.

Not everyone viewed her favorably, though.

Song Seokhwan, the Combat Magic freshman ace, was the prime example.

"All this fuss over nothing. She beat some small fry─big deal......"

Song Seokhwan was irritated.

He'd been in a foul mood ever since the practicum, when his team failed to defeat the golem.

'Goddamn incompetent bastards......'

His teammates were all subpar.

Song Seokhwan would become the commander of Bisang─Korea's greatest guild─so he just had to endure this trash-tier course. He'd never see those dregs again.

But Seo Dayun from the same department was different.

Unless one of them disappeared, he'd be stuck looking at her until graduation.

The girl who'd already been an eyesore was now strutting around─even more infuriating.

Beyond Song Seokhwan, several top-ranked Combat Magic students were also wary of Seo Dayun.

Grades were a pie to be shared.

Only 30% could earn an A or above. If someone climbed up, someone else fell.

Naturally, a rising dark horse was unwelcome.

─I'm barely scraping by in elemental magic this term.

─Think she'll overtake you?

A minority actually welcomed the new rival.

─Wasn't her opponent a pretty well-known senior?

─Sounds fun. I want to fight her too.

In many ways, Seo Dayun had become the eye of the storm.

Centered on her, many things began to shift.

Underclassmen no longer hesitated to enter the Central Mage Tower, and the ripple spread to other departments, gradually dismantling various bad habits throughout Florian.

It wasn't only public perception that had changed.

Seo Dayun herself had grown enormously.

─Mentor's effect activates. A small amount of EXP gained. (Target: Seo Dayun)

"This was a great experience."

A smile tugged at my lips.

The EXP gained this time was substantial. My magic-related stats were probably in the mid-twenties, maybe approaching 30.

If I'd grown, Seo Dayun had obviously grown far more.

The fruits of this victory were overwhelmingly sweet.

Seo Dayun's already rapid growth would accelerate further. She might even match the pace of a player-controlled run.

Everything looked rosy, but one worry remained.

My phone had been blowing up since yesterday.

─Answer your phone. / An Seri

─Professor, what are you doing? / An Seri

─Talk to me. / An Seri

─PICK UP. / An Seri

─HEY! / An Seri

"Sigh......"

I rubbed my forehead.

I'd known An Seri would be angry, but she was apparently far angrier than I'd thought.

An Seri was overprotective of Seo Dayun.

If she'd known beforehand about the duel with Han Daedong, she might've done anything─like ambushing Han Daedong before the match.

So I'd made sure the rumor didn't reach her ears.

I'd picked up her call at first, but the murderous voice that came through made me hang up immediately.

The result: 21 missed calls, 89 texts.

It felt like being the protagonist of a horror movie.

"How do I calm her down?"

After a moment's thought, I concluded: time heals all wounds.

So lately, I'd been avoiding my own office.

There was nothing to do there anyway.

Today, I was holed up in the research lab instead.

Lee Yeeun, the lab's sole occupant, wasn't thrilled about my presence.

"Professor, you're in my way. Could you go elsewhere?"

"How cold of you."

"If you're bored, start preparing your own paper."

Lee Yeeun had become noticeably edgy from pulling too many all-nighters.

Touch her wrong and she'd bite.

Not metaphorically─physically.

Seeing what the lab had done to my once-gentle student confirmed it: research was no job for a human being. I needed to get strong fast and shed this Theory-type label.

I did feel bad for Lee Yeeun, but there was one more task I needed to assign.

"Oh right, TA Lee─check your email later."

"Email?"

"Our course exam starts this week. Remember?"

"Ah...... yes......"

"Needs to be done by tomorrow. I'll leave it to you."

Lee Yeeun nodded, looking hollow.

Better leave before the fallout reaches me.

"Let me see, where's An Seri right now......"

I checked the academy app on my phone.

My friends list had only a handful of student names.

An Seri was one of them.

I tapped her name, and her schedule appeared. A packed 25-credit timetable, exceeding the max enrollment limit.

Exceeding the credit cap was a privilege for top-performing students.

An Seri was front-loading credits for early graduation.

"Perfect."

Right now was exactly when An Seri should be in a lecture.

I hurried back to my office.

With both Lee Yeeun and An Seri gone, the office should be empty.

I'd been looking forward to alone time─but I had visitors.

"Oh, Professor!"

Seo Dayun spotted me the moment I opened the door and lunged.

I sidestepped lightly, and Seo Dayun, target lost, stumbled.

"Uugh......"

We'd grown closer during the private coaching, but not so close that she could tackle me on eye contact.

I asked, curiosity in my voice:

"What's going on?"

Seo Dayun leaned to my ear and whispered.

"Th-There's a scary person here......"

She hid behind me and pointed at the office sofa in the corner.

There sat another visitor: Baek Seolhwa, legs crossed.

"Hello."

Fierce eyes, blunt expression.

Baek Seolhwa's intimidating appearance made it hard for her to get close to people. Especially someone as timid as Seo Dayun, who'd avoid her on sight.

And these two had been alone together while I was out.

The absolute worst combination.

Still, Baek Seolhwa might look scary, but she rarely actually got angry.

Right now her brow looked furrowed, but really she was just─

......She actually was?

Baek Seolhwa had a talent called Eruption.

Eruption grew stronger with intense emotion.

In many ways, a trait fit for a shonen manga protagonist.

But Baek Seolhwa's version was unique.

Normally, Eruption generated heat, raising the surrounding temperature.

Baek Seolhwa's Eruption generated cold instead, plunging the temperature around her.

The biting chill in my office─

For reasons unknown, Baek Seolhwa was angry right now.

On closer inspection, her expression was considerably more creased than usual.

Had she fought with Seo Dayun?

"Did something happen between you two?"

"What would have happened?"

WHOOSH─

An icy voice, and all the cold that had been circling the room converged on me.

Wait─it's not Seo Dayun she's mad at, it's me?

Meeting Baek Seolhwa's gaze was actually a little scary.

Seo Dayun trembled behind me.

"Professor, don't you have anything to say to me?"

"Say what?"

Cold air practically poured from her voice.

Today had been full of scary things. First An Seri, now Baek Seolhwa.

When I cautiously asked, Baek Seolhwa said:

"She's 'Dayun,' but why am I still 'Seolhwa-gun?'"

......Hearing the reason deflated me completely.

It was utterly trivial.

Then again, I'd been on edge because of An Seri. A professor with impeccable conduct like me would never cause problems.

Seo Dayun peeked from behind me and whispered.

"I-It's not just you. The professor talks to everyone like that. I'm not special because─ Eek!"

Baek Seolhwa narrowed her eyes, and the whites showed on all four sides of her iris. Sanpaku eyes.

That one genuinely scared even me.

Seo Dayun was truly terrified and buried her face in my back. She'd gotten cocky and paid the price.

"Your answer?"

Calling her by first name was easy enough, and I'd been planning to switch to informal names for everyone anyway.

She was pushing me and I felt like messing with her, but one look at those eyes killed that thought dead.

"Fine, fine. Seolhwa."

The freezing air finally lifted.

Seo Dayun was apparently unhappy about that and looked at me, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. Baek Seolhwa was too scary.

Since they were probably here to kill time between classes, I figured I'd feed them and send them off.

"If you haven't eaten, want me to order something?"

Normally they'd politely decline at first, but my students had no such manners.

Seo Dayun jumped in first.

"I want Yeoptteok!"

"Rejected."

"No."

Seo Dayun and Baek Seolhwa shot down simultaneously.

Seo Dayun pouted, but no was no. It didn't suit my palate at all.

So this game world had Yeoptteok too.

An Easter egg from the developers? Or had elements from my world carried over when I entered?

"I want a home-cooked-style meal."

Baek Seolhwa's request was the polar opposite of Seo Dayun's instant-food choice.

This time Seo Dayun objected.

"The professor's treating us, so we should get something good......"

"It is good."

"O-Oh......"

Seo Dayun backed down immediately.

Too weak, wasn't she?

Still, just giving Baek Seolhwa whatever she wanted would make Seo Dayun grumble later, so I looked for a compromise.

"I'll pick something."

***

"Three jajangmyeon and one tangsuyuk, delivery."

Jajangmyeon was the epitome of universally safe food.

No one could hate it.

A menu choice worthy of my students' praise.

"I wanted jjamppong though......"

"Fried rice."

These manner-less idiots.

Chinese food orders were always unified─that was the unwritten rule. Demanding jjamppong or fried rice was a social faux pas.

Why didn't they appreciate their teacher's wisdom?

"Just eat what you're given."

I set every bowl on the table and peeled off the wrap.

The noodles were slightly bloated from delivery. But the rich black sauce was appetizing.

I gave the noodles one lift with chopsticks─they clumped together. This place wasn't great at jajangmyeon.

I mixed them up and set down my chopsticks.

At least the tangsuyuk looked good─crispy coating.

A golden sauce with just the right amount of vegetables.

Seo Dayun was already licking her lips at the sight.

Enough admiring. Time to eat.

One last step: pour the sauce over the tangsuyuk─

"KYAAAAH!"

Good lord.

Two girls' screams nearly shattered my eardrums.

Seo Dayun and Baek Seolhwa's faces had gone ghostly white.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you MEAN what's wrong?"

"The sauce! The sauce!"

What about the sauce?

A golden waterfall cascading beautifully over the fried pork─a mouthwatering tangsuyuk complete.

I proudly presented it, but both girls stared at me with horror.

"Professor, you're a pour-on-top person?"

"I can't understand. Why would you ruin a shared dish like this on your own?"

"Professor, you're selfish."

"You have no consideration."

The two, who'd been at odds moments ago, teamed up to trash-talk me.

I couldn't understand the fuss.

What was wrong with pouring sauce on tangsuyuk?

"What's the complaint?"

"The sauce! Pouring it on is the complaint! It makes the pork soggy!"

"You people don't know how to eat. The pork properly coated in sauce is what makes tangsuyuk what it is. You're the selfish ones, ruining the experience for people who eat it properly."

My flawlessly logical argument left them speechless.

This was absolute truth, irrefutable.

That's what tangsuyuk was─why vandalize it?

But their response exceeded all expectations.

"What are you even saying?"

"Tangsuyuk has traditionally always been dip-and-eat. Your claim is completely baseless."

"You two─what are you talking about? Tangsuyuk has always been pour-on-top."

"And I'm saying THAT makes no sense! Tangsuyuk is traditionally dip-and-eat food!"

"Did you hit your head or something?"

"What kind of nonsense...... huh?"

As I was about to argue further, a horrible hypothesis flashed through my mind.

Wait─this was a game world.

I desperately searched "tangsuyuk" on my phone.

What I found was something I simply could not believe.

─Tangsuyuk: A dish originating from China. Battered and fried meat served with sauce for dipping. Some claim it should be eaten by pouring the sauce on top, but this has absolutely no basis.

"What the hell......"

Those dip-and-eat bastards─they'd actually put this kind of historical revisionism in as an Easter egg?

My head drooped under the weight of an unconscionable reality.

It was unjust. So incredibly unjust.

But if I told these kids that tangsuyuk was originally pour-on-top and the game developers had rewritten reality─what would they think?

Probably a one-way ticket to the psych ward.

A phantom voice echoed in my head.

'Pour-on-top heretic! Sign the confession immediately!'

'Tangsuyuk...... is...... dipping...... food......'

This injustice could never be shared with another soul, and I buried it deep inside my chest.