Chapter 71

Eun-byeol glanced back and forth between Ah-reum’s head and Professor Jeong Si-hyun, who was tilting her head in confusion.

In that moment, curiosity bubbled up inside her.

She had received help from the professor before.

Somehow, it ended up being revealed publicly.

‘I should apologize for this too while I’m at it.’

After making her decision, Eun-byeol quietly stood up from her seat.

Feeling the gazes of her group project teammates, she stepped outside.

“Hello, Professor!”

“…Nice to see you, student Eun-byeol. Were you all studying together?”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

Eun-byeol clapped her hands together with a loud clap and bowed her head as she spoke.

“I really appreciate you helping me with my assignment at the library last time!”

“Oh, it was nothing, really.”

“…Uh, the content you mentioned during class when a specialized professor requested it… it ended up getting disclosed…”

Eun-byeol trailed off and checked Professor Si-hyun’s reaction.

Fortunately, she seemed unfazed, sipping her coffee with a faint smile as if to say, “What’s the problem?”

Eun-byeol let out a sigh of relief.

“Hmm… By any chance! Could you help us a little with our group assignment? We’re completely stuck!”

At Eun-byeol’s earnest request, Si-hyun checked her phone.

Thanks to having come out with time to spare after planning to visit a bookstore, she had plenty of time.

“…Alright, let me take a quick look.”

“Thank you so much!”

Si-hyun followed Eun-byeol into the café.

On the table were clear signs of the students’ hard work.

‘I used to be like that too.’

There were times she borrowed lecture rooms, and times she gathered at the library.

It was around then that she started becoming friends with Ji-a…

Recalling those memories, Si-hyun smiled softly.

Inside the café, Si-hyun exchanged casual greetings with the students again.

The two female group members still wore expressions full of questions.

On the other hand, Ah-reum looked at Si-hyun with sparkling eyes.

‘If it’s Professor Jeong Si-hyun, she’ll definitely free us from this torment!’

The ultimate supporter.

If it was Professor Jeong Si-hyun, who knew everything no matter what was asked!

She would surely end this hellish assignment!

With trembling hands filled with anticipation, Ah-reum handed over the assignment materials to the professor.

“Here it is!”

“Hmm…”

Si-hyun quickly skimmed through the contents, her pupils darting rapidly.

Sararak—

She lightly flipped the page.

The students felt each second stretch like ten, watching her every move.

The two female group members were half skeptical, half hopeful.

Unlike them, Ah-reum had not a shred of doubt.

She clasped her hands over her chest and gazed at the professor.

Thump.

Thump.

Her heart raced with rising anticipation as she waited excitedly for the solution.

When the students’ perceived time had stretched into minutes…

“Where did you find it difficult to understand?”

Si-hyun asked.

“This part here is just too complicated!”

Eun-byeol stepped forward and explained the parts they found difficult: sections they’d previously struggled with and where they were currently stuck.

Realizing where the students were struggling, Si-hyun nodded slightly.

“There’s too much unnecessary information included in the question.”

Si-hyun gestured for a sharpie, which Ah-reum handed over.

“Forget about these parts and rethink them.”

She drew lines through some sentences, picked out a few rough sections, and added light annotations using underlines and arrows.

“If you do it this way, it becomes much easier to understand, right?”

Placing the paper neatly on the table, all the students stared at it intently, processing the revised content step by step.

A short while later…

“Wowww! So this is how simple it was?”

“Woah! It feels like my brain has been cleared by the professor!”

“Y-You really are a professor!”

The students jumped to their feet and cheered enthusiastically.

The assignment that had tormented them for hours suddenly revealed a clear solution.

She hadn’t given them the answer.

All she’d done was tidy up the wording of the assignment question and add a few annotations.

But that simplicity clearly resolved all their doubts.

Appropriate assistance had been provided to allow the students to derive the answers themselves.

As a result, even the initially puzzled female students now beamed with smiles.

Si-hyun alternated glances between the delighted students and Ah-reum, who had maintained the same expression from start to finish.

Checking her watch after giving a final glance to the deeply contemplative Eun-byeol…

‘It’s about time I head to the bookstore.’

With a gentle smile, Si-hyun waved and said,

“I’ll be going now. Keep up the good work on your assignment.”

“Yes! Thank you so much!”

“Professor, you’re the best!”

Hearing the enthusiastic farewells, Si-hyun walked toward the counter.

After exchanging a few words with the staff and paying, she left the café.

Soon, a thick slice of toast topped with whipped cream arrived at the students’ table.

It was honey bread.

Seeing the food they hadn’t ordered, the students looked questioningly at the staff.

The staff smiled gently and said,

“The professor bought this for you all to keep up your energy. What a wonderful professor! Enjoy your meal.”

The staff walked away.

The female group members murmured in awe.

“Wow… Professor Jeong Si-hyun is truly amazing…”

“Isn’t it cheating to be perfect in looks, ability, and personality?”

Listening to the conversation with perked ears, Ah-reum’s shoulders straightened proudly.

She felt happy seeing her respected professor being praised.

‘Of course it’s our professor!’

Ah-reum grinned widely.

At that moment, Eun-byeol muttered to herself in a voice barely audible to others.

“I need to study again…”

One of the female students eating bread heard this.

After swallowing with a gulp, she asked,

“What do you need to study?”

“Huh? Oh, about this.”

Eun-byeol pointed to the annotated section with her finger.

“If this is correct, it could also apply to what we learned last week, right?”

“Huh? Where?”

The woman carefully chewed over the annotated content.

And soon…

“Wow… What do we do now?”

“Right? The assignment solution is clear, but there’s a new problem added.”

Eun-byeol muttered helplessly.

It felt too valuable to dismiss as just an assignment.

Nodding at Eun-byeol’s words, a female student unconsciously murmured,

“Shouldn’t Professor Jeong Si-hyun be teaching magic major courses instead of general education?”

Another female student nearby absentmindedly nodded in agreement.

* * *

Si-hyun wandered happily through the bookstore.

In her mind, she recalled the students she’d met earlier.

‘Did I seem somewhat professor-like?’

The enthusiastic reactions of the female students, their pure expressions, were delightful to behold.

Especially Ah-reum’s sparkling gaze.

‘Hohoho…’

The cute expression of the student reappeared, causing Si-hyun to chuckle softly.

Her goal of shining in front of Ah-reum seemed to be going smoothly so far.

‘I need to keep working on myself though.’

Knowing something and teaching it are very different.

Though she was always aware of this, it was hard to tell if she was actually doing well.

No one was offering advice, and she wasn’t getting immediate feedback from students.

‘That’s why there’s such a thing as mentoring, right?’

It might be good to observe how other professors conduct their classes and get some advice.

Since the academy occasionally held special lectures, attending one of those might not be bad either.

Si-hyun organized various thoughts in her mind.

“Aha, I found it.”

Stopping her steps upon discovering the book she wanted.

‘If it wasn’t here, I was going to buy the ebook version.’

The bookstore’s large size paid off – it was really here.

Since paper books have their own charm, Si-hyun smiled in satisfaction.

Endgame Tactics.

She lightly traced the book cover with her fingertips.

Since playing with the elder last time was more fun than expected,

She planned to enjoy Go more by reading the book whenever she had time.

Solving tactical problems sounded unexpectedly interesting, and winning against the elder would make it even more enjoyable.

After purchasing the paper book, Si-hyun left the bookstore.

Now all that was left for the day was to eat lunch casually and conduct her academy lecture.

Walking into the academy branch with light steps,

She had already decided what to eat for lunch.

‘Today, the cafeteria!’

She’d known about the cafeteria in the basement of the building where she conducted her general education lectures.

Not as neatly arranged as a convenience store, it had a cozy neighborhood supermarket feel.

The tuna seaweed rice roll sold here was today’s other goal.

Looking at the students walking by on the sidewalk next to the playground,

Si-hyun greeted those who occasionally returned her greeting as she moved to the basement of the building.

Standing in line behind the students.

Since the line wasn’t long, she quickly purchased a tuna seaweed rice roll.

‘Where should I eat this…?’

She had only decided what to eat, not where.

There was an awkward amount of time left until the lecture.

‘Maybe I’ll just go to the office, eat quickly, and come back?’

Si-hyun tapped her cheek lightly as she pondered.

Then, she spotted a familiar student at the edge of her vision.

A male student was eating ramen alone.

Kwon Jae-woo, the student who became an observation subject for baseline data before the entrance ceremony.

‘His superpower is really enviable…’

Because the student had the rare ability of regeneration as an awakened individual.

Si-hyun always felt envious seeing him.

She spaced out thinking.

If only the researchers could uncover the conditions of awakening.

I’d like to try using superpowers and conveniently check status windows too.

Of course, there’s no guarantee I’d get any cool abilities.

‘Should I sit down and chat while eating?’

Si-hyun approached Jae-woo with leisurely steps.

“Is it okay if I sit next to you?”

“Uh, sure… Wait, Professor?!”

Jae-woo turned his head absent-mindedly while blowing on his noodles and was startled, dropping his chopsticks.

Fortunately, they landed on the clean ramen lid.

Quickly checking the safety of the chopsticks with a glance, Jae-woo looked back at the professor.

‘That’s why her voice felt so nice…’

Never expecting to meet Professor Jeong Si-hyun at the cafeteria!

Moreover…

‘My face and name were remembered!’

On the first day of class, he had hoped she’d recognize him as an acquaintance, but had swallowed his disappointment when she didn’t show any signs.

General education subjects often lack deep interactions between professors and students compared to majors, so he had tucked away his expectations.

But now, getting such a surprise…

Jae-woo tried to control his rising corners of his mouth as he spoke.

“Are you having the seaweed rice roll?”

“Yes, I heard this place has tasty ones.”

“Haha, true! It’s the kind of rice roll people who love it keep searching for.”

The rice roll packed with too much tuna causes divided opinions.

Jae-woo liked it. Just because of the price, and it gets boring if eaten too often, he was having ramen.

Excitedly feeling his mood lift, Jae-woo took another bite of ramen and gulped down his drink.

Just then…

The professor’s delicate features suddenly frowned.

‘Umm…?’

It was an unexpected change.

Jae-woo wore a bewildered expression, unable to follow the sudden shift.

Si-hyun asked in a subdued voice,

“Do you like it?”

“Eh, uh?”

Jae-woo was confused again.

Suddenly asking if he likes something? What exactly?

Could that word really come out of such an expression?

Countless questions flashed through Jae-woo’s mind in an instant.

Once thrown into confusion, his thoughts couldn’t easily return to normal tracks.

Seeing the student not answering, Si-hyun slowly stood up.

Deciding to eat in the classroom while airing it out, she greeted the student.

“I’ll see you during the lecture later, student.”

“Ah, yes! Have a good meal.”

Si-hyun left the cafeteria.

Jae-woo looked at her retreating back with eyes full of unresolved questions.

‘What on earth was that…?’

Eventually failing to figure it out, he straightened his tilted head.

Jae-woo resumed slurping his spicy ramen.

The strong, spicy flavor spread in his mouth, and he blankly stared at the ramen lid without much thought.

Glimpsing Hunter Ye Do-hyeon’s cheerful smiling face on the lid for a moment before closing it.