Chapter 18

Han Min-ha narrowly avoided colliding with Yu Hye-won’s chest and awkwardly stepped back, asking her a question.

“Eh? Why?”

“Your number.”

“What number?”

“Obviously your phone number, not your student ID, right?”

“Ah, sorry. Hang on a sec?”

While rummaging through his pocket, Han Min-ha accidentally dropped his phone on the ground.

At the moment the phone was about to shatter against the pavement, Yu Hye-won kicked it lightly with her foot, sending it flying into the air.

Yu Hye-won caught the floating phone in mid-air, looked down at the shorter Han Min-ha with an expression that said, “You’re really hopeless,” and asked:

“What is wrong with you…?”

“Thank you…”

“Forget it!”

Yu Hye-won angrily turned on her phone to input her number.

“Damn, pattern lock.”

Han Min-ha roughly grabbed the phone back, turned it on, input the number she gave him, and called.

“It’s my number, you don’t have to answer.”

“I know. Got it.”

After exchanging numbers, Yu Hye-won crossed her arms and spoke:

“To be honest, I’m not interested in being your private tutor.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Let’s just avoid anything annoying, alright?”

Yu Hye-won smiled at him, but Han Min-ha could not respond, only nodding.

“Are you really not that smart?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Then how is it possible for you to fail every single subject?”

“I guess I just lack ability…”

At that remark, Yu Hye-won wiped the smile off her face and coldly said:

“Your tone of voice is really annoying, fix that first.”

“How…this is just how I talk…”

“Don’t make the listener lose energy!”

“Got it. Sorry…”

“Stop apologizing! Don’t do it in front of me. Got it?”

“Uh-huh…”

Yu Hye-won was about to launch into another lecture when she changed her mind and smiled again:

“Well, we’re stuck here, so let’s make the best of it. I don’t like it, but what can I do? I’ll just have to deal with you.”

“Thank you. I’ll count on you.”

When Han Min-ha bowed his head, his large chest jiggled.

Yu Hye-won clicked her tongue again upon seeing this and turned her body.

‘Really, just some dumb girl with a big chest.’

Thinking that, Yu Hye-won walked toward the lecture hall.

Left alone, Han Min-ha scratched his head for a bit and then followed her.

—

At the faculty office, the talk was focused on orientation.

So naturally, everyone wanted to talk to me.

Since the top student and the bottom student were both at orientation, everyone must be very curious.

“How do you plan to guide someone with such a large gap in ability?”

“Did you get a call from the Chairman of the Advisory Board for Management?”

“Han Min-ha really must be struggling, huh…”

Everyone said something, but I politely brushed all their questions aside with a smile.

“It’s just orientation. I’ll have to think about things more going forward.”

At that moment, the head professor entered, and all the professors stopped talking.

The morning meeting was the same as usual, and with a “pomp-pomp-pomp” cheer, we exited the office.

“Professor, what are you doing tonight?”

Professor Jin Se-young, dressed in workout gear, asked me while getting close.

“Nothing special.”

“Then how about going for bulmakchang? I know a great spot downtown.”

She winked and imitated drinking with her glass.

Bulmakchang…

“Nah, I’ll pass. I’m feeling pretty tired today.”

And I hate spicy food.

—

After all the lectures were done, I threw my tired body onto the couch when my phone alarm went off.

Looking at the screen, I saw that a person with an unknown profile had created a group chat and invited me.

It was a group of three people, including me, and one was Han Min-ha.

So the other person must be Yu Hye-won.

Actually, her profile picture clearly showed her face.

Blonde hair with sapphire-like eyes, taking a selfie with the smile of a mischievous imp.

I don’t understand why her smile is always this shape.

Though she may think she’s just smiling, others might see it as scheming something mischievous.

Still, if you overlook that, she’s strikingly beautiful, popular among students, I’ve heard.

Yu Hye-won sent a message.

[This is now our group chat. Just me, Professor, and Han Min-ha.]

[Good idea. It will be convenient to send notifications.]

[Should we come up with a group name? Any good ideas?]

A group name? Do we really need one?

As I thought about what to suggest, the impatient Yu Hye-won sent a message.

[What about this? Coughing Uncle and the Kids.]

[Hmm…Coughing Uncle…]

[What do you think? Min-ha? Why aren’t you saying anything?]

When Yu Hye-won pushed, Han Min-ha hastily typed a message.

[Me? I haven’t thought of anything…]

[Think about it and send.]

[5]

[4]

Suddenly, Yu Hye-won started counting down.

[3]

[Just a second, I’ll think of something soon…]

Han Min-ha, now desperate, was frantically typing, making lots of typos.

[2]

[1]

[How about Gray Wolves?]

I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

What an absurd title, like something out of a classic fantasy novel.

Even after all the messages were marked as read, Yu Hye-won didn’t send anything.

She seemed somewhat flustered.

Then Han Min-ha’s message suddenly disappeared, replaced by “Deleted Message.”

[Professor’s Study Group]

And immediately followed by another suggested group title.

It seems he judged “Gray Wolves” to be a bad choice.

[It’s good and neutral, Min-ha student.]

[No, Professor. I’ll change it, since I thought of the group name. Only the room leader can anyway.]

Yu Hye-won sharply cut off my message.

[Alright then. Think of a good name. Everyone worked hard today.]

[Thank you, Professor]

[Yeah, thanks Professor.]

“Nyah, Professor too”… Really… this is embarrassing…

I briefly looked at Han Min-ha’s profile on my phone.

Still the default profile picture, with no bio.

—

After leaving the research building, I walked toward the faculty dormitory.

It was still chilly in March at twilight, so I tightened my coat and pulled up my neck.

Though my coughing has stopped, I didn’t know when I might randomly start spitting blood again.

It’s like having a time bomb in my chest without knowing the countdown.

I can’t go on like this forever.

I must finish the quest and return to the healthy me in my original world.

Just as I was about to enter the dormitory, someone called my name from across the street.

“Professor Hyun!”

Turning around, I saw Professor Jin Se-young sticking her head out of the car window.

“Are you heading home now?”

“Yes. I guess you’re heading somewhere?”

“Haven’t eaten yet? Get in!”

“I’m tired today… next time.”

But Professor Jin kept persuading me.

“Don’t be like that, Professor. We all know you’ve been eating frozen food every day. Professor Yu Hyun-ju is here as well.”

Yu Hyun-ju in the passenger seat waved at me.

“Professor, isn’t it your job to treat us a meal after stealing Yu Hye-won?”

Yu Hyun-ju’s joke made me eventually turn around.

It wasn’t because of Yu Hyun-ju’s joke, but because of Jin Se-young.

She always takes good care of me.

It seemed rude to keep rejecting her kindness.

“Bulmakchang?”

As I sat in the back seat, Jin Se-young turned to check on me.

“Yeah… I like it.”

I don’t actually like it.

But it seems they’ve already decided on bulmakchang, so I didn’t want to ruin it because of my food preference.

“That’s great. I know a real amazing spot downtown.”

“Alright.”

Jin Se-young started the car cheerfully.

And thus, for the first time since the transmigration, I left the Academy.

—

The Academy, due to its nature, is located quite far from the city in a secluded place.

So it takes a bit of driving to reach the city.

Looking out the window at the mountains surrounding the Academy, I noticed the anti-aircraft emplacements sticking out.

Probably somewhere beyond those mountains lie the headquarters of the Academy Defense Brigade where helicopters and tanks are stationed.

The Defense Brigade is a permanent force to guard against potential villain attacks.

Though realistically, if high-risk villains arrived, military equipment wouldn’t help much.

But it’s never happened, and if a high-ranking villain did attack, professors from the Academy, including myself, would personally intervene.

Most professors, except for a few like me, are former active-duty heroes invited into teaching roles.

Professor Jin Se-young, until recently, was an active frontline hero.

We passed through Defense Brigade checkpoints to enter the city.

Graford City isn’t a metropolitan area but is still a satellite city with basic amenities like movie theaters.

It was once a small city but rapidly expanded after the Academy was established with faculty and defense brigade personnel moving in.

“Look, there it is! Wow, it’s really busy.”

Professor Yu Hyun-ju pointed and marveled at a restaurant with a long line of customers.

“But don’t worry, Professor. I’ve already made a reservation, and Academy professors are usually let in first anyway.”

Professor Jin answered cheerfully, though I didn’t even ask a question, as she parked the car in the restaurant lot.

As we stepped out, some people waiting in line noticed me and started whispering.

“Isn’t that the professor from the Academy?”

“Looks like it…”

People must recognize me from the enrollment ceremony video.

Some even took pictures with their phone cameras.

Words like “Gray Wolf,” “Fragile Beauty” made me wince.

The real truth is that I’m a terrible retired hero with a chronic lung disease.

Finding the situation a tad awkward, Professor Jin, like a celebrity manager, stepped between me and the crowd, shouting loudly.

“No pictures! It’s a violation of privacy!”

“Professor Jin… this is embarrassing, please stop…”

“Hey, put the phone down!”

Oh, really…

—