Ch.1717 – The Path of an Educator

I must have done something crazy.

“Are you coming to your senses?”

It felt like the thread of my rationality had snapped.

Looking back, it wasn’t even something worth getting so angry about.

At that moment, I just couldn’t control myself.

“Yes… thanks to you.”

I glanced around briefly.

Looking at the calendar, a whole day had already passed. It only felt like I’d been lying down for an hour or two.

“The doctor said you still need more rest.”

“I can’t impose on you any further.”

“Your parents must be worried, so I should contact them first. Do you know their phone number?”

“I don’t have parents.”

The professor flinched and dropped his phone.

“I don’t mean they’re not at home—I mean they’re not in this world.”

I clarified in advance to avoid any misunderstanding.

I folded the blanket roughly to one side and put on my shoes.

“If you tell me your address, I can take you home.”

“I don’t have a home either.”

What can I do if I really don’t have one?

“If you insist on taking me somewhere, please drop me off at Arabyul Elementary School.”

Thinking about it now, I almost left without knowing where this hospital was. I accepted the professor’s kindness, and after that, he proceeded with the discharge process in silence.

The professor’s car was an old model that belonged in a museum. It didn’t use mana and had no AI—a relic of the past.

But the interior was well-furnished with antique decor that matched his taste.

“If you don’t have a home, where do you sleep?”

“I stay at internet cafés.”

“You sleep there every day?”

“For about half a year now.”

“Do you have money?”

“I earn enough to pay for the VR capsule.”

When the conversation briefly paused, I added:

“I’m not doing anything weird. I just earn money from streaming.”

When will I finish this?

I kept drinking the mana potion I’d picked up from the pharmacy during our conversation, but this 1.5L bottle showed no signs of emptying.

As always, I can’t really taste it while drinking due to withdrawal symptoms, but the aftertaste is quite disgusting.

“So you’re in second grade elementary school?”

“You saw my student ID. I don’t mind, it was probably necessary information for the admission process.”

“Honestly, I was surprised. I never dreamed that the top student in my class would be a child as young as you. How did you learn magic?”

“I learned as my teacher taught me.”

“That teacher should definitely be arrested for child abuse.”

Despite my evasiveness, he responded with a good-natured joke.

Despite his curiosity, there was something comfortable about talking with him.

“Does your school know? That you’re living in internet cafés?”

“If they knew, they would have taken action already, wouldn’t they?”

“So you’re aware of what you’re doing.”

“But I don’t want to go back to the orphanage. I don’t want to play along with the children’s pathetic hierarchy games. And I need to earn money for potions.”

I’m actually living quite methodically.

Just last year, I had to play 20 games a day just to extend my life by one day, so this is a huge improvement.

*cough cough*

Ah, bitter…

“Do you like crepes?”

“Crepes?”

“The crepes they sell here in Dongdaemun are really delicious. The line is short today, so I was thinking of buying some. I wondered if you’d like one too.”

He pointed to a food cart with crepe pictures on the sign outside the window.

“…I’ll gratefully accept.”

“Great, wait a moment and I’ll buy two, one for you too.”

Crepes… I had them once when I was sent as a diplomatic envoy to the Republic of Britannia.

Does a woman’s body just go crazy for sweet things?

Originally, I never cared for sweets, but in my previous life, I couldn’t work without sugar confections.

Professor Cheon Kyu-jin returned with two large crepes in his hands.

I hurriedly took the one he offered, which was in a small paper cup to prevent the contents from spilling.

“This is a bit different from the crepes I know.”

Back then, I definitely ate them with a fork and knife, like steak.

“Well, it’s street food after all. I’m sure it’ll be delicious. Blow on it a bit since it’s hot.”

I put my lips to the cream drizzled with chocolate syrup.

The sweet, fluffy sensation soothed my tongue, which had been suffering from the potion.

Inside was strawberry? I took a small bite of the crepe with the fruit.

“How is it? Delicious, right?”

“Yes, it’s delicious. Sweet and tasty.”

“I stop by here whenever I go home. It’s even good as a dinner substitute when I’m feeling lazy.”

After finishing the last bite of the crepe, familiar scenery began to fill the view outside the window.

“Arabyul Elementary School is to the right.”

“Ah, I must have taken a wrong turn.”

“Professor, you’re not very good at lying.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are we heading toward the orphanage?”

I spoke with certainty.

He never intended to take me to the internet café from the beginning.

“That doesn’t change my mind.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“I was wondering if you…”

The professor suddenly trailed off. For the first time, the man who always maintained his composure cleared his throat and clenched his fist.

“Would you consider being adopted by me?”

“What?”

“I absolutely don’t want you to treat me like a father.

Just the same professor-student relationship we have now.

I just think I’d like you to live in a better environment.

I’m sorry, I’m rambling, aren’t I? I apologize for not expressing myself better.”

“I’m surprised. I’ve never thought about it before.”

Me, being adopted by someone. This would be because that person liked something about me.

For example, the man who adopted Minwoo and Arin did so because he saw their effort and potential.

He might not have shown it, but he couldn’t hide the fact that he was observing various children every time he came to the orphanage.

Of course, Professor Cheon Kyu-jin might also highly value my abilities, having an extraordinary mind for my age.

But isn’t it the same for me? I don’t know how long it’s been since I met someone I could talk to about magical knowledge.

After pondering for a while, the car had already arrived at the orphanage entrance.

The professor held the steering wheel and avoided looking at me. He seemed a bit nervous too.

His portion of the crepe, which he hadn’t eaten while driving, had become soggy as the cream melted in the heat.

What does it matter if he’s sincere or not?

It’s impossible to judge someone definitively after just a few meetings.

The only certain thing is that the sweet chocolate taste still lingers on my tongue.

“Aren’t you too old to be called father, Professor?”

* * *

The adoption process was completed quickly.

Park Young-hee, the woman who always managed the orphanage, took care of everything.

She was always indifferent, whether I disappeared suddenly leaving only a note, or when I said I was being adopted by a gray-haired old gentleman.

She’s truly a strange person.

“Oh, that Detective Ma Beom-il was asking where you went. And someone else too, some male college student came looking for you.”

With those words, she returned to her office without seeing us off.

Professor Cheon Kyu-jin’s residence was located farther away than I expected.

We traveled south of Seoul via the city highway. The night view of Seoul from the heights was beautiful.

It was quite a fresh sight to see various drones busily maintaining the protective magic barriers without colliding with each other.

“You never started a family—you chose the path of a true educator.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?”

The home of the professor in his late 50s felt empty.

It seemed to be about 40 pyeong in size, but with only one person living there, it felt doubly lonely.

“You really don’t have any belongings?”

“My school uniform is all I have.”

“I can’t imagine how you’ve been living.”

“If you think I’m dirty, that’s rude… I always have a clean magic spell around me except when sleeping. It’s a bit old-fashioned magic, but nothing is cleaner.”

“From now on, let’s try to save mana and take showers every day instead.”

“I’m absolutely not saying I dislike washing.”

He seems to have some terribly disrespectful misunderstanding about me.

“Here are your pajamas. There’s also a bathroom next to your room, so hurry and wash up. We should get ready for bed now.”

“It’s only 10 o’clock.”

“Going to bed early helps you grow taller.”

How petty of him to pick on my height.

With no choice, I took the clothes and toiletries he handed me and retreated to my room.

The room only had a bed, a drawer, a wardrobe, and several large boxes with unknown contents.

Since it was originally an empty room, he must have used it as storage.

I took a quick shower and dried my long hair instantly with heat treatment magic. Using a hair dryer would take forever.

The mirror reflected my skinny, unattractive body with nothing but bones. I’m definitely too thin.

It’s all because of mana addiction. Drinking the potion makes my stomach feel full and drives away any hunger.

‘What is this…’

He said he just picked any pajamas that would fit my frame from a children’s clothing store, but there were rabbit ears attached to the head of the pajamas.