Episode 594. The Culprit Was Lee Hoyeon.

A floating sensation.

Im Sol was dreaming.

It was a happy dream where she held an incredibly large chocolate.

At this size, it would surely be enough to eat for a lifetime.

Especially, its sweet scent was so tempting, more so than other chocolates.

Aang.

Im Sol opened her mouth to eat the chocolate.

Srrrk-

“…!”

Just then, the chocolate began to escape from her embrace.

Im Sol tried to chase after it somehow.

She couldn’t let go of the chocolate she could eat for a lifetime.

Wriggle wriggle.

However, the surprisingly agile chocolate wriggled and dodged out of Im Sol’s grasp.

It was moving too fast to catch with her hands.

Staring blankly at the chocolate escaping into the distance, Im Sol drew upon her magic power.

She couldn’t let it get away like this. Im Sol straightened her posture to chant the magic spell.

Thump-

“Ack….”

And then, she opened her eyes to the impact on the back of her head.

She had hit her head on the wall while trying to stretch her back in the narrow bed.

“Ugh, mmm….”

Im Sol clutched her head, silently swallowing the pain.

The fading memory of the dream made her forget even why she had hit her head.

“Ha, hah. Hoo….”

It was a familiar ceiling.

She slowly retraced her memories.

Why had she hit her head on the wall and ended up in pain?

“… Chocolate.”

The giant chocolate she vaguely remembered was a dream.

Come to think of it, it didn’t make sense.

There was no way such a large chocolate could exist in the world.

“Huh?”

Im Sol, letting out a sigh of disappointment, felt the space around her was strangely narrow.

When she turned her head, she saw Lee Hoyeon lying next to her.

He was tossing and turning, his eyes closed.

“Whoa, you surprised me. It was just my student.”

Blink. Blink.

Im Sol, blinking, soon opened her eyes wide.

If an assistant had seen her right then, they would have been shocked, thinking, ‘Even a Professor can look this flustered.’

“Huh? Wait, why is my student here?”

Is this still a dream?

But it hurt so much when I hit my head on the wall.

Just as Im Sol was about to pinch her own cheek again.

“Haa…. Ugh, urk.”

Lee Hoyeon grimaced and tossed, seemingly in pain.

He was covered in cold sweat, shaking his head back and forth.

“Hoyeon-ah…?”

In that moment, Im Sol’s sleep-fogged mind snapped awake.

Why he was here was no longer important.

Im Sol placed a hand on Lee Hoyeon’s shoulder and checked his condition.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like a seizure.

‘If I use magic, he’ll definitely wake up.’

She knew her student’s senses well.

There was no way he wouldn’t notice magic entering his body, even while asleep.

Instead of using magic, Im Sol slowly stroked Lee Hoyeon’s hair.

Was he having a nightmare?

His uncomfortable groans bothered her.

“When my student is struggling, the teacher should help….”

Im Sol couldn’t know what was happening in his mind.

She didn’t have a sense of whether she should wake him or not.

However, if he was in a difficult situation, she wanted to ease his pain.

Im Sol looked at Lee Hoyeon and smiled.

She felt a strange sense of kinship.

The time when the genius mage Im Sol’s talent became known to the world was around Lee Hoyeon’s current age.

Possessing talent so destructive that there was no comparison, Im Sol was called a monster from a young age and endured all sorts of envy and jealousy.

The Im Sol of today would have lodged a fireball in the heads of anyone who said such things, but the young Im Sol couldn’t.

Instead, she would hug her pillow and cry alone every night.

What had she done wrong?

Why was she born this way?

Young Im Sol’s chosen path was to quell dissatisfaction and shut mouths with overwhelming skill.

Magic was all she could do.

If she hadn’t met Lee Hoyeon, she would still be trapped in that cycle.

Especially, the words Arthur, the Academy President, had spoken were still deeply etched in Im Sol’s memory.

‘Your student said something interesting. He told me not to use the word ‘monster’ for his teacher anymore.’

Im Sol felt her cheeks flush.

Just thinking about it still made her heart race.

She felt like she could pounce on her student even now.

While stroking Lee Hoyeon’s head, Im Sol pressed her body close against his back, curled up like a cocoon.

Rather than stroking his head in an awkward position, she just wanted to hold him.

The sweet scent emanating from him lingered in Im Sol’s nose.

It was the scent of the giant chocolate from her dream.

“What should I do to make my student happy…?”

Im Sol knew nothing but magic.

She liked Lee Hoyeon more than magic, but magic was the only thing she was confident about.

There was still so much she didn’t know about Lee Hoyeon.

‘A lifetime wouldn’t be enough just researching magic, and my student is probably the same.’

There’s plenty of time ahead, so she can get used to it slowly.

With that thought, Im Sol hugged Lee Hoyeon.

She didn’t know what was tormenting him, but she hoped she could be of even a little help.

“Hng, mmm….”

Perhaps Lee Hoyeon felt her sentiment.

Lee Hoyeon’s tossing and turning slowed down.

His breathing began to stabilize.

Im Sol let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes again.

As her tension eased, drowsiness washed over her again.

She didn’t know how long she slept, but fatigue still lingered in her body.

She probably hadn’t slept for long.

Im Sol, intoxicated by Lee Hoyeon’s sweet scent, tried to fall back asleep.

[Sol-ah-. Sol-ah-?]

At that moment, a familiar voice reached Im Sol.

A chill ran down Im Sol’s spine, and she pulled away from Lee Hoyeon.

She had pushed him away in surprise, but fortunately, Lee Hoyeon didn’t wake up.

‘… Ahyoung-ie?’

Im Sol carefully got out of bed.

As soon as she heard Baek Ahyoung’s voice, the first thought that came to mind was, ‘Is there a regular check-up?’

But Baek Ahyoung wouldn’t come in person just for a check-up.

‘I need to get out of here first.’

She didn’t know why Baek Ahyoung was here, but she could predict the chaos if she were caught lying next to Lee Hoyeon.

Im Sol, roughly smoothing her wrinkled clothes, quietly slipped out of the office.

She saw Baek Ahyoung’s back as she moved around the lab like it was her own home.

“Ahyoung-ah. I’m here.”

“Huh? Sol-ah! I checked the office too, why couldn’t I find you?”

Baek Ahyoung smiled brightly upon seeing Im Sol standing awkwardly.

She had thought Im Sol might be collapsed somewhere like last time, but she seemed fine.

“Sorry. I had some things to organize in the storage room at the back of the office.”

“Organize? Should I help too?”

“… No. I’m done now, so don’t worry. What’s up? Let me get you some coffee, sit down and let’s talk.”

Im Sol cleared her throat and had Baek Ahyoung sit on the office sofa.

Sitting opposite her, she moved the kettle with magic and spoke.

“What brings you here so suddenly?”

“The Hunter Association issued a summons, but you didn’t show up, Sol. I came to tell you the meeting results.”

“… A summons? There was something like that?”

“I guess you didn’t know because you never check your smartwatch.”

“Ah….”

To Im Sol, the smartwatch was merely a device for receiving calls from Lee Hoyeon.

Sometimes she checked messages from Baek Ahyoung or Min Yeji, and very rarely, the professor guidelines from the Academy.

In other words, communications from the Association were irrelevant to Im Sol.

“That’s why I came looking for you.”

Seeing Im Sol’s dazed expression, Baek Ahyoung took out the prepared documents.

They were warnings about the Gates of Hell and methods for dealing with monsters, distributed by the Hunter Association.

“So this is what it was about. You came all this way just to give me this? Thanks, Ahyoung-ah.”

“That, and I was also worried you might still be training in the training room. It said the facility had been running for 20 hours straight.”

“I didn’t do all that myself. I taught some things to Cadet Lucy and Cadet Lumi.”

“Really? That’s amazing. You’ve never taught magic in your personal time before, except to Hoyeon.”

Baek Ahyoung was genuinely impressed.

Im Sol, who knew nothing but magic, working as a professor.

How happy the Academy’s Chairman would be if they heard this.

“… I do sometimes.”

The name Hoyeon lingered in her mind.

Because Lee Hoyeon was currently sleeping in the back room of the office.

Im Sol maintained her composure and looked over the documents.

Gates of Hell.

It was said to be one of the phenomena that had recently appeared.

Im Sol knew of their existence, but she hadn’t paid much attention to them.

This was because she didn’t believe in things she hadn’t experienced herself.

Then, she spotted a familiar name in the documents.

“Hoyeon’s name is here?”

“It’s information provided by the Iris Guild, and the source of that information was Yeop… ah, Hoyeon. Haha, how strange….”

“… I see?”

Im Sol frowned.

Could this be what my student is worried about?

Is there anything I can do to help?

Various stray thoughts crossed Im Sol’s mind.

“Sol-ah. You look worried. Is something bothering you?”

“… No, it’s just that hearing about an emergency makes me a bit uneasy.”

“You probably don’t need to worry too much. The Iris Guild is arguing for a global state of emergency, but… it’s likely just unfounded fear. Experts are still skeptical.”

“I hope so.”

Im Sol smiled faintly as she continued reading the documents.

*

“Haaahum….”

Im Sol stretched on the sofa and waved her hand.

Clink- clink-

Simultaneously, the kettle and teacups, their work finished, returned to their places on their own.

“That busy bee chatted for a whole hour before leaving.”

Baek Ahyoung, who had been chatting excitedly, eventually exclaimed in surprise at how much time had passed and went home.

Since Lee Hoyeon was sleeping in the back room, Im Sol had been anxious the entire time they were talking.

Fortunately, she wasn’t caught.

Im Sol yawned and got up from the sofa.

Then, she gently opened the door to the back room of the now quiet office.

Lee Hoyeon was still sleeping in the bed, just as he had been an hour ago.

Considering how much noise they had made outside, he must have been fast asleep to not wake up.

Im Sol sighed in relief and approached Lee Hoyeon.

“… I feel like I’ve become a terrible person.”

Just moments ago, Im Sol had been chatting casually with Baek Ahyoung, her expression completely nonchalant.

Baek Ahyoung must have wanted to see Lee Hoyeon too, but Im Sol had hogged him all to herself.

Knowing her feelings well, Im Sol felt a pang of guilt.

Guilt. Apology. Affection. Love. Tenderness.

These were emotions that had been distant from Im Sol until now.

Experiencing various emotions thanks to my student felt quite strange.

Im Sol lay down next to Lee Hoyeon.

‘But what can I do if I like it?’

She couldn’t help it, even if she was called selfish.

The guilt and apologies melted away like snow upon contact with Lee Hoyeon’s warmth.

Surrendering to the sweet scent, Im Sol closed her eyes.