episode_0110

“Who are you?”

I felt like I was being watched, so I looked back.

“… .”

Suddenly, the sound of someone running away was heard from afar. It was clear that someone was watching us and ran away when their identity was revealed.

It seemed like they were watching us from quite a distance, and at first glance it was hard to tell who it was.

I felt someone running away from behind a building that appeared to be a separate building, quite far away from the garden.

“Hmm.”

I stroked my chin in contemplation for a moment.

I don’t know who it was, but it didn’t seem like it was any threat to me.

The fact that she is in this mansion means that she is close to my student, Jang Ah-hyun, and because of her thoughtful nature, she would not have come close to dangerous people.

Of course, since today is the celebration of Jang Yeon-ho’s inauguration as chairman, he could have been an employee of a Taesung affiliate or another related person.

‘There’s no way the story from just now will spread in a strange way.’

There wasn’t anything particularly obscene that happened just now, and although I couldn’t follow the flow of the conversation, it was just a normal conversation.

Even if paparazzi who were not members of this mansion but intruded from outside saw it, they would not be able to make up a strange story.

Isn’t it just a scene where a teacher and a student were talking?

“It doesn’t matter.”

Even if another story were to circulate, this was Tae-seong’s mansion, and it would be enough to get Jang A-hyeon to join.

I guess the person she said earlier was the person who just ran away.

If so, there is no need to worry.

As I gathered my thoughts, I poured the drink in my hand into my mouth and threw the can into the trash can.

“It’s so damn tasteless. It doesn’t taste like mint, nor does it taste like anything.”

Now I understand why Jang A-hyeon looked so sullen when I handed her the can.

Still, there’s nothing you can do about it. In this situation, you can’t pass on Ssanghwa tea or Reishi mushroom tea.

It was wrong to put only those drinks in the vending machine in the first place.

“Keuhm.”

I cleared my throat because the strange scent of pine drink could not go away in my mouth.

I pulled on my coat tightly to cover my now cold body and began to walk towards the banquet hall of the mansion where I was originally located.

*

Jang Ah-hyun lowered her head and remained silent.

Seeing her face like that, Jang Taesan remained silent with a slight smile on his face, sipping his coffee cup in front of her.

It’s like a grandfather who notices his grandchild doing something interesting and asks questions with a grin.

“… .”

“Oh my, Ahyeon. It is difficult to create an opportunity like this again.”

It was a voice so simple and calm that it was hard to believe it came from the mouth of an old man with a wide smile.

Although his face was smiling, there was no trace of laughter in the voice coming out of his mouth, so much so that it gave me the creeps.

However, even while listening to his voice, Jang Ah-hyeon only shook her head slightly.

“I also know how to distinguish between public and private matters. Still, I don’t want to cross the line with Him. Grandfather.”

“You’re saying something strange. Is there a law that prevents romantic feelings from becoming public?”

“If I do that, his heart may leave me.”

As if to match his calm voice, the voice that came out of Jang Ah-hyeon’s mouth was similarly plain and devoid of emotion.

However, she seemed to be talking as if there was no difference between your voice and my voice, but somehow it felt like the voice had no power.

Her voice seemed to lack confidence somewhere, and Jang Tae-san caught it right away, and the smile disappeared from the corner of his mouth as if he was criticizing her for it.

“And I received confirmation from him. He and that woman have no relationship… ”

“Oh my. Are you saying you really believe that? Is he naive or is he knowingly denying it?”

“Grandpa!”

Jang Ah-hyeon’s poker face is broken and a look of nervousness appears on her face.

And she bit her lip slightly.

This old man. Just now, she had belatedly entered the banquet hall and, for some reason, saw her talking with the dean and started questioning her about various things.

Why are you so interested in other people’s stories? Why are you trying to push your precious professor so hard?

Jang Tae-san looks at her sparkling eyes and sighs softly.

And then he started meeting her gaze.

At that moment, I suddenly felt like the oxygen in this space had been cut off.

Chairman Jang Tae-san, like an experienced fox, is starting to gain momentum.

If you were an ordinary person, you would feel dizzy, as if the oxygen supply to your brain had been cut off due to this force, and you would faint or clutch your chest and breathe heavily.

For example, the sound of someone passing by outside this room was heard as if they felt it and hurriedly walked away while making a gasping sound.

However, there was something different about her taking it head on.

The reason is that she is an awakened person and knows where the source of Jang Taesan’s power comes from.

‘Even though I haven’t awakened this ability, I know how to manipulate mana to some extent. This old man.’

Yes. Although Jang Tae-san could not awaken this ability like her, he is also the crystallization of demons that have been artificially bred and accumulated for a long time.

Although it is at a very weak level, he must have instinctively learned how to manipulate mana to some extent.

Of course, it is completely impossible to properly inflict physical damage, and creating this level of intimidation is all that is possible.

“Hoo. Well, I guess so.”

When he saw Jang A-hyun withstand his momentum, he looked surprised for a moment, but immediately nodded with an expression of agreement.

There is no way that the magical power emitted by a taste awakener would work against Jang Ah-hyeon, a regular person with special abilities.

“… Think about it seriously, Ahyun. You know Northmund well, having seen it up close. Northmund is more clueless than you might think. For such a person, it is most helpful to push hard. If someone I don’t know does something like that, I’ll hit him hard, but I’m the kind of person who can never refuse a request from someone I’m close to. I am so confident in my eyes that have seen people for a long time.”

“Grandpa.”

“Isn’t this a good opportunity to bring Northmund to this castle? Then he could really be taken away. Is that still okay?”

Hearing Jang Tae-san’s low voice, Jang A-hyeon closed her mouth and looked down a little.

This may be because, in a corner of her mind, she too is worried about what Jang Tae-san mentioned.

That’s right, the strange behavior that the crazy woman has been showing recently that seemed so pleasant that it somehow made people who were watching feel uncomfortable.

Even comparing it to today’s incident and the case of Dean Dragon, who often takes her with him, the story seems a little suspicious.

Although he still gave a proper answer to the rude question, when I think about it again, the content was somewhat unclear.

“… Still, he said he had nothing to do with that smelly wild cat.”

“Oh my, this guy. Of course, if someone asks, you will say no. Why is my vision so blurred? Ah-hyun. I’m the principal and I’m dating my student. Who would reveal that.”

“… .”

“Actually, I didn’t talk to him much, but just looking at the attitude of that pouty kid at the airport, it seemed like we weren’t in a normal relationship. Plus, I heard that kid is wandering around the academy like he’s crazy these days. But do you still feel anything?”

“That woman is delusional. Maybe he’s acting like that out of his own imagination.”

Chairman Jang Tae-san looked rather surprised by Jang A-hyeon’s words, and after a while, he started laughing as if it was absurd.

“Heo Yigu. Uh huh.”

Jang Tae-san spoke in a voice as if he was lamenting something, with a dark smile on his face.

Even though Jang Ah-hyeon heard that, she couldn’t say anything and just bit her lip.

But she wanted to believe Professor Northmund. Could it be that they really had no relationship at all?

The expression on the face of the woman who had been secretly eavesdropping on their conversation like a stray cat seemed to be greatly shocked by the professor’s remarks.

Perhaps he was shocked when he realized that he had been mistaken.

Jang Taesan looked at her suffering face and sighed and opened his mouth.

“Yes, it is done. Now, I actually don’t have any regrets. I’ve had the opportunity to eat with the president, and most of my childhood wishes have come true. It would have been better if I could have brought that dragon to Taeseong, but I don’t have much ambition anymore. Well, if that’s the case with our cute granddaughter, then that’s probably the case. Can a third party argue?”

“… .”

Jang Tae-san speaks as if he has no regrets about the subject, which is still filled with dark greed inside his shell.

Although she speaks as if she has no regrets, it pierces Jang Ah-hyeon’s delicate heart as if she is spewing out everything she has been holding in her heart for decades.

Is there no one winner in this situation?

Both of them are dominated by feelings of sadness and are just talking about various things to each other.

Jang Tae-san opened his mouth as he placed the tea cup on the tea saucer on the mahogany table with high-quality patterns embossed on it.

“Okay, even if you say everything is right, first of all, as someone who has lived a long life, if I were to give you some advice, it would be Ahyeon-ah.”

Jang A-hyeon lifts her head helplessly at Jang Tae-san’s words.

Is he already mentally in a groggy state? Although his focus has not disappeared, he looks at his grandfather with slightly trembling eyes.

“Northmund is a type that is weak to strong people. And I have a very lonely personality. If you say that the dragoness has nothing to do with Northmund, then it’s a good thing. Then why don’t you drive in the nail first?”

“I am still a student, grandfather. And there is no way the dean would accept that.”

“… And if I were to evaluate you. You are 100% worthy of a broken heart, Ahhyun.”

Jang Taesan then shook his head, stood up from his seat and began to head out of the room, holding on to his cane, which had an impressive snake wood pattern.

And Jang Ah-hyeon watched the back of her unlucky grandfather until he slowly walked out of the room and disappeared from her sight.

Only then did I take off my shoes, sit on the sofa with my legs together, and stare blankly at the ceiling.

“Ha… .”

Now, Jang Ah-hyun’s mind was very complicated.

Is it true that the professor really meant what he said?

I didn’t want to deny it, but what Jang Taesan said also made so much sense that it made me feel confused.

All those who said that human love psychology was sweet, pure, and simply beautiful were wrong.

How can you make people feel so down and confused?

In fact, if you look back on Professor Northmund’s words, there are many things that are unclear. This is even more so when you look at Yoon Sia’s condition these days.

Perhaps Jang Taesan really said the right thing. But I didn’t want to admit it.

Really, the current situation is no different from that of the shepherd boy, one of Aesop’s fables.

Because Chairman Jang Tae-san was so annoying and had psychologically harassed her so much, it was difficult to decide whether to believe it or not even if he had told the truth in the situation just now.

And above all, even your own heart.

‘I’m not sure what this feels like.’

To be honest, she wasn’t sure that her feelings for Professor Northmund were love.

It might not be love. In a way, it might be right to say that this is just a heightened version of longing.

A person who has always been stubborn. A person who did his best at his job and did his best to protect the world.

A leader who always stands at the forefront and leads everything with overwhelming strength.

For her, who was trapped in the cage called Taesung Group and could not spread her wings and longed only for the wide world, perhaps the most ideal idol had just appeared.

That’s why I always wanted to be with him and stand next to him. I wanted to have a relationship where we always have each other’s backs and help each other when times are tough.

And to have that idol, his own idol, taken away by a woman of a substandard level that he never even thought of as a competitor. It was something I couldn’t bear.

So whether it’s love or any other emotion, what matters is.

Professor Northmund must never be taken away by Yoon Sia.

That was the point.

In an instant, a golden light erupted from his entire body.

Due to her determination, her supernatural ability appeared without her knowledge and leaked out.

The leather of the antique-style, gold-decorated sofa she was sitting on instantly burned black and burst into flames due to the extremely high heat emitted by her light bullet ability.

Feeling the flames rising, she stands up, sighs softly, and waves her white hand, completely destroying the existence of the sofa.

At first glance, a high-end sofa that the average person could barely afford to buy with a few years’ worth of salary disappears from this world, carbonizing so black that not even a trace of ash is left behind.

But as if it was no big deal, her expression didn’t change much.

‘I wonder if the professor has come back by now.’

With that in mind, she looked at the door Jang Tae-san had left and then slowly began to leave the room.

Behind her, the only thing left to look at was the Bengal tiger skin on the floor, scorched black by the high heat emitted by the Gwangtan’s supernatural power, and its fur caked, staring in resentment at its back.