episode_0115

“Mon, Mon!”

The sound of a large dog barking was heard from afar.

After talking with Jang A-hyeon and staying at Taeseong Mansion for a day, I spent my time at the mansion being treated as an important guest.

In any case, what I shared with Jang A-hyeon were really important terms of the transaction, so I needed to show some sincerity on my part.

Because I couldn’t just leave just because I achieved my desired goal.

While staying at the Taeseong mansion, I talked about various things with Jang Ah-hyun, who had become more and more innocent to me, and we ate together at every meal and had a normal time.

It is already sunset and the glow is setting.

We went for a walk with her in the garden, which was comparable to a large university site, and we saw a large shepherd dog, probably the one she owned, playing in a corner of the garden.

Jang A-hyeon was also cared for from a young age and was not that short, but the dog she was holding was so large that its owner dwarfed him.

According to what she says, his name seems to be Arthur.

“Hehe, I guess Arthur was very happy to be back home after almost a year.”

“I see. Is this a dog you have raised since childhood? It looks like you like dogs a lot.”

“Yes, I like animals, especially dogs. Oh, did you happen to say that the professor hates dogs?”

Seeing me standing a bit far away from her and the shepherd dog, she speaks to me cautiously.

When I saw that, I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

“No. I also like animals. Any animal is good, regardless of whether it is a dog or a cat.”

“Hehe, Dragon also likes animals. I especially like dogs.”

Jang Ah-hyun poked Arthur’s nose, who was panting at her, with her finger and opened her mouth with a smile on her face.

I also saw that and nodded lightly.

Just looking at the scene now, it seemed true that she really liked dogs.

“I used to have a cat too. But in the end, I realized that it didn’t suit my taste.”

“Do you hate cats?”

“Hmm. Rather than saying I don’t like it, should I say I just don’t agree with it?”

Saying something meaningful like that, Jang Ah-hyun took off her hand that was tickling Arthur’s plump neck.

At that sight, the puppy Arthur whines as if he is disappointed and hugs Jang A-hyeon even more.

Judging from his appearance, it seemed like he was trying to be cute so that he could pat himself more.

“Cats require too much work. There are so many things to take care of.”

“Isn’t that the case with all animals? Raising a pet doesn’t mean raising it for something in return.”

” To be precise, I don’t like it when it takes a lot of work and acts too arrogant. Dogs, on the other hand, are different. They are humans’ best friends, loyal to their owners, and companion animals that can depend on each other.”

Hmm, I nodded after hearing her words.

Because what she is talking about is the main reason for people who like dogs.

Being loyal to the owner and being able to trust and rely on him/her is always helpful, but it is definitely not a negative factor.

“Oh, of course, I’m not generalizing. Among cats, there are children who have a personality that is called a dog cat, and among dogs, there are also ungrateful ones.”

“Haha. That too. As you said, it depends on each person’s personality.”

Saying that, I nodded.

It’s a cat. When I thought about it, that child suddenly came to mind.

Perhaps this may be Jang A-hyeon’s metaphorical expression.

That’s probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a cat.

To others, he seems so arrogant and not even trying to have a proper relationship, but after we told each other about the village, he became a bit of a bitch to me.

Now that I think about it, I remembered the text she sent me around dinner time last night.

─I’m sorry, Professor. I’ll go back to the academy first. I’m sorry for texting you like this without meeting you.

After chatting with Ahyeon Jang about the future over tea yesterday evening,

After some time, I left the room and returned to the room assigned to me. When I looked at my phone, I saw a message from her.

I was a little surprised that she was going back so suddenly, but I could understand the somewhat anxious look she showed that day, so I sent her a reply telling her to return carefully.

I wasn’t particularly worried because the reply to that text came with a normal heart emoticon or something.

I thought maybe I was psychologically anxious for a while because there were so many people.

“Are you going back today?”

“Yes. I have to go back now. There is some work to do.”

“Hehe, then I was stealing the professor’s time. Should I apologize?”

“No. Because I had fun too. Now that I think about it, I guess I also missed this kind of routine.”

She laughed at my answer.

Now that I think about it, she seemed to be in a really good mood today. I wanted to ask what was going on, but I felt like I would be called insensitive, so I stopped.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Oh, no.”

While she was talking to herself like that, even though it wasn’t specifically directed at her, when my eyes turned to her face, she suddenly made a sudden noise, her face turned bright red, and she put down her dog and stepped back.

Seeing her like that, I felt like I had a little sense of it.

Maybe it’s me.

And if I had such an opportunity, there was no way I would miss it, so I looked at her with a big smile on my face.

With a face that seemed to say, “Let’s see how you act.”

“What is your expression, Professor?”

When she got a little pouty and complained cutely, I smiled and stopped teasing her.

It was a day that somehow made me feel like the cold winter weather had eased up a bit.

*

“You’re finally back.”

I got out of the car and slowly walked towards the academy’s main building, yawning slightly.

It was already late at night.

After talking with Jang A-hyeon, I tried to go back right away, but she kept recommending that I wait until dinner, so I accepted the offer and after everything was done, it was already like this.

Elm Talent Development Academy.

Although the school itself is already so famous that it hurts to even mention it.

Among them, there is one building that particularly attracts people’s attention.

Although it is a tall, fusion-style school that mixes architectural styles from various eras from the Middle Ages to the modern era, it still feels like the other buildings blend into the background to some extent.

There is a building that is quite tall and catches the eye.

That is the main building of the academy.

To put it a little worse, it is a building that reaches the peak of inefficiency, such as the spatial arrangement and twisted roads inside, to the point where it can be said that money was wasted in vain.

However, just as junk food tastes better, it is also true that the building looks truly grand and intimidating from the outside.

In particular, the hall on the first floor of the main building has numerous stained glass windows that are illuminated in the evening sunset like glass works, and the light that spreads a rainbow spectrum inside is already considered a work of art.

‘Of course, it’s late at night now, so there’s no way you can see it.’

I snorted and picked up my phone to check the time. It was already close to 11 o’clock.

I nodded my shoulder as I looked at the statue of Northmund standing in the main hall, and slowly started to climb the stairs toward the principal’s office.

Sigh.

I slowly opened the door to the principal’s office, took off the coat I was wearing, placed it roughly on the chair at the table, and started walking over to turn on the lamp on the desk in my office.

Usually, at midnight, I prefer to turn on a small mood light rather than turning on the lights in the entire principal’s office.

‘What. Why is it so dark?’

Now that I think about it, the inside of the principal’s office is much darker than usual. As I walked across the marble floor to my seat, I realized that all the curtains in the principal’s office were drawn.

Normally, the blue moonlight in the night sky should have dimly illuminated the interior of the principal’s office, but

The inside of the principal’s office, which was unnecessarily large and blocked out all faint light, gave off a gloomy atmosphere, as if it were haunted.

‘Who put up all the curtains? Did someone else come in without me?’

First, I walked to the window, picked up the edge of the curtain, pulled it back, and turned my body back.

“Ugh─!”

I was shocked for a moment and took a deep breath.

As the darkness cleared and the light began to fill this space, a certain image was engraved in my pupil.

And the slender shadow that appeared to be a woman was slowly approaching me.

“You came… Professor.”

“Sia?”

Shaking off his startled heart, he heaved a sigh of relief and called out that person’s name.

I was really surprised. Wouldn’t you be surprised if someone suddenly stands in a space where you thought there would be no one?

“Ha… What are you surprised about? Why are you doing this here? What is that about clothing?”

But there was no answer to that question, and she slowly approached me, wearing only a thin negligee that seemed to be completely see-through.

“What were you doing? Isn’t it cold? In this icy place with no heating on at all. Why are the clothes… .”

My words, full of questions, could not continue. This is because her figure came closer to me while I was standing by the window, and the moonlight caught my eye.

“… Professor.”

“You’re a professor. Now it’s just the two of us… .”

“Professor.”

Seeing her appearance, I took a step back without realizing it. My mouth was dry and I swallowed a gulp of saliva without realizing it.

Because her eyes were once again filled with deep darkness like in the past.

I was embarrassed by the sudden situation and opened my mouth.

“Professor… Why are you cheating?”

“What?”

In response to her incomprehensible question, I unconsciously put my hand into my pocket.

It was as if I was looking for a cigarette in my pocket, but now that I have changed clothes after visiting Taeseong, there is no cigarette in my pocket.

It’s just, it’s kind of a habit of mine.

When I am in a bad mood or anxious, I often burn this tobacco. It has become a habit and has no particular meaning, but I have unconsciously entered into this unprecedented situation.

“That… What do you mean?”

“Was it not enough for me?”

She came close and hugged me.

Her shoulders were shaking slightly, and I couldn’t place my hand on her shoulder because I had no idea where to go.

“Liar. He clearly said that I was the only one. You promised me… .”

I couldn’t see her expression because she was burying her face in my chest, but it rang out from somewhere foreign to me.

A soft, uncharacteristic voice, as if it had been created, echoes through the empty principal’s office.

“Why… Please don’t hug me. Have you left your heart now?”

“No, no. What the hell are you talking about? Why is this reaction all of a sudden? I really don’t know… .”

I couldn’t continue my words.

This is because she put more strength into her arms that hugged me.

Feeling the light pressure that was squeezing me, I let out a sigh.

When I look back at her with a puzzled face, she also slowly raises her head and looks at me.

“Lie. He said such harsh words to her, telling her that we would be together for the rest of our lives. You don’t know that, Professor.”

“Where did you hear that… .”

I was able to roughly understand what kind of misunderstanding she had.

I don’t know for what reason or how she ended up near the room where Jang Ah-hyun and I were, but it seemed like she heard our entire conversation.

What kind of ridiculous misunderstanding is this? I was about to yell, but ended up swallowing my words.

Everything you are thinking right now is a misunderstanding. I want to blurt out, “I’ll explain it to you now.” My words couldn’t continue.

“… .”

Because those two eyes looking at me took my soul away.

A thick, deep swamp of tar was churning inside the red garnet.

Her eyes were full of darkness, but the way she looked at me was so captivating.

She slowly loosened her grip on me and this time placed her arms behind my neck.

And she slowly approaches. Each other’s faces slowly come closer.

“I hope the professor only looks at me, loves only me, cherishes only me, and thinks only of me.”

“… .”

“Of course I know. That this is just a relationship created through my own compulsion. So, I know that I am not in a position to be greedy. Even if the professor doesn’t like me, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

The two people standing here both had human shapes, but their respective images were polar opposites.

Two people with completely different feelings, one completely overwhelming the other.

Of course, it was me who was overwhelmed, not her.

I was completely overwhelmed by the energy coming from her.

Compared to the insignificant Dragonian, who is just a degraded version of a dragon, the power of her, who is truly a dragon itself, was piercing my mind.

“I know that my actions are unreasonable. Professor, you have big things to do in the future. So I understand that she needs help.”

“No. We just… .”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to make excuses. Because I understand everything. I am just a poor orphan with no special background or anything. It would be rude for that chaebol woman to even be compared to me in the first place.”

When I tried to explain to her, she immediately shook her head and cut me off without any intention of hearing what was being said.

‘There is a terrible misunderstanding.’

What happened to us wasn’t such a pink story.

No, it was just a story about camaraderie that could easily be said to be a story about men.

How does it make sense to have a relationship where we can trust each other and fill each other’s empty space forever? .

‘uh?’

As I thought over the story in my head again, I felt a sense of discomfort somewhere.

what.

Somehow, every time I recalled the conversation at the mansion, questions began to spread in my head little by little.

No, I just thought our interests were similar.

Forever and forever. Let’s become a relationship where we can stand next to each other.

A deep relationship where you can make up for each other’s shortcomings and help each other in difficult times.

‘no? really?’

At that moment, an exhilarating electric shock ran through my mind.

After thinking that way, all of Jang Ah-hyun’s strange reactions during the conversation were explained.

Why did he suddenly blush, and since then did his attitude towards me change somehow and start treating me more intimately?

No way, if that’s really the case, I might have made a really big accident.

“No, that’s… Eup!”

Chuuup.

As I was making a dazed expression of shocking realization, she lightly placed her lips on mine.

A light bird kiss where only the lips touch each other.

How much time passed, after our lips slowly parted? She opened her mouth with a trembling voice.

“I’m sorry. Although it is selfish and shameless. Still, I don’t want to lose my professor. I’m sorry for being so forceful. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, whether it is a cause or not, I cannot give up on my professor no matter what. But really… I feel like I’m going to die.”

Her expression changes as if she is about to cry, and her eyes, which had turned cloudy, begin to become moist.

The water from the tear ducts gradually fills her red eyes.

“… sorry. I was wrong.”

Because I know roughly what will come out of her mouth. And this situation… No matter how unexpected I was.

It wasn’t a problem that could be easily overlooked, just because he didn’t anticipate her feelings.

So I offered her an honest apology.

“Yes? Professor, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s something that can’t be helped, right? Because I also understand everything… .”

“No. It’s my fault. that… Whatever the circumstances, it may have felt like a betrayal to you. No, it was probably like that. I have no intention of making excuses for that.”

It was wrong from the beginning. I couldn’t get away with the excuse that I didn’t notice.

Time never goes back. Even if you regret it, you cannot go back in time and correct that incident.

So I had to focus on the present. That’s right, handing an apple to the slender girl in front of me. Things like that.

“Hey, I see.”

Suddenly her mood changes.

Her face, which had a surprised expression for a moment, slowly, little by little, melted and changed into a smile, like whipped cream on a cake placed next to a warm stove.

At the same time.

Suddenly, a sweet and fragrant peach scent began to flow out.

The scent that has now become so familiar to me and takes charge of my daily life.

“… Then, Professor.”

“Yes, Sia.”

She smiled brightly with tears in her eyes and wrapped her arms around my neck even more.

“The professor said that if I do something wrong, he will always punish me.”

“… Uh.”

I was embarrassed for the second time.

It wasn’t just one-dimensional confusion about how to answer her question.

She shines white in the moonlight of the night sky. That’s exactly what she looks like.

Because it was so bewitching that my heart exploded.

“Then, for today, I… Is it okay to punish the professor?”

“Haha.”

Only now did I acknowledge its size.

Since when did I have this, or maybe even before that, long before I had this relationship with her?

From the day I first met her on the rooftop of an apartment building after coming to this world.

Maybe she had become too big of a person for me too.

therefore.

“Of course.”

“Hehe… Then let’s go Elm.”

She kissed me lightly again and took my hand.

The place she was heading to, smiling sheepishly, was my bedroom in a corner of the principal’s office.

I always tried to be heavy and serious, but as the first person to appear in front of people, I tried to control my emotions without being clumsy.

There may be no need for that now.

I glanced at her tail wagging happily, and I followed after her, pretending not to be able to resist.

The moon seemed to be smiling when she saw me close the curtain in the principal’s office again.