episode_0217

In the empty classrooms, including the library, there were still quite a few students left and taking their seats.

“Professor Shin Jae-yu? No… I haven’t seen it… ”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

A female student who was rarely asked a question by Lee Hyeon shook her head with a trembling face.

“I was at the library all day studying for the test. That’s for sure.”

“… Okay. Thanks for telling me. I’ll make it up to you next time.”

After Hyun-i finished her greeting, she quickly turned around. She heard people behind her, saying things like, “Did you hear that? What did she just say to me? She said thank you! Her voice is really nice…” but she didn’t bother to listen.

When he came out of the library, Jin Ye-seo, who had already taken a walk around the area, was waiting for him.

With her lips sticking out in a pointed way.

“… What is it?”

“Would you like it? Even if I just say hello, you make such a fuss.”

It seemed like it was Jin Ye-seo who was listening to the fuss.

“If you had taken off my mask, I would have fainted… ”

But Lee Hyeon soon shook his head.

“It’s good. It’s just burdensome.”

“You speak well… ”

Contrary to her grumbling words, Jin Ye-seo’s expression was already melting.

“How was it?”

Then he shook his head at Lee Hyeon’s question.

“No one has seen the professor.”

“The library is the same. I don’t think they came this way… ”

Jin Ye-seo frowned and became lost in thought.

“That’s strange. Where on earth did you go? There wasn’t any sick leave or outing records in the Academic Affairs Office… No matter how big the building is, how could I not see a single person…?”

“… Let’s look for more. There are still two more floors left. ”

Before she knew it, a feeling of uneasiness was slowly growing inside Jinye Seo.

I was walking again in that awkward mood.

A tall female student walking down the hallway ahead notices Jin Ye-seo and approaches her, waving her hand.

“Yes?”

“Jain! What were you doing?”

“I live in the lab all day. But… ”

The female student who had been shaking hands with Jin Ye-seo and greeting her as if they were close friends soon glanced behind her.

“Uh, um… who is this… ?”

“That… ”

“Do you know Professor Kwon Chan-yeol from the Department of Chemistry at Mado? He asked me to do something for him!”

Jin Ye-seo hurriedly intervened in front of Lee Hyeon, who was about to open his mouth in embarrassment.

“That’s why I had no choice but to go with you. I’m telling you, it’s really annoying, really… How did I end up with such a sneaky guy… ”

“… ”

Jin Ye-seo tried hard to ignore Lee Hyeon’s gaze that was piercing the back of her head.

“Oh, that’s what happened. But please… ?”

“Yeah. Did you happen to see Professor Shin Jae-yu today? He asked me to find him.”

“Professor Shin Jae-yu…? Hmm… ”

Unlike the others who were shaking their heads, the strange female student seemed lost in thought for a moment.

Hyun Lee felt so awkward that he took a step back and looked at the two.

“Come to think of it… ”

And then it was the moment when the schoolgirl opened her mouth again.

“I think we met earlier… ?”

At first glance, it seems like a normal, calm remark. However, Hyun-i, who keenly senses a small but clear change in it, furrows his brows for a moment.

He pondered the reason for the dissonance that had suddenly dawned on him. It was a vague and uncertain, yet familiar feeling that he had clearly encountered before.

That too, very recently.

It’s just that it’s not easy to recall because it touches the realm of the senses, not consciousness.

“What? Really?”

On the other hand, Jin Ye-seo shouted with a bright smile on her face, as if she didn’t feel it at all.

“Yeah. You know the West Research Building? It’s the building at the very end of Building B. ”

The schoolgirl nodded with a faint smile.

“I saw you in the underground lab over there.”

“Laboratory… ?”

“I’m sure. Maybe he’s still there? I saw him about 20 minutes ago… ”

“Thank you! As expected from Jain!”

Jin Ye-seo ran to the female student and hugged her to express her gratitude. She waved her hand as if nothing had happened.

“Oh, okay. Something like this between us. And… ”

At first glance, the female student’s gaze was turned to the back. Lee Hyun felt that the eyes staring at him were somehow blurry.

“… ?”

But it disappeared in an instant, and the female student who had been smiling faintly soon shook her head.

“… No. Nothing. ”

“What? So bland… ”

“Hehehe, then I’ll go first? Have a good time?”

“Hey! That’s not it!”

Leaving Jin Ye-seo alone, who was jumping up and down, the unfamiliar female student quickly hurriedly walked away and disappeared from sight.

“That guy, that guy too… That’s weird… I guess other people see us as someone like that… Do we get along that well… ”

Jin Ye-seo barely managed to control her expression by fanning herself with her hand and then deliberately grabbed Lee Hyeon’s hand and pulled him along.

“What are you doing? Don’t move quickly.”

Then he nodded with a confident expression on his face, even as he walked briskly.

“I knew you’d do that, right? ”

“… ”

“Of course you can’t see him since he’s stuck in the lab. You must be preparing for class. Anyway, don’t make a fuss… If you get punished and your grades are lowered, just throw that bastard Choi Woojin in a drum… ”

“But… isn’t it a little strange?”

When Lee Hyeon, who had been lost in thought, finally opened his mouth, Jin Ye-seo stared at him with a bewildered expression.

“What all of a sudden?”

“Your friend said.”

“Jain…? Why is he…?”

“At first, you said, ‘I think I’ve seen it before’. But then you suddenly changed your words and said you were sure… ”

“What? Oh my, what did I say again?”

But Jin Ye-seo soon waves her hand as if it were nothing.

“I guess I slipped up for a moment. Jain isn’t the type of person to lie about something like that. We’re so close.”

“… Really?”

“That’s right. Let’s hurry up and go. It’s so hot and I feel uncomfortable walking around… Ouch.”

In the meantime.

Jin Ye-seo suddenly hit her nose on something and let out a groan.

When I looked ahead, I saw Lee Hyeon, who was walking, suddenly stop and focus on something.

And just as Jin Ye-seo was about to question his actions.

“What… Why all of a sudden… Sob.”

Suddenly, the male student raised his evil hand. Then, he tightly shut Jin Ye-seo’s mouth without leaving any room for water to leak out.

Then, he pulled Jin Ye-seo into his arms and forcefully pushed her through the shadow of a large pillar protruding from the passageway.

This whole process happened so quickly that there was no time to protest.

“Ugh… ! Ugh… !”

Even though Jin Ye-seo was flustered and struggled violently, the male student didn’t care. He pushed Jin Ye-seo even further and put his finger to his lips. Then he just uttered one short word.

‘Quiet.’

“Huh, huh… ”

The feeling of being intimidated by the only person who can control you, something you haven’t felt in a long time.

Jin Ye-seo sat quietly, but thought hard about the cause and effect of this situation.

She just rolled her eyes and looked around.

The face of a huge stone pillar that a grown man could not fully cover even if he stretched out his arms. The long shadows of the afternoon covered their presence like a curtain.

As if they were going to cover up whatever ugly things they were doing underneath.

There was only one conclusion Jin Ye-seo could come to.

‘Snow, snow, really, here…?’

The plan to ‘pretend to be friends to narrow the gap, then pretend to cross the line by making a mistake’ was going very well, just as she had expected.

Even though he may be a bit stuffy, he is still a young man in his prime.

I was worried that if I gradually increased my physical proximity and provoked her, using excuses like self-defense or being her best friend, she would cross the line without me realizing it.

Once that happens, things like engagement and such become meaningless. Of course, he’s not the kind of person who would leave her crying and screaming.

I thought about it like that and was steadily moving forward with the plan, but I had no idea it would turn out this well.

At this, Jin Ye-seo gave a silent cheer.

I can’t say that I have no fear of the unknown at all, but it’s completely different now than when I was dragged around to the First City by force.

Now, she was rather resentful that she hadn’t taken a step forward and nailed it in.

Of course, there were some doubts about his impulsive behavior. However, Jin Ye-seo soon realized that he had a twisted and abnormal taste, so she accepted it and let it go.

‘Anyway… who else but me could satisfy this taste… ’

Finally, she closed her eyes comfortably and began to mentally prepare herself for what was to come.

Lee Hyun kept her mouth tightly shut and was still staring sharply at the other side of the stairs.

“Hehehehehe~hmm~”

Soon after, a female student appeared, with a faint humming sound. The name tag dangling from the front of her jacket read, “Kwon Yuri.”

Again. Tears fell down on the hand covering Jin Ye-seo’s lips, but Lee Hyun didn’t care. After all, it was a trivial matter in the current situation.

He was waiting for Kwon Yuri, whom he had encountered while completely hiding his presence, to disappear.

“Ahem~Ahem… Huh?”

But hope is in vain.

Kwon Yuri, who was humming a tune while half-asleep, suddenly stops walking.

A certain doubt had begun to creep into her eyes.

“Sniff sniff… What is it… I’m sure I’ve smelled this somewhere… Wait a minute.”

Kwon Yuri, who had been sniffing around like a puppy, suddenly stopped walking as if she remembered something.

Then he put on a sinister smile that didn’t match his innocent expression.

“Is this…our cute chick smell?”

Lee Hyun swallowed a sigh and thought to himself. Maybe the Kwon Yuri family had a unique magic that amplified their sense of smell hundreds of times.

Otherwise, I would never have been able to understand the current situation.

“Hmm… What are you doing here? Did you come to the library to study?”

Kwon Yuri, who was happily muttering to herself, gradually closed the distance between them.

Lee Hyeon hid himself even more by clinging closer to Jin Ye-seo, but if things continued this way, it was obvious that they would soon run into each other.

As I was spinning my head around like that, thinking about how to deal with the intruder.

It was an unexpected savior who appeared in a time of crisis.

“Anyway, being sincere… Okay, this older sister will go and help in person… ”

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

Suddenly, Kwon Yuri shivered at the sound of someone calling her name.

She turned her head, her stiff body creaking.

Before she knew it, Chief of the Front Line Choi I-re was walking towards her with a bloody suppression blade slung over his shoulder.

“Oh, my… That’s my friend Ire… ”

“It’s the problem child Kwon Yuri. I’ve been looking for her for a long time.”

“Oh, oh my… Why are you saying such sad things between us… But… Why did you come here… ?”

“What do you think brings you here?”

Every time Choi I-re took a step closer, Kwon Yu-ri also trembled and took a step back.

“Well, well… I don’t know… ”

“The kitchen freezer door is open. Are you?”

“Freezer…? What are you talking about… ”

“The security camera caught it all. Why don’t you stop evading?”

Then she finally stopped walking.

“Heh, hehe… ”

Then, with a bright smile that seemed like it would melt my heart, he tried to cover up the situation.

“It’s so hot today… So I was going to freeze some ice cream and eat it… I forgot… Hehe… ”

After hearing Kwon Yuri’s excuse, Choi Ire put her hand on her forehead as if her heart was pounding.

“Hey. Aren’t you a wizard? You can just use magic to freeze it until it’s big enough to eat. ”

“But, but… ”

“But what?”

“Then… there’s no romance… eek… !”

“Hey Kwon Yuri!!! Say that now!!!”

For a moment, the surrounding air became turbulent. Kwon Yuri’s words, which were trying to protect her own convictions, seemed to have touched a nerve.

“What the hell are you doing when you’re already busy!!! Hey!!! Don’t come to work!!”

“This, this is…! Getting angry is bad for your skin… Gosh…!”

“It’s because of you!! You!! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be angry!!!”

Choi Ire injected particles into the blade to make it really sharp and swung it at Kwon Yuri. Kwon Yuri dodged him in various ways, but she turned around and ran away as if she had no ability to deal with him.

Choi I-re also disappeared along with Kwon Yu-ri, and only silence lingered in the hallway where the storm had raged.

“Whew… ”

And only after confirming that the two had completely disappeared did Lee Hyeon let out the breath he had been holding and reveal his body.

“Sorry. I don’t really get along with senior Kwon Yuri… ”

It was around the time when he turned around to take a breath.

“If he found out I was with you, it would have been annoying for a long time. I would have been really surprised… ”

Hyun Lee shut his mouth the moment he discovered something.

Jin Ye-seo, her face flushed red, glared at him with tears in her eyes and a look of resentment in her eyes.

“Umm… ”

Lee Hyun swallowed his sigh at the sight of her, who somehow felt like a child who had been robbed of his birthday present.

And he was in deep thought, wondering if he had missed something.