Chapter 87
—
When the talk show had just ended, Yeo Do-hyung walked to a place he had already scouted beforehand.
The woman he had clearly seen from afar was no longer there, as if she had already left.
‘Hmm….’
He pulled his hat lower and slowly scanned the surroundings.
Then, he began walking again.
As he approached the end of the night market, he swallowed his disappointment.
At that moment, by sheer coincidence, he spotted a woman standing at a quiet stall at the very end.
Yeo Do-hyung hastened his steps and stood next to the woman.
Naturally, he ordered a beer and looked at her.
Si-hyun and Do-hyung’s eyes met.
‘……Hmm?’
She had such expressive features.
Her initially blank face began to frown slightly, then quickly shifted to one brimming with mischief.
“Ahjussi, one more beer, please.”
“Coming right up! Thank you!”
Si-hyun refilled her beer.
Do-hyung glanced at the menu board to order some snacks for himself.
After a brief moment of deliberation, he decided on spicy skewers.
The description promised they would be moderately spicy and flavourful.
After completing his order, and once the food was placed before him, Do-hyung removed his mask and casually started a conversation with Si-hyun.
“Hello. You’re Professor Jung Si-hyun, correct?”
“……Yes.”
“I heard about you from my younger sister. She said your Monster Studies lectures at the Academy are her favourite. I even got curious and looked up a photo, but I never expected to meet you like this.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Ahem, I’m Yeo Do-hyung.”
“Yes, I just saw your talk show. Eun-byul mentioned you as well.”
Si-hyun and Do-hyung exchanged a light handshake.
Afterward, they enjoyed their drinks and snacks separately.
There was no toast.
As Do-hyung placed his glass down, Si-hyun slowly opened her mouth to speak.
Her gaze was fixed on Do-hyung’s spicy skewers.
“……Do you like spicy food?”
“Oh, yes. I’d say I enjoy it.”
“Hmm…, is that so.”
Si-hyun smiled sweetly, her eyes crinkling gently.
The delicate expression on her flushed cheeks, reddened from the alcohol, caught Do-hyung’s attention.
“Well then, how about trying this too?”
Si-hyun pointed to the menu with her finger.
It was called “Explosion Skewers,” and the description emphasized how incredibly spicy they were.
“Since we’re connected by fate, I’ll treat you. Ahjussi! One Explosion Skewer, please!”
“Got it!”
As Do-hyung admired Si-hyun’s appearance, he suddenly found himself gifted with a snack.
When the new skewer was placed before him, he gave a wry smile and said,
“Well then, I should buy one too.”
“……Eat that first.”
As if urging him to hurry, Si-hyun grabbed the last piece of her fish cake, ate it, and washed it down with a gulp of beer.
Do-hyung watched her for a moment before taking a bite of the Explosion Skewer.
It was quite spicy.
He immediately downed some beer.
But strangely, the spiciness didn’t subside at all.
‘……So this is why they call it Explosion Skewer?’
The snack lived up to its name.
It was like eating fiery spicy stir-fried noodles; his tongue stung.
Do-hyung took another swig of beer on his own.
Then he looked to his side and saw the beautiful woman’s bright, cheerful smile in his view.
Her pretty smile was enough to lift anyone’s spirits.
Naturally, Do-hyung found himself smiling along with her.
But his tongue still burned.
“Ahjussi, another beer, please.”
After finishing his current beer in one gulp, Do-hyung ordered a new one.
As he reached for the spicy skewer instead of the Explosion Skewer, he suddenly felt a gaze on him.
‘……Hmm?’
Pretending to deliberate, he moved his hand slowly between the spicy skewer and the Explosion Skewer.
Every time his hand hovered over the Explosion Skewer, Si-hyun’s smile grew more radiant.
Do-hyung, captivated by that smile, found himself reaching for the Explosion Skewer again and taking a bite.
The second bite felt like his mouth was engulfed in flames.
“Whew…….”
“Here’s your beer!”
Do-hyung subconsciously stuck his tongue out slightly and gulped down the fresh beer.
……It was spicy. Incredibly spicy.
Even for something named “Explosion,” this was unreasonable.
‘Gah…….’
He strained to keep a neutral expression.
To put it bluntly, it felt like the chef was trying to assassinate him with this skewer.
No matter how much beer he drank, the pain on his tongue refused to go away.
“Cough, cough. This reminds me of the instant noodles I once advertised.”
“……The stir-fried noodles?”
“Yes, you’ve tried them, haven’t you?”
“The bright smile of Hunter Yeo Do-hyung on the lid caught my attention.”
“Hahaha!”
Even in pain, Do-hyung laughed.
It was getting harder to endure, but he persevered.
After all, he wanted to grow closer to her now that they had met.
He squeezed out every bit of patience he had, maintaining his composure.
“My mother loves those noodles. That’s why I proposed being their model.”
“……!”
“We even have boxes of them at home, but I can’t eat them. My mom eats them all.”
“Uh, uh…….”
Si-hyun’s eyes widened.
Like a startled cat frozen in surprise, her round eyes stayed fixed for a moment.
Amused by her adorable reaction, Do-hyung chuckled softly and finished the rest of his beer in one go.
‘……Hmm?’
Finally, the pain in his tongue began to subside.
He could finally breathe again.
“That’s unfair….”
A quiet murmur came from beside him.
“Unfair?”
“No, it’s nothing….”
Si-hyun shook her head, her long hair swaying gently.
The motion resembled a small bird fluffing its feathers lightly, making it endearingly cute.
Do-hyung smiled faintly, watching her movements.
Later, Do-hyung and Si-hyun shared a brief conversation until she finished her drink and left.
In the end, he successfully exchanged numbers with her.
He thought being Eun-byul’s older brother played a significant role in this success.
On his way home, he bought some snacks for his younger sister.
* * *
Inside a conference room at the Academy.
While the students were enjoying the festival, the faculty had gathered in the conference room for discussions.
The official agenda had just concluded.
Now, it was an informal meeting for the remaining professors to converse casually.
“Is the preparation for the students’ practical sessions going well?”
“Haha, of course. There are so many enthusiastic students these days that preparing for them feels worthwhile.”
“I agree. This year, we might even see a student achieve D-rank before the end of the first semester. Hahaha!”
They exchanged small talk about recent events and upcoming plans.
Naturally, the topic of assignments also came up.
“Recently, I saw a rather interesting group project.”
“Oh? What kind of project was it?”
“It was prepared by four magic-type students. The content was excellent. Honestly, even as a professor, I was impressed.”
“Hmm, are you saying the students themselves prepared such an outstanding project?”
“That’s what I thought too. So I asked the students, and they said, ‘Professor Si-hyun helped us.’”
“What? But isn’t that part-time lecturer a melee-type hunter?”
The professors exchanged surprised looks. One of them spoke with a wry smile.
“I found that curious as well, but… well, I let it slide. I’m not personally acquainted with her.”
“Hmm… Professor Noh, what do you think? You share liberal arts courses with her, don’t you?”
All eyes turned to a middle-aged man.
He was a B-rank magic-type hunter and a professor who taught a subject titled Understanding and Exploration of Monsters, in addition to his core lectures.
“Well, I’m not really interested.”
Professor Noh replied indifferently.
He had no direct connection to her, apart from approving the use of his materials for a newly established lecture—a request that had been made via the Academy Principal.
“By the way, have you heard? They say the Introduction to Monster Studies lecture is of very high quality.”
“…Hmm?”
At the unexpected comment, Professor Noh turned his gaze.
The professor who had made the remark smirked as if pleased to have gained his attention.
“They say it’s even better than Understanding and Exploration of Monsters. Quite interesting, isn’t it?”
“…What is that supposed to mean?”
“Probably because she used your materials for the lecture? It’s amusing to hear that her part-time lecture is receiving such praise. And let’s not forget how she supposedly helped those magic-type students with their project.”
“……”
Professor Noh frowned deeply.
The professor who had intentionally provoked him shrugged nonchalantly and fell silent.
‘Perfect timing.’
He already had an unfavourable impression of the part-time lecturer since Hunter Kang Chul-min’s special lecture.
Given Professor Noh’s notoriously strict personality and pride, just this small spark was enough to ignite his ire.
As expected, Professor Noh left the room with a grim expression.
The instigator watched him leave with a sinister smile.
* * *
A few days after the Academy festival.
Areum, who only had lectures in the morning, headed straight for the Academy’s main gate after class.
Today was the day she had promised to meet Professor Si-hyun.
They were supposed to go to a local dungeon together if it remained uncleared.
‘She’s not here yet?’
Arriving at the main gate, Areum checked the time and looked around.
Professor Si-hyun was someone whose appearance stood out in a crowd.
Not seeing her meant she must have already arrived.
Areum scanned the area once more.
At that moment, a familiar voice reached her ears.
“Areum! Over here!”
“Oh!”
So she was in the car!
Areum hurried over to the car and approached the passenger side.
“Oh, hello, Professor!”
“Hi. Get in.”
Once Areum settled into the back seat, Si-hyun introduced the man in the driver’s seat.
“This is Section Chief Jang Han-soo from the Hunter Management Bureau. He happened to have business in the area today and offered us a ride.”
“Nice to meet you, Areum.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you for helping us.”
Jang Han-soo greeted Areum politely and began driving smoothly.
Meanwhile, Si-hyun and Areum chatted leisurely.
“What novels have you been reading lately?”
“Um… Shall I recommend something new?”
“Sure. I finished binge-reading one over the weekend.”
“Oh! Then, how about this one…”
The section chief focused on driving but kept his ears open.
There might be some useful information in their conversation.
“By the way, Professor, may I ask you something?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Well… I’ve been curious for a while. What’s that symbol on the back of your hand?”
“Oh, this?”
Si-hyun raised her hand to make it easier for Areum to see.
Areum’s gaze was drawn to the holy mark on her hand.
—
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