Academy’s Villain Professor-Chapter 182 : Chapter 182

Chapter 182: Everyday Life (2)
Anyone would think she had a meal ticket with his name on it.
As Ho-cheol was looking at Da-yeon with such an expression, she slightly turned her head and pouted her lips.
“This is unfair.”
Not only had she eaten with Ho-cheol alone, but it had been in his dorm, not a normal restaurant.
This was a clear absurdity and a special privilege.
To be precise, it wasn't the special privilege itself that was the problem.
It was the unfairness she felt because she was not the subject of that special privilege.
If everyone had taken turns eating with him, that would have been one thing.
But for only Ye-jin to have received such an opportunity was something Da-yeon could not understand at all.
She had always believed that if such a thing were to happen, she would always be the first priority.
She was the most outstanding student at Ho-cheol, and the most passionate in his lectures.
They were the closest in their student-professor relationship, and the same went for their relationship outside of that.
No matter what factor you considered, there was no reason to take care of Ye-jin before her.
That's why she was feeling not just disappointment, but also resentment.
“Good grief.”
Of course, it was impossible for Ho-cheol to empathize with that feeling.
“So the gist is, you want to eat ramen at my dorm too?”
Da-yeon nodded her head up and down so vigorously that it made a whooshing sound.
Unlike her intense expression of emotion, she remained expressionless.
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Ho-cheol covered his mouth with one hand and thought.
If it were any other student, he would have just hit them once and told them to go study instead of talking nonsense, but his opponent was Da-yeon.
In the first place, Ye-jin was also one of the major victims of Ji-an's actions, which was why he had created that opportunity.
Considering the series of events that had occurred last semester, Da-yeon was an even more direct victim than Ye-jin.
If he were to follow the proper order, he should have explained Ji-an's existence to her as well.
The only problem was that, unlike Ye-jin, whose personality and reaction he could somewhat predict, he still couldn't gauge Da-yeon.
Her upbringing and personality were so unique.
Most importantly, although she would actively deny it, if she had inherited even a little of the Sword Demon's bad personality, the aftermath would not be easy.
Separate from being forgiven, could she really accept Ji-an's existence itself physiologically?
If the worst-case scenario were to happen.
Ho-cheol let out a sigh inwardly.
It was something he had been prepared for from the moment he had first taken in Ji-an.
It had just been resolved so easily until now because he had been so lucky.
In the end, this was probably karma that he had to bear.
In the end, Ho-cheol, as if he had given up, lowered the hand that had been covering his mouth.
“Alright. Is ramen okay for the menu?”
“Yes.”
Da-yeon answered immediately.
In fact, what did it matter?
If it was something Ho-cheol was giving her, she could have happily eaten plain rice with water.
“Then I’ll go buy a few bags of Sun Ramen…”
“Anything but that.”
Da-yeon's voice was lower and calmer than ever before.
Not that.
Are you crazy?
***
Ho-cheol's dorm.
Da-yeon, who was sitting demurely, looked at the back of Ho-cheol, who was standing in front of the induction stove.
Ho-cheol's dorm.
His personal space.
Every time she became aware of that, an indescribable emotion would suddenly raise its head from the deepest part of her chest.
She was barely suppressing it now, but how much longer could she hold on?
As she was thinking that, Ho-cheol suddenly turned around.
“It was the same with Ye-jin. We didn't eat alone.”
“Pardon?”
“There was one more guest.”
“Ah? Ah…”
Da-yeon blinked her eyes stupidly, and then let out a pitiful sound as if she had belatedly realized.
She had completely forgotten about So-hee's existence.
Come to think of it, they were almost a set menu.
And he had even said she lived next door.
So that's why he was cooking so much ramen.
For a moment, the words "I don't want to" came to the tip of her tongue, but she barely held it in.
If it had been the same with Ye-jin, she had no grounds to refuse.
She eventually nodded her head.
“Right. Then I should call her right away.”
Ho-cheol picked up his phone.
And less than a minute had passed since he had sent a text message.
Dudududu—
The sound of frantic running from the hallway could be heard all the way inside the dorm.
Deolkeong—
“Mister! Are we eating alone this time…! We are…?”
Ji-an froze in the middle of opening the front door.
“Et?”
“……Hmm?”
Da-yeon and Ji-an, realizing each other's existence, made a foolish sound at the same time.
***
Learning from his failure last time, this time he only put the ramen water on to boil and didn't even open the noodle bag.
In any case, if the atmosphere were to flow like last time, they wouldn't even eat the ramen.
But an unexpected situation occurred.
“Hmm. Is that so.”
Da-yeon accepted Ji-an's existence calmly, without any emotional turmoil.
“Alright.”
Neither anger at the crimes Ji-an had committed so far, nor displeasure at Ho-cheol for taking her in, nor even a faint sense of betrayal.
Just as usual.
No, in fact, she maintained an even more dry attitude.
She wasn't just holding it in.
Whether she was trying to maintain her composure, or if she was truly unimpressed, even Ho-cheol could tell the difference.
And Da-yeon was clearly the latter.
In fact, Ho-cheol scratched the back of his head, looking flustered.
“Are you really okay?”
“Of course I’m not okay. But what can I do?”
Da-yeon glanced at Ji-an and let out a faint sigh.
“How many people have tried to kill me, and how many have tried to kidnap me? If I think of her as just one of them, it’s actually not a big deal.”
If she had gotten truly angry at such villains, her own mind would have been worn out or exhausted first.
After experiencing several kidnapping and assassination attempts, Da-yeon had learned to ignore this kind of villain.
“If it's a relief, it's a relief.”
Ho-cheol was slightly impressed.
He had expected a few reactions, but this was far beyond the scope of those ‘few’.
To think she would show such a magnanimous side.
“Of course, you haven’t forgiven her, have you?”
“Of course not. I haven’t even received an apology, so forgiving her first would be completely foolish.”
Ji-an just kept her mouth shut and watched the two of them.
In fact, it had been the same on the day Ye-jin had visited, and she had been forbidden from apologizing by Ho-cheol.
In the current situation, Ho-cheol knew better than anyone that only a lip-service, completely insincere apology would come out.
A person who, like himself, was endlessly twisted by their environment, separate from their true nature.
Only after she had become a proper person through as much socialization and correction as possible would that apology be sincere and have meaning.
In the silence of the three, the one who spoke first was Da-yeon.
“Professor.”
“What.”
“The water is boiling. You have to put in the ramen.”
“Ah, right.”
Ho-cheol stood in front of the kitchen again, looking displeased.
Again, only Ji-an and Da-yeon were sitting at the table.
Da-yeon stared at Ji-an.
But Ji-an did not look at Da-yeon.
In the first place, except for a brief eye contact when Ho-cheol had first introduced them, Ji-an had not paid any attention to Da-yeon's existence from beginning to end.
She had already turned her body back and was just staring intently at Ho-cheol's back.
The blatant emotion and desire in that gaze was something that even Da-yeon, a third party, could clearly feel.
Whether Ho-cheol was ignoring it, knowing it, or if he was truly insensitive and didn't notice, either way, it was dangerous.
That precarious tightrope walk would end as soon as someone opened their mouth first.
Ji-an's audacious emotion and gaze did not stop for a moment, even when Ho-cheol brought the ramen and they had emptied their bowls.
I don’t like it.
Da-yeon muttered softly to herself.
***
In the heavy atmosphere, the bowls finally revealed their bottoms.
“That was delicious.”
Da-yeon, who had put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth.
Ji-an, since her next lecture was less than 5 minutes away, had no choice but to clear her spot in the middle of the meal and get up first.
Thanks to that, only Ho-cheol and Da-yeon were left in the dorm.
“It's good that you enjoyed it. Don’t go bragging to the other kids. I should tell Ye-jin too.”
Of course, Ye-jin hadn't been bragging, but had been caught muttering to herself, but in any case, since something like this could happen again, caution was needed.
If all the other students were to rush in asking him to cook ramen for them, that would also be a problem.
Da-yeon, of course, had no intention of sharing this opportunity with the other students.
This was a secret between the two of them.
“Yes.”
Ho-cheol also grabbed his bowl with both hands for the last bite.
Just as he was about to lift the bowl and drink the broth.
Da-yeon suddenly said.
“Professor.”
Since he was in the middle of drinking the broth, Ho-cheol did not answer.
But Da-yeon did not wait for his answer.
A very short and simple sentence.
“I like you.”
“Keoheuk— Kek! Keolluk kek—! Keureuk keok—!”
For a moment, Ho-cheol, who had choked, spewed out the ramen broth he had swallowed.
At least he had blocked it with the bowl, so he had been able to avoid the worst-case scenario, but the spicy broth that was flowing back up his windpipe and esophagus at the same time was a pain that even Ho-cheol could not endure.
He put down the bowl and covered his face with both hands.
He didn't know for sure, but his expression right now must be truly terrible.
“What are you talking about?”
Because he was covering his face with his hands, his voice was muffled.
Thanks to that, he was able to hide the slight tremble in his voice.
He was that flustered.
“It seems I like you, Professor.”
Da-yeon hammered it in again.
“A lot, too.”
She stretched her leg under the table and tapped his knee with her toes.
“So please show me your face.”
Only after wiping his face with a dry wash several times did Ho-cheol finally remove his hands.
The two of them made eye contact, and Da-yeon smiled softly.
“I didn't know you could make a face like that, Professor.”
Normally, it was a joke he would have easily retorted to, but right now, Ho-cheol had no such leisure.
He somehow managed to return his expression to normal.
“I’m sorry, but you’re probably confusing feelings of goodwill, friendship, and affection…”
“No.”
Da-yeon immediately cut Ho-cheol off.
“Do I look so immature that I can't distinguish between goodwill, friendship, camaraderie, respect, dependence, curiosity, and love?”
Her words were firm and full of conviction.
“Do I look so young that I would mistake a midsummer's fever, or a wavering emotion in an extreme situation, for love?”
“Not really.”
Ho-cheol answered with a displeased expression.
“The feeling of my heart pounding, my face flushing red, and wanting to go and see you for no reason, just by thinking of you, Professor. If this isn't love, then what is it?”
Barely holding back the urge to answer ‘arrhythmia,’ Ho-cheol’s lips parted.
He let out another hollow laugh.
“But isn’t it better to confess in a more dramatic situation? Like, on a hill at sunset, at a fireworks festival on a summer beach, or in a quiet flower garden.”
“That’s fake.”
Da-yeon shook her head.
“A dramatic atmosphere, situation, and direction. That unusual and different situation, far from the everyday, scatters a person's heart and mind, and forces them to squeeze out words they can't normally say. In fact, how is it different from a drunken confession? In fact, a confession in such an everyday situation…”
Da-yeon's foot, which had been poking Ho-cheol's knee under the table, had now passed his knee and reached his thigh.
“Isn’t it really my true feeling?”
Ho-cheol couldn't say anything.
The forcefulness he felt from her right now just made it clear that this was not a situation he could get over with a joke or by brushing it off.
He looked at Da-yeon with a serious expression for the first time.
“The Sword Demon will try to kill me.”
“I’ll protect you.”
She’s serious.
Ho-cheol pushed away Da-yeon's foot, which had been rubbing the inside of his thigh, and let out a sigh.
“I’m flustered… It’s too sudden.”
“It’s not sudden at all.”
“Without a decisive moment.”
It was just that the cup that had been slowly filling up had now become full and the moment of overflowing had come.
No decisive moment was needed for a full cup to overflow.
No, a decisive moment had definitely existed.
For Da-yeon, every single moment she had spent with Ho-cheol was the decisive moment that had created this feeling.
Ho-cheol gave her one last piece of advice.
“I don’t think your feelings are a misunderstanding or a lie. But, it’s definitely been inflated more than necessary. And such feelings will surely change later.”
“If you open an umbrella under the pouring rain, won't you get wet? If you throw a stone into a river, will the river stop? If a mountain soars in the sea, will that turn the sea into a lake?”
Da-yeon stood up from her chair.
“My dry emotions, heart, and life. It’s all because of you, Professor, that I’m dreaming again, shaking off my lingering attachments, and gaining hope. In fact, wouldn't it be stranger if I didn't like you, Professor?”
She had already come up to his side and was holding both his hands with her own.
“I can’t deny this feeling, nor do I want to. If I can’t decide the beginning or the end of my life, then at least I have to decide the process.”
In Da-yeon's eyes, only Ho-cheol existed.
In Ho-cheol's eyes, only Da-yeon existed.
“Don’t run away. Let me hear your answer.”
Ho-cheol, who had been silent for a long time, slowly opened his mouth.