NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 87
When the talk show just ended, Ye Do-hyeong walked over to the spot he had been eyeing.
The woman, who had been clearly visible from afar, was nowhere to be seen now—perhaps she had already left.
“Hmm…”
He pulled his hat down lower and slowly looked around.
He started moving his feet again.
As he gradually approached the edge of the night market, he swallowed his disappointment.
Then, by chance, he spotted a woman standing at a quiet shop at the very end.
Ye Do-hyeong hurriedly stepped up beside her.
He casually ordered a beer and looked at the woman.
Si-hyun’s eyes met Ye Do-hyeong’s.
“……Hmm?”
She had quite an expressive face.
Her initially blank expression gradually wrinkled, then suddenly sparked with mischief.
“Sir, can I have another beer, please?”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Si-hyun refilled the beer.
Ye Do-hyeong glanced at the menu to order some snacks.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he ordered spicy skewers.
According to the description, it seemed to be moderately spicy and tasty without being over the top.
Thus, after placing his order and having food set before him, Ye Do-hyeong removed his mask and naturally initiated a conversation with Si-hyun.
“Hello. You’re Professor Jeong Si-hyun, right?”
“……Yes.”
“I heard from my younger sister. She said the Introduction to Monster Studies lecture at the Academy is the most enjoyable. I was curious and looked at some photos, but I never expected to run into you here.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Ahem, I’m Ye Do-hyeong.”
“Yes, I just watched the talk show a moment ago. I also heard about you from Eun-byeol.”
Si-hyun and Do-hyeong exchanged light shakes of the hand.
Next, they each enjoyed their drinks and snacks.
They didn’t toast.
As Ye Do-hyeong set his glass down, Si-hyun slowly opened her mouth.
Her gaze was directed toward his spicy skewers.
“……Do you like spicy food?”
“Oh, yes. I quite like it.”
“Hmm…, I see.”
Si-hyun smiled with a gentle squint.
Her delicate features were accentuated by the rosy hue from the alcohol, captivating Ye Do-hyeong.
“Well then, how about you try this too?”
Si-hyun pointed to the menu with her finger.
It was called bomb skewer. The description boasted that it was extremely spicy.
“I’ll buy this one since it’s fate! Sir! One bomb skewer, please!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As Ye Do-hyeong admired Si-hyun’s appearance, he unexpectedly received a gift of snacks.
When the new snacks were placed before him, he smiled wryly and said,
“Well, I guess I’ll have to get one too.”
“……Let’s finish these first.”
Si-hyun, as if urging him to eat up, picked up the last piece of oden and took a sip of her beer.
Do-hyeong stared at her for a moment before taking a bite of the bomb skewer.
It was really spicy.
Next, he took a big gulp of his beer.
Yet, bizarrely, the spiciness didn’t fade at all.
‘……So this is why it’s called bomb skewer?’
It indeed lived up to its name.
It felt like his tongue was on fire, much like after eating spicy fried noodles.
Do-hyeong gulped down another sip of beer alone.
When he looked sidewards again, he found the pretty face of a smiling woman entering his view.
Her beautiful smile was enough to lift anyone’s mood.
Do-hyeong found himself smiling back naturally.
His tongue still tingled.
“Sir, can I have another beer too?”
Do-hyeong gulped down the remaining beer before ordering a new glass.
Instead of a bomb skewer, he reached out for spicy skewers when he suddenly felt a gaze.
‘……Hmm?’
Pretending to be indecisive, he slowly moved his hand back and forth over the spicy skewer and the bomb skewer.
Every time his hand hovered over the bomb skewer, Si-hyun’s smile grew even more radiant.
Feeling as if he was getting lost in that smile, Do-hyeong picked up the bomb skewer and put it in his mouth.
It felt like his mouth was ablaze for the second bite.
“Phew……”
“Here’s your beer!”
Unconsciously sticking out his tongue, Do-hyeong gulped down the new beer.
……It was spicy. Too spicy.
No matter how much it was called bomb, it was unreasonably spicy.
‘Cough…….’
Do-hyeong struggled to maintain his expression.
Honestly, it felt like the owner was trying to assassinate him with skewers.
No matter how much he drank, the pain on his tongue never seemed to fade.
“Cough, cough. This makes me think of the ramen I advertised.”
“……Fried noodles?”
“Yes, I see you’ve tried it.”
“The lid had Ye Do-hyeong Hunter’s bright smiling face that caught my attention.”
“Hahaha!”
Even amidst the pain, Do-hyeong laughed.
It was getting increasingly unbearable, yet he held on.
Having finally stood next to her, he wanted to get to know her better.
He squeezed his patience to the limit and tried maintaining his expression.
“It’s ramen that my mother loves a lot. So, I suggested myself as a model.”
“……!”
“I’ve got boxes of it at home, but I can’t eat it well. It’s mostly my mother who eats it.”
“Uhh……”
Si-hyun’s eyes opened wide.
She looked like a surprised cat, momentarily frozen with her wide-open eyes.
Do-hyeong let out a small laugh at her cute reaction and took another gulp of beer.
‘……Hmm?’
Finally, the pain on his tongue slowly began to ease.
It was a bit more bearable now.
“That’s unfair……”
A small murmur came from beside him.
“Unfair?”
“No, it’s nothing….”
Si-hyun shook her head, her long hair gently swaying.
It was a cute motion, reminiscent of a small bird lightly fluffing its feathers.
Do-hyeong smiled faintly, watching that gesture.
Afterward, Do-hyeong had a brief conversation with Si-hyun until she finished her drink and was about to leave.
In the end, he successfully exchanged numbers.
He thought that being Eun-byeol’s older brother had played a significant role as he bought some snacks to take home.
* * *
Inside a meeting room at the Academy.
While the students were enjoying the festival, the faculty gathered in the meeting room for a discussion.
The official business had just wrapped up.
Now, it was an informal gathering among the remaining professors.
“Are the students’ practical preparations going well?”
“Haha, of course. There are many passionate students these days, so it’s rewarding to prepare.”
“I agree. This year, there might even be a student who achieves D-rank before the first semester ends. Hahaha!”
They chatted about recent happenings and future preparations in a casual manner.
Inevitably, the topic of assignments popped up.
“I saw a pretty interesting group project not too long ago.”
“Oh, what kind of project was it?”
“It was prepared by four students from the magic division. The content was truly excellent. Honestly, even as a professor, I was impressed.”
“Hmm, really? The students prepared such an outstanding project themselves?”
“I thought so too. When I asked the students, they replied, ‘Professor Jeong Si-hyun helped us.’”
“Excuse me? That part-time instructor must be a close combat Hunter, right?”
The professor chatting could not hide his surprise and questioned back.
The one who spoke, seemingly in agreement, answered with a wry smile.
“I did find that part questionable, but… well, I figured it was fine. I have no friendly ties with that person.”
“Hmm… So, Professor No, what do you think? You’d have overlapping liberal arts courses with them.”
The professors’ gazes converged on a middle-aged man.
He was a B-rank Magic Division Hunter responsible for the course “Understanding and Exploring Monsters” in addition to his major lectures.
“Well, to be honest, I’m not particularly interested.”
Professor No replied with a nonchalant expression.
He had no connection to the person who merely granted permission to use materials for the new course.
He hadn’t even met the person directly, only through the President.
“By the way, did you hear? They say the quality of the Introduction to Monster Studies has been exceptional.”
“…Hmm?”
Suddenly drawn out by someone’s comment, Professor No turned his head.
The professor who had successfully grabbed attention smiled wickedly.
“They say the part-time instructor’s lecture is superior to that of Understanding Monsters and Exploring, no less.”
“……Huh, really?”
“I suppose they lectured using materials cited from your course? It’s quite amusing that it receives such praise, especially with a close combat Hunter helping out the magic division students with their group project.”
“……”
Professor No’s brow furrowed.
The professor, who had deliberately poked at his prickly personality and pride, shrugged and stopped speaking.
‘Well, the timing couldn’t have been better.’
Having already been displeased with the part-time instructor’s demeanor during Kang Cheol-min Hunter’s special lecture.
If Professor No, notoriously known for being strict and having a bad temper, were to hear this, it would be enough to spark a fire.
As he predicted, Professor No stood up with a grim expression.
The professor who had ignited that spark cast a sly glance at the spot where Professor No had exited.
* * *
A few days after the festival at the Academy.
Having only had morning lectures, Ah-reum made her way to the Academy’s main gate right after her class ended.
Today was the day she had an appointment with Professor Jeong Si-hyun.
They had decided to go together if the dungeon in the province wasn’t invaded.
‘Is she not here yet?’
Arriving at the main gate, Ah-reum checked the time and looked around.
Professor Jeong Si-hyun was someone who stood out from her appearance.
The fact she couldn’t see her meant that she must have arrived before.
Ah-reum surveyed her surroundings once more.
At that moment, she heard a familiar voice.
“Ah-reum, over here!”
“Aha!”
So she was in the car!
Ah-reum skipped over to the side of the vehicle.
“Ah, hello, Professor!”
“Hey. Get in!”
As Ah-reum sat in the back seat of the car, Si-hyun introduced the man in the driver’s seat.
“This is Jang Han-soo, the section chief of the Hunter Management Agency. He’s kindly giving us a ride since he has business in the area today.”
“Nice to meet you, Ah-reum.”
“Ah, yes! Nice to meet you!”
Section Chief Jang Han-soo exchanged light greetings with Ah-reum.
He took the wheel and skillfully began driving.
Meanwhile, Si-hyun chatted leisurely with Ah-reum.
“What kind of novels have you been reading lately?”
“Oh, um, should I recommend a new one?”
“Sure. I just binge-read one over the weekend.”
“Ah! In that case…”
The Chief focused on driving while keeping his ears perked up.
After all, useful information might pass between them.
“Um, Professor, can I ask you something I’ve been curious about for a while?”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Um… well, I’ve been curious about that symbol on the back of your hand. What does it mean?”
“Oh, this?”
Si-hyun raised her hand for Ah-reum to see easily.
Ah-reum’s gaze was drawn to the stigmata.