Perception Alteration - Professor's Preferences (1)

Chapel. A common sight at Christian-affiliated schools during worship hours. It wasn't simply a time for believers to pray. Usually scheduled regularly, it was a mandatory class students had to attend. Our university's foundation was also a Christian religious one—the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The name alone sounded cult-like, but the professors and pastors at our school insisted it wasn't. I wasn't sure if any cult ever admitted to being one. It seemed other denominations treated it as such. Still, it appeared to be a fairly well-known and sizable denomination overseas.

Because the university's foundation was Christian, we were required to take chapel classes. In a way, it was forced religious education, but I didn't mind it much. It wasn't a boring lecture, and there was no need to struggle for credits. As long as you showed up on time, it was a simple pass-or-fail class that granted a pass.

Sometimes a pastor gave a sermon, sometimes a guest lecturer spoke, and sometimes motivational videos played. Occasionally, students from the vocal music or dance departments put on impressive performances. It could actually be an enjoyable time.

Chapel was usually held in the 50th Anniversary Hall at the center of campus. The interior resembled an opera house—wide, cone-shaped seating, an incredibly high ceiling, and a second-floor balcony visible when you looked up. It felt like a venue for opera performances. The structure was designed so that voices and singing from the stage carried well to every seat. That was probably why musicals were sometimes staged there too.

Today, however, I was attending chapel at an unusual time. Chapel times were normally fixed by year. The 50th Anniversary Hall had enough seats for an entire year group. As a second-year student, my usual slot was Tuesday morning, but here I was on Wednesday morning, sitting with Taeyoung in the hall.

It wasn't that strange. While chapel times were assigned by year, it wasn't difficult to request a change if you asked in advance. Students often switched slots when they overlapped with desired lectures or important events.

Wide aisles ran between the cone-shaped rows of seats. I sat on the right side of the central section, with an aisle to my right. Taeyoung sat to my left, looking excited.

"Hyung, the festival's starting already~ Hehe."

"I'm just waiting for Thursday."

The reason ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was simple. Our university festival began today and ran for three days. Taeyoung seemed to like it because many classes were canceled during the festival, but I was only looking forward to the performance by my favorite idol group, 4S, on Thursday.

For today's chapel, the elderly Professor Son Bongkyu from the business administration department was giving the lecture. His hair was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠completely white, and his face and hands were covered in deep wrinkles.

"Everyone, our university festival runs from today until Friday. However, students must always remember their primary duty..."

Professor Son Bongkyu was delivering the usual moral lecture. It was well-intentioned, but... incredibly boring.

Just then, Taeyoung's whisper reached me.

"Hyung. Hyung. Are you sleeping?"

"No... but it's so boring I'm about to pass out..."

"If you fall asleep, it'll be marked as an absence. You know that, right?"

"Haa..."

My boredom with Professor Son Bongkyu's words must have been obvious to Taeyoung sitting beside me. He warned me not to doze off. After going out of my way to attend chapel, getting marked absent was unacceptable. I forced myself to focus again.

Taeyoung continued in a low voice.

"Hyung, did you know? Professor Son Bongkyu is the oldest professor at our school."

"Really?"

I had noticed he was quite advanced in age, but I hadn't realized he was the oldest.

"And supposedly, he has the most influence?"

"...The most influence?"

"Yeah. He's connected to the university foundation, and with all the years he's put in here, it seems like he basically decides anything important that happens on campus."

"Hmm..."

It was news to me. Taeyoung seemed to know all sorts of things about the school's inner workings, probably from picking up rumors somewhere. Meanwhile, Professor Son Bongkyu's tedious speech continued.

"Heh heh. My words must have been a bit boring, weren't they? I only say these things because you all feel like my own sons and daughters. Of course, enjoying your youth is also..."

After hearing Taeyoung, Professor Son suddenly seemed different. His wrinkled skin, gaunt frame, and snow-white hair no longer just made him look like a grandfather ready to retire at any moment—they made him appear as one of the real powers behind the university.

While I studied the professor again, Taeyoung kept talking.

"You didn't know, hyung? Professor Son is the real deal. You know Professor Choi, the youngest professor in our department?"

"Ah... yeah, I do."

Professor Choi Seongrak. He was famous for becoming a professor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the business department at a very young age. For someone so young to make it here, his resume must have been impressive...

"He's Professor Son's son-in-law."

"Huh?"

Professor Choi Seongrak hadn't become a professor because of a stellar record or exceptional ability. From what Taeyoung said, it seemed Professor Son had simply appointed his own son-in-law to the position.

Taeyoung's gossip was surprisingly interesting. It made the boring chapel a little more bearable.

"These days, even professors have to pick sides~. They say you could even become president depending on how well you stay in Professor Son's good graces."

"Ah~" So it wasn't just about seniority. Professor Son Bongkyu really did seem deeply tied to the university foundation. Hearing the behind-the-scenes story made it feel like there was actual politics happening even within our school. Well, power struggles were natural wherever people gathered... but learning about it for the first time was oddly fascinating.

Professor Son's moral lecture continued to echo through the hall.

"Heh heh. It's been a long time since my daughter graduated, but whenever I see the female students here, I can't help thinking of her."

Separate from the talk of his influence and foundation connections, Professor Son clearly had a human side too. He seemed to cherish his only daughter deeply. He spent several minutes boasting about her. She must have been the apple of his eye. That was probably why he'd made his son-in-law a professor...

Just then, Taeyoung added another comment.

"Oh, now that I think about it, Professor Choi Seongrak is also connected to the university foundation... Is that why he became his son-in-law?"

"Ugh..."

A weary sigh escaped me without thinking.

'They're all tangled up together.'

My interest in the school's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠internal affairs dropped. I already knew most people here were Seventh-day Adventists anyway. Losing interest, I stretched lightly and glanced around. It seemed I wasn't the only one bored by Professor Son's words. Looking around, I spotted a few students nodding off here and there. Attendance checkers walked the aisles, marking the seats of anyone dozing.

'Huh?'

Something caught my eye. Porcelain-white skin. Bright blue eyes. Distinctly Western features. Jet-black hair falling to her shoulders. Across the aisle to my right, sitting at about two o'clock from my position, was a familiar female student—Cha Eunyung.

She was mixed Korean and Western heritage, which explained her strikingly pale skin and jewel-like blue eyes. Her hair, black as ebony against that pale skin, was another striking feature. Cha Eunyung sat diagonally across from me, legs crossed. I couldn't help feeling surprised to see her here unexpectedly.

'Wait... Cha Eunyung... has chapel on Wednesday mornings?'

Second-years normally had chapel on Tuesday mornings, and she was also a second-year. She must have switched her slot to Wednesday morning like I had. Today she wore an ivory cotton tee on top and a black leather-like skirt below, paired with low-heeled black shoes that left her insteps and ankles exposed.

Her boyfriend sat right beside her, just like in lectures. And just like always, she had her legs crossed—left foot on the floor, right leg draped over her left knee. Naturally, her right foot hovered in the air. Whenever she lightly bounced her left leg, the right one resting on it swayed gently. Her pale right ankle floated in the air, rocking softly.

It was exactly the same habit she showed in lectures. Crossing her legs and bouncing them seemed to be second nature to her. She sat with an aisle to her left, so her hovering left ankle extended slightly into the walkway. Every time she bounced her leg, her right ankle swayed visibly right in my line of sight.

A slender, pale ankle. She wore low-heeled shoes that left her fair instep and ankle bare. The way that ankle rocked gently in the air was incredibly seductive. Whether it was unconscious or some instinctive female behavior, her pale ankle was tempting me.

'...Ah.'

Something flashed through my mind—the item I'd received as a reward last time but had completely forgotten about. It wasn't sitting in my pocket like the others. As if reading my thoughts, the item description appeared in the air.

I immediately pulled out my phone and checked the installed apps.

'Let's see... where is it... There it is!'

It didn't take long to find the icon labeled "Forced Costume App." The icon itself looked like one of those plastic boxes I often drew when I pulled items.

- Click.

When I tapped the app, an unfamiliar screen appeared. On a bright blue background, my owned items were displayed by name and icon. It felt like clicking an app from inside an app. I tapped the ankle-shaped icon labeled "Ankle Tattoo."

The item description popped up right away.

'Hmm...'

An app that let me remotely tattoo any target I wanted. And the item I possessed would place the tattoo specifically on her ankle. I raised my head from the phone and shifted my gaze to Cha Eunyung's ankle, sitting at two o'clock across the aisle. Her pale ankle swayed gently in the air. It was still tempting me.