Common Sense Alteration - Professor Kim's Assignment Inspection (1)

Friday. I headed to the lecture hall for my Financial Management class. I usually preferred the window seats on the left side of the hall, but when I arrived, those spots were already taken. I settled for a seat along the right wall instead. This lecture hall had those attached chair-and-desk combos I hated. As usual, I pulled out my textbook and started fiddling with my smartphone.

[Mixed-Race Actress Lee Haeyoon, Full Interview]

There was an entertainment news segment about a mixed-race actress. "Come to think of it, I've heard there are quite a few international exchange students at our school." While I was reading the news and letting my mind wander, voices drifted over from the seats in front of me.

"Hey, stop messing around."

"You're too cute. I can't help it."

I looked up. A couple who looked like they were dating sat right in front of me. The guy was in the seat directly ahead, playfully teasing the girl to his left. Even seated, he was tall and strikingly handsome. When I glanced left, I got a clear view of his girlfriend as well. She had turned to look at him, so her face was fully visible.

I was slightly surprised when I saw her. She was clearly mixed-race. Her hair was a deep black, falling to her shoulders. Though the color was ordinary, her blue eyes and distinctly Western features gave her away. She must have been half-white; her porcelain skin and sharp facial structure stood out. Those vivid blue eyes sparkled like sapphires. Pink lipstick colored her lips. She was stunning at first glance.

Caught off guard by the beautiful face while scrolling on my phone, I couldn't look away. She wore a striped dress that clung tightly to her body, accentuating her slender figure. With flat shoes on and her legs crossed, the elegant lines of her legs looked even more striking.

"Want to go to the zoo after class today? You said you wanted to see the baby animals last time."

"No way~ I have to meet a friend today."

She rejected her boyfriend's suggestion, yet a smile never left her lips. They were obviously a sweet, lovey-dovey couple.

"Who are you meeting~? I want to spend the whole day with you."

"It's a friend you don't know. Aigoo, my baby, be a good boyfriend and stop whining, okay?"

She playfully soothed her pouting boyfriend. Her blue eyes never left him. The guy in front of me was equally captivated by his girlfriend. After watching them for a while, I quickly lowered my head again.

"Whew. I stared way too long without realizing. Good thing they're so wrapped up in each other. If our eyes had met, I would've looked like a total creep..."

I let out a sigh of relief. I tried to go back to reading news on my phone as if nothing had happened, but I couldn't stop my attention from drifting back to them. The guy seemed hopelessly smitten with his gorgeous girlfriend. If I had a girlfriend like that, I probably would've acted the same way. That porcelain-white skin typical of Westerners, a model-like slender figure, and those captivating blue eyes—she was impossible to ignore.

"Then why aren't you wearing the bracelet I bought you?"

"Aww~ How am I supposed to wear that? It'll make noise during class."

"I'm hurt~"

Her boyfriend put on an exaggerated disappointed expression, clearly meant for her to see. "Fine, fine. You're being so sensitive today~? Hehe."

—Jingle.

She reached into her shoulder bag, took out the bracelet he mentioned, and slipped it onto her right wrist. It was a leather cord with two small metal bells dangling from it. Just as she had said, even the slightest movement made the bells chime softly.

"The sound is so quiet that no one can hear it unless they're close. Just wear it. I bought it because I thought it would suit you."

"Aww. Okay~."

Her boyfriend continued to act like a sulky child while she cooed and comforted him like an older sister. Just then, Professor Kim Byung-yoon, who taught Financial Management, walked into the lecture hall.

"Ahem. Let's begin class now."

Among the professors, he was relatively young. In his forties, Professor Kim Byung-yoon was popular because he made his lectures fairly entertaining. Even as he started the lesson, my eyes kept drifting to the mixed-race beauty with black ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hair. The way her striped dress clung to her body made the clear outline of her figure completely distracting. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠For some reason, mixed Korean-Western features often produced stunning results. Right now, the elegant lines of her crossed, porcelain-white legs were pulling my gaze in. Those beautiful legs, crossed with black heels on, showed off their pale skin. She had her left leg draped over her right, and her right foot—planted on the floor—tapped lightly, making her left ankle sway gently above it. That pale ankle in heels seemed almost seductive.

—Jingle. Jingle.

"Pfft."

"Kek."

While I was distracted by her legs, she began taking notes, and the bracelet on her wrist started chiming softly. Whatever was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so amusing about the sound... both she and her boyfriend were giggling at it. To me, who knew exactly who had given her that bracelet, the jingling felt like a reminder that she already belonged to someone. The two of them probably felt the same way—that the bells were announcing whose girlfriend and boyfriend they were.

Watching them chuckle at the sound of the bells, I felt a pang of envy.

"Alright, now let me explain the group project."

While I had been spacing out, the professor had moved on to explaining the group assignment. A group project... my least favorite type of class. I hated being paired up with other students to introduce ourselves and work together. Whenever group projects came up, I couldn't help feeling annoyed. It made no sense. Students had to research, prepare, and study everything themselves while the professor just sat back. "They make us do all the work with group projects and just read from the textbook. At this rate, I could be a professor too."

It was always easy to think someone else's job looked easy when you didn't know what it actually involved. The professor looked that way to me right now. Still, I only grumbled inwardly and didn't say anything out loud.

Then—

"What the hell is this?!" I was startled by the sudden quest. It seemed like I was being told to help Professor Kim Byung-yoon, probably because I'd badmouthed him. It felt like the quest was punishing me. "Common sense alteration...? Wait, but there aren't even any assignments yet."

Come to think of it, it was still early in the semester, so there were no assignments. Professor Kim Byung-yoon must have already given assignments in one of his other classes. I started worrying whether a mere college student like me could handle grading assignments alone. Then my eyes went to the quest reward. "The rewards last time were pretty lame too." Honestly, I hadn't even used the lubricant I'd received before. Since I had to do assignment inspection and the reward seemed mediocre, I wasn't particularly interested in the quest. "Is this quest a dud?"

Even though the last quest had given me an amazing experience, this one felt like punishment for disrespecting the professor.

—Jingle. Jingle.

"Puh."

"Heehee."

Meanwhile, the couple in front of me was still acting like they were in a teen drama. After being quiet for a while, they started giggling again when the bells chimed a little louder. I stole a glance. She was smiling at her boyfriend with sparkling blue eyes. Those eyes held an ocean of blue shimmering in the sunlight. She wasn't wearing any noticeable accessories besides the bracelet. Yet her jet-black hair, porcelain skin, and blue eyes made her look more elegant than anyone else. Those sapphire-like eyes shone beautifully. She looked like a fairy straight out of a fantasy novel. And her boyfriend's lips never lost their smile, clearly overjoyed to be with her.

Throughout the entire class, I was so distracted by her slender figure outlined by the dress and the pale ankle swaying beneath it that I barely paid attention to the lecture. When class finally ended, I casually packed my bag and headed toward Professor Kim Byung-yoon's office. After climbing the stairs to the fourth floor, I found his office. Just as I was about to knock, I heard bustling sounds from inside, and the door opened.

A female student I didn't recognize stepped out. "Ah, hello, Professor. I just finished cleaning and I'm heading to class now."

"Huh?" She seemed to be a work-study student cleaning the office. But she had called me "Professor." Confused, I reflexively asked, "What?"

"Is something wrong, Professor?" She kept addressing me as Professor. I decided to just go along with it. "No, it's nothing."

"Professor, why are you suddenly using honorifics? Puhaha. I'll be going now." She gave me a quick greeting and left.

"She's calling me Professor?" After thinking for a moment, I finally understood what was happening. I realized what "common sense alteration" in the quest description meant. "So everyone sees me as Professor Kim Byung-yoon?" My appearance looked like his, and my voice sounded like his. The situation was simple enough to grasp. Once I understood, I stepped into the office.

A small refrigerator sat to the left of the entrance, and a large window occupied the opposite wall. Professor Kim's large desk was positioned with its back to the window. Bookshelves lined both side walls, packed full. In the center of the room was a low table covered with glass, flanked by three-seater sofas on either side. A single-seater sofa sat between the table and the professor's desk.

After quickly scanning the simple layout, I walked over to the professor's desk. The chair was surprisingly plush—much more comfortable than I'd expected. "Whoa~ This is nice. I could probably even sleep here." That was my honest thought. Not only was the chair soft, but it also reclined far enough back that I could nap comfortably. I set my bag on the left side of the desk and looked for any assignments on the surface, but nothing was visible on the desk or table. Finding no assignments in sight, I found the situation oddly amusing. "Should I take a commemorative photo?"

This bizarre experience of being perceived as Professor Kim Byung-yoon. I decided to snap a photo with the office as the backdrop. I pulled out my phone and took a picture, making a V-sign with one hand against the full office view.

—Click.

After checking the satisfying photo, I decided to continue with the quest. I needed to find where the assignments were hidden if I was going to grade them. "Maybe they're tucked away in a drawer?" As I started opening the desk drawers, something unusual caught my eye. "Lubricant? Why is this here?" It wasn't just any lubricant—the packaging and description were clearly for sexual use. It looked extremely similar in shape and size to the item I'd received last time. It was the kind used to help insert during insufficient lubrication or applied to the body. Definitely not something that belonged in a professor's office.

—Knock. Knock.

While I was searching for the assignments and thinking about the lubricant, a knock sounded at the door. "Professor, are you in?" I was a bit flustered by the sudden visitor, but then I remembered that at this moment, I was Professor Kim Byung-yoon. There was no need to be scared. "Yes, come in."

"Professor. It's Cha Eunyung." It was a name I'd never heard before. But when the owner of the voice opened the door and stepped inside, I immediately recognized her.

"Isn't that the mixed-race girl from earlier?" She was the same mixed-race student I'd seen in the lecture hall. Just like before, she wore the form-fitting striped dress and flat shoes, her blue eyes sparkling as she looked at me. Her skin was as white as snow. She was someone you couldn't easily forget. "What brings you here?"

"Why... are you using honorifics?" When I tilted my head in confusion and asked, another question came back at me. Only then did I realize I needed to match the professor's speech pattern. "Ahem. It's nothing... Never mind. What is it, Cha Eunyung?"

In response to my question, Cha Eunyung fidgeted awkwardly, lowered her head slightly, and answered. "I came because of what you mentioned last time."

"What... was that again?"

"The... individual assignment you mentioned."

"Individual assignment?" I heard her answer, but I couldn't quite grasp the situation.