Lab and Non-Lab (1)
A domestically made sedan, bulkier than others of its kind with its national emblem, came to a stop.
Amid the odd sense of incongruity from the emblem and body, the driver's door opened, drawing gasps from nearby students passing by.
"It's Jeong Seo-hoon."
"Jeong Seo-hoon!"
"He really came to grad school."
At least in the Department of Electrical Engineering, no one was unaware of Jeong Seo-hoon anymore.
It was well-known that the competition to join Professor Lee Se-jong's lab that year had been fierce.
"Guess he's not filming dramas anymore?"
"He must rake in tens of billions per drama now. If it were me, I'd skip grad school and hustle for more gigs."
"His family's loaded, though."
"Then why a domestic car?"
"Maybe to show off that frugal image?"
"But the emblem feels kinda off somehow..."
Ignoring the murmurs clustering around him, Jeong Seo-hoon headed into the grad school building.
Grad students do attend classes, contrary to popular belief—they don't just haunt the labs.
The classroom already had some early arrivals seated.
As Jeong Seo-hoon entered, even the faint whispers died, leaving a taut silence.
Gazes poured in from all sides.
The stares boring into his face mostly came from female students.
Surprisingly, about eighty percent were women.
Among them, those actually from Electrical Engineering probably numbered less than a quarter—maybe even fewer.
The female fans who chose grad school in Electrical Engineering because of him couldn't show it openly in class, so they clamped their mouths shut, stomping their feet in barely contained excitement.
All dolled up in makeup and miniskirts.
The TA would probably sigh the moment they walked in.
Did they all reset their undergrad fashion experiences upon entering grad school?
Well, give it time, and undergrad style will creep back in.
The current polished looks would fade, one by one, as they quickly adopted proper grad student vibes.
Of course, as a professional actor, Jeong Seo-hoon intended to stay impeccably groomed at all times.
Stars were exposed the instant they stepped out— even at home, flipping on a camera meant performing for fans and the public.
The door creaked open, and Professor Lee Se-jong entered.
As he took the podium, a prickly tension clung to the classroom air.
"Nice to meet you all. You know who I am, right?"
Scattered soft "Yes"s rose here and there, and Lee Se-jong grinned.
"Students who know me as 'Commander' or 'Sejong the Great Admiral,' raise your hands."
Hesitant hands went up.
Nearly all the female students raised theirs, and those who didn't were clearly pretending not to notice.
"You all especially need to stay on my good side. Oh, not for your degree. I just started a media production company, and one board member—also a director and lead actor—is starring in our new drama."
"...!"
In an instant, sparks flew from the female students' eyes.
Jeong Seo-hoon felt the stares zeroing in on his back but sat nonchalantly, pretending not to notice.
"Whenever you feel like quitting grad school, think twice—or three times—before deciding."
His decisive blow landed perfectly, faces crumpling in utter defeat.
"Class will run two ways: one, replace attendance, lectures, and exams entirely with papers. Two, attend diligently. Whichever suits you."
With that, Lee Se-jong scrawled a massive thesis topic on the whiteboard with a marker.
Tokamak Plasma Turbulence Improvements
"Ah..."
"Aigoo..."
"Professor, aren't we in Electrical Engineering?"
"What's a tokamak?"
"Whoa, four years in engineering and you don't know? That's too much."
Groans erupted here and there, but Lee Se-jong kept his gentle smile.
"It's one of our lab's key research tasks—you can't avoid it anyway. If you can't avoid it, enjoy it, right? Just enjoy, everyone."
* * *
The first class wrapped up with Lee Se-jong briefly outlining the course direction, the degree process, and visions for a PhD in Electrical Engineering.
"That's class for today. See you all in the lab later. Enjoy your meals."
Lee Se-jong left with a meaningful eye-smile, and only then did the female fans creep toward Jeong Seo-hoon.
"Um, could you maybe sign for me?"
"Of course. Got a pen?"
"Here, here!"
Jeong Seo-hoon agreed readily, and they all eagerly requested signatures.
Instantly, female fans swarmed him, while the few male students watched enviously.
"Hey, me too..."
Turns out, the envy targeted the female fans surrounding him, not Jeong Seo-hoon. No one dislikes a same-sex celebrity's autograph.
This year's master's cohort is decently sized. First semester with more master's than PhD students?
He'd entered grad school with the comet in mind, but hobbies demanded full commitment—pride was on the line.
Turning all these newbies into PhDs will mean running ragged.
He was a newbie too, younger than them, but that didn't matter.
"Want to grab lunch together? My treat."
"Whoa, same newbie and you're really?"
Gender aside, his offer lit them up.
Jeong Seo-hoon led them off-campus to a commercial district.
The spot was one Lee Se-jong favored—the same place he'd visited with Jang Seung-won before.
The pricey menu made students hesitate.
"Order freely, no worries. Got a fat paycheck—no burden. If you can't decide, I'll pick the most expensive for you."
"Th-then this..."
"I'll have this..."
Alcohol was skipped, naturally.
After stuffing everyone with full-course Korean meals topping 100,000 won per head, Jeong Seo-hoon felt satisfied inwardly.
A KakaoTalk pinged.
Did you feed them something good?
Full Korean course.
Bring the receipt.
No need. Most are my fans, so I'll cover it.
Well, they're friends you'll lead from now on, so building responsibility is good practice for professorship.
Meals done, they returned to school in high spirits.
Jeong Seo-hoon explained as they walked campus.
"Our lab covers more than just tokamak magnetic fields—plenty of topics. Spend the next month exploring, then pick what you want."
"Pick wrong, and your life's ruined?"
To the male student's question, Jeong Seo-hoon replied calmly.
"Finishing a PhD only for the topic to become obsolete? Personal loss. But Professor's topics are socially relevant now and in the future—no degree goes to waste."
"Um, sunbae. Question."
"Shouldn't we call master's students that in non-lab too?"
"No way. Can't change a nickname once set."
"Right. 'Sunbae' carries our plea for you not to come to grad school."
"Hey, you've been in non-lab two months—how's it your plea?"
After the brief chatter, the female fan with the question spoke up again.
"The Hunter drops on NetPrime today, right? Um, maybe..."
"Watch together in the lab AV room? With chimaek?"
"Yes! Awesome!"
"Eek, for real? No take-backs!"
"Of course. Chimaek on me."
The female fans bounced in joy, one male student venturing cautiously.
"Uh, as an older bro fan..."
"Love all fans equally. Join us."
Everyone beamed, thinking the same.
Grad school was the right call.
The lab building neared; from the fourth-floor lounge, Jeong Seo-hoon sensed Lee Se-jong's gaze.
Looking up, their eyes met—Lee Se-jong startled, then smiled brightly.
In that moment, professor and student shared emotions wordlessly.
Jeong, you're doing great?
Of course, Professor.
Counting on you, Jeong.
Just like undergrad.
Most newbies had attended this school for years.
Yet they entered the lab buzzing like high school seniors visiting for the first time.
First to greet them: a weary, drab man in a white coat.
"Welcome. All of you, to Professor Lee Se-jong's lab."
"...Hello."
Obviously a senior, they greeted awkwardly.
Jeong Seo-hoon introduced from beside.
"This hyung's unknown even to undergrads. Total fossil."
"Seo-hoon, don't treat me like an old geezer."
"Our lab's eldest, Senior Hwang Gi-tae. PhD soon—befriend him while you can."
"Will I make it out?"
"You will. Why not?"
"Finishing PhD while parenting... confidence keeps slipping."
Jeong Seo-hoon chatting freely with the top PhD student awed the newbies.
Same newbie, but he seemed on round two or three—pure poise.
To ease tension, Hwang Gi-tae shared coffee and stories.
"Heard quite a few joined with ulterior motives."
"Ehehe..."
"Hehehe..."
"Speaking of, our brave master's from Chem Eng who boldly tossed a bomb at the fanmeet?"
The Chemical Engineering girl laughed shyly, feigning ignorance.
"You all know, but Seo-hoon's treated like postdoc here. In the US, he'd have his PhD and be prof by now. Korea drags it out."
"Hyung, not that much."
"Don't bug the poor PhD students—ask Seo-hoon. He's nice, explains well. Saw him switch to prof mode at the fanmeet?"
"Yes! I remember!"
"Fell for that and decided on same grad school as sunbae!"
"Wait, how'd you know?"
Hwang Gi-tae flinched, deftly changing subject.
"Anyway, worried non-lab would swarm on enrollment day, but campus stayed quiet."
"Yeah, relieved, but wonder if fans are disappointed about grad school."
"Disappointed? Nah—they all swore not to bug your studies."
"How do you know that?"
"...Busy now, gotta go."
Hwang Gi-tae chucked his empty coffee cup and turned away.
* * *
Jeong Seo-hoon covered lab rules, chores, layout, equipment.
They marveled at "I've been in/out since 17, as a newbie."
Day flew by; soon, The Hunter: Demon Slayer airtime neared.
"As promised, chimaek viewing party? Order now, arrives perfect."
They sat, hearts pounding.
No more fears of scolding from seniors.
His rank was clear: right after—or next to—the professor.