Even If You Come, I'm Not Going (1)
The graduate student fans were living their happiest days.
Every morning when they opened their eyes, they could start the day with their favorite star.
Jeong Seo-hoon was the ideal professor straight out of their imaginations—cool, brilliant, kind, handsome, calmly guiding them like he'd leaped right out of a movie.
'He'd make a great professor even as a bachelor's holder...'
'How lucky must the students he mentors be...'
'I'm so jealous of the future students who'll take his classes. Damn, why was I born so early? What was the rush with Mom and Dad?'
Suddenly, they were filled with unfilial resentment toward their innocent parents.
"But is it normal for a lab to have shower facilities?"
"No way. My friends in other labs barely wash their hair in the bathroom. They just wipe down their bodies with wet towels."
"Our lab really has the best perks. Showers, latex mattresses, washer-dryer—it's got everything."
What impressed the new master's students in Lee Se-jong's lab the most were the two large apartments owned by the professor outside campus.
When sleeping in the lab wasn't ideal, they could rest comfortably in separate apartments for men and women.
Getting there was easy too.
"Everyone, buckle up. We're heading out."
"Yes!"
Jeong Seo-hoon's 17-seater van comfortably shuttled the master's students back and forth to the apartment dorms.
The mentor professor and his prized student cared for the master's students' savvy grad school life with perfect synergy.
Above all, being with their idol star all the time was the biggest motivation for the newbies.
"Whoa, Haksa's filming a vlog today!"
"Vlog?"
"He's not doing outside work right now, so he's doing occasional vlogs to connect with fans."
"Live? Or pre-recorded?"
"Probably pre-recorded. Gotta blur other people's faces."
"Hey! There's Haksa!"
To see if the vlog was real, manager Ha Tae-soo was following Jeong Seo-hoon with a smartphone mounted on the gear bag.
"Right now, I'm living near campus after leaving my family home. This is my lab. Besides me, lots of master's and PhD students are working hard on research and degrees."
The fan slaves perked up their ears and shyly gathered around Jeong Seo-hoon to catch every word on camera.
"Our lab researches various topics to lead science and industry forward. We dive deep not just into applications but basics too. Oh, my fellow master's students over there—lab mates, not lab slaves."
Jeong Seo-hoon waved deliberately, and the fan slaves approached bashfully but without holding back.
"This is vlog filming, right? Can we be in it too?"
"Of course. If you want, we'll edit your faces. Since it'll be edited, relax and just talk naturally."
Ha Tae-soo tossed it out casually while holding the phone.
"Does that mean no edit if we don't?"
"Hyung, you gotta edit this stuff."
"Hey, fans want this natural vibe. Cut it and I'll be wanted in non-lab circles."
"Right, right."
"This casual stuff is exactly what us non-lab fans crave."
"Dude, calling us 'non-lab fans' on a vlog? Makes it sound like we came to grad school just for him."
"B-but we kinda did!"
"Hyung, edit the faces for sure."
"Yeah, gotta do that."
The fan slaves mingled with Jeong Seo-hoon, filling the vlog with casual content.
He toured the lab, briefly introducing facilities and research.
The finale was time with Professor Lee Se-jong.
"Now, this is the professor's private space."
The door creaked open, vibrant colors flooding the smartphone screen.
* * *
YouTube screen: The door opens, grand Imperial March blaring clearly.
Considering it was just uploaded, the growth was phenomenal.
Die-hard fans, casual viewers, and algorithm wanderers flooded comments.
Fans clutched heads in agony, but on-screen Lee Se-jong smiled kindly.
Reactions exploded.
Jeong Seo-hoon asked about the lab's mission and vision; Lee Se-jong explained calmly, like he'd prepared a script.
Lee Se-jong bowed, then joked:
Comments wailed.
Fresh as fish flopping on a boat deck, comments thrashed despite being pre-recorded and newly uploaded.
"Hello. Excuse me."
Suddenly, native English cut in.
The shaky camera whipped toward the voice, speed signaling surprise.
"Got it. Definitely editing."
Last frame: White middle-aged man, bushy yellow beard like all follicles moved to his jaw, gleaming blue eyes matching bald scalp sideburns, huge ears.
Mouth opens—sparkling teeth flash a grin like waves, freeze-frame, big subtitles center:
[Sudden Incident!]
[Who is the mysterious foreigner?!]
"What the—! Cutting here?! Hurry up and take my money for part 2!"
Oh So-hee wailed like a gorilla robbed of food; Kim Da-hye calmly rewound to freeze the stranger's face.
"Who is this? Looks familiar... so familiar..."
"Who cares! New foreign prof maybe! Get the next part!"
"Definitely seen him somewhere..."
Indeed, comments speculated on the man's identity.
"This feels ominous. My bloodline—13 generations of shamans in my family—is boiling with premonition."
"Aish, who cares."
Kim Da-hye bit nails, replaying the entrance.
Beard like a botched embryo with follicles rotated 180 degrees, bald dome—definitely seen...
One sharp comment nailed it:
* * *
Flashback to vlog finale.
Ha Tae-soo didn't recognize Jim at first.
Just a foreign fan who'd learned of Jeong Seo-hoon via dramas/movies.
But when Jeong named him, lightning struck—shivers.
"Jim C. Warsny? The Auto Suspense director?"
"Hyung. Camera off."
"Off, off! It's off."
Lie—still rolling, but instinct kicked in.
Jeong Seo-hoon stared silently, as if knowing.
Ha Tae-soo caved, shut it off.
"Cut this."
"Got it. Definitely editing."
Ha Tae-soo vowed to include it—perfect cliffhanger with face and audio.
Jeong Seo-hoon turned serious, chatting with Jim.
English, so Ha Tae-soo caught little.
'Damn. Should've studied English harder.'
Today onward, conversational English. No academy with schedule—private tutor?
Most work now: helping Jeong with master's kids...
Jim's gestures heated up.
Face flushing—not anger, but frustration at unappreciated sincerity.
Finally, deep sigh, handshake.
Done, he turned coolly.
Ha Tae-soo fidgeted like missing a big fish.
"What'd he say? Not heading back to US now?"
"Says he'll tourist while in Korea."
"Hotel?"
"Conrad. Porterhouse steak's good—wants me to treat before he goes."
Flat tone like someone else's story; Ha Tae-soo burned inside.
"What was it? Why visit suddenly?"
"Emailed casting offer before; I rejected. Flew here for that."
"What? Rejected Hollywood blockbuster master's offer?!"
"No interest, so rejected."
"Why pass this golden chance? Your English is perfect—no issues!"
Jeong Seo-hoon gazed indifferently.
"Gotta do lab life."