Personal Meeting (3)
Personal Meeting (3)
BEEP BEEP BEEP──!!
"Nnngh......."
Face buried in her pillow, Lee Na-young had been sleeping like the dead. She let out a groan and fumbled blindly upward.
BEEP BEE...
The smartwatch that had been blaring obnoxiously by her head fell silent the instant her fingers found it, as if by magic.
A peaceful weekend with no lectures.
A weekend with nowhere to be, since the personal lab assignments still weren't finalized.
A weekend where she could laze around all day if she wanted.
"Hnn, haaah......."
But Lee Na-young squirmed her way out of the covers and sat upright. She shook off the drowsiness by slowly raising both arms above her head in a long, satisfying stretch.
Swish.
"Haaa......."
Before washing up, she parted the curtains to brighten the dark room. Warm morning sunlight struck her full in the face, and Lee Na-young recoiled like an undead creature hissing at the dawn.
"Still not used to it......."
Once she'd escaped the glare, she gazed out the window for a moment, then turned and headed for the bathroom. She was just finishing drying her damp hair when—
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. Lee Na-young ran a brush roughly through her hair, got up, and went to the front door.
"Oh~? What, you're already up?"
Idni stepped inside with a smirk, wearing an oversized hoodie and training pants that clung faithfully to the contours of her hips and legs.
"Just need to get dressed."
"Take your time. We've still got plenty of it."
Leaving Idni to make herself at home and poke around in the fridge, Lee Na-young opened her wardrobe, pulled out the first set of casual clothes she found, and quickly changed.
"Oh, you tied your hair up......?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah."
Idni had been licking her lips as she eyed the round glass bottles filled with sky-blue liquid. She flinched slightly and hurriedly shut the refrigerator door.
"Why, does it look weird?"
"No. It suits you."
Lee Na-young had only asked because she usually wore her hair down whenever she wasn't at an official function, finding it stuffy otherwise. The light-pink-haired friend in front of her was striking enough to pull off any hairstyle anyway.
"And the stuff in the fridge is a fatigue recovery potion. You can drink it if you want."
"How's it taste?"
"Reasonably sweet?"
"Okay~"
Anyone could see Idni was a Western beauty, but her behavior was pure middle-aged uncle. Lee Na-young let out a soft laugh and shrugged on her coat.
Ding-dong.
The moment she was ready, the doorbell rang again as if it had been waiting.
"Idni?"
"Gulp, pwah~ Yeah, let's go."
Idni stuffed the half-empty potion bottle into her hoodie pocket and scurried over. Lee Na-young laughed again and opened the front door.
"Oh my, you're ready quickly today."
"Yeah. I set an alarm and everything."
Maria smiled and reached out with both hands. She was wearing a beige long coat that matched her hair color.
"Our Na-young~ have you finally grown up?"
"Mmph."
As her friend's hands kneaded her cheeks like toys, Lee Na-young could do nothing but flail her arms helplessly.
"Hey, hey, quit it and let's go."
"Alright."
Freed from Maria's grasp by Idni, Lee Na-young rubbed her stinging-warm cheeks and stepped out of her dorm room.
"Good morning~!"
"Ah, yeah. Morning, Yeon-ju."
She waved lightly in greeting to the ever-energetic underclassman.
Squeeze.
"Nothing beats hugging Na-young."
Two arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her gently. Lee Na-young didn't resist. Instead, she tilted her head back ever so slightly, secretly enjoying the soft, springy cushion that supported her so pleasantly. She spoke.
"Morning, Ha-na."
"Mm. Wanna sleep together tonight?"
"Huh? S-sure......."
Truth be told, her room was so spacious that she couldn't quite settle into it.
Slide.
"I'd like to sleep together too."
Nam Seo-hee had come up beside them and naturally wrapped herself around one of Baek Ha-na's arms. Lee Na-young nodded quickly at the question.
"I'm okay with it."
"Really? Then the three of us will sleep together tonight."
Slide, slide.
All Lee Na-young could do was smile awkwardly at the hand Nam Seo-hee used to stroke her hair, her expression turning markedly softer.
"Ugh... hey, if you're all done, let's hurry up and go. I'm hungry."
Idni's exaggerated complaining made everyone crack up, and Lee Na-young left the dorm with her friends.
·
·
·
"How bad am I going to get beaten up today?"
Idni lay sprawled across Baek Ha-na's bed and let out a sigh. Maria, seated beside her, grinned playfully and poked Idni's cheek.
"Don't worry. I'll fix you up perfectly."
"Don't fix me...... I said don't fix me......!!"
"Fufu, for my precious best friend, I'll generously pour out my holy power without holding back today. Just trust me, okay?"
"Aaaagh!!"
As usual, Idni was on the receiving end of Maria's one-sided domination.
Slide, slide.
Lee Na-young basked in the cozy, pleasant sensation on her crown and the back of her head, leaning a little more comfortably against Baek Ha-na.
After leaving the dorm and arriving at the manor, they had filled their stomachs with a delicious breakfast. Then, once they had cleaned up, they relocated to her friend's bedroom to digest for a bit.
Once this time was over, they'd all change into training clothes and head out to the garden for something far more intense. So it was crucial to be as lazy as possible right now, while they still could.
"Hehe, you're real cute, y'know."
-Peep.
Lee Na-young looked at Na Yeon-ju, the youngest of the group, who had such an easygoing nature that she'd already become friends with the fairy.
'When she's playing with Ppiyaki, she really seems like a little sister.'
Right now, Lee Na-young felt like she could probably pat the younger girl's head herself. But whenever she remembered how drastically their youngest changed behind the wheel, she hesitated again.
Click.
After some time had passed, the closed bedroom door opened.
"Everyone, come on out."
That stunning beauty she still couldn't get used to.
Claire's cool gaze alone was enough to make Lee Na-young's heart tremble just from looking. She swallowed dryly and slid down from Baek Ha-na's embrace.
"Miss Na-young."
"......Yeth?"
Lee Na-young had been about to hold the little fairy while her friends changed clothes. Startled to hear her name called in that elegant voice, she ended up looking rather dazed.
"Miss Na-young, you may go to the study."
"Ah, yes, yes, ma'am......!!"
Click.
The door closed. Forgetting the heat rushing to her face, Lee Na-young's legs gave out and she plopped down onto the floor.
"When is she ever going to get used to the Executor?"
"She's gotten a lot better compared to last year, you know."
"...Has she?"
Slide.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, yeah. I was just startled for a second......."
She felt her pounding heart gradually calm under Baek Ha-na's worried touch.
"S-so, I'll, uh, I'll head out first."
"The professor's not that strict, so don't be too nervous."
"Yeah. He's a really kind person."
"Right. He might seem super gruff, but Woo-jin actually worries a lot and is really sweet."
"R-right."
She wanted to tell them that wasn't it, that she was trembling for a different reason, but Lee Na-young just nodded once. She left Baek Ha-na's room and walked down the quiet hallway.
"Hoo......."
Lee Na-young stood before the study door and took a breath to steady herself.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"P-Professor. It's Lee Na-young."
She had tried not to stammer, but unfortunately, it hadn't worked.
-Come in.
That deep voice never failed to make her heart tingle.
Lee Na-young carefully turned the doorknob and stepped into the study.
"Have a seat."
"Yes, sir......."
They were to sit facing each other with the desk between them.
This seating arrangement was bad for her heart.
But she couldn't stand forever. Lee Na-young shuffled over cautiously and settled into the chair placed in front of her.
"This is a formality, so there's no need to be overly nervous."
"Yessir......."
Good. She hadn't stammered that time.
"If there's anything you'd like to ask me, or anything you wish to say, feel free to speak your mind."
"A-a question......?"
"Yes. We have plenty of time, so you may think it over and answer at your leisure."
Clink.
The teacup resting on the desk moved.
Lee Na-young stared at it blankly for a second before she flinched and snapped back to attention.
'Something I want to say... to the professor...?'
In that instant, Lee Na-young's mind whirled furiously.
She realized this was a rare chance—perhaps even the last.
"Um, well......."
"Anything is fine. Speak comfortably."
Gulp.
Her tongue and lips had gone inexplicably dry. Lee Na-young swallowed hard and pressed on.
"Would it be possible... for you to provide me with lots of rare materials......!!"
She'd done it.
She'd actually gone and said it.
Lee Na-young squeezed her eyes shut and tensed every muscle in her body, bracing herself for whatever response might come.
"Prepare a list and submit it to me. After I review it, I will incorporate them bit by bit during your practice sessions."
"......?"
But the gentle tone that answered her made Lee Na-young carefully peel her tightly shut eyes open and lift her head.
"Anything else."
"Huh? Ah, uh, uhh, no sirrr...?!"
She accidentally bit her tongue and Lee Na-young jumped up in her seat.
It hurt so much she thought she might cry, but the jolt had also snapped her mind back to full alertness.
"Are you alright."
"I'b fine, thir......."
It was beyond numb and into throbbing pain, but it was an injury she could fully heal with the potion she'd brought. Lee Na-young nodded quickly.
'What do I do.......'
She could obtain the materials she wanted without spending money—and by gathering them directly, no less!!
If she hadn't bitten her tongue, she might have screamed for joy right then and there. In that sense, maybe biting her tongue was actually a blessing in disguise.
"Lee Na-young."
"Yeth......?"
Lee Na-young had been trying to calm her pounding heart and her stinging tongue. At the sound of her name, she quickly lowered the hand she'd been covering her mouth with and answered.
"Later. I intend to entrust a commission to you."
"......Huh?"
A commission?
Had she somehow damaged a nerve when she bit her tongue and ruined her hearing?
"You heard correctly, so pull yourself together."
"Ah......."
Her pounding heart and muddled head both settled into perfect calm, as if by magic. Just from the sound of his voice.
"Your answer."
"...U-um, if you were to entrust me with a commission, Professor... I, I would be extremely honored...... B-but... objectively speaking... there are many people far more skilled than I am... E-even just among the other professors......."
"You are the only one who can do it."
Thump—!!
Her heart lurched hard once more.
"This is a commission that only you, with your ability of Fusion, can carry out."
"......!!"
The heart that had barely settled started racing wildly all over again.
Fusion (融合).
The probability varied depending on her will and her understanding of the materials used, but it was an ability that could merge any substances into one. An ability she had never told a single soul about.
"...May I hear the details in advance?"
Her heart was still beating fast.
Yet strangely, her mind was cold and clear.
It was exactly like the feeling she got right before she started work on a new recipe.
"One volume. Perhaps a single page. You need only dissolve what is written there and create a potion from it."
"...So that the person who drinks it can acquire the contents?"
"Yes."
Good heavens.
A task of dissolving and extracting the records contained within an object.
"I'll do it...... No, please let me do it. I will definitely succeed......!!"
This was a commission where she could truly put her ability to use.
How cautiously had she experimented all this time, terrified of having her ability exposed.
"There is only one condition. You must not reveal this to anyone."
"I also, I mean, I want to keep my ability hidden if possible. So... p-please don't worry."
"I will trust you."
Clench—!!
Her hands tightened into fists.
It was just one short statement, but the deep trust it carried came through clearly.
"I won't let you do—"
"No."
Lee Na-young had been about to vow she would definitely succeed. She looked at her client with her mouth half-open.
"It is fine if you fail. I will give you as many chances as it takes."
Before she knew it, he had walked around and was standing right in front of her.
Sweep.
"Don't lose the ease in your heart."
He stroked her head with a gentle touch, so much like the friend who was always hugging her.
"You may take your leave now."
"Ah......."
Feeling a faint regret as the hand withdrew, Lee Na-young's heart settled into calm. She carefully rose from her seat.
"Th-then."
She bowed politely, then turned to quietly leave the study.
"If you find yourself in need of anything, make your requests to Yoon Do-sik."
"......Sir?"
She stopped in her tracks at the voice behind her and turned her head.
"Exactly as I said. Whether it's materials or equipment, make your requests to Yoon Do-sik."
"I-I will do that."
Yoon Do-sik.
She'd seen his face a few times in her major courses, but that was the extent of it.
But Lee Na-young didn't dwell on it.
'The equipment I could only window-shop back in England.......'
All she could do now was wish for Monday morning to arrive as soon as possible.