The Name That Must Not Be Uttered
Professor Shin Jae-yu handed me an energy drink can with an awkward laugh. "Ahaha... This is a bit... Showing a student something like this..."
Being offered an energy drink instead of tea felt strangely off. I glanced around the office. Stacks of boxes bearing the same brand as the can in my hand towered in every corner.
"My sponsor keeps sending so many... No matter how much I drink, the pile never seems to shrink... Sigh..." She pulled out a can beaded with condensation for herself and flopped onto the sofa.
"Want to take a box with you later?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Why? These are actually pretty good. Lots of flavors, plus vitamins and essential nutrients..."
"I don't really like drinks..."
"Oh? Then there's no helping it..."
The female professor looked genuinely disappointed by my refusal. She wasn't some pushy merchant trying to foist off her wares. She cracked open her can and took several deep gulps before finally getting to the point.
"So, what sort of consultation does our infamous young master want?"
"Before that, I have one question."
"Hm?"
There was something I needed to confirm before addressing my doubts.
"What exactly is your relationship with our squad leader... the successor?"
"What?" Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. Then she let out a small snort of laughter. "Goodness. I was wondering what kind of consultation this was..."
I had been nervous she might refuse to answer. Instead, she countered with clear interest in her voice. "Well? What sort of relationship do you think it is? Care to guess?"
"Excuse me? How would I possibly know..."
"Don't be like that. Think about it. Wouldn't that be more fun? Right?" She leaned forward, fixing me with the gaze of a predator eyeing its prey. Her top sagged naturally with the motion, and I quickly looked away.
"..."
I hadn't expected this kind of situation. I never knew she had this side to her.
Still, I turned the facts over in my mind. Her reaction suggested they definitely knew each other. She seemed to be around the same age as the leader and the older girls. The leader, with all his titles—good-for-nothing, womanizer. The girls who still followed him around. Putting it all together...
"Um... Professor, do you also happen to like our squad lead—"
"Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu!"
Before I could finish, her shoulders began to shake. She tried to stifle the bizarre laughter, but soon gave up, throwing her head back and cackling wildly. Then she suddenly flicked me hard on the forehead.
"You sneaky little brat. How dare you say that to your professor?"
"Ah... I'm sor—"
"Puhuhu... Forget it. Why would you be sorry? I asked first. This is actually hilarious..."
Before she'd even finished speaking, Professor Shin Jae-yu waved her hand dismissively, still chuckling. "We were just close seniors and juniors. Honestly, we weren't close at first. If anything, it was the opposite."
She sank back comfortably into the sofa, eyes half-lidded as she dredged up memories. "That guy had absolutely no manners. Coming from a prestigious family, he looked down on everyone, harassed the girls without a second thought... You know the type, right?"
"..."
I hadn't known. So those stories weren't malicious rumors after all—they were true?
"Wait, you really didn't know...? Oh dear." Seeing my reaction, the professor asked again, looking slightly uncomfortable. But she soon shrugged it off with a what-can-you-do expression and continued. "Anyway, there was a time like that. We even dueled a few times. He was awful to my friends."
She drained the rest of her can and tossed it backward with a flick. The sound of it rolling across the floor instead of landing in the trash made her frown.
"...Oops. Anyway, after all that bickering... that's how it ended up. He gradually matured, too. It's still amazing when I think about it. How someone who used to be such a complete scoundrel could turn himself around like that..."
"Then do you know the older girls as well?"
"Of course. We even served together in the north. I'm in the same cohort as Jin—you know Jin, right? The other two are my seniors."
She had to be talking about Chaewon and Sehwa. After this much conversation, I was certain. Anyone who had spent time around the leader and the girls would surely know about the woman from my dream.
They were close enough to take photos together, her arm affectionately around his neck. Yet I was still haunted by the sticky unease of that memory—the dream where strange women gathered, talking about incomprehensible things like Polaris and Spica.
At first it had been so hazy I could barely recall it. But the photograph I'd seen at the Black Lotus mansion had dragged every detail back into sharp focus. It was bizarre enough that someone I'd never met appeared in my dreams, but discovering she was a real person—and close enough to the leader to drape her arm around his neck with such familiarity—how was I supposed to process that?
In the dream, her expression had been so wicked it bordered on repulsive. Yet in the photo, she wore a surprisingly elegant, radiant smile. Her eyes were clear and brimming with goodness. The stark contrast only deepened my confusion.
The investigation I'd commissioned from Mu-yeong was part of resolving that strange discomfort. I hoped it was nothing. Precisely because I hoped that, I needed to confirm it beyond any doubt.
Perhaps today would bring answers. I swallowed hard and asked, "Then... do you also know someone named Seol Yujeong?"
"What..."
The moment I spoke the name from the photograph, the warm atmosphere froze solid.
For the briefest instant, I felt it clearly. The mouth that had been light as if floating on water clamped shut like a locked door. Professor Shin Jae-yu sat in silence for a moment, then looked at me again.
"...The fact that you're asking me suggests you didn't hear it from her directly, then?"
"That's correct..."
"I see. Then we'll have to end today's conversation here."
With an exaggerated motion, the professor sprang up from the sofa. The sudden shift in attitude left me stunned.
"What?"
"I'm actually quite busy. We'll have to continue this consultation another time."
"What? Where is this coming from..."
"Come on, off you go. Take care of your health, and prepare hard for the duel!"
-Bang!
"..."
When I came to my senses, the only thing before me was the firmly closed door of her office. I considered knocking again, but the resolute expression that clearly showed zero willingness to answer flashed through my mind.
In the end, I gave up and turned away. The unresolved discomfort clung even more stubbornly to my thoughts. My questions had only grown heavier, yet one thing was now painfully clear—there was definitely something there.
What was I supposed to do? Professor Kwon Chan-yeol seemed even more tight-lipped. Then a thought struck me, and I stopped in my tracks.
Seol Yujeong. I was fairly certain she'd been the student council vice president. In that case, perhaps I could look up her records in the Cradle archives.
"..."
But with the complicated access procedures required in the records room, and more urgent matters demanding my attention—the Falling Star Day festival, my duel with Jin Yeseo, and the subsequent ranking matches—I had no choice but to set it aside for now.
A noisy clamor and vibration filled the air from early morning. The festive excitement of the Falling Star Day celebration in the capital reached all the way to the Cradle.
This year had seen an unusual string of incidents and accidents since the beginning of the term. With security and food supplies in poor shape, the public's discontent was nearing a breaking point. Though there were complaints about wasted budget, everyone agreed that a grand festival was an efficient way to soothe those feelings.
And the reason Yeon Minha found herself thinking along those lines was because she, quite unexpectedly, had been swept up in the excitement herself.
"D-done..."
Yeon Minha let out a sigh of relief, her eyes hollow with exhaustion. On the iron plate before her lay several sticky lumps heavily dusted with white sugar. The sizes varied, the colors varied, the shapes were crooked. These were the best results she had managed to salvage.
She surveyed her surroundings with a tired gaze. Pots burnt completely black. Pots with sticky residue melted everywhere. Kitchen tools scattered in utter chaos.
"Ha... Seriously..."
Irritation surged up uncontrollably. Without thinking, Yeon Minha clenched her fist. The spatula in her grip crumpled like a sheet of paper.
She had never cooked before in her life, let alone attempted anything similar. Confectionery was completely beyond her, but she couldn't exactly visit the baking club either. They said the place became packed with one-time learners specifically during the Falling Star Day festival and Founding Anniversary periods.
Falling Star Day for the girls, Founding Day for the boys. There was no way she would mingle with that vulgar crowd. Buying ready-made candy and presenting it was equally unacceptable. No matter how premium the product, the same rule applied.
There was always an unspoken custom attached to the candies given during the Falling Star Day festival. If it was simply between friends, anything would do. But if it was more than that—if you wanted to convey your feelings—you had to make them yourself.
"Why am I even doing this... Ha."
Yeon Minha grumbled to herself. It was a ridiculous, nonsensical, and thoroughly displeasing rule. Of course, that didn't mean she had any real choice in the matter.
With no time to spare, she began packaging the candies with rustling sounds. At least once wrapped, they looked somewhat presentable. That was her only consolation.
Half anticipation, half anxiety. Calming her racing heart, Yeon Minha left the cooking room. She carefully hid the bundle of wrapped candies inside her clothes and walked casually toward the main building.
It was the time when he would be attending his demonology lecture. She had long since memorized his entire semester schedule.
The number of students moving through the halls gradually increased, and the sweet scent in the air grew thicker. Yeon Minha decided to wait for him beneath the lecture building.
She would hand them over nonchalantly, with an indifferent gesture and tone.
"...?"
As she reviewed her plan, the spirit she had sent ahead detected movement. Yeon Minha tilted her head in confusion, her expression twisting into a deep frown.
Spirits lacked human vision, but they could sense their surroundings based on the shape of the energy bodies they possessed. She had attached the spirit to the locker he always used during his moving classes—a solution she'd devised after the spirit stubbornly refused to cling to him directly.
It was supposed to be the time when he would be in class, yet for some reason round energy forms were constantly coming and going in front of his locker.
"These vulgar wenches... daring to approach him..."
Having guessed the meaning, Yeon Minha muttered in a voice thick with rage. Using the festival as an excuse to approach or befriend members of the opposite sex was an exceedingly common occurrence.
She severed her connection with the spirit and hurried up the stairs. It was an impulsive action fueled by anger. She wanted to tear every last one of those worthless things to shreds before he could see them.
Every time she passed female students coming from the opposite direction, Yeon Minha shot them piercing glares. Among them were surely the vulgar girls who had left candy in his locker.
"...?"
But the moment she rounded the final staircase, Yeon Minha froze in place. Though she only caught a glimpse from behind, something she should never have seen flashed before her eyes.
Someone with fluttering black hair was hurriedly descending the opposite staircase. The golden glint of their eyes was unmistakable. In the hallway lingered a clear trace of someone else's presence—distinct from her own.