Jeil High School (3)

I'd meant it as encouragement to stay calm and not panic, but it didn't seem to have much effect. Lee Sea's pupils trembled precariously, like there was an earthquake in her eyes. Her hands twitched slightly, at a loss for where to go. We were teacher and student here, so I shouldn't think it was cute... but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I couldn't deny that her flustered helplessness was both pitiful and endearing. Trying not to let it show, I cleared my throat and spoke again.

"Lee Sea?"

"...Yes."

"Your structure's precision is good, but you're putting way too much power into it. The sloppy finish is the real killer. Imagine building a sand house and then slamming the door shut like you're throwing a tantrum—what happens then?"

She looked up at me, her eyes questioning, as if she wanted to argue back. I could guess what it was about. Yeah, my tone had come off a bit harsh... Realizing there might be room for misinterpretation in my critique, I quickly clarified.

"Uh, I mean... not that you're slamming doors at home or anything—"

"Pfft!"

The one who burst out laughing, unable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to hold it in, was Yoo Hae-bin, who'd been watching us alternate glances. I'd already disliked her sitting next to Sea, and now this brat... Just you wait until next class.

"...I'll try again."

Lee Sea waved her hand. Shooo—It wasn't a perfect sphere, but the result was decent this time. A bit lopsided, like an abandoned soccer ball rolling in the corner of the school field, but for a high schooler just starting in magical dynamics, it wasn't bad at all. Still, I had to point out the flaws.

"Low efficiency. The effort to maintain the construct outweighs the effect. Not viable in real combat, and the connection between circuits one and four—which ties directly to rebound elasticity—is weak. Reinforce that, and there's room for improvement."

"...Yes."

"We'll check again next Tuesday, so prepare well."

"............Yes."

Having steeled myself to say what needed saying, I turned away. I'd seen the students on the left side of the lecture hall, so now for the ones at the center desks... That's when I overheard Yoo Hae-bin asking Lee Sea,

"Why next class? Can't he check at home too?"

"Shut... your mouth..."

"Eh? Wae daeum soobeum? Jibeseo bwajullaem an dwaena? (Why next class? Can't he check at home too?)"

"......"

"I shut it like you said, but you're glaring way too hard."

I decided to bump up my internal rating of Yoo Hae-bin just a notch. Good job, Hae-bin. Keep it up. Sending silent cheers, I descended the stairs, checking students' results along the way. Keeping Peeping Eye active tired my eyes, but not enough to be a problem. Finally, I reached the frontmost seat at the center desk.

The girl I suspected was the protagonist of Kill the Evil. Jin Yu-ri looked up confidently.

"Could you evaluate my construct, Professor?"

I didn't even need Peeping Eye to tell. She was the best in this room. Yoo Hae-bin was impressive too, but Jin Yu-ri's talent was right up there, and when talents are equal, effort wins out. Jin Yu-ri's construct, with its meticulous attention to every element, far outshone Hae-bin's half-hearted one.

She'd worked hard, after all. In my eyes, she was the only one who'd stayed focused through Professor Seo Sang-wook's classes—disguised as lectures but really sleep-inducing drudgery—taking perfect notes on every word.

And her results showed it. But that didn't mean there was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing to critique.

"Hmm..."

I let out a low hum, staring intently at her construct to build the mood, even though I already knew what I'd say. A flicker of doubt crossed Jin Yu-ri's eyes. It's perfect to me—why isn't he impressed or amazed? Why's he just standing there blankly?

But I had no intention of praising her straight-up. She'd picked fights with my Sea at the funeral and again today whenever she got the chance. Time to taste the critique from Sea's big brother.

I finally spoke.

"Circuits one through ten. All of them."

Jin Yu-ri jumped in eagerly. "Right? Even I think it's pretty good—"

"All of them need refining."

"...Huh?"

A dazed sound escaped her. She blinked, wondering if she'd misheard, but I pressed on.

"The textbook formula is just a general guideline. You have to account for personal mana wavelength, construct completion, circuit balance... You didn't, Jin Yu-ri."

"But the others—"

She started to retort but cut herself off. What can I say... she had real drive. Even at the top, she knew using others as an excuse wouldn't help her grow. From that angle, she got that my critique was valid.

In the end, she looked up piercingly and asked with effort, "...Where's it lacking?"

"Grab a pen. Numbers and circuit placement all need tweaks."

I laid into the details at length. The others hadn't needed comma-level precision, but she was beyond that. My explanation dragged on. I talked nonstop for a full minute, and Jin Yu-ri buried her head, scribbling furiously. Only after the feedback did I offer praise.

"Good job. Really good..."

I trailed off, looking down at her with a silent question: You won't settle for that, will you?

Her response was just as expected.

"Can I get checked again next class?"

"Of course. Email me anytime if you have questions during review."

I deliberately skipped my phone number. Texting her... yeah, no.

"...Thank you."

"Alright. Next student?"

The massive lecture hall held over a hundred students, and even rushing, feedback took us right to the end. From the moment they put me front and center, Professor Seo Sang-wook had holed up in the corner, lost in his papers. Now he announced proudly,

"Uh, that'll wrap today's class. We'll continue this way next time, so keep that in mind. Class dismissed. Questions go to Professor Lee Dojin."

As applause erupted, Seo Sang-wook clapped my shoulder, eyes full of trust like I'd handed him an army.

"Dojin, you did great today. Head out after."

Then he bolted for the door. Hey, wait—class is over, so why dump Q&A on me? You're the prof. Adjust my pay or something.

Before I could react, students swarmed me.

"Professor! Professor!"

"I don't get this part—"

Swallowing my dismay, I said quietly,

"Line up. One at a time."

"Professor, do you have a girlfriend...?"

"...Sorry, no personal questions."

If yes, so what? If no, then what?

Lee Sea stared toward the lecture hall entrance. Dozens of students surrounded her brother, Lee Dojin, chatting amiably—class-related queries, curiosity about him personally. He looked a bit troubled but answered kindly.

A hard-to-name emotion rippled through her. Her chest felt suffocatingly tight. With a sigh, she turned to leave, but then—

"Heading to class?"

Jin Yu-ri stopped her. Someone she really didn't want to talk to right now, even more than usual. Lee Sea tried to ignore her and walk on, but Jin Yu-ri pressed coyly.

"Your brother the professor? Impressive."

"No business, I'm going."

"We're in the same class next period too—no need to rush."

"Spit it out quick."

"Nothing much. Just, I see your brother in a new light. As expected from Jeong Se-bin's son, huh?"

At that, Lee Sea felt a chill in her gut. Her mouth went rigid for a moment; it took effort to ask,

"What... do you mean?"

"No big deal? I'm a huge fan of Archmage Jeong Se-bin. Just got me in a good mood."

Jin Yu-ri's meaningful glance. Yoo Hae-bin, grabbing her bag and walking up, stepped in.

"GlassMental, you lost it for real. Picking fights again?"

"Who's GlassMental?"

"You. Obvious you're jealous of Sea."

"Me? Of her?"

"Enough, let's go."

Lee Sea dragged Yoo Hae-bin out. Tuning out her chatter, she vowed: Intended or not, Jin Yu-ri was crossing lines. Multiple times now. One more try like that...

I won't hold back.

Because her brother was at school. To keep trivial nonsense from his ears.

After the afternoon's second class and homeroom by class, Lee Sea left campus. Home was two or three subway stops away. Her mind was tangled today; she wanted to walk. Rounding a corner, quickening her pace—

Blaaang!

A car horn blared. Glancing over, she saw a familiar sports sedan—Lee Dojin's ride. The driver's window rolled down; her brother smiled softly.

"Hop in."

"......"

Lee Sea checked her phone silently. Nearly six p.m. His class ended at three. He'd been waiting since then. No other reason to stay at school. Just to spend these few minutes taking her home.

In the heavy silence, he asked cautiously,

"...Not getting in? You said it was embarrassing to be dropped at the gate this morning, so I waited here on purpose..."

"...How long?"

"Not long. Ten minutes?"

She knew it was a blatant lie. And he knew she knew. On top of that, she couldn't bring herself to say she'd walk.

She didn't want to. The passenger door unlocked automatically. She got in quietly. His voice brimmed with excitement.

"Hey, since we're here, wanna drive around with oppa and grab dinner out? I know a few spots you'd like."

With who, and why do you know them? Swallowing the question, she replied curtly,

"Wanna go home."

"Yeah...?"

Deep disappointment. The car pulled onto the road, his phone buzzing nonstop. Curious but unable to ask, he brought it up first.

"Ah, messages from students. Didn't expect this—maybe I should've just given my email."

As far as she knew, it wasn't just direct contacts. The anonymous community for National Academy 1 students was blowing up about him right now—the hottest post by far.

Lee Sea wanted to ask her brother. What the hell was going on? How could he show such masterful magic? But fear held her back. She should be happy or at least amazed if he shone like that. Instead, she was just scared.

If Lee Dojin kept excelling. If he didn't break off the engagement, or met someone he truly loved and left. If he built a family, leaving the home he shared with his sister...

...Then what about me?

Left alone. Completely without family. How would she live after that?

"Sea-ya."

"...Yeah."

"I feel like I was too harsh critiquing you in class, so, um..."

"...Don't think that."

"Ah, good. Anyway, what I wanna say is—if you're okay with it, wanna review today's stuff and preview next class? What do you think?"

She shook her head.

"No need."

"Yeah? Well, ask oppa if you don't know something. Or just text without asking directly."

"...If I don't know something, I will."

She said it, but had no intention of asking his help. It wasn't about their relationship or how well he treated her. Good or bad didn't matter. It was just something she shouldn't do. She was already freeloading without deserving it—didn't want to seem like a dimwit little sister too. Yet she acted cold toward him, so others wouldn't understand her contradictions. But to her, this was right. Getting too close might shatter her fragile stability. So there was only one thing to do: Excel on her own without his help. Wishing these moments lasted forever, she resolved anew.

March 11th, around eight p.m. After feeding Sea dinner, showering, and hitting the bed, a swell of pride hit me. Taking the Jeil High job felt better the more I thought about it. Got closer to Sea, easier to clear Kill the Evil Volume 1 quest. Only downside was busier schedule, but otherwise all ups.

Progress up nearly 10% from the funeral. No exact 'National Academy 1 internal attention' stat, but keeping today's pace should clear it easy. Tomorrow Friday—no work. Saturday off too, Sunday meet Phantom members—hope no headaches then.

The damn hologram shattered my hopes instantly.

I called Seo Yeon-hee right away.

Why? Oh right, first day at school after so long—

"Missed you. Wanna see you early."

...Drunk?

"Move our meeting up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a day."

Throwing a fit 'cause no chocolate?

"No—turns out there's a rat in our ranks. I'll catch and serve it up."

Intrigue from the other end. She agreed readily.

March 13, 6 p.m., same place as before. That work?

"Yes, see you then."

Call ended, then it hit me: Awkward issue. This means overnight Saturday—but what to tell Sea...? To me, that was bigger than the day's tasks.