The Dean's Request
Yoo Hee-won, flustered by the unexpected turn of events, forced an awkward smile and rubbed her hand where the sparks had flown. "Student Yoo Hee-won. Surely you weren't attempting to use physical force against a professor?"
"Of course not! I was just frustrated and my hand moved on its own, but I didn't mean to—"
"When auras collide, sparks fly," I cut in. "A hand wrapped in aura can exert unimaginable strength. If I hadn't formed a defensive barrier, things would have gotten quite interesting."
"Interesting how?"
"You'll find out the next time you try something similar."
Yoo Hee-won's lips twitched. "But Professor, you've been avoiding me without reason—"
"I already explained. I don't have time today, so how about tomorrow or the day after?"
Unable to find a rebuttal, Yoo Hee-won simply stared at me in silence. Yet she showed no intention of moving from the office doorway. I briefly considered shoving her aside, but that would have been far too undignified, so I abandoned the idea. After all, I was an academy professor.
With a quiet sigh, I spoke. "Very well, Student Yoo Hee-won. Let's have that meeting. Since things have come to this."
I brewed two cups of coffee from the machine and sat across from her. "So, Student Yoo Hee-won, what exactly did you wish to discuss? If it's about Basic Defense, I'm always happy to help."
"Do you remember what we talked about during the entrance ceremony?"
I did. It had been a subtle attempt to persuade me to choose her as my advisee. "Have you given it any thought?"
"Is that why you wanted this meeting? To hear my answer?"
"I suppose. What would you do if I said I wanted to manufacture the answer you desire?"
"I already know what answer you want, Student Yoo Hee-won. But I can't give it to you right now. The advisor assignment period hasn't begun yet."
"I know that. But it's coming soon. I don't see anything wrong with hearing the result in advance."
"I can't speak carelessly before the selection period, Student Yoo Hee-won. Go back and wait. Besides, advisor assignments aren't decided unilaterally by professors. They require mutual coordination."
"Then do you already have someone in mind?"
"I don't know yet."
"Would you mind if I offered a little help with that decision?"
"No. I don't need it. I already know everything about you, Student Yoo Hee-won."
I had no intention of taking Yoo Hee-won as an advisee. It was all because of Han Min-ha. After observing Han Min-ha's personality, I was certain the two of them could never coexist. Han Min-ha wouldn't be able to handle Yoo Hee-won, and Yoo Hee-won wouldn't tolerate Han Min-ha. Yet I had to turn Han Min-ha into an S-class hero. If forced to choose between them, I would choose Han Min-ha. And if I chose Han Min-ha, then Yoo Hee-won could not become my advisee. That was the reason.
After my repeated refusals, the smile vanished from Yoo Hee-won's face. Her expression turned serious, and for a moment she resembled a cold, emotionless viper. It was chilling. She stared at me wordlessly, then a dangerous smile curved her lips.
"Thank you for meeting with me today, Professor." Without taking a single sip of her coffee, Yoo Hee-won rose from her seat. "If there's another chance, I'll come see you again."
"Do that. If the chance arises."
"It will. I'm certain of it."
The look she gave me as she stood over me felt almost warm. Obviously an illusion.
After Yoo Hee-won left the office, I remained alone and finished my coffee.
At last, the advisor selection period arrived. Though it had only been less than a month since the entrance ceremony, it somehow felt as though several months had passed. The department head gathered all the professors from the faculty and delivered a lengthy speech. He spoke of how the advisor system boasted a long and proud history and tradition, how miracles could occur where F-class students rose to S-class depending on the advisor's competence, and how we must all feel the weight of that responsibility. The professors listened with one ear while their eyes scanned the list of new students placed before them.
Naturally, everyone's focus was on Yoo Hee-won. Every member of the faculty hoped to become her advisor. But an advisor wasn't something a professor could simply claim. Students also had the right to choose their own advisors, and the final assignments were determined only after considerable coordination. Currently, the professor with the highest probability of becoming Yoo Hee-won's advisor was Professor Yu Hyeon-ju of General Combat. General Combat was a fundamental subject and therefore extremely popular. Professor Yu Hyeon-ju, who taught it, was not a former hero but an active A-class hero.
However, some professors held a different opinion. During the entrance ceremony, Yoo Hee-won had approached me first, and that rumor had already spread throughout the academy. They seemed to think she might break everyone's expectations and choose me, the professor of an unpopular subject.
"In any case, keep all of this in mind and submit your choices carefully. That will be all. Prepare for the cheer!"
After shouting the academy cheer, I left the faculty office when Professor Jin Se-yeong approached me. "Professor Kyo. Will you be taking on advisees this year?"
"I'm not sure yet."
"Think it over carefully. Having advisees isn't so bad. It's not even one-on-one, and if it feels burdensome, you could always pick a few underperforming students and help raise their grades. It's surprisingly rewarding..."
Suddenly, Professor Jin Se-yeong clamped her mouth shut and stopped walking. Following her gaze, I saw the dean approaching with several department heads in tow.
"Good afternoon, Dean."
As I greeted him and stepped aside, the dean stopped directly in front of me. "Professor Kyo Suhyeon. A word, if you will."
"With me, sir?"
"Is there another Professor Kyo in this academy?"
The dean smiled warmly and glanced around. The department heads behind him chuckled obligingly. "I can't think of anything I've done wrong recently."
At my words, the dean burst into hearty laughter. He enjoyed this sort of joke, so I had played along. "Anyone listening would think I spend all my time scolding professors."
"Oh, Dean!"
At that moment, the department head came rushing out of the faculty office like a dog with its tail on fire. "Dean! What brings you here? Please, come inside. I'll get you some hot coffee—"
"No, no. I'm here to see Professor Kyo."
"Professor Kyo...?"
The department head looked at me in confusion. His eyes seemed to ask, "What kind of trouble have you gotten into now?" I shook my head slightly.
"Dean, regarding the content of the meeting with Professor Kyo—"
"Do I need to report every detail of my meetings to you?"
Though the dean spoke with a smile, the department head jumped and waved both his head and hands frantically. "No! No! Not at all! Professor Kyo! What are you doing? Escort the dean immediately!"
"No need for that. Go wait in my office. I'll stop by somewhere else first."
With those words, the dean led the department heads down the corridor and disappeared. The department head, who had remained bowed at a perfect ninety degrees until the dean was out of sight, rushed toward me. "Professor Kyo...! What is this? Why does the dean want a private meeting with you?"
"I don't know. Could you please let go of my shoulder? It hurts."
The department head, who had been shaking me in agitation, released me and stepped back. "I don't know what this is about, but... don't make any mistakes. And after the meeting—"
"I'll report the results. And if you have any suggestions for the dean, please tell me. I'll include them in the meeting."
"W-would you really...?"
The department head's face lit up as he rattled off various requests. "Understood. I'll bring them up appropriately."
"Thank you, Professor Kyo. You're the only one I can count on!"
After the department head patted my shoulder repeatedly and went back inside, Professor Jin Se-yeong muttered under her breath. "What a pathetic man... By the way, Professor Kyo."
"Yes?"
"Why do you think the dean wants to see you?"
"I wonder. I'm curious myself."
Even as I said that, it wasn't difficult to guess what the conversation would be about. During the entrance ceremony, the dean had met with the Advisory Chairman of the Management Bureau. The Advisory Chairman was Yoo Hee-won's father. "Wouldn't it be best if you took Yoo Hee-won as your advisee?" That was likely the main point of today's meeting.
I waited a long time in front of the dean's office before I finally saw him approaching from the other end of the hallway. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Have you been here long?"
"I just arrived."
"Come in. Come in. Bring some tea!"
Shouting toward the attached office, the dean draped an arm around my shoulder and opened the door to his office. "Sit, sit."
The dean smiled affably and took a seat on the sofa first. "How's your health these days?"
"I'm fine. My cough has been less frequent lately."
"That's good to hear. It was always a shame to see someone as capable as you suffering from lung disease."
"Thank you."
The dean laughed and slapped his knee. "So, how are the new students?"
"It's only been a month, so I haven't assessed them all yet, but as always, it seems we've received an excellent group of talents."
"Of course. Graford Academy doesn't accept just anyone."
The dean slapped his knee again with a sharp sound. "Are the students forming their barriers well?"
"The upper classes have already begun freely using basic physical barriers, and the lower classes start today."
"Hmm. I see. There's quite a gap, but that's always been the case, so it can't be helped. Well then."
When the tea arrived, the dean took a sip first and offered me mine. "Drink up. It's bellflower tea. Good for the lungs."
"Thank you for your consideration."
I took a small sip and set the cup back down. Then I waited in silence for the dean to speak first. The conversation before the tea had been small talk; now it was time for the main topic.
As expected, after a few more sips, the dean smacked his lips and spoke. "You know the Advisory Chairman of the Management Bureau came during the entrance ceremony, right?"
"I do. I saw him at the main gate."
"Right. That man suddenly said he wanted a meeting with me. Do you know why?"
"Do you?"
"He said it was because of Yoo Hee-won. You know what that means, don't you?"
"Student Yoo Hee-won is the Advisory Chairman's only daughter."
"Exactly. It would be strange if you didn't know. She even took first place in the entrance evaluation."
"Yes."
"It wasn't anything special. He acted like it was an official matter, but in the end, it was just 'take good care of my daughter.'"
"I suppose so."
The dean slapped his knee and rubbed it as he spoke. "What do you think of Yoo Hee-won?"
"Even if she became a hero right now, she'd receive at least C-class."
"Oh? That good? Already?"
"Yes. I'm not sure about other subjects, but in mine, she formed the basic shape of a barrier on the very first day."
"Haha. That's impressive. You must be quite tempted."
Here it comes. "Wouldn't it be enjoyable to mentor a student like Yoo Hee-won?"
"It would be, but I'm sure the other professors feel the same."
"That's why everyone's on edge now that the advisor selection period is approaching."
I only smiled. "Since professors are also evaluated based on the rank their advisees receive upon graduation, everyone will try to claim the good students."
"That's true. But this doesn't really concern me—"
"Why not? As a professor in the faculty, you're naturally included."
"As you know, Basic Defense is an unpopular subject. Who would choose me just to learn how to block bullets with a barrier? Besides, I'm not the type to take on dedicated mentoring."
The dean rubbed his knee with a meaningful expression. "Is that so? Maybe. What do they call it again? That... when you master defensive techniques to a high degree..."
"Mental Barrier."
"Right, right. If it takes a long time to obtain something like mental control, that could be the case."
"Yes."
"But this year might be different, don't you think? Students like Yoo Hee-won aren't common."
"It's not just about whether I want to. The student also has the right to choose, so it won't be easy."
At those words, a glint flashed in the dean's eyes. After a moment of silence, he rubbed his knee and then slapped it. "I got a call from the Advisory Chairman yesterday."
"I see."
"It was about Yoo Hee-won... something about her advisor. Parents are all the same."
Though he said that, the dean would be wary of the Advisory Chairman. Their positions demanded it, whether they liked it or not. The Advisory Chairman wielded immense influence within the Management Bureau, and as an academy that conducted "business" with the Bureau, we had no choice but to bow before him.
"He asked me to assign you as Yoo Hee-won's advisor."
Just as I expected. Not that there was any reason to feel smug. Anyone with half a brain could have predicted this outcome.
"Is that so."
"Are you willing to take her on?"
"I'll need to think about it. Both the professor and the student must reach an agreement."
"Good. Think it over."
After that, the dean tossed out a few more trivial remarks, and I smiled and responded appropriately. Soon, the meeting ended. As I closed the door to the dean's office behind me, I decided to forget the contents of the conversation completely. I wasn't confident I could handle both Han Min-ha and Yoo Hee-won, who were polar opposites.