Summer Break (7)
I slowly reduced the car's speed and brought it to a stop. Men in suits approached and opened the door for us.
"Welcome, Professor."
"Hello."
"Please leave the keys in the car. We'll park it for you. Do you have any luggage?"
"There's a suitcase in the trunk."
"Understood."
As Han Min-ha and I stepped out of the vehicle, Yoo Hee-won slowly walked toward us.
"Why are you so late?"
"A villain appeared on the way and blocked the road. We had to wait until the situation was resolved, so we arrived a bit late."
Yoo Hee-won's eyes, which had been fixed on me with clear suspicion, shifted toward Han Min-ha.
"Hi, Hee-won."
"You... what the hell are you wearing?!"
Yoo Hee-won suddenly shouted. Right now, Han Min-ha was wearing a thin t-shirt and extremely short shorts. She'd dressed like this because she ran hot and hated the heat, but the problem was that her hair had become completely disheveled from sweating. On top of that, her uniquely voluptuous figure made even ordinary clothes look obscene. Anyone who didn't know her would almost certainly get the wrong idea from that appearance.
Especially in Yoo Hee-won's case...
"What did you do?! What were you two doing in the car!"
"We didn't do anything, Miss Hee-won. It's already hot enough—please don't get worked up."
"How am I supposed to not get worked up?! Who knows what you two were doing?! Han Min-ha, you! Acting all innocent like you don't know anything! You—!"
Looking like she was being scolded, Han Min-ha clasped her hands politely together, sweat dripping down her face as she tried to explain.
"It's not like that... Hee-won... It's really a misunderstanding. Why would I do something like that..."
"Because Professor Kyo is so handso—!"
Yoo Hee-won, who had been about to blurt something out, suddenly froze and clamped her mouth shut.
"Huh...? What did you say?"
Han Min-ha asked back, but Yoo Hee-won shot me a quick glare with an extremely angry expression.
"If you're that suspicious, let's check the dashcam. It seems I need to clear up Miss Hee-won's doubts. Otherwise, it looks like we won't be able to do anything properly today."
"The dashcam?"
"The car has a dashcam. It records audio too, so if we play it back, everything will be clear."
"Hmph."
Yoo Hee-won crossed her arms, glared at me and Han Min-ha for a moment, then turned away.
"Let's just go eat."
Han Min-ha looked at me with a dazed expression. I simply shrugged my shoulders. It wasn't like this was the first or second time Yoo Hee-won had acted this way. Since things had settled peacefully, that was good enough.
"By the way, Miss Min-ha, please change your clothes when you have time."
Han Min-ha's clothes were soaked with sweat and clinging tightly to her body, making it quite uncomfortable to look at.
"Understood, Professor."
Han Min-ha answered while wrapping her arms around her chest as if hugging it.
Yoo Hee-won's house was... how should I put it? It felt less like a home and more like some kind of 'institution.' While the other mansions in the area were quite large, Yoo Hee-won's residence was truly overwhelming. A vast garden sat at the center, with several massive buildings organically connected like the walls of a fortress.
"Hee-won. Who lives over there?"
When Han Min-ha pointed at a three-story building in the distance, Yoo Hee-won answered indifferently.
"The people who work here."
"What?! Then where do you and your parents live?"
"I live there, and my parents live there."
When Yoo Hee-won pointed at two different buildings in succession, Han Min-ha tilted her head in confusion.
"Don't you all live together?"
"What does it matter to you whether other people live separately or not?"
"Ah, I guess that's true."
I smiled and patted Han Min-ha's shoulder.
"This is how rich people usually live, Miss Min-ha."
"I suddenly feel so shabby..."
"Why would you feel that way? We're not the shabby ones. It's just that Miss Hee-won's house is extraordinary."
Yoo Hee-won led us toward the building where she lived. When she opened the door, what greeted us wasn't a shoe rack or living room, but another lobby. Several staff members were moving about, cleaning and performing other tasks.
"Whoa... you live here all by yourself...?"
Han Min-ha stood there with her mouth hanging open in a daze.
"Hurry up! I'm starving to death, seriously."
We entered the first-floor dining room. Although it was a space meant for Yoo Hee-won alone and thus smaller in scale, the interior was on par with any high-end hotel restaurant. Waiters pulled out chairs for us.
Han Min-ha kept letting out sounds of amazement, as if she couldn't believe anything that was happening.
"Bring out the food."
Yoo Hee-won gave the order to the waiter standing behind her without even turning around.
"Hehe... This is the kind of thing you only see on TV... You're amazing, Hee-won."
"Is it me that's amazing? It's all my parents' money."
Yoo Hee-won grumbled as she spread a napkin across her lap.
"Hello, Professor?"
At that moment, a woman in a formal uniform entered the dining room and greeted me. She appeared slightly older than me—a strikingly beautiful woman with a gentle, subtle smile. Was she Yoo Hee-won's mother?
"And you must be Min-ha, Hee-won's friend? Nice to meet you."
With an elegant and relaxed tone that exuded grace, the woman greeted me and Han Min-ha in turn.
"I am the administrative manager of this building. I've been taking care of Hee-won since she was little..."
"Ah, quiet. Don't say unnecessary things."
Yoo Hee-won cut her off irritably, but the woman called the manager completely ignored her.
"I've been looking after Hee-won from when she was a child until now. You can think of me as her nanny if that makes it easier."
"You look far too young to be called a nanny."
"I hear that quite often."
The woman smiled elegantly with her eyes.
"Speaking of which, Professor, you're much more handsome than I expected. Hee-won called you 'Grey Mold,' so I imagined some white-haired old professor."
"Ah... stop talking nonsense and go supervise the kitchen."
"This is the first time Hee-won has ever invited outsiders to the house, so I was quite surprised. She never talks about anything that happens outside, but during this summer break, for some reason, she told me all about you and Miss Min-ha."
"Haa..."
At the manager's attitude of completely ignoring her words, Yoo Hee-won clutched her forehead and let out a sigh. However, unlike usual, she didn't lash out viciously or raise her voice. It seemed that because this woman had taken care of her since childhood, Yoo Hee-won couldn't fully assert herself. That manager woman was no ordinary person.
"Is that so? That's unexpected. She showed no such signs at the academy, so I was quite worried that I might have been doing something wrong."
I hadn't actually thought that, but I said it to match the flow of the conversation.
"Not at all, Professor. What are you saying? Hee-won has praised you so much."
"Haha. Has she now?"
"Ugh..."
Yoo Hee-won turned her head away, avoiding my gaze.
"So when I heard she was inviting the Professor and Miss Min-ha for summer break, I prepared to welcome you with great joy."
The manager clasped her hands together and gave a sincere smile.
"Please rest comfortably for the few days until break ends. If you need anything, just let us know anytime."
Hmm... wait a moment... rest comfortably for a few days? What exactly did that mean?
"Ah... yes."
"The rooms for you and Miss Min-ha are on the second floor. They're the best guest rooms, with the finest view of the city lights at night."
Oh dear. So I hadn't misheard.
"Excuse me, but Manager, I think there might be a misunderstanding. I came here for a home visit to my advisee. Once the meeting with her parents is over, I plan to return to the academy immediately."
"Is that so? According to what Hee-won told me, everything was already arranged for you to stay here until the start of the new semester?"
"Is that right?"
When I looked at Yoo Hee-won, she had both elbows on the table, head buried in her hands as if suffering from a headache caused by the manager. It seemed Yoo Hee-won had gone to extreme lengths because she wanted to spend a few days with me. Normally I would have drawn a firm line and refused outright, but Yoo Hee-won was my advisee. She was also Han Min-ha's only friend at the academy. She simply didn't know how to properly express her emotions—this was the greatest show of goodwill she could offer us right now.
Instead of rejecting her outright, I calculated what work remained for the rest of the break. I had already finished all my tasks during the week before visiting Han Min-ha's house. I needed to return the day before the new semester began, but I still had about two days until then. Besides, this wasn't an ordinary household. There were no issues like sharing a single bathroom or having to share a bed. Staying one night wouldn't be particularly difficult.
"Very well. Then I'll be imposing on you."
"Wonderful. We'll serve you with the utmost care so that you're not inconvenienced in any way."
"Wow, I'm so excited...!"
Han Min-ha clapped her hands in delight while Yoo Hee-won remained completely still in the same posture as before. However, I could see the corners of her mouth lifted high between the strands of her flowing blonde hair.
"However, I must return to the academy tomorrow night, so unfortunately I won't be able to stay any longer than that."
"Understood, Professor. Then I'll have the meal brought out."
The manager gave me and Han Min-ha a polite nod with her eyes before leaving the dining room. Only then did Yoo Hee-won slowly raise her head and glare in the direction the manager had disappeared. The smile from earlier had vanished in an instant, replaced by her characteristic arrogant and venomous glare.
"Hehe... Hee-won. The manager seems really nice. She has such an elegant aura. I guess the saying 'if you're going to be a servant, be a servant in a noble house' applies here."
"Miss Min-ha. That's not a very appropriate quote."
"I-is it not...?"
"You stupid girl, that thing over there..."
At Yoo Hee-won's scolding, Han Min-ha smiled awkwardly.