Summer Vacation (9): The Unsettling Skies
It was definitely strange to see five heroes flying in the same direction at the same time. That sort of thing only happened when something major was going on. I pulled out my phone and checked my messenger and the news, but there was nothing. It might be nothing serious, but… I had a bad feeling about it.
“Professor! I’m telling you to come in already!” Yoo Hee-won shouted, splashing water all over Han Min-ha.
“Ah, no. I’m fine. I’ll stay out here.”
I refused again and slowly slipped my phone back into my pocket. The manager saw my face and asked with a worried expression.
“Is something wrong? Did something happen?”
“No. It’s nothing. Really.”
It could just be a coincidence that their flight paths overlapped, or maybe those heroes were from Secreto. If they were, it wouldn’t be unusual for three or four of them to move together. They might even be teaching new recruits formation flying. Yeah. I should just relax and enjoy the next day or two.
I leaned back on the sunbed and sipped my cocktail. Yoo Hee-won and Han Min-ha splashed and swam around the pool, clearly having fun. Han Min-ha’s figure was so ridiculously curvaceous it was almost embarrassing to watch. Yoo Hee-won was impressive too, but next to Han Min-ha… As my thoughts drifted there, I reinforced my Mental Barrier even more firmly. Here I was mentally evaluating my students’ bodies. This was definitely grounds for having my professor qualifications revoked.
Han Min-ha and Yoo Hee-won showed no signs of leaving the pool all afternoon. At first Han Min-ha had been passive, overwhelmed by Yoo Hee-won’s energy, but before long she was laughing brightly. Hearing their clear, cheerful laughter, I felt my own mood lift. As expected, the academy was far better than somewhere like Secreto.
Dinner was excellent too. It was a completely different course from lunch, and this time the chef came out personally to explain each dish. I couldn’t remember everything, but one thing was certain—it was incredibly delicious.
After the meal, we all headed up to the second floor. From there on it had a typical residential layout, except the scale was absurdly huge.
“How many pyeong is this place?”
“A hundred? I don’t know?”
We split up to our individual rooms to rest for a bit before gathering again. Nothing special—Yoo Hee-won had suggested watching a movie. A movie sounded good.
Once inside my room, I lay on the bed and opened my phone. I wanted to look up anything related to that suspicious flight I’d seen earlier. But just as I expected, nothing came up. They really must have been training.
“Hurry up and come out!”
Some time later, I heard Yoo Hee-won shouting from outside. When I stepped out, she was standing in the middle of the living room in comfortable clothes, yelling at the top of her lungs.
“Han Min-ha! Come on!”
“O-okay! I’m coming!”
As Han Min-ha hurried into the living room, Yoo Hee-won crooked her finger.
“Let’s go watch the movie.”
“Are we going to the theater? Then let me grab a jacket real quick. It might get cold in the evening…”
When Han Min-ha tried to head back to her room, Yoo Hee-won grabbed her by the back of the neck.
“Why would we go to a theater? There’s one in the basement.”
“This is a mixed-use building?”
“What are you even saying?! It’s a theater I use by myself.”
“Whoa…”
Of course. If there was a pool, there had to be a theater. Without one, you couldn’t call it a rich family’s mansion.
Han Min-ha scratched her cheek with a dazed look, like someone who had just been dropped into another world.
“So there’s even something like that…”
“Hurry up. I already had them get everything ready.”
We followed Yoo Hee-won into the elevator and descended to the basement. Sure enough, there was a movie theater down there. Of course it was much smaller than a regular one, but it had a massive screen on one wall and cozy recliner seats. It even had a staff member diligently working the popcorn machine up front.
“This is incredible, Hee-won. How do you survive living in the dorms during the semester?”
“I manage. What can I do? It’s not like I can remodel the dormitory.”
“So what movie are we watching?”
When she heard the title Yoo Hee-won gave, Han Min-ha’s eyes widened in shock.
“Isn’t that the newest movie that’s still in theaters? How are we watching it at home? Did you pirate it?”
“Ugh… seriously… ha… you…”
Yoo Hee-won shook her head like she couldn’t be bothered to say anything else.
We settled into the plush recliners. There was, however, a small problem with the seating arrangement. Yoo Hee-won immediately claimed the middle seat and tried to put me and Han Min-ha on either side of her. Then Han Min-ha hesitated before suggesting,
“Wouldn’t it be better… if the professor sat in the middle?”
“What are you talking about? This is my house, so I should sit in the middle, right?”
“That’s true, but… he’s still the professor. It feels wrong to put someone like him on the edge seat.”
“Ugh? Shut up! I’m sitting in the middle!”
When Yoo Hee-won declared it firmly, Han Min-ha—surprisingly—pushed back without yielding.
“No. The professor should sit in the middle.”
“What? You… Are you trying to walk all over me just because I invited you to my house?”
“I’m not disregarding you. I’m trying to give the professor the proper respect he deserves.”
“Hah.”
At a loss for words, Yoo Hee-won turned to me.
“Professor. Would you rather sit uncomfortably in the middle? Or would you prefer the cozy edge seat?”
Looking at the seats, the large recliners looked comfortable no matter where you sat.
“I’m fine anywhere.”
“Then sit next to me. The middle is mine—”
“No! Sit in the middle!”
Amazingly, Han Min-ha cut her off with a shout.
“Hey! Han Min-ha!”
“Th-the professor is someone who deserves it…! Sitting on the edge doesn’t suit him…!”
I had no idea what kind of nonsense logic that was. Anyway, Han Min-ha stubbornly insisted while Yoo Hee-won looked like she was about to explode, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“Hah… that big-titted girl… ha…”
“Stop fighting, both of you. I’ll sit in the middle. No matter how I look at it, it seems most appropriate for the professor to sit in the center with his students on either side.”
I let out a small sigh. How important could seating be that the three of us had to bicker like this? Yoo Hee-won’s intention to have me sit beside her was obvious—she wanted to keep Han Min-ha away from me. And Han Min-ha, knowing that, was determined to put me in the middle. In the end, to satisfy both of them even a little, I had to sit in the center.
When I took that position, Yoo Hee-won shut her mouth and glared at Han Min-ha. Han Min-ha couldn’t withstand the stare and lowered her head.
“Alright, let’s watch the movie. I actually really wanted to see this before vacation ended, so this worked out perfectly.”
I sat in the middle seat first, stretched out my legs, and smiled. The two students then took their places on either side of me.
“Start the movie!”
Still somewhat upset, Yoo Hee-won snapped, and the lights dimmed as the film began playing on the screen.
The movie was the most cliché hero-worship film imaginable. A heroic ode about fighting cruel villains, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with comrades, and overcoming adversity. It would be nice if the real world had heroes like that in abundance, but reality wasn’t nearly so kind. Still, it was entertaining. After all, the scene of someone freely exploding their aura in a major city and collapsing entire buildings could never happen in real life.
As bright flashes and a massive explosion lit up the screen, Han Min-ha flinched and grabbed my forearm tightly. Even after the intense scene passed, she didn’t let go. Then she slyly slid her hand down and intertwined her fingers with mine. I pretended not to notice. Because on my other side, Yoo Hee-won was already holding my hand. She had grabbed it the moment the movie started and hadn’t let go since. Reacting to one of them would probably just spark another fight. So I simply watched the movie with an intensely focused expression.
“Oh.”
I let out short exclamations during key scenes.
“Hehe.”
For some reason, Yoo Hee-won kept laughing happily during the gory scenes where limbs were severed and blood sprayed everywhere, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder.
“Professor. Does it really look like that in real life?”
She was mixing in casual speech, but given the circumstances I let it slide and answered honestly.
“It’s quite romanticized for the movie.”
“Heh… So is it like minced meat?”
“It’s easier if you imagine a balloon popping. One that’s packed full of blood and organs inside.”
“Eek…!”
Han Min-ha let out a horrified gasp and pulled my arm tightly against her chest.
“That’s horrible…”
As she spoke, she sandwiched my arm between her breasts and rubbed it against herself. For whatever reason, Han Min-ha wasn’t wearing a bra, so the sensation came through the thin shirt far too clearly. Thanks to my Mental Barrier I didn’t feel any particular emotion, but it was still incredibly awkward. Especially with Yoo Hee-won sitting right next to us.
“Professor… I’m scared…”
As Han Min-ha clung to me and whispered, Yoo Hee-won slightly lifted her head and glanced over. Just as her eyes were about to land on my arm buried in Han Min-ha’s cleavage—
Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared from my phone.
[IMMEDIATE RETURN / FLIGHT PERMISSION]
Return to the Academy by any means necessary. Fly immediately.
“Ack! You scared me! Professor! Don’t you know theater etiquette?!”
“Sorry, Hee-won. But this is important.”
I shot up from my seat and pulled out my phone. This was an emergency message programmed to ring no matter what—even on silent. The screen had turned blood-red, and white text flashed sharply across it.