Are These Professors, You Bastards?
"Alright, that's enough." A deep, resonant voice echoed through the room, followed by the sound of the door opening. Two figures stepped inside. One was a woman in a suit who looked far too young for the formal attire—barely in her early twenties. The other was an elderly man whose age showed clearly, yet he carried an unmistakable air of authority. Likely a high-ranking official and his secretary.
"Please, have a seat."
"Yes, let's sit." The old man responded lightly to his secretary's suggestion and the two approached my seat.
"Move."
The old man suddenly ordered me to get up. I stared at him without answering, wondering what the hell was going on. 'Who the fuck is this guy? He seems out of it—should I just knock him out and send him packing faster?'
[Hold back. If you actually hit him, you'll really be getting a one-way ticket out of here.]
At that moment, Professor Pilyong beside me urgently whispered, "Shinu, move out of the way right now!!"
"Ah." It finally clicked—I was sitting in the old man's spot. No wonder the cushion had felt ridiculously comfortable. I quickly stood up, and the old man took the seat while I awkwardly stood beside him. But then—
"...Could you move to the other side?"
"Ah, yes." The secretary claimed the seat on the other side too, so I ended up standing on the opposite end. Now the old man sat with me and the secretary flanking him on either side. He glanced at me once before turning his gaze to the rest of the meeting room.
"Greetings, everyone. You all know who I am, but for those who don't, allow me to introduce myself."
The old man casually pulled out a chair and propped both feet up on the table, crossing his legs. It was the kind of posture that would draw disapproval anywhere, let alone in a formal meeting.
[Wasn't Korea supposed to be the land of Eastern etiquette?]
'Maybe he's got dementia.'
Yet no one in the room dared to speak. They simply tried to avoid his gaze as much as possible. In the slightly tense atmosphere, the old man finally spoke.
"I am the Chairman of this Academy. My name is Jang Inhyuk."
From the way he spoke, it was clear he really was the Chairman. 'No wonder the cushion felt so damn good.'
[Look at the professor beside you. He looks like he wants to die.]
'You bastard. Let me get a taste of what it's like to have power over someone!'
Professor Pilyong's face beside me was indeed a picture of misery. Not that it mattered. The Chairman continued.
"From the looks of things, you were just about to decide on Kim Shinwoo's punishment."
"Yes, Chairman. I'm Professor Park Miran. Currently, Kim Shinwoo is suspected of concealing his abilities with the help of a camouflage-type ability user."
Even in this situation, Park Miran stepped forward boldly without shrinking back. The Chairman looked at her with amusement.
"So you believe this student received help from a camouflage ability user to hide his powers?"
"Yes. Especially that original version coat he possesses—I'm certain it's proof he contacted a camouflage ability user!"
"Hmm....." The Chairman pondered for a moment before suddenly straightening his posture. He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them as he continued.
"Well, to cut straight to the conclusion—this student has no connection whatsoever to any camouflage ability user."
"B-But... that coat!"
"Ah, I can vouch for that. I know the person in question. That bastard... I mean, that individual is definitely not a camouflage ability user." The Chairman suddenly chuckled and muttered quietly, "It would've been better if he were a camouflage ability user." Of course, only I heard that part.
"T-That's impossible..."
"What I'm trying to say is that you're all being far too narrow-minded about this."
At that moment, the Chairman suddenly unclasped his hands and pointed at me with one finger.
"Is there not a single person here who thinks this student awakened his abilities right here in the Academy?"
"That's ridiculous!!! It would make more sense if a dog turned into a human!!!" The older female professor who had been leading the meeting earlier strongly objected. For some reason, it pissed me off.
[Your words are a bit harsh.]
'That bitch is really pushing it. Should I rip her mouth open?'
[...You're being harsher.]
The Chairman then expressed genuine regret.
"My, my. I thought the professors at the Academy would have more flexible thinking."
"You know this as well, Chairman. All abilities manifest before the age of twenty!"
"Who decided that?"
The Chairman's demeanor shifted. The curiosity in his eyes turned slightly menacing. That alone was enough to dampen the aggressive female professor's momentum.
"T-That's been proven through countless statistics and experimental results a long time ago."
"Who, and since when, decided that the awakening period ends at age twenty?"
"But..."
"The early hunters weren't necessarily like that, were they? Try to be a bit more flexible in your thinking."
The Chairman yawned, saying he was bored. Of course, no one else could say a word.
"How rigid. To think you're younger than me yet your thinking is even more fossilized."
"Then, Chairman, what do you intend to do about Kim Shinwoo's punishment?"
"Let's just watch and see. Let's see how far a kid who just awakened his abilities can go."
"....Understood." Professor Park Miran couldn't argue against the Chairman's words and simply let it pass. She looked dissatisfied, but what could she do?
[The power of authority is truly something.]
'You bastards. Crawl on your bellies.'
At that moment, the Chairman suddenly turned his gaze to me.
"And you. Your name was Kim Shinwoo, correct?"
"What is it?"
"Come a little closer for a moment."
Wondering what he wanted, I moved closer. When the distance had narrowed considerably, he whispered into my ear.
"Ryu Kanghyuk. Is that bastard still doing well?"
It was something I hadn't expected at all.
[So he knows about that man.]
'Who the hell is this guy?'
I was quite surprised, but I didn't want to show any fear. So I whispered back the same way, "He's probably busy having thick, sloppy impregnation sex right about now."
"Hahahahahahahaha!!"
[You should really phrase things more delicately.]
'Want me to smash your mouth?'
[......]
The Chairman burst into hearty laughter the moment he heard my words. Of course, since he was laughing right next to me—
'My ears hurt, you bastard.'
My ears were ringing. The Chairman pulled away and opened his mouth again.
"Anyway, I'll guarantee this student's case under my name, so don't worry too much."
"Then, how should we register this student's abilities?"
"Let's see. Just register it as basic physical enhancement."
"Will that work for the government registration?"
"That's for you to figure out. Why else would we pay you a salary?"
Professor Park Miran couldn't argue against the Chairman's words. This was refreshing. As if he had said everything he needed to, the Chairman suddenly stood up.
"Anyway, handle the rest of the meetings well. We'll conclude this agenda item here."
"Let's go, Chairman."
With that, the two left the meeting room. Silence followed their departure. The older female professor broke the silence and began to speak.
"Then, for now, we'll proceed with no punishment for Kim Shinwoo. Any objections?"
"......"
"In that case, we'll conclude by having the Academy register Shinwoo's abilities with the government."
A massive storm like a natural disaster had decided my fate. Of course, I didn't really care about the outcome. Because right now, my interest was solely focused on one thing—the Chairman's now-empty seat. Honestly, the cushion had been really comfortable.
***
"Chairman, was it really necessary to go this far?"
"Then do you have a better idea?"
"..."
The conversation between Chairman Jang Inhyuk and his secretary ended blandly. They maintained their silence until they reached the Chairman's office. Only after entering did the silence break.
"Are you curious why I went this far?"
"Honestly, yes."
"Then take a look at this."
Chairman Jang Inhyuk suddenly handed over a single sheet of paper.
"This is... could it be?"
"That's right. It's that bastard Ryu Kanghyuk again. Want to read it?"
"Understood."
The secretary carefully unfolded the paper. It looked somewhat crumpled, as if someone had crumpled it in barely contained anger, but he didn't point it out. The content written there was slightly longer than before.
[It's me, you bastard.]
[Proceed.]
Relatively speaking, anyway.
"......"
"What do you think would've happened if I hadn't stepped in and that student had been expelled from the Academy?"
"There wouldn't have been any major problems, would there?"
"That's because you don't know that crazy bastard Ryu Kanghyuk."
Chairman Jang Inhyuk's face looked slightly pale. Naturally, the secretary noticed the subtle change in his expression.
"He probably wouldn't have told Ryu Kanghyuk if that student had been expelled."
"Then there wouldn't be a problem, right?"
"But what if Ryu Kanghyuk found out about it?"
"I don't know."
Chairman Jang Inhyuk's face showed he really didn't want to think about it. Still, he gave a calm answer to respond to the secretary's question.
"The Academy would've become something that was once an Academy."
"...All because of just that one student?"
The secretary wore an incredulous expression.
"That bastard is still unpredictable."
"That much I can tell just from reading the letter."
"But once that lunatic gets angry, no one can stop him."
"Still, is it possible for him to destroy the Academy alone? The faculty here is quite strong."
It was true, just as the secretary said. Since it was state-run, even if the professors' mental states weren't normal, they were all skilled individuals. That's why the secretary thought no one would dare challenge them easily. However—
"That's exactly the problem, because it's possible."
"Pardon?..."
At least, Chairman Jang Inhyuk thought differently. And perhaps that was natural. After all—
"Once, I tried to assert dominance by gathering all sorts of people to provoke him."
"...From the way you're speaking, it seems the results weren't good?"
"The damage on our side was too severe. Everyone except Ryu Kanghyuk was barely clinging to life."
"......"
Because he'd experienced it before.
"Normally, he wouldn't have fought, but because of one person among those I gathered that day, the fight escalated."
"May I ask why they fought?"
At the secretary's question, Chairman Jang Inhyuk let out a chuckle. His expression showed that even now, it seemed absurd.
"Ryu Kanghyuk's sandwich got knocked to the ground. That was all."
"This is insane."
"Exactly. I never thought that guy—who usually doesn't fight—would actually kill everyone over something like that."
Chairman Jang Inhyuk's face showed a disgusted expression, as if he didn't want to recall it anymore. Soon after, he stood up from his seat and grabbed the doorknob to leave the office.
"Anyway, it's best not to touch anything related to that mad dog if possible."
"That student is like a sandwich to Ryu Kanghyuk, then."
"That's right. Even though he's retired, his teeth haven't fallen out yet."
As the Chairman opened the door and stepped out, the secretary quickly stuck close to him.
"Well then, let's go now."
"...Where to?"
"Don't you want to leave work?"
"Thank you."
That last line was the fastest thing the secretary had said all day.
***
There was nothing left that concerned me. All that remained was to leisurely observe. However, the faculty meeting was—
"So, how about introducing stir-fried sausages and vegetables to the professors' cafeteria?"
"I agree."
"I object. We should also add tail bone soup."
"I agree with that as well."
"Yes, this matter has been decided unanimously. I'll pass it on to the cafeteria."
It was far more childish and petty than I'd imagined.
[Is this the professors this body knew?]
'You think they can't get even uglier than this?'
This agenda item was about the treatment of research students—specifically regarding their commute.
"Next is the matter of research students' commuting. To maintain dignity, we'll have them shower at the dormitory once every two days."
"I oppose. That's too frequent. How about once every three days?"
"I object. Since labor laws don't apply to research students, once a week seems appropriate."
At the last professor's statement, most of the professors wore satisfied expressions. At that moment, one cautious opinion was raised.
"How about once every two weeks?"
Suddenly, everyone began murmuring with anticipation. However, a very sharp rebuttal flew in.
"You must remember what happened last time. When we tried that, a research student who was treated like a homeless person was expelled from the Academy."
"That won't do! We can't afford to lose valuable labor, even temporarily!"
They cried out, telling each other not to say such terrible things. Some even shed tears at the mere thought of it.
"Then does everyone agree to once a week?"
"I agree."
"I agree as well."
"Any objections?"
"......"
"Understood. Then from now on, research students will only be allowed to visit the dormitory once a week."
All the professors began clapping and cheering. They embraced each other in shared joy, as if everyone were allies. Even Professors Pilyong and Miran, who had been growling at each other just moments ago, were now sharing a passionate hug.
[Are these bastards even human?]
'They're just complete bastards.'
They were bastards who didn't even have human blood flowing through their veins.