Academys Villain Professor Chapter 304

[ … words ]

Yeah.

I guess this scar would make it look bad.

“I,” Ho-cheol mumbled, his hand still placed on Se-ah’s abdomen.

“I remembered why I respected you.”

Even at the risk of my life, “The surgery you performed back then. You know honestly it was a total mess, right?”

“Still, you barely managed to stitch together a few large blood vessels and reduced the bleeding. If you had just roughly pressed on the wound to stop the bleeding back then, I might have died.”

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ho-cheol shifted his gaze to look out the window.

Mid-summer, with lush greenery and the sun beating down fiercely.

A small electric fan alone couldn’t possibly cool this heat.

“…It’s hot.”

They say talking about heat makes it hotter, but he couldn’t possibly keep his mouth shut.

It was almost 40 degrees outside, apparently, and the office wasn’t much different.

Wouldn’t it be about 33 degrees in here?

Why must they maintain the air conditioner temperature at 28 degrees in all classrooms and offices, all because of that damn energy saving?

This is the worst heatwave ever!

Just as Ho-cheol was contemplating whether or not to throw the documents he was holding, a sharp shout came from beside him.

“Hey, stop playing around and get to work?”

Sweating profusely even more than Ho-cheol, Se-ah tossed a bundle of documents toward him.

“This one’s done, too.”

“Oh. Quick as always.”

Ho-cheol complimented and marveled simultaneously, but Se-ah was sullen.

“I came all the way here because you whined for help. Seriously, who makes the Dean work this much?”

“Me?”

“You really have the nerve.”

Se-ah grumbled and opened the next document.

Last year, she was finally promoted to Dean of Clington.

The former Dean kept talking about retirement, and finally, without accepting the fiercely refused reappointment, he left to find freedom.

The problem was that as soon as he left Clington, the Association side, as if they had been waiting, forcibly gave him a high-ranking title and took him away as an advisor to the Ministry of Education.

Sometimes, he sends texts begging to be rescued, and Ho-cheol finds reading those texts the highlight of his day.

I told him not to run away.

Anyway, Se-ah was the one who newly took the seat of Clington’s Dean, succeeding him.

Although the Dean’s position at Clington was traditionally passed down by S-rank Heroes, this time the nature was different.

How many S-rank Heroes were fired for supporting Byeong-hoo after the incident he caused?

It was a fatal loss for the hero side, which was already struggling with a lack of manpower.

Furthermore, transferring an S-rank Hero who could still be active, even if they were on the verge of retirement, was absolutely unacceptable.

The hero rank system was abolished, too.

Due to such external and political factors, Se-ah, who was not an S-rank Hero, was the first to take the Dean position.

Ho-cheol actually thought this was right.

No, after all, it was an educational institution; the person who had actually held a teaching position should take the role.

It was quite strange that merely having a high rank was all that mattered.

Ho-cheol, arms crossed, gazed intently at Se-ah.

He was simply grateful to see her helping him with the paperwork, despite constantly grumbling about the heat.

Feeling his gaze, she shot a glance sideways and asked.

“What are you looking at?”

The look clearly urged him to work, but Ho-cheol still didn’t pretend to work and just shrugged.

“Just thinking you’ve grown up a lot, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re Clington’s youngest Dean. That’s a name card that works anywhere.”

“Ah, you mean that.”

Ho-cheol smirked and added.

“You’ve grown in height too.”

“Hey! I told you not to talk about my height!”

Kyah-haaaak—!

Se-ah sprang from her seat, her hair standing up as if she was about to pounce on Ho-cheol.

With Ho-cheol’s help, she received the monster carcass, which allowed her to break the Gate’s curse that had bound her body.

The phenomenon that had completely stopped her physical growth disappeared.

Both Se-ah and everyone else had no doubt about her future growth.

And indeed, she grew quickly for the first year.

10 cm in one year.

It was a quite explosive growth rate.

However, her growth completely stopped the moment she grew exactly 10.3 cm more.

It wasn’t due to side effects or the effect of the medicine wearing off.

It was simply that.

149 cm.

Even if Se-ah hadn’t been caught in the Gate disaster, this was simply the height she was originally destined to be.

After that, she greedily tried everything—growth medicine, exercises, supplements, and workouts—but there was no change.

“Haa.”

Se-ah put down her pen and pushed her hair back.

She had always believed that once she recovered from her illness, she would grow into a minimum 170 cm model physique.

But what was this?

Reality was too harsh.

Ho-cheol shrugged again, as if comforting her.

“Well, 149 isn’t small.”

“It’s 150!”

Contrary to her insistence, Ho-cheol knew very well that her actual height was 149.7 cm.

Not the average, but the highest recorded value so far was that.

Even this much growth made a big difference, though.

In the past, if the old Se-ah claimed to be an adult, people would immediately call the police and send her to the missing children’s center, but now, she at least had curves and looked vaguely adult enough that people would check her ID and nod.

“What’s wrong with being short?”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Alright, alright.”

Teasing her for a bit relieved the heat.

Ho-cheol let out a hot sigh and started organizing the documents again.

How much longer did he organize?

The mountain of documents finally reached the bottom.

“I’m doneeeeee!”

Kkeu-eu-eu-eung—!

Se-ah stretched, raising both arms high.

At the same time, her belly button subtly peeked out to say hello and then swiftly disappeared again.

Ho-cheol stroked his chin at the sight.

“Hmm.”

He momentarily searched his memory and asked.

“Those clothes of yours. You’ve been wearing them for a long time, haven’t you.”

I think I saw her wearing them last year, and even the year before last.

At the question, Se-ah darted her eyes left and right and pulled the bottom of her shirt down.

“Oh? Uh. Probably?”

“Why don’t you buy new ones?”

“Well… I’ll buy them someday. Since I’m still growing, it’ll be a waste to buy them now!”

She hadn’t given up on her height complex yet.

What if she bought clothes now and grew 5 cm taller tomorrow?

She’d have to throw away all the clothes she just bought.

New clothes only after she’s finished growing!

She lived every day with that desperate resolve.

“Once I grow more, I’ll change everything!”

“I’m sorry, but honestly, this is your peak. Since you’re not getting any taller, let’s go buy new clothes.”

He couldn’t possibly call what she was wearing a short-sleeve shirt, as it revealed her shoulders and below her belly button whenever she moved even slightly.

“No.”

Se-ah frowned and waved her hand, rejecting Ho-cheol’s suggestion.

“If I go anywhere with you, those clingy girls will follow us, so how could I try on clothes properly? I’d rather go alone.”

Even excluding the two who were currently busy, the other two followed Ho-cheol tenaciously.

They only ran away today because they tried to come into the office with him and couldn’t bear the heat.

Ho-cheol, for his part, propped his chin languidly and answered.

“We’re not buying my clothes, so why would they follow?”

“Huh?”

Only then did Se-ah fail to understand his words, blinking her eyes.

“Just the two of us?”

Ho-cheol, in turn, asked back as if he couldn’t understand.

“Then just the two of us. How many people did you think would go?”

“Eh.”

An unexpected time alone, just the two of them.

Se-ah slightly lifted her head sideways and changed her mind.

“Then I’ll go…”

***

The two left Clington and headed to a nearby city.

“It must be hot. Everyone’s clothes are so small.”

Oh dear, how indecent—Se-ah said that, looking around.

In fact, what she was looking at wasn’t other people’s clothes, but their height.

“I wonder what kids these days eat to grow so tall so fast.”

Her gaze towards them held deep envy.

“Don’t envy them too much. You’re just a little on the shorter side; it’s not a serious problem like before.”

Despite Ho-cheol’s comfort, Se-ah just smacked her lips with regret.

“What would a lanky person like you know? How stuffy the air is at this low altitude!”

Even though she had only grown 10 cm, the air she breathed felt this much clearer.

How clean and refreshing must the air up there be?

“Honestly.”

Ho-cheol let out a dry laugh, suddenly lifted her, and gave her a piggyback ride on his neck.

“Hey! Are you crazy!”

A piggyback ride on his neck, which her father hadn’t given her since she was five years old, at this age!

“Here. Drink in the clear air, better than mine.”

Perched on Ho-cheol’s neck now, Se-ah was breathing the air from the highest point in the city.

Se-ah, who was initially shaking precariously, eventually regained her balance by holding his head with one hand and grasping Ho-cheol’s outstretched hand with the other.

Her earlobes flushed red, perhaps significantly embarrassed by everyone’s gazes.

Yet, she didn’t immediately ask to be put down, seemingly liking it inwardly.

How long did they walk?

“Put me down now.”

Ho-cheol immediately bent down and let her off.

However, even after coming down, she didn’t let go of the hand she was holding.

“Other people’s gazes mean nothing.”

“You really do talk a good game.”

Se-ah pouted her lips, but a faint smile was on her face.

As they entered the department store, cool air enveloped the two.

Se-ah looked around the stores, hesitant.

Flashy dresses, figure-hugging blouses, summer shorts.

She was drawn to all of them, but felt embarrassed when it came time to choose.

She had put it off by saying she would buy them when she grew taller, but for someone who had lived in a child’s form her whole life, these ‘adult’ clothes still felt a little overwhelming.

Instead of the hesitant Se-ah, Ho-cheol was the one who inspected the clothes more enthusiastically.

He found an item, picked it up, and placed it against Se-ah’s body.

“How about this? It goes well with your personal color, and it fits the summer trend.”

What Ho-cheol held out was a bright mint-colored dress.

Se-ah’s eyes widened.

“You… know things like that?”

“Of course I don’t.”

Ho-cheol smirked and tilted his head sideways.

The placard next to them had the exact term he had just mentioned written on it.

Se-ah also chuckled wryly.

“But I can at least tell what might look good on you.”

“Ugh.”

Se-ah took a step back, looking troubled.

Ho-cheol probably said it without any deep meaning, yet that single careless remark made her heart pound.

“This looks a bit big. If they have a smaller size, let’s try it on.”

Ho-cheol called an employee and pointed back and forth between Se-ah and the dress.

The employee went to the back and brought the smallest size of the dress.

“They happen to have your size. Here. Go try it on.”

Ho-cheol draped the dress over Se-ah’s shoulder and pushed her toward the fitting room.

She slightly pulled back the fitting room curtain and poked her head out.

“It’s, it’s awkward.”

“It’s supposed to be.”

She nervously stepped out and spun around.

“It suits you well.”

The leg area was a bit long, almost touching the ground, but he didn’t point that out.

It could be tailored.

Se-ah finally felt relieved by Ho-cheol’s positive reaction.

She thought it looked quite strange, but if Ho-cheol said it was okay!

After that, she changed clothes several more times, putting on a small fashion show.

And when she tried on a considerably revealing outfit, Ho-cheol’s expression hardened.

Se-ah smiled awkwardly at his reaction.

“This is too much, isn’t it?”

Seeing the photos that female Hunters she knew sometimes posted on their private social media, Se-ah had secretly nurtured a small dream.

These were the clothes they wore at the beach, but they definitely didn’t suit someone like her.

However, Ho-cheol wasn’t looking at her clothes.

The finger-sized scar above her navel caught Ho-cheol’s attention.

“That scar.”

“Oh.”

She smiled awkwardly.

She had completely forgotten about it.

The villain attack during the Membership Training; she almost died trying to protect the students.

It was a kind of… badge of honor she got then.

“Right. This dress does look bad because of the scar.”

Ho-cheol wordlessly stood in front of Se-ah.

He knelt on one knee and spoke with a complex expression.

“Why didn’t you erase it?”

“I was busy. I’d have to go to the hospital several times to get this scar removed, and I don’t have the time for that.”

He reached out his hand and placed it on Se-ah’s abdomen.

Specifically, he placed his palm over the scar.

“Ugh.”

“I…”

The scar reacted more sensitively than other skin.

Ho-cheol mumbled, his hand still placed on Se-ah’s abdomen.

“I remembered why I respected you.”

Saving others is a simple extension of goodwill.

But risking one’s life, and saving others even at the brink of death, is a type of action that cannot be accomplished with mere goodwill.

Extreme self-sacrifice.

The dedication and sacrifice Se-ah showed was what truly made Ho-cheol, who until then had only observed as half an ‘outsider,’ a proper professor at Clington.

Se-ah grabbed Ho-cheol’s wrist, looking bewildered.

“Hey. Are you going to keep touching this?”

It was just placing his hand there, but the sensation of his hand on her abdomen was deeply awkward and subtle.

“The scar. It would be better if it was gone, right?”

“Of course. I don’t have any classes to teach separately now, so I’ll just go to the hospital and get… Ugh. Wha—what?”

Se-ah frowned at the hot sensation coming from Ho-cheol’s palm.

When he removed his hand and she looked at her abdomen, she was stunned.

“…The scar? It’s gone?”

“I erased the time the scar was created.”

“…What?”

Ho-cheol hadn’t been playing around either.

Instead of taking a hiatus of over a year, he honed his Trait to the extreme.

And the result was successful.

He could briefly erase even a few years of time, provided he knew the exact pinpoint.

Ho-cheol stood up again and patted her shoulder with a smile.

“I’m glad you were the first professor I met. Thanks to you, I learned what a true professor is.”

“…I’ve felt this before, but you’re incredibly good at saying sweet things that stick to the ear. Even if you were a villain, you’d succeed as a con artist rather than a violent type. Do you practice normally?”

“I did practice. Practicing saying my true feelings. And I don’t say this in front of other people.”

Se-ah snorted at that.

“I bet four other people hear that, too.”

She didn’t need to think about who those four were.

However, Ho-cheol shook his head firmly.

“I told you, it’s only for you. They were… my students, my past, and my monitors. You were purely a friend.”

“Because I’m a friend, he says.”

Se-ah continuously repeated the word ‘friend’ with a serious expression.

On the way back after buying several outfits.

The atmosphere between the two was quite awkward.

No, to be precise, only Se-ah’s attitude toward Ho-cheol became awkward.

Ho-cheol hadn’t specifically broken the mood.

However, the few words he spoke kept shaking her heart.

Friend.

And respect.

Could those feelings be compatible with what she was feeling now?

If Ho-cheol’s true feeling was only to regard her as a friend, wasn’t she just trying to close the distance on her own accord?

She worried that revealing her true feelings might even destroy their current relationship.

That was her immediate concern.

She couldn’t be happy when Ho-cheol said he respected her, or when he said he treated her specially because she was a friend.

Only then did Se-ah realize.

Ah—I can no longer be satisfied with just being this guy’s friend.

The feeling had grown too large in her heart, and she could no longer ignore it or hide it.

She agonized over it for a long time.

Se-ah, who was walking ahead with her hands behind her back, slowed down and stood next to Ho-cheol again.

“…Do you remember? A while back.”

She asked in a subtle tone.

“You gave me that monster carcass and told me to buy you dinner if I was grateful.”

“Ah, right. I did.”

Ho-cheol thought for a moment and nodded.

He did say that when he handed over the monster carcass—to buy him a meal if she was truly grateful.

Of course, it took him time even to recall it since it was a common courtesy, but there was no reason to refuse a free meal.

Se-ah lowered her head deeply.

Her voice was faint.

She subtly raised her hand and hooked her finger on the end of his sleeve.

“So… today…”

Her face, as she tugged Ho-cheol’s sleeve, was flushed with embarrassment and a greater expectation.

“At my place… I’ll boil some ramen… so come eat…”