I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy - Chapter 43

“Professor.”

Hearing the voice behind him, Baek Woo-jin stopped walking and turned to face the speaker, who needed no introduction.

With a dry expression similar to Claire’s when she looked at students, Baek Hana stood at a slight distance and looked up at me.

“Are you busy?”

The formal speech and calm demeanor suited her appearance. I glanced at her briefly before turning away and resuming my walk, replying, “I have time for a few questions.”

“I see.”

Baek Hana nodded and quietly closed her mouth, matching her steps with mine. Unlike before, she kept up without falling behind, even though I didn’t adjust my stride to accommodate her.

I didn’t mind her following me, but I didn’t want to draw the attention of the students who had come out to stretch their legs during the break.

“What’s your business?”

“I have a question.”

“Ask it now if you have one.”

“I’m free until the afternoon.”

Without changing her expression or tone, Baek Hana revealed her true intention—she wanted to have lunch with me.

We walked in silence, and as we turned the corner of the hallway, I took her hand. Baek Hana, startled, widened her eyes and looked up at me.

“Baek Hana.”

“Y-Yes?”

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, and she shifted her gaze left and right, looking anxious.

“You can’t be seen, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Oh, right.”

A smile finally appeared on her face. She fixed her wandering gaze on me and quickly closed the distance between us.

“Hehe…”

She fidgeted with the hand I was holding and flashed her usual silly smile as she looked up at me.

“Can we have lunch together?”

“No.”

“But I want to eat with Woo—Ack!”

Baek Hana, who had been giggling, suddenly widened her eyes and tilted her head, looking confused. I continued, “I have places to go to prepare for the joint practical session on Thursday, so don’t misunderstand the situation.”

As I spoke, I lightly stroked her head with my free hand.

“I’m not avoiding you; I just have things to do.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Baek Hana, who had been about to sulk, moved her head in the opposite direction of my hand, enjoying the touch in her own way.

“And try to have lunch with your friends as much as possible.”

“But I’m sick of them…”

“Then I should be sick of you by now.”

After all, we had lived together for over eight years.

At my response, Baek Hana slightly raised the corners of her lips as she enjoyed my touch. Suddenly, she flinched, trembling, and quickly covered her mouth.

“No, I mean, that’s not what I meant, ouch!”

She rubbed her forehead and took a few steps back, overreacting to the light tap I had given her.

“Baek Hana.”

“Sigh… Why?”

She pouted at the light slap, and I lightly pressed her lips with my index finger.

“If I ever have to go somewhere far away, I’ll definitely let you know.”

“Take me with you…”

“If it’s a place I can take you.”

I extended my pinky finger, and Baek Hana hooked her pinky around mine.

“Until then, I’ll always be at home, so try to spend more time with your friends while you’re at the Academy.”

“You still treat me like a child.”

“Well, you act like one.”

“I don’t!”

At Baek Hana’s grumbling, I shrugged and she pouted again.

“Ugh…”

“If you let go, you’ll become visible again.”

Her blue eyes, carrying a hint of displeasure, glared at me for a moment before she quickly erased all emotion from her face and stopped pouting.

I released her lips from my index finger and said quietly, “Don’t forget to submit your assignment.”

“Huh?”

Leaving behind Baek Hana’s slightly comical reaction, I exited the annex building.

**

“Ahem, that concludes today’s lecture.”

Professor Yoon Do Sik, one of the professors in the Department of Alchemy, opened the classroom door, only to frown and step back.

Standing outside was a man of average height, wearing strange glasses, and his face reflected the ceiling lights brightly—it was Kim Sung-Won, the chief financial officer.

“What’s up?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s up’? I came here because I have business with you.”

Kim Sung-Won replied with a smug smile, causing Yoon Do Sik to furrow his brows.

“Then what’s the business?”

“It’s not something we can discuss standing here. Let’s go to your research room.”

“Tsk.”

Yoon Do Sik was annoyed by Kim Sung-Won’s sudden visit without an appointment, especially since he had a lot to prepare for the upcoming field training in two days. However, as the CFO, Kim Sung-Won was a fixture in the school, so Yoon Do Sik sighed and led the unexpected visitors to his research room.

Unlike the combat professors who used the research facilities in the main building, the non-combat professors had their own research rooms next to the lecture building.

For this reason, the trio soon arrived at Yoon Do Sik’s research room.

“Sit or don’t sit, but what’s the matter?”

“Wow, such an attitude, Professor?”

Yoon Do Sik blinked a few times, feeling as if he were seeing things, at the sight of Kim Sung-Won’s respectful behavior toward the man with an unapproachable aura.

Yoon Do Sik, who had been giving Kim Sung-Won a look that suggested he had eaten something wrong for lunch, turned his gaze to Baek Woo-jin, who now spoke up.

“I’d like to join the field training you’re conducting the day after tomorrow.”

“……?”

Yoon Do Sik’s gaze shifted from Kim Sung-Won to Baek Woo-jin, and his expression became less than pleasant.

While the Academy prioritized grades, students generally showed respect according to their ages, and with so many eyes on them and the connections they had, it was important to maintain a certain level of decorum.

Yoon Do Sik looked up at Baek Woo-jin’s face and then down at his left hand, specifically the black ring on his index finger.

“Black?”

Yoon Do Sik frowned even more, and Kim Sung-Won, standing behind Baek Woo-jin, quickly stepped forward and added, “Haha, it seems that since they use separate research facilities and are only interested in matters they initiate, they haven’t heard about you yet.”

Kim Sung-Won quickly approached Yoon Do Sik and whispered in his ear, and the creases on Yoon Do Sik’s forehead smoothed out.

“All right, get away from me. You’re creepy.”

“Who wants to stick around you anyway?”

Kim Sung-Won grumbled as he returned to his position behind Baek Woo-jin, and Yoon Do Sik cleared his throat and said, “So, what exactly do you want me to do?”

“I’d like to include the students from my lecture in your field training. In return, we’ll take care of the gate investigation for you tomorrow.”

“Hmm…”

Yoon Do Sik stroked his chin, considering the offer.

According to Kim Sung-Won, the young professor standing before him was the second most powerful and influential person in the Academy, next to the chairman.

This meant that if he wanted, he could easily procure new gates.

Yet, here he was, proposing a joint field training session. Was there perhaps some hidden artifact in the gate they would visit the day after tomorrow?

After some deliberation, Yoon Do Sik nodded and said, “There’s no reason to refuse a helpful offer. However, you must guarantee the safety of the students on the day. If you agree to that, I’ll accept.”

“Our students are quite capable, so there’s no need to worry about them getting hurt.”

“Even if it’s a lower-tier gate, gates are gates. You never know what variables might come into play, so promise to bring two more people.”

“Alright.”

Yoon Do Sik and Baek Woo-jin nodded at each other.

“Then, I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

“Don’t forget about the pre-investigation tomorrow. If the information I receive is different from what I see, it could be troublesome.”

“Sure.”

Baek Woo-jin gave a brief reply and turned to leave.

“Go back alone.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Kim Sung-Won straightened his back, which he had been hunching, only after Baek Woo-jin had completely left the research room.

Yoon Do Sik, who had been watching, clicked his tongue.

“Money and power may be nice, but why are you so obsequious to that young punk? The Kim Sung-Won I know must have died somewhere.”

“What are you mumbling about, old man?”

“The kid has no manners.”

“There’s only a four-year age difference, so stop acting superior because of your age. It’s not like being old is anything special. Sheesh.”

“Tsk tsk, birds of a feather flock together. Mannerless people stick together.”

Kim Sung-Won scratched his ear and rummaged through the research room, looking for something to eat.

“And you’re mistaken about something. The young man you’re referring to was here even before the Academy was established.”

“……What?”

Yoon Do Sik’s eyes widened in surprise, and Kim Sung-Won took out a tonic from the drawer and continued, “So, at the very least, he’s in his forties. That’s the minimum, mind you.”

“……The world is so unfair. To have that face at forty.”

“That’s the minimum age, assuming he’s at least forty. He could be older.”

Kim Sung-Won quietly approached the research room door.

“Ahem, I have work to do, so I’ll take my leave.”

And with that, he quickly opened the door and left the research room, clutching the tonic as if afraid it would be taken away.

Left alone, Yoon Do Sik closed the half-open research room door and clicked his tongue.

“If you just asked, I would’ve given it to you. Why do you have to be so annoying every time you visit?”

Yoon Do Sik approached the drawer that Kim Sung-Won had been rummaging through.

“Hmm?”

He spotted a name tag that had fallen on the floor and looked into the drawer.

[Health Tonic]

“It didn’t even last a week. I’ll have to replace it with a different product.”

Yoon Do Sik muttered to himself as he picked up the name tag and stuck it back in its place.

[Laxative]

[Health Tonic]

Yoon Do Sik glanced at the two drawers for a moment before opening the upper drawer and checking its contents.

“I should probably visit home soon.”

Yoon Do Sik closed the drawer, changed his clothes, and turned off the lights in the research room before leaving.

On his way back, he quietly turned off his smartphone.

 P.S. Hello everyone! I’m VarieTL! I created a new patreon Here were you can read all chapters ad-free and read ahead or you can go to my Ko-Fi! If you like this work visit my other Novel: I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game  Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy and I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy