I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

Early Saturday morning. A delightful weekend to wrap up a busy week.

“Hmm-hmm~”

Baek Hana emerged from the bathroom, humming a little tune as she dried her wet hair with a towel. She sat on the chair next to the bed and quietly continued her morning routine, looking into the mirror.

“Ugh…”

A deep voice came from the bed across the room. Baek Hana looked at her roommate, Lee Nayoung, who was lying in the other bed, through the mirror.

“Sorry, was I too loud?”
“Ugh, no, it’s fine…”

Lee Nayoung poked her head out from under the covers. She already had a frail appearance, and her dark circles seemed to have deepened severalfold over the past week. Nayoung asked a question without even opening her eyes properly.

“So, you’ll be back before curfew tomorrow…?”
“Yes. I might come back a little earlier, but I’ll still have dinner before returning.”
“I see…”

Baek Hana finished drying her hair and turned around to face Nayoung. The light coming through the window seemed to bother Nayoung, as she furrowed her brows.

“Are you really okay?”
“Yeah, I’m, I’m fine…”
“No, you’re not. You’ve been saying you’re fine all week, but your condition seems to be worsening.”
“Is, is it?”
“Yes, it is. Don’t try to deny it.”

Baek Hana quickly typed an email on her smart watch while changing her clothes.

“I’ve told Maria to make sure you eat lunch and dinner, at least?”
“Umm…”
“And.”

After changing into fresh clothes, Baek Hana approached Nayoung’s bed and opened her bag, which was placed next to it. A sweet fragrance wafted out.

“That’s a scent I haven’t smelled before.”
“It’s a root called ‘dalppuri’ that we’ll be using in the next practical session. It enhances the flavor of potions…”
“I see.”

Baek Hana pushed aside a pouch that smelled sweet and picked up a glass bottle that Nayoung often opened. She counted the number of round pills inside.

“There are 13. If there’s even one missing when I come back tomorrow, I’ll confiscate this.”
“Ah, but I need it…”

Nayoung, who had been squinting, forced her eyes open and reached out her arms towards Baek Hana. Baek Hana didn’t dodge and instead patted Nayoung’s head as she hugged her.

“No. Every time you take one of these, you stay up all night instead of sleeping. And you’ve been doing that all week.”
“I have a lot to do… I’m, I’m sorry, I’ll try to be quieter from now on―”

Thwack.

“Kyaaak!!”

Nayoung covered her head with her hands as she felt a slight sting on her head. Baek Hana, now free from Nayoung’s embrace, pinched her cheek and said,

“It’s okay if you shout. What I’m concerned about is not the noise, but your health. I’m not joking when I say you look like you’re about to collapse any moment. So, please, just rest a little this weekend, okay?”
“Don’t say that…”
“I know how desperate you are, Nayoung, but if you collapse, all your efforts will be for nothing.”
“Ugh……”
“Answer me.”
“……I will.”
“Do you promise?”
“……Yes.”

Only then did Baek Hana release Nayoung’s cheek, which she had been pinching. Nayoung rubbed her cheek, now marked with a red imprint, and Baek Hana returned the bottle to its original place.

“Then, I’ll trust you?”
“Baek, Hana…”
“Yes?”

Baek Hana turned around again as she was about to pick up her luggage. Nayoung glanced at Baek Hana’s face and shyly asked,

“Before you go, can you hug me one more time?”
“Of course.”

What was so difficult about a hug? Baek Hana smiled softly and opened her arms, approaching Nayoung. Nayoung sat up and buried her face in Baek Hana’s chest, which felt much fuller than her own.

“You’re the best…”
“Me?”
“……Yes.”

Nayoung’s face looked much more relaxed than before as she pulled away from Baek Hana. She lay back down on the bed and said,

“Be careful…”
“Make sure you eat when the others arrive.”
“Umm… yes…”
“See you tomorrow, then.”

Baek Hana left the room, leaving Nayoung to melt back into her bed. She picked up the luggage she had packed the day before and left the dormitory, heading towards the mansion.

The streets were unusually quiet. It was early, but everyone was also enjoying the weekend’s leisure.

As she approached the maze, Baek Hana moved to a corner and didn’t forget to cover her head with the cloth Baek Woo-jin had given her. Only after completing the final step to enter the house did Baek Hana lightly walk through the maze and open the front door of the mansion.

“I’m back…”

Baek Hana’s excited announcement slowly died down as she entered. Next to Baek Woo-jin’s shoes, there was a pair of women’s shoes. Baek Hana took off her shoes and looked at the coat rack. As expected, a white coat hung next to the black one.

The corners of Baek Hana’s mouth, which had been lifted high, slowly dropped until they were perfectly level. The owners of the coats and shoes. She didn’t dislike her. In fact, she admired and liked her. How could she dislike someone who had taken care of her along with Woo-jin?

However, separate from that, every time she found traces of the person she admired in their shared home when she was away, a corner of her heart ached. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was gradually losing her place in their hearts, a feeling she had had since long ago.

Baek Hana soothed her sinking emotions and quietly walked down the dark hallway. A savory yet not overly stimulating aroma wafted from the direction of the kitchen.

-When tasting, lower the heat and stir the inside before checking.
-Oh, I see.

As she neared the kitchen, she could hear the voices of a well-matched couple.

“Hua.”

Baek Hana paused and relaxed the muscles around her mouth, which had stiffened. She then used her fingertips to gently lift the corners of her mouth. Only then did her stiff expression soften. Finally, she checked her expression on the small screen of her smart watch and quietly turned the corner into the kitchen.

“I’m back…”

Once again, Baek Hana closed her mouth, but this time for a different reason.

Crunch, crunch.

Crunch, crunch.

Ruffle, crunch.

On the table.

-Ppyang.

There sat an adorable creature.

**

After breakfast. I cleaned up the dishes using magic and turned to look at something else.

“There’s chocolate here, too?”

-……

The little troublemaker, hiding behind Claire’s blond hair and standing on her shoulder, quietly glared at the bigger troublemaker who was tempting her with food.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw a fairy sitting on the table and shouted, which startled the little creature.

“Sorry for shouting earlier. Hmm? So, can’t you come to me too…?”

-……

Baek Hana approached Claire, who was sitting on the chair, with a wistful look on her face that tickled the onlooker’s heart. Claire, caught between the two mischievous creatures, kept sending me pleading looks, unsure of what to do.

To be honest, I wanted them to stay like that for a while. Aside from when they were sleeping or eating, they were constantly chirping and squeaking, which was annoying. However, for the sake of my mental peace, I couldn’t let the relationship between the big and small troublemakers sour.

“Baek Hana.”
“Wait a moment…”

What did she think would be accomplished by sneaking up on her while she was staring at her? I addressed Baek Hana, who was about to engage in a ridiculous act.

“Don’t come any closer.”
“……”

My words seemed to shock Baek Hana, as she turned her big, round eyes towards me. I continued, gazing into the fairy’s shimmering blue eyes.

“Fairies are a race that gets further away the closer you get. So, you have to make it come to you. If you try to close the distance, you’ll only earn its hatred.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes. So, sit down on the chair.”
“Ugh.”

Did she really want to touch the fairy that badly? Baek Hana returned to her original seat with a disappointed expression.

“Show your ears and tail.”
“Huh?”
“It will come to you on its own then.”
“Ah!!”

As if realizing something, fluffy ears popped up from Baek Hana’s head, covered in soft fur.

-Pii?

The little creature, who had been gripping Claire’s hair and warily eyeing Baek Hana, finally opened its closed mouth. Baek Hana turned her head slightly and revealed her tail, which was several times fluffier than her ears, and began to sway it gently.

-Pii, pii?

The fairy’s tiny head kept turning left and right, following Baek Hana’s tail.

-Piiang.

After admiring Baek Hana’s tail for a while, the fairy tugged on Claire’s hair and reached out its tiny hand towards the tail. It was asking to be taken there together.

“Professor…”

Claire sent me another pleading look. I simply nodded in response.

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor signaled Claire getting up and approaching Baek Hana. She then slightly bent down, and the small creature on her shoulder cautiously reached out and grabbed Baek Hana’s tail.

-Piiang?

Puck, puck.

It patted, pulled, and fiddled with Baek Hana’s tail with its tiny hands.

-Piiiiaa!!

After much contemplation, the fairy seemed to have taken a liking to the fluffy tail, as it widened its eyes and quickly moved from Claire’s shoulder to Baek Hana’s tail.

-Pii! Piiang~!!

“Um, is it okay to touch it…?”

Baek Hana asked me this as she watched the fairy rubbing its face all over her tail.

“Spread your hand and move your tail onto it.”
“So, spread my hand…”

The fairy spread its palm wide and carefully moved the tail that it was hanging onto.

-Pii?

Suddenly, when its feet touched the ground, the fairy blinked and seemed to come to its senses. And when it saw Baek Hana’s face right in front of it,

-Pii, pii.

It hid itself behind the white tail.

“…Cute.”
“Ahem.”

Claire, who had been watching from the side, quietly took out her smartphone and began recording the scene. This time, she seemed to have set it up properly, as no sound came from the device.

-Pii……

The fairy, who had been sitting on Baek Hana’s palm for a while, slowly emerged from its hiding spot when it realized that Baek Hana wasn’t doing anything but staring at it.

It didn’t take more than ten minutes from that point for the little troublemaker to climb onto the big troublemaker’s head.

-Piiya! Piiya!

“It tickles.”

Baek Hana couldn’t stop giggling as the fairy pulled on her ears, and Claire quietly recorded this scene as well.

‘It seems there won’t be any major problems.’

Although the fairy still seemed to instinctively feel repelled by the power of the divine ability that Baek Hana possessed, from the looks of it, it would form a bond with Baek Hana by tonight at the latest.

I watched them enjoying their time together for a bit before reaching for Baek Hana’s bag, which was placed next to the kitchen threshold. The bag silently opened, and the assignment I had given them floated out and landed on my palm.

The cover was pristine, without a trace of fingerprints. When I flipped it open, I saw that it was still in the raw state I had given it to them.

-Piiang!!

“Ouch, that’s a sensitive spot…”

I watched Baek Hana, who was distracted by playing with the fairy, for a moment before putting the assignment back into her bag.

‘There are consequences to your choices.’

Leaving the noisy trio behind, I quietly headed towards the study.