Chapter 19: The Devil Professor Is a Kind Professor
Hearing Joon-ho say his mother died, she felt apologetic for asking and said in a low voice,
"Sorry for asking, I didn't know that your mother had passed away."
Hearing Soo-jin's apologetic tone, Joon-ho smiled and said,
"Oh no, it's fine. It's been a long time, and I haven't even seen my mother. But still, I am grateful to her nonetheless for giving birth to me."
After he said that, he thought in his head, not daring to speak out loud,
"I am grateful to my mother for giving birth to me because I was able to meet you."
Smiling, he looked at Soo-jin.
Soo-jin, seeing that Joon-ho was fine and talking normally, began to recover from her earlier anxious and worried state.
As she noticed Joon-ho looking at her, she blushed hard, recalling how she had hugged him earlier and cried so embarrassingly. She wanted to hide in a hole and never come out.
As Joon-ho snapped out of his daze, seeing Soo-jin blush, he wanted to shout out loud,
"Cute, cute!" but held back, remembering he hadn't told Professor Park about his absence, so he asked for help.
"Um, Soo-jin, can you please help me inform Professor Park about my injuries and why I was absent, so I can get sick leave from the university?"
When she heard him, she too snapped out of her embarrassment and replied,
"No need to mention it. Friends do not ask for help."
When Joon-ho heard Soo-jin call him a friend, he was overjoyed because, until now, he never had friends. Now, hearing Soo-jin call him a friend, an indescribable warmth filled his heart.
He replied, "Thank you."
And like that, as they talked, time passed quickly. While they were engrossed, Joon-ho glanced outside, noticing it was getting dark. He saw the clock on the wall and said,
"I think you should go now; it's getting late."
Soo-jin, after hearing Joon-ho, looked out the window. It was really getting dark. Seeing that, she looked at her mobile phone to check the time, then picked up her bag and said,
"Yeah, I should get going. It's getting late. Let's talk tomorrow."
Hearing her say "tomorrow," Joon-ho's heart fluttered. Smiling big, he said happily,
"Yes, let's talk tomorrow. Go home safely."
"Okay, you too, take care. Bye."
Waving at each other, Soo-jin left. Having seen Joon-ho and completed her objective, she was happy. Arriving home and preparing dinner for the family, she slept soundly that night.
As for Joon-ho, he too slept soundly that night while dreaming of marrying Soo-jin.
The next morning, as Soo-jin arrived at the university earlier than usual, she was heading towards the staff room, not towards her class. Arriving at the staff room, she saw Professor Lee and Professor Park.
While Professor Lee was sitting at his desk, Professor Park was preparing to leave the staff room. Seeing Soo-jin at the door, Professor Park said to her,
"Oh, hi, Kim Soo-jin. Seeing a lovely lady in the morning just made my day."
Hearing Professor Park, Soo-jin thought,
What a nice and friendly person. He doesn't treat us as students but as friends. How lucky Joon-ho is to get a professor like this.
Thinking like that, she said,
"Yes, hello, Professor. Good morning."
"So, Kim Soo-jin, did you meet Kim Joon-ho yesterday?"
As Professor Park asked this question, he walked inside near Professor Lee, and Soo-jin followed him. While walking, Soo-jin said,
"Yes, Professor Park, I was able to meet Joon-ho."
As Professor Park and Soo-jin arrived near Professor Lee, hearing Joon-ho's name from Soo-jin, Professor Lee looked at both of them walking near him.
He stood up and spoke in an anxious manner,
"So what did Kim Joon-ho say? Is he going to leave the club?"
Hearing Professor Lee's anxious voice, Professor Park consoled him,
"Don't worry, Professor. I think Kim Joon-ho will not leave your club, so just relax, and let's hear what Kim Soo-jin has to say."
As Professor Lee calmed down, Soo-jin started to speak,
"Joon-ho is injured and is in the hospital. That's why he was not able to come to the university."
Looking at Professor Park, she spoke once again,
"Joon-ho asked me to help him tell you that and to help him get sick leave."
When Professor Lee heard that Kim Joon-ho was in the hospital, he worriedly spoke before Professor Park had any chance to reply,
"How is Kim Joon-ho? Is he alright? Was he badly injured?"
Hearing Professor Lee's concerned voice, Soo-jin thought,
In class, he becomes the devil professor, strict in every way. For his club, he becomes the professor who can do anything. And now, seeing him worry about his students, he is really a kind and loving person.
Soo-jin, thinking like that, answered with a smile,
"Yes, Professor Lee, Joon-ho is alright. He just needs some rest for a few days to recover."
As Soo-jin said Joon-ho was alright, Professor Lee and Professor Park sighed in relief, and Professor Park guided Soo-jin towards his desk, saying,
"Let's complete the sick leave process."
"Yes."
While Soo-jin completed the paperwork and procedure for sick leave, she left the staff room. The rest of the classes were uneventful, regular as usual.
After classes ended, as she saw Kim Tae-hyun leaving, she stopped him and wanted to thank him for the other day. She said,
"Thank you, Kim Tae-hyun, for taking me to the hospital."
After Kim Tae-hyun heard her, he got even angrier. He was already angry at himself from last night for sending Soo-jin to Joon-ho's side. He got even angrier after hearing Soo-jin thanking him for what he thought was a mistake and felt regretful.
As Soo-jin was thanking him, she saw Kim Tae-hyun was expressionless, not a word spoken, showing no ounce of politeness from the other day. His face was as stiff as a rock as he walked past her without even listening.
After Kim Tae-hyun walked past her without saying a word, Soo-jin thought,
His mood doesn't look good. Did something happen to him?
While Soo-jin was thinking like that, Kim Tae-hyun's friend, Seo Jin-woo, seeing his boss ignoring her, thought,
He will definitely regret this, and walked near Soo-jin to save his boss's image. Arriving, he spoke,
"Sorry about that, Miss Kim Soo-jin. He had a bad day yesterday, so please don't mind him."
After saying that, Seo Jin-woo chased after Kim Tae-hyun.