Chapter 11- Academic Advisory Assignment (3)
Surprised by the unexpected situation, Yu Hee-won rubbed her spark-struck hand while wearing an awkward smile.
“Student Yu Hee-won. Surely you weren’t trying to use physical force against a professor?”
“How could that be? My hand moved first out of frustration, but I didn’t intend to–”
“When Auras collide, sparks fly.”
I cut off Yu Hee-won’s words.
“A hand wrapped in Aura can produce unimaginable grip strength. If I hadn’t formed a defensive barrier, quite an interesting situation would have unfolded.”
“What do you mean by an interesting situation?”
“You can experience that directly when you try a similar behavior again.”
Yu Hee-won’s mouth corners twitched slightly.
“But Professor Gyo. Because you kept avoiding me without reason…”
“I clearly explained. I said, how about tomorrow or the day after since I don’t have time today.”
Having no particular room for rebuttal, Yu Hee-won just stared at me without saying anything.
However, she showed no intention of moving away from the laboratory door.
I considered forcibly pushing her aside but decided against it as it would look quite ridiculous.
After all, I am an academy professor.
After a slight sigh, I opened my mouth. “Alright, Student Yu Hee-won. Let’s have a meeting. Since it’s come to this.”
I pulled two cups of coffee from the coffee machine and sat facing Yu Hee-won.
“So, Student Yu Hee-won. What would you like to discuss with me? If it’s related to defense studies, you’re always welcome.”
“Do you remember our conversation at the entrance ceremony?”
I remember. It was a subtle persuasion to choose her as my advisory student.
“Have you thought about it?”
“Is that why you wanted to have this meeting? To hear that answer?”
“Well. What would you do if I said it was to create the answer I want?”
“I know the answer Student Yu Hee-won wants. But you won’t be able to hear that answer right away. Because it’s not yet the advisory professor assignment period.”
“I know that. But it’s coming soon. So I don’t think it’s bad to hear the result in advance.”
“I can’t speak carelessly when it’s not even the selection period yet, Student Yu Hee-won. So go back and wait. After all, an advisory professor isn’t decided arbitrarily by the professor, but through a process of mutual coordination.”
“Then do you perhaps have someone in mind?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Then could I perhaps help a little with that judgment?”
“No. It’s not necessary. I already know everything about Student Yu Hee-won.”
I don’t plan to take Yu Hee-won as an advisory student.
That’s all because of Han Min-ha.
After understanding Han Min-ha’s personality, I felt they absolutely wouldn’t mix with Yu Hee-won.
Han Min-ha wouldn’t be able to handle Yu Hee-won, and Yu Hee-won wouldn’t be able to stand the sight of Han Min-ha.
However, I must make Han Min-ha an S-class, and ultimately if I have to choose one of the two, I must choose Han Min-ha.
And when I choose Han Min-ha, Yu Hee-won must not become my advisory student.
This is the reason.
After consecutive rejections, the smile disappeared from Yu Hee-won’s face.
Yu Hee-won’s serious expression was chilling, giving off the impression of an emotionless viper.
A smile tinged with killing intent appeared on her lips as she silently stared at me.
“Thank you for meeting with me today, Professor Gyo.”
Without taking even a sip of coffee, Yu Hee-won stood up from her seat.
“I’ll visit again if I get the chance.”
“Do that. If you get the chance.”
“Surely, the chance will come.”
Yu Hee-won’s gaze looking down at me felt momentarily warm.
Of course, that was an illusion.
After Yu Hee-won left the laboratory, I remained alone and finished the coffee.
* * * * *
Finally, the period for selecting Advisory Student students has arrived.
Although it hadn’t even been a month since the entrance ceremony, for some reason it felt like several months had passed.
The head of the faculty gathered all the professors in the department and gave a speech.
About how the professor Advisory system boasts such a long history and tradition, and how under a professor’s guidance, an F-rank could miraculously become an S-rank, so they must deeply understand the weight of this responsibility, and so on.
The professors listened halfheartedly to the department head’s words while their eyes scanned the new student list in front of them.
Naturally, everyone’s interest was in Yu Hee-won.
Everyone in the faculty hoped to become Yu Hee-won’s Advisor professor.
However, becoming an Advisor professor isn’t something that can be decided just by the professor’s choice.
Students can also choose their Advisor professors, and the final Advisor professor assignment is made through considerable coordination.
Currently, Professor Yu Hyun-ju of Comprehensive Attack has the highest probability of becoming Yu Hee-won’s Advisor professor.
Comprehensive Attack is a fundamental core subject, so it’s extremely popular.
Professor Yu Hyun-ju, who teaches this subject, is not a former but a current A-rank hero.
However, some professors had different opinions.
The fact that Yu Hee-won spoke to me first at the entrance ceremony had already spread throughout the school as a rumor.
So they think Yu Hee-won might break everyone’s expectations and choose me, a professor of an unpopular subject.
“Anyway, please keep all these things in mind and submit your choices carefully. That’s all. Prepare for the cheer!”
After shouting the ‘Puff-Puff-Puff’ cheer and leaving the staff room, Professor Jin Se-young approached me.
“Professor Gyo, are you planning to take on an Advisory Student this year?”
“Well, I’m not sure yet.”
“Think about it carefully. Having an Advisory Student isn’t bad at all. It doesn’t have to be one-on-one, and if you feel burdened, picking several students with poor grades and helping them improve can be quite worthwhile…”
Suddenly, Professor Jin Se-young closed her mouth and stopped walking.
Wondering why, I noticed the Dean walking towards us with several department heads.
“Good morning, Dean.”
As I greeted and stepped aside, the Dean also stopped in front of me.
“Professor Gyo Su-hyeon. Come see me for a moment.”
“Are you referring to me?”
“Is there another professor with the surname Gyo here besides you?”
The Dean looked around with a warm smile.
The department heads standing behind him laughed softly to humor him.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly wrong recently.”
The Dean laughed heartily at my words.
“HAHAHA”
I played along since the Dean likes this kind of humor.
“Someone might think I’m always calling professors to scold them.”
“Oh my, Dean!”
Just then, the department head rushed out of the staff room like a dog with its tail on fire.
“Dean! What brings you here! Please come inside. Some warm coffee…”
“No, no. I came to see Professor Gyo.”
“Professor Gyo…?”
The department head turned to look at me in confusion.
Seeing his expression that seemed to ask ‘What strange thing have you done now?’, I shook my head slightly.
“Dean, what business do you have with Professor Gyo…”
“Do I need to report every professor meeting to you?”
Though the Dean said this with a smile, the department head jumped up and waved both his head and hands.
“No! No! Not at all! Professor Gyo! What are you doing! Quickly escort the Dean!”
“No need for that. Just be at my office beforehand. I’ll stop by somewhere else first.”
With those words, the dean said, See you later, and disappeared down the hallway with the associate professors in tow.
The department head, who had been bowing at 90 degrees until the Dean was out of sight, rushed to me.
“Professor Gyo…! What’s this about? Why does the Dean want a private meeting with you?”
“Well, I’m not sure. Could you let go of my shoulders? It hurts.”
The department head, who had been frantically shaking my shoulders, let go and stepped back.
“I don’t know what this is about but… don’t make any mistakes. And after the meeting…”
“I’ll report the results. And if you have any suggestions for the Dean, please let me know. I’ll include them in the meeting.”
“You, you’ll do that…?”
The department head’s face brightened as he told me various things.
“I’ll remember. I’ll mention them appropriately.”
“Thank you, Professor Gyo. You’re really the only one I can count on!”
When the department head patted my shoulder and went in, Professor Jin Se-young grumbled something.
“What a pathetic person… By the way, Professor Gyo.”
“Yes.”
“Why do you think the dean really wants to see Professor Gyo?”
“That’s what I’m saying. I’m curious too.”
Although I said that, it wasn’t difficult to guess what kind of conversation would come up.
The dean had met with the chairman of the advisory committee of the Management Bureau during the entrance ceremony.
The advisory committee chairman is Yu Hee-won’s father.
‘Why don’t you become Yu Hee-won’s academic advisor.’
This will probably be the main focus of today’s meeting.
After waiting for a while in front of the dean’s office, the dean’s figure soon appeared from the other side.
“I’m sorry about this. Did you wait long?”
“I just got here.”
“Come in. Come in. Bring some tea here!”
The dean shouted to the assistant’s office and wrapped his arm around my shoulder as he opened the door to the dean’s office.
“Sit down, sit down.”
The dean sat down on the sofa first with a friendly smile.
“How’s your health these days?”
“I’m fine. My cough has subsided somewhat recently.”
“That’s good news to hear. I was always sorry to see an excellent person like Professor Gyo suffering from tuberculosis.”
“Thank you.”
The dean smiled and slapped his knee. “So, how are the new students?”
“It hasn’t been a month yet so I haven’t been able to assess them all, but as always, it seems we’ve gotten excellent talents.”
“Of course. Our Graford isn’t a place that just accepts anyone carelessly.” The dean slapped his knee again with a loud sound and asked. “Are the children doing well with their barrier?”
“The upper classes have already started freely operating basic physical barriers, and the lower classes are starting today.”
“Hmm. I see. The gap seems quite large, but that’s always been the case so it can’t be helped. Well.”
Soon tea came out, and the dean took a sip first and urged me to drink. “Drink, drink. It’s bellflower root tea. It’s good for the lungs.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
I took a very small sip of tea and put the cup back down.
Then I said nothing and waited for the dean to speak first.
Until the tea came out it was just small talk, and now it was time for the main point to come up.
Sure enough, after taking a few sips of tea, the dean smacked his lips and said. “You know that the advisory committee chairman from the Management Bureau came during the entrance ceremony?”
“I know. I saw his face at the main gate.”
“Yes, yes. That person suddenly came saying he wanted to have a meeting with me, you know?”
“Is that so?”
“He said it was because of Yu Hee-won. You know what I mean?”
“Yu Hee-won is the advisory chairman’s only daughter.”
“Right. It would be strange not to know. She even ranked first in the basic evaluation.”
“Yes.”
“What else could it have been? While pretending it was official business, in the end it was just asking to take good care of his daughter.”
“I suppose so.”
The dean slapped his knee and stroked it while saying. “How is Yu Hee-won?”
“Even if she became a hero right now, she could receive at least a C-rank.”
“Oh, really? That’s good?”
“Yes. I’m not sure about other subjects, but in my subject, she was able to form the basic shape of a barrier from day one.”
“Ho ho. That’s impressive. Must be quite tempting.”
Finally getting to the main point.
“About Yu Hee-won. Wouldn’t it be quite enjoyable to guide such a student?”
“That would be true, but all other professors would think the same.”
“It’s about time to select advisory students soon, so everyone must be sensitive about it.”
I just smiled.
“Since professor evaluations are also done based on the rank students receive upon graduation, everyone will try to get good students.”
“That’s right. But it’s not really relevant to me…”
“Why not? You’re also a professor in the faculty, so it naturally applies to you.”
“As you know, defense studies is an unpopular subject. Who would choose me to learn about barriers that at best just block bullets? Besides, I’m not the type to exclusively advise and guide someone.”
The dean rubbed his knee with a meaningful expression.
“Is that so? That could be true. What do you call it? When you handle defense techniques at a high level… that…”
“Mental barrier.”
“Yes, yes. If what you get after investing a long time is just holding onto mentals, that could be the case.”
“Yes.”
“But this year might be different, right? Students like Yu Hee-won are rare.”
“It’s not that I want to do it, and students have the right to choose too, so how could that be easy?”
A certain light flashed in Dean’s eyes.
After waiting a moment, the Dean silently rubbed his knee and then slapped it.
“I got a call from the Advisory Committee Chairman yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“It was about Yu Hee-won… something about an academic advisor. Parents are all the same anyway.”
Though he speaks like that, the Dean must be afraid of the Advisory Committee Chairman.
Their positions themselves require them to act that way even if they don’t want to.
The Advisory Committee Chairman’s influence within the Management Bureau is enormous, and as an Academy that does ‘business’ with the Management Bureau, they have to bow down to such an Advisory Committee Chairman.
“He asked to assign you as Yu Hee-won’s academic advisor.”
Right. Just as I expected.
No, there’s nothing to be proud of.
Anyone who isn’t a fool could have easily guessed the conversation would go this way.
“Is that so?”
“Would you be willing to take on Yu Hee-won?”
“I’ll need to think about that. Both professor and student need to reach an agreement.”
“Good. Think about it.”
After that, the Dean made some trivial small talk, and I smiled and played along appropriately.
Shortly after, the meeting with the Dean ended.
As I closed the Dean’s office door and left, I decided to cleanly forget the contents of the meeting.
I wasn’t confident I could embrace both Han Min-ha and Yu Hee-won, who were polar opposites.
