A warm spring breeze filled the May afternoon.
In the university cafeteria, the female students’ chatter never ceased.
“So, so? You’re going to the movies with that oppa? When?”
“This Saturday. He said let’s watch Jutopian 2.”
“What, what? You two are a thing~? Since when~?”
“A guy and a girl going to watch Jutopian 2? Isn’t that basically a marriage proposal?”
The atmosphere ripened with ticklish dating talk.
Then one of the girls brought up a new topic.
“Guys, honestly, since it’s just us—pure facts only, no personal bias—who’s the hottest guy in our department?”
The girls giggled and started chattering.
“Pure facts? Then Cha Hasang sunbae! He’s gentle, studies well, total handsome vibe!”
“One vote for Hasang sunbae from me too! I like guys who take good care of themselves.”
“Agreed! Lately his body has gotten insanely good, and his skin is literally baby skin.”
“Hey, hey! I ran into Hasang sunbae in front of the department office the day before yesterday? First time in my life I’ve ever stared blankly at someone’s face.”
Cha Hasang’s name kept coming up.
Kim Yerim just listened silently.
Hasang sunbae? Well, he’s decently good-looking, but… not that much, right?
She hadn’t seen Cha Hasang since the semester kickoff party.
Because of overlapping magazine modeling jobs, she hadn’t been to campus for days.
So the complete 180 in his reputation was just puzzling.
At that moment, one girl pointed somewhere.
“Huh? There’s Hasang sunbae!”
At those words, the girls stood up one by one.
Kim Yerim also glanced over.
Baseball jacket and jeans.
Cap pulled low.
Cha Hasang was dressed plainly as usual.
But the cap was pulled so low that his face was completely hidden.
Kim Yerim tilted her head and watched him.
Doesn’t look like anything changed…!
At that instant, Cha Hasang slightly lifted his head.
The face hidden under the cap was fully revealed.
Sharp eyes, high nose bridge. Defined jawline and flawless skin without a single blemish.
“……!”
Kim Yerim unconsciously swallowed her breath.
The man standing there was almost exactly her ideal type.
The stares are stinging.
Even in plain clothes and a cap, eyes followed me everywhere.
I pulled the cap even lower.
Too much of anything is bad, they say.
The reason for the changed reactions was simple.
I had used a few artifacts I recently found in the warehouse.
A watering can that makes you taller when sprinkled on the head, a plaster mask that sharpens facial features, acupuncture needles that make hair grow thick when inserted into pressure points, etc.
As a result, my appearance had become unrecognizably polished overall.
Soon, I whispered to my shoulder.
“Have I changed that much?”
A tiny whining voice came from my shoulder.
“Master has always been handsome.”
“?”
The voice was so small I could barely hear it.
Then a clearer voice rang directly in my ear.
“Master has always been handsome.”
Jeanne was currently miniaturized and sitting on my shoulder.
At that moment, my phone vibrated.
Buzz—
A message from Professor Park Ahjeong.
……What?
Why is the professor suddenly contacting me?
I immediately checked the message.
[Professor Park Ahjeong]
Hello Cha Hasang student~ _^^ It’s Professor Park Ahjeong~! You must be really surprised by the sudden contact~?
If you have time today, could you stop by the professor’s office~??
I have something I’d like to recommend to Hasang student~^^
Oh right~~ It’s definitely NOT about grad school,,,
Don’t worry~!!!! ^_^
“?”
I almost mistook it for spam, but it was indeed from Professor Park Ahjeong.
She’s in her mid-to-late thirties, right? Why does her texting style…
It was the kind of ornate (?) texting style used by the older generation.
Anyway.
“I don’t know what it is, but let’s go see.”
I lightly knocked on the professor’s office door.
Knock knock!
A soft voice came from inside.
“Yes~ Come in!”
When I opened the door, Professor Park Ahjeong, standing by the window, turned to me.
She wore a slim gray dress with a beige cardigan lightly draped over it.
The so-called ‘new-town madam look.’
Using Human Zoomer body in such a stylish outfit—massive dissonance.
Professor Park Ahjeong smiled brightly and said.
“Cha Hasang student, I heard you won the Seoul Memory Championship? Congratulations.”
“Ah, yes…”
A few weeks ago, I participated in a memory contest hosted by Seoul.
To test the performance of the text-eating slug ‘Engram.’
How she knew the results was a mystery.
Professor Park stared straight at me and continued.
“During the last midterm too, you wrote down everything I said in class without missing a single word. Cha Hasang student, your memory is no joke, huh?”
“It’s all thanks to your excellent teaching, Professor.”
“Oh my. You speak so prettily?”
She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and chuckled.
Then she looked at me intently and continued.
“Good memory… is it because you’re an Awakener?”
“!?”
An unexpected blow.
Reading the wariness on my face, Professor Park waved her hands.
“Just kidding~! Awakening does enhance physical abilities, but I’ve never heard of research saying it affects memory. You must just naturally have a good memory.”
…How did you know I’m an Awakener?
Professor Park slowly walked toward me and said.
“A friend told me. That one of my students is an Awakener.”
“A friend?”
“Bae Minji… that name. Do you remember? She said she met Cha Hasang student…”
The name of the special investigator from the Hunter Surveillance Bureau I met at Bupyeong Station underground mall.
Who would’ve thought that person was Professor Park Ahjeong’s friend.
Professor Park smiled.
“I don’t know why, but my friend seems quite interested in Cha Hasang student.”
I could guess why.
Meeting Hellhound and Cerberus in succession and coming out fine.
And moving around with an A+ rank hunter.
Soon, Professor Park continued.
“That friend is naturally very suspicious. Occupational disease, I suppose. So I explained it clearly for her. That you’re smart and diligent, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
“By the way, I’m shocked. To think one of my students is an Awakener—and a hunter no less. I thought I knew every hunter in the country; I almost thought my memory had a bug?”
Professor Park smiled at me.
Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes weren’t smiling at all.
“Cha Hasang student, as a life senior, let me give you some advice: don’t stand out too much. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Heard that saying?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“But there’s also the saying that the awl in the pocket will come out on its own, right?”
“…?”
“What can you do? Talented people can’t hide even if they try. It’s troublesome.”
It contradicted what she said earlier.
But I understood what Professor Park meant.
The Hunter Surveillance Bureau is watching, so be careful not to cause misunderstandings.
That’s probably it.
Since the last midterm, Professor Park’s attitude toward me had completely turned friendly.
The Lokpia continent history info I wrote on the exam must have piqued her interest quite a bit.
Calling me to the office just to give advice was proof.
At that moment, Professor Park spoke.
“By the way, Cha Hasang student… are you busy this Saturday?”
“Do you need something?”
“Quick on the uptake? As expected, smart~.”
Of course.
When a professor suddenly acts overly friendly?
Be on guard first.
Either they have something they want you to do, or they’re trying to lure you into grad school.
Or both.
Soon, Professor Park smiled meaningfully and said.
“Want to do a part-time job this weekend?”
“Part-time?”
“It’s not hard at all. I have to go to an exhibition for research, so come with me, keep me company, run a few simple errands. That’s it. How about it?”
I was planning to refuse.
I intended to explore deeper into the Observation Zone this weekend.
As if reading my thoughts, Professor Park sighed.
“You don’t have to force yourself. Well, students these days don’t really like exhibitions, right? The theme is ‘Artifacts of the Korean Peninsula,’ so if you’re not interested in history, it’ll be boring…”
“I’ll go.”
I answered firmly.
Professor Park blinked at me.
“You will? Great for me. But do you have any interest in Korean Peninsula artifacts?”
“There are a few I’ve had my eye on.”
“‘Had my eye on,’ interesting expression. Sounds like you’re planning to steal them?”
Professor Park chuckled and continued.
“Cha Hasang student, how should I put it—you’re unpredictable. Like a computer bug. Ah, of course I mean that in a good way, a good way.”
“?”
Since when was ‘bug’ a compliment?
Anyway.
Soon, Professor Park explained the part-time details.
Time: Saturday 1 PM. Location: National History Museum of Seoul.
Duration: 4 hours. Hourly wage: 15,000 won.
Bluntly put, it was a honey part-time job.
As mentioned, the exhibition theme was ‘Artifacts of the Korean Peninsula.’
Artifacts of great figures who stood out in the peninsula’s 5,000-year history gathered in one place.
Artifacts of great figures… I wonder what will be there?
Perfect timing, since I had artifacts I wanted to test.
Ding-dong!
[Inventory]
- Coffin of the Dead
- Archlich’s Finger