-Swoosh…
The moment Kim Cheolsu answered, everyone in the classroom stared in shock, mouths agape, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads and the air itself had turned icy.
No matter how much of a genius he was, to answer a question on material he hadn’t even been taught—
Lee Yuna shouted in disbelief.
“You… How did you know that? How could you answer something we haven’t even learned?! Is it because you’re the top of the class? Do you know everything just because you’re S University’s top student? You previewed the lessons, didn’t you! You conniving little… I knew you’d do something like this!”
“Let’s just say that’s the case. Either way, I answered the question. Is that enough for you?”
Since he’d returned to his younger self, had he grown more rebellious? Kim Cheolsu replied sharply.
Professor Lee Yuna bit her lip and shook her head.
“I explained up to how the maxillary arch forms, but don’t tell me you don’t know what happens after that? The fetal lips shouldn’t be fully formed yet.”
-See? I knew it. He only knows a little bit.
-Professor Lee Yuna’s questions are notorious. Even the seniors in third-year classes couldn’t answer them. Let’s see what happens next.
Glares hoping for Kim Cheolsu’s defeat poured in from all sides.
After all, these were students who’d been top of their class in high school. It wasn’t easy to admit someone was a bigger genius than yourself.
Because if they did, they’d have to chase after Kim Cheolsu’s back in the medical world forever.
That’s why the medical students in the lecture hall were hoping this would be their chance to see Kim Cheolsu humbled.
They wanted to see his pride shattered… to see him get an F in Professor Lee Yuna’s Plastic Surgery class. To see the second-year valedictorian who ruled from the top fall all the way to the bottom.
Though most of the lecture hall was hostile toward Kim Cheolsu, one girl with an enigmatic aura seemed a little different.
Yong Siyeon, third daughter of Director Yong Taegu of the National Security Planning Agency. Her beautiful brown curls cascading down, she watched Kim Cheolsu with sparkling, curious eyes.
‘He seems like a completely different person all of a sudden. He used to be obsessed with grades… but today, he doesn’t seem to care. Somehow, that makes him seem more human. Before, he was such a study-maniac.’
She found herself drawn to the subtly changed Kim Cheolsu.
As the perpetual second in their year, she had no ambition to unseat the top student.
She’d already acknowledged that Kim Cheolsu studied better than her.
Still, she’d always been disappointed by how he single-mindedly chased grades without a hint of humanity. He didn’t seem to have any masculine charm at all.
But today, his actions were a shock. The way he firmly stood up against unfair punishment reminded her of the student activists she secretly admired.
Even though her father was Director Yong Taegu, infamous for suppressing the democracy movement, she was still young enough to hold on to her innocence and yearned for democratization.
Even if it was hypocritical, Yong Siyeon secretly supported the student movement, though she could never show it openly because of her situation.
In any case, seeing Kim Cheolsu resist oppressive and unjust violence stood out to her.
She tilted her head and muttered softly, so that only she could hear.
“But can Cheolsu really keep answering till the end? Embryology of cleft lip… even I’d have a hard time answering that exactly. The cellular formation process is so unpredictable.”
Not many people heard her, but Kim Cheolsu, sensing her gaze from afar, turned his head and met her eyes.
Her beautiful brown eyes flashed with surprise. He shouldn’t have been able to hear her voice from that distance.
The truth was, Kim Cheolsu had heard her clearly. Whether it was the influence of the pocket watch or something else, his hearing had sharpened. He feared he might be turning into something not quite human… but right now, he had to survive this crisis.
He needed to survive the young female professor staring at him with eyes as sharp as daggers.
“Cheolsu! You don’t actually know, do you? Then you really are getting an F for this semester’s Plastic Surgery…!”
As she tried to hand down her sentence, the students’ faces brightened.
The self-important top student getting an F? This semester, Yong Siyeon would take the top spot.
A freckled girl sitting next to Yong Siyeon nudged her and said,
“Siyeon, you must be so happy! If Cheolsu gets an F, you’re top of the class this semester—congrats!”
Didn’t her father work as a civil servant? Yong Siyeon replied stiffly to the girl who was trying too hard to act friendly.
“Yeah. Sure. Thanks—”
The freckled girl clamped her mouth shut, crestfallen. Her father had told her to become friends with Yong Siyeon, but it was proving too difficult.
Siyeon wasn’t someone who trusted others easily or let them get close. It was no wonder she was called the “Ice Princess” of the medical school.
Born into a prominent family, second in her class at S University’s medical school.
Even for those who tried, getting close to her was no easy task.
Leaving the sulking freckled girl behind, Yong Siyeon fixed her gaze on Kim Cheolsu.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, wondering how Kim Cheolsu would answer next.
Feeling those expectant eyes, Kim Cheolsu grew uneasy. Shin Seyeong and Ha Saebyeok came to mind.
If he answered well here, Yong Siyeon would become interested in him.
Then she’d truly take notice of his youthful, handsome face… It could lead to a very complicated situation.
Kim Cheolsu had always kept his distance from Yong Siyeon, who wasn’t exactly known for her pleasant personality.
“Cheolsu! You really don’t know, right? Then I really am going to submit your grade?”
But if he stayed silent, he’d definitely get an F. With a serious expression, Kim Cheolsu opened his mouth.
“After the maxillary arch is formed… the center of the nasal placode sinks in. Then the ends of the nasal placode rise and become surrounded by the medial and lateral nasal processes.”
-Wow…!
The answer was so perfect that even the students who had been criticizing him were amazed. Professor Lee Yuna swallowed dryly and pressed on.
“T-Then, what happens to the medial and lateral nasal processes around the nasal placode at six weeks of fetal development?”
“They both attach to the maxillary arch and become one. Then, together with mesenchymal replacement, they epithelialize to become the philtrum—the soft tissue of the upper lip.”
It was almost over.
Everyone watched Kim Cheolsu, hands sweaty with suspense. There was a growing atmosphere of anticipation—could a student actually win against the professor?
Honestly, how many students had shed tears under Professor Lee Yuna’s piercing questions over the years?
It was no surprise that some were now quietly rooting for Kim Cheolsu.
-What if he really beats the professor? This is amazing.
-Don’t get too excited. He’s still in danger.
As opinions split, Lee Yuna posed her final question. She’d come all this way just for this moment.
“Good. Then why does a congenital anomaly like cleft lip occur during the normal formation of the lips?”
“If there’s a problem in the mesenchymal replacement during formation of the philtrum, the disease called cleft lip occurs. It’s when the upper part of the lip is left unsightly open.”
“T-Then, why does that problem happen in the mesenchymal replacement?”
Facing a question about the root cause, Kim Cheolsu smiled as he answered.
Thankfully, it was something he’d studied at home.
“Usually, it happens when there aren’t enough mesenchymal cells, or due to proliferation failure, or if the growth of the processes I mentioned earlier is insufficient. As I described before, these problems leave a hole in the philtrum, which should otherwise be complete.”
Kim Cheolsu’s answer was flawless. Everyone listening stared at him, mouths open in awe.
After all… even if he was the top student, he was just a second-year med student. And yet, this young student had defeated a professor.
-No way. Did he really answer everything? Is he insane?
-They called him a mad dog, but it’s his intelligence that’s gone wild.
-Genius. He’s a real genius. You can’t beat that guy… whew, he’s incredible. How does he memorize such difficult stuff? I bet it’d be hard even with the textbook open…
-That’s because you’re an idiot.
-Yeah, right—smarter than you—
There was some bickering among the male students, but soon the room fell silent.
Everyone worried how the thoroughly defeated Professor Lee Yuna would react.
She had never backed down, not even once, until now. Yet this time, she’d been utterly beaten by a student.
It wouldn’t be surprising if she threw a cute tantrum and went berserk.
-Slide…
Kim Cheolsu, prepared to dodge or subdue her at any moment, cautiously stepped back to widen the distance between them.
At that tense moment, with everyone watching only Professor Lee Yuna, she finally spoke.
“As expected of the genius Kim Cheolsu! That’s my student! Excellent answer! You don’t even need to take the exam this semester. You get an automatic A+!”
Some students voiced their complaints at such a dramatic measure, but she silenced them with the authority of a professor.
“I heard you wanted to be a surgeon in the future. So I thought maybe you’d be weak on theory if not on practical skills, but… impressive! When did you study all this?”
“I just studied in order to become a good surgeon. The path of a doctor is a hard one, after all.”
An answer no one would expect from such a young med student.
The students buzzed in confusion, and Professor Lee Yuna looked at him with new eyes.
“I thought you were obsessed only with grades, but your passion is the real thing? You did really well today. Looks like class is over already. Everyone, dismissed! Go eat. And Kim Cheolsu, let’s have a quick word in private.”
Her smile gave him a sense of foreboding.
He felt he’d created trouble for himself by showing off his talents. He didn’t know when he’d return to the present… He didn’t want to alter the past if he could help it.
With a dissatisfied look, Kim Cheolsu listened as she spoke to him in a much more serious tone than before.
“Cheolsu. There’s somewhere I’d like you to go, on my recommendation. It’s a very important place. Perhaps, by students’ hands, the fate of this era might be decided…”
-Gulp…
He swallowed dryly. Not once in his memory had a professor ever made such a request.
Originally, nothing like this happened in history.
Damn, who would’ve thought answering that question would lead to this… Am I already changing history? The fear crept in.
If so, this wasn’t an ordinary matter.
He might end up caught in the storm of the era, torn apart before he could return to reality… The thought was terrifying, considering he needed to survive until he went back.
After a brief hesitation, he asked,
“Where is this place?”
-Gulp…
Kim Cheolsu swallowed dryly, his expression tense.
Already, the past… was beginning to change.