Chapter 09
But the man didn’t even give me time to answer—he grabbed me and ran down the hallway.
He was quite tall, so his stride was unusually long. Fortunately, I was confident in my short-distance running.
He glanced back. Just as I’d feared, the “students” were staggering after us.
They weren’t fast, but the way they fixed their eyes on me with those smiles sent chills down my spine.
“Here.”
Beep.
The man pressed what looked like a staff ID card against the wall, and with a short mechanical sound, an emergency exit to the outside swung open.
“What are you—”
“Hey, wait—”
He didn’t listen to me. He pushed me outside and shut the door.
Thump. The man rapped his knuckles against the glass window and shouted.
“Run!”
That was the signal. The students started sprinting. The man cursed under his breath and disappeared behind the secret door.
Thump, thump. Dirty palms pressed against the hallway windows. The students were grinning at me, pale white foam bubbling at the corners of their mouths.
They didn’t seem smart enough to open the emergency door, but I had no idea how long the glass would hold. And on top of that…
Rustle.
From the direction of the boys’ dormitory, I felt an ominous presence. I didn’t feel like checking what it was.
Bang.
“…”
If I stayed here any longer, I’d attract more attention. I might even draw in other “students.”
I decided to get out of here first. The problem was that I’d come out through the wrong door and had no idea where I was.
Rustle—the presence from the boys’ dormitory was getting closer. I turned and started running.
How long had I been running, looking only ahead?
“Huff… haah…”
Ah.
What now.
I’m too hungry to run anymore.
I staggered and looked back. I’d put a fair amount of distance between myself and the students, but they were still chasing me tirelessly.
Soon a small walking path appeared. I moved toward the shrub hedge, looking for a place to hide.
I was standing on tiptoe to peek over the trimmed hedge when—
“Hih.”
Rustle.
I collapsed on the spot.
Waiting for me on the other side of the hedge was a “student.” The place I’d fled to was the west side of the central plaza.
‘No way…’
All those black shapes I’d seen through the dormitory window earlier—they were all students. Every single one of those dark figures wandering the central plaza.
I scrambled backward. The student thrashed, trying to break through the shrub hedge.
“Ugh…”
Not far away, I could see the student union building. If I was going to run, I’d better head somewhere I knew the layout.
Just as I thought that and turned around—from below, through a gap in the hedge, a pale arm shot out.
“No…!”
Clutch. A cold hand grabbed my ankle. I fell flat onto the dirt ground.
“Let go!”
Thwack. I tried to kick off the student’s hand gripping my ankle. I must have fallen pretty hard—I couldn’t put any strength into my leg.
“Hih, haha.”
The laughter from beyond the hedge sent goosebumps crawling all over me.
Rustle, rustle—I heard the sound of bushes being pushed aside. I couldn’t see them, but they were probably swarming this way.
I thrashed my leg wildly, trying to shake the hand off. Its grip wasn’t that strong, but it clung stubbornly and wouldn’t let go.
“Fuck, seriously…”
What now. What do I do. Then I spotted a rock within arm’s reach—perfect for picking up and smashing down. I stretched my arm as far as I could.
“Ugh…”
Sweat was already beading on my forehead.
“Hahaha…”
“What’s so funny…”
I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t quite reach it.
Then—clop, clop—the unfamiliar sound of leather shoes from behind made me freeze.
Praying it was the janitor from earlier coming back, I looked up.
“Student.”
An infinitely gentle yet strangely chilly voice.
The hand gripping my ankle let go. I heard the other “students” who had been crowding the hedge shuffle back hesitantly.
“Professor…?”
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Dressed in a white lab coat, holding a tumbler in one hand, Maro looked down at me. His bright blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight.
At the rustling sound, I looked over the hedge—the students were staggering back toward the central plaza.
“They… ran away…”
It was resolved so easily that I felt all the strength drain out of me.
But Maro tilted his head as if it were no big deal.
“Undergrads are always scared of professors. Not sure why, though.”
Undergrads…? Those things?
“If you don’t study hard, you’ll end up like them too.”
“…Huh?”
Maro reached out his hand to me.
“Want me to take you to the infirmary?”
In a daze, I took his hand and stood up. Blood was streaming from both my knees. I must have taken a pretty nasty fall.
I made a mental note never to wear shorts again and nodded.
“Yes, please.”
Maro handed me the tumbler he was holding. I took it absentmindedly, and he bent down—then in an instant, scooped me up in both arms.
“…?”
While I was still confused and trying to process the situation, Maro started walking with me in his arms.
“Uh, excuse me, why— Professor, I can walk, you know…”
“At your pace, this would take all day. You’re already small, and now your knees are hurt too.”
“I’m not that small, you know…”
But on the other hand, I figured, why not? I’d been sprinting all morning and was exhausted—a little rest wouldn’t hurt.
I stayed still in his arms and stole glances at Maro’s face. He wasn’t wearing glasses today. Last time I hadn’t had the chance to look properly, but up close, he was strikingly handsome—almost jarringly so.
His eyes were languid yet deep, and his nose was impossibly high-bridged—like he’d stepped straight out of a high-fashion editorial.
Of course, I had to try not to think about the dream I’d had last night. No matter how strong my stomach was, a dream about being dissected alive was too disturbing.
“Have you thought about it?”
I looked up at the sudden question. Maro was watching me.
“Kwon Tae-hyun said there shouldn’t be any administrative issues.”
I realized he was talking about the lecture.
“You already looked into all that?”
“Registration’s coming up soon anyway. I hear it’s absolute chaos—getting at least one class secured ahead of time would be good for you, wouldn’t it?”
“Well…”
I didn’t know much about it, but getting credits to graduate was probably part of Amelie’s role as a college student.
Only one thing bothered me…
“Um, Professor, does your lecture include any practical sessions?”
Like, say… dissection…?
Maro gave a most unexpected answer.
“Would you like it to?”
“Huh?”
“If you want, I can include it. You’re the only student, and I’m tailoring the syllabus to you anyway—I can accommodate that.”
Tailoring the lecture to me…? Surely, that was just a figure of speech.
Anyway, I had nothing to lose.
“Um, then… I’d prefer no practical sessions.”
“Okay.”
“And you’ll adjust the difficulty for me too? Assignments and exams?”
“Of course. It’s a client-contractor relationship, after all.”
“…I’m the client?”
“Yeah.”
He wasn’t being sarcastic. He genuinely considered me the “client.” And I had spent almost my entire life as the absolute subordinate.
‘It doesn’t… feel bad.’
Growl.
“Ah.”
Maro blinked at me.
“Hungry?”
“Weell… Professor, is there anywhere that sells ‘safe’ food?”
Maro tilted his head.
“Safe?”
“You know, normal food—not alive and moving, won’t cause any problems later.”
Maro rolled his gray eyes as if thinking. Then he asked.
“Are you asking me to eat with you?”
“…That’s not what I said. I just wanted you to tell me where they sell food.”
“Hmm, I get that, but… do you have any money right now?”
Oh.
“Ah.”
I’d forgotten. I didn’t even have enough money to buy a triangle kimbap right now.
