On a sacred December day, the rain was falling softly like tap-tap from the heavens.
A woman dressed in a sleek suit sat all alone on a chair just outside the auditorium.
She attempted to enjoy the endless rain, but her heart was in a state of turmoil.
The greatest hurdle of her doctoral thesis, the defense, had just concluded.
Inside the presentation room, the committee was underway with the vote on whether or not to award the PhD to student Woo Hee-jin.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
The first to emerge was her advisor, Professor Cheon Kyu-jin.
He was a figure revered among graduate students, often regarded as a “demi-god.”
Getting into his lab was as rare as catching a star from the sky, even for the top graduate student.
Professor Cheon greeted her with a kindly expression and extended his hand for a handshake.
“Congratulations, Dr. Woo.”
At that moment, a mix of emotions swirled within her.
Woo Hee-jin wiped away tears silently, bowing her head slightly.
She was Professor Cheon’s last student.
Or perhaps one before the last.
*
“Honestly, I briefly thought you might not pass. You chose such a bizarre topic, after all.”
“Haha, professor, I must have caused you a lot of trouble. Oh, I’ll grill the meat myself.”
“No, no. You must be too exhausted from preparing your presentation. Just sit back and relax today.”
On the grill, the beef sizzled and browned perfectly.
This was an extravagant feast compared to other advisors who bought one jajangmyeon from a Chinese restaurant.
The flavor of two-star Hanwoo beef melted in her mouth.
“Here was the place we had our first company dinner four years ago. It never gets old.”
“Has it been four years already? Time flies.”
“Of course! The lab feels as comfortable as my home now.”
“In the first semester, it was Kyuchul and Hyunwoo. And lastly, it’s you, Hee-jin. You’ll be the forever youngest in our lab.”
“I’ve had a tough time being the youngest these four years.”
“Hahaha.”
All of Professor Cheon’s students had left the nest after receiving their PhDs.
“By the way, I heard from the seniors that you’re planning to retire this time…”
“Yes, it’s scheduled.”
“Oh, so that’s why. Isn’t it too early? You still have quite a long time until retirement.”
“I want to focus on parenting.”
“Parenting? Haha, Na-me?”
Professor Cheon sipped his warm tea instead of alcohol.
“I didn’t have time to take care of my daughter because I wanted to finish everything for you kids this year.”
“You were in a research year last year, but you still came to work almost every day. I appreciate it so much. How is Na-me doing?”
“She doesn’t show it, but she’s about to die of boredom.”
“Right? It’s the age when she should be playing around.”
“But you know, once she starts running, I don’t know how far she’ll go. One day I left her at a friend’s place in Gangwon-do, and that evening I got an international call from Fukuoka. Ha ha, what a surprise.”
“Whoa! Really? The kid went to Japan all by herself? That’s insane.”
“She wouldn’t find it strange if she said she was going to America tomorrow. So I need to prepare in advance.”
“I thought it’d be easy to raise such a mature child like Na-me. But from what I hear, it’s not as simple as that. Oh no, the meat is burning! I’ll take care of this.”
Woo Hee-jin snatched the tongs from Professor Cheon, regaining her composure.
Meanwhile, Professor Cheon pondered what he would do next year.
His salary would decrease, but his savings were ample.
More importantly, the combined income of his two daughters exceeded his by over ten times.
Saetbyeol was now entering her second year of high school, and Na-me would need homeschooling.
“What if we suggest a ski trip to Japan in winter since she liked it last time?”
At that moment, Woo Hee-jin, checking her phone, gasped.
“Professor! Earlier, when you said you’d go to America, you were joking, right?”
“What do you mean?”
[‘Controversy over Private Sanctions’ NoName returns to SNS after two months… What’s the meaning of the passport photo?]
*
She packed her clothes, toiletries, electronic devices, medication, and passport.
“Should I pack just this much? I can buy whatever else I need there. Oh, I’ll also take an umbrella and a nail clipper. What do you think, Saetbyeol? Put your thinking cap on.”
The date for her trip to America was set for three days later.
To board a private jet, they had to go through a few complicated procedures at the White House, so one or two days would not be enough.
Saetbyeol wrapped her arms around my legs and wouldn’t let go.
“I still don’t think it’s right for just you to go! Take me with you! Me too!”
I ignored her and dragged her along on the floor as I walked.
“That conversation was finished. Why are you changing your words?”
While we were in the midst of our tussle, an alert signaling that Professor Cheon’s car had arrived in the parking lot rang.
I hastily tidied up the clothes scattered around the room and waited on the living room sofa.
Beep beep beep!
As soon as the entrance door opened, we dashed out like whoosh.
“Welcome back!”
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Yeah, I’m back. Did you have a good dinner?”
Professor Cheon took off his shoes and unwound his scarf.
The delicious scent of meat wafted from his suit.
“Yes. We handled everything well.”
“Abeonim, Na-me is doing something weird again!”
“What do you mean, something weird? She’s just being odd, right, Daddy?”
I held Professor Cheon’s hand, distancing him from Saetbyeol.
“Na-me, I actually have something to talk about with you.”
Did he already know everything?
I froze in place at that moment.
“Where are you going this time? America? Japan? Switzerland?”
“America.”
“I heard you met with the Secretary of State at lunch today. Is it related to him?”
I nodded slightly.
“I want to attend Philips Academy for about two months.”
Professor Cheon fell silent.
As the heavy atmosphere set in, Saetbyeol silently stepped back from the conversation.
Such a useless cat.
Professor Cheon knelt down to match my eye level.
His white hair, which was hardly visible from afar, was now clear.
He must have been through a lot recently.
‘I think he has more than last time I saw him.’
I leaned my face against his shoulder, spreading my arms wide.
He took me into his arms as if this situation was all too familiar.
I must be really light.
Even though he was supporting my body with one arm, he lifted me easily with a stable posture.
“You promised we’d discuss things with Daddy first during moments like this.”
“I’m sorry. Please, can you give me your permission? Can you?”
“You’re saying you want to stay there for two months?”
“Yes. Depending on the situation, I might stay longer if possible…”
“Na-me, do you want to be independent?”
I shook my head vigorously, insisting that was not the case at all.
“No way. I want to see both you and Saetbyeol every day.”
“Why, then?”
“Well, Daddy, you’re busy with schoolwork. And Saetbyeol needs to prepare for the exam since she’s in the second year of high school now. I can adapt anywhere, so there’s no need to worry.”
Though it was a somewhat underhanded tactic, I embraced my father again to silence any further questions.
“Saetbyeol, you should come here and sit, too.”
“Uh, yes yes.”
Saetbyeol, who had been peeking through the door, quietly sat on the sofa.
“Na-me wants to go to America. What do you think, Saetbyeol?”
“How can you only send my sister to America? I think that’s nonsense!”
“Saetbyeol thinks that way, but what about you, Na-me?”
“Don’t listen to her.”
“I want to support Saetbyeol’s opinion.”
“Why? Are you telling me to stay locked up in Korea? It’s already been two months of this nonsense.”
“That’s not what I meant. We could all go to America together.”
“Really?”
Saetbyeol’s eyes sparkled with excitement, while I was left utterly dumbfounded.
“What about classes? What about research? You’re not abandoning your students, right?”
“I’ll retire from my professorship in February. There won’t be classes, and I can take a break from research. I’ve sent everyone off with Hee-jin being the last.”
“Did Hee-jin get her PhD?”
“Just today.”
The news of Professor Cheon retiring hit me harder than anything else.
“Daddy, you still have seven years until retirement! Is it because of me?”
“It’s not that. I decided this because time spent with family is more precious than time spent at school.”
“So that means it is because of me, right? What’s the difference… I’m sorry.”
I heard that parents give up their own dreams for their children, but I never thought it would be Professor Cheon.
I couldn’t lift my head for a while due to the mixed feelings weighing down on me.
“Seeing my clingy little Na-me is adorable, but I owe it to truthfulness. I originally planned to retire around this year, and that’s why I wasn’t accepting any new students after Hee-jin.”
Professor Cheon gently patted my back as he comforted me.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Why? I heard honorary professors don’t get paid well, and research funding is slim as well.”
“I intended to go on a solo world trip someday. You know, places like America or Canada. Airy places like Switzerland or the Netherlands would be nice. And when I heard you wanted to go to America, I wanted to go with you.”
How come no one had explained it like this before?
I almost felt tears welling up.
In the end, I broke into a sparkling smile and embraced my Daddy once more.
I wished that today would end with this happy memory.
But of course, Professor Cheon had to add one last remark that spoiled the mood.
“Now that I think about it, Na-me seems to really enjoy cuddling. Don’t you think so, Saetbyeol?”
“Yes. Absolutely. One hundred percent.”
“I just like being up high.”
I always found living at child’s height frustrating.
I was so used to looking down at everything, but now having to look up daily felt so odd.
“Would you like to ride on Daddy’s back?”
“Excuse me? Eek!”
Usually, only babies get to ride on someone’s back.
Unfazed, Professor Cheon lifted me higher and placed me on his shoulder.
Now I was close to touching the ceiling.
He held my wrists to keep me steady, ensuring I wouldn’t fall back.
I had a vantage point of over two meters.
I was almost grazing the ceiling.
“Na-me Unni, do you like riding on Daddy’s back?”
I turned around to survey the surroundings and gave my honest opinion.
“Well, it’s not as great as I thought.”
I still preferred snuggling into his arms more.
*
[Next news. High Wizard NoName has gained attention for boarding a private jet owned by U.S. Secretary of State Murphy, planning a visit to the States. The White House spokesman stated that preparations for NoName’s visit are being carried out meticulously. Furthermore, with the revelation that NoName will meet President Newsom at the World Human Rights Day event at the White House on the 10th, some have raised claims of intellectual kidnapping.]
“There’s nothing more to say regarding the state guest treatment controversy. NoName has made significant contributions to human history and deserves the respect she receives. Moreover, she has shown great interest in the American academic education system. While residing in Massachusetts, she will collaborate on dimensional descent magic research and provide substantial support for her stable settlement in the U.S.”
[Best Comments]
– What? Our NoName is getting NTR’d… [Likes: 87K]
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– America is a no-go… Once you taste America, a day becomes a month, a month becomes a year, and a year becomes a lifetime!
– If it were me, I’d never come back.
– This was what normal looked like… This is what normal supposed to be…
