“Are you… dating Rohan?”
“!?”
Clara’s head which had been tilted downward snapped up.
It felt as though this was the first time they had ever exchanged such a direct gaze.
“As an instructor, I have no intention of interfering in a student’s romantic life. I’m aware that it can serve as good motivation, after all.”
“Ugh…!”
Despite Joo-yeon’s words, Clara’s agitation didn’t subside.
So she hurriedly added,
“It’s just simple curiosity. You were with Rohan at the bookstore and during this recent incident as well. You two seem especially close.”
“By ‘dating’… y-you mean… like being in a relationship? M-Me and Rohan oppa…?”
“That’s right. There could be other interpretations, but that’s the meaning I was asking about.”
After finishing her sentence, Joo-yeon casually walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
When she returned with a cold juice in hand, the girl was fiddling with her hair with her face flushed red.
Instead of drinking the juice she was handed, she used it to cool her heated cheeks.
“I-I’m not… dating oppa… or anything…”
Though she denied it, her voice dragged out as if something was holding her back. Her fingers fidgeted restlessly and her body twisted like a pretzel in hesitation.
Even someone like Joo-yeon who knew nothing about romance could see through Clara’s feelings in an instant.
A pleased smile formed on her lips.
She found herself genuinely rooting for the girl and her innocent, budding crush.
“I see. I hope it works out for you. I’ll be cheering from afar.”
“……..!”
“Rohan has an odd tendency to get caught up in incidents. Even after leaving the academy, being alone probably wouldn’t be good for him.”
Of course, male and female students staying together in the academy dorms was out of the question.
But given the chaotic times they lived in, knowing that someone as capable as Clara was at Rohan’s bookstore gave Joo-yeon a small sense of relief.
When she heard that response—
The girl was struck with admiration.
Ah!
Joo-yeon hadn’t thought much of her words of encouragement, believing them to be nothing significant.
But to the girl, they sent ripples deep enough to wash away even the fears she had harbored unconsciously.
S-Such a good person…!
In Clara’s heart, Joo-yeon had just hit a clean powerful home run.
She clutched the juice she had been given with both hands, almost as if in prayer.
“Clara.”
“Y-Yes…!”
“Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“U-Um… really bitter things are a bit too much for me.”
“I see.”
As Joo-yeon moved, Clara began trailing closely behind her.
After seating Clara at the dining table, Joo-yeon opened the fridge and checked the available ingredients.
No meat.
She opened the vegetable drawer below and completed her inspection, then fell into thought.
The ingredients are lacking. If it comes to it, maybe I should just order delivery.
Price wasn’t an issue. She simply wanted to make sure they ate well.
And yet, even that thought made Joo-yeon hesitate.
Because hidden within her desire to feed Rohan and Clara was a problem neither of them would recognize.
Haah…
At its core, her intentions were rooted in kindness.
But beneath that, tangled with her goodwill, lay unresolved guilt and remorse.
Joo-yeon felt a deep sense of regret toward the two of them.
Perhaps even something heavy enough to be called guilt.
Even if imagination and delusion did not require her to get permission from anyone, she could no longer deny the increasing frequency with which she projected her lost younger brother onto Rohan.
She had kept shaking her head, telling herself it wasn’t true…..over and over again.
When Rohan returned safely from danger that day, Joo-yeon could no longer turn a blind eye to the truth.
She had been relying on Rohan’s help to overcome the trauma that had clung to her for so long. Something no medicine could cure. Something that seeped through her hardened body and into her very mind.
And for being swept up in these emotions, she felt nothing but guilt toward Clara.
Really… I’m unfit to be an instructor.
Joo-yeon shut the refrigerator and composed her expression.
Then she turned to the pale-skinned girl sitting down, sipping her juice with small gulps.
“It’s embarrassing, but I haven’t had time to go grocery shopping lately. Would it be alright if we ordered delivery for dinner?”
“Oh, I… of course! That’s totally fine…!”
“Then let’s wait for Rohan to get back and order together. Though I’m not sure when he’ll arrive.”
At Joo-yeon’s words, Clara glanced down at the smartphone in her hand and smiled shyly.
That look on her face made it obvious who she was texting.
Joo-yeon chuckled at the sight and waited for Clara to speak.
“He says he’ll be leaving soon…!”
“Hmm. So he reports to you properly, huh?”
At that, Clara’s mood visibly brightened. If she were a beastkin, her tail would have been wagging and her ears would be twitching with excitement.
Somehow, Joo-yeon could understand how she felt.
Drip, drip…
As Joo-yeon brewed coffee, the rich aroma spread through the living room.
With a steaming mug and a notebook in hand, she sat down across from Clara.
It was time to move past the casual chatter and talk about something far more serious.
“And about the immigration matter… I’d like you to answer my questions honestly, even if the information is sensitive.”
Clara gave a firm nod, signaling her understanding.
To Joo-yeon, the girl seemed surprisingly at ease with this topic.
“What country are you officially registered under?”
“Well… I haven’t told Oppa about this yet…”
“Don’t worry. I would never disclose anything personal about you without your consent.”
“Thank you…!”
Hearing that assurance, Clara’s expression softened with relief and her voice grew clearer.
Satisfied with the strength returning to her tone, Joo-yeon opened her notebook.
She clicked her pen as if to signal her intention to take notes.
“I’ll ask again. What country are you officially registered under?”
“A nation called… Xeno.”
“You’ve come a long way. It must have been tough.”
Even though Xeno was a small isolated country, Joo-yeon was well aware of its internal turmoil. It was riddled with civil unrest.
When it came to international affairs, she kept herself informed.
No matter how much Xeno tried to conceal its problems, it could never fully escape the eyes of the great powers.
“Did you provide any false information on the documents submitted to the authorities? If so, you need to request a correction immediately.”
“There’s nothing…!”
“And according to Rohan, you’re not a wanted criminal or anything like that, correct?”
“Yes.”
Joo-yeon continued asking questions, and Clara answered each one.
At one point, the girl even shared a foolish anecdote. About how she had sold an old phone from Xeno for next to nothing and used the money to buy the fancy clothes she now owned. It was a clear sign of how little she had understood the value of money back then.
Joo-yeon didn’t laugh or mock her. Instead, she listened with a serious and attentive expression on her face.
By the time Clara had finished sipping her juice little by little, the glass was empty.
“To be honest, there’s still a lot more I’d like to ask. But this is all the information needed for your immigration request, so I won’t pry any further.”
Joo-yeon’s gaze shifted toward the weapon Clara had placed nearby.
It was truly an era of chaos. The ability to protect oneself and what was precious was essential.
“…Thank you.”
Clara understood the meaning behind Joo-yeon’s words and her gaze, so she expressed her gratitude.
“One last thing, Clara.”
Joo-yeon called her name in a lower, more solemn voice than before.
Clara met her intense flame-like eyes.
“If the identity you’ve created leads to a crime that brings misfortune to Academy City, then not only will the Safety Department take action, but I’ll have no choice but to step in as well.”
The atmosphere made it clear. If that were to happen, there would be no forgiveness.
The overwhelming pressure in her voice made Clara momentarily forget to breathe.
“That’s my responsibility to help you with this. Do you understand?”
“Yes…!”
Clara nodded her head without hesitation.
Joo-yeon was satisfied and her lips curled up into a small smile, which immediately eased the heavy tension that was in the room.
“I’ll give you my number. If you run into trouble or need advice, don’t hesitate to contact me.”
“!”
At those words, Clara quickly held out her smartphone with both hands.
⋯
⋯
Once the heavy topic had passed, Joo-yeon and Clara spent their time waiting for Rohan, chatting idly about Academy City.
As they talked, Clara absentmindedly tapped her empty juice bottle with her fingernail before finally voicing what was on her mind.
“Joo-yeon-nim… I have something that’s been bothering me. Could you listen?”
“If I can help, of course.”
How reassuring she was!
Clara felt as if Joo-yeon was about to offer her a profound piece of advice that would pierce through her naive concerns.
“Uh, the place I lived Xeno had a monogamous culture…”
“So does my homeland in the Three Nations Alliance. Most countries do.”
A glimmer of hope sparked within her; it seemed like Joo-yeon might understand.
With eyes shining with anticipation, Clara eagerly asked,
“Th-Then! Have you ever been in a relationship where the man came from a polygamous culture?”
“Hmm?”
Joo-yeon immediately grasped why Clara was asking such a question, even before fully processing it.
After all, she already knew exactly who had captured the girl’s interest.
Ah, right. Solarea was like that. So was Tigrova.
Since she had recently read extensively about the southern region while working with Rohan, the details came to mind vividly.
And so, she decided to be honest.
“I doubt I can be of much help there. Unfortunately, I’ve never been in a relationship with a man before.”
“!!!”
Clara was utterly shocked by how casually Joo-yeon admitted that fact.
A woman this stunning had never dated? Was it simply because no man had met her standards?
“Th-Then…! If you were to meet a man in the future who came from a polygamous culture, what would you do?”
“Hmm.”
Joo-yeon had never once seriously considered romance in her life.
Even so, now she felt she had to give it some real thought. The girl in front of her seemed desperate for an answer.
Polygamy, huh…
From the very beginning, Joo-yeon had never given her heart to a man. So, it wasn’t easy to even imagine it.
She had received plenty of proposals and confessions.
But she had never been able to understand the passionate gazes they directed at her.
Polygamy is, in the end, just a cultural practice.
When she framed it that way, certain thoughts came to mind. After all, even the academy instructors came from a variety of countries.
If both sides could respect what was possible and yield where understanding was difficult, then compromise was possible.
With that as her foundation, Joo-yeon formed her response.
“The one making the approach should be the one to understand the other’s culture.”
It was similar to how Instructor Carrot would book a Three Nations Alliance restaurant whenever she invited her to a meal.
Since Joo-yeon had never experienced the emotions that came with romantic relationships, this was the only kind of comparison she could make.
“…….!”
Clara froze on the spot. She was completely caught off guard by Joo-yeon’s response which sounded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
The thoughts she had when she met Noah, a native of Tigrova, in the bookstore resurfaced. Only this time they hit her like a hammer and embedded themselves even deeper.
“I’ll explain.”
Like a teacher giving a lesson, Joo-yeon shared her thoughts with Clara.
A country’s culture was not only a matter of national pride but also a guiding principle for its people’s behavior.
It formed the foundation of an individual’s common sense and values.
And so, using the dining table as her lectern, she continued her small lecture.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang, signaling someone asking to be let in.
Rohan could be seen pressing his face against the camera and peering inside.
Leave a Reply