Today, Sol A’s fever had gone down so she went to school, but her mood was still heavy because she remained sad about the professor and that girl. When Joon Hwi saw her at school, he went over and asked,
“I heard you had a fever?”
“Umm.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
“A little.”

Professor Yang also noticed she was back. He wanted to check on her, but as always, he could not bring himself to speak gently.
“Kang Sol A.”
“Nae?”
“The other day you said you wanted to invite me to eat, right?”
“...”
“Then today, let’s go eat.”
“Why does Professor suddenly want to eat with me? Don’t you dislike eating with your students?”
“Just today, I want to eat with you.”

Sol A was the first person who made the professor break his own rules, though he did not even realize it himself.

The two of them went to a sandwich shop near the school. The professor got her food and a drink, taking care of her as though they were lovers. While eating, he kept staring at the small girl in front of him. When Sol A looked up and noticed, she asked,
“Is there something on my face?”
“Ani.”
“Then why are you staring at me like that?”

The professor grew flustered, not knowing how to answer. It was the first time Sol A had seen him so unsettled, and it was funny to her, so she teased him.
“What’s wrong, Professor? I only asked, why are you flustered?”
“Wae?”
“Is it because you…”
“Wae? Because I what?”

Seeing how nervous he was, she stopped herself from continuing.

On their way back, heavy rain suddenly poured down. Professor Yang took off his coat and covered her with it, worried she might get sick again. They ran into a nearby shop to take shelter. Sol A turned to him.
“Why didn’t you cover yourself? Why cover me instead?”
“Didn’t you have a fever yesterday? What if you catch a cold again?”
“How did you know I had a fever?”
“I heard it from Ye Sul.”

Sol A felt warmth in her heart. She had never thought someone as cold as him could care for others like this. The rain still had not stopped, and they stood side by side watching it. After a while, Sol A suddenly asked,
“Professor.”
“Wae?”
“That girl.”
“Who?”
“Han Joo.”
“What about her?”
“What is she to you?”
“Why are you asking that?”
“I thought you two seemed close, so I was curious.”
“She’s the daughter of a very close friend of mine.”
“I see.”

Hearing that, Sol A turned away and smiled.

When the rain ended, they continued walking. On the way, a dog suddenly appeared. Sol A, terrified, hid behind the professor and clung to his arm.
“You’re afraid of dogs?”
“Nae, nae.”

The professor chased the dog away. Sol A sighed in relief.
“Thank goodness it’s gone.”

She did not even realize she was still holding onto his hand until the dog’s owner walked over. Embarrassed, they quickly let go. The rest of the walk back was silent and awkward.

When they arrived, it was time for Professor Yang’s lecture. Joon Hwi saw them come in together and asked,
“Did you just come back with the professor?”
“Ani.”

Throughout the class, Sol A kept smiling at him, while he stood at the podium quietly watching her.

After the lecture, Professor Yang returned to his office. Sol A noticed he did not look well, so she followed him.
“Professor, gwenchanaseyo? Are you alright?”
“Umm, I just have a bit of a headache.”

Worried, she stepped closer and placed her hand on his forehead.
“You probably caught a cold from the rain earlier. Wait here, I’ll buy some medicine.”

The professor had not expected Sol A to care about him like this. No student had ever done that for him before, and he felt his heart stir slightly.

When she returned with the medicine, she explained,
“This one you need to take right now, and this one before sleeping.”

She spoke carefully, but the professor only kept staring at her, barely listening.

The next day

The university held a camping trip for students and professors at the seaside.

Early in the morning, Sol A’s group had already finished preparing. Since there were many students, they were divided into smaller groups, each supervised by one professor. Fortunately, Sol A, Joon Hwi, Ye Sul, Sol B, Bok Gi, Ji Ho, Seung Jae, and Ye Beom were placed in the same group, with Professor Yang as their supervisor.

Everyone felt a little disappointed, since he was known to be strict. Everyone except Sol A, who was secretly delighted. And of course, everyone knew why.

To be continued.