41 Chapter 41

It was now time for Seok-Woo's class. He sat in the classroom, waiting for her to arrive. 

There were already students inside, also awaiting her arrival. Seok-Woo passed the time by mingling with classmates, trying to establish a friendly relationship with them. He didn't want to be left out, so he chatted with them.

Their topics consisted of current trends, whether it was gossip, entertainment, or anything they found interesting to talk about. The students chatted with him, and as a result, their perception of him changed. He appeared more approachable and friendly than he seemed.

Seok-Woo hadn't expected them to view him in such a light, but he was glad to have changed their impression of him.

As they immersed themselves in their conversation, it abruptly stopped as Gyeong-Eun entered the room. Without a word, the students returned to their seats and waited for her to start the class.

Seok-Woo looked at her, prepared in case she would call him out for recitation. He had studied in advance and reviewed the previous lesson just in case.

Gyeong-Eun stared at him briefly before moving her head, then she began the class. The students were attentive, not wanting to be called on and unable to answer her questions.

Seok-Woo listened as well, smiling as he heard her lecture. It was the content that he had studied.

Gyeong-Eun noticed his smile, raising her brow and making a mental note to call on him for recitation.

As time passed, it was time for her to start asking the students questions. She began with Seok-Woo, confident he could answer any of her questions.

Gyeong-Eun posed the first question, and Seok-Woo thought for a moment before responding. Listening to his answer, Gyeong-Eun thought to herself, "It was the best answer for that question..." and then continued, "Then how about this?"

She proceeded to give him another question, which he answered. She began to raise her brow and continued once again to ask questions.

As Seok-Woo answered the third question, the students were impressed by his attentiveness, though in fact, he had just studied in advance. Nothing impressive about it.

Gyeong-Eun frowned a little, not expecting him to answer that much, and noticing the smirk on his face, she thought to herself, "I'll wipe off that smirk of yours."

Afterward, she continued to ask Seok-Woo question after question, thinking that at least one of her questions would stump him.

But she never expected him to answer, despite it not being the best answer.

The students were in awe as he answered every question given by her. This moment made Seok-Woo popular in the class. 

Seok-Woo's smile widened as he saw her increasingly frowning face. "What? Can't think of any questions?" He thought to himself as he waited for her to say anything.

Gyeong-Eun crossed her arms as she thought about questions that she could ask. Even the difficult ones, he managed to answer.

Eventually, she gave up, knowing that if he answered correctly, then she wouldn't have enough questions for the other students.

"I think that's enough for you... Well done," she complimented him, but she was not pleased with the smirk of victory on his face.

As soon as Seok-Woo heard what she said to him, he sat back and watched her pick out some of his classmates to recite.

As time passed, the students, except Seok-Woo, were hoping not to get chosen by her. They had seen one of their classmates get scolded by her as that person couldn't even utter a word to answer.

Gyeong-Eun kept a side eye on Seok-Woo, wondering whether his mind was on the class or not.

Seeing that he was focused, she then picked out an unlucky student for them to recite.

When it was time for dismissal, the students stood up and began to leave the classroom.

Seok-Woo pondered what dinner awaited him at home, but his thoughts were interrupted once again by Gyeong-Eun.

"Seok-Woo, stay behind," she called out unexpectedly.

His classmates were puzzled but wished him well as he remained behind.

As the last student exited, Gyeong-Eun approached Seok-Woo.

In his mind, Seok-Woo wondered why he had been asked to stay, but he knew he could only find out from her.

They stood facing each other in silence for a moment.

Breaking the silence, Gyeong-Eun spoke up, "Let's have dinner together. I'll treat you today for performing well in class."

Seok-Woo was taken aback by the unexpected invitation.

"I'll inform your mother that you're joining me, so don't worry," Gyeong-Eun added, reassuring him.

Seok-Woo could only nod in acceptance of her offer, thinking to himself, "Well, it's a free meal, so I guess it's worth it."

With that settled, they exited the classroom together. Seok-Woo followed Gyeong-Eun as she headed back to her office to retrieve some things.

As they reached the door of her office, Seok-Woo remarked, "Don't take too long, Professor."

"I won't," she replied curtly before disappearing into her office and closing the door.

As she entered her office, Gyeong-Eun retrieved her phone and dialed Chae-Yoon's number.

Taking a seat, she began gathering the items she would need to bring along.

It didn't take long for the call to connect, and Gyeong-Eun heard Chae-Yoon's voice on the other end.

"Gyeong-Eun, hello. Why did you call me? That's unusual," Chae-Yoon remarked from her home, lounging on the couch and watching television.

"I called to let you know that your son, Seok-Woo, will be having dinner with me. It's my treat," Gyeong-Eun explained, surprising Chae-Yoon.

Gyeong-Eun rarely extended invitations to people outside her circle of friends, so Chae-Yoon inquired about the reason for the gesture.

"I'm simply treating him, as I mentioned," Gyeong-Eun replied, and Chae-Yoon accepted her explanation despite how lacking it is.

"Of course, take care of him. I hope you two bond," Chae-Yoon wished her, to which Gyeong-Eun responded.

"Don't expect too much from me. I'll just keep an eye on him," Gyeong-Eun assured her before ending the call.

Placing her phone on the table, Gyeong-Eun resumed her preparations, eager not to keep Seok-Woo waiting for long.

Meanwhile, outside, Seok-Woo patiently waited. A few minutes had passed, but it was too early for him to leave.

Just as he was about to lean against the wall, the office door opened, and Gyeong-Eun emerged, glancing at Seok-Woo.

"Let's go," she said briefly, heading towards the exit, with Seok-Woo following close behind.

As they stepped outside the building, Gyeong-Eun halted and turned to face him.

"Seok-Woo, I instructed my chauffeur not to pick me up today," she informed him, prompting his attention.

"So, could you drive?" Her tone remained stoic as she fixed her gaze on him. Though not intentionally rude, he sensed an underlying tension, though he couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Seok-Woo met her gaze and replied, "Could you at least add a 'please' there?" His tone was light, more of a casual comment, but Gyeong-Eun seemed to interpret it differently.

"Why? Isn't that enough for you?" she retorted, to which he offered no immediate response, simply staring back at her blankly.

As the two locked eyes, Gyeong-Eun found herself breaking the eye contact after a few moments. This wasn't the reaction she had anticipated; she had expected him to retort in kind. "Is this what Hae-Jung was talking about this side?" she pondered inwardly as she averted her gaze and headed toward the parking area.

Observing her departure, Seok-Woo scratched his head, perplexed. "Why is she so damn cold, anyway?" he wondered to himself. "I'm just asking for a little politeness," he mused, then followed after her.

Seok-Woo caught up with her and gestured towards his car, unlocking it for her.

Instinctively, Gyeong-Eun reached for the backseat door handle, momentarily forgetting it wasn't her car. She quickly corrected herself and moved to the front seat.

As they settled in, both fastening their seatbelts, Seok-Woo prepared to start the car. Before doing so, he turned to Gyeong-Eun. "Where are we headed, Professor?" he inquired.

"We'll be going to the tallest tower in the city. I've made a reservation for us to dine there," Gyeong-Eun replied, prompting a nod of understanding from Seok-Woo.

Seok-Woo couldn't help but think, "Couldn't she have just said the name of the building?" Nevertheless, he started the car and began the journey.

The atmosphere between them remained silent throughout the drive, casting a somber mood. Gyeong-Eun sensed this but was reluctant to initiate conversation.

Similarly, Seok-Woo found it challenging to engage. Firstly, he found little common ground with Gyeong-Eun. Secondly, she was a friend of his mother, demanding a level of respect. And lastly, her demeanor felt unapproachable to him.

As he drove, he thought to himself, "I prefer the atmosphere with Sunhwi and her friends over this." he couldn't help but long for the livelier atmosphere of being with Sunhwi and her friends.

Not long after, the car arrived at the destination. Finding a parking space inside the building wasn't hard, as there were plenty of spare spaces available.

As Seok-Woo got out of the car, he hoped the portion sizes would be generous. Considering it was a high-end establishment, he felt there was a low chance unless he ordered multiple dishes.

Both Seok-Woo and Gyeong-Eun walked inside and entered the elevator, putting some distance between them.

When the elevator stopped for someone to enter, Seok-Woo and Gyeong-Eun noticed a clearly drunk individual being supported by another person in a similar state.

The two of them moved to the middle area of the elevator and began chatting, though their volume was disregarded, slurring every word as they spoke.

Gyeong-Eun and Seok-Woo kept to themselves, ignoring the intoxicated individuals. However, the situation changed when one of the drunk men began to bother Gyeong-Eun.

Initially, Gyeong-Eun ignored him, but his persistence made it difficult to continue ignoring him.

When another person entered, Gyeong-Eun became uncomfortable. Fortunately, Seok-Woo intervened by locking his arms around the shoulders of the two intoxicated men.

"Tell me something interesting," Seok-Woo said with a smile, engaging them in conversation and leading them further away from Gyeong-Eun. Secretly, he pressed a button to exit the elevator at the nearest floor.

As they chatted, Seok-Woo didn't expect their conversation to relate to him.

"You know, I sold my hotel to someone. It was for a hefty sum, so I'm already set for life," one of the drunk men said, impressing his companion.

But Seok-Woo inquired further, "Where is your hotel located?" He asked whether it was related to him or not.

The drunk man pointed out where it was exactly. "It's not far from here... It's within walking distance," he said to him.

One of the drunk men shook his body in shock. "You... mean that 5-star hotel near here?!?!" The man shouted in surprise. Seok-Woo then thought to himself, "Didn't expect to meet the previous owner here." But the drunk man who sold the hotel continued.

"At first, I didn't expect someone to buy it outright. Uhmm.... what was the name of the new owner again?" The drunk man tried to recall Seok-Woo's name from the paperwork.

"Oh.. oh.. the person who bought it, the name is Se-" But before he could finish his words, the elevator opened, and Seok-Woo pushed them out, not waiting for him to say his name, with Gyeong-Eun beside him.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you both. Here's to hoping life treats you well," Seok-Woo said warmly, offering a wave as he pressed the button to close the elevator door.

Before either of them could respond, the doors slid shut, enveloping them in silence once more.