Taming the Wicked Professor (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2

The moment Na Young heard the man say he wanted to kiss her, she was struck by a terrible bout of dizziness.

It must have been because of the alcohol she’d drunk to the point of intoxication.

She wanted to deny it had anything to do with this man.

“I think I should head home now.”

As anxiety rose, her instinct to retreat kicked in automatically.

She hurriedly stood up, but her body swayed violently.

Na Young was utterly flustered—she hadn’t realized she was this drunk, to the point where her body wouldn’t obey her.

His hand had already firmly gripped her arm.

Because she’d just made a foolish spectacle of herself, Na Young couldn’t bring herself to ask him to let go and instead looked up at him.

Standing face-to-face, he felt far more overwhelming than when they’d been sitting across from each other.

It was almost unbelievable that she’d looked at this man and recalled some faded, distant memory like an old, bleached photograph.

It couldn’t possibly be the same person. And she didn’t even want it to be.

Because that would make it a connection far too momentous for her to handle.

Since they’d met and parted all in one day, Na Young wouldn’t ask him anything.

“Are you really leaving right now?”

“Yes, it’s my first shift tomorrow—I can’t afford to be late.”

Tae Hyuk also had his first day at work tomorrow. Yet, he didn’t want to part from her just yet.

But she didn’t even seem willing to tell him her name.

So he’d stubbornly refused to share his either—until, at the very last moment, he gave in.

“Aren’t you even curious about my name?”

At his question, her pupils widened slightly.

But she quickly smiled and nodded, light as air.

That cut straight through his pride.

He’d never clung to someone who was leaving, and he certainly didn’t want to start now.

Tae Hyuk immediately released his grip on her arm.

“Fine. Then take care.”

Tae Hyuk turned away before she did.

And he walked back toward the place he was originally meant to be.

Thinking back, the women Cha Hyun had brought along today were actually prettier and knew how to have fun better.

Aside from the fact they stirred no emotion in him at all, they were much better company.

As he forced this justification upon himself and started climbing the stairs, someone grabbed his hand from behind.

When Tae Hyuk turned around, he saw her—the same woman—and felt a strange sense of relief.

But she hadn’t chased after him because she wanted to stop him from leaving.

“That guy from earlier is back.”

When he looked where she pointed, sure enough, that same jerk was standing with his group, staring right at them.

He must have been eagerly waiting for them to separate.

It was Tae Hyuk who’d said he’d take responsibility for her safety—and he still felt that way, so he turned and walked back down the stairs.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

Tae Hyuk led her out of the club.

Once outside, the pounding music that had been rattling his heart faded away, replaced by the ambient noise of the city.

He even hailed a taxi for her himself.

The last thing he heard from her was a simple word of thanks.

“Thank you.”

Though Tae Hyuk didn’t particularly like hearing that, he said nothing in response.

Na Young, too, couldn’t meet his eyes directly and kept her gaze lowered.

They might have just stood there silently facing each other for a long while if the taxi driver hadn’t urged her to hurry up.

Thud.

As he closed the taxi door for her, the car immediately pulled away.

Tae Hyuk watched the taxi disappear into the distance for a long time before pulling out his phone and calling Cha Hyun.

[You said you’d be back in ten minutes—do you even know how many hours have passed already?]

The moment Cha Hyun answered, he started scolding him.

Hearing Cha Hyun’s familiar voice made the encounter with that woman feel like nothing more than a dream.

“How do you even flirt with a woman?”

Though the woman had already left, Tae Hyuk asked Cha Hyun this question now, hoping to fix whatever was wrong with him.

[What?]

“You’re good at that sort of thing, aren’t you?”

It seemed to him that his failure earlier was simply due to lack of skill.

[If I teach you, do you even have someone to flirt with?]

“There was—but she’s gone.”

[Hahahahaha.]

Hearing about his utter failure, Cha Hyun burst into hearty laughter.

Even Tae Hyuk found it funny—himself, of all people, asking Cha Hyun for advice after getting rejected by a woman. Choi Tae Hyuk, rejected by a woman.

[Where are you? I’ll come get you.]

“Outside the club.”

As he waited for his old friend instead of the woman who’d left, absentmindedly gazing at Seoul’s night skyline, a taxi pulled over across the street.

Seeing the woman stepping out of it, Tae Hyuk slowly straightened his posture.

Though the night was still closer to winter than spring and rather chilly, watching her walk toward him sent warmth spreading through his body.

Today, he’d felt many emotions because of her—but in this moment, he couldn’t easily put a name to what he was feeling.

He was glad she’d come back, yet it wasn’t just happiness.

Something deeper, richer, stirred within him.

She stopped firmly in front of him and looked up into his eyes, asking,

“Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting here because you knew I’d come back?”

In the taxi, Na Young kept turning to look behind her.

When she could no longer see him at all, her chest grew so tight she couldn’t bear it.

If he’d held onto her until the very end, she might have been able to leave without hesitation.

But precisely because he hadn’t, she was left with lingering regret.

Her freedom wouldn’t last even a few more hours—but since it hadn’t ended quite yet, she couldn’t suppress the impulse.

In the end, she’d turned the car around and come back to him.

Until she returned to the hospital, she wanted to do exactly as she pleased.

So that, for the next four years, whenever she thought of this man’s face, she’d have no regrets.

As the warm March morning sunlight poured onto her face, Na Young frowned and opened her eyes.

Seeing the unfamiliar hotel room around her, she felt instantly wide awake.

Slowly, she turned her head to look at the space beside her.

A man lay there.

His bare body, illuminated by the bright light, looked even more supple and beautiful—like Michelangelo’s David.

Holding her breath so as not to wake him, she stared quietly at his sleeping face.

It felt strange knowing she wouldn’t have seen this face if she’d just taken the taxi straight back to the hospital.

Last night, the two of them had moved to a quieter spot for a second round of drinks.

The more she drank, the more she laughed—and the more handsome he seemed.

No, it wasn’t an illusion—he really was that handsome.

And when a man like that set his mind on seducing her, how could someone with zero immunity to men possibly maintain her dignity to the very end?

Her memories were fragmented in places, making her wonder whether it had really happened to her at all.

But the undeniable proof lay right here: the two of them, utterly bare on the same bed.

She’d spent the night with a man she’d just met yesterday.

She wasn’t naïve enough to believe in fated love.

They’d simply been drunk enough to lose control and acted purely on mutual desire.

Assigning blame would be meaningless—it was just a reckless fling.

Today marked the start of her hellish life as a resident.

Romance was out of the question.

So this indiscretion had to end here.

She needed to say goodbye to this man right now.

Even if this moment truly was the last time she’d ever see him, Na Young had no other choice.

“If we meet again in four years, I’ll tell you my name then.”

Making a one-sided promise to a sleeping man who couldn’t hear her, Na Young quickly dressed and left the hotel.

It was time to return to the hospital.

Today at Hangang University Hospital, something even more exciting and momentous than the first day of residency was happening.

A renowned surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic in the U.S. had returned in glory to his alma mater, Hangang University Hospital.

They called him a legend who’d made a name for himself since residency—but for Na Young, who’d only just begun her residency, that was hard to believe.

As a resident, it was already a miracle not to make any mistakes.

Becoming a perfect doctor the moment you shed your intern badge was simply impossible.

Knowing how much time and effort it took to train even one doctor, this new professor—who’d supposedly been brilliant from day one—felt half like a fraud to Na Young.

It must be exaggerated rumors.

“I saw you with that guy and immediately cleared out for you. Worked out well, didn’t it?”

Seung Hee, who’d disappeared early from the club last night, plopped down beside her and immediately started grilling her about the man.

For a brief moment, Na Young’s heart pounded hard—but she quickly played it off, feigning innocence.

“Nothing happened.”

Even though she’d just caused the biggest scandal of her life, she couldn’t confess it—not even to her best friend Seung Hee.

If Seung Hee found out, it would become even harder to forget.

Her freedom was over now.

She had to stop thinking about that nameless man right here.

“Really? He seemed like a really great guy.”

Seung Hee pushed up her glasses, lamenting how she hadn’t worn them last night and thus couldn’t properly see the man’s face.

Na Young just smiled it off.

Thankfully, Seung Hee didn’t bring up the club guy again.

Instead, she switched topics to the love rumors among their hospital colleagues.

She nudged Na Young’s arm and pointed toward a beautiful female doctor seated ahead of them.

“They say Professor Yoon I Na—the new professor arriving today—and that famous cardiothoracic surgeon were an item. Doesn’t Professor Yoon seem unusually excited today?”

So she managed to have both an excellent residency and a romance?

Hearing this, Na Young’s mood soured as the image of the handsome man she’d just given up on that morning flashed through her mind again.

But unlike this legendary professor, Na Young knew she wasn’t cut out to balance residency and romance.

She’d just mess up both.

So she repeated to herself once more: it was truly for the best that she’d parted ways with him without even learning his name.

“If they’ve been apart that long, they’ve probably broken up already.”

Na Young replied cynically.

Just as she’d accepted reality and let go of a wonderful man, surely they’d done the same.

“But wouldn’t they feel even more tender toward each other after reuniting after so long? Wow! That’s straight out of a drama!”

Seung Hee was already lost in her own romantic daydreams about someone else’s love story.

Na Young felt a little envious of Seung Hee, who looked genuinely happy just hearing about other people’s relationships.

Lacking sleep, Na Young leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment.

Her heart felt hollow, achingly empty—but she deliberately ignored it.

When the previously noisy auditorium suddenly fell deathly silent, Na Young realized by sound alone that the legendary professor had arrived.

She slowly opened her eyes.

The darkness lifted, and the auditorium came back into view.

Standing at the podium was Park In Ho, Head of General Surgery—and beside him stood a tall man.

The young new professor who’d flown in from the Cleveland Clinic.

Though dressed in the white coat that typically gave everyone a kind impression, his imposing presence wasn’t masked at all.

This new professor didn’t look like he’d come to recruit staff—he looked like he’d come to conquer the hospital.

The moment Na Young saw his confident, strikingly handsome face, her pupils contracted sharply.

At first, she wondered if she was dreaming with her eyes wide open.

If this was real, she didn’t think she could handle it.

It was him—the man she’d spent the night with.

They’d parted coolly, promising to meet again in four years—and yet, before even a full day had passed, they’d bumped into each other right here at the hospital.

And not just that—he’d descended before her like some untouchable professor from the heavens.

This wasn’t a fated reunion. It was a disaster.

She was supposed to undergo her residency training under this man—who’d seen her completely naked?

Na Young’s face turned pale, and her mind went utterly blank.

“Since the residents are seeing you for the first time, go ahead and introduce yourself properly.”

Unaware of her turning ghost-white in her seat, the new professor’s introduction proceeded smoothly like flowing water.

He stepped forward and spoke for the first time—

His voice, unlike the gentle tone from last night, was firm and commanding, filled with unyielding authority.

“I’m Choi Tae Hyuk, and I’ll be working in the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Department from now on.”

It was the name she’d deliberately never asked—the name she’d thought better left unknown.

Now that she knew it, she could no longer deny this was reality.

The man from that one night had invaded her daily life without permission and delivered the final confirmation.

You’re doomed.

“Look—Professor Yoon I Na’s expression completely changed the moment Professor Choi appeared.”

Seung Hee was still utterly absorbed in the professors’ love story.

But Na Young didn’t even hear her words.

She was in deep trouble.

She had to figure out how to avoid catching Professor Choi Tae Hyuk’s attention at the hospital.

Should she switch departments?

But even if she transferred, she’d inevitably run into a surgery professor eventually.

Unless she left this hospital entirely, she’d be found out someday—

like playing Russian roulette.

If only she could turn back time to yesterday, the very first thing she’d ask him would be:

“What do you do for a living?”

If she’d known he was a doctor, she would’ve bolted without a second glance.

At that exact moment, Professor Choi Tae Hyuk’s gaze swept across the auditorium—and landed directly on where she was sitting.

Na Young couldn’t breathe.