Taming the Wicked Professor (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7

Seung Joon dropped by Tae Hyuk’s lab intending to ask him to have dinner together, but was startled to find Choi Tae Hyuk standing in front of a mirror, fixing his hair.

Choi Tae Hyuk—the legendary Choi Tae Hyuk—grooming himself in front of a mirror!

This was undeniable proof.

Seung Joon flung the door open and announced loudly,

“You’re going to meet a girl, aren’t you? Who is she? Is she pretty?”

Tae Hyuk glared at Seung Joon and coldly told him to mind his own business, then picked up his jacket hanging on the coat rack.

As Tae Hyuk hurried to leave the lab, Seung Joon blocked the doorway with his hand and put on a pitiful expression.

“We’re both getting older together—don’t just hog all the good women for yourself. Introduce one to me too.”

He was just about to snap at Seung Joon, who was being even more annoying than usual today.

With a nose sticking out three inches long right now, how dare he ask for introductions?

“Move. I don’t have time for you.”

Tae Hyuk pushed Seung Joon’s arm aside and walked down the hallway.

Seung Joon watched Tae Hyuk’s retreating back as he left alone, pulled out his phone, and made a call.

“Ah, Nade. It seems Tae Hyuk has another appointment.”

[What kind of appointment?]

“Knowing Choi Tae Hyuk’s personality, there’s no way he’d willingly tell me about it.”

Although it clearly looked like he was off to meet a woman, Seung Joon didn’t tell Yoon I Na honestly.

He knew she still had lingering feelings for Tae Hyuk.

There was no need to deliberately hurt her.

After hanging up with Yoon I Na, Seung Joon looked toward the empty hallway where Tae Hyuk had disappeared.

Suddenly, he remembered something Tae Hyuk had said while drinking alcohol.

‘Do you know Moon Na Young, our department’s first-year resident?’

Surely not—there was no way.

Even if he was a professor, he wouldn’t develop feelings for an intern who’d just started residency right after returning to the hospital.

Feeling oddly uneasy, Seung Joon called his younger sister, Seung Hee.

“I’ll treat you to dinner. Bring Moon Na Young along.”

It wouldn’t hurt to give Moon Na Young a subtle heads-up.

But Seung Hee said she was on duty and couldn’t come out.

“Then just send Moon Na Young alone.”

[Are you crazy?]

He’d meant to take care of her, yet got called crazy by his own sister.

Na Young, who received Seung Hee’s message badmouthing her brother, didn’t think Oh Seung Joon was crazy.

On the contrary, having dinner with him sounded like a pretty good idea.

Oh Seung Joon was the older brother of her close friend and also Tae Hyuk’s fellow professor.

She’d been a little worried that dining alone with him might lead to an awkward situation, but with Oh Seung Joon around, that definitely wouldn’t happen.

So Na Young called Oh Seung Joon first.

[So it was you having dinner with Choi Tae Hyuk?]

But Oh Seung Joon reacted with visible surprise to her dinner invitation.

No—he seemed shocked that she was having dinner with Professor Choi Tae Hyuk.

Na Young wondered if she’d made a mistake by contacting him first, but at this point, she couldn’t just deny it.

“I made a lot of mistakes with Professor Choi, so this is just my way of asking him to cut me some slack. Please come, Professor Oh, and take my side.”

[So you’re treating him because he’s your supervising professor?]

“Yes, of course. How can a resident learn properly if they’re on bad terms with their supervisor?”

Feeling guilty, Na Young found herself explaining in excessive detail.

[Got it. I’ll take full responsibility and sort things out between you and Professor Choi.]

Sort things out?

Hearing such a grandiose phrase from Oh Seung Joon made Na Young slightly uneasy.

Should she have asked Professor Choi Tae Hyuk for permission before calling Oh Seung Joon?

It’ll be fine.

After all, she was the one paying for the meal anyway.

Tae Hyuk arrived first at the main gate—the agreed meeting spot—and checked his wristwatch.

He’d hurried because of Seung Joon and arrived a bit early, but he didn’t mind.

Waiting like this didn’t seem so bad after all.

By nature, he absolutely hated waiting for anyone, yet right now, he didn’t feel that way at all.

She’d insisted on treating him under the guise of their supervisor-resident relationship, so the atmosphere would surely be different from their encounter at the club—but still, Tae Hyuk looked forward to seeing her.

He had to be careful, though—not let any selfish desire slip out unexpectedly.

For now, he needed to properly act like the lofty, sky-high professor she looked up to.

With dignity and grace.

Tap.

Someone lightly tapped his shoulder. Assuming it was Moon Na Young, Tae Hyuk turned around with a smile—but his expression instantly crumpled when he saw Oh Seung Joon standing there.

“Are you a stalker? Why’d you follow me all the way here!”

Seeing Tae Hyuk immediately lose his temper, Oh Seung Joon looked utterly exasperated.

That look on Choi Tae Hyuk’s face just now was unmistakably that of a man heading out on a date.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would’ve believed Choi Tae Hyuk capable of such an expression.

“You’re the one calling her ‘Moon Na Young’? Are you out of your mind? She’s a first-year resident—already overwhelmed with hospital duties—and you’re pulling this nonsense?”

Tae Hyuk tried to shove Oh Seung Joon’s torso away to chase him off.

“Get lost.”

“Get lost? What are you talking about! I was invited by Moon Na Young!”

At Oh Seung Joon’s words, Tae Hyuk froze.

“What?”

“She felt awkward about having dinner alone with you, so she invited me too. Can’t you grasp the situation, Professor Choi?”

Choi Tae Hyuk finally shut his mouth tightly and said nothing. Seung Joon clicked his tongue in disapproval, then clasped his hands together and pleaded earnestly,

“Professor. Please don’t succumb to your desires—teach her with noble intentions and mold Madonna into an excellent doctor.”

Madonna would freeze to death.

Tae Hyuk hated that nickname the most.

He spotted Moon Na Young descending the escalator in the distance.

She didn’t seem surprised at all to see the two of them together—which confirmed Oh Seung Joon was telling the truth.

Tae Hyuk told himself there was no reason to be disappointed, but his mood had already grown heavier than before.

“It’s an honor to dine with both professors.”

Seeing her respectful demeanor, Seung Joon deliberately said—loud enough for Tae Hyuk to hear—

“Wow. Dr. Moon clearly holds our professors in very high regard.”

As if only *he* had ulterior motives, Seung Joon subtly threw shade at him, making Tae Hyuk’s glare even sharper.

He immediately turned and walked ahead.

So Seung Joon and Na Young followed behind him.

“It would’ve been nice if Seung Hee could’ve come too.”

Since Seung Hee was the only common connection between her and Oh Seung Joon, it was only natural their conversation turned to her.

“That kid still has a long way to go. She needs to work twice as hard as others, yet she lazes around reading romance novels.”

“No, she’s been working hard lately.”

Na Young glanced at Professor Choi Tae Hyuk’s tall, broad back walking ahead.

He hadn’t said a word since they left, which had been bothering her.

Could he be upset that she’d invited Professor Oh without asking him first?

But apologizing in front of Professor Oh would only make things awkward, so she couldn’t do it now.

“Are Professor Choi and Professor Oh close?”

She deliberately asked about their relationship to pull him into the conversation.

“Of course. Among our batch, I’m the only one who can tolerate Choi Tae Hyuk’s damn insufferable personality.”

Professor Choi Tae Hyuk immediately turned around and glared at Oh Seung Joon.

“Damn?”

“What? Now you suddenly want to play the cool professor in front of a young resident? You’ve already been branded ‘Viper Professor’ among the residents.”

When Tae Hyuk looked at her, Na Young politely smiled and gave him a favorable interpretation.

“If you scold us, we won’t repeat the same mistakes. I think even Professor Choi’s sharp reprimands are necessary.”

“He’s the kind of guy who openly cursed at professors even when he was a resident.”

“What?”

She was so shocked that she covered her mouth with both hands.

Tae Hyuk gestured sharply to stop Oh Seung Joon from revealing any more of his vulgar past and called out,

“You, come walk next to me.”

Oh Seung Joon deliberately pressed closer to Na Young’s side and shook his head.

“Nope. I prefer walking next to Dr. Moon Na Young.”

That really struck a nerve with Tae Hyuk, so he immediately moved to grab Oh Seung Joon.

But Oh Seung Joon didn’t stay still—he darted behind Na Young.

Suddenly, the two professors began playing tag with her in the middle.

Na Young was utterly bewildered yet amused by this uncharacteristically childish behavior from two supposedly authoritative professors, so she covered her mouth and laughed.

Rrrrrrrrrr Rrrrrrrrrr

Just then, someone’s phone rang.

It was Oh Seung Joon’s.

The moment he answered, his relaxed expression vanished instantly.

“Got it. I’ll head straight to the ER.”

Hearing “ER,” Tae Hyuk immediately stopped chasing Oh Seung Joon.

After hanging up, Seung Joon quickly explained to them,

“Emergency surgery came up. I’ve got to go.”

Before either of them could say anything, Oh Seung Joon dashed off abruptly.

After all that commotion, they were left alone again.

“…….”

“…….”

Tae Hyuk and Na Young, both looking where Seung Joon had disappeared, turned their heads—and the moment their eyes met, a strange current passed between them.

It didn’t take a year. One second was enough.

That was all it took for the relationship between professor and resident to shift.

The moment their eyes met, she felt a completely different sensation from when she’d been chatting easily with Professor Oh—and she became suddenly self-conscious without realizing it.

Apparently, inviting Professor Oh had been a mistake on her part.

If he’d never come, she wouldn’t be feeling this awkward self-awareness.

Na Young looked away first and spoke as casually as she could,

“Then I guess it’s just the two of us going for dinner.”

He nodded in agreement.

Na Young went with Professor Choi Tae Hyuk to a nearby restaurant known for its delicious barley-marinated hairtail set meal.

“I was worried you might feel uncomfortable if I treated you to something expensive, so I specifically chose a place that’s affordable, tasty, and healthy.”

Tae Hyuk had visited this barley-marinated hairtail restaurant a few times before leaving for the U.S.

It was a long-standing local favorite near the hospital.

Since they only served one menu item—the barley-marinated hairtail set—they didn’t even need to agonize over ordering.

A brief silence fell between the two as they took their seats.

Professor Choi Tae Hyuk didn’t seem to mind the quiet, but to her, this awkwardness was deeply grating.

Every time the tension grew, it forcibly dragged her back to that day.

Driven by the silence, Na Young hastily asked the first thing that came to mind.

“How was life in the U.S.?”

“I was just at the hospital—it’s exactly the same as here.”

It sounded like the only difference was the patients’ ethnicities.

“I’d like to work at the Cleveland Clinic someday too.”

Tae Hyuk frowned and immediately shook his head.

“It’s nothing special.”

Huh. He’d worked there himself, earned recognition, and now he was telling *her* not to go?

“But I still want to go.”

Not only was she an overambitious resident, but she even planned to cross the Pacific Ocean.

Now, their first meeting—where everything had flowed so effortlessly—felt like nothing but a dream.

If things were this difficult now, how had that day even been possible?

Tae Hyuk just stared blankly at the innocent barley-marinated hairtail.

“Please try it. It’s really delicious.”

When he looked up at her, Na Young offered a neat, polite smile.

It wasn’t the wholehearted, radiant smile from that day—but she was still beautiful.

Tae Hyuk picked up his spoon.

Once Professor Choi Tae Hyuk started eating, Na Young finally relaxed and began her meal too.

“Good thing we didn’t get an emergency call. Seems like we’re meant to eat today.”

She’d meant it kindly, but Tae Hyuk stopped eating and stared straight at her face—making Na Young flinch.

“Oh! Could an emergency call come just because I said that?”

It wasn’t because of that—it was because she’d said “we.”

That single word made him feel instantly closer to her.

Just as he was about to say something to Na Young, a familiar voice called out to him.

“Professor Choi. Fancy meeting you here.”

It was Yoon I Na.

Instead of an emergency call, a woman with history with Professor Choi Tae Hyuk had appeared.