“Aaaaaaaagh!!!
Pro…
Professor!!!
Just this once!!!…
Please check it just once!!!
Please?!!
Save meeeee!!!!!”
A scruffy tracksuit, thick glasses, greasy braided hair, and a mountain of papers.
Chloe Robelia, the quintessential image of a graduate student, desperately chased after the professor.
“I told you, the semester has started, so I’m busy.
I’ve become a homeroom professor now.
What were you doing during the break that you’re bringing me a thesis during the semester?”
Grind— Crunch—
Hearing the professor’s words, Chloe gnashed her teeth inwardly.
If it weren’t a crime, she really wanted to kill him.
‘What was I doing during the break?!!!!!’
Hadn’t she been helping with the professor’s private research all day long!
‘And for no pay, at that!!!!!’
Unpaid?
Fine, whatever.
A graduate student helping a professor with private research for no pay was a common occurrence, even if it wasn’t exactly right.
Still…
She thought that after all that hard work, he would at least put her name on a line in the paper.
She didn’t even expect to be a co-first author; she would have been happy with second author.
But that damn bastard of a professor had just wiped his mouth clean without a word.
She was resentful and felt it was unfair, but what could she do?
In this place, Chloe was the absolute underdog.
“My esteemed Professor!!!
Please!!!!
If I fail the thesis review again this time, I’m literally going to die!!!!!
Please!!!
Plea-e-e-ease!!!
Save me just this once!!!!
Yes?
Professor…
Should I really die??
Should I open the window and jump right now???”
“Sigh…
Seriously…
I told you to prepare in advance.
Tsk.
Leave it there.
I’ll take a look when I have time.”
“Ah!!!!
Yes!!!
Thank you!!!
Thank you so much!!!
You’re the only one for me, Professor!!
I respect you!!!
May you live a long and healthy life!!!”
“…Stop making a scene.
Forget that and just make sure the lecture materials for next week are ready.”
“Yes!!!
I will prepare them perfectly!!!
I shall take my leave now!!!!”
Bowing at a 90-degree angle, Chloe backed out of the room and closed the door.
—Click.
And the moment the door shut, her face contorted as she threw up double middle fingers.
“Ugh…
I should really just…”
Click, swish—!
At the sound of the door opening, Chloe instantly hid her hands and beamed a bright smile as if nothing had happened.
“Is something the matter!!!!
My esteemed Professor!!!!”
“Ah, Chloe.
Sorry, but I’m out of coffee.
If you have time, could you go buy some?”
“Ye-yes!!!
Of course!!!
A double-shot vanilla latte with whipped cream and extra java chips, just like always, right?!!”
“You know me well.
Here, buy yourself one with the change.”
“Yes!!!
Thank you!!!”
Chloe tightly gripped the 10,000 Eris the professor placed in her hand. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Seriously…
that piece of shit…
He won’t even drink the stuff from the Academy cafe.”
She was already busy enough to die, and now she had to go all the way to the shopping district just to run a coffee errand.
“Sigh…”
With her hands in her pockets, Chloe let out a deep sigh as she trudged toward the shopping district.
Just why had her life become so twisted?
No, she knew why.
It was her fault for being the only one to get an A+ in Magic Tool Engineering during the second semester of her senior year.
‘Student Chloe.
You scored a 39 on the midterm and a 40 on the final, which is nearly a perfect score.’
‘Ah!
Thank you for the high evaluation!’
‘So, I’m grateful that you listened so intently to my lectures, and I’d like to have a meal and chat…
Do you happen to have time this Thursday or Friday?’
‘Yes!
Professor!
Of course!
Would Thursday work!’
‘Great.
Then come to my lab at 12 o’clock on Thursday.’
She should have made any excuse to refuse.
Back then, Chloe was so naive she thought they were just going to eat.
She had been fooled by his sweet talk—saying she had a talent for being a professor and that she could definitely finish a doctoral program in five years—and stamped the graduate school admission papers.
The result?
Now, eight years later.
Chloe was still stuck in graduate school.
“I should have…
escaped back then….”
Chloe clutched her face as memories of missed escape opportunities flooded back.
Three years after entering graduate school, Chloe, who had finally earned her master’s degree, thought:
‘Graduate school is insanity.’
Even though it was a year later than the two years the professor had promised for a master’s, she had the degree now, so it was time to return to being a free woman.
‘Chloe, there are “Master-of-Alls” in this world, but there’s no such thing as a “Master-of-Masters,” you know?
Even though you struggled a li~ttle bit during the master’s program, the doctoral program will be over much faster.
If you just endure a little bit more here, you’ll be called “Doctor”…
Isn’t it a waste of everything you’ve built up so far?