Chapter 23: Caught Red-Handed, an Unexpected Forgiveness

“Holy crap?”

A sudden voice from behind nearly made Yalin leap out of his skin.

He whipped his head around, and his heart, which had been pounding in his chest, finally settled.

‘It truly was the old woman (TL Note: ‘Lao Deng’, a familiar, slightly disrespectful nickname Yalin uses for Wendy Rhine, implying ‘old geezer’ or ‘old fogey’).’

She stood silently in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, still clad in her signature white lab coat.

“Ahem… Professor, well, you’re quite early today, aren’t you?”

Yalin rose to his feet, covering his mouth with a hand, forcing a polite yet awkward smile, much like a scholar caught in a faux pas.

‘Damn it, I’ve been caught secretly using the lab equipment.’

The value of these instruments, he knew, far surpassed that of a few broken beakers.

Aside from the Professor herself, anyone wishing to use them was required to submit a lengthy application.

Yalin, however, was unwilling to have his small secrets exposed so easily, which was why he had always used the equipment surreptitiously whenever Wendy was absent.

‘Who would have thought I’d be caught red-handed today?’

‘This is truly baffling.’

‘What has gotten into the old woman today? Why is she here so early?’

Wendy was a creature of habit; through extensive observation, Yalin had completely memorized her daily routine.

Unless she spent the night in the lab, she would invariably arrive precisely at eight o’clock the following morning.

Not a minute sooner, not a minute later.

‘But why had she appeared today, even before six?’

‘No, there’s no time to dwell on such matters now.’

‘The most crucial point was that he had been caught in the act.’

‘According to regulations, Wendy could make him pay for it.’

‘Holy crap, no!’

‘Anything but that!’

‘I’m sorry, Professor, I’ll never call you ‘the old woman’ behind your back again. Please, have mercy and let me off the hook?’

Wendy’s face was grim as she slowly advanced towards Yalin.

“You came to the lab this early just to do this?”

“Uh, I…”

Yalin glanced at the still-humming machine, realizing there was no escaping his predicament this time.

He could only lower his head, his face a picture of remorse.

“Yes, there was an experiment I’ve long wanted to complete. I couldn’t resist, so I took the liberty of using the lab’s instruments… I am truly sorry.”

Wendy parted her lips, momentarily speechless.

She had always believed Yalin to be shortsighted, someone who would squander his own talents recklessly.

‘Yet, now it seemed the truth was entirely the opposite.’

He had arrived at the lab even before dawn, solely to complete his experiment as early as possible.

‘Yalin’s passion for alchemy had reached such a profound level, yet she, blinded by a momentary prejudice, had overlooked him for so long…’

‘Shameless.’

‘How could she have been so utterly shameless?’

Wendy bit her lip, a pang of anguish twisting in her heart.

“Um, Professor… should I be punished?”

Yalin asked tentatively.

‘What’s wrong with the old woman? She’s standing in front of me with her head down, not saying a word.’

‘This atmosphere is way too eerie, it’s actually terrifying!’

‘Wait a minute, could the old woman be plotting how to get back at me?’

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Yalin’s brow.

“It’s fine.”

At last, Wendy spoke.

Yet, her words were somewhat unexpected by Yalin.

“From now on, you may use any of the lab instruments whenever you wish, no application necessary.”

“After all, it’s just the two of us in the lab; there’s no need for so many rules.”

Wendy turned away, not wanting the distress and self-reproach in her eyes to be seen.

‘Ah… that’s it?’

Yalin stared incredulously at her retreating back, wondering if he was still dreaming.

‘What’s going on? Why did the old woman’s temper suddenly improve so much? Could she be in love?’

‘No, I can’t call her ‘the old woman’ anymore. It should be: the great Professor Wendy is steadfastly leading her beloved student towards the radiant light of truth!’

‘Loyalty! Absolute Loyalty!’

Though he didn’t understand the underlying reason, Yalin had, at least, escaped this predicament!

He quickly put away the newly crafted medium and swiftly cleaned the instrument, leaving no trace, before looking towards Professor Wendy, who was now seated at her desk.

Wendy rested her chin in her hand, seemingly lost in thought.

Her brows furrowed slightly, then slowly relaxed, before she let out a soft sigh.

‘What’s she doing now?’

Yalin was a little bewildered.

He was usually adept at reading people, but at this moment, he couldn’t fathom what Wendy was thinking.

“Yalin, come here for a moment.”

Wendy suddenly looked up, her tone calm.

A shiver ran down Yalin’s spine.

‘No, what now? Is it not over yet?’

‘Can’t she just let me go?’

Though he desperately wanted to bolt, Yalin bravely walked over.

“Professor… is there something you need?”

Wendy paused, then asked.

“Um, did you… did you eat?”

Yalin: ‘?’

‘Seriously, given your serious expression, I thought it was something important, but it’s just to ask this?’

‘Could she be hungry and is rushing me to get breakfast?’

‘Is she really treating me like a beast of burden?’

However, he hadn’t prepared breakfast today.

He had originally planned to leave right after finishing the medium, but who knew the old woman would suddenly pop up.

“No, I left in a hurry today and didn’t have time to prepare anything.”

Yalin scratched his head, answering truthfully.

“I see.”

Wendy averted her gaze, smoothing a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression somewhat unnatural.

Hesitating for a moment, she took a small basket covered with a white cloth from her bag and placed it on the table.

“I made this this morning; I had an extra portion… If you don’t mind, you can have it.”

Yalin: ‘???’

‘Seriously, Professor Wendy, can you please act normal?’

‘Maybe you should just scold me a bit, otherwise, I’m scared.’

Yalin feigned composure, taking the basket without a change in expression.

“Thank you, Professor, for your concern. I’ll gladly accept it.”

“Mm.”

Wendy nodded, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

“Oh, right, how is your hand?”

“My hand?”

Yalin was momentarily stunned before realizing she was referring to the time he had been burned by the reagent.

He immediately understood.

‘No wonder!’

‘I knew the old woman was acting strangely today. I even thought she’d been possessed by someone, but it turns out it was because of guilt.’

‘It seems the plan was even more effective than I’d imagined.’

“It’s fine. A burn of that degree can be healed with white magic in an instant. I almost forgot about it.”

Yalin waved his hand in front of Wendy, smiling as he said, “See, not even a single scar is left.”

Although, if he wanted to, he could have continued to make the old woman feel guilty.

However, everything should be done in moderation; dragging it out would be pointless.

And to be honest, the effect this time was a little too good; even he was a bit scared afterward.

‘Never mind, I won’t try this trick again next time; it’s not good for the heart.’

Wendy offered a wry smile, seemingly a little more at ease.

Aside from that one photo, Yalin realized this was the first time he had seen her truly smile.

‘Honestly, the old woman looks quite good when she smiles.’

“I see, it’s good that you’re alright. Um, I’m sorry about what happened last time…”

Wendy said somewhat stiffly, “Anyway, the sandwiches should still be warm. Eat them quickly.”

“Okay, thank you, Professor!”

Yalin put on a happy face, smiling as he opened the white cloth covering the basket.

Then, his smile vanished.

‘Seriously, what is this stuff? Is it actually edible?’

‘That old woman, she really is trying to kill me, isn’t she!’