“Are you… dating Rohan?”
“!?”
Clara, who had been looking down slightly, snapped her head up.
It seed like this was the first ti the two of them had exchanged such a direct gaze.
“As your supervising instructor, I have no intention of interfering if a cadet is in a relationship. I’m aware that it can serve as good motivation,” Jo Yeon said calmly.
“Ugh…!”
Even with Jo Yeon’s reassurance, Clara’s flustered state didn’t subside.
Sensing her discomfort, Jo Yeon quickly added, “It’s just simple curiosity. You’ve been with Rohan at the bookstore, and during this recent incident as well. You two seem particularly close.”
“D-dating ans… being in a relationship, right? M- and Rohan oppa…?”
“That’s right. While the term can be interpreted in other ways, that’s what I’m asking about.”
Ending his statent, Jo Yeon casually walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
When he returned with a cool glass of juice, Clara was fiddling nervously with her hair, her face still flushed.
She accepted the juice but didn’t drink it; instead, she used it to cool her burning cheeks.
“I’m not… d-dating oppa…”
Even as she denied it, her voice trailed off hesitantly, as though shackled by her own words. Her fingers fidgeted restlessly, and her body twisted nervously like a pretzel.
Her reaction was so transparent that even soone like Jo Yeon, who had little experience with romance, could understand her feelings imdiately.
A warm smile crept across his face.
It was hard not to root for the innocent affection this girl seed to harbor.
“I see. Then I’ll wish you the best and cheer for you from afar.”
“…!”
“Rohan has an odd tendency to get involved in incidents, doesn’t he? It wouldn’t be good for him to be alone even outside the academy.”
Of course, it was against academy policy for male and female cadets to live together in the dormitory.
But given the chaotic tis, Jo Yeon felt a small sense of relief knowing that soone as capable as Clara was at Rohan’s side in the bookstore.
Hearing those words, Clara’s face lit up with admiration.
‘Ah!’
To Jo Yeon, his words of encouragent were nothing significant.
But to Clara, they felt like a tidal wave washing away her hidden fears.
‘What a kind person…!’
In her heart, Clara couldn’t help but revere Jo Yeon as she held the glass of juice in both hands like it was a prayer offering.
“Clara.”
“Yes…!”
“Do you have any foods you can’t eat?”
“I, um… find really bitter things… difficult.”
“I see.”
As Jo Yeon moved around, Clara began to trail behind him like a duckling.
After seating Clara at the dining table, he opened the refrigerator and checked its contents.
‘No at.’
He opened the vegetable drawer and confird the sparse stock before falling into thought.
‘The ingredients are too limited. If it cos down to it, ordering delivery might be best.’
The cost wasn’t an issue. All he wanted was to make sure they ate well.
However, even the thought of delivery gave him pause.
There was one problem hidden behind the kindness that Clara and Rohan might appreciate.
Sigh…
Jo Yeon felt a mixture of guilt and regret.
Even if imagination and delusion didn’t require the other person’s consent, he couldn’t deny that he had been projecting his lost younger brother onto Rohan more and more often.
No matter how much he shook his head and denied it, today, when Rohan returned safely from a dangerous situation, he could no longer ignore the truth.
Rohan’s presence was helping Jo Yeon overco the trauma he had been unable to let go of for so long.
It wasn’t sothing dicine could fix; it had seeped into his mind through his hardened body.
And for that, he couldn’t help but feel sorry toward Clara, who had unknowingly stirred these feelings.
‘I really… am a failure as an instructor.’
Closing the refrigerator, Jo Yeon composed himself.
Then, turning to Clara, who was quietly sipping her juice, he said, “Embarrassingly, I haven’t done any grocery shopping recently. Would it be alright if we ordered delivery for dinner?”
“Oh, of course… that’s perfectly fine…!”
“Then we’ll place the order when Rohan arrives. I’m not sure when he’ll get here, though.”
At his words, Clara glanced at her smartphone and broke into a bashful smile.
Her expression made it obvious who she was ssaging.
Jo Yeon chuckled softly as he waited for her to speak.
“Oppa said he’ll be leaving soon…!”
“Hmm, so he reports properly to Clara, huh?”
Clara looked pleased at his comnt. If she had animal traits, her tail would probably be wagging, and her ears would be twitching with excitent.
Jo Yeon couldn’t help but understand the sentint.
Jo Yeon brewed coffee, letting the heavy aroma spread throughout the living room. Carrying a steaming mug and a notebook, she sat across from Clara.
It was ti to transition from casual small talk to a more serious topic.
“And about immigration,” Jo Yeon began, her tone asured. “Even if it’s sensitive information, I hope you’ll answer my questions honestly.”
Clara nodded resolutely, signaling her understanding.
From Jo Yeon’s perspective, the girl seed surprisingly less anxious about this topic.
“What is your officially registered country of origin?”
“Well, I haven’t told oppa about this yet…” Clara hesitated.
“Don’t worry. I won’t reveal any of your personal information without your consent,” Jo Yeon assured her.
“Thank you…!”
Reassured, Clara’s expression softened, and her voice beca clearer.
Satisfied with her relaxed tone, Jo Yeon opened her notebook and clicked her pen, signaling her intention to take notes.
“Let ask again. What is your officially registered country of origin?”
“It’s… a country called Zeno.”
“You’ve co from far away. It must have been difficult.”
Though Zeno was a small and reclusive nation, Jo Yeon was well aware of its internal turmoil due to civil unrest.
No matter how tightly Zeno tried to conceal its struggles, it couldn’t escape the watchful eyes of the major powers.
“Did you falsify any information in the docunts you submitted to the authorities? If so, now’s the ti to make corrections.”
“There’s nothing false…!” Clara said earnestly.
“And, according to Rohan, you’re not a criminal on the run or soone with a bounty on your head, correct?”
“Yes.”
Jo Yeon continued asking questions, and Clara answered them without hesitation.
She even shared a rather foolish anecdote about selling her old phone from Zeno for a ager amount, using the money to buy extravagant clothes, back when she didn’t fully understand the value of money.
Jo Yeon listened intently without a trace of mockery, his expression serious throughout.
When Clara’s juice cup was finally empty, Jo Yeon leaned back slightly and said, “To be honest, there’s much more I’d like to ask. But this is all the information needed for your immigration request, so I won’t overstep.”
His gaze shifted to the weapon Clara had placed nearby.
In such chaotic tis, the ability to protect oneself and one’s loved ones was crucial.
“...Thank you,” Clara said softly, understanding the aning behind Jo Yeon’s words and gaze.
“One last thing, Clara.”
Jo Yeon’s voice lowered, becoming more serious than before.
Clara’s eyes t his, and for a mont, she felt as though his steady gaze carried the weight of fire.
“If your purpose for creating a new identity is tied to criminal activity that brings harm to Academy City, both the security forces and I will have no choice but to act.”
His words carried an undeniable air of finality, as if to say forgiveness would not be an option.
The overwhelming intensity of his presence left Clara montarily breathless.
“That’s part of my responsibility in helping you through this process. Do you understand?”
“Yes…!”
Clara nodded firmly without hesitation.
Seeing her response, Jo Yeon’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, and the heavy atmosphere instantly lightened.
“I’ll give you my number. Feel free to contact if you encounter any issues or need advice.”
“!”
At those words, Clara eagerly extended her smartphone with both hands.
***
Once the heavy topic had been addressed, the conversation between Jo Yeon and Clara shifted to lighter matters related to Academy City as they waited for Rohan.
Clara tapped her fingers against the empty juice bottle before finally speaking up.
“Jo Yeon-nim, I have sothing I’m worried about… Would you mind listening to ?”
“If I can be of any help, I’d be happy to.”
How reassuring!
Clara felt as though Jo Yeon would offer profound advice that could pierce through her immature thoughts.
“Well, um, in Zeno, we had a monogamous culture…”
“My holand, Samhwaguk, is the sa. Most countries are, really.”
Feeling a newfound sense of connection, Clara’s eyes sparkled with hope as she asked, “T-then! Have you ever been in a relationship where the man was from a polygamous culture?”
“Hmm?”
Jo Yeon tilted her head, montarily pondering why Clara would ask such a question.
But it didn’t take long for her to realize exactly where Clara’s attention was focused—and on whom.
‘Ah, Solarea is like that. Tigrova as well.’
Having recently read up on the southern regions while working with Rohan, Jo Yeon could recall the details vividly.
So, she decided to give an honest answer.
“I’m afraid I can’t be much help in that area. I’ve never been in a relationship with a man, you see.”
“!!!”
Clara’s eyes widened in shock at Jo Yeon’s casual confession.
Such a beautiful woman had never experienced romance? Was it simply because no man had t her standards?
“T-then…! If you were to et a man from a polygamous culture in the future, how would you handle it?”
“Hmm.”
Jo Yeon had never given much thought to romance.
But now, faced with Clara’s desperate gaze, she felt compelled to think seriously about the matter.
‘Polygamy, huh.’
Jo Yeon had never been romantically inclined toward n, so it was a difficult concept for her to imagine.
She had received plenty of confessions and proposals before.
But she had never understood the fervent gazes they directed at her.
‘Polygamy is ultimately just a cultural difference.’
Thinking along those lines, she ca to a conclusion.
“The one approaching should be willing to understand the other’s culture.”
It was similar to how Instructor Carrot would reserve a Samhwaguk restaurant when inviting her to a al.
For soone like Jo Yeon, who had never experienced romantic feelings, that was the closest comparison she could make.
“…!”
Clara froze at Jo Yeon’s matter-of-fact answer.
The thoughts she had when she t Noah from Tigrova at the bookstore resurfaced, hamred deeper into her mind.
“Let explain,” Jo Yeon said, taking on the tone of a teacher.
She explained that a country’s culture was its pride and a guiding principle for its people.
It ford the foundation of their common sense and values.
While turning the dining table into a makeshift lectern for her impromptu lesson—
Ding-dong!
The sound of the doorbell echoed.
On the cara screen, Rohan’s face appeared, peeking curiously into the cara.
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