Chapter 6
The first problem was that even after being treated like that in the first class, he hadn’t realized how little respect the students had for the course. The second problem was that standing on the podium and teaching was not as easy as he had thought.
Public speaking didn’t go as well as when he practiced alone. He could guess the reason. It was only during the second class on Friday’s 8th period that he could finally see the students, and they were looking at him with hostile gazes.
How could a class go well under these circumstances? Even a class that should be good would surely be ruined, he thought with some dismay.
‘Is it because the class is scheduled for Monday 1st period and Friday 8th period?’
If that’s the case… honestly, he could understand. It was a truly terrible schedule, no matter who had selected it. But surely Ko Eungyo didn’t set the class schedule himself.
This was just bad luck.
As previously announced through Nam Seonjae, the students had each printed out the PDF file uploaded to the lecture board. Having unexpectedly gained time until Friday, he managed to create a slightly more detailed PowerPoint presentation by reviving his undergraduate memories and uploaded it.
There was a lecture plan that Ko Eungyo had uploaded, but it was too abbreviated. Therefore, he planned to conduct the orientation based on the new PowerPoint file he created and Ko Eungyo’s lecture plan. For now, at least.
Even if he were to change the lecture plan a bit… in the first session, shouldn’t he inform the students about the direction this class would take?
But his students were ruffians who had boycotted the first day of class with the excuse of participating in the welcoming ceremony. It’s hard to believe these guys would become chicks saying “Yes, senior!” when they enter the field later. Except for the innocent-looking Nam Seonjae, the rest of the students were literally irredeemable troublemakers…
No, he shouldn’t have prejudices against the students from the beginning.
He tried hard to suppress his resentment toward the students for disrespecting his class.
He had never thought he would become anything like a teacher, but since things had turned out this way, he needed to at least imitate the image of an educator he had ideally envisioned.
Before starting the official orientation, he planned to spend 10 minutes on a topic for light jokes, 10 minutes for a brief lecture plan briefing, and the remaining 30 minutes allowing them to freely form groups for team projects. The task for this session was to determine presentation topics while looking at the new PowerPoint uploaded to the lecture board…
No one laughed at the video showing on the beam projector. Even if he tried to crack jokes now, the atmosphere would only become awkward. The students were looking at him with cold gazes. Their expressions seemed to say, ‘So what?’
‘It must be my imagination.’
These students have no reason to dislike him.
Since this was his first time standing at the podium teaching to a large audience, he must have misunderstood due to extreme nervousness.
Taking a discreet deep breath, he finished watching the video and naturally moved on to the next slide of the PowerPoint.
“Next… this is what we’ll be studying during this semester. You’ve all probably seen the syllabus, but the lectures will consist of group activities, and from next Friday, we’ll proceed with presentation-based lessons. The lectures will proceed with content slightly different from the syllabus you see now.”
Weeks 1-17 copied directly from Ko Eungyo’s syllabus were displayed. He repeatedly emphasized to the students that the syllabus had been modified.
“I’ve uploaded the new syllabus and related paper list to the lecture board, so please check it out.”
“…”
The cold college students didn’t even respond, as if the words of a new professor didn’t register as human speech to them.
He swallowed the sigh that was rising up.
‘Well, I didn’t answer professors’ questions when I was an undergraduate either…’
Then this might be a boomerang. Karma, that is. There was no reason for students to be friendly to him, especially since he wasn’t even a major professor who would directly influence their career paths.
Comforting himself with that thought, he mumbled in a slightly smaller voice, “Then please form groups autonomously for the remaining time and submit a list.”
Of course, there was no answer this time either. Perhaps because it hadn’t been long since it rained, he felt severe chills again.
That’s when it happened.
“Professor? I have a question.”
Thinking it might be the cute Nam Seonjae, he quickly came to his senses and looked forward, only to see one of the students he didn’t recognize raising his hand.
The student had a sporty short haircut that didn’t need hair wax, yet it was so heavily waxed that his entire head looked glossy, giving him a broad-shouldered impression. When he directed his gaze at the student, the student slightly raised one palm in front of his face.
“Yes.”
He nodded, looking at the student. He had already prepared a Q&A list last night in anticipation of possible questions.
Would they ask if they could refer to papers other than those on the list? Or would they inquire about exam or report schedules? His heart pounded with an emotion he couldn’t tell was anticipation or anxiety.
“About the topic for the first week.”
Wait, doesn’t he say his name before asking a question?
That felt rather impertinent.
His ideal image of a questioner was someone who would place one hand near their ear and say, “My name is so-and-so. I have a question, Professor!” and politely ask. Since he was a professor dealing with about 80 students, he had an attendance book, but it was difficult to match students’ faces with their names. This meant it was nearly impossible to identify who the student was without an introduction.
Anyway, he nodded for now.
“Yes.”
The student cleared his throat and continued with his question.
“What is… ’empathy’?”
This was also one of the questions on his anticipated Q&A list.
He had actually expected more specific questions, something along the lines of “I would like a more detailed explanation of each week’s topic.” However, he could see from the first lecture that the students lacked academic enthusiasm, so it made sense they were only curious about the topic “empathy” which would be covered in next week’s class.
But then, laughter erupted from the students—laughter that hadn’t emerged even when watching a video on the topic “To date Guide Park Jisung, the only way is to meet someone with the surname Park and make them change their name.”
He blinked, listening to the laughter. It was a high-pitched laugh that he couldn’t tell if it was mockery or forced.
“…”
This was… a type of laughter he had no immunity against. Even though he was a novice professor who had just taken on a commissioned lecture for the first time, he could distinguish between malice and goodwill. The students were clearly looking down on him.
He tried his best not to show that he was flustered.
One thing was clear.
He—his class—was not welcomed here.
Realizing this fact actually cooled his head. In any situation, he was not in a position to quit the class. Also, regardless of his helpless circumstances, there was no reason to give up something he had decided to do just because someone didn’t welcome him.
The people attending his lecture were students five to ten years younger than him. The years he had lived were not so insignificant that he would stammer from intimidation or flee the classroom heartbroken.
“Professor?”
He quickly organized what he wanted to say. Then, looking directly at the questioner, he answered.
“Espers and Guides cannot conduct sufficient Guiding without empathy. That’s why ability users must learn to ’empathize’ with each other before Guiding.”
“So, Professor.”
At least when he first asked, he pretended to be polite, but the voice that followed his words now had only a rough feel to it.
The student twitched his cheek once, then said loudly.
“What exactly is that ’empathy’… Are we going to do some kind of mucous membrane Guiding in the classroom?”
As soon as the questioner’s words fell, an even louder burst of laughter erupted from the students than before.
His expression hardened. Asking out of nowhere if they would do mucous membrane Guiding—is this the mental state of kids these days?
Mucous membrane Guiding means at minimum, kissing. Most often, it means sex. So that question had a nuance no different from asking “Are we going to have an orgy in the classroom?”
With displeasure greater than confusion, he couldn’t answer immediately.
As a senior Guide who had been through countless field experiences, he had been respected by most Guides, not to mention Espers. This meant he had never once been made a laughingstock with sexual harassment-like jokes by greenhorns who didn’t even know the basics of fieldwork.
“What is your name, student?”
His slightly lowered voice sounded gentle at first glance.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
