Don't Feed the Professor! - Chapter 76

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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One thing was certain. Kang Do-jin had felt it then, and felt it now—that he was part of a plan that had gone awry.
But what was it? Why had he been needed then, only to become disposable now?
Perhaps he would never know.
“Ah, Sister, might I ask one more thing?”
As Kang Do-jin turned toward the Parking Lot, the Director Nun nodded.
“That transplant surgery my brother received—do you remember exactly what kind it was?”
“Well, you wouldn’t remember. Nowadays they filter hematopoietic stem cells from blood, but back then we didn’t have that technology.”
“……A Bone Marrow Transplant?”
“Yes, and when I think about it now, it was pure fate. One of our sponsors had a connection to Song Won, and we were able to find a donor who was a perfect match and cover all the surgery costs…….”
Fate.
Could such a thing truly exist in this world? A perfect donor appearing like a miracle before an orphan boy like Kang Woo-jin?
It couldn’t be.
It would be the opposite.
“Do-jin?”
The Director Nun stirred him from his thoughts. Kang Do-jin quickly shook his head.
“Please go inside. I’ll be in touch again soon.”
Kang Do-jin quickened his pace. He thought he knew where he needed to go.
* * *
“Seatbelt.”
Not even a greeting anymore, I thought with a silent laugh, and fastened the seatbelt.
Mallo’s car had weak air conditioning running. The leather seat felt cool against my skin through my t-shirt, and it felt good.
“Why the Sunglasses, though?”
Mallo started the engine as he answered my question.
“My eyes are sensitive.”
Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d ridden in Mallo’s car during the middle of the day. The sunlight had been getting stronger lately too.
Last night I’d asked Mallo to take me to the Sairim Hotel.
I wanted to retrieve Momo’s Grandmother’s Heirloom before she left the Fortress. I didn’t want to wait around downtown until noon, so I needed Mallo’s car.
‘Is this all just an excuse, though?’
I still couldn’t explain why I’d called Mallo in the first place.
Maybe it was because even Goldilocks had started treating me like someone about to leave, and it stung. Or maybe because, since I was leaving anyway, I wanted to say everything I needed to say before I went.
“Mind opening the glove box?”
I hesitated at the sudden request, then opened the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat.
Inside was a leather Sunglasses case. I opened it and took out the Sunglasses.
They were women’s.
“Whose are they?”
“You’re asking a lot of questions today. Doing it on purpose?”
Mallo laughed lightly as he spoke, then started the engine.
They looked expensive. I mumbled something and put them on.
“They fit perfectly.”
“Suits you.”
“I’m grateful, but……why the Sunglasses all of a sudden?”
“You didn’t make eye contact last time. Now you can look at me comfortably.”
Look comfortably? At what?
……
I stole a sideways glance at Mallo in the driver’s seat.
True enough—hidden like this, he wouldn’t know where I was looking. Just hearing him say that made my eyes wander even when I had no intention of looking at anything.
Like the way his hand rested lightly on the steering wheel. Like the firm-looking arm visible beneath his linen shirt.
‘Conceptually firm arms,’ I thought.
“So what are we going to look for?”
The sudden question snapped me back.
“Oh, well, I’m not exactly sure what the item is. If I ask about it, it might seem strange.”
“Strange how?”
“Just—we’re not close enough for that kind of thing.”
The chances Momo’s Pawned Item would still be there were slim.
It might have been disposed of long ago, and even if it had been kept safe, there was no guarantee it had survived all this time undamaged.
If by some chance I did find it, I planned to give it to her as a parting gift—right before Momo left.
I didn’t want to take credit for something so small, and I didn’t want to hear words of gratitude.
That way, neither of us would feel awkward.
“Ah, embarrassed?”
“……I’ll go into the Casino alone. I know the layout, so I’ll figure it out.”
“What do I do in the meantime?”
“You don’t have to wait. I’ll find my own way back.”
“I’m supposed to leave you there alone?”
“I don’t know how long it’ll take.”
“That’s why.”
“Why what…….”
I glanced at Mallo. His gaze was fixed on the road.
Or was it? I couldn’t tell. Like me, he was wearing Sunglasses too.
“Anyway, I’ll do the searching. You just relax.”
Mallo laughed quietly.
“Rude.”
“……Can I roll down the window?”
“Just don’t stick your head out.”
“I’m not a dog.”
The car still sped along the endless bridge. The sunlight was warm, and the water below glimmered with dancing light.
I quietly extended my hand out the open window.
I let the wind slip between my fingers, thinking I wanted to drive like this just a little longer.
* * *
I parted with Mallo in the Lobby and descended to the basement alone. The Casino was still in operation.
The chandeliers sparkled brilliantly, and the slot machines clanged loudly.
No one stopped me as I made my way to the VIP Area. The guards didn’t seem to recognize me, and the gamblers were still absorbed in their games, indifferent to everything else.
The Exchange Counter where I’d met with the Broker was empty. The golden bars were completely gone, and the safes inside stood open.
It was practically advertising itself for robbery.
But I decided to look around a bit more. I had a theory.
If what I’d heard was true—that Momo had drawn the Broker into a rigged gambling game—then before losing his body, the Broker almost certainly harbored a grudge against him.
And if that resentful rival had a Pawned Item that seemed to mean something to him, it would be wiser to keep it close than to dispose of it.
That way he could use it as leverage or plant false evidence whenever he wanted.
But was there originally a door here?
At the end of the room, beneath a large cabinet, there was a small door in the floor.
I closed my eyes for a moment and mentally mapped out the structure of the Fine Creek Hotel near Yeoksam Station.
On basement level one, there was a Banquet Hall instead of a Casino. This VIP Area was constructed half a level above the Casino, so it made sense it was added later.
And from basement level two down was the Parking Lot. The Sairim Hotel had no Parking Lot, so conversely, the Fine Creek Hotel must have added one after completion…….
‘Wait, does that even make sense?’
A hotel of that scale couldn’t have opened in the middle of Seoul without a basement Parking Lot.
While I didn’t know the full history, the basement Parking Lot likely existed from completion.
The Banquet Hall and Casino on level one looked completely different but had identical structures. Which meant the Sairim Hotel’s Casino probably had another level beneath it.
I grunted and shoved the cabinet aside.
The latch was a bit stiff, but the door opened without much resistance.
‘An inspection ladder?’
It was an entrance just large enough for one person to squeeze through. Below was dark and hard to see.
I looked around, then pulled out my phone and called Mallo.
“Professor, there’s a ladder leading down to the basement here.”
He laughed on the other end.
-Want to go down and take a look?
“Honestly, how am I supposed to resist?”
-Then go ahead. I’ll be waiting.
“But……there’s one problem.”
I checked the Emergency Flashlight on the wall, but it wouldn’t turn on—either broken or the batteries were dead.
“It’s too dark.”
Mallo hesitated for a moment, as if thinking, then spoke.
-There are ways.
“Are there any common sense ones?”
-Good question.
He spoke as if joking, but the solution Mallo offered was simple and elegant.
-You don’t need your eyes to confirm a place that already exists in your mind.
“……Ah!”
-It’s called a Cognitive Map. If you’re worried, it might be better to close your eyes as you move. Your internal navigation works just the same without light.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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