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(Chapter 44: "Why Would a Goddess Steal the Woodcutter's Clothes?")
Ju-kyoung watched the teacher talk, boredom written all over her face.
Every sentence he said felt like pure torture.
"Ding."
A message popped into her DMs. Ju-kyoung picked up her phone — it was from Soo-hoo.
She clicked it open.
Soo-hoo: I'm tasty.
Ju-kyoung read the message twice before it sank in. Her eyes darted to him — his expression was as calm and unreadable as ever.
She quickly checked her phone again, just to confirm it was really from him.
It was.
Then she remembered what she'd said on the football field.
Without thinking, she jumped up from her seat.
The teacher stopped mid-sentence and turned to her. "What's wrong?"
Every pair of eyes in the room turned to Ju-kyoung. Her cheeks flushed.
She quickly clutched her stomach. "Sir, can I go to the restroom, please?"
Before he could even answer, she bolted out of the classroom.
Laughter erupted behind her. Soo-hoo stayed silent — as usual, completely unfazed.
The teacher sighed. "In the Joseon era, ladies couldn't say such things."
The class burst into even louder laughter.
He closed his book. "Alright, let me go too. I have to pee as well. I'll see you in the next class."
"Yes, sir! See you next time!" they replied, still chuckling.
---
Meanwhile, Ju-kyoung sprinted through the hall like her life depended on it.
"Out of my way!" she yelled, and everyone quickly stepped aside.
She barged into the next classroom, panting hard, holding up a bottle of Red Ginseng Drink — Soo-hoo's favorite.
Soo-hoo looked up at her, unfazed as always. His eyes flicked from the drink to her face.
Ju-kyoung gave him a warm, overly-bright smile. "You must have been so thirsty."
She lifted the drink to show him the label.
"It's your favorite one," she said, smiling proudly. "Enjoy!"
She placed it on his desk and tried to catch her breath.
"Have a good day!" she added before quickly turning to leave.
Soo-hoo watched her walk away. He glanced at the drink again, his expression unreadable — but for a brief moment, there was a flicker of something else in his eyes before he set it back down and returned to his work.
---
Across the room, Seo-jin and his friends were chatting when Ju-kyoung — balancing a mountain of books — accidentally bumped into him.
"Sorry," she whispered and tried to walk away.
"Helmet," he said.
She froze. Then tried to keep walking.
Seo-jin moved faster, placing his hand on the wall beside her, blocking her path.
Ju-kyoung blinked up at him, her face half-hidden behind the pile of books. Only her wide eyes were visible.
He raised a brow.
"Oh—helmet," she said weakly. "Sorry, my bad."
She tried to move again, but he stopped her, his tone suddenly sharp.
"Hey."
Ju-kyoung swallowed hard. His aura had completely changed, though his voice was still smooth—like a melody laced with danger.
"Where's my helmet?"
She avoided eye contact. His gaze was too intense.
"Right… the helmet," she mumbled. "I got busy and forgot."
"You forgot?" he repeated slowly, disbelief in his tone.
Ju-kyoung pressed her lips together nervously.
"Are you out of your mind?" His voice rose slightly.
"N-no!" she stammered, eyes wide. The glare he gave her made her quickly lower her gaze.
"I'm really sorry," she whispered.
He exhaled sharply. "You think I'm a pushover just because I've been nice?"
She shook her head. "A pushover? No, of course not!"
"I'll bring it tomorrow. I mean it."
Seo-jin pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly done with the conversation.
"If you don't bring it tomorrow, you'll pay for it," he said firmly.
Ju-kyoung nodded. "Okay, got it."
He finally lowered his hand and slipped it into his pocket.
"Thank you," she whispered, before quickly walking away.
---
Kang-su, who had been watching the entire scene, came over.
"Why are you being so tough on her?" said the chubby one in their group. "She's clearly trying to get your attention with that helmet."
Seo-jin frowned. "She took my helmet… to get my attention?"
"She's got her eyes on the big picture, man," the chubby one grinned.
"Why else would a goddess steal the woodcutter's clothes?"
Seo-jin shot him a cold glare, but he just laughed.
"Or was it the other way around?" Seo-jin muttered.
Just then, someone shoved him lightly from behind, making him bump into the chubby guy.
Annoyed, he turned. "Who the heck—"
He stopped when he saw who it was.
The teacher.
"It's just old me," the teacher said.
"Hello," the gang greeted in unison, while Seo-jin just stared in silence.
The teacher sighed. Their shirts were all open from top to bottom.
"Button up. Now. You're in school."
"Yes, sir!" they said quickly, scrambling to fix their buttons.
---
Meanwhile, Ju-kyoung carried her stack of books down the hall, already calculating how she'd knock with both hands full.
Luckily, the teacher's office door was open. She sighed in relief, placed the books on his desk, and hurried out — almost bumping into another teacher on her way.
"Sorry!" she said quickly and ran off before he could reply.
Back in the classroom, she finally sat down, catching her breath. She picked up her phone and sneaked a glance at Soo-hoo, who was quietly studying.
He must've felt her gaze because he looked up.
Ju-kyoung flashed him a big, shy smile before looking back at her phone.
For the first time, his eyes softened — no glare, no irritation.
Just calm.
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