Chapter 145: Enough is Enough, III

The restaurant’s name was Lonely Island.

Lonely Island…

What a depressing name! To match its moniker, it was located deep within some farmland. Who would’ve thought such a place existed just thirty minutes from Gangnam? It felt like finding darkness under a streetlight.

“Check out this establishment.”

Baruda had been excited about eating beef earlier but now shook his head at the sight of the restaurant. The red-brick building with its crimson sign reading “Lonely Island” on the second-floor window looked more like a crime scene than a dining establishment.

“Well then, let’s go inside, gentlemen. Oh, here.”

Well, there was nothing they could do about it. The professor had already entered the restaurant. As the three of them were gathering to enter, one of the salesmen rushed towards them from his parked car and handed something to Hayoon.

“It is for hangovers…”

“I am sorry you have to be here like this.”

“No problem…I mean…when Professor Yoo asks, we must come.”

“Thank you for understanding. I will try my best to stop him…”

The salesman’s face looked rounder than before due to all the drinking he’d been doing tonight. He seemed even more apologetic as he gazed at Hayoon. Sungyoon thought he might have heard something about Seo Hyoseok having sticky fingers.

‘What should I do?’

[Isn’t this good for you?]

‘What?’

It had been awhile since Suhyuk cursed at Baruda. His junior was about to be placed in a difficult situation, yet Baruda said it was good news. What kind of crazy talk is this?

However, Baruda was a machine and didn’t think like humans such as Suhyuk.

[If he touches or says anything inappropriate, record it. Then expose him immediately. It will all end quickly.]

‘Ahh…’

To be honest, Suhyuk was slightly tempted by this idea. However, although he could sometimes act cheeky, his moral compass remained intact. In the end, he shook his head.

‘No, I can’t.’

[Anyway, Seo Hyoseok has your back.]

Of course, Baruda continued to nag him. At first glance, his argument seemed valid, but both he and Suhyuk overlooked one crucial fact.

“It’s fine.”

“What?”

“My father is more influential than Professor Seo Hyoseok.”

“Huh…?”

“Do you know Dr. Woo Changyun from Ahseon Hospital? He is my father.”

“Ah… Oh!”

Woo Hayoon’s father was none other than Woo Changyun. Not only was he a professor, but he also held the position of Academic Director within the Endocrinology Society. There were even rumors suggesting that he might become the next or subsequent president of the society. The difference between him and Seo Hyoseok was so vast that Seo Hyoseok couldn’t dare face him at conferences.

‘Oh.’

[Impressive.]

Hayoon typically avoided flaunting her privileged background as a Royal. She had once explicitly stated she didn’t want any special advantages due to her family connections. However, it seems she wasn’t willing to remain silent when faced with such blatant injustice.

He had previously stated that he wasn’t interested in such positions. However, it seemed like he was not going to stay silent when faced with injustice.

“Then let’s eat some snacks or chips. An Dae-hoon didn’t make it, but…the living must continue.”

With this slightly modified plan, Suhyuk entered the store.

As seen from outside, the store looked like an ordinary house. The only difference was its enormous kitchen.

In the middle of the living room, which overlooked the kitchen, Seo Hyoseok sat comfortably.

“Oh, intern. Sit here.” Seo Hyoseok pulled out a cushion next to him and patted it lightly.

Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned towards Hayoon.

Earlier, she sounded enthusiastic, but how would she react now, standing before the person himself?

Suhyuk decided to interject if Woo Hayoon faltered during her introduction. However, his concerns were unfounded. Woo Hayoon was much smarter and stronger than he expected.

“Hello Professor Seo. It has been a while.”

She started with a greeting acknowledging their previous meeting. Until this point, Seo Hyoseok had been mindlessly tapping on the cushion. Now, confusion appeared on his face.

“A while?”

When did he ever have any reason to interact with interns? He rarely attended department events even when they were mandatory. Nevertheless, Seo Hyoseok knew himself well enough that such doubts arose naturally.

“Yes. You visited my house before, several times. Do you not remember?”

“Oh…”

Seo Hyoseok’s expression now conveyed disbelief at what nonsense she could be spouting.

Woo Hayoon continued speaking without blinking as she looked down at Seo Hyoseok. She wore her usual bright smile, but it felt like she was smiling while crushing him.

“I am Woo Hayoon, the eldest daughter of Professor Woo Changyun.”

“Woo Changyun… Woo Changyun… Ahh! Professor Woo Changyun!” Seo Hyoseok unconsciously stood up from his seat.

In front of weaker individuals, he acted strong, but in front of someone stronger than himself, he became weak and timid. Woo Changyun might seem clumsy around his daughters, but otherwise, he was known to be quite terrifying. Especially towards those who lacked ability or effort, which described Seo Hyoseok perfectly.

“Yes, that’s right, Professor Seo. Should I sit next to you?”

Hayuni continued speaking as she watched Seo Hyoseok awkwardly rise from his seat. Her expression made it clear that he should sit back down.

“Well…” Seo Hyoseok looked flustered and glanced around before quickly shaking his head at her.

“No, no! No! You…no, Intern Woo, umm. Let’s see.” His ears turned bright red, showing how shocked he was. He couldn’t believe he had almost hit on Professor Woo Changyun’s daughter. What if he said something wrong? Just thinking about it felt like hell.

Woo Changyun…

Not only did he possess exceptional skills, but he also had excellent connections. Despite being ruthless with those below him, he knew how to butter up those above. Whenever senior members of academic conferences visited, they would constantly praise ‘our Professor Woo.’

It was madness to provoke such a person.

It was crazy to provoke such a person.

“Yes, yes! Over there. Sit at that table next to us. That… Uh, uh! Hey, Kim! You grill the meat. Understood?”

Thus, Seo Hyoseok pushed Woo Hayoon over to the adjacent table with the salesperson, who held the lowest rank among them.

Hayoon wasn’t pleased by this treatment, but he couldn’t do much about it here. His father’s influence and position were far greater than his own.

“Hey, you two.” After rearranging everyone, Seo Hyoseok’s expression changed as he looked towards Suhyuk and An Dae-hoon.

He had been feeling better until now, but suddenly, he felt like someone had just stepped on his tail. He was even more irritable than before.

“Yes, Professor?”

“Both of you come closer.”

Today, he was determined to get them drunk until they died from alcohol poisoning. The presence of the director’s son bothered him slightly, but what could be done? Who would blame a professor for drinking with his students during a department dinner party? Of course, Lee Hyunjong rarely attended such events, and when he did, he behaved politely before leaving early. However, Seo Hyoseok wasn’t the only professor who acted like a jerk at these gatherings.

Nodding, Seo Hyoseok justified his behavior internally.

“Yes, Professor.”

Suhyuk and An Dae-hoon exchanged sympathetic glances as they sat down. Naturally, An Dae-hoon’s concern was genuine, while Suhyuk’s was feigned.

[Baruda: From now on, keep a worried expression on your face. It will make it more believable.]

‘Okay.’

Following Baruda’s advice, Suhyuk adjusted his expression accordingly.

“Let’s start drinking.”

Seo Hyoseok started drinking before any meat was served. There were more bottles of alcohol than side dishes on the table. It seemed like he had no knowledge of other types of alcohol as all the bottles contained soju.

‘Shit.’

“Let’s start with a refreshing drink.”

‘Understood.’

“The operation begins after the meat is ready.”

‘I know, I know.’

Following Baruda’s advice, Suhyuk downed his shot glass. An Dae-hoon couldn’t control his drinking, and being only one year experienced, he also chugged it without hesitation. Surprisingly, Seo Hyoseok did the same.

“Why? Did you think I wouldn’t drink?”

Suhyuk didn’t show any surprise, but due to his lack of experience, An Dae-hoon’s thoughts were clearly visible on his face.

Seo Hyoseok continued while staring straight at An Dae-hoon.

“My most hated phrase is ‘A junior’s shot equals a senior’s kiss.’ Let’s drink together. However, if I win…”

It seemed his style was to boast about his drinking ability. Typically, such boasting ended during university days. It was utterly pathetic.

[I understand now. He can’t excel in anything else, so he has to show off with this.]

‘Is this how he seeks validation?’

Suhyuk expressed admiration on the surface but internally had these thoughts.

Seo Hyoseok wasn’t naturally considerate, and since he was focused on An Dae-hoon, he paid no attention to Suhyuk. His only concern was ensuring their glasses remained full.

“Let’s drink five shots before eating any meat.”

“Yes, Professor. Thank you.”

Five shots without any meat? Suhyuk couldn’t help but think ‘what a bastard’, yet he expressed his gratitude while downing the first shot.

“[Drinking five shots will be tough.]”

Baruda frowned. Although it wasn’t directly affecting him, the consequences of Suhyuk’s drinking were significant. If Suhyuk lost consciousness, Baruda’s connection would also be severed, leaving him uncertain about what might happen next. Having experienced disconnection once due to an explosion, Baruda was eager to avoid such a situation again.

‘I’ll try my best.’

“[Yes, please endure it. Once the meat arrives, we’ll initiate our plan].”

Fortunately, just as they finished their third round of drinks, the meat arrived. As it was high-quality beef, it could be eaten immediately.

Seo Hyoseok didn’t seem to care if Suhyuk noticed any significance behind his suggestion to drink five shots before eating the meat.

“The meat here is delicious. Let’s have another shot after eating.”

“Yes, Professor. Thank you.”

Thus, Suhyuk drank while consuming the grilled meat. More precisely, he pretended to drink but actually discarded the alcohol.

“Now.”

Baruda instantly analyzed Seo Hyoseok’s behavior and alerted Suhyuk at the perfect moment. They had become so familiar with each other that one might say they were acting as one entity, enabling them to follow Baruda’s guidance seamlessly.

‘Okay.’

Who could deceive the world’s best artificial intelligence? Seo Hyoseok was not exceptional and fell for their trick easily. Normally, it would have been simpler to deceive him once they had consumed two bottles of alcohol each.

[I think we don’t need to fill our glasses anymore.]

The man who boasted about his high tolerance seemed disoriented due to drinking too quickly or some other reason. Consequently, Suhyuk served water to himself and Dahoon while pouring alcohol only for Seo Hyoseok. After several rounds, Seo Hyoseok became completely intoxicated.

“Ah, ah! Damn! Shin Hyun-tae, you son of a bitch.”

As if he forgot there were others present, Seo Hyoseok started cursing at his manager for quite some time before grabbing his phone. I thought he might call the manager, but fortunately, it was someone else.

“Hey, it broke. $500. Find another one. Ahh… Don’t tell me you don’t know. It happened because I bought what you recommended! Fix this! Shit, my dad will kill me when he finds out…”

Kill him? What would happen if his father found out?

I glanced to the side and saw that An Dae-hoon had collapsed backward, unable to continue any longer. Suhyuk was the only sober person at the table.

[Get closer, get closer. There might be an interesting story coming up.]