When I came to my senses, it was the start of the semester.
Since I had already submitted my retake application to the department office, I waited for the start of the semester with a relaxed mindset for a whole month.
Honestly, if my heart wasn’t pounding, I’d be lying.
I don’t even know what to say when I meet my male classmates.
Besides, the department head did say they would inform the professors, but I don’t know how much of that information will stick.
Frankly, I might even have to consider coming out as a mutant.
However, upon deeper reflection, I wondered if this was really something I should worry so much about.
So what if I’m a mutant? As long as I don’t hurt anyone, that’s all that matters, right?
It seemed like I was overthinking things a bit too much, so I decided to ease my mind.
I’ll just let things flow as they come.
The palpitations in my heart quickly settled down. If I casually explain things to my classmates, that should be enough, and if the professors haven’t been informed, I’ll just explain then and there.
Anyway, any attention directed at me will eventually die down.
I used to think that.
There was one thing I had overlooked—my current appearance. It’s the kind that anyone would look at and not just think “pretty,” but go as far as “beautiful.”
The looks I’m getting from my surroundings are overwhelming.
Hey, mister walking by.
Even though you and your girlfriend look like the perfect campus couple, haven’t you noticed that your girlfriend has been glaring at you ever since you set foot in my vicinity…? Is that okay?
Suddenly, a creepy thought struck me.
With this level of attention, there’s bound to be someone who, whether a fan or something else, might ask for my number.
Oh, how dreadful.
Please, let nothing out of the ordinary happen before I reach the Humanities Building.
But thankfully, no men approached me or even dared to strike up a conversation.
Seems like my current appearance, though undoubtedly beautiful, carries an air that makes me quite unapproachable.
Yoon Seo-ah said that just making eye contact feels like stepping on thin ice.
As soon as I arrived at the Humanities Building, I moved to my assigned classroom.
My first class… is Understanding Modern Literature, led by none other than Professor Kim Yeon-hwa, our department head.
And thankfully, the professor already knows who I am and how I’ve changed.
When I arrived at the classroom, it was still pretty empty. No, not just empty—it was completely deserted.
It was expected, though.
I came to the classroom much earlier than necessary, intentionally trying to minimize contact with people.
I absentmindedly stared at my smartphone with my head down.
As usual, the mutant community was the first place I checked.
While feeling somewhat excited, I peeked to see what new drama had unfolded today—and, predictably, something was already brewing.
[Help me!]
The tree is pissed!!!
It’s threatening to grow over 100 meters unless it’s transplanted into some excellent soil right now!!
– What is even happening?
– Looks like you inadvertently pressed some plant’s trigger button… lol
– For being a high elf, you kinda seem like a dumb elf now.
– 100 meters? That’s ridiculous, lol.
– Actually, it’s a giant sequoia; it can grow up to 80 meters, even if not 100.
– Why would anyone try to grow a giant sequoia?! Are you even Korean?
– I am Korean, but I live in California now! Immigrated post-mutation.
– What on earth did you say to piss the tree off?
– I joked about how small my giant sequoia is, and it went berserk!!!
– Girl, you’re insane! lol
– This scale is nothing compared to Korean elves… what’s a giant sequoia??
– Honestly, I just grow normal seedlings on my rooftop but this… wow…
– Technically, as a high elf, you’re supposed to be worshipped by other elves, right?
– Where are those elves even? I’ve never met any. Honestly, even if they existed, I wouldn’t feel compelled to bow; this high elf acts like my nephew. But I guess it’s kinda cool being able to talk to trees…
– BTW, what happened to the last gardener you hired?
– Hmm… a rich family hired me, yeah. Pay’s decent.
– Oh.
Wow. Living in California with black hair, huh?
That explains why the tree you posted last time was ridiculously large.
Lost in thoughtless laughter, I gradually noticed more people entering the room.
Then suddenly, someone began approaching me.
“Uh… excuse me.”
Glancing up, I recognized the familiar face.
It was Lee Si-hyun, the junior I had saved back then.
Lee Si-hyun had been looking for Yoon Seo-hyun ever since.
Beyond just rumors about where dragon-type mutants appeared, she even dug deep into mutant forums.
However, Seo-hyun had vanished without a trace—so much so that it seemed she had stopped all outside activities.
Even though dragon-type mutants would undoubtedly draw a lot of attention, Seo-hyun had remained completely hidden.
This fact deeply disappointed Si-hyun.
It wasn’t easy to search for Yoon Seo-hyun either, considering how many people in Korea shared that name.
Moreover, there was even the possibility that “Yoon Seo-hyun” was a pseudonym—a reasonable assumption given how secretive this particular mutant seemed.
Her mind was dominated by the sight from that day: the immense mutant who had saved her life.
‘Maybe someday we’ll meet again. I’d really like to meet her at least once. She must appear somewhere since she’s a dragon-type mutant.’
While indulging in such thoughts and regrets, Si-hyun prepared for the start of the semester and headed to the classroom with the friends from her first semester.
The subject was Understanding Modern Literature.
It was a popular class led by their department head—though not too rigorous and exams were reportedly quite fair.
“Anyway, group projects are supposed to be part of the course… wouldn’t it be great if we ended up in the same team?”
Si-hyun nodded at her classmate Nam Su-yeon’s words.
“Exactly. I don’t want to get separated and end up suffering through a brutal group project.”
“I’ve heard from the seniors that it can get pretty bad. There are even cases where group leaders abandon the project midway.”
“Who would actually do that?”
“Apparently, it was one really intimidating senior… though I don’t remember the name clearly. Something happened to him, though. I heard he took leave for medical reasons.”
“Hmm?”
“It was a third-year male senior. Apparently, after carrying six logs for a group project, he collapsed due to overwork.”
“Six!?”
“Yeah. And it was especially rough since there were many international students involved, so some group members were left completely alone to prepare presentations.”
“In that case, I’d abandon the project too. That’s insane. Who in their right mind would take that on?”
“They say it was a senior with really strong responsibility. By the way, our department doesn’t have such ‘boot camp’ practices now because of this senior who had conflicts with other seniors when he was in his second year.”
“A legend?”
“If anything, it’s a legend. But that senior apparently fought with the third-year students so fiercely back then that second-year students now are too scared to hang out with him.”
“Sounds like a real martyr.”
“He is. Apparently, before him, our second-year students were constantly terrorized by the fourth years.”
“At that point, we should be more grateful than scared, right?”
“Psychologically, many seniors are, but this senior has a way of putting up walls. Even when third-year males try to get him involved in gatherings, he just avoids them, claiming he’s not comfortable with such things.”
“Hmm… what’s his name?”
“I don’t really know. Wait a sec…”
Su-yeon tapped on her smartphone and asked other classmates, then finally found the answer Si-hyun wanted.
“Hey. Someone told me. That senior’s name is Yoon Seo-hyun.”
“…What?”
“After hearing the name, I somewhat remember. At the orientation, there was a senior with a really fierce, menacing look. He was big. That’s the one.”
“It’s coming back to me.”
There was indeed a senior she vaguely remembered from the orientation—but someone who looked nothing like the mutant who had saved her. Could it be this person?
Of course, it was also possible they were just two separate people with the same name.
“Do you know anything else about that senior?”
“He completely disappeared after last year’s group project abandonment.”
“…”
It was a disappointing reply for Si-hyun, who had been hoping to hear some news about the person.
“Why are you suddenly interested in that senior?”
“No, not particularly interested… well, let’s head to the classroom; time’s almost up.”
“Alright.”
When Si-hyun opened the classroom door, her breath caught.
There, dressed in all black with a familiar silhouette, was a woman wearing an enormous hat.
A hat she remembered all too well.
As Si-hyun watched the woman looking down at her phone, she instinctively moved closer to her.
“Whoa… who is she? Did we have someone like this in our department? Is she from another department? Hey, Si-hyun, where are you going?”
“Just a moment.”
With that, Si-hyun approached Seo-hyun.
“Excuse me….”
“Um? Oh.”
The moment their eyes met, Si-hyun smiled, confirming to herself that this was indeed the person who had saved her.
“Y-you’re the one who saved me that time, right?”
“Yes, we’ve met before. How have you been?” Seo-hyun responded kindly.
“Er… no, I didn’t expect to meet you here, so I’m a little surprised.”
“Looks like you’re surprised, Junior.”
“J-junior?”
“Yes. I’m Yoon Seo-hyun from the Class of 2014, and you’re Lee Si-hyun from the Class of 2018, right?”
“Y-yes, yes.”
Si-hyun involuntarily nodded.
*
![[TS] Seoul Outsider Dragon](https://i0.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743725560-3269-TS-Seoul-Outsider-Dragon.jpg?resize=151,215 "[TS] Seoul Outsider Dragon")
