57 – Everyday Life at School (1)
A few days after that incident.
On a peaceful day.
Yeo-ul helped with swimming as usual and finished his morning classes.
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The bell rang, and he walked along the familiar path to the cafeteria.
As he pulled out meal tickets from the kiosk at the entrance, he felt gazes piercing through him.
“Yeo-ul. You’ve been popular among the students lately.”
Swimming noticed those gazes and casually poked him with his elbow.
“Is that so?”
Yeo-ul replied nonchalantly.
He had become a famous person at school.
Under the pretext of being a handsome new teacher.
1st grade, 2nd grade.
Not only among his department, but his name had already spread widely among female students.
On his desk in the staff room.
There were small gifts left by female students, like snacks or drinks.
“Yeo-ul, shouldn’t you at least flirt with female students for fun?”
Swimming shook her head, thinking that it would be unlikely given his usual behavior.
And she was right.
He never responded to such things, but the onslaught of gifts from female students only increased day by day, calling it cool.
Now, it was ridiculous, but there was an atmosphere of enthusiasm that even a fan club might be formed in a single-s*x school.
After finishing his meal, Yeo-ul walked around the school alone.
Suddenly, he heard a camera click and turned his head towards it, only to see a flustered female student pointing the camera at him.
“Um, excuse me….”
She apologized and ran away.
Being secretly photographed like this had become a daily occurrence.
Even though he didn’t care about it at all, it seemed to have become a part of the culture.
He didn’t know, but a photo of him was uploaded every day to a closed internet community used only by students on campus.
[Today’s picture, Teacher Song Yeoul♡….jpg]
That was the title.
Of course, there were also many disapproving looks towards such things.
Just by looking at the comments on such posts, it was clear. The opinions were split between those who liked it and those who found it distasteful.
Those looks, mainly originated from male students, were becoming increasingly hostile over time.
* * *
[Ara, hahahaha]
[?]
[What are you doing today, by any chance?]
[Not sure]
[If you’re not busy]
[There’s a new movie out]
[I heard it’s fun, let’s go watch it together]
[?]
[With me?]
[Why?]
[Ummm….]
[Oh, just because]
[I think it would be fun to watch it together?]
[hahahaha]
[No, thanks]
[I’ve seen it]
[Even though we didn’t talk about which movie]
[I watched it]
“……”
[Is that so]
[That’s unfortunate]
[But you know]
[What is your relationship with Teacher Song Yeoul?]
Hmm…
“It’s too rude to ask about something like this….”
Fingers wander as if they’ve lost their destination.
“Hey, why did you suddenly faint back then…. sigh…. I don’t know.”
[What’s your relationship with Teacher Song Yeoul?]
[?]
[What are you saying all of a sudden]
[What kind of relationship]
[Last time, I saw you]
[Talking and laughing with that teacher]
[?]
[Are you stalking me?]
[No]
[It’s not like that]
[Gross]
[I hope we don’t contact each other anymore.]
[But I said no] 1
[Hey] 1
[Shin Ahra] 1
[I said no] 1
[Did you block me?] 1
“Damn it!”
She almost throws her smartphone in a fit of anger, but manages to hold back.
“Damn b*tch….”
She roughly puts her smartphone in her pocket, and walks angrily down the street.
“Oh.”
Then, she notices a male student walking towards her from a distance.
She scans him quickly.
From head to toe.
A petite figure with a lack of confidence.
Judging by the color of his tie, he must be a first-year student.
Fortunately, he encountered a decent opponent.
Approaching him with deliberate steps, he subtly extended his shoulder as soon as the first-year student approached him from the side.
The boy tried to avoid the collision by pulling his shoulder to the opposite side, but he brought himself even closer, putting a little bit of force into it and forcefully collided with him.
“Ugh!”
The boy let out a short groan and stumbled back.
As expected, he was weak.
Looking down at him, he savored the thrill.
“What’s wrong? Can’t open your eyes properly when you walk?”
“I, I’m sorry….”
“What’s wrong? A first-year? Wow, I’ve never been punched by a first-year before in my entire life.”
Spitting on the ground for no reason, he tried to instill a sense of fear and now intended to thoroughly humiliate him and alleviate some of the dirty feeling.
His hand went up to his shoulder.
“What is it again, you asshole─”
As he turned his head, what he saw was a face so handsome it could irritate someone.
The person who is currently the talk of the female students, someone he resents.
It was Teacher Song Yeoul.
“Are you bothering him right now?”
Using such casual speech.
Whether it was a concept or something else, he couldn’t understand why the teacher had to treat the students so respectfully. He found it repulsive, but he couldn’t comprehend why some girls liked it even more.
He was taller and had a similar face, yet why is it that he is unpopular while this guy is popular?
Already angry, he was about to explode his pent-up anger towards Yeoul when─
A familiar face in the distance.
Among his group of friends, the most eye-catching appearance.
A girl with unique long ears, Shi Nara.
It worked out perfectly.
It was an opportunity to resolve the unfair frustration face to face.
If there is one thing he believes can compensate for his difficulty in conveying through text, it is his skilled and charismatic speaking ability. Raising his hand, he pretends to know her.
“Oh? Teacher!”
From afar, even just seeing his back, she recognizes him and cheerfully calls out, not running over.
Approaching, panting heavily as she catches her breath, yet still smiling brightly.
“Teacher! What were you doing?”
Looking at her as she speaks, he quietly calls out to her.
“Araya.”
“Huh?”
As she looks in his direction upon hearing her name, her bright smile immediately turns into a frown.
“What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
“Huh? No─”
Then, looking at the boy in a school uniform, with dirt still on him, who had been lying on the ground but had now managed to sit up, she alternates her gaze between him and the situation as if understanding.
“Forget it. What can I say to you? And don’t pretend to know everything.”
With a cold tone, he grabs the collar of his uniform as if about to go somewhere, unable to hold back his rising anger and frustration, wanting to punch Araya.
Thunk.
From Noble mtl dot com
Just like before, he collapses and rolls on the ground, unconscious.
* * *
“What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly collapse and cause a scene?”
Looking down at him, who had lost consciousness like a broken doll, and seeing Yeo-ul accompanying him, she leads him away as if nothing happened.
“Teacher. Why haven’t you been responding to my calls? I was almost upset.”
As she speaks, Yeo-ul was about to reply with something sarcastic.
“No. It would be even stranger for a student to have private conversations with a teacher. Then, if I have any questions in the future, can you answer them?”
“…I understand.”
Watching her resolve her doubts and walk away confidently, Yeo-ul had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
“Teacher. But you know─”
Before she could continue with another seemingly endless conversation, a voice filled with joy suddenly comes from behind them.
“Oppa─!”
Jumping over the man lying on the street and running towards him, it was his younger sister, Song Ryu-won.
“What are you doing here─”
As always, she spoke to him playfully in familiar language.
“Oppa…?”
She called him “oppa”.
Arha mumbled quietly, as if doubting her own ears.
Oops.
Caught up in too much joy, she hadn’t noticed if there were other people around him.
“Well, um….”
Suddenly, she approached Yeoru closely and scratched her head awkwardly.
And Ara’s friends, watching from a distance with great interest, observed this scene.
Ara, who adored Teacher Song Yeoru so much, had casually called him “oppa” in front of her.
What kind of relationship did they have that made the word “oppa” come out naturally, and how would Ara react to that word?
As if watching a movie, she sat down and eagerly watched that scene.
On the other hand, Lyeoun.
She looked at Ara.
With her long ears and a tie that indicated she was in the second year.
Based on her distinctive appearance, Lyeoun immediately recognized her.
“Ara, senior, right?”
Lyeoun shouted with excitement, as if her confusion had turned into a lie.
It was understandable.
Shin Ara, she was somewhat famous at school.
Her noticeable appearance was one reason, but there was another even bigger reason.
Because of that reason, Lyeoun secretly admired her and was able to recognize her quickly.
“Yes, that’s right… but who are you?”
“Oh, I’m Yeoru’s classmate, Lyeoun Song, from the close-ranged combat department, first year!”
“So, you’re Lyeoun Song. But…”
Looking at her sharply, as if seeing something distasteful, Ara glanced at her.
“Did you just call the teacher ‘oppa’ when you saw him?”
“….”
She was happy to meet her admired senior, but why did she have to pretend to know him as “oppa” in an informal way?
“Is there someone else who can call him ‘oppa’ other than me–?”
Ara purposely looked around with exaggerated gestures.
“It seems like nothing…. What could have happened?”
She was cornered.
If she continued like this, it was certain that she would end up revealing to her that she was Youl’s sister without a doubt.
Although it wasn’t a big deal….
Even so, it seemed better in many ways not to reveal it than to reveal it.
“Then, senior, what were you doing with the teacher? Sticking so close to each other. Is it okay for a female student to be that close with a male teacher?”
And actually, because this point was bothering her a little.
Youl tried to push her away instead.
“Oh… It’s flowing so interestingly.”
“So, what’s going to happen?”
Ara’s friends, who were third parties, found the scene amusing.