Reunion with the School Witch
Sweat trickled down his forehead from the sheer embarrassment. He walked while lightly fanning his slightly damp collar with one hand. Did the vice principal really spend over an hour washing herself because she was thinking about having sex with me?
Mr. Byungtae’s claim that Suho had no reason to bother with his wife when there were so many other women had been completely wrong. Of course, until now Suho had never once looked at her as a woman. In the past, hearing that his wife intended to do something like that with him might have made Suho deliberately avoid her. But after his recent experience with the restaurant auntie, he had come to a realization: you didn’t have to see someone as a woman for them to be one. Age didn’t matter. A woman was a woman… and not all women were the same. You could say he had opened his eyes to the unique pleasures each one could offer.
That was why the mere thought of the vice principal carefully washing every inch of her body with the intention of sleeping with him had made him hard. What would her naked body look like? How would her skin feel under his hands? What would it be like if she took him in her mouth? Sorry as he was to Mr. Byungtae, who had declared ‘Even I wouldn’t do it,’ Suho felt only curiosity and eager anticipation.
As he crossed the playground, he spotted tables scattered across the wide open area ahead. There were still plenty of people, but the seats were noticeably emptier than when he had come before. He slipped a hand into his pants and discreetly adjusted his erection upward so it wouldn’t show. Wearing the tight boxer briefs had been worth it.
Still… if it’s like this, maybe I don’t need to deliberately show up late next time.
The truth was, Suho had arrived late today not only because the crowd felt overwhelming, but also because he was self-conscious. To him, the festival was a kind of hunting ground—an open, permissive place where you could simply chat, enjoy drinks, or pursue something more if that was your goal. The scenes of men and women mingling at the tables up ahead, laughing and sharing drinks, might be nothing more than a prelude to entering the auditorium where the real group activities took place.
That was why he couldn’t help feeling awkward. Every woman in the village except Hyejeong noona was married. If he wanted to pair up with someone, he would have to approach a woman sitting alone and strike up a conversation… but what if her husband was watching from somewhere nearby? What if their eyes met?
Ugh… the thought alone gives me chills.
He would probably end up smiling awkwardly, making some excuse, and slipping away. Everyone here knew one another. A green kid making moves on someone’s wife wasn’t going to be received kindly. Of course, if they met inside the auditorium, the husband would likely be occupied with another woman, so it wouldn’t matter. But after hearing Mr. Byungtae speak so casually earlier, it seemed he didn’t need to be quite so cautious.
“So like I was saying before…”
“Hahaha! Mr. Seonggu, how do you say such funny things? My stomach hurts from laughing so hard!”
As he drew closer to the tables, cheerful voices drifted toward him. Several hours into the festival, most faces were already flushed with drink. Suho gave slight bows to the neighbors whose eyes met his. Now that he was here, he felt painfully awkward, but the thinner crowd did ease some of his tension.
He had considered approaching any woman sitting by herself, but among the scattered tables there was only one lone female. She wore a white blouse and a vivid red miniskirt. From behind he couldn’t tell who she was, but even her seated posture suggested an impressive figure. The eye-catching color of her skirt, visible through the open lower-back design of the chair, drew his gaze straight to the generous curve of her backside.
Wow… who is she?
Her ass was enormous. Not merely large, but plump and full, the round swells pressed down by her weight clearly visible beneath the taut red fabric. The sight was hypnotically erotic. Had someone like her really been living in the village this whole time? He was dying to know.
I’ll sneak a look as I walk past.
The stylish, urban outfit was nothing any of the village aunties would wear, and her posture alone made her stand out from every other woman here. Even sitting by herself, she didn’t seem unpaired. Her companions had probably just stepped away for a moment.
He decided to take an empty seat first, drink alone, and watch for an opportunity. If he spotted someone who had come alone or without a partner, he could approach her then. In truth Suho had no need to worry about any of this, but his painfully shy nature had him overthinking everything. He was the youngest man here, tall and strikingly handsome—rare in a place like Gwichuok-ri. As Mr. Kim Byungtae had said, more than a few women were practically desperate to sleep with him. If he simply sat still, the women who had their eyes on him would come over and invite themselves to his table whether they had partners or not.
Unaware of this simple truth, Suho headed toward an empty seat farther in, intending to satisfy his curiosity with a quick glance at the lone woman as he passed her.
Just as he drew alongside the woman in the red miniskirt, she sensed his presence and turned her head. Their eyes met.
“Huh…?”
The moment he recognized her face, Suho froze. A startled question slipped from his lips. It was a face he knew well—one he had never expected to see here.
Noticing his recognition, the woman—her eyes slightly unfocused from alcohol—tilted her head. After a brief moment of disbelief, Suho asked carefully.
“Excuse me… aren’t you the vice principal of Shinil Middle School…?”
“Hmm…? That’s right. And you are?”
He sucked in a breath. It really was her. Why on earth was she here?
In fact he had already been certain before asking. Time had passed, but her characteristically sharp, strict expression and trademark silver-rimmed glasses were exactly the same. Suho quickly bowed his head in polite greeting.
“Hello. I used to be a student at Shinil Middle School. I never imagined I’d run into the vice principal here…”
“Oh! You were one of our students? My goodness, how nice to see you. This village is my hometown, you know.”
“Gwichuok-ri was your hometown? Wow…”
“Hoho. Why is that so surprising? Seeing one of my former students makes me happy too.”
Because Gwichuok-ri had no middle or high schools, Suho had taken the bus to neighboring Shinil Middle School. Back then, two teachers at the school were absolutely untouchable: the gym teacher and student affairs director nicknamed Gorilla, and the female vice principal known as the Witch.
The woman before him was none other than Vice Principal Cha Aeran—the one the students had called the Witch. Her father was the chairman of the school board, so even the principal didn’t dare cross her. She wielded absolute power, scolding students and teachers alike. The fact that even the terrifying Gorilla teacher avoided her said everything. There was one thing she would never tolerate: violence. Anyone caught bullying another with physical force faced immediate expulsion. Mutual fights earned measured punishment, but Cha Aeran showed no mercy to one-sided tormentors or assailants regardless of their family background.
Thanks to her, Shinil Middle School had its share of delinquents but no true bullies. Rumor even claimed the reason the Gorilla carried a broken billiard cue but never used it was because Vice Principal Cha Aeran refused to tolerate violence. To the students she had been both terrifying up close and deeply appreciated from a distance.
Suho snapped out of his memories when Cha Aeran gestured toward the seat beside her.
“Are you looking for someone? If not, sit here.”
“Oh. Vice Principal, don’t you have any companions?”
“I don’t, so I’m sitting alone. Hehe… Why? Did you think I was with someone?”
“Yes…”
What a surprise. The men here wouldn’t have left a woman like her alone. Why is she by herself?
Vice Principal Cha Aeran was an incredibly attractive woman. Even Suho, who was far younger, could see it clearly. She had been in her mid-forties during his school days, so she was probably in her late forties now. Traces of the cold beauty she had once been still lingered. Her prickly, stern impression might not appeal to everyone, yet it was impossible to deny she remained a striking beauty despite her age. Her figure, once slender in her youth, had filled out with maturity in all the right places, becoming deliciously voluptuous.
Wondering why such a woman sat alone while everyone else had partners, Suho took the seat beside her.
“What would you like to drink? Soju? Beer?”
“I’ll have soju, please.”
“Hehe… All right. So you can hold your liquor.”
Perhaps because she had once been his teacher, Suho wanted to appear mature and chose soju even though he rarely drank it. When Cha Aeran lifted the half-empty bottle, he politely held out his glass. They took turns filling each other’s glasses.
Clink. Suho turned his head slightly and downed the shot in one go. Cha Aeran did the same, then gazed at him with warm, pleased eyes before sliding a plate of snacks toward him. Suho, who had frowned at the bitter aftertaste, quickly grabbed some food.
“You drink well. What’s your name?”
“Kim Suho, ma’am.”
“That’s a handsome name. Do you remember mine?”
“Yes. Vice Principal Cha Aeran…”
“Oh my! You actually remember. Hahaha!”
“Of course I do. But… when did you arrive, Vice Principal?”
“Me? Around ten o’clock, I think.”
“Ah… you haven’t been sitting here alone the whole time, have you?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve been drinking by myself all evening. Rather lonely, actually…”
“…Why?”
“Hmm… Good question. Why indeed? I don’t know myself. But it turned out nicely. Thanks to that, I get to drink with such a young, handsome man.”
Cha Aeran turned her body slightly to the side, rested her chin on one hand, and gazed at Suho with deep, lingering eyes.