Ch 177
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 177
HAHA... It seems I was thinking wrong from the very beginning.
I thought no one would find out since I even fooled the vice principal. Was it because I stayed too close during the supplementary lessons?
I never thought Eunseo would know about me this well.
Well, even if it wasn't the supplementary lessons, as Eunseo said, I am her lifesaver.
I guess I underestimated our vice representative.
It would be absolutely impossible for other kids, especially someone like Jinsu, but if it's Eunseo, wouldn't it be okay?
"Really, it's not?"
"Well..."
"Right. Sorry... It was too absurd a story, wasn't it? I got carried away by myself."
What's this about now?
I was just about to tell her, but suddenly she's apologizing, so I don't know what tune to dance to. Wait a minute...
Could it be that Eunseo likes me?
No, of course she likes me.
But thinking about her words carefully, it doesn't seem like simple emotions between a teacher and student.
I just thought she followed me especially well because I saved her and taught her martial arts...
HAHA... I'm the one who always cursed at the dense protagonists in novels, and now I'm exactly like them.
Right. If she knows even my habits that I'm not aware of so thoroughly...
"Did you love Teacher Kang Shin-hyeok not as a teacher you respected and liked, but romantically?"
"...That's right."
I'm bewildered.
Eunseo was my obedient, kind, and cute student, and I never once thought of her as the opposite sex.
No matter how I started being a teacher half-reluctantly, I've spent two years as a teacher. I wasn't such a scoundrel teacher who threw away professional ethics.
Of course, there's the case of Se-jin, but with her... I learned about her feelings after she graduated and became an adult.
Even though we still get along well, I'm not dating her now either.
But Eunseo is a current high school senior. I'm sorry, but I can't accept those feelings.
"That's not right... Is it, senior?"
Eunseo suddenly turns around and goes toward the railing.
"I know it's not right too. I didn't want to make things difficult for you, teacher. You might not know, but I've experienced this once before."
I was worried she might have bad intentions, but seeing her just lean against the railing and look down, fortunately it doesn't seem to be that.
What she means by experiencing this once before seems to be referring to when the reporters caused a commotion in her first year.
Although it's all in the past now, back then it was really...
"I held back even when I won the championship last time, planning to confess after graduating and becoming a proper adult, but teacher, you..."
I died.
Water drops flow down Eunseo's cheek as she stands with her back turned.
Soon she wipes them away with her hand and turns back to look at me.
"Sorry, but you're disqualified."
"What?"
"If I see you coming into the student council and being active, I think I'll keep thinking of teacher."
She seems to say it jokingly with a smile, but from my perspective of watching Eunseo for nearly two years, it's obviously a forced smile.
Even if it weren't so, tears are still glistening in her eyes as she speaks...
"You didn't eat dinner, did you?"
"Ah, yes."
"I thought so. Go quickly. The dinner menu was good. You just woke up after being sick for a long time, so you need to eat well. I'm really sorry about today."
She speaks and turns to walk toward the rooftop entrance.
HAAH, this is really unfair.
When my most cherished student has that expression...
"Seong Eunseo."
I can't turn away.
What am I doing this student life against my fate for anyway?
"Seong Eunseo? What are you?"
"As expected, I can't beat our vice representative."
It's all for my students, my disciples.
"Tea... Teacher? Teacher!"
"UEOK!"
Eunseo rushes at me like some wild beast and hugs me.
"Um, senior... Shouldn't you be a bit suspicious?"
"That won't work anymore, so stop joking. How would a new student who just woke up after lying in the hospital for two years know that I was the vice representative of teacher's class?"
That's certainly true.
I tried joking once but it didn't work.
"Is that so? First, I'm suffocating, so please let go of me."
"Ah, yes. But how on earth..."
Right. Where should I start and what story should I tell Eunseo?
Originally, I'm absolutely not the type to cause trouble so recklessly like this.
I didn't think Eunseo would find out, but I have excuses prepared in advance.
But should I make excuses as I prepared, or should I tell the story like I did to Se-jin...
No, if I tell Eunseo like I told Se-jin that I planned this because I wanted to experience school life, she would think it's strange.
"Teacher?"
Eunseo looks at me with sparkling eyes.
Should I have thought about it more before speaking?
No, well...there's no choice.
"It may be hard to believe, but I failed to conquer Hell's Gate and when I opened my eyes, I had become this student named Min Chan-seong."
In the end, I had no choice but to tell the excuse I had prepared.
If it were someone like Jinsu, I would have said comfortably, 'Teacher wants to experience school life too.' But Eunseo said she loves me.
I revealed that I'm Kang Shin-hyeok, but that was only because I couldn't turn away from my student.
Literally, Eunseo is my disciple.
No matter how much Eunseo likes and loves me, I can't accept her feelings.
I definitely didn't reveal my identity as a teacher with the mindset of 'ethics and such should be thrown to the dogs.'
I couldn't choose between Se-jin and Luciel, who both confessed much earlier.
I also rejected Teacher Kim. I can't give special treatment to just her.
"I believe you."
It was an absurd story, but Eunseo answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Senior? Even I, the person involved, had trouble believing it at first and couldn't adapt... Aren't you believing it too easily?"
"I'll believe anything if teacher says it. Teacher always told us that, didn't you? To believe."
Did I say that?
"...Still, if you say it like that, I look like some cult leader."
"Didn't teacher believe in us?"
"Huh?"
"Why didn't you tell us right away?"
"It's a hard story to believe. I said earlier that I was confused too."
"Still. Not just me, but sister and the other kids would have all believed... Do you have anyone else who knows teacher is alive?"
"Se-jin knows."
I thought I should mention this much...but Eunseo's expression rapidly turns sour.
She looks completely dejected. Did I make some mistake?
"As expected... Come to think of it, Sister Se-jin inherited all of teacher's estate too..."
"That's true, but why?"
Is Eunseo more money-minded than she looks?
"If sister knew, then teacher and Se-jin sister are lovers after all, right?"
HAHA... What am I supposed to say now.
"Sorry, but you guessed wrong."
"You're saying no? But you didn't tell me or the other kids, only contacted Se-jin senior, and all the inheritance..."
"The will was something we discussed from when we first decided to buy the building together. Se-jin and I are both Hunters. If something goes wrong, we give it to the other person."
"What's that supposed to..."
"You need that level of trust to do business together. Still, it's fortunate. If there hadn't been such a will, everything would have gone to the state treasury."
"Then why did you only tell Se-jin sister..."
"I had no choice. This Chan-seong kid is an orphan like me. I paid for the hospital bills before, but when I came to my senses, I had no money and not even a cell phone. I had nothing, so I told Se-jin to get some help. That kid took all of teacher's property."
"Ah, that's why... I misunderstood."
Her expression brightens again. She's really easy to read.
"Then what are you planning to do from now on?"
"Well, I don't know why this phenomenon occurred, but I think I need to go to Hell's Gate again to find out."
"You're going to Hell's Gate again? No, you can't."
"I can't go right now anyway. To challenge Hell's Gate, you don't absolutely have to be an S-rank Hunter, but to prevent reckless deaths, the US government won't give permission unless you reach a certain level."
In other words, as the prospective Hunter Min Chan-seong who hasn't even received a Hunter grade, the application would definitely be rejected.
"Well, it would be possible if I reveal my identity, but..."
"You don't necessarily have to challenge it."
"Still, I can't keep living like this, can I? It's not even my body."
"That's true, but if something goes wrong again..."
"I keep saying I have no intention of challenging it right away. I want to investigate a bit more. Last time I challenged it too recklessly."
"That's right. It would be better to gather information and challenge it again when you're sure you can conquer it. Oh, instead of this, shouldn't we tell my sister and the kids..."
"Wa...wait a minute. I have no intention of revealing my identity for the time being."
"What? Why? If I tell them, everyone will believe."
"They would. But not everyone will believe as easily as you, Eunseo. If the story leaks out, it will become complicated and chaotic. And if I regain my body later, this student Min Chan-seong will be in trouble too."
"But everyone was very sad and worried..."
"I'm thinking of staying as this student Min Chan-seong for a while. You know teacher didn't graduate from Hunter School, right?"
"Yes."
"I thought I'd take this opportunity to enjoy the Hunter School life I never experienced."
"What's that supposed to..."
She laughs helplessly as if absurd.
"This is really not right, is it? Then there's no choice. I'll reveal my identity right away and go to Hell's Gate immediately."
"No... You can't! School life seems much better. You decided to investigate before going."
She panics and immediately changes her words. Her flustered appearance is really cute.
"Then you'll cooperate?"
"For now. But school life won't be much anyway."
"Nothing much? It's youth. Besides, the school teacher attended was an all-boys school. Since I'm a high school student now, I can have a pink youth life..."
"Wha, what are you talking about? Even if you're a high school student, inside you're still teacher."
I made one joke and she glared at me as if she wanted to kill me.
I feel like I'm going to be pierced by her gaze, so I'm about to say it was a joke, but Eunseo suddenly makes a meaningful expression.
"What's wrong?"
"You heard everything I said earlier, so you know my feelings, right?"
I deliberately made a silly joke to avoid this topic...
"That...that's right. Eunseo..."
"Let's have that pink youth life you mentioned together with me."
Huh? What's this about now?
"Teacher is a high school student now, so no one will say anything if you date me."
Oi-ku-ya... No, why did I have to make that joke...
I'm completely cornered.
"That was just a joke..."
"I wasn't joking. I truly like...no, love teacher. Enough to recognize you at first glance even with this changed appearance."
I know it's sincere without such explanations.
But I can't accept Eunseo's feelings.
"Teacher might not be able to regain your body."
"Do you think I like teacher just for your appearance? It's not like that, so it doesn't matter."
She speaks confidently without even a second of hesitation, just like when she used to raise objections to the vice principal.
She really likes me a lot.
"No, it's actually better. Now I don't have to wait..."
"Eunseo, I didn't tell you properly earlier... It's true that Se-jin likes teacher. She confessed too."
"Were you lying? You said earlier that you weren't lovers."
"We're not lovers, but there were circumstances so I didn't accept her. It's not that I have no feelings for Se-jin."
"What on earth does that mean? What circumstances?"
I could have made excuses and moved on, but I told the truth.
That there was someone else I liked besides Se-jin, so I couldn't decide and chose not to date either of them.
I've already lied a lot, but I thought I shouldn't deceive someone who expresses that she truly likes me this much about this too.
She seems quite shocked.
I can't see her expression because she's hanging her head, but she's become silent.
"Very disappointing, right? Sorry. Teacher isn't that good a person. Indecisive and unable to make decisions."
If I've said this much, she should understand.
"Don't talk about the teacher I like that way. I'm not disappointed."
"Uh... Huh?"
Eunseo's expression when she lifts her head to speak isn't as dark as I thought.
"If teacher is single, I still have a chance, right?"
"No..."
"I think teacher didn't make a choice not because you're indecisive, but because you're not sure which of the two you like more."
Isn't she packaging it too nicely?
"I said earlier, didn't I? Don't underestimate my feelings. You better brace yourself. I'll make it so teacher can be confident that you like me."