Ch 187
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 187
I opened my eyes and checked the time—7:30.
Normally, this would be the time to quickly wash up and go eat breakfast, but today I can afford to be lazy.
It's a special holiday, so the school cafeteria isn't operating today.
There might be a few more people staying at school besides me, but not many.
They gave us support money to buy food, and they announced that things like ramen and instant rice are prepared in the dormitory lounge, but I'm not interested.
I was lying in bed fiddling with my smartphone, and before I knew it, it was 9 o'clock.
I changed clothes and left the dormitory.
The special holiday starts today, but most students already left yesterday, so the school is deserted beyond measure.
I should start heading out soon too, but wait?
Haha... Out of habit, I was unconsciously heading toward the faculty dormitory parking lot.
I turned around and exited through the main gate.
Maybe because it's a holiday, there aren't many security guards, and during the holiday period, students can also enter and exit freely, so I passed through safely.
As soon as I came out, I called a taxi.
After waiting about 10 minutes, a taxi stopped.
"You called for a taxi, right, student? You don't seem like faculty... Does Hunter School rest on Children's Day too?"
"Yes. It's a holiday, so please take me to Jamsil NutdaeWorld."
Since the school is at the edge of Gangbuk, it's quite a distance to Jamsil, so the driver uncle seems delighted.
Given what day it is, there will probably be an incredible number of people, but Eunseo really wanted to go, so I couldn't bring myself to oppose it.
I'm thinking today will be quite exhausting when I feel a vibration in my pocket.
I naturally thought it was Eunseo, but it's Se-jin.
"Yeah, it's me."
—Are you on a date?
"No, not yet. I'm just heading out now."
—You're going to an amusement park?
"Yeah. NutdaeWorld."
—Are you excited? Your voice sounds really excited.
"Excited, my foot. I'm not a kid. Of all days, NutdaeWorld—there will be so many people packed in."
—Then why didn't you go somewhere else?
"Eunseo said going to an amusement park together was her dream, so she asked to go. I couldn't oppose that."
—I haven't been to an amusement park with you yet either, Teacher... Then shall we go to Everland together?
Two consecutive days of amusement parks is a bit much...
Actually, I can't ride amusement rides.
Even in my previous life, whenever I went to amusement parks, I would look at animals in the zoo and never went near the rides.
Of course, now I could endure it if I tried, but honestly, I still don't understand.
Why pay money to enjoy such torture...
While chatting with Se-jin, I arrived in front of NutdaeWorld before I knew it.
As expected, it's so packed with children holding their parents' hands that there's no place to step, and in this situation, will I even be able to find Eunseo?
I was about to send a message saying I arrived, but... Huh?
[Teacher, have you left? I'm leaving.]
[Can I call you?]
[You keep being on a call.]
[Are you very busy? I'll arrive soon, but did you perhaps forget about today's date...]
I didn't notice because I was on the phone.
I immediately called to let her know I arrived and decided on a meeting place.
I came to the ticket office, our meeting place, but I don't see Eunseo.
I thought I'd be able to find her quickly because of her eye-catching appearance.
Tap!
"Teacher."
I turned around to see Eunseo, slightly lifting her sunglasses and smiling.
No wonder I couldn't recognize her with those on.
"What's with the sunglasses in broad daylight?"
"I thought people might recognize me if I walked around with my bare face."
"Isn't that excessive self-consciousness?"
"No. Not as much as you, Teacher, but I did win the WHCU last year. Quite a few people recognize me."
Well, that's not entirely unreasonable.
"Alright. Let's buy tickets first."
"I already bought them."
"Really? How much was it?"
"It's fine. How much could it be?"
"No, still, I'm supposed to be the teacher here, but having a student pay..."
"It's okay. Right now I'm older, aren't I?"
She grins and links arms with me... It's slightly uncomfortable, but well, since it's a date, this much should be fine.
We passed through the long line with linked arms and finally entered.
"What should we ride first? Viking? Roller coaster? Gyro Drop?"
...They're all troublesome rides.
SIGH, but there's no choice.
I can't tell Eunseo, who's making her eyes sparkle, that I can't ride them after coming all this way.
I thought we'd only ride about 1-2, at most 3 rides since the lines would be long, but I was completely wrong.
NutdaeWorld had a system called Magic Pass or something where you could ride attractions without waiting in line.
It's paid and the reservations are quite competitive, but Eunseo had reserved this in advance, and thanks to that, I experienced hell.
To be honest, it's a bit of an exaggeration, but every time I rode one, I felt like my sanity was being chipped away.
Not waiting is nice, but why on earth do people pay money for this...
"Teacher, shall we eat lunch here?"
Where Eunseo is pointing, there's a franchise burger place.
"I'm fine with it, but is this okay? Something more proper..."
"It's fine. It comes out quickly. We need to eat quickly and ride many more things."
Please... kill me.
"Teacher? Your expression doesn't look good... Are you perhaps not having fun?"
"Oh, no. Just a little..."
"I guess from your perspective, Teacher, it might be too boring. But I reserved more fun things for the afternoon than the morning, so please look forward to it."
The morning was already hard, but more fun things?
It seems I'm really going to hell in the afternoon.
No, for amusement park dates, isn't it normal to ride soft and safe rides like carousels, hold hands, take pictures, and do things like that?
I thought about saying it's hard, but still, for me, an S-rank Hunter, to say I'm scared of those things is a bit...
"You really like amusement parks. I understand, so let's eat lunch first. What will you have?"
"I'll have the same as you, Teacher."
I said okay and came to the counter to order, but wait?
"Min Chan-seong?"
"Nam Ji-hyeon, why are you here..."
"Look who's talking, you said you weren't coming. What's the occasion? Did Ji-an contact you?"
Ji-an contacted me? Wait, don't tell me the place the kids were going to have fun after their exams was NutdaeWorld?
Oh my god.
"Anyway, Ji-an really takes care of you. Are you two really dating?"
"The place you guys were going to after your exams was NutdaeWorld?"
"Yeah. Since you said you weren't coming, we came by ourselves. Wait... what? You didn't come because Ji-an contacted you?"
SIGH... How can such a coincidence exist?
"Well..."
"You haven't ordered yet, right? Cola should definitely be zero..."
"Uh... Senior Eunseo?"
"Ji-hyeon? How are you here..."
Nam Ji-hyeon's expression looking at me and Eunseo is not ordinary.
"Don't tell me senior and this guy..."
"Ji-hyeon, Hye-ji and Do-hyeon changed their drinks to mango chili... Huh? Chan-seong, how did you know to come? Did Ji-hyeon contact… Senior Eunseo?"
"Ji, Ji-an is here too."
"Yes. We all decided to have fun together after exams during the holiday. Everyone said today was the only time they had."
"I... I see."
Eunseo also looks quite flustered.
"But how did senior and Chan-seong end up here... Don't tell me you two came together?"
What excuse should I make?
Should I say Eunseo and I met at the amusement park?
Coming to an amusement park alone on Children's Day?
Even if I stretch it a hundred times for myself, well, since I'm an orphan, I could make up a story about losing my parents at an amusement park when I was young and coming here because of that memory, but it's impossible because of Eunseo.
Eunseo is the school vice president with many friends and is somewhat famous—would she come to an amusement park alone on a day like this?
It doesn't make sense.
Looking at Nam Ji-hyeon's expression, she doesn't seem like she'd believe it either.
I'm really going crazy.
"Well, how should I put it..."
"I'll say it. We came together. We were on a date."
This girl Eunseo...
I couldn't think of a proper excuse either, but if she opens up like this...
"Da, date?"
"Does that mean senior and Chan-seong are dating..."
Both seem quite shocked—Nam Ji-hyeon is stuttering and Seong Ji-an looks extremely flustered.
"It's not exactly that. You don't have to be dating to go on dates, right? For now, we're... sorta in a relationship?"
It's not a lie, but haha... Now my quiet school life is over.
Eunseo is quite popular.
She even has a fan club at school, and if this becomes known at school...
Just imagining it is terrible.
"Chan-seong, is what sunbae said true?"
"Uh..."
I can't think of any other excuse right now, and since Eunseo already said this, if I say no here, it would make Eunseo look foolish.
I'm going crazy.
"It... it doesn't make sense. Why would senior be with a guy like this... Did he blackmail you with some weakness..."
"Hey, what kind of talk is that..."
"It doesn't make sense. Do you think someone like you would match with senior Eunseo here?"
It's not entirely wrong, but it's still not something to say to someone's face.
I was about to say something, but Eunseo grabbed my arm and stepped forward.
"Nam Ji-hyeon? What you just said was quite unpleasant to hear."
Eunseo's expression is not ordinary.
Should I say she looks really fierce, like she might slap someone?
It's an expression I've never seen before—she seems very angry.
"No, I just think sunbae is being taken advantage of by this bastard..."
"I was the one who approached Chan-seong first. I was also the one who suggested today's date. Even if you're friends, your words are too rude. Apologize."
"Yes... yes. Um, sorry."
"Pro. Per. Ly."
"I'm sorry. I was too harsh with my words."
"O, okay. It's fine. Well, we'll be going then."
People are starting to pay attention, and if more kids come in this situation, things will get bigger, so I grabbed Eunseo's arm and left.
We left the fast food place and came to another restaurant to order and came back, and while Eunseo's expression has improved a bit, it's still not good.
"At least we got through it somehow..."
"What the hell is that Nam Ji-hyeon? How dare she disparage Teacher like that without even knowing properly, really..."
She's still not over her anger.
"Eunseo, as you said, she talked like that because she doesn't know. Don't take it too much to heart."
"Aren't you angry, Teacher?"
"I was. But our Eunseo scolded her sharply, so it's okay."
"Teacher, you're really too soft."
"The kid just talks like that, but she's not a bad kid."
"Don't keep taking her side. Because Teacher keeps taking her side, she wants to keep picking on and bullying you... Why are you laughing?"
She puffed up her cheeks completely while talking, and it was so cute I couldn't help but laugh.
"Because Eunseo is so cute?"
"Wha... what? Suddenly saying something like that is cheating."
She's flustered with her cheeks turning red, and now she seems more like the original Eunseo.
"Thank you."
I'm sincere.
I didn't expect that Eunseo, who is naturally introverted, would stand up for me and even argue back that she was the one who suggested the date first, and get angry for me.
Of course, she said she changed a bit after learning from me and winning, but a person's natural disposition doesn't change that easily.
I can't give her a proper answer or make a choice... I'm grateful but also sorry.
"Let's go somewhere else after lunch in the afternoon."
"Huh?"
"It would be troublesome if we run into them again."
I was also thinking about suggesting that, but she even had this kind of thoughtful consideration.
I really can't help but like her.
After lunch, we left NutdaeWorld.
So she wouldn't regret giving up the afternoon she was looking forward to, we watched a movie together and went to cafes.
For dinner, I treated her to a place that's not expensive but quite delicious—a restaurant I've bought food from a few times for Master before.
"It was really delicious. It's close to home too, so I want to come with sister next time."
"Good. I calculated the bill earlier and called a taxi through the app. It should be here soon."
"I could take the bus... Are we parting already?"
"It'll be 9 o'clock soon. Good students should go home at this time."
"Can't I be a bad student just for today?"
She acts cute with her eye-smile, but no way.
Even if she's a student now, I'm still clearly a teacher.
"Tsk tsk! Vice President, you shouldn't do that. Your parents will worry."
"Tch, fine. Today was really fun. It was a bit awkward at lunch, but still, it was so so good."
"Same for me."
Thinking about seeing the kids at school after the holiday is a bit daunting...
Well, it'll work out somehow.
We chatted briefly and the taxi arrived, so I sent Eunseo off.
I also need to return to school, but I didn't call a taxi for myself.
Today's schedule isn't over yet.
"Why don't you come out now?"
It's time to meet the bad student who has been following Eunseo and me all day and still isn't going home even though it's almost 9 o'clock.