Ch 226
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 226
"Chan-seong, shouldn't you be going now?"
At Yeong-sik's words, I took out my phone to check the time—it was 9:45.
"Time has already passed this much. Then I'll leave the rest to you."
I handed the remaining pamphlets to Yeong-sik and was about to go in when I spotted a familiar face entering through the entrance.
"Wow, Chan-seong, look over there. Isn't that Hunter Kim Se-jin?"
That's right. It's Se-jin.
As the master of a top 10 guild and the youngest S-rank hunter, she's such a famous person that not only Yeong-sik but also people nearby were looking at Se-jin.
I had heard she was coming, but since the Stevia performance is on the last day of the festival, I thought she'd come on Wednesday.
"Right."
"This is really amazing. To actually see Hunter Kim Se-jin. Oh my God. It looks like she's coming our way?"
After finishing the security check, Se-jin walked straight toward us.
"Oh my, who is this? Isn't this Chan-seong?"
"Hello, senior."
She grins as if it's amusing to hear me call her senior.
"What's that in your hand? Can I have one too?"
Acting innocent when she already knows everything.
"Here it is. Our class is doing a play at this festival. You must be busy, but if you have time, please come and watch."
Yeong-sik handed over the pamphlet, his face completely red like a tomato.
With his earlier fuss and now this, this guy was a Se-jin fan.
"Oh, a play? Chan-seong is the protagonist? I'll drop by later."
So playful, really.
At least it seems like Luciel didn't come with her, which is fortunate.
"Really? We're performing twice, at 11 o'clock and 3 o'clock, so please come whenever it's convenient for you."
"Got it."
Se-jin took the pamphlet and went in, and I was about to really go now when Yeong-sik grabbed me.
"Chan-seong, were you acquainted with Hunter Kim Se-jin?"
"Ah, I met her at the Japan camp last summer. She also helped solve the Ji-sung incident."
"I see. She must think very highly of you. I'm envious. You won't have to worry about employment later."
"Come on, you don't just get into a guild through connections alone."
"True, but you have the skills too, Chan-seong. But she really had an amazing presence. She seemed so cool."
Well, to me she still seems like a cute student.
It's been two years since she graduated from school, but I've known her for a long time and see her often, so that's probably why.
By the way, this Yeong-sik guy really seems to be a huge fan.
"Should I get you an autograph later?"
"Really? Chan-seong, you're really good... no, Brother Chan-seong, thank you."
Leaving the overdramatic Yeong-sik behind, I was really heading to the small auditorium to practice when I felt a vibration in my chest.
As expected, it was Se-jin.
"What?"
—Your attitude is completely different from earlier. Isn't your tone too short with your senior?
"Want to get scolded?"
—Hehe, sorry. I'll come watch the 11 o'clock performance.
"You don't really need to watch it."
—But I came to see it. By the way, doesn't the content resemble the story between you and me, teacher?
"The kid who wrote the script said she referenced our story a bit."
I didn't ask directly, but I heard Nam Ji-hyeon talking about it with other kids.
She said she referenced our story.
But it's not exactly the same.
First of all, I wasn't a commoner teacher.
Se-jin isn't a third-generation chaebol either.
Besides, Kim Dae-chan wasn't against me and Se-jin—he was trying to force us together.
—Really? That makes me even more excited...
"If your expectations are high, your disappointment will be great too. Got it. When you come, bring some autographs."
—Autographs?
"Yeah, about ten? If there are kids in the class who want them, I can give them some. The kid who was handing out pamphlets with me earlier is also your fan."
—Hmm, just like that? I don't give autographs to just anyone.
Oh my, those who stay near ink become black—hanging around with Luciel has changed Se-jin.
"Se-jin feels a bit unfamiliar today. In the old days, even if I asked you to bring a hundred instead of ten, you would have said okay..."
I spoke in a slightly disappointed tone.
—No, I was just joking... Should I bring two hundred?
Still, seeing her immediately back down like this shows that Se-jin is indeed cute.
"What, are you going to distribute them to the entire grade? Ten is enough. See you later then."
I wanted to tease her more, but after the play ends, I'll probably get scolded again, so I'm afraid of the consequences.
Especially the final kiss scene.
When I asked Nam Ji-hyeon if we could remove that part because Se-jin and Eunseo might be concerned, she just scolded me saying 'How can you remove the kiss scene when it's the highlight?'
I hung up and arrived at the auditorium.
"Min Chan-seong, why are you so late?"
Nam Ji-hyeon glared at me with fierce eyes and spoke curtly, but I was slightly late because of the phone call.
"I was too enthusiastic about promoting... Sorry."
Looking at my phone, I was barely 3 minutes late, but jeez, that's too much.
"Come on, come on... don't fight, there's no time. Let's quickly start the final rehearsal. Chan-seong, go change into your costume right away."
"Yes."
I changed clothes behind the stage and started the rehearsal.
Since I'm playing a teacher role, my costume is a suit, but it feels slightly awkward since I haven't worn one in a while.
Being the final rehearsal, it proceeded exactly like the actual play without any omissions.
Starting from the first meeting scene at school to the middle part where the protagonist helps the student.
It proceeded smoothly without any hitches, and thanks to the long practice, no student made mistakes.
Finally, the last scene.
The scene where the male protagonist, who left school due to a scandal with his student and disappeared, comes to the graduation ceremony to meet the female protagonist.
It's the scene where the female protagonist, who gave up everything and chose love, confesses and the male protagonist kisses her.
I wrapped my right arm around Seong Ji-an's waist and turned my head.
"Cut! Good. Everyone did great. Let's do it just like this during the actual performance."
"Um, Ji-an and Chan-seong, your final kiss scene seemed a bit unnatural."
Nam Ji-hyeon, who wrote the script, finds fault.
"Right. Watching from here, you turned your head too sharply, and Ji-an, is your neck okay?"
What do you mean I turned it too sharply?
"I'm fine."
"You two were too far apart, so anyone could tell you weren't actually doing it. Couldn't you get a bit closer?"
Finding fault for no reason. Are they telling us to actually kiss then?
"Right. I think you could get a little closer."
"Oh dear, if we accidentally touch by mistake..."
"If we touch, well, we could just actually do it, right?"
"Come on, that's not right though."
These kids really have nothing they won't say.
If such a thing happened... Then it wouldn't end with just nagging, but murder... no, before that, Se-jin or Eunseo might storm onto the stage.
"Teacher, if you explain it that way, the kids won't understand."
"Right. Chan-seong is forever alone so he wouldn't know since he's never kissed anyone."
"Ji-an has never had a boyfriend either, they say."
Look at these guys?
Looking at it now, it seems like they're doing this on purpose to tease... SIGH, I have absolutely no intention of falling for such provocation.
"Well, it wasn't bad as it was, so it'll probably get better as we do it. That's the end of rehearsal. Now we need to receive guests. Actors who need to use the bathroom, go quickly."
"Yes."
I didn't really need the bathroom, so I was reviewing the script again when people started entering one by one.
Since most are students' families and relatives, everyone goes to greet them and have conversations.
"Come on, actors can greet them later, let's prepare now."
Choi Seo-ra called the kids to the back of the stage.
"Teacher, all seats are sold out."
With just this one performance, we've immediately achieved 140 in sales.
The admission fee for the play our class prepared is 5,000 won, and the small auditorium has 200 seats, but we added slight premiums based on distance from the stage.
The first row right in front of the stage is 20,000 won, the second row is 15,000 won, rows 3 to 5 are 10,000 won... like that.
It's a structure where each class gets points based on festival sales, and since our class is doing a play with only two performances, we used a bit of a trick.
Honestly, parents who came to see their children after a long time would willingly spend about 20,000 won.
If seats didn't sell, we were going to unify them back to 5,000 won and change to first-come-first-served admission, but it seems that won't be necessary.
Continuous sold-out shows might be difficult, but if we maintain more than half, we might place 1st or 2nd.
Of course, it's nowhere near breaking the record I set when I was a homeroom teacher last year.
The sales back then easily exceeded ten million won, so even if we sell out all three days of the current class's play performances, we can't break it.
"Oh, really? Everyone heard that, right? Since we're sold out, let's work even harder."
"Yes."
"I hope the afternoon show sells out too."
"Right. Then our class might place first."
Leaving the murmuring kids behind, I peeked through the lowered curtain and saw it was really full.
The first row seems to be mostly parents of students, people in their 40s and 50s... Oh, Seong Jin-cheol came too.
I didn't see him when I was promoting at the main gate earlier... Huh?
In the center of the first row, unlike other audience members, two young women are sitting.
Eunseo and Se-jin.
Haha... of all places, right in front.
Those heartless girls. They should yield to other students' parents.
Thinking that those two will be watching from the very front makes me a bit nervous.
"Chan-seong, what are you doing? It's starting soon, come here."
"Ah, got it."
Right... well, it's not like I didn't know they'd come, and I just need to do it as practiced.
The friend in charge of hosting started the introduction and the stage curtain rose.
The play's opening is Seong Ji-an's school entrance ceremony.
She seemed a bit nervous too, probably because Seong Jin-cheol was watching, but she didn't make any mistakes.
In the middle, some supporting actors slightly skipped lines or said them differently than originally, but it wasn't enough to be a major flaw.
It was just at a cute, charming level.
After all, they're not professional actors but students, and it's their first performance, so this level is good.
And so we came to the final scene.
"Teacher, I still like you."
"..."
"Teacher, I'm not a student anymore, I'm an adult now."
"I'm not even a teacher anymore, just an unemployed person without a job. Eun-ha, someone like you could meet someone much better than a pathetic person like me."
"I don't need conditions like that. I think there will never be anyone better than you in my life, teacher."
"That's because you're still..."
"Stop it. Do you dislike me, teacher? You don't, right? I really can't do without you, teacher!"
No matter how many times we repeat it, the lines give me goosebumps, but Ji-an's expression is very serious.
I don't know if the audience can see it, but there are even tears glistening in her eyes, truly befitting a drama club member.
"You'll regret it. It might be very difficult from now on. You'll have to give up things you've enjoyed until now. Are you really okay with that?"
"I can overcome anything as long as I have you, teacher."
Finally, the play's highlight kiss scene.
I stepped closer to Seong Ji-an and pulled her close by wrapping my right arm around her waist.
Since I got scolded earlier for turning my head too quickly during the final rehearsal, this time I turned my head slowly in a direction the audience couldn't see.
I also made the distance a bit closer than before, but suddenly Seong Ji-an approaches me and I feel a soft sensation on my lips.
I tried to lean back slightly so it wouldn't look strange to the audience, but Seong Ji-an wraps her arm around my neck.
Wait, this wasn't in the script.
"The two people who met again eventually became lovers, and the father who initially opposed them also acknowledged their relationship, and everyone lived happily ever after."
As soon as the narration announcing the end of the play finished, I immediately separated from her.
"I didn't expect much, but it was quite interesting. The subject matter was a bit outrageous though."
"I really enjoyed it too. The kids made the stage and props themselves, they say. But the two protagonists didn't actually kiss at the end, right?"
"Come on, they couldn't have actually done it. But it felt like they really did it—the kids are really good at acting."
Seong Ji-an, this girl, what is she really trying to do?
While all the students came up on stage to prepare for the final bow, listening to the audience's conversations, fortunately it seems they couldn't see it at all from the audience side.
Since we did it almost against the wall, even the classmates nearby seem not to have seen it.
At least it's fortunate in misfortune... or maybe not.
Both Se-jin and Eunseo are glaring at me with eyes that look like they want to devour me.