The Same Building

Thud...

In the end, I had no choice but to haul her over to the nearby neighborhood park and set her down on a bench. Somehow it felt like I'd turned into a hit-and-run criminal dumping a body.

But there was no other way. Even in plain clothes, a kid completely out cold would definitely look suspicious to anyone nearby.

And what if a thrice-divorced father of a daughter got a minor—his own daughter's senior, no less—dead drunk and left her barely conscious?

There wouldn't even be a need for court. People's tribunal would convene right there on the spot.

Just thinking about it made my head spin. So I had to figure out a way to fix this mess as fast as possible.

"..."

Nothing. As long as I didn't know where Hyeonji lived, all I could do was wait for her to wake up.

But it was already late at night, and I had no idea how weak she was to soju, so sitting around indefinitely felt pretty iffy.

Stay calm. Even if I didn't know Hyeonji's place, I knew a few people who might.

First was Harin. I hated to admit it, but Harin and Hyeonji were acquaintances who actually talked to each other now and then.

So there was a decent chance Harin would know where Hyeonji lived.

How. Ev. Er. The second I contacted Harin and mentioned Hyeonji's name, my entire double life would come crashing down.

I couldn't wreck a household already hanging by a thread just to get one unconscious kid home safely, could I?

That left the next-best option: Eunju. Of course Park Eunju wouldn't know Hyeonji's address either, but she was plugged into school affairs, so she might at least offer a solution.

I pulled out my phone right away. I was about to look up Eunju when a missed-message alert popped up.

Better check ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this first, then call.

"...?"

When did she send this? The timestamp was around yesterday afternoon!

So that was it. Yesterday afternoon, after getting my number, Eunju had sent a casual check-in text. I'd been so busy hunting down the owner of those chrysanthemums that I never even noticed. Then today I'd been scrambled with the blind date and only just found it now. From Eunju's side, I'd been ghosting her for over twenty-four hours.

And. Yet. If I called her late like this and asked for Hyeonji's address, what would she think of me? Even in an emergency, that was just bad manners.

I sent the belated reply to Eunju first. Contacting her was still a non-starter. That left only the third option I'd been desperately hoping to avoid.

Teacher Kim Eunju. I already had her number as Harin's dad, and as a school teacher she'd be more eager than anyone to help Hyeonji.

But I couldn't work up the courage to dial. Because what if Teacher Eunju wasn't alone right now?

That senior had shown up with a housewarming gift, so they were probably having a light tea or something. What if it still wasn't over?

If I were in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his shoes, once I got inside Teacher Eunju's place I wouldn't be in any hurry to leave either. And judging by the soft, fluttery vibe between them earlier, there was a high chance they'd be chatting deep into the night.

Of course that was the purest, most optimistic scenario I could invent. What if they weren't just crush material anymore?

And what if I called and that senior bastard answered instead of Teacher Eunju? With some smug, post-coital voice mocking me—who was going to take responsibility for that crushing defeat?

I sat there paralyzed by every possible delusion. Hyeonji, who had no idea I was going through this dilemma, just smacked her lips and slept sprawled out.

But no matter how I looked at it, Teacher Eunju was the only option. Even if it shattered a man's pure love into pieces, I had to get Hyeonji home.

That was what an adult did.

Tremble, tremble...

With shaking hands I picked up the phone. Praying that senior had finished his business and gone home already, I was searching for Teacher Eunju's number when—

Bzzzt!!!

The phone rang. It wasn't a reply from Park Eunju.

"...?"

It was Teacher Eunju. How was this even possible?

I'd been locked in Solomon-level agony over whether to call her or not, and she just happened to call me at this exact moment?

Was this fate? Even with that senior reef in the way, were Teacher Eunju and I living inside some divine design that meant we were destined to connect?

Shake it off!

What the hell was I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thinking? The person Teacher Eunju was calling wasn't Ban Chulgyu—it was Harin's dad.

She probably had something election-related to say, so I needed to reset my voice first.

"...?"

What was this? The reason Teacher Eunju had urgently called "me" turned out to be so she could contact "me"?

"Sure, of course."

"Pardon? You're not going to ask why?"

"Teacher Eunju would handle it properly anyway—does the reason really matter? I'll text the number right now."

"Thank you!"

I'd find out everything once we talked later; no need to make her feel awkward. I immediately sent Teacher Eunju my "work phone number."

Bzzzt!

A call came through right away. Time to show her the real me.

Was I actually an idiot? Sure, the call had reconnected in ten seconds for me, but Teacher Eunju had no way of knowing that.

Fortunately our pure-hearted Teacher Eunju bought even that.

Teacher Eunju couldn't quite get the words out. Imagining her fidgeting with that wistful face already had a dad-smile tugging at my lips.

"Don't overthink it—just tell me. There's nothing we can't say to each other, right?"

"I-is that so? Sigh... Actually I urgently asked Harin's father for the number because of what happened earlier. So... that person earlier is a school senior I was close with. When I moved last time, my university friends threw a housewarming, but I couldn't make it because of new-teacher training. He came to drop off a gift."

"Uh... Teacher? Even as young as I am, I think I can grasp that much of the situation. Is that why you called?"

"But you... I mean the students might get the wrong idea. Anyway he just handed over the gift, we had a quick cup of tea nearby, and he left right after. Really..."

"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"

A victory scream burst out of me before I could stop it. But how could I help it?

Teacher Eunju had coldly cut off the senior who'd shown up at her door full of ulterior motives. How was I supposed to not roar in triumph?

"Hup... W-what was that all of a sudden?"

"Ah, nothing. I was walking while talking and accidentally kicked something."

"Really? Harin's father said the exact same thing before..."

"Our family tends to be a bit careless. Anyway I fully understand what you mean, so don't worry. I'll make absolutely sure the kids never find out."

Of course Teacher Eunju only wanted to stop wild rumors from spreading among gossip-loving students. Hell, even I had been suspicious about what that senior bastard might have done with her in that room.

So what? In the end the two of them were still nothing more than senior and junior.

At least today, nothing had happened. That alone recharged the life nutrients I thought I'd lost.

"Ah, by the way, Teacher? I actually had something to ask you too."

"Mm. What is it?"

"Do you know a third-year named Kim Hyeonji? The total delinquent who always wears gym pants and skips school?"

"Ah... I know who you mean, but describing her that bluntly..."

"Actually I ran into Hyeonji on the street by chance and she was completely wasted. I figure I should take her home, but I don't know where she lives."

"Really!? N-no! I'll come right there—just tell me where you are!"

I could meet Teacher Eunju twice in one day? Normally I'd shout O.K. without looking back, but the situation right now was a little different.

"Wouldn't that be a bit much? Hyeonji probably has her own reasons—if her teacher suddenly shows up she might feel ashamed or something."

"I-is that so? But a student is in trouble and just sitting still feels..."

"I'll get her home safely and report back, so could you just look up the address for me?"

"Huu... All right. I'll text it to you."

With that, everything was solved. Nothing had happened between Teacher Eunju and that senior, and once I dropped Hyeonji off the day would be done.

Bzzzt!

But less than twenty seconds later a text arrived. Teacher Eunju usually seemed spacey, yet she was lightning-fast with this kind of work.

At last I had Hyeonji's home address. But right here I slammed into an unexpected wall.

This kid... she lived in the same building as Park Eunju?