Guitar Club (3): Strumming Up Motivation
"Teacher. Teacher. Teacher. Teacher."
Choi Da-eun was shoving her face right up to mine in an annoyingly intrusive way. Her eyes sparkled like she'd caught me red-handed. I deliberately avoided her gaze.
"Aaah, Teeeeacher~."
Then she ramped it up even more, dragging out her words with a nasal whine as she pressed closer. The reason she was clinging like this was obvious—she wanted the full story. Specifically, about why I'd gone shopping in Hongdae last time.
At first, I figured I could just brush it off with some vague excuse. So I'd said it was a coincidence: I'd scored musical tickets through an acquaintance, but all I had at home were training pants, so I went to buy something decent to wear. That had been my mistake.
—Who'd you go with?
—With my sister? Nah, who dresses up that much just to go with family?
—Huh? With a guy? Do you usually like musicals that much, teacher? It's not easy for two guys to go together...
—Ahh, so you went with a "female friend"...So what happened next?
A high school girl's curiosity was more relentless than I'd expected. And I was worse at lying than I'd thought. Her casual questions hit like punches, leaving me speechless. I didn't have a mirror, but my face probably screamed "liar" loud and clear. Layer by layer, the details I'd hidden peeled away naturally.
If I kept entertaining her, I'd end up spilling everything. I grabbed a crumpled stack of papers from the desk and slammed it down with a thwack.
"Alright, enough. Let's get back to studying. Break's over."
"Fiiine. Okayyy."
Choi Da-eun pouted, sticking out her lower lip, and kicked the wall pointlessly a couple times.
"Okay, let's start with the ones you marked as 'don't know'?"
"Yes, teacher."
The lesson resumed in earnest. Choi Da-eun's eyes sharpened with focus, like the whining phase had never happened.
Before long, we reached the final problem. I'd given all the basic hints, but it still seemed tough—she tapped her forehead with her mechanical pencil. As expected from problem 30 on the college entrance exam math section, it required a bit of creative thinking.
"Need another hint?"
"No. I'll solve it myself."
She shook her head. If there were more problems after, it might be different, but this was the last one. Her determination to crack it without hints was commendable, so I decided to let her go till the end.
Three minutes before the session ended.
"That's the answer."
"Yay!"
Choi Da-eun finally nailed it. Her cheer was high-pitched and triumphant. I gave her a light high-five.
My palm stings.
It burned more than expected. I subtly rubbed my warming hand on my leg.
"Oh, right. Teacher, are you interested in group tutoring by any chance?"
"Group tutoring?"
"Yeah. I mentioned you to that friend you saw last time, and she wants to join."
"Same format as now?"
"Yep. She goes to a ton of academies anyway. She said reviewing alone at home isn't sticking, so I recommended you right away."
No downside there. If anything, it was perfect. This tutoring gig was already paying way too well for the effort—like it was driving me nuts. Doubling the income for the same work was basically a jackpot event. Sure, per-student fees might drop a bit in a group setup, but it'd still be more than now overall.
"So, teacher, how was the date?"
"Nice try."
"Tch."
Choi Da-eun clicked her tongue in disappointment. What a terrifying student. Dropping good news about an extra tutee, then sneaking in an attack the moment I let my guard down. I let out a silent sigh of relief and started packing up.
"What should I do for fun in college... Oh, teacher, do you do any clubs at university?"
"Me? I've been going to the guitar club lately."
I answered without thinking. Her eyes lit up again at that.
"For real? Can I hear you play guitar sometime?"
"Hmm... No guitar here now, and playing in a study room like this would be kinda tough anyway."
"Just send a recording then."
I really don't want to...
Showing my beginner-level playing to a student? The bar was sky-high.
"If I could hear you play guitar, it'd help me focus on studying so much~."
But she cleverly struck first, before I could refuse. She was holding "studying" hostage. After a moment's dilemma, I threw in the towel.
"...Fine. I'll record one and send it."
"Heehee. Thank you~. Send it as soon as possible."
Her smug grin was infuriating. If she weren't a student, I'd have flicked her forehead hard.
"Here. A gift."
A box packed with assorted desserts and snacks—all ones Lee Soo-min had loved before. I set it down next to her books in the club room where she was studying.
"Out of nowhere?"
She looked flustered by the sudden present, her eyes filling with question marks as she stared at me.
"Yeah, just felt like it. Recharge your sugar while cramming for exams."
"......"
At my answer, Lee Soo-min shot me a sharp glare. Her wariness only spiked.
...No helping it. I nudged the box aside and said,
"Actually, I need a favor."
"What?"
"Help me record a guitar song."
"Now?"
"Yeah. Now."
She gave me a look like I was insane. Fair enough—I was a bit crazy. Midterms were less than a week away.
"What about exam studying?"
"Planning to cram the day after tomorrow."
"The day before the exam?"
"Yep. That's the plan."
"And me?"
"Hmm. Good point."
"......"
Her glare intensified. But I stood my ground without flinching.
"Alright, second gift."
"What's this now?"
"Exam prep summary."
"Where'd you get it?"
"Made it myself. Includes everything the prof emphasized in class. Just this should get you decent scores."
"......?"
She blanked out for a sec, then eyed me like I was truly deranged. I averted my gaze awkwardly.
Truth was, unlike what I'd claimed to her, I had studied ahead—but only for the class we shared. To keep my promise to Choi Da-eun, I had no choice. The guitar club was still new to me, just a few weeks in, and Soo-min was the only one likely to help kindly. To win her over, I had to swallow my tears and break my "cram the day before" rule.
"Wait, you... just now... Haa..."
Of course, without knowing the backstory, she could only gape in disbelief. The guy who'd sworn to cram last-minute shows up with a custom summary? Any outsider would think I was a pro gaslighter.
Explaining properly would've meant starting with the Choi Da-eun promise, so I skipped it. Instead, I pulled back the dessert box and offered it alongside the summary.
"Just one or two hours. Won't ask for more."
"Haa..."
In the end, I succeeded in roping her in.
Choi Da-eun, a third-year high schooler who should have been deep in exam prep.
"Heehee. So cute. Gotta study if I hear this..."
She lay on her bed, scrolling shorts eagerly. Her favorites featured dogs or cats—this one tested if cats got mad when you poked their butts.
"Wanna raise a cat..."
Her strict family made pets a pipe dream. She planned to start solo living after college and sneak one in—a cat or dog, somehow. Big hurdle from the start, though.
"Wonder if I can actually get into university."
Her future loomed bleak. Just months till the exam, but anxiety crashed in. The fun mood deflated. She set her phone down and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Maybe just sleep it off.
Motivation tanked. Better to crash early and recharge, right?
Katok-. A notification buzzed beside her.
And don't laugh.
Message from Lee Jun-woo. She bolted upright and tapped into KakaoTalk to check the video.
"Is it recording okay?"
The club room with its poster. He checked the camera setup, then sat on the sofa, slung the guitar over his shoulder. He cleared his throat—ahem—and started playing awkwardly.
"I'm just a dung beetle~"
"Pfft, what is this."
His voice over the familiar tune: "Dung Beetle," the song about the friendless bug. Light guitar strums backed his singing. Pitch was spot-on, but tension made his voice waver slightly.
"Puhaha— he really put in effort."
I hadn't even asked for singing. A few off notes slipped in, but he powered through to the end. Once done, he sheepishly unslung the guitar, grabbed his phone, and said,
"If you've watched it, get back to studying."
Video over. Short but punchy—erased every short she'd just seen from memory. Her heart fluttered a bit. Choi Da-eun clapped softly and hopped out of bed.
"Alright, time to hit the books."
Choi Da-eun Listening to the Song She Received (Image)
