Random Games Do-young Likes (3)
After finishing that day's kendo lesson, Do Ha-min got ready to head back to school for self-study.
"Wait, I'm coming with you."
I quickly changed into comfy clothes at home and followed after him.
"I can go alone. Didn't you get yelled at by Master earlier and skip dinner? Just eat at home."
"That's exactly why I'm coming. You really wanna hang around the house right after getting chewed out? We'll grab something at the convenience store. Gotta get a sausage or something. The biggest, thickest one they got."
Just picturing it—microwaved, slightly curved, bursting with that savage meaty smell—had my mouth watering already. My fingers curled into a circle, thumb and index forming a ring, like I was gripping a fat sausage in my right hand.
"D-don't make weird gestures like that. What if someone sees?"
"Sorry, got you hooked?"
"No!"
"You be quiet, straight-A. The whole neighborhood's staring."
"Hoo…."
"Heh heh, ignore 'em. We'll scarf something quick, and by then Dad'll be in his evening class anyway."
We'd reached a brief truce, but just moments ago we'd both gotten thoroughly dressed down by Dad's dojo-master fury. No real hard feelings, though. It was just that we'd both spewed our emotions without holding back, and neither of us had the guts to face each other properly afterward. Dad had his own disappointment that his daughter wasn't putting in effort; I had my own frustration at getting nagged for the original Ban Do-young's screw-ups that weren't even mine. Those two feelings had no overlap—they could only clash full-force without resolving or compromising. Right now, we both needed time for the emotions to burn themselves out and find some middle ground.
"You're not gonna keep avoiding each other forever, right?"
"Show him you're serious about studying, and he'll come around in no time. Wake up early tomorrow morning to rack up some filial piety points, act like you're all in on listening to him, and it'll blow over quick."
"…Yeah. Somehow I can totally see you pulling that off."
"That's a compliment, right?"
"Obviously."
"Not even trying to deny it? Guess it's sincere then."
Walking to school with Do Ha-min, chatting away in the crisp spring breeze—it wasn't half bad. Maybe Ban Do-young's cold-sensitive body finally felt the warmth of the day. Or maybe it was just fun goofing around with this guy. Ugh, embarrassing—let's go with the weather.
"Showing the right attitude is good and all, but starting schoolwork from scratch now? Hate that."
"Hey, it's not like you've gone that far off track yet."
"I have. Pretty sure I haven't touched studying in 3-4 years. I've totally forgotten how to do it—can I really pull my scores up to midterms average?"
"You can. I'll help. Not super confident, but…"
"Gasp, you're saying that without confidence? You're not planning to fake-teach me and drag me into self-study hell, are you? What're you gonna do to me in that dark classroom?"
"…That's exactly why I'm gonna bust my ass to get you above average—so I don't hear that crap every self-study."
"Heh heh, looking forward to it."
It was a five-minute walk at most, even strolling. We hadn't talked about much, but suddenly we were at the school gate.
"I'll head in first. Thanks for walking me."
"Thanks to you too. For the slurp."
"Z-Zero Lime, say it right…."
"Haha, get home safe."
Normally I'd spin around and head straight home, but for some reason that day, I wanted to stay at the gate until Do Ha-min's back vanished from sight.
**
*Creak.*
It was 6:30 p.m., the start of self-study at Bulsago High. Ha-min slipped into the classroom right on the dot.
"Ah, Do Ha-min. Come on in."
"Ah… Teacher Mi-so."
Stepping into the self-study room felt just like entering his own class—Teacher Yeo Mi-so greeted him warmly.
"Oh, you're supervising today, Teacher Mi-so. Wow, you're here super early."
"Of course! To do a perfect job, you've gotta claim your spot five minutes ahead. Night self-study supervisor's iron rule!"
"Haha… Other teachers skip it and show up ten minutes late…"
Students generally dread when their homeroom teacher supervises self-study. They can't help but pay extra attention to their own kids—patrolling their class one more time, lingering where their students are. Enduring nearly three hours under that watchful eye, no slacking? Brutal for anyone itching to half-ass it and bolt early.
Of course, that didn't apply to Ha-min, who always arrived on time and glued his butt to the seat till 10 p.m. sharp.
"…."
Whoever was supervising, Ha-min studied quietly and steadily, knocking out his planned quota. If anything, having his homeroom teacher at the front desk felt as familiar as being in Class 1-1.
'Huh, problems are solving themselves faster today.'
Just a tiny bit easier to focus. That was all it took—Ha-min breezed through his planned problems quicker than usual. Results were solid too: not just speed, but way higher accuracy.
His right hand was still trembling from slamming the training dummy with the bamboo sword, turning his already chicken-scratch handwriting into a disaster. But hey, as long as he could read it.
'Thought it'd take an hour and a half… Finished in the first self-study period.'
Ha-min stared at the workbook, almost no red marks, surprise on his face. He'd solved them so fast, he even had extra time before the next set.
What to do? Tackle ahead? Nah—forcing it might mess up timing, overlapping with break and throwing off proper practice.
Early breather, sure, but for now, savor the win. Ha-min reviewed mistakes lightly, then took the rest as downtime.
He closed the workbook, giving his problem-glued eyes a break.
'If I can keep this up… If I just grind solo a bit… I can claim that time for something else….'
Post-focus downtime was sweet, but it dragged in stray thoughts. Stuff regular Ha-min would never dwell on filled his head during this unexpected rest.
.
.
.
"Do Ha-min…? Something you wanna say?"
"Teacher Mi-so. Can we talk? Just five minutes."
Self-study was winding down—five minutes to 10 p.m. Ha-min, who'd just finished and stood up, approached Teacher Yeo Mi-so at the desk a full five minutes early.
**
"Everyone, you know to watch out for cars, roads, and people on the way home, right?"
"That's so last-decade, Teach."
"We're high schoolers? We got that covered."
"I know! But it's what I've always wanted to say since becoming a teacher. And parents and teachers nag 'cause they worry, even if you know!"
The next day, at end-of-day homeroom, Teacher Mi-so wrapped up with her usual fretful-mom vibe. Her slightly quivering voice made it clear: no empty platitudes, pure sincerity.
"She'd be perfect if she skipped the 'study more' lectures…"
"N-no lectures and she wouldn't be a good teacher…."
"Hitting us with facts, huh."
"Oh, and watch for those kickboards zipping on sidewalks too, got it?"
Yeah, that one's legit. Cars, roads, people—add rogue kickscooters, and you've got modern peril perfected. Sidewalk speed demons were a Frankenstein of all three.
"Self-study kids, hang in there tonight—see you next week?"
With Teacher Mi-so's sign-off, the non-self-study crew packed bags and bolted out the back door.
"Straight-A, catch you later. Same time at the dojo tomorrow… Huh?"
Heading for the gate, Do Ha-min's vibe felt off. Backpack slung on, like he was leaving with me.
"What, straight-A? No self-study? Why the bag?"
"Taking a break. Till midterms."
"You? Skipping self-study? Why…?"
"To study with you."