That's So Hard on Christmas Eve
The Christmas I had been looking forward to for so long was now just a day away.
I had a special date planned with Jung-woo, so I wanted to drop everything and run off to see him today too. But I couldn't.
With winter break here again, it was time to pick up the tutoring sessions I usually did during vacations.
I enjoy teaching the kids. It was just that, given what day it was, I really didn't feel like going.
"Today's Yo-han's lesson. I bet he finished his homework properly."
With only two students, I had plenty of free time. And since both of them were studying math, I didn't have to switch between different subjects.
On top of that, Yo-han was the kind of student who overflowed with enthusiasm, which made teaching him genuinely fun.
Riiiiing! Riiiiing!
"Hello?"
"Yeah, it's me, honey."
"What? All excited because it's Christmas Eve? You're being even cheesier than usual."
"Yeoni, what are you up to today?"
"I'm getting ready to head out for tutoring. I'll leave soon."
"You're working on Christmas Eve?"
"I still have to do what needs to be done. What about you, Jung-woo?"
"I have to step out for a bit. Want to meet up after your tutoring session?"
"Hmm... I'll be too worn out after tutoring, so today might be tough."
I poured every last drop of my stamina into those two-hour sessions, so by the end I was completely drained.
In my heart I wanted to meet up with Jung-woo and have fun, but if I saw him in that state I'd just end up dragging myself home without really enjoying anything.
In that case, it was better not to meet and save my energy for tomorrow.
"I have to head out now. I'll call you later."
"Got it. I love you."
"Love you too, babe."
In spaces where it was just the two of us, I'd grown somewhat used to saying pet names.
But in public, like Jung-woo did so casually, I still couldn't manage it. I had no idea how he pulled it off without feeling awkward.
After tidying up, I arrived at Yo-han's house and pressed the doorbell.
Ding dong!
"Teacher, you're here?"
"Yep. Did you finish all your homework?"
"Of course I did. Come on in."
Yo-han was a new student I'd taken on this winter break. From what I'd heard, he supposedly hadn't studied at all before, but his attitude in class made that hard to believe.
He always brought completed homework and immediately asked about anything he didn't understand.
To anyone watching, he looked like the model student, so I couldn't buy the idea that he had never studied.
"Are your parents not home?"
"They stepped out for a bit to run some errands."
"Even the day before a holiday? That's dedication."
"I'm getting tutored the day before a holiday too."
"True. Looks like I'm stuck teaching on Christmas Eve myself."
We had grown close enough by now to exchange jokes like this.
Once a teacher and student reached that level of comfort, classes became a lot easier.
"How's your leg doing?"
"It's completely fine now. You saw me walking normally earlier."
Yo-han had torn his ACL after falling during a relay race at the school sports day.
When I first met him he wasn't using any braces or crutches, so it hadn't worried me much, but I still checked in from time to time.
"Since it's Christmas Eve, let's take it easy and include some breaks."
"Sounds good."
Now that was a real student. No matter how well they studied or how hard they worked, every kid wanted to play.
I didn't do this often, but slipping in a class like this once in a while really helped boost their efficiency.
"This stays between us and your parents, okay?"
"Yes, I know."
We started the lesson by checking the homework Yo-han had brought. As expected, it was neat and showed real diligence. He had gotten every solvable problem right and even worked through the harder ones as far as he could, leaving no blanks.
"Which part of this one was difficult?"
"Ah, this section here. I followed the textbook and got this far, but I'm stuck on what comes next."
"This part requires applying two different formulas, so you can't solve it with just one. I'll show you."
Honestly, if all my tutoring students were like Yo-han, I could have handled five instead of two.
But that was impossible, and since I had started tutoring the moment I became a university student, I had also dealt with some truly terrible students in the past.
"Does that make sense now?"
"Yes, I understand. Then how should I approach this problem?"
Even though he hadn't left it blank, some of his approaches had been completely off from the start.
Just as I expected, he had been approaching it all wrong, so I walked him through it step by step from the beginning.
After finishing the homework review and covering a decent amount of the curriculum, we took a free period.
"What are you doing tomorrow, Teacher?"
"Tomorrow? I have a date."
"With your boyfriend?"
"That's right. So your teacher is busy. Don't contact me tomorrow. What about you, Yo-han?"
"I have a date with my girlfriend too."
"You said her name was Ruda, right?"
"Yes, Lee Ruda."
"That's a pretty name. When did you two start dating?"
Yo-han began opening up about his own love story.
I had heard it a few times before, and every time it felt like something straight out of a drama.
He had liked his girlfriend since kindergarten. Even though he wanted to confess, she was such a perfect honor student that he had restarted his neglected studies just to become someone worthy of her.
For someone still in school, his mindset was more mature than most adults.
"How did you and your boyfriend start dating, Teacher?"
"So now it's my turn to spill my love story?"
"I'm curious."
His calm voice didn't match the bright sparkle in his eyes at all.
Yeah, this was exactly the age when kids were obsessed with that kind of thing.
This time I told Yo-han how Jung-woo and I had ended up together. Our story was pretty extraordinary too, and I could see his eyes lighting up the whole time he listened.
"Then that means both of us are dating our childhood friends."
"Well, I guess so."
"There's this saying, you know. That childhood friends are nothing but a fantasy."
"Oh, I've heard that one too. Something about how just having a childhood friend is already a lie or whatever."
Maybe it was because I had been listening to a high schooler's fresh, innocent love story, but my desire to see Jung-woo suddenly surged even stronger.
I hadn't done a full-length lesson anyway, so maybe I could suggest meeting up after.
"What are you and your girlfriend planning to do tomorrow, Yo-han?"
"I'm not sure. We both like staying in, so we'll probably play games together at home or step out for a little while to look around. What about you, Teacher?"
"We're meeting downtown in the morning. I think my boyfriend has something planned, but he won't tell me what it is."
"Maybe he's preparing some kind of event?"
"Hmm... I'd rather it not be that."
"Why? Events are nice."
"They are, but if Jung-woo says he's prepared an event, I get nervous."
Jung-woo's events always made my heart nearly stop.
Of course it felt good to receive them, but surprises that made my heart drop were something I preferred to avoid if possible.
If it kept happening, I was seriously going to have a heart attack one day.
"I should get going now. Have a great date tomorrow."
"You too, Teacher. Enjoy your date."
I left Yo-han's house and immediately called Jung-woo.
"Jung-woo."
"Yeah, Yeoni?"
"Want to meet up now? Are you free?"
"I'm free, but won't you be tired, Yeoni?"
"Not at all. I kept the lesson light since it's Christmas tomorrow."
"Then I'll head over now too. Let's meet at our usual spot."
Luckily we made plans, so I took a taxi to our usual meeting place downtown.
When I arrived, Jung-woo was already there, smiling brightly as he welcomed me stepping out of the cab.
"You look different today, Yeoni."
"Probably because I just came from teaching."
I walked over slowly and wrapped him in a tight hug. But something in Jung-woo's pocket brushed against my collar, and I felt a distinct sensation.
"Jung-woo, what's in your pocket?"
"Huh? Oh, it's... it's nothing."
"It's really hard."
"Don't worry about it. Want to take a walk?"
"Sure."
Jung-woo acted like he was desperately trying to change the subject.
His behavior was suspicious, so the whole time we walked I kept glancing at his pocket.
From how much it was bulging out, whatever was inside had to be some kind of box.
It didn't seem very big, either.
What on earth could be in there?
"Yeoni, look. They put up a Christmas tree on the street."
"Oh? You're right. It's huge. The decorations are really nice too."
"Do you think it'll snow tomorrow? Nothing beats a white Christmas."
"Snow makes it less cold. As long as it doesn't pile up too much, it'll be easier to walk around outside."
"I can't even remember the last time I saw snow on Christmas."
"They say it's all because of environmental pollution."
"Sorry, Mother Nature. Humans messed up."
While Jung-woo's attention was caught by the Christmas tree, I took the chance to poke at his pocket.
He jumped in surprise and quickly put some distance between us.
"W-what are you doing?"
"I was curious what was in your pocket."
"I-it's really nothing. Oh? There's a tanghulu stand over there. Want some tanghulu?"
"You've been trying to distract me with tanghulu this whole time. I'm not that easy... Let's go get some."
"I'll buy it for you!!"
He kept trying to steer the conversation away, and I played along, but I couldn't stop thinking about whatever was inside his pocket.
What could possibly be in there to make him act like this?