Lua's Tutoring Quiz and Lunchtime Teasing
After Lua-sensei visited the school, I sat down at my desk and glanced over at Im Lua.
She caught my look right away, grabbed her notebook, and...
"What are the four great civilizations of the world?"
She tossed a question my way.
I immediately rattled off the answer from my head.
"Mesopotamian civilization, Egyptian civilization, Yellow River civilization... and... Indus."
"Order?"
"Mes-Eg-Indus-Yel... Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, Yellow River."
"What led to the rise of these civilizations?"
"The vast rivers created environments perfect for human settlement."
"Mm, okay. That's correct. You still haven't memorized all the unique traits of each one, right?"
I nodded right away at her question.
Im Lua flashed a grin and praised me.
"Looks like you've been studying hard."
"Thanks to you."
"Nah, I just gave you the notes. You did the studying."
Her praise made me smile without thinking.
Am I really this weak to compliments?
Anyway, ever since getting her summary notes, I'd been having her check my studying every day.
She'd insisted on it—"Gotta make sure you've actually studied"—but she never pushed too hard.
Just the basics, which made me feel like my efforts were paying off.
Look at what just happened: she zeroed in on what I'd covered and what I hadn't, quizzing me only on the parts I'd studied.
She's as sharp as ever; her brain works overtime on stuff like this too.
"You're really putting in the work."
"Not that much. Just an hour or two a day."
"Plenty of kids don't even do that. You're doing plenty."
Seeing her smile like that stirred up feelings I didn't even know I had. Her smile had that kind of lethal power.
"...You're working hard too."
"Me? Well... I'm not that different from you. Two hours a day, tops."
I couldn't believe my ears.
"...For real?"
"Yeah, for real."
"Then how the hell do you do so well?"
My question must've sounded dumb, because she let out a little laugh.
"We've got a gap in how long we've been at it. If you'd studied steadily like me, you'd be great too. Plus, I've never slept through class."
Could you really get this good just from that?
Nah, no way. This had to be the result of insane effort on her part.
"Impressive, anyway."
"What's so impressive~? No rewards for flattery like that."
She smirked back, but I meant it.
Maybe I'd been scared of studying all this time. Avoiding it was my way of coping.
And this was the result: Lua, who used to be behind me, was now dominating as top of the school, while I wallowed in the lower ranks.
"...Is it too late to start grinding now?"
"Keep this up, and by next year's CSAT, you could hit second grade at least."
CSAT... Yeah, thinking about it, regular admission was my only shot now. My scores weren't even scraping into local unis on early admission.
"...Guess I'll have to try."
"Yeah, fighting! I'll cheer you on."
Her words gave me strength—and a sense of responsibility.
Not a bad kind of responsibility, though. A good one, even. The kind that motivated me.
"Thanks."
She nodded, brushed her hair back lightly, and turned back to her book.
That little move alone proved she was lying earlier.
Studying like that in every spare moment? No way it's just two hours.
By my count, it was at least three.
A little miffed—not really mad, just miffed—at Im Lua, I kept studying until lunchtime rolled around.
Our class ate first this month, so we headed straight to the cafeteria.
Guys and girls sat separately, ate up, and were heading out when...
"...Lunch hit the spot?"
Our eyes met while dumping trays.
"...Yeah, decent. Honestly, our school food's pretty good."
"Totally. Way better than middle school."
She nodded in agreement.
I glanced at her tray.
She'd always eaten pretty balanced—no picky stuff—and sure enough, her plate was spotless.
Mine? Still had those gross greens I skipped.
She noticed and launched right into nagging.
"...Still picky?"
"Fern greens taste like crap."
"Doesn't mean you skip the other veggies."
"It's fine, right? Just this much."
"No. Not at all."
She shook her head firmly and, after stacking her tray, asked,
"You're heading to the school store, aren't you?"
-Flinch!
Busted.
I averted my eyes from her stare, but she kept glaring.
"...Bad for your health."
"...But I grow taller."
"Must be nice being tall. But wouldn't you be even taller if you ate balanced?"
That hit home.
I'm 175cm; Oppa’s just over 180.
Probably that balanced eating difference.
I knew it deep down, but my pride stung, so I pushed back.
"Like 1-2cm at most? And you're short."
FYI, Lua's in the late 150s cm. Definitely not 160—I know 'cause one of my friends is exactly 160, and she's a smidge shorter.
She kicked my calf instantly.
-Smack!
"Ow!"
"Don't talk about a girl's height like that."
"Isn't weight off-limits for girls?"
"Height's a no-go; weight's a declaration of war."
"So, how much?"
She glared daggers at my question.
I whipped my gaze away—otherwise, I'd probably go blind from that stare.
...Straight talk: Lua weighs a ton for her size. At least 60kg, I figure.
Why? She hauls those heavy bags around like nothing. Her waist isn't even that slim.
Plus, all that exercise? Even girls build some muscle. Factor that in, 60kg's reasonable.
Wait—late 150s and 60kg...
"Hey, aren't you obese?"
-Smack!!
"Aaaack!!"
The second dumb words left my mouth, she hammered my leg.
"Crazy bastard, perv, horndog."
"No, I was just asking..."
"No, you weren't, asshole. Where do I look obese?"
"Joking, joking. Overweight, then?"
"Shut up before I kill you."
Spot on, huh.
Hmm, so Lua's overweight.
But that's just by height-weight charts. InBody scan? She'd be normal.
I mulled how to explain, then just blurted it out.
"...But an InBody would say you're super healthy normal."
"...Why?"
"You've got more muscle than average girls."
"Probably."
"So your body fat percentage is low. InBody would show normal."
"Really?"
She perked up, asking like an eager puppy. Where'd that furious Lua go?
I nodded.
"Yeah, definitely."
"Good then."
She turned away sharply, muttering her relief.
Yeah, good. Overweight, but the healthy kind—not flab.
"...Now I'm pissed thinking about it."
"Huh?"
-Smack!!
"Ack!"
"Who asked about a girl's weight?"
"Damn... Hey, friends can ask!"
"How much are you?"
"Me? 70."
"70? At your height?"
"Hard for me to pack on fat or muscle."
She got mad again—or maybe not—and kicked my calf once more.
-Smack!!
"Ack! Stop! That really hurts!"
"Just the back of your calf, you wimp. Don't say that crap in front of girls. Others wouldn't stop at this."
And with that, Teacher Lua's "How to Get Along with Women" class ended.
Beats getting beat up, though. Regular study sessions sound better.
...Not that it matters. The only girl I talk to is Lua anyway. No chats with others.
Never even think about it.