A Different Screen

"Just keep in mind that we'll be coordinating with the fifth-grade teachers regarding the sports day later. Don't announce anything to the kids until the schedule and event details are finalized."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Y-Yes...!"

Min Yuha and I answered Ryu Sehee's instructions in unison.

Was it just me, or did Ms. Min's voice sound a bit shaky...?

As I stole a glance at her, Ryu Sehee stood up first.

"I'll head back to my classroom first, then. You two should get ready for fifth period as well."

With Ryu Sehee leaving the research room, Min Yuha and I were left alone once again.

"Ms. Min?"

"Yes...! Y-Yes?!"

Whoa, she startled me.

Min Yuha practically leaped out of her seat as she answered. Was she daydreaming? She stared at me with wide, panicked eyes.

"I-Is there... something you need, Mr. Han?"

"No. I was just wondering what you wanted to talk about earlier."

"Earlier?"

"You said you had something to tell me before the meeting started."

At my words, Min Yuha's face lit up with an 'Oh, right' expression.

"Ah... T-That... I..."

"?"

"I-I'm sorry...! I'll tell you next time!"

"Pardon?"

"I have to get to class!"

Ms. Min fled the research room as if her life depended on it.

...What was that about? Did she desperately need to use the bathroom or something?

I ran into Ms. Min a couple more times before the end of the school day, but...

"Ah, Ms. Min...!"

"I'm sorry! I'm in a real hurry right now...!"

"Oh."

She kept making various excuses to dodge me and run away.

Why was she suddenly acting like this?

I was pretty sure we had greeted each other normally this morning.

There was obviously a reason. Nine times out of ten, it was because of what happened yesterday. Peeing in front of another man and giving me a naked handjob wasn't exactly a casual, everyday occurrence, after all.

But if that was the issue, shouldn't she have been acting weird since this morning? She definitely wasn't like this earlier today. In fact, she had forced herself to act completely normal, as if nothing had happened.

Was there some other problem? Did she eat something bad at lunch?

Just in case, I sneaked a peek ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at her phone through the mirroring app, but nothing unusual popped up.

It wasn't like I could just ask her directly, either.

What should I do? I had planned to call Min Yuha over for a little session after school today, but if she really wasn't feeling well, it would be better not to force it.

"Hmm... What should I do now, then?"

With the training schedule I had planned for after school cleared out, I suddenly had some free time. I might as well finish installing the smart mirroring devices in the remaining classrooms.

I had been putting off setting up the devices in each room because I was too busy sleeping with the female teachers, but lately, the Head Teacher had been dropping subtle hints, wondering when it would finally be finished.

I had been installing them one classroom at a time whenever I had a spare moment, so I figured I should just get it over with today.

Let's see. Grades three through six were all done. That left only grades one and two.

I sent a quick note to the classrooms I planned to visit today and gathered my equipment.

I made my way through the second-grade wing, installing the mirroring devices from Class 3 down to Class 2.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Han!"

"Of course, ma'am. Please let me know if you run into any issues while using it."

After finishing the installation, I bowed politely to the elderly teacher in Class 2 and stepped out.

Now, only Class 1 was left for the second grade, right?

Grade 2, Class 1.

That was the classroom of Ms. Shin Ikyeong, the Grade 2 Leader.

The moment I stopped in front of the door, an eerie, heavy atmosphere seemed to hang over the room. This classroom felt entirely different from the outside.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Hello, Ms. Shin. I'm Han Taeo from Grade 6, Class 2. I'm here to install the mirroring device."

"Come on in."

"Excuse me."

Hearing her voice from inside, I carefully slid the front door open.

Sitting at her desk, Ms. Shin Ikyeong spun her chair around to face me.

"Oh, welcome, Mr. Han. I was wondering when you'd finally show up."

"Hello, Ms. Shin. I'm here to set up the mirroring."

"I saw your note. You said you were installing it today, right? I've been waiting ages."

Is she seriously guilt-tripping me for taking so long?

"I was setting it up in the other classrooms first, so I'm a bit late. I'll have it done in a jiffy."

"I see~. So the other classes are more important than mine?"

"...That's not what I meant. Class 3 was just the first one on my way here."

"Fufu, I know. I'm just teasing. Look how flustered you are. You're quite cute, Mr. Han."

"Sigh..."

This was exactly why I found this woman so difficult to deal with.

Like a senior soldier hazing a raw recruit, she always threw these weird, passive-aggressive jabs at me, leaving me completely unable to tell if she was joking or being serious. Especially when it came to me.

Just look at that face. That smirk was a dead giveaway that she was playing with him.

I needed to install this quickly and get the hell out.

"I'll just set this down here for a moment."

"Sure~."

As I laid out my equipment on the desk, I stole a quick glance around the classroom. Since it was a lower-grade room, it was highly decorated, but it felt exceptionally fancy. There were so many flower pots. Were the kids growing them? No, the pots were far too large for that... It had to be Shin Ikyeong's personal taste.

A wonderfully sweet fragrance wafted through the air. She must use some really high-end perfume.

As I diligently worked on the computer, Shin Ikyeong casually slid onto the edge of her desk. My eyes momentarily locked onto her flashy skirt, and I quickly averted my gaze.

Hearing a rustling sound, I looked back to see her holding a packet of instant coffee.

"Mr. Han, care for a cup of coffee while you work?"

"I'm alright, thank you. I already had some in the other classrooms."

It was the absolute truth. Teachers had this bizarre habit of trying to feed anyone who visited their classrooms, especially the older ones. Even today, I was carrying a bag full of snacks I had been forced to accept from Class 2 and Class 3.

When I gave her a flat refusal, Shin Ikyeong let out a deep, dramatic sigh.

"Ah, I see~. So you won't accept anything if it's from me?"

"...I'll have a cup, please."

"You should have said so from the start~. Here. Decaf, so it's not too heavy."

"Thank you."

I took a sip of the coffee she handed me. It actually tasted pretty good. Setting the cup aside, I continued with my work.

For some distracting reason, Shin Ikyeong remained perched on the edge of her desk, her eyes fixed on me. Honestly, it was incredibly pressuring. She was already highly attractive, and having her sit right in front of me like that was doing things to my focus.

Damn, look at those thighs.

"Fufu. It's nice having you here in my classroom helping out, Mr. Han."

"Ah..."

I couldn't just openly stare. I kept my mouth shut. I had a feeling that if I said the wrong thing, she would find even more excuses to summon me for physical labor in the future. For some reason, she always called on me whenever there was heavy lifting to be done.

Didn't she drag me along last time to haul some heavy tug-of-war ropes? Even then, she had asked Ryu Sehee, "Can I borrow Mr. Han?" instead of asking me directly.

At this rate, did she just view me as some kind of handsome errand boy?

Park Seonghun's petty rivalry actually looked cute compared to this. Shin Ikyeong was just plain uncomfortable to be around. I simply couldn't read what was going on behind that relaxed, playful expression of hers. I couldn't even tell if she disliked me or just looked down on me entirely.

"How long will the installation take?"

"About twenty minutes?"

"Fufu. Then I guess we're on a twenty-minute date?"

"...Excuse me?"

"You don't have to look so deadpan. You're hurting my feelings."

...I seriously had no idea what was going on in her head. If she were ugly or some older auntie teacher, I would have just laughed it off as a joke.

How old was she again? She was one year older than Ryu Sehee, so thirty-one? Of course, some might call that old, but in the teaching community, thirty-one was still considered very young. She was only two years older than me, after all.

On top of that, she wore flashy, stylish clothes every day and was incredibly well-groomed.

Honestly, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to sleep with her—purely based on her looks, that is. Before I got to know her personality, I used to have a massive crush on her just from her appearance.

I decided to ignore her and focus on my work, stepping behind the TV to set up the device. Even as I worked, Shin Ikyeong kept chatterbox-ing away.

"Are you getting along well with the Grade 6 Leader lately?"

"More or less?"

"I'm glad to hear that~. I could never get along with her. She's always so angry, isn't she?"

Well, she wasn't wrong about that. Though lately, Sehee's anger had started to look rather cute to me.

As I worked, I casually threw a question back at her.

"Did something happen between you and our Grade Leader? You two don't seem to get along."

"Oh? Fufu. Does it look that way?"

Yes, it absolutely did.

"Our personalities just clash. The Grade 6 Leader is far too aggressive, and I don't really like aggressive people. I prefer those who are obedient and gentle. Like you, Mr. Han."

"......."

Now I had a pretty clear idea of how she viewed me. It was slightly irritating, but I chose to ignore it and keep working.

As I was connecting a few more cables, Shin Ikyeong clapped her hands together with a sharp *slap*.

"Oh, by the way, I heard an interesting rumor."

"What kind of rumor?"

"Is it true that you and the Grade 6 Leader are dating?"

"Pardon?"

I stopped what I was doing and poked my head out from behind the TV. Shin Ikyeong was giggling as she watched my reaction.

"Where did you hear a rumor like that?"

"The third-grade teachers. They said you and the Grade 6 Leader are in a relationship."

The third-grade teachers... Ah, it must be the one who saw us in the parking lot that time. She must have spread the rumor all over the school. This was why working in a school was so suffocating; gossip traveled fast.

"Well? Is it true? It'd be quite shocking if it is."

"No, it's not."

"It's not? Fufu. Really?"

"Really."

"How interesting. Because I actually saw something intriguing over the weekend."

"...Over the weekend?"

"You know that outlet mall nearby, right? The Grade 6 Leader was there on Saturday. She was dressed up so beautifully—it didn't suit her at all."

"Ah."

My hands froze mid-air as I was about to connect a wire. Saturday... that was when I had taken her out. Shin Ikyeong and Ryu Sehee had run into each other at the cafe, hadn't they? Though she hadn't seen me.

"Fufu... I wonder why she was there. Since there were rumors about you two, I thought she might be with you, but I guess not? Then who was she with?"

"I-I have no idea..."

Shin Ikyeong stared at me as if trying to read my expression, so I deliberately avoided her gaze. I felt like she would figure everything out the moment our eyes met, so I forced myself to focus entirely on the task at hand. Seriously... why was she so obsessed with me?

"Well, whoever it was, it's a good thing. As long as it wasn't you."

"Pardon?"

"You're far too good for her, Mr. Han. Dating a woman with such a terrible personality would be a waste."

"........."

"By the way, did you know I originally tried to bring you over to the second grade?"

"Me? To the second grade?"

"Yes~. We don't have any male teachers in the lower grades. And if I brought you over, you'd be perfect for running errands."

"Ah."

Of course. I immediately erased the brief spark of hope that had crossed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my mind. She definitely just saw me as a pack mule. Was her hostility toward Ryu Sehee also because she felt Sehee had stolen her personal errand boy?

Even if she wasn't directly taking it out on me, it still felt pretty insulting.

"The installation is complete. Let's run a test."

"Hmm. Shall we?"

At my words, Shin Ikyeong pulled out her phone. The case alone was incredibly flashy, and it was the latest model. Do people who love flashy things also paste rhinestones all over their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠phones?

As I set up the TV screen, I simultaneously turned on my own phone.

I had been planning to find the right timing to do this, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Actually, I had been getting a strange vibe from Shin Ikyeong for a while now. The fact that she was meeting a parent over the weekend under the guise of a 'parent consultation' had been bothering me. No matter how many consultations lower-grade teachers had, meeting a parent privately outside of school on the weekend felt incredibly suspicious.

If I checked her phone, would I be able to find something out?

Let's find out right now.

"Huh?"

The moment I saw the mirrored screen of Shin Ikyeong's phone, I felt something was off.

...What was going on here?

"What's wrong, Mr. Han?"

"Oh... nothing. The screen is showing up fine, right?"

"Yes. Technology is so convenient these days, being able to cast my phone screen directly to the classroom TV."

Shin Ikyeong swiped through her phone screen. On the classroom TV, her phone screen swiped along in perfect sync.

I looked at the screen projected on the TV, then back to the mirrored screen displayed on my own phone.

"...What the..."

The screens were different.

The screen mirrored on my phone did not match the screen on the phone Shin Ikyeong was holding.