Shadows from the Past
As we stepped out of the shop on the way to see her home, night had already fallen into a murky dusk. For a student and teacher walking the streets alone together, it felt a bit inappropriate timing.
"That place was delicious, right? Yeah?"
"Yes."
"How delicious?"
"On the spicy scale, about as hot as Shin Ramyun."
"Then it's super delicious!"
"Doesn't that make me super uncomfortable?"
"Ah, no...! It's not like that... Ahem! Anyway, this tonkatsu shop is such a hidden gem that I've been a loyal customer for five years."
"Yeah. I might become a regular too."
".........Really...? Do you have to...? Sniff..."
-Wilt...
Teacher. If you hate overlapping paths with me that much, then yeah, you're uncomfortable around me.
"Where do you live, Yeonwoo?"
"You first."
Screw it.
If it's that uncomfortable, I'll just go the opposite way.
"If it's not far, the teacher will walk you home!"
Now it's ambiguous whether I'm the uncomfortable one.
"Teacher, do you have a car?"
"I have a car. But... the teacher... doesn't have a license. Seventh-time failer. I'm weak at big exams..."
"Big exam?"
"Regular Class 2... I keep missing by just one or two questions... It's like walking through an endless tunnel."
It's a national exam, so yeah, big test.
Passed the teacher certification on the first try, though... What a weirdo.
"L-Later, when I get my license, want me to take you for the first test drive?"
"No thanks. For real."
The first drive from a woman who failed Class 2 eight times.
If I lived nearby and drove, I wouldn't step foot on the road that day.
"Today, the teacher will walk you home!"
"Isn't that usually the guy's job?"
"It's fine! The teacher's taekwondo is, um... around 47th dan?"
"No idea how strong that even is..."
It was as we passed the octopus place.
"Huh? Han Seolgi!?"
One of the guys huddled in a circle chatting yelled out.
His voice was so loud it startled me too.
"Han Seolgi, right? That's you?"
A tall guy strode over.
His black jacket clung to his body excessively.
He flicked away the nearly burned-out cigarette between his fingers without a care.
"Whoa! Running into you here of all places!"
".........Uh, uh... N-No..."
"Hey, hey, hey—! Come here!!! Han Seolgi's here!"
At his words, all eyes turned to her.
The guys' faces were either beet red or pale like they'd caked on makeup.
"What? Han Seolgi? For real?"
"Han Seolgi... Han Seolgi... the basketball seal show girl?"
"Oh, yeah, that's her!!!"
Five burly dudes surrounded her.
They bombarded her with words in a menacing swarm.
Even I, standing a bit away from her, caught the musty stench of booze and smoke mixed together.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! How long's it been!? You transferred out in third year and left us hanging, that sucked!"
"Second year, you dumbass~ This guy's wasted for sure."
"I'm not drunk, you fuck. Hey, Seolgi. Do I look drunk?"
"Uh... Th-That..."
"Hey. But damn, you've gotten way prettier. Wouldn't have recognized you without that guy."
"..."
"Seolgi doesn't look happy. Don't you remember us?"
"No, I do. Really."
"Hey, yeah! Junsu! You remember Junsu, right?"
"......Huh...?"
"Should I call Junsu now? He'll come running if I say you're here? You two were tight, right?"
I knew that last part was a lie.
From her expression.
It was stiff even back at the tonkatsu shop when she saw me.
But nothing compared to this frozen terror.
Guessing their relationship wasn't hard.
"I have to go."
She turned to leave. Or tried to, before Jacket Guy grabbed her bag strap.
"It's not that late? You in a rush?! Stick around a bit."
"Yeah, yeah. There's a great eel place just up ahead. Let's grab a drink."
"You got a boyfriend?"
"That guy? The one behind. Looks young."
Zero tact.
Even if it's a misunderstanding, acting like this with her supposed boyfriend right there is wrong.
Even if they mean no harm and are just that type, it's clear Han Hyunjoo wants out of here.
-Kyahaha! She was hilarious back in the cafeteria!
Like a ball tossed to a pack of bored big dogs sprawled out.
That's how she looked.
"Junsu took a taxi! He's on his way now?"
At that, she yanked at the strap holding her back.
"I-I'm b-busy, so I gotta... Ah! S-Sorry...! Really..."
"The fu-ck you in a hurry? Because of your boyfriend? Want me to ask? Hey~ You guys high school pals..."
"Nah, not her boyfriend. She called her 'teacher' earlier."
A brief silence fell at Jacket's words.
…
"What? Teacher?"
"You became a teacher?"
Her face changed again. From ashen to sallow. She even looked like she was holding back tears.
".........Ah......Uh..."
"What? You actually became a teacher?"
"Did she do well in school?"
"Whoa!! Fuckin' badass!! Which school..."
"Tutoring."
I said it.
Got to control my strength.
Especially prying the bag strap from a drunk's hand.
I know well how these types turn rabid over their pride.
"Sorry, guys. Tutoring time's up for me."
The raucous laughter that filled the air moments ago went quiet at the edgy high schooler's aggro.
"...Tutoring?"
"Yeah... Exams soon... Seolgi-teacher was gonna give me extra lessons today."
…
Eyes turned to me.
If I said it didn't scare me, I'd be lying.
Spending years holed up in my room dulls your tolerance for this stuff.
And somehow, Han Hyunjoo was among those stares.
"……"
Was this the right move?
I'm no expert at crowd control.
If I were still working, maybe I'd handle it better.
Got the guts to flip out properly.
Not sure if that's the right way, though. …
"Ah~ Tutoring~ Thought you became a school teacher or something."
"Just. Let her go. Kid's studying."
"Junsu's already coming, what're you saying."
Seemed like the right call.
For the goal of getting Han Seolgi—correction, Han Hyunjoo—out of there.
As the surrounding guys parted, Han Hyunjoo slipped out with a rustle.
Standing side by side with me.
-Clack clack
We tried to leave like that. After a few steps, voices called from behind.
"Hey~ Seolgi. Lend me your phone real quick."
"......Huh, why...?"
"Number. Your number."
…This is getting sticky.
If this guy isekai'd into this world, he'd outplay me easy.
Sneaky too.
Tricking her into calling his own phone so she can't give a fake number.
"……"
She knew it, that's why she looked so repulsed.
Of course…
Sneaky, but nothing compared to Seonha.
I can handle this level.
-Tuk…
"...Huh?"
I slipped my phone into her coat pocket.
"...This is..."
I nodded slightly.
She got it—call him with my phone.
*
"……" "……"
The walk escorting me home turned into me escorting her.
She didn't refuse this much courtesy. Or maybe her head was too full right now to realize she was spending late-night private time with a student.
-Thud thud -Clack clack
No explanations from her, no questions from me.
No obligation to explain, no reason to ask.
We're lacking any real familiarity between us.
"Thanks."
She'd been walking with her head down, but picked those words.
"For what?"
"Earlier...... for lying about tutoring."
"…"
"How'd you know? That I didn't want to reveal it to them..."
…
"...Classmates who don't even know I changed my name... it'd be awkward if they showed up at school."
"......You've got a sensitive side."
Now that you know, stop misunderstanding me as a scary student.
I swallowed those words.
Not the right response now.
Not after what she'd just been through—the trigger for seeing me as scary.
…
Wonder if the time I spent with her today reeks of booze.
That'd be kinda bitter.
"...Thanks for lending your phone earlier too."
"...Why not just give him yours?"
When he asked for her number, Han Hyunjoo handed over my phone, not hers.
"No. That's my business. I won't burden you with it."
"Burden... You sure that's okay?"
"You were gonna block him anyway, right? I'll do the same."
"...If those guys contact you... No, forget it."
What was I about to say? Even I thought it was weird, so I shut up.
She gave a weird smile at my weirdly vanished words.
Teacher and student, now knowing each other a bit.
Someone tell us how high the wall of goodwill between us is.
…
Two sets of footsteps overlapped busily.
Two blocks from her place, Han Hyunjoo spoke up again.
"You won't ask?"
"Ask what?"
"No questions about me after all that...? Earlier."
"I don't remember."
"...Thanks." The seal show piques my curiosity a bit. But joking now would end our relationship.
[Han Hyunjoo's Favorability has increased!]
*
I hoped she'd be less gloomy the next day.
Unnecessary worry.
The her I met at the first-floor main entrance showed me yesterday's game record on her phone.
"Ughhh! I-I got 11 kills and still lost! How do teams have no humans???"
"Oh no..."
"Wah! First time over 10 kills in two years! How could they do this?! They're not even people! I hate them! May they all get Lou Gehrig's and...!!!"
What kinda crap do you spew at people over a game?
"Y-Yeonwoo. Th-This weekend..." Maybe realizing even as a gamer, talking games with a student at school was off, she clamped her mouth shut.
"Duo?"
"Yeah, on Discord..."
"How about PC bang instead?"
".........Um..."
Ah, not that? You just wanna duo on bus rides.
"Sure. Then hardcore duo grinding this weekend..."
"Mind if I join too, Yeonwoo?"
Seonha emerged from behind the shoe lockers. …
"Seonha. It's not like that."
"We can talk later. Hello? Over there..."
Seonha called somewhere.
The famous pro team that won the LoL Cup multiple times.
She sicced their trainees on us to snipe and wreck our ranked games all weekend.
Emergency.
Silver players, skip ranked this weekend... Seonha stared blatantly, pulling out her slingshot. At the back of our homeroom teacher's head, innocently greeting students...