Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Ten parents each from the Blue and White teams were selected and stood before their respective gourds.
Teacher Chu quickly grabbed the microphone.
“Alright, mothers and fathers! Pick up the beanbags scattered on the ground. The first team to smash their gourd wins! You all remember how to do this from your own school days, right?”
“Yes!”
Roaring responses erupted from all sides. When people reminisce about school sports days, the gourd smashing game is almost always mentioned. The parents were buzzing with anticipation, eager to relive those memories.
“Let’s get started already!”
At the parents' urging, Teacher Chu blew the whistle hanging around his neck.
And with that, the match began.
“Oh…”
Watching through binoculars from the front row of the tent, Bom’s jaw slowly dropped in horror.
The White Team’s strategy was for everyone to quickly gather the scattered beanbags into one pile.
And the person designated to throw those gathered beanbags was…
Seon Jae-gyu, of course. The man stood alone with his legs braced wide.
Then, cradling an armful of beanbags gathered by the others, he began hurl them at a rate of one or two per second.
“Pfft, that’s freaking hilarious. Hehe.”
The sight of Jae-gyu windmilling his arms to throw was so cringeworthy that Bom could hardly bear to watch, even from a distance. Is he crazy? Bom screamed internally.
“Is he a comedian or something?”
“Is he nuts? Why is that guy so funny!”
The spectators were in stitches.
The gourd had been sealed so thoroughly that it showed no sign of breaking, even after a barrage of hits.
“This damn thing just won’t break, shit!”
His face turning beet-red, Jae-gyu kept muttering curses as he fired off two or three beanbags at a time.
“Pfft…”
A laugh escaped Bom’s lips as she gripped her binoculars, unable to look away.
Eventually, she burst into a fit of laughter that lasted so long her eyes began to well up.
“Whoa, I’ve never seen our homeroom teacher laugh like that.”
“...Is this for real?”
The students whispered at the unfamiliar sight, but Bom, too busy watching Jae-gyu, didn't hear a word they said.
Pop!
Congratulations to the White Team on your victory.
Finally, the White Team’s gourd burst open. Colorful confetti and a celebratory banner fluttered out, dancing in the wind.
Click.
Bom took a photo of Jae-gyu, who was laughing heartily in the distance.
⋆★⋆
Lunchtime followed the parental gourd smashing game. People began to gather in family units to eat.
Usually, school lunches are provided even on sports days, but Teacher Chu had insisted on a "retro" theme and asked everyone to bring lunchboxes. Naturally, Bom hadn't brought one.
She had planned to make do with bread and milk from a vending machine. She hadn't anticipated a situation like this.
“Man, this is a great spot.”
“How did you know this place was open?”
“I saw it was unlocked when I was flying the drone earlier.”
Bom followed Jae-gyu onto the roof and looked around. It was her first time on the school rooftop as well. An awning had been set up, providing plenty of shade. The spacious roof offered a panoramic view of the neighborhood.
“Have a seat.”
Jae-gyu took off his shoes, sat on a mat, and laid out a pink, four-tiered lunchbox. At Jae-gyu’s prompting, Bom also removed her shoes and sat a short distance away from him.
“Ta-da! What do you think?”
Inside were round rice balls. They were decorated with seaweed to look like little bears and rabbits. Bom’s eyes widened.
“What is all this?”
“I made them one by one, thinking of that old saying about having a bear-like wife and rabbit-like kids.”
“Not a fox, but a bear…?”
“What does it matter? I’ve always liked bears better anyway.”
She had only ever seen such beautifully decorated lunchboxes in photos on social media or from a distance. This was the first time she had seen one up close, let alone had one made for her. Bom couldn't take her eyes off it.
“Where did you buy this?”
“I woke up at dawn and made it myself.”
“What? You did all this alone?”
“There’s more.”
She didn't even have time to be shocked.
The second tier revealed kimbap and fried tofu rice balls. The third tier held a salad, and the fourth tier contained four types of neatly sliced fruit.
Jae-gyu placed a bottle of water in front of Bom and even provided a disposable plate and chopsticks.
“It’s ice water, so it’s incredibly cold.”
“I… thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“I used a bit of a trick just so I could feed you, Teacher Bom.”
Calling it a "trick" was an understatement for his bulldozer-like behavior. As soon as the gourd smashing ended, Jae-gyu had announced he was treating the teachers to lunch. Naturally, everyone else had made an escape, leaving only Bom. Having successfully led Bom up to the roof, Jae-gyu’s face was beaming with joy.
“Eat up.”
“But Han-gyeol is late. I’ll wait and eat with him when he gets here.”
“He said he was going to talk to his friends for a bit. He’ll show up when he’s hungry. Here, say ‘ah.’”
“Ah.”
Bom reflexively opened her mouth and took the piece of peach Jae-gyu held out on a fork, only to almost spit it out in surprise.
“I-I’ll eat it myself.”
“Sure you will. Come on, ‘ah.’”
“Ah… I said I’d eat it myself!”
“Right, ‘ah.’”
Despite the bickering as Jae-gyu kept trying to spoon-feed her, Bom’s face looked a little bright.
Bom’s parents had never once attended a school trip or event.
The lunchboxes they did send were ordered from high-end traditional Korean restaurants; she even remembered the name: Jeongdam Special-A. They ordered the exact same thing every single year. To be honest, Bom had hated those lunchboxes. They were only fancy on the outside and didn't suit her taste at all. Thinking about it now still left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Setting it all out like this makes it feel like a real picnic.
Was it really okay for her to share this heartfelt meal that he had prepared since early morning?
“Eat a lot.”
“Yes… thank you.”
With a strange fluttering in her chest, Bom used her chopsticks to break off small pieces of a rabbit rice ball and put them in her mouth. It was savory and quite delicious.
Jae-gyu scooted his hips closer to Bom as she quietly ate.
“Bom.”
“Yes?”
Jae-gyu leaned in and whispered suggestively into her ear.
“What am I supposed to do when you’re this pretty today?”
“What?”
“It’s making me anxious.”
What is he talking about? Bom choked slightly. A flush of heat spread through her entire body. Was this kind of teasing just a daily habit for this man? Her face felt like it was on fire.
“You’re going to get indigestion. Here, have some water.”
Bom gulped down the water Jae-gyu handed her and glared at him reproachfully.
“It’s not like this is the first time you’ve heard something like that today, so why are you so surprised?”
“Stop joking around.”
When she pouted, Jae-gyu let out a short laugh.
“How can I stay still when you laugh so hard every time I say something?”
...I laugh?
Did she even have the emotional capacity to laugh? Even looking back, she couldn't remember doing so. Her heart had been a barren wasteland for a long time.
Anyway, he’s a master at saying weird things…
Bom tilted her head curiously as she continued to empty Jae-gyu’s special lunchbox one by one.
Han-gyeol finally made it up to the roof much later. Surprisingly, Se-jin was with him. Remembering what Dong-pyo had said, Bom was secretly a bit surprised.
She expected the atmosphere to be awkward, but it wasn't at all.
Jae-gyu offered to give Se-jin some "life counseling," which led to her sharing stories Bom hadn't heard before. Se-jin talked about how her older brother was scarier than her parents, a sentiment Bom silently empathized with.
The four of them finished their leisurely meal while chatting about trivial things.
Jae-gyu’s mouth curved into a wide, satisfied smile as he busily looked after Bom.
For some reason, Bom found that smile of his to be warm and comforting.
⋆★⋆
The afternoon events began immediately after lunch.
“The White Team is toast.”
“Don’t provoke us. We still have the three-legged race and the relay left, okay?”
“Yeah, right. The Blue Team is taking those gift certificates home.”
Because there was a significant reward—culture gift certificates for every member of the winning team—the tension between the Blue and White teams was palpable. The competitive heat was rising.
The event that could decisively turn the tide was the upcoming three-legged race.
“Alright, everyone! As soon as the performance by our school dance club, ‘Dance or Die,’ is over, we will begin the three-legged race!”
The three-legged race required a total of five pairs per team, consisting of both staff and local residents. With five pairs per team, it was a large-scale event involving twenty participants in total.
I’ll just watch from the sidelines.
Fortunately, Bom wasn't on the roster, so she was feeling relieved.
“Um, Teacher Bom. Teacher Bom!”
Seo Hye-sook, the homeroom teacher for Class 1, suddenly burst into Bom’s tent, panting heavily. Seeing her frantic expression, Bom stood up hesitantly.
“Yes? What’s wrong?”
“Please, do me a favor.”
“What kind of…?”
“Can you take my place in the three-legged race? I had mala tang yesterday and my stomach is killing me. You know my partner is Department Head Kang, right? Well, he apparently injured his ankle, too.”
Both partners were unable to compete. Bom, who lacked confidence in her athletic abilities, hesitated.
“I’m really bad at sports. What should I do?”
“Please, I’m begging you. It was Level 3 spice. If I run now, I think I’ll die.”
Jae-gyu suddenly popped up from right behind them.
“We can just go together. It won’t be a problem if the two of us do it.”
“You and me, Jae-gyu?”
That’s a bit much. Bom frowned. She had already been linked to him in so many ways in such a short time; competing in a race together was out of the question.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do that.”
In the end, Bom declined with an apologetic look toward Teacher Seo. Stomping her feet in distress, Teacher Seo let out a sigh.
“I guess I have no choice. I’ll have to ask Teacher Noh, then. Tell her to run with Han-gyeol’s uncle.”
“Do you think Teacher Noh will want to do it?”
“She mentioned before that she thought Han-gyeol’s uncle was quite alright.”
She said that? While Bom was processing this bit of surprise, Teacher Seo waved her hand toward Teacher Noh, who was organizing cones across the field.
If Teacher Noh and Jae-gyu run the race together…
Before she knew it, Bom stood up.
“Wait, I’ll just do it.”