Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: 15. Please Teach Me (5)
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Humans aren't as quick on the uptake as you might think when confronted with something sudden.
For example, imagine walking down the street as usual, then snapping back to reality to find a dump truck barreling right at you.
Or picture a thick stack of bills suddenly dropping in front of you out of nowhere.
A truck from another world, or something.
Embezzlement by taking possession, or whatever.
The first thing that pops into your head would be something like 'What the fuck,' so go ahead and picture it properly.
Well, considering how most animals freeze up stiff the moment they face something terrifying, blurting out a curse when flustered isn't all that unusual.
...Yeah.
It wouldn't be anything special at all....
"You want to get close to me, your teacher?"
A warm morning sun streamed in.
The open-for-business event had ended, leaving the health room idle.
Classes were in full swing, keeping the students busy.
I'd been methodically planning my next approach to Han Su-ah when,
the prey came bounding in on her own and declared, almost threateningly, that she wanted to get close.
Instead of immediately saying, 'Sure, let's be close,' my eyes flashed something more like 'What the fuck.'
It wouldn't be anything special.
76
"So.... Han Su-ah?"
"Speak casually. We're the same age anyway, right?"
"...Yeah, got it. Hold on a sec."
For a fleeting moment, her oddly commanding tone reminded me of the Han Su-ah I'd investigated long ago.
I turned off the KakaoTalk screen where Lee Ha-yoon was chattering away and stared intently at the intruder before me.
...What the hell is this.
Wheat. Barley. Oats.
Bright brown hair reminiscent of those grains.
Pumpkin-colored eyes beneath it.
Up to here, it was the Han Su-ah I knew.
But this.... vibe?
This natural shift to casual speech the moment we locked eyes felt more like the old Han Su-ah I'd researched in the past than the one I'd newly met after regressing.
Though it didn't quite reach the level of that impassive gaze as she casually tore named villains apart with a single sword.
About 0.2 Han Su-ah.
Like when she'd come in with a knee injury,
Unlike our encounter at the bookstore where she was too shy-frozen to speak,
right now, she was giving off roughly that much vibe.
...Well,
"If I heard right, it sounded like Su-ah... student just said she wants to be friends with me."
"...Yes."
"Why the hell?"
I still had no clue why this girl had suddenly shown up at the health room to say something like that first.
"Wh-what, wanting to be friends needs a reason?"
"Of course it does. You need a reason to become friends. Like similar hobbies, or just being fun to be around..."
Han Su-ah tried to argue in her soft voice but soon clamped her lips shut.
I knew full well this wasn't the time for such perfectly logical talk—that she should've said something like, 'I wanted to be friends too! Yay!' instead.
But it's weird, right?
This wasn't some cult recruitment. Up until yesterday at the bookstore, she could barely string a few words together without shrinking away shyly. So why was she suddenly clinging to me, begging to be friends?
No plausible reason came to mind, leaving my head a tangled mess.
Could one casual bookstore run-in really spark some deep inner affection for me?
I doubted it, but for a girl who'd lived her whole life without friends, it wasn't impossible....
As I awkwardly scratched my cheek, Han Su-ah's voice continued.
"...We, we met at the bookstore yesterday."
"Yeah, we did."
"Our hobbies.... match."
"...They do."
"So, we can be friends, right?"
"......"
"Right?"
"Well, um..."
My fingertips fidgeted, searching for a counterargument.
That hand, gesturing in all sorts of ways, finally settled under my chin.
I rested my chin on the desk and blankly stared at Han Su-ah in front of me.
My head spun.
We met at the bookstore.
→ Similar hobbies.
→ Friends!
Even that suspiciously simplistic thought process I'd half-hoped for,
and the fact that it alone had driven her to track me down and persistently plead 'Let's be friends!'—everything made my head spin.
This wasn't some straw-hat pirate cartoon from childhood TV. What was this?
How could a girl so obsessed with making friends have failed to make even one before regression?
With that face, that body, that wealth, at least a couple of brainless guys should've been trailing after her?
One question led to another.
I pushed aside the heavy thoughts for now, tapped my forehead with my fist, and answered.
"...Fine. Friends."
I couldn't keep up with Han Su-ah's bafflingly steep mood swings.
But for now, this seemed the closest path to 'taming Han Su-ah.'
Once bound by the word 'friends,' opportunities to talk would naturally increase.
Fortunately, her expression brightened a bit at my answer.
It wasn't a huge change from her usual sharp look, but at least it seemed she wasn't joking.
"And like I said earlier, you can use casual speech with me. I'm a student anyway."
"I'll switch once I get comfortable. It's still awkward."
"Then I can't either..."
"We'll ease into it, so for now, let's just talk like normal."
"Th-that.... ...Yes."
"......"
Maybe because I'd put up a bit of a wall.
A brief awkward silence passed, then Han Su-ah dragged her chair closer with a scrape.
She rummaged in her pocket, seemingly searching for something, then pulled out her phone and held it out to me.
"...Ph-phone number. Give it to me, teacher."
"...Sure."
At that point, I even wondered if Yojora had done something to her behind my back....
But in the end, nothing came of it.
Master.
The first chance to call Seo Woo-jin 'Master.'
Regret over not doing it kept me tossing in bed all night, murmuring 'Master' to myself while masturbating.
Next to Yojora, who was dozing off clutching her pen tightly,
Han Su-ah—who wasn't even holding a pen—stared blankly at the new profile in KakaoTalk.
"......"
Seo Woo-jin.
Among the phone numbers saved, excluding her father's, this was the first from someone of the opposite sex.
Not one forced out by dredging up yesterday's encounter as leverage,
but the first she'd actively reached out for by offering friendship first.
Maybe that's why it felt so novel every time she looked.
Like a trophy of war or something....
Anyway, that's all it was.
Not romantic feelings—just novelty.
Once she learned from the teacher what men liked, her goal would be achieved.
The dream of becoming popular was within reach. Let's do this.
Ahem. Han Su-ah cleared her throat unnecessarily and began tapping the screen intently.
The blackboard filled with mysterious formulas was utterly ignored.
Because.
She didn't get it anyway.
From the looks of it, Yojora knew nothing.
I'd messaged her first with 'What the hell?' but she left it unread and ghosted.
If Yojora had prepped Han Su-ah for me, there'd have been some reaction.
At least read and ghost to subtly hint for a 'reward,'
or play dumb to piss me off and earn a 'reward.'
One or the other.
Ghosting without even reading meant the incident had nothing to do with Yojora.
So here's the question.
What had prompted the super shy Han Su-ah from the bookstore yesterday to suddenly approach me?
"......"
She'd just mustered up the courage somehow.
My head hurt too much to dwell, so I concluded quickly.
From what Yojora had told me, unlike Lee Ji-yoon who'd neglected relationships for games, this was a pitiful girl who'd studied so hard since childhood she'd never made friends.
Then she meets someone like me or Yojora with overlapping hobbies, and she doesn't want to let it slip away.
Simple and bittersweet story.
"Phew..."
Whatever. I'd secured the 'friend' position with Han Su-ah, so the rest was smooth sailing on a red carpet.
Plenty less to worry about now.
I could chat under the pretense of wanting comic recommendations like last time,
and by consistently building trust, eventually I'd have the option to go to the bookstore alone with Han Su-ah, sidelining Yojora.
From there, deepen the relationship, then visit places Yojora had no reason to tag along to—with me.
Then methodically devour Han Su-ah. Done.
No need to actively pursue her anymore.
"Now, time to focus a bit more on Lee Ji-yoon..."
I shifted from the secured catch, turning attention to Lee Ji-yoon who'd been resting,
when my phone buzzed lightly on the desk.
Han Su-ah's KakaoTalk notification.
...Weird. Should be class time now.
Like Ha-yoon usually does, begging to hang out because class is boring?
Well, Han Su-ah....
For all that studying, her results were shockingly dumb.
Guess she's just not cut out for it.
I leaned back in my chair with a creak and tapped the phone.
[Han Su-ah]
—Teacher, I have one thing I want to ask you.
—Is that okay?
But the message was surprisingly normal.
A student asking her teacher about something she didn't know—a textbook model example.
The problem was that the teacher was me.
"......"
Teacher.
The title tickled uncomfortably no matter how often I heard it, so I cleared my throat pointlessly.
I put on my most friendly, teacherly mask and replied.
[Seo Woo-jin]
—What is it?
—Just in case, I'm not great with the hero training curriculum stuff.
—I could introduce you to a teacher who knows it well, though.
[Han Su-ah]
—Oh, not that.
—It's something personal I want to ask you about.
[Seo Woo-jin]
—Personal?
—To me?
[Han Su-ah]
—Yes.
—Like...
—Could you teach me what men like...?
"......"
What the fuck.