School Trip (2)
“……”
“…………?”
I stared at her in utter bewilderment, and Yoo Hae-bin stared right back up at me. Her light brown hair shimmered softly in the sunlight. Her eyes sparkled like they had stars in them. Her features were so delicately pretty it bordered on excessive, and her antics were even more bizarre. She had this lively personality with a sneaky side, she was always super friendly to me but would slip right into my personal space without a second thought, and her being too close to Sea… well, that just pissed me off.
Anyway, she was an unpredictable character, and this time was no different.
Skipping the school trip? Why? She seemed like the type who'd love that stuff. You're not some brooding loner type who digs isolation like that.
I took a quiet deep breath and asked, “What's the reason?”
“Uh, no real reason. Just, you know.”
“Everyone in Class 1 is going. I haven't heard anything about you skipping.”
“I just applied and left it at that. If I bail, I'd have to write an excuse letter, which is a hassle. I was gonna call in sick on the day of… but Professor, why the long face?”
“No, I mean, if there's no big reason, you could just go. Can't you?”
“Uh… no, I really don't wanna go.”
“Why.”
“Hmm, just 'cause.”
“I've been on training camps and school trips. I get not wanting to go, the hassle. But once you're there, it's not that bad. You know that, right?”
“Uh… no, I don't know that.”
“……?”
Her response was even more absurd.
“I've skipped every training camp and school trip since middle school. Missed the ones in first and second year, third year trip too, and last year's high school training camp…”
“……Is that even allowed?”
Setting aside scolding or begging, was that even possible? Maybe once or twice, but consistently?
Yoo Hae-bin grinned proudly. “Heh heh, took some effort making excuses. No guardian, so I played that card, faked sick sometimes, said external school competitions overlapped once or twice. Anyway, I've never gone once.”
“Doesn't that contradict what you said earlier?”
She said she just didn't want to go for no reason. Spending years dodging them on purpose, but “just 'cause” didn't add up.
I let the smugness about skipping slide and tried coaxing her subtly. “Hae-bin, we're not your average professor and student, right?”
“Huh? Oh, right. Way, way closer than that.”
“So you can tell me why you don't wanna go. I'll hear you out and fix whatever I can.”
This time, she eyed me suspiciously. “But Professor, why do you wanna drag me along so bad?”
“Just… I'd like it if you came since I'm going too.”
I gave a flimsy reason, and she narrowed her eyes before asking confidently, “Whoa, this smells fishy. You wanna make me do something shady under my student cover again, right? Am I right?”
“Whatever, just spit out the reason. Lunch is almost over.”
Student or not, adult or kid, what we did wasn't exactly legal anyway. But from then on, her face darkened dramatically.
“The thing is…”
“Yeah, if it's something I can help with, I'll do my best. Go ahead.”
“Ever since I came here… I get too anxious with someone nearby to sleep.”
“Uh…”
I thought she'd spout nonsense, but it was heavier than expected.
Here meant Earth. Trauma from leaving her homeworld.
“What if someone attacks out of nowhere? My heart pounds, and I've never actually slept near anyone—I avoid that—but just thinking about it makes me anxious…”
“………….”
This made me feel like total trash for planning to drag her along and use her… Though I was trash anyway, this felt like a new low.
I asked carefully, “That anxiety—is it for random people? Folks who don't know your identity, or might threaten you if they did, or even know but can't be trusted.”
“Yeah, something like that. But as you know, who here can I trust? Only Boss and you know what I am, and… hate to say it, but you're the only one I can kinda trust…”
Her tone suddenly turned fragile—hard to get used to—but I wasn't heartless enough to call it out now.
We were kinda in similar boats, in a way… She seemed pitiful.
Ding-dong-dang-dong.
The preliminary bell rang, signaling five minutes left in lunch. I patted her slumped shoulders—which looked narrower than usual—and stood from the bench.
Then I declared firmly, “Don't worry. Big bro's got this.”
“Huh?”
I ignored her puzzled tilt of the head and strode into the building.
Destination: the teachers' lounge, straight to the desk of the Class 1-2 homeroom teacher—who'd also been mine in my senior year.
“Oh, hey, Professor Lee Dojin. What's up?”
To the teacher I'd discussed the trip with that morning, I cut straight to it. “Teacher, this is sudden, but… could you adjust the room assignments if possible?”
“Room assignments? Who to where? Wait, why? Kids fighting again?”
“No.”
I paused to set the mood, then plastered on an intensely passionate expression. “It's a matter of utmost importance to the future of this nation's magic academia.”
April 26th, around 8 p.m.
After school, Yoo Hae-bin stood in a dim alley, eyes widening at the man's pleased words.
“……Huh?”
“I switched your room. You'll bunk with me the whole 2 nights, 3 days.”
He handed her a white sheet of paper. A chart with tables and about thirty names. Room assignments for Class 1-2 students and chaperones.
Yoo Hae-bin's name was right next to the man standing before her: Lee Dojin.
Son of “Guardian” Lee Si-hyeok and “Archmage” Jeong Se-bin. Phantom's number two, international terrorist group. Magic Dynamics professor at Jeil High School, where she attended, and brother to her sorta-friend Lee Sea.
He spoke with pride and consideration. “You said you could trust me, right? So bunking together should work. Took some doing to switch.”
His explanation: Class 1-2 had twenty-seven students. Thirteen boys, fourteen girls. Five chaperones: three men, two women.
Basic triple occupancy, but numbers didn't divide evenly. Boys' rooms: five (13 total: 3/3/3/2/2). Girls': five (14: 3/3/3/3/2). Chaperones: separate by gender, three and two.
But Lee Dojin had rearranged it.
“Twelve rooms total. Girls keep six. Shrink boys' to four rooms for twelve guys. One chaperone room: homeroom teacher and another. Leaves one room—for you and me.”
“……Is that allowed?”
“Of course not straight-up. Would look like favoritism. It kinda is, but needed justification. Used research as excuse.”
He hadn't detailed it to staff, but mentioned his next study was on mana sensitivity. After mana utilization and barriers, sensitivity made sense.
And Yoo Hae-bin was rated highest at Jeil High for mana sensitivity.
“Said I'd test with you. Nothing dangerous, just monitor reactions while sleeping. Perfect two-night window, so they okayed the convenience this once.”
“Wha… Homeroom didn't tell me?”
“Not finalized. Approval tomorrow. I got your okay first; tomorrow morning, I tell homeroom 'Hae-bin's cool with it,' get approval. No issues, we go with this sheet. Sound good?”
He asked triumphantly.
Not good at all… Yoo Hae-bin couldn't say it.
She'd already laid the groundwork. Said she couldn't sleep near people from anxiety, but trusted him. He'd solved it perfectly.
Couldn't backtrack now.
No… that was a lie…
Anxiety from someone nearby? Total lie.
She'd slept alone since arriving, but not from trauma. Her first excuse was closer to truth: just didn't like it.
I value my privacy too…
If that anxious, she couldn't live in her officetel—neighbors above, below, sides.
And if discovered and attacked? They'd smash windows or doors easy. If paranoid, she wouldn't have entered National Academy 1.
She'd hole up in remote mountains, grow strong, find rift home.
Yoo Hae-bin wasn't delicate enough to fret over hypotheticals.
So lunch words were mostly lies, playing pitiful—but couldn't confess.
Haa… this is insane…
First: Feared punishment if admitting lies now.
Second: Felt bad rejecting after his effort.
Third: No good answer if asked real reason.
Fourth: Honestly… this could be kinda fun.
Training camps, trips—Yoo Hae-bin didn't hate them, per Dojin's guess. Reasons against just outweighed pros.
But that was fixed. This hassle? Could call it “thrill.”
If no one finds out, fine. If they do, new episode, right?
Plus, seemed Dojin planned something during trip.
Whatever Dojin-oppa does looks super evil to outsiders, but I know context—makes sense, sounds fun.
Chewing it over, tagging along seemed way better.
It took her barely three seconds to decide. She mustered her best grateful expression and bowed. “Yeah… that works. Thanks so much, Professor.”
“No need to thank. We're not average professor-student.”
“True, very true. 'Sunbae-nim.'”
“And might have some work for us there… Nothing set yet, I'll tell you when we go.”
“Ooh… sneaking off to raid ruins? Plenty around there.”
She gazed expectantly. Their destination next Wednesday: Jeil High's school trip spot.
City at Korea's turbulent heart when mana arrived.
The millennium capital: Gyeongju.
May 5th, Wednesday. Early morning.
I sat on the living room couch, waiting twenty whole minutes for Sea.
“You done? We gotta head out soon.”
No reply from her room. No hairdryer like usual—just tension seeping through the door.
“Seriously late…”
6:30 a.m. Needed to arrive by 6:55 latest. She'd woken at dawn, showered, gone in—then radio silence for nearly an hour.
Asleep? I cracked the door—
Click. Door opened. Sea stepped out.
Hair neatly braided from forehead over ears, more effort than usual. Outfit: her favorite.
And the reason for the delay clicked.
“You did makeup?”
“……Just.”
She rarely did even for outings—today, maxed out her skills. I knew two makeup pros: Seo Yeon-hee (god-tier even base stunning) and Se-ra (talented, honed young).
Sea felt amateur by comparison, but cute effort—
“……What're you thinking?”
“Huh? Nothing.”
“……Don't smile.”
“No, wasn't. Not funny. You look ni—”
“Don't…… judge.”
“Ah, okay…”
Deflated, I fetched something from my room and handed it over. “Here, gift. Not for Children's Day—just 'cause.”
“……”
Sea blinked blankly, then took the small spring-friendly bag I'd prepped.
“……Thanks.”
Small voice, clear tone. She went back, rustled, swapped her old bag for this one, shouldered it.
“Let's go.”
“Unplugged everything?”
“Checked twice, thrice since you wouldn't come out.”
“……Hurry.”
With pouty Sea, I left home. One carry-on each, one backpack each.
Kill the Evil Volume 2 progress: late thirties percent.
My task: save someone I choose during the trip.
Like always—pushing forward despite hardships—I believed I'd pull it off. I stepped out.