How Unbecoming (2)

The next day, the instant my one o'clock lecture let out, I snatched up my phone and parked myself on a campus bench, bouncing my leg like a man possessed.

"Why hasn't she texted? Why?"

The vibe had been good when we parted yesterday. It had definitely been fine. We'd laughed, even shared a little physical contact — okay, it was just a few playful pats on the shoulder while smiling, but still. So why hadn't she reached out?

"Haaaah..."

I just couldn't figure it out. I really couldn't.

I was still tearing at my hair over it when my phone buzzed.

"Hup—!"

It felt like electricity had ripped through my entire body. I had never felt a phone vibration that strongly in my life.

"Huh..."

It wasn't the brevity of the text that startled me. She'd dropped the formalities yesterday — so why was she being polite again?

"Did I do something wrong...?"

My head was spinning for no good reason. Sitting here thinking about it wasn't going to change anything, so I headed out to the meeting spot.

I took the bus to the address she'd sent and found a reasonably pretty café. The prices, though, were another story. For someone whose idea of coffee money had been calibrated by the shops in front of campus, it was enough to make my wallet wince.

Gold leaf traced the marble walls — you could tell it was a high-end place just walking past. And everyone inside looked like wealthy housewives from well-to-do families...

Would you shut up already?!

Just because I have a thing for MILFs doesn't mean I look at every woman I see that way! And right now I already have someone I need to focus on. Acting like I was in heat in a place like this wouldn't do me any favors whatsoever.

"...Alright. Let's just go in."

I pushed the heavy door open slowly, and it swung inward without so much as a creak. A rich, pleasant fragrance filled the café and greeted me first.

"Whoa..."

"Ah, Teacher!"

...Teacher?

Lessons hadn't even started yet — who was calling me that already? I turned toward the voice and found Su-ah waving at me.

She was as beautiful as ever, a smile resting on her face — but something felt different. The jacket draped over her shoulders and the light cotton dress beneath it did nothing to hide her figure. If anything, they showed it off in all its glory, no matter how modestly she might have intended them.

"Over here. I already ordered for us."

"Uh..."

I hadn't been imagining things. She was trying to act the same as yesterday, but there was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strange distance to her.

"I hope getting here wasn't too much trouble?"

As she said it, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear — and I saw the ring on her finger.

"..."

That's weird. Did her profile lie to me?

I knew perfectly well what a ring on the left ring finger meant. But I'd already seen her profile. She didn't have a husband.

"There are a few things I'd like to ask you, if that's alright?"

"Ah, yes..."

"Good, Teacher. First, I'd like to hear about the curriculum you'll be using with my daughter..."

She kept the conversation going, but there wasn't a single opening for anything personal.

"Hmm... that sounds good. I was worried because my daughter's level is quite a bit behind, but I think you'll do a wonderful job teaching her."

She smiled brightly, but her words were stiff. There was no question about it. She was trying to put distance between us.

Why, though...?

I shifted my gaze slightly to check her profile, but her affection level was still sitting at 40, unchanged. I had no idea what a 40 actually meant in practical terms, but if it had gone up from before, shouldn't she be acting friendlier? So why had the atmosphere changed like this? I couldn't make sense of it.

"Alright. Then would it be okay if we set the lesson schedule around our convenience? I believe you don't have anything lined up yet."

"Weekdays should be fine."

Damn it. Now even my own answers were coming out stiff. If this kept up, I was in trouble.

Why is she acting like this...? There's got to be something — something I can figure out...

Then something surfaced in my mind.

All or nothing.

"Well then, I think that about covers—"

"Ah — excuse me, I need to use the restroom!"

I beat her to the punch before she could wrap things up, buying myself some time. I asked at the counter for the restroom, ducked inside, and pulled out my phone.

"Shop... shop...!"

I frantically scrolled until I found the Information Access Ticket. Black text appeared on the screen, as if mocking me for having to spend every last point I had.

I was nervous enough to swallow hard — gulp — but there was no other choice. I tapped the text on the screen and bought it.

Did it... work?

Staying in the restroom this long wouldn't look good. I shoved my phone in my pocket, gave my hands a cursory wash, and headed back to the table.

"You're back, Teacher?"

"Ah... haha... sorry about that."

"Not at all. More importantly, was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Well... about the pay—"

I stalled with a few more trivial topics, but inside my head, something else entirely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was going on.

...Open profile.

Su-ah's profile appeared.

It said the status of her affection level would be displayed, right?

I slowly checked the affection level written below — and found text that hadn't been there before.

...Self-Denial?

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

I nearly flinched in surprise. Thankfully it didn't show on my face, but I'd completely lost the thread of the conversation.

"Alright then, I'll pay you a bit more than what you were receiving before. Please take good care of our Ye-rin, okay?"

"Ah...!"

"Please drink your coffee. I already paid. I'll see you at the house tomorrow, Teacher."

This time, there was no chance to stall. She stood up, picked up her handbag, and I could only watch her back as she left the café.

"...Haaah."

A sigh rose up from the pit of my stomach.

"This useless piece of—"

I'd dumped every last point I had into an Information Access Ticket, and all it did was spit out some cryptic nonsense that left me more confused than before. And her? Her affection had actually gone up from last time, so why had her attitude gotten even colder?

"Ugh."

My mouth tasted so bitter that the coffee actually seemed sweet by comparison.

"Haaah..."

Back in the parking lot, Su-ah sat in the driver's seat and thunked her head against the steering wheel.

"How unbecoming... this is so unbecoming... Han Su-ah, you crazy bitch..."

The stiff, cold demeanor she'd maintained just moments ago was a lie, and her entire body was giving it away. Above all else, the ring on her finger was a lie.

"..."

Han Su-ah's eyes wavered as she stared at the ring on her left ring finger. Lusting after a man young enough to be her son was already pathetic enough — and now she was looking at him as a romantic interest entirely. That was why she'd put on a fake ring, hoping to keep her distance.

It wasn't for Se-hyun's benefit. It was closer to a message to herself. A vow, a warning, so she wouldn't harbor any foolish hopes. She believed she must not seduce Se-hyun. She was the one in the wrong for lusting after a man her son's age — she didn't want to pin that blame on him.

She'd made her speech stiffer, too. Unlike before, she'd drawn a line even in how she addressed him. They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were just a parent and a tutor — that was the distance they needed to maintain, passing through each other's lives without incident. She'd told herself that over and over, convinced it was the only thing she could do for Se-hyun, and that was how she'd shown up to the meeting.

But that resolve had crumbled the moment she saw Se-hyun's face — and she was ashamed of herself for it.

"..."

Su-ah buried her face in the steering wheel again. She didn't want to admit it. She couldn't admit it. The blissful time she'd spent in the bathroom after her workout last night filled her with shame — and yet the moment she saw him again, a tremor started in her lower belly. No. If it had only been her lower belly, that would have been one thing.

Now she was stealing glances at every little thing he did.

The way he'd been flustered by the change in her behavior, her attitude. The way he'd frozen when he saw the ring on her finger. None of it would leave her mind. If anything, the more time passed, the deeper those images of Se-hyun carved themselves into her chest.

"...How unbecoming, Han Su-ah."

She thunked her head against the steering wheel once more and let out a long sigh.