The Thirty-Fourth Assignment: Novice Teacher, Novice Student ③
March 10, 2018. Saturday.
The raucous night had passed, and then came the appointed hour. Since it was the weekend, they had chosen a park rather than the school as their meeting place. Yeoni and Dayeong headed out carrying the notebook they had filled in the day before. A peculiar tension hung over the way they walked, hands clasped together.
"I don't even know why I'm so nervous about this."
"We've never taught anyone before. We spent twelve years straight as the ones being taught. Still are, actually."
Yeoni and Dayeong both clicked their tongues. Student to teacher… the shift was so abrupt they still couldn't quite believe it. Neither of them had even done a tutoring gig, and now they were supposed to be teachers? It felt vaguely wrong. This was probably how an unlicensed doctor felt stepping up to perform surgery.
"I can do this… right?"
Yeoni had gone past uneasy and straight into anxious. He was the main instructor for today's lesson, after all. How was he supposed to not be tense? Dayeong gave him a look of sheer disbelief and clapped him on the back.
"Don't start by being scared. Chest out! Calm and composed! You've got nothing to feel inferior about, so there's no reason to be nervous. You're not even single."
"How am I supposed to not be nervous? He's our senior."
"Even Changmo said he'd be counting on us. You're just overthinking it."
Dayeong clapped his back even harder, then pinched his side for good measure. The jolt of pain snapped him wide awake and sent a shudder through him. His wavering insides solidified at once. Yeoni blinked the tears from his eyes and steeled himself.
"Well. That woke me up. Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
They chatted about this and that until they reached the park. It was the weekend and the sky was clear, so a few people were already out even in the morning. Yeoni and Dayeong weren't particularly nervous, though. Changmo had said he would be coming dressed as a mortal this time.
"What time did he say he'd get here?"
"We've still got ten minutes until the meeting time. Let's wait a bit longer."
"Hey, kids! Over here!"
No sooner had she said it than a voice called out to them from across the way — a little rushed. The two of them turned toward the sound… and their jaws dropped the instant they saw him.
Whoa.
"Sorry. Have you been waiting long?"
Changmo said it with complete innocence. The two of them remained frozen all the same. They couldn't help it — Changmo's outfit today was genuinely impressive. From the neat jeans to the soft wool cardigan and the white shirt, every piece was perfect. Nobody looking at him would have suspected a thing.
If it weren't for the people around them, they would have applauded.
"You actually dressed well. I was worried you'd show up looking weird."
"He looks way sharper than you do."
"Why did it have to be a comparison…"
Yeoni, who had been standing there minding his own business, caught a stray round out of nowhere. He couldn't even argue back. He was envious of Changmo's look today himself. The moment he pictured his own usual clothes, a vague sense of self-loathing crept in.
"I look good, right? I got up at dawn to put this together. I had the seniors help me pick it out, and they said it looked fine, so that's a relief."
Changmo beamed, oblivious to Yeoni's inner turmoil. It would have been too awkward to look sour in the face of that smile, so Yeoni smoothed out his expression and smiled along. Then a question occurred to him.
Where did he even get all those clothes?
"Hey, Changmo-hyung."
"Yeah?"
"How did you get the clothes? They don't sell modern stuff in Middle Sky, and the civilian clothes the Post Office keeps on hand aren't this stylish. I've never seen any of these before."
They were far too perfect to have been assembled by a Grim Reaper. You could have believed he had walked straight out of a clothing store. This morning would have been too tight, so had he hit every shop in the Mortal Realm yesterday? Changmo's face flushed slightly at the question.
"Uh, well, about that…"
He gestured for Yeoni to come closer. All this fuss just to answer where the clothes came from? Still, Yeoni obediently followed the gesture. And he understood the reason soon enough.
"I actually asked Nahee. I was going to just buy them at a store, but that felt a little… lacking. So I tossed her a blueprint and had her make them. Ahem!"
Changmo coughed after his confession. In other words, he had hounded a junior into making him clothes. And this from a guy who was supposed to dote on his juniors. Yeoni felt his image of Changmo shatter. He answered in a deliberately disappointed tone.
"Wow. Anyone else, maybe — but I never thought you'd be the type."
"I—I didn't have a choice! Like you said, the Post Office civvies are way too outdated. And it's not like I can spend all day browsing stores when work is this busy. Nahee's the best at making things. Right?"
"Come on. Didn't Nahee say anything? She hates personal favors."
He didn't even need to ask — he could already picture it. Nahee had almost certainly thrown a fit. Sure enough, Changmo shuddered as he recalled making the request. Fear washed over his face at the memory.
"Of course she said something. She grilled me within an inch of my life. Toward the end she even tried to grab me by the collar — I had a hell of a time dodging her. I did get the clothes in the end, though."
"You're something else for wringing them out of her, and so is she for actually making them."
It was a senior-junior relationship, and yet it still managed to surprise him every time. Most people would have just given up. That Changmo had asked and Nahee had delivered — both of them were impressive, in their own way. Dayeong, who had been eavesdropping beside them, clutched her stomach and howled with laughter.
"Ahaha! I can't believe I missed that. It would've been hilarious to watch."
"Grim Reapers are terrifying when they get angry, Miss Dayeong. If you'd seen it, you'd have run for it right alongside me."
Trying to spook her, Changmo pulled a sinister face. It was no use — his features were too naturally bright. Drawing stripes on a pumpkin doesn't turn it into a watermelon. Dayeong answered without wiping the grin off her face.
"Still. It's not every day you get to see you looking scared. Every time I see you, you're all cool and collected."
"Today might be the exception."
Changmo's voice tightened all of a sudden. He seemed to have remembered, belatedly, why he was here. Yeoni and Dayeong stopped laughing, their eyes gleaming. Small talk was over. Class was in session.
"You came prepared, right?"
"More or less."
"There's no 'more or less.' You have to come out strong from the start. What are you going to do if you freeze up trying to talk to her? Be confident, like you always are."
Yeoni encouraged Changmo with a calm, even voice. Before they had met up, he had been a bundle of worries and fuss — but now that the real thing was here, he was showing off a surprising competence. Dayeong looked pleased, and Changmo, buoyed by the encouragement, relaxed a little.
"You're right. I can't be nervous if I want to actually meet her. What about you two — are you ready? This time I'm the student and you're the teachers."
"Of course we are. Should we talk while we walk, or find somewhere to sit?"
He was still nervous, but that was all. Yeoni had already taken the plunge, so he figured he might as well enjoy it. A hint of curiosity colored the question about where to go. Changmo considered it for a moment, then stretched and answered.
"Let's walk. My body's all stiff anyway — I need to move. Sitting still doesn't suit me."
"I figured you'd say that. I'll go through it slowly, so just answer each question as I ask."
"Leave it to me."
The three of them set off on a stroll.
The fresh air tickled their noses. Thanks to last night's rain, the sky was brilliantly clear. They savored the spring at an unhurried pace, each lost in thought. Yeoni was organizing what to say first. Changmo was wondering which answer would come at him. And Dayeong, last of all, had her ears pricked, eager to hear what the two of them would discuss.
"First question."
Yeoni pulled out his notebook. It didn't look particularly professional, but it couldn't be helped. Better that than stammering or forgetting something. He glanced back and forth between Changmo and the page as he asked.
"Have you thought specifically about how you're going to meet her? You don't have any connection with this girl at all. If you're going to build one from nothing, the approach has to be good."
"I'll do some background research and create a situation where we can run into each other. If it's a school, I'll pretend to be a new club member. If it's a company, I'll pose as a new hire or someone from a client firm. Once I confirm who she is, finding that much out is easy."
Hmph.
Setting aside the fact that the method was surveillance, it was a fairly orthodox approach. Getting into places was probably easier for a Grim Reaper than for an ordinary person. Yeoni nodded and moved on. There was still a lot to cover.
"Second. What are you going to say when you first talk to her? First impressions matter. If you just blurt out 'I like you!' right off the bat…"
"…you won't get a date. You'll just get treated like a creep."
The two of them took turns laying down the law, their tones overflowing with mischief. Surely a Grim Reaper famous for his social skills already knew this? But apparently he hadn't thought it through — Changmo pondered for a long while. Yeoni, alarmed, spoke up.
"Uh, Changmo-hyung. If you're already stuck at the starting line, that's a problem."
"Cut me a little slack. I've never had a conversation like this before. Let me think. How do I put this so you'll actually compliment me…"
Yeoni and Dayeong looked at each other. They had figured he might stall around the third or fourth question at worst. This felt ominous. They waited anxiously for Changmo's answer.
"I mentioned doing a little background research, right? What if I use that? Find out her hobbies and interests ahead of time, then approach her matching those — like we share the same hobby. That should be reasonable enough, shouldn't it?"
Phew.
"Th-that's… actually not bad."
Fortunately, the answer was normal. Both of them let out a breath at the same time. This Grim Reaper really did have a talent for putting people through the wringer. Changmo scratched the back of his head for no particular reason. Yeoni hurried on to the next question.
"Third. How long are you planning this out for? It doesn't have to be exact — just give me a rough idea."
"How long?"
"How soon after meeting her are you going to confess?"
The next question was about timing.
Everything had its proper moment. Too late wouldn't work, and neither would too soon. When did Changmo want to reveal his feelings? He seemed to be wrestling with it himself — his answer took even longer than before.
"That's a hard one to decide. If I rush it, the odds of failing go up. If I take it too slow, my circumstances make it awkward. Can I have some time to think? Let's do the other questions first."
He had no choice but to give up on answering. This wasn't something that would go the way he wanted. This whole endeavor was being carved out of work hours, after all. He had to weigh official duty against personal heart and find the right line. Yeoni flipped the page with an equally conflicted look.
"Ah, sorry. I forgot about that too. Okay, we'll skip this one. Next — fourth question. If you want to see her regularly, you'll need a place to stay in the Mortal Realm. You never know when she might drop by. You can arrange that, right?"
The fourth question was simple, and yet he didn't like it. Setting up a Mortal Realm Base was the Western way. Tanya had helped chip away at his prejudices, but acting just like them still stung his pride. Changmo's brow furrowed even deeper than before. Yeoni decided to be cold for his sake.
"If you get caught coming and going from the Underworld, it's all over. I know you don't like it, but please think this through seriously and decide. Success or failure depends on it."
"I know. I know. Ah, this is driving me crazy. Do I really have to do it their way?"
Changmo's mind raced. Could he get permission from above? Even if he did, could he actually live properly in the Mortal Realm? He ran the numbers on everything. The abacus beads in his head clicked without rest. This went on for about five minutes.
"Ah, I don't even know anymore. I'll at least pitch it to the Director. Delivering letters to the Mortal Realm is way faster if you're already there, right? It's not like I have zero justification, so I might as well try."
"That's the right call."
It felt a little like he was skating past it, but he was at least going to try, and that was enough. Yeoni decided to let it go at that. Getting an answer at all was something.
It was time for the last question.
"Fifth and final question…"
And this time, it was Yeoni who found himself at a loss for words.