TSESHR 14

Chapter : 14

Ten minutes past class time and the teacher still hadn’t shown up.

If this were college, it would automatically count as a canceled lecture—
but in high school?

“Should we go look for him?”

“What if we pass each other on the way?”

“Just check the office. If he’s not there, come back.”

“He’s a psycho, though. If he shows up and we’re not here, he’ll dock points.”

“Come on.”

“I’m serious. He did that when we were freshmen.”

“So what, we just sit here and wait?”

“Then he’ll freak out about that, too. ‘Why didn’t you do anything when the teacher didn’t show up?’”

“No but isn’t this obviously the teacher’s fault?”

Voices that had been quiet at first grew louder and louder.

Before my regression, I’m pretty sure he never once skipped class.
So this is the butterfly effect, huh.

I checked the timetable with a sour look.

“Of all things, geography…”

A male teacher in his fifties, known for blatantly favoring Woo Do-yeon and getting roasted for it.

What was his name again?

Can’t remember the name—just the fact he was a total basket case.

Always hitting kids on the head and humiliating them…

“Everyone who didn’t do their homework, stand up. Top-tier kids sit. The rest stand until class ends.”
That kind of guy.

Pretty much one of the last teachers who could behave like that and keep his job.

“Let’s just stay put. He’ll come.”

“And if he gives the whole class demerits, you’ll take responsibility?”

“Kang Dahae, shouldn’t you go get him?”

…Me?

I turned toward the voice.

Sein’s seat partner.

Do Ha-jun.

The same guy who ran that popularity vote on the girls last year.

If he were any smarter, he would’ve created something like “Chasebook” and rated girls’ looks.

The Mark Zuckerberg of Go-Go High leaned back in his chair and looked at me.

Suddenly called on, I blinked.

“Why me…?”

Do Ha-jun answered like he couldn’t believe I had to ask.

“You’re the temporary class president.”

“…I am?”

Now that he mentions it, I kinda remember being given that job at the start of the semester just because I got good grades…

Only until elections, though—someone else got voted in, so I forgot all about it.

While I was lost in thought, students started chiming in.

“Yeah, Dahae can go.”

“Ask the teachers in the office and if they say he went to geography, just come back.”

“She won’t get in trouble. She’s top-tier.”

I mean I was going anyway.

But being shoved into it leaves a bad taste.

Turns out the ones pushing the hardest were the same kids who openly hated Do-yeon and geography both.

Guess that includes me now, since I help her.

Do Ha-jun snickered.

“Or send Woo Do-yeon. Geography teacher likes her.”

“Fine, I’ll go, just shut up.”

I sighed and stood up.

Right then—

“Jesus, shut up.”

Seo Jae-gyeom—who had been sleeping with his head down regardless of the noise—sat up, scowling.

He scanned the room with a cranky face.

“You’re all busting a gut trying to shove this off on Kang Dahae because you don’t wanna go. It’s just fetching a teacher, not zombies outside.”

The noisy ones instantly shut their mouths.

With a loud scrape, Seo Jae-gyeom stood and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Seo Jae-gyeom, why?”

“I’m leaving too.”

“What? Why? We don’t need two people to get a teacher.”

“Can’t be in here with a bunch of idiots.”

“Oh.”

Well then.

But—

“Jeong Eun-seong, why you?”

I stared at Eun-seong, suddenly standing behind him.

“You’re coming too?”

Three people seemed excessive.

He met my eyes and calmly answered,

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

“…Now?”

What did I just hear? This teacher has anger issues.

“Hold it thirty-eight minutes.”

“Okay.”

…Then why’d you stand up?

I thought he was desperate or something.

But Seo Jae-gyeom was already out the door with his phone, so I didn’t dwell on it long.

Why’s he so prickly today?

“One of you is A, your partner is B…”

“Oh woe is me, my spirit lies slain…”

The hallway—every class in session—held only Seo Jae-gyeom and me.

The teacher’s voices and chalk tapping filtered through doors; somewhere far away a class was laughing.

Dust floated in the sunlight streaming through the windows.

Seo Jae-gyeom walked silently.

Phone in one hand, long strides—he didn’t even try to match my pace.

I wasn’t going to chase after him or force conversation, so I just peeked into passing classrooms.

Classrooms, uniforms, sunlight—teen years you can’t ever get back.

Everyone else looks bored out of their minds but here I am getting all nostalgic…☆

My little reverie ended when Seo Jae-gyeom passed the stairwell to the teachers’ office and kept going down.

“Jae-gyeom, where are you going? The office is this way.”

“Snack bar.”

“Huh?”

He was going to the school store? I asked again but he ignored me and stared at his phone.

“Hey, you can’t do that. It’s still class time.”

“I’ll take care of myself.”

With a tired tone, he cut me off and vanished down to the first floor.

“What is with him.”

I shook my head and turned toward the teachers’ office—

“Hey, you!”

I ran straight into the geography teacher coming out of the staff bathroom.

“Why are you wandering around during class! What year and class?”

“I was coming to get you, sir. Class already started but you didn’t show up.”

I squinted, looking from the bathroom he’d emerged from back to his face.

Constipation must’ve been rough.

“Ahem, is that so?”

“Yes.”

“You should’ve come sooner, it’s already been fifteen minutes. Kids these days…”

He checked his watch, then hurried to the office to grab his textbook.

Didn’t think I’d find him this fast.

What about Seo Jae-gyeom?
I glanced at the stairs to the store while following behind the teacher.

“Second year, Class Two, right? Do-yeon’s class?”

“Yes.”

“You the class rep?”

“Just temporary.”

“Ah, you’re Kang Dahae? You’re friends with Han Jisoo from Class One too, right?”

“Yes.”

“Seo Jae-gyeom!”

Suddenly the teacher yelled.

Jae-gyeom, walking up the opposite staircase, turned expressionless toward us.

Perfect timing—two ends of the hallway converging.

“Seo Jae-gyeom, you brat! Where the hell were you!”

Oh boy.

“Sir, wait—the thing is, he also came out looking for you, but—”

“If he was with you, why is he coming from there? And is that a phone in his hand?”

“…”

“You little—”

No one wants to hear the rambling fury of an angry middle-aged man, so I’ll spare you.

Long story short: Seo Jae-gyeom got detention after school.

What’s ridiculous is—I got punished too, for “failing to stop him as class rep.”

“If either of you runs, I’m calling your parents immediately.”

After school.

The teacher shoved us into the conference room next to the office.

A six-seater table covered in square sheets of thin gray recycled paper: endless quizzes.

“Remember the geography pop quiz from day one? You two stay until these are all graded. Sort by class and number, and write the wrong answers AND corrections beside each mistake. In red pen.”

“….”

All of them? Right now?

Dumping his job on us under the excuse of punishment, the teacher threatened us once more about calling parents, then went home.

Class 1 to Class 10—three hundred sheets—and a single textbook sat on the table.

“….”

Well, I forgot all the geography anyway.

Guess I’ll call this studying.

I sighed and dragged the mountain of papers toward me.

Do teachers not care about student pride? Making classmates grade each other’s tests…

But Seo Jae-gyeom still hadn’t sat down.

I looked up at him.

“What’s wrong?”