Chapter 6: The Strange Boy, Lee Hwi-jun (6)

After finishing various conversations, I stepped out of the police station, and before I knew it, it was already 7:35.

It was too late to walk to school and arrive on time, so I had no choice but to board the bus to school.

Beep “Student.”

“…Sigh.”

As I swiped my card on the terminal, a red number “950” appeared on the screen along with the voice announcement, and I couldn’t help but sigh.

When I thought about the phone repair fee I had to ask that Yu Da-hyun about, even this bus fare felt like a painful expense.

Well, today, I had no choice but to take the bus due to time constraints, but from now on, I was planning to commute by foot, so this would likely be the last time I took the bus.

It was such a waste to take the bus for a distance that would only take me about 30 minutes on foot.

Back where I used to live, I used to walk two hours to school every day.

So, when I thought about taking the bus to school, I promised myself it would be the last time.

As I sat down on the bus seat, I saw the police station I had just left through the window.

Seeing that made me think of the child who had been on my mind ever since I was in the police station, and I murmured quietly, feeling bitter.

“How did such a young child end up like that…?”

The child who had clung to Inspector Ahn Dae-soo’s pant leg, whining to be found.

Then, realizing that no one could hear their voice, the little child had crouched on the chair, crying for their mom, calling out “Mom, mom” in search of their mother.

I didn’t know how the child had ended up like that, but seeing such a young child in that state was truly heartbreaking.

I hesitated whether or not to speak up, but in the end, I decided to say something.

At least I wanted to send the child back to the arms of the mother who missed them so much.

“You should find them…”

I muttered these words, wishing for the child to be found, but fortunately, I wasn’t too worried.

The Inspector Ahn Dae-soo I had seen wasn’t just sharp; he also had a great sense of responsibility for his work as a police officer.

I believed that he would definitely find the child, and if he couldn’t, I could always go find the child later and quietly let him know.

Next stop: Nakwon High School, in front of Nakwon High School.

While I was thinking about all of this, the bus had arrived in front of the school.

I got off the bus, following the group of students wearing the same uniform, and walked along the long wall that surrounded the school.

As I walked, I saw the school gate with the name “Nakwon High School” and a logo shaped like a tree on the hill, which seemed to symbolize the image of “Nakwon.”

“…Hah.”

When I saw the vast schoolyard and the large school building beyond the gate, it was impossible not to let out a bitter laugh.

“…Now I understand why my grandfather wanted me to come to this school.”

It became clear the moment I saw the school.

The school I used to attend had fewer than 20 students in total, and it was small and shabby compared to this one.

Had my grandfather worried about me right until the very end?

“…I shouldn’t think like this.”

As I thought about my grandfather, I shook my head slightly and forced myself to stop thinking further.

If I kept thinking about him, I felt like my eyes would well up with tears.

So, after muttering to myself as if reminding myself of something, I walked towards the main building of the school. I had been told to go to the teacher’s office.

Following the prior notice, I went to the teacher’s office on the first floor of the main building and asked the teacher who was sitting just in front of the door.

“Excuse me, I transferred here today. Where should I go?”

“Hmm? Transfer? Ah, you must be the Huijun who was supposed to transfer today, right?”

The female teacher turned her chair towards me and smiled.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Ji-yoon, the homeroom teacher for Class 1-3. I’ll be your homeroom teacher. You’ll be joining Class 1-3.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Heh, no problem. Normally, I would take you straight to class and introduce you to the students, but the principal asked to see you first before you go to class.”

“ That’s unusual, since the principal doesn’t normally call students, but do you happen to know the principal?”

Kim Ji-yoon asked, looking at me.

I nodded and answered.

“Ah, well, the principal is my grandfather.”

“Ugh…!”

I was about to explain further.

The principal had been a long-time friend of my grandfather.

But when Kim Ji-yoon heard that, she looked extremely shocked, as though I had revealed something she shouldn’t have known.

She quickly placed a finger to her lips as if telling me to keep quiet and whispered in a small voice.

“Ah, okay…! You don’t need to say more! Don’t worry, I’ll keep this secret. Just don’t tell anyone else! If others find out, it will make you uncomfortable!”

“Huh…? No, that’s…”

“Don’t worry…! I’ll keep this secret, I promise! Now, go to the principal’s office, finish your conversation with the principal, and then come straight to class before it starts! I’ll tell the students that a transfer student has arrived. Got it?”

“Um, Teacher? Ah…”

I could tell that she had misunderstood something, but before I could correct her, she pushed me out of the teacher’s office, and I had no choice but to go outside.

Should I go back in now and explain?

I thought, but when I checked the time, it was already almost 8:00.

The first period probably started at 8:20.

Whatever the reason the principal had called me, it seemed like I didn’t have much time to clear up the misunderstanding.

So, I decided to leave that for later and knocked on the door of the principal’s office.

Knock knock

“Come in.”

The response came, and I opened the door and entered.

Compared to the school’s extravagant atmosphere, the principal’s office seemed quite modest, especially because the person sitting there, drinking coffee, had the appearance of a local grandfather.

But just because he looked like that, I knew not to underestimate him.

“Ah, it’s Huijun! Come in and sit down.”

The person welcoming me with a smile was none other than Matthew, my grandfather’s old friend.

He was the principal of Nakwon High School and, more importantly…

“The Chairman of Taeu Group…!”

Yes, he was the chairman of the massive conglomerate Taeu Group, one of the largest corporations in the country.

Not long ago, I greeted Chairman Matthieu with a smile as I sat down across from him, noticing that his complexion seemed better than when I had seen him last.

Chairman Matthieu accepted my greeting and spoke.

“Yeah. I’m doing well. And please, stop with the title of ‘chairman.’ It feels a little awkward for me.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Hehe, you little rascal. Last time I told you to call me ‘grandfather,’ but you never did, huh?”

“Haha… I’m sorry,”

“There’s no need to apologize… I’m not trying to force you. I know how you feel. It’s just that, even though Bu-ram passed away not long ago, it’s still a bit strange for me to be called ‘grandfather’.”

Bu-ram, the name of my grandfather, and hearing Chairman Matthieu say it made me smile bitterly.

The reason I never called the chairman “grandfather” was exactly that.

Although Chairman Matthieu had often said that since Bu-ram’s grandson was like my own, I should consider him like a grandfather, my grandfather was still only the one I had lost.

It was the same for my grandmother, who had passed away on the same day as my grandfather.

Even though I couldn’t bring myself to call him ‘grandfather,’ I was thankful for him.

I thought maybe one day, if he kept wanting me to call him that, it wouldn’t be too bad to do so.

I had never forgotten how he helped me with the funeral of both my grandparents, treating it as if it were his own responsibility.

I was filled with gratitude as I thought about it, and I asked him.

“So, Chairman, why did you call me today?”

“Hmm? Ah, it’s not for anything serious. I was just worried if you found a place to stay. You kept saying you’d take care of it yourself, but of course, I couldn’t stop worrying.”

Noticing his concern, I smiled and reassured him.

“There’s no need to worry. I found a suitable place and signed the contract.”

“Is it close to school?”

“Very close. It’s only a 30-minute walk.”

“30 minutes…? Hmm… If you had left it to me, I would have found you a place right next door… Are you sure that’s fine? If you ever want to move, let me know anytime.”

He frowned, clearly unsatisfied with my choice of place, but I shook my head and answered.

“It’s really fine. My grandfather always told me, ‘What is given should not be expected in return, and the only thing that doesn’t require repayment is the love that parents give to their children.’”

Strictly speaking, he said it was the love God gives to us as His children.

My grandfather, who always repaid every favor he received, even giving back the love he had received from God by following Him all his life, had raised me with the same mentality.

Maybe that’s why, even though I was grateful for the help from others, receiving anything without giving something back made me uneasy.

…To be honest, that wasn’t the only reason, though.

After all, isn’t there a saying that if you like free things, you’ll end up bald?

And I wasn’t someone who wanted to be bald.

However, Chairman Matthieu’s expression grew exasperated as he exclaimed.

“Oh, Hwi-jun… I’m doing this because I’m trying to repay Bu-ram. Like I said last time, I could never have succeeded if Bu-ram hadn’t treated me like family when I was poor. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even have finished elementary school, let alone become the chairman of a large corporation…”

“Chairman, you’ve already fulfilled what my grandfather wanted. He asked you to let his grandchild attend a good school, and you did.”

I smiled softly and said to him, “You’ve covered all the school fees, meal costs, and anything else I needed for school. My grandfather must have been satisfied with that.”

“You also helped a lot when we sent off my grandparents… I’ve already received so much help from you, so it feels a bit awkward to ask for more.”

“Heh, heh…”

Chairman Matthieu chuckled and said, “You’re a smart kid and you have a good heart. Even though you’re his grandchild, I never thought you’d be so different from Bu-ram. But I see now, you’re just as stubborn as he was.”

“I remember he once told me, ‘If you give me something, don’t expect anything in return.’ And now here you are doing the same…”

Chairman Matthieu muttered, shaking his head in disbelief, as though conceding defeat.

“I see, I see. Anyway, the class is about to start, so we should stop here. Go ahead. If you ever need anything at school, don’t hesitate to ask your old man.”

“Yes. Take care until we meet again, Chairman.”

“Heh, heh, heh… He’ll never back down, will he? Bu-ram sure raised a stubborn grandchild just like him…”

I gave a wistful smile and greeted Chairman Matthieu before stepping outside.

It was 8:10 AM when I left his office.

I quickly walked through the hallway that had the central staircase, past where the principal’s office and Chairman Matthieu’s office were, and soon saw the first-year classrooms ahead.

I arrived at Class 3.

Standing in front of the classroom door, I saw Teacher Kim Ji-yoon talking to the students at the teacher’s desk through the small glass window on the door.

Should I just go in now…

“Ah…! Hwi, Hwi-jun is here?”

Just as I was contemplating, Teacher Kim Ji-yoon, who must have noticed me standing at the door, hurriedly walked over, opened the door, and guided me into the classroom, saying, “I told you earlier that a transfer student would be coming today, right? This is Hwi-jun, who’s transferring here. Since it’s his first day, please be kind to him. Don’t ignore him, okay?”

For some reason, Teacher Kim seemed almost desperate as she said this.

I briefly wondered if she had spread some strange rumors about me to the other students, but luckily, she had kept her promise and kept the secret.

When I looked at the students, I saw them eyeing me like I was a transfer student.

Most of them showed indifference, while only a few seemed to take slight interest.

Seeing that, I made a quiet resolution.

“Okay, I’ll just try to go unnoticed at this school. That’s the plan,” I thought.

“Ot…!”

“Ah…”

I thought it would be fine until I noticed one familiar face—a girl looking at me with a surprised expression.

Where should I sit?

Hm?

Do you know Dahyun by any chance?

Maybe I should sit next to her, since that seat is empty.

“…I’ll just sit here.”

But then, of all people, our teacher Kim Jiyoon, who seems to be completely unaware of the concept of “social cues,” decided to assign me to sit next to the girl who had been staring at me in surprise, as if she knew my face.

“…Hey, what are you doing here? Why are you sitting next to me? Why are you even in our class?”

“…That’s what I want to say.”

And so, my goal of going unnoticed was ruined from the very first day of transferring.

Completely.