Ch.108Good grief, Ojou-sama (1)

“Good. I’ve packed everything there. Change of clothes, toiletries… towels, toilet paper, and plenty of first aid supplies and motion sickness medicine in case any of the children get hurt or sick. So the last thing left is…”

*Doo-doo-doo-doo*

The day before the school trip,

Teacher Yeo Mi-so, who was both the homeroom teacher and trip supervisor, had neatly packed all the necessary items for the journey. Now, she picked up her phone to make a call for the last thing she needed.

[Hello?]

“S-Sol-young, is that you?”

[Ah, Mi-so noona. What’s the occasion?]

The person who answered her call was none other than

Ban Sol-young, Do-young’s older brother.

“Is now a good time to talk?”

[Just a moment, Do-young is in the next room and might hear us, so I’ll step outside.]

“Oh, alright. Put something on. It’s still chilly at night.”

*Rustle*

*Click*

‘He must be changing and heading out… I wonder if he was just wearing underwear before I called…?’

Teacher Yeo Mi-so focused on every sound coming through the speaker

while waiting for Sol-young to return to the call.

-What are you doing, going out at this hour?

-Just stepping out for some fresh air.

-Bring me Zero Lime when you come back…!

-Yeah, yeah, I got it.

The rustling friction of clothes,

The creaking sound of the floor as he opened the door,

And the faint, familiar voice of her student in the distance.

‘Hehe. Do-young is the same at home too.’

Even while Sol-young wasn’t back on the call yet,

every sound coming through made her smile.

[Hello, Mi-so noona. I just stepped outside. Geez… I was planning to just step out briefly, but because of Do-young, I had to bring my wallet too, which delayed me.]

“Ahaha… That’s fine. That’s so like you, Sol-young. You’re such a good brother even at home.”

[I know, right? Your student should appreciate that more. Making her brother who’s returning from leave tomorrow run errands like this.]

“Ah… so tomorrow is when your leave ends.”

Coincidentally, the day she was departing for the school trip was Sol-young’s day to return from leave.

Not having known this fact, she sat up abruptly on her bed, hugging her knees with an anxious expression, not knowing what to do.

“I-I’m sorry. I called at such a stressful time for you.”

[Come on, I only have a month left until I’m discharged, so it’s not that stressful. Actually, I’m glad you called now. I get to hear your voice before going back.]

“He-hehe… I see. I-I called you because I was thinking about you before the trip. I’m feeling a bit nervous… and thought talking with you might help me relax a bit.”

Like recreating memories from school days before mobile phones,

when friends would twist phone cords for minutes or hours while chatting,

she sat crouched on her bed, opening up to the voice on the other end about things she couldn’t tell others.

Since technological advances had eliminated such cords from calls,

her fingers, unconsciously trying to recreate old memories, were twirling her braided curly hair instead.

[Why are you so nervous? School trips are something we all did in elementary, middle, and high school. Just enjoy it and have fun.]

“W-well, this is my first time going as both a homeroom teacher and supervisor. Plus, it’s an overseas trip.”

[Ah, I guess so. In your generation, the standard school trip was visiting Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju, right?]

“N-no, that’s not true! I went to Jeju Island for my school trip too…! By plane, even!”

[Hahaha, then there’s nothing to worry about. At least you won’t take off your shoes when boarding the plane.]

“Seriously… there’s not that much of a generation gap between us!”

Although it wasn’t quite what she had expected,

the call to Sol-young ultimately helped lighten the heavy burden on her mind.

[So, feeling a bit better now?]

“Phew… somewhat. This is always my worry. That I’ll be pushed around by other students there. I’m their teacher and an adult, so I need to set a good example.”

[Oh my, Teacher Yeo Mi-so. You’re not the only supervisor going. There are much more experienced veteran teachers going too, so why worry so much?]

“That’s why I’m more nervous. I’m afraid I’ll just be a burden to the other teachers…”

What if my mistakes put the students at risk?

What if my inadequacies cause trouble for the other teachers?

What if I don’t act like a proper teacher should?

As an adult responsible for the students,

and as a teacher who needed to protect them,

traveling to a foreign land with students was the biggest test she’d faced since becoming a homeroom teacher.

That’s why what she needed most in preparation for the school trip

was nothing other than ‘courage.’

That was also why she called Sol-young after preparing everything else.

But she could only get courage this way until tonight.

After Sol-young returned from leave tomorrow, she wouldn’t be able to comfortably receive his encouragement or advice like now.

Even though soldiers could now use mobile phones,

the time they were allowed to use them was still strictly limited.

“Do you think I can do well without causing trouble for the other teachers, Sol-young?”

[…]

Teacher Yeo Mi-so asked Sol-young with a trembling voice.

But from the speaker, she heard nothing but the sound of the May night breeze.

“S-Sol-young…?”

Holding her phone with both hands, she called out to Sol-young anxiously.

Had she upset him when he was already feeling down about returning from leave?

The thought that he might consider her an annoying woman rambling about trivial concerns crossed her mind.

“I-I’m sorry… I won’t ask for help, just listen to me…”

*Beep*

-This is a one-plus-one product.

“Huh…?”

Just then, a familiar mechanical sound came through the speaker.

It was the same sound as the barcode scanner at the convenience store brand she frequently used.

-That’ll be 12,300 won. Do you need a bag for 50 won?

-Ah, yes, please.

-Alright.

[Oh, I was just buying the cola Do-young asked for.]

*Sigh*

Hearing Sol-young’s voice again after the familiar sounds,

she quietly let out a sigh of relief, making sure it wasn’t audible through the speaker.

“I-I see. I didn’t know. Sorry, just forget about the complaints I made earlier.”

[Well, it’s too late for that since I’ve already come too far.]

“Hmm…? What do you mean by coming too far?”

[No, I was enjoying our conversation so much that I kept walking and ended up at a convenience store quite far from home.]

Hearing the familiar convenience store barcode sound and Sol-young’s words, she opened the veranda of her studio apartment and looked down below, just in case.

There was Sol-young, waving his fluttering long sleeves,

greeting her.

[Since it’s come to this, would you like to talk face to face instead of just hearing each other’s voices? Maybe over a drink?]

.

.

.

“Do-young, where did Sol-young go?”

“Yeah, when is my Zero Lime coming?”

That night,

neither Sol-young nor the Zero Lime returned home.

**

The next morning, the day of the school trip,

before the morning sun had fully risen, I woke up to the alarm I had set.

After all, we had to gather at school early to catch our flight.

Probably except for Do Ha-min,

no one in our class would normally be up at this hour.

“This jerk really didn’t come home.”

Going down to the second-floor living room and opening the refrigerator, there was no Zero Lime.

It was evidence that Ban Sol-young, who had gone out for fresh air the night before, hadn’t returned.

“Don’t tell me he went AWOL because today’s his day to return from leave…”

“What are you looking for?”

“Whoa, you scared me! W-when did you get back?”

“Just now.”

Just then, Sol-young, who had spent the night out and just returned,

peeked his face next to mine.

I wanted to grab him by the hair and shove him into the refrigerator,

but I held back since he was an important investor.

Usually a healthy young man,

perhaps because he’d spent the night out,

his face looked strangely gaunt,

as if he might break if touched wrong.

“Is Dad still sleeping?”

“Yeah… he made me rice balls and went back to sleep.”

“I see. Here’s the Zero Lime you asked for.”

“It’s too late. I have to go to school now.”

“Really? Then drink it when you get back. I can’t drink it anyway since I’m returning from leave.”

Sol-young, who had spent the night out without saying anything, calmly put the Zero Lime from his pocket into the refrigerator.

“What were you doing all night?”

“Just… talked a lot. All night long. With words, and with bodies.”

“Huh?”

“I’m tired, so I’m going to bed first. Have a good school trip. Oh, right. Listen to your teacher well. Don’t cause trouble there and stress your teacher out.”

“…Uh, okay.”

“And photos. Make sure to take pretty ones.”

Leaving behind these puzzling words,

Sol-young trudged back to his room.

“…What the hell?”

Until I left for school that day,

I had no idea what had happened during the night.

“Ah, everyone! What a wonderful morning! The morning air is so refreshing! It’s a perfect day for a school trip!”

“Teacher Mi-so seems especially energetic today.”

“Yeah, I thought she only had this energy when telling us to study. Did something good happen to her?”

“…No way.”

Not until I saw Teacher Mi-so greeting us with a military salute,

her skin unusually radiant.