Ch.160Because It’s Summer (3)

“Congratulations, Teacher Yeo Mi-so!”

“Seriously, I thought you were just a workaholic who only knew about work… but you’ve been busy behind the scenes? That’s quite impressive!”

“In times like these, it’s truly something to celebrate. Well done, teacher.”

“Hehehe… Thank you, everyone.”

On the morning before the closing ceremony marking the end of the first semester, a lively atmosphere prevailed among the teachers gathered in the staff room.

It wasn’t because the teachers were excited about the students’ vacation. Of course, teachers do enjoy more free time during school breaks, but at least that day’s topic of conversation wasn’t about the closing ceremony.

“I didn’t even know you were dating, and now marriage! And even with a big gift for your in-laws attached!”

“How did you find a man so quickly?”

“I swear, this Bulsa High never has a quiet day, whether it’s students or teachers. Where did you meet him? Tell us the details!”

“Te-teachers… It’s already 9 o’clock, and we should head to the classrooms to make announcements about the break…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Everyone’s so excited about the break today that they won’t listen to us properly anyway. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes, tell us your story.”

“That’s right, let the kids chat for 10 more minutes. We’ll listen to a more interesting story.”

Teacher Yeo Mi-so’s surprise marriage announcement.

And an even more surprising declaration of motherhood.

[Delivering the now tedious vacation announcements to the teaching staff and arguing with excited students]

VS

[Hearing the direct love story of the gentle, snail-like youngest teacher Yeo Mi-so, from maiden to mother]

There was no need to check which option carried more weight.

…

“Wow, you’re quite the player. Meeting an old flame from college and snagging him right after reuniting. And a graduate of our school, no less.”

“P-player? That’s not…”

“Teacher Yeo Mi-so. Aren’t you glad you came to our school? And good thing you became a first-year homeroom teacher.”

“O-of course! Even without that reason, I’ve never regretted becoming the homeroom teacher for Class 1. Still, I’m sorry for bringing up such sudden news.”

“No need to apologize. We’ve all been pestering you about when you’d start dating. That makes us accomplices.”

Though the sudden marriage announcement could have been surprising, her fellow teachers sincerely congratulated her on her happy news. They knew how hard she had worked as a teacher.

It was certainly cause for celebration for her and her family. However, looking deeper, it could also be an unexpected burden for those working with her.

Marriage, a major life event. Having a family naturally creates new priorities beyond one’s job.

However, even if her position became vacant, her work wouldn’t. Someone would have to take over her duties, and that someone would naturally be one of these teachers who were congratulating her on her marriage.

“But… because of my mistake, I’m burdening the other teachers…”

“Don’t be discouraged, Mi-so. No one here is against your marriage or uncomfortable with it.”

“That’s right. When my son was hospitalized and I had to go to the hospital, didn’t you substitute for me as a proctor multiple times?”

“Me too. When my father-in-law passed away and I had to leave urgently, you took care of all my work. I was so grateful then.”

“That, that was nothing…”

“So for us, filling in the gap created by your marriage is nothing too. You’ll get back everything you’ve given us, okay?”

“Te-teachers…”

She looked at her fellow teachers with reddened eyes and a choked voice. Not a single teacher there viewed her with disdain.

Most of them had received help from her, who was still single then, when they had to be absent or step away from work due to family issues or personal matters.

“If you ever have difficulties or need someone to talk to, always lean on us senior ladies, okay?”

“I’ll help you complain about your husband too! In return, help me gripe about mine!”

“I’m not good at complaining, but I’ll try my best!”

“Good, good, but don’t try too hard! Even if he’s your husband, he’s still on your side!”

Everyone celebrating Teacher Yeo Mi-so’s marriage remembered her kindness and sincerely wished for her happiness. That alone was already the greatest gift.

“Ah, it’s already time…”

“You’re right, if we’re any later, the classroom will become a complete mess. Let’s get going.”

“Ah, yes…!”

The teachers noticed the minute hand had passed 9:10. Even high school students with mature minds would naturally start acting out if left unsupervised for too long.

Sensing it was time to rein in the students, the teachers began to rise from their seats.

“Oh, right. Have you told the students yet? About your marriage?”

Just before leaving the staff room, one teacher asked her.

“No, not yet… I was planning to tell them along with the vacation announcements. Today might be my only chance to tell them.”

“Your fiancé is the older brother of one of your students, right? I wonder if rumors have already spread.”

“Well… I’m not sure. Doyoung can be mischievous, but he’s surprisingly tight-lipped about such matters, like an adult.”

She had learned about Doyoung’s relationship and marriage to Sol-young before the closing ceremony, even before the final exams.

At first, she was worried that rumors would spread immediately, but surprisingly, the news didn’t circulate within her class.

As she had assessed, despite his playful personality, Doyoung was the type to keep his mouth shut about secrets that could be troublesome or seen as weaknesses for others.

Besides his own relationship, even when he knew about Jeong-gyu’s traffic accident at the beginning of the semester, he didn’t tell other classmates until Jeong-gyu was discharged from the hospital, following her request.

Of course, he might have simply followed Hamin’s advice not to spread rumors, but either way, at least he listened well to Hamin, so there wouldn’t be any problems.

If it were Hamin, he would surely have said:

‘I think it’s best if we stay quiet until the teacher announces it herself.’

“Hmm… now that I think about it, Doyoung seems to listen particularly well to Hamin, even if he doesn’t listen to teachers or other students… Perhaps despite his mischievousness, he’s surprisingly obedient to students he likes… hehe.”

“Why are you smiling? Just thinking about your fiancé makes you laugh?”

“No, no! I was smiling thinking about our students!”

“Well, anyway, it’s fortunate that Ban Doyoung hasn’t mentioned the marriage yet. It’s good to tell the students about your marriage when you get to the classroom, but it might be better not to mention the baby.”

“Is… is that so…?”

Teacher Yeo Mi-so looked slightly perplexed at the advice to keep the baby a secret.

Sol-mi, now in her 10th week, was her most precious treasure along with her partner Sol-young. Being told to hide her existence felt hurtful, even if there was no ill intent.

“The kids are fine, it’s the parents I’m worried about. It might be difficult for parents to hear positively that a high school homeroom teacher got pregnant before marriage.”

“That’s… certainly true…”

The senior teacher’s point was valid.

A classroom full of high school students at the peak of their youth. Their bodies already nearly fully developed as adults.

For a homeroom teacher, who should be a role model above all others for such students, to be pregnant before marriage…

Setting aside whether it was ethically right or wrong, it wouldn’t sound good to parents with children on the verge of adulthood.

“We don’t want you to face malicious complaints from parents later. In the end, it would be you and Sol-mi who would suffer.”

“Yes… I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, teacher, for your genuine concern.”

“That’s the spirit, our mom-to-be. Fighting!”

She thanked her senior for the advice and headed to the classroom.

As expected, the commotion in Class 1-1 without their homeroom teacher was so loud it could be heard from outside the school gate.

“Whew… why am I so nervous?”

Mi-so stopped in front of the classroom door, unable to open it. Her small heart, which hadn’t trembled when speaking to her fellow teachers, began to race.

She had no idea that the weight of telling her marriage news to young students who had never experienced marriage and family would be so different from telling it to senior teachers who had already gone through it.

“I-I don’t particularly like being the center of attention… but I should tell them. Yes, it’ll be fine. They’re all good students. They’ll surely congratulate me like the other teachers did. Right, Sol-mi? Mom’s going to be brave, so watch over me.”

Saying this, she gently stroked her slightly protruding belly and slowly opened the classroom door, stepping forward.

“E-everyone…! Sorry I’m late! Actually, I have something important to tell you today…”

“Is it true? That Ban Doyoung and Do Hamin are dating?”

“…E-everyone?”

She had entered the classroom with courage, but the topic of interest was elsewhere.

The official relationship between Doyoung, the school’s most beautiful girl, and Do Hamin, who had proudly achieved a perfect score and ranked first in the final exams, naturally drew everyone’s attention.

“Um, hello…? Everyone? I’m here.”

“Ah, Teacher Mi-so is here. Teacher, did you know? Ban Doyoung and Do Hamin are a couple!”

“I-I see. Congratulations, you two…. Wow.”

In the classroom where she had prepared to be the center of attention, she ended up applauding and cheering for Doyoung and Hamin, who had officially declared themselves a couple.

“Excuse me, speaking of couples, I’m actually in a relationship too. So…”

“So when did you two start dating? Since the school trip? That means it’s almost your 100-day anniversary!”

“E-everyone…? I also started dating the day before the school trip! I’m almost at 100 days too!”

“Oh, okay.”

“Huh?”

She struggled to deliver the surprising news to everyone, but no one showed interest, which was surprising in itself.

“I’m not just dating! Everyone, I’m getting married! To my boyfriend! He’s tall and handsome!”

“Oh, okay. Teacher Mi-so is an adult and at that age, of course you should date and get married.”

“Um, excuse me…?”

“More importantly, if they’ve been dating since the school trip, that means Ban Doyoung has liked Do Hamin since he was little…”

“Ugh…”

She clenched her ringed hand and shouted at the students.

“I-I’m pregnant too! My boyfriend who proposed is Doyoung’s older brother, the handsome Cha Eun-woo of Bulsa High, and we’re planning to have the wedding at a beach near my home!”

“…What did you just say?”

“…Oh.”

The phones at Bulsa High’s staff room were flooded with calls on the eve of the vacation.