Ch.169Because It’s Summer (12)

“I wish I could have seen Doyoung swimming properly with my own eyes. Should have taken a video at least.”

“I didn’t really have time for that… and I was a bit far away because of the operation.”

“Operation…?”

“Yeah, we had something like that. An operation to help the half-thief unnie overcome her fear of water.”

“Seems like she learned better than I expected.”

After finishing our eventful beach trip, we returned to our lodging and were enjoying a hearty barbecue feast when the conversation naturally drifted to swimming. It was a topic that most people in this group could relate to and easily laugh about.

“Come to think of it, during our last school trip, Hamin saved Doyoung when she fell into the water. I thought this then too, but Hamin, you seem quite skilled at swimming.”

“It’s a bit different from what they teach at swimming schools or regular classes. He’s definitely fast, but how should I put it… it didn’t look like freestyle.”

“You said you learned swimming at a relative’s house, right?”

“Ah… yes. My mom’s relatives live in the countryside, so I learned in places like streams. But…”

As if embarrassed to talk about how he learned to swim, Do Hamin hung his head low while grilling meat.

“Why, is there something difficult to talk about?”

“A-actually…”

Hamin quietly began to speak.

“I didn’t actually learn from my relatives… I learned by watching their dog?”

“My uncles’ swimming methods didn’t really work for me… so I tried copying the dog that was swimming in the stream with us, and that actually suited me better. What I taught you just now was my refined version of that technique. I’ve been wondering if I should mention this or not…”

I patted the shoulders of the deflated Hamin as he confessed the truth.

“Why are you embarrassed about that, kid?”

“It’s not exactly something to be proud of.”

“You saved Ban Doyoung who almost died, so it’s all good.”

“Doyoung is right. What matters isn’t who you learned from, but how you use what you’ve learned.”

“…Thank you, Ms. Miso. That gives me courage.”

“Oh, but about your relative’s dog, was it male or female?”

“Huh…? Oh, it was female.”

“Heeh… so you passed on a technique learned from a female to another female.”

“Ugh… this is exactly why I didn’t want to say anything!”

“Hahaha! What happened to that courage you just found?”

As everyone was laughing and chatting, with the atmosphere growing livelier,

“By the way, how are we dividing the rooms? This lodging has only two rooms.”

“…What?”

“Oh no, that’s right. I completely forgot about that.”

All eyes focused on the small issue Siyoung had just raised.

…

I don’t know how the information was conveyed to Ms. Miso’s parents, but they booked a lodging with only two rooms for two males and three females.

Since it was the beginning of summer vacation, most large accommodations or rooms were already booked, and only rooms typically reserved for couples or couple group trips were available here and there.

In other words, no matter which place we chose, we would only have rooms the same size as our current lodging.

“…”

“…”

Ms. Miso and I shared our opinions through eye contact without speaking.

‘Teacher, of course you’d want to sleep with our house’s eldest son, right?’

‘I can’t deny that, but then Doyoung and Hamin would have to sleep in the same room. Even if they’re a couple, as their homeroom teacher, I can’t allow underage students of opposite genders to sleep in the same room.’

Despite only slightly moving our eyes and heads, somehow we were communicating our thoughts to each other with remarkable accuracy, as if we knew exactly what the other was thinking.

That’s probably because Ms. Miso and Ban Doyoung’s bodies were aligned toward the same goal.

‘Unfortunately, we need to divide the rooms by gender. It’s for Doyoung and Hamin’s sake. Besides, there’s also Siyoung. It’s even more inappropriate.’

‘But are you okay with not being able to sleep with our eldest son tonight?’

‘I-I’m an adult. I won’t die or feel miserable just because I can’t sleep with my partner for one night.’

‘Hmm, I see. I was hoping to lie next to Hamin just for tonight, even if we just hold hands. But you’re so confidently saying it’s fine because you sleep with your boyfriend every day in front of your students.’

‘N-no…! That’s not what I meant!’

‘But you’ve been sleeping with our eldest son since your engagement was confirmed, right? After sleeping together all this time, wouldn’t you want to sleep together tonight too?’

‘O-of course, but…’

‘Sleeping with the eldest son while looking at the seaside view of your hometown would surely make you happiest… it would be great for Solmi’s prenatal care too…’

‘…Nngh.’

Ms. Miso tried to close her eyelids tightly as if avoiding my gaze. Of course, it didn’t matter. We had already moved beyond communicating through our eyes to communicating through our souls.

I grabbed Ms. Miso’s wrist as she closed her eyes, trying to resist temptation. If we couldn’t share thoughts through our eyes, we could convey our messages through our heartbeats.

‘Sleeping with our eldest son is something you’ve always done naturally, but it would be a shame if you couldn’t do it because you’re a teacher.’

‘Uuugh… No. Even so, that’s…’

‘If you just take my side, you can sleep in the arms of the person you love most tonight as always.’

‘Nngh…’

‘How about couples sleeping together… just say that one thing. Or if that doesn’t work, you could suggest adults and children having separate rooms.’

‘S-Solmi. Please help mommy not give in to your aunt’s temptation and stay proper as a teacher…!’

“Waah, I’m baby Solmi. Mommy, let’s sleep with Daddy. Tell auntie to sleep with her boyfriend.”

I gently rubbed Ms. Miso’s slightly rounded belly and whispered into her ear in a voice like a baby throwing a tantrum.

Whether that joke was the decisive factor or not, Ms. Miso suddenly opened her eyes that had been tightly shut. It looked as if the muscles holding her eyelids down had snapped open with a “pop” sound.

“S-Solyoung?”

Ms. Miso raised her slender arm and desperately searched for Solyoung. Her voice wavered up and down as if the vocal line was being tossed around.

“Huh…? What is it, noona?”

“S-since we’re at a place with a nice ocean view, how about adults and children use separate rooms?”

“…Huh? Are you suggesting we divide the rooms by age?”

At first, Solyoung tilted his head as if he thought he had misheard, and asked Ms. Miso again.

“W-well, you see…”

Just as her painfully squeezed-out suggestion was about to be dismissed as a misunderstanding,

“Y-you know, students have a lot of energy left! S-someone older like me might have different bedtimes and it could be uncomfortable! D-Doyoung and Siyoung might want to laugh and chat all night, and I might be inconvenient since I have to sleep early? Sleeping with an old adult almost 10… 10 years older…”

The desire to share a room with the eldest son finally crushed Ms. Miso’s last remaining dignity.

“Oh my goodness, Ms. Miso… you thought of us like that?”

“O-of course, Doyoung! It’s summer! Shouldn’t you have memories of staying up all night chatting and playing at the beach in midsummer?”

“Going this far for the students’ summer memories… you’re amazing, teacher!”

A conversation between a teacher who cares only for her students, and a student deeply moved by understanding her teacher’s true intentions. Truly an acting performance worthy of going down in history.

‘You really are amazing, teacher. I can’t believe you’d even use your age.’

‘T-this is what it means to be resourceful, Doyoung. If selling my age means I can greet the morning with Solyoung, then this much is… Since the teacher has gone this far, Doyoung will keep her promise, right?’

‘Of course. I always save what I truly like for the end.’

After exchanging tributes through our eyes for our mutual dedication and courage to our respective goals, Ms. Miso and I gazed intently at the remaining three people with yearning eyes.

“So… Solyoung, what do you think?”

“…”

The other three people who had heard Ms. Miso’s suggestion. After a moment of silence, the three opened their mouths simultaneously as if they had rehearsed it.

“Of course that’s not possible, what are you talking about?”

“Of course that’s not possible, what are you talking about?”

“Of course that’s not possible, what are you talking about?”

“R-right… of course.”

“You’re all so mean. Ms. Miso, the oldest chicken-coop-dweller here, gathered her courage to make a suggestion, and you all dismiss it so bluntly?”

“Doyoung… don’t call your elder a chicken-coop-dweller.”

The next morning at the guesthouse, we greeted a peaceful morning without any incidents.