Ch.190Wherever You Are (3)

Contrary to what one might expect, there are very few teachers who strictly adhere to formal attire within the school.

Especially now, at the beginning of the second semester, when the remnants of summer linger after the recent end of vacation.

When working in a school filled with young, energetic students who might cause trouble at any moment, it naturally becomes difficult to pay much attention to one’s attire.

YouTube short-form videos describing the “standard uniforms” of English teachers and math teachers have resonated strongly with viewers. Unlike the strict dress code enforced on students, most teachers enjoy a certain freedom in their attire, as long as it doesn’t negatively influence the students in extreme ways.

So if you encounter a middle-aged adult in this school environment who insists on wearing a formal suit, who might that person be?

Most likely, it would be the vice principal or principal of the school.

Unlike other teachers, they rarely interact directly with students, and as representatives of the school, they must set an example for others, starting with their appearance.

“Who was that person walking down the hallway earlier? The handsome man in a suit.”

“I know, right? He doesn’t seem to be a teacher… I’ve never seen him at school before. Besides, no teacher would come to school in a formal suit on such a hot day. And he’s definitely not the principal or vice principal.”

“There’s something familiar about him… I feel like I saw him just this morning.”

“Could he be someone famous from TV…?”

“I don’t know for sure, but he looks like someone really important… just look at how the principal is rushing over there.”

Other students who saw the middle-aged man enter the school had similar thoughts.

They figured that unless he was the principal or vice principal, there would be no reason for anyone to visit the school in formal attire at this time of year.

“Oh, could it be Director Cheon Sang-min…! Welcome! P-please, come this way!”

The moment they saw the principal of Bulsa High running barefoot from the faculty office at the news of this person’s arrival,

The other students in the hallway couldn’t help but realize that their assumptions were correct.

That the man in the black suit was at least equal to, if not above, the principal or vice principal of this school.

A man with slightly ash-tinted brown hair in a neat black suit.

The director of Seongcheon Science High School who had appeared on the news this morning.

Cheon Sang-min suddenly showed up at Bulsa High, where Hamin and Doyoung were attending.

“Y-you arrived much earlier than the time you mentioned. If you had let us know in advance, I would have greeted you at the school gate…!”

“I apologize. I was so anxious that I came here even before going to my own school.”

“I-I see…”

“Perhaps it’s for the best. Rather than causing inconvenience to other teachers and students by being here during busy hours, it’s better to finish my business quickly and leave. Besides, I heard that student Do Hamin has quite a long commute to school, so he arrives early in the morning.”

“Y-you seem to know quite a lot about student Do Hamin.”

“Would it be possible to meet with Hamin now? I don’t want to push back our meeting and interfere with his valuable class time.”

“Of course. Hamin’s class is…”

“I heard he’s in Class 1-1. Student number 24, if I recall correctly. I believe his seat is by the window, at the very end.”

“Ah, yes, I understand. Then before we go to the faculty office, let’s call Hamin to join us.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Principal.”

Before heading to the faculty office, the principal opened the door to Class 1-1, where students were gradually gathering.

“Do Hamin, are you here? I’d like you to come to the faculty office for a moment…”

“Hamin hasn’t arrived yet.”

“…Eh?”

On the first morning of the second semester.

This was the first time Hamin had been late since entering high school.

The reason for his tardiness was Ban Doyoung’s underwear.

…

“E-excuse me…”

About an hour later, Hamin took a deep breath and carefully opened the faculty office door, following Teacher Yeo Mi-so.

Despite not having done anything wrong,

Despite being accompanied by his homeroom teacher, it still took some courage to open that door.

“Sorry for the delay. Hamin has arrived at school, and I’ve brought him here.”

“Ah, Hamin. You’re finally here. Please, come and sit down.”

The principal clapped his hands silently, touching just his fingertips together, and stepped back as if he had been waiting for Hamin’s arrival.

“Are you Do Hamin…?”

“Ah, hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Do Hamin.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Cheon Sang-min, Director of Seongcheon Science High School.”

Hamin sat down on the guest sofa and briefly looked at the face of the director of Seongcheon Science High who had been waiting for him as they shook hands.

So this was the director of the science high school he had intended to attend.

He never imagined he would meet the person he had seen on the news this morning so quickly in person.

Although Hamin had experienced many unlikely events since entering high school,

He hadn’t anticipated something like this happening at all.

‘He’s younger than I expected…’

Even when he saw him on the news this morning, he thought the director looked remarkably young for his position, but seeing him face-to-face made that impression even stronger.

Of course, Hamin, who had just lived a little over 16 years, wasn’t in a position to judge someone else’s age.

Compared to his title as the director of the country’s top science and engineering high school, Sang-min appeared even younger in Hamin’s eyes.

At most, he seemed to be in his 40s, judging by the occasional strands of gray hair.

He could even pass for his late 30s if one were to guess lower.

“…You have a much more robust and sturdy build than I expected from your photos.”

“…Pardon?”

Hamin responded with a slightly surprised tone to the director.

Just as he had been observing the director, the director had been studying Hamin’s face as well.

“When you first opened the door to the faculty office, I was a bit surprised. I thought you would be smaller and more slight.”

“Ah, well… I’ve suddenly grown taller recently…”

“Yes, I suppose that’s possible. You’re at an age of rapid growth, after all.”

As they shook hands, Hamin’s head was slightly bowed in a lower posture, bringing his eye level down, but the two were almost the same height.

At most, the director was 2-3 cm taller.

He was just slightly taller than Do Hamin, who had grown considerably during the vacation while practicing kendo with Doyoung, now approaching 180 cm. Once they sat together on the sofa, the height difference became even less noticeable.

“Before anything else, I should apologize. I’m truly sorry, Hamin. Although it happened before I became director, I sincerely apologize for the considerable pain caused to you and your family.”

“Uh, what…?”

The director was bowing his head to a single student in front of all the other teachers in the office.

Naturally, all the other teachers were surprised by the director’s behavior.

Of course, the most surprised was Hamin himself, who was receiving the apology.

“W-why are you apologizing to me? I was second on the waitlist, right? Even without the admissions corruption scandal that was on the news today, I wouldn’t have been accepted to Seongcheon High anyway.”

“One of the teachers in charge of our school’s admissions had connections with a certain district’s congressman and gave ridiculous extra points to his child’s student record. That’s why your waitlist position was pushed back to number two. Originally, you should have been first on the waitlist. The opportunity for additional acceptance should have gone to you first.”

“Even so, I still didn’t meet the standards your school wanted. Either way, it wasn’t a direct acceptance… it would have been an additional acceptance.”

“But that doesn’t mean we bear no responsibility for the wrong we did to you. That’s why I’ve come, albeit belatedly.”

“Alright, I understand, so please raise your head… I’m really not bothered by it. I’m doing well at my current school.”

Despite Hamin telling the director to raise his head, the director continued to bow deeply.

“The fact that you’re doing well is a testament to your excellence as a student and to this being a good school. It’s not because I did nothing wrong.”

“But, by that logic, my situation happened before you became director, so it’s not your fault either.”

“But… if I had been able to take this position a little sooner, we wouldn’t have committed such a terrible act against you and your mother again.”

“…Huh?”

“This might sound presumptuous. You might think I’m closing the barn door after the horse has bolted… or suspect I’m using you to create a clean image for myself as the new director. Of course, there’s probably no good image left of our school anyway. You can think whatever you like. But I would appreciate it if you could seriously consider what I’m about to say.”

The director asked Hamin in a low voice, unable to meet his eyes.

“Would you consider… becoming a student at our school now?”

“…”