Ch.21My Side or Their Side (3)

Through an adult’s eyes, high school students are still children.

Though their bodies may resemble adults, there’s an undeniable childlike quality in their behavior.

The strict enforcement of school rules, demanding respect for teachers—these aren’t about disliking or enjoying tormenting children. Rather, they exist because education proceeds smoothly only when hierarchical relationships are clearly established.

Anyone who enjoys making children suffer couldn’t be called a teacher, of course.

“The class president couldn’t get gym clothes, I see.”

“…Yes.”

“Did you perhaps miss the announcement? No, that can’t be it. Everyone else managed to dress properly.”

“…”

“Couldn’t you borrow from a friend?”

“They… they either lent theirs to others or didn’t have any…”

“It’s alright, I understand. The notice was quite sudden after all.”

Fundamentally, adults have lower expectations or demands when dealing with children compared to other adults, adopting a gentler attitude. Especially regarding mistakes or failures arising from unavoidable circumstances.

“Ah, Teacher Yeo Mi-so suddenly had something come up, so today’s third period was urgently changed to P.E. I was the only teacher available to switch classes. We can’t just have you study independently—we need to guarantee your physical education time, which only happens a few times a week. Right?”

“What happened to Teacher Mi-so? Is she hurt?”

“Well… that’s… no, you kids don’t need to know. There are circumstances.”

“How is that fair? We’re humans with equal rights—aren’t students guaranteed the right to know?”

“Was she dumped by a guy?”

“Someone said they saw Teacher Mi-so crying this morning!”

“Aish, I said you don’t need to know! Anyway, it’s nothing serious—just remember that today’s Korean Geography and tomorrow’s P.E. have been switched!”

“Aww.”

Even now, it was an unexpected change in the schedule.

In such situations, one couldn’t scold the few students who hadn’t brought or couldn’t borrow gym clothes.

After all, the cause of the schedule change was the teachers’ circumstances—the adults’ situation—not the students’ fault.

-Murmuring

-Whispering

“Wow, the class president must be so embarrassed.”

“Who wouldn’t be? She was just lecturing Ban Do-young about not paying attention in class. Now she’s in the same position. A girl who sleeps during math class is no different from one who comes to P.E. without gym clothes.”

But that was only the teachers’ standard.

The children’s standards were different.

“If Ban Do-young had come without gym clothes, she would’ve confidently called her out, right to her face, wouldn’t she?”

“That’s a given. She definitely would have. Heh.”

“When I asked An Sung-kyung to lend me gym clothes in middle school, she really laid into me. Said I couldn’t even remember to bring my own stuff.”

“And now she’s getting exactly what she deserves.”

The standards of peers who share the same perspective were much higher and more demanding than those of adults who viewed them as children.

From the perspective of the children gathered there, while they had successfully borrowed gym clothes from friends, An Sung-kyung was inevitably perceived as an outcast who didn’t even have friends or acquaintances to borrow from.

Especially if she had already built up a negative reputation beforehand.

“Still, it seems the announcement got through somehow. Most of you managed to bring your gym clothes. Did you all know we’d have P.E. today?”

“No? But borrowing gym clothes from friends in other classes isn’t that difficult, is it?”

“Right, unless you really don’t have any friends.”

“Heh.”

“…”

A male student responded sarcastically to the P.E. teacher’s praise. With his words seemingly aimed at someone specific, suppressed laughter leaked out from the surrounding students.

“Well, anyway, I apologize for the sudden class change. Don’t worry if you couldn’t get gym clothes—I understand. I’ll give you the storage room key, and under the class president’s leadership, run two laps around the field, then do whatever activities you want.”

“Teacher, the class president didn’t bring gym clothes either.”

“Ah, that’s right. I forgot.”

“Puhahaha!”

And then came the teacher’s confirmation shot.

Though unintentional, the moment the teacher acknowledged An Sung-kyung’s action as a mistake, the suppressed snickers quickly escalated into outright mocking laughter.

“Then today, the vice president of Class 1 will lead the running and get the balls from the storage room for everyone.”

“Understood.”

“Class president… it wouldn’t be good to sweat in your uniform, so do as you please. Just join the others when third period ends.”

“…Yes.”

“I’ll be watching to make sure everyone runs properly, so don’t think about slacking off. The girls run slower, so pace yourselves accordingly, got it?”

The P.E. teacher handed the storage room key to Hyun Myung-soo, the vice president, and abruptly disappeared somewhere. Even during my own high school days, I noticed that P.E. teachers often vanished somewhere after a while.

“Hey, form two lines by height. Let’s just run quickly and then play some futsal.”

“Losing team buys yogurt from the lady who comes around this time later?”

“Deal.”

Vice President Hyun Myung-soo took charge instead of Class President An Sung-kyung. Though it was his first time substituting for the president’s duties, Myung-soo aligned the students and formed the running formation with surprising competence.

“Girls, stand in front of the boys. We need to maintain distance, so we’ll run two laps at your pace.”

From girls to boys, from shortest to tallest—that’s how the formation was arranged.

Naturally, Do-ha-min and I found ourselves meeting again right in the middle.

“Yo, we meet again here.”

“Huh? Why are you next to me…”

Only then did Do-ha-min look behind him and nod as if realizing something.

Ban Do-young, the tallest girl, and Do-ha-min, the shortest boy, were bound to meet in the middle like this.

“What the hell, why does Ha-min always get to be next to Do-young during P.E. too?”

“So jealous! If I were just 5cm shorter, I’d be standing there!”

“Shut up! It’s only because the class president isn’t running that we had to pair them. Hurry up and get in line, we’re about to start!”

Ignoring the boys’ protests, Myung-soo patted the students’ backs and aligned the rows.

The only reason Do-ha-min and I could stand in the same line was because An Sung-kyung wasn’t participating, making the number of girls odd—something that wouldn’t happen normally.

“How does it feel to be the object of envy?”

“N-not good at all. It just means I’m the shortest guy in class.”

Do-ha-min answered my question with a slightly wounded pride in his voice.

I hadn’t realized before, but he apparently had a complex about his height.

Well, I suppose it would be upsetting to stand next to a girl and find yourself shorter.

“But isn’t this nice sometimes? Running right behind the girls, you can smell their shampoo and sweat up close.”

“I-I don’t smell those things.”

“Ah, so you’re more interested in smells from the side rather than from behind? More interested in armpits than hair?”

“N-no, that’s not it. I told you I’m not interested in that stuff.”

Do-ha-min’s face reddened slightly as he pulled down the hem of his gym shirt to cover the top of his pants.

The school-provided gym clothes were made of elastic, breathable material that accommodated vigorous movement.

In other words, they stretched as needed, and that stretching was plainly visible.

Understanding the meaning behind his action of pulling his shirt down, I couldn’t tease him any further.

Giving him unnecessary stimulation here could create a major crisis in his school life.

“…Alright, I’ll let it go this time.”

“Phew…”

“But in exchange.”

“Huh? Why is there an ‘in exchange’ here?”

Do-ha-min, who had been sighing in relief, jerked his head up toward me with a startled expression.

“What I asked earlier. I still haven’t heard your answer.”

“Ah… that’s what you meant.”

“I told you. I’m on your side. I showed it through my actions too.”

“Yeah, thanks so much. If you hadn’t helped, I would’ve been in the same situation as the class president. I don’t know anyone in other classes.”

Do-ha-min answered while fidgeting with the zipper of his gym clothes.

“Then you should say it yourself now. Come on. Whose side are you on?”

“…”

He couldn’t answer my question immediately and slightly averted his gaze.

If it was simply out of embarrassment, I would have understood.

But Do-ha-min’s gaze shifted away from me toward An Sung-kyung, who was standing by the gymnasium door.

“Where are you looking?”

“N-nowhere… Nothing.”

“Don’t tell me… your preference isn’t the school’s top busty beauty, but rather the gloomy, freckled, bespectacled busty girl?”

“Stop trying to make this weird!”

“Ban Do-young, Do-ha-min! Hurry up and run! The line ahead is widening!”

The running formation led by the vice president had already started.

…

After finishing the laps around the field, the students gathered around their preferred activities.

Most of the boys gravitated toward futsal and basketball.

The girls either played dodgeball with volleyballs or hid in the shaded areas of the gym to rest.

“Do-young, Hye-rang! I borrowed badminton rackets along with the gym clothes. Wanna play?”

“Oh, Sa-hyang, that’s thoughtful.”

“But with three people, we can’t play teams.”

“Wait, I’ll go get Ha-min from where the boys are gathered.”

“You never listen when I tell you to maintain some distance.”

Since I still hadn’t heard a clear declaration of allegiance from Do-ha-min, I headed toward where the boys were gathered to bring him to our side.

“Huh? Do-ha-min? No, he never said he wanted to play futsal.”

“Do-ha-min…? We didn’t even ask him to play basketball because he’s so short.”

“Ask him anyway, even if he’s short. Anyway, where did that guy go?”

However, Do-ha-min wasn’t with either the futsal or basketball groups.

With a sudden ominous feeling, I turned to Sa-hyang and Hye-rang.

“Sa-hyang, Hye-rang! Is the class president still by the gym door?”

“Huh? No… she’s not there.”

Do-ha-min and An Sung-kyung had somehow disappeared from the field together.