Ch.77. This Is Not a Lovers’ Quarrel

The moment I wrote down the word “first place,” Hwa Nabi looked at me and the notebook alternately with surprised eyes.

Honestly, she probably wouldn’t have believed me even if I’d said I was just in the upper ranks, but first place? It must be completely unbelievable since it’s so different from how I look.

Thinking about it that way, I can somewhat understand why Hwa Nabi is reacting like this.

[Wait, Siwoo, you’re first place? No way. You’re joking, right?]

[What’s the point of joking about something like this?]

Lying about grades is meaningless. It’s something that would be exposed if someone just made a little effort to check.

Actually, there’s no need for an elaborate investigation. I think if she just went to the homeroom teacher and asked who ranked first in the previous exam, they would tell her. Surely Hwa Nabi isn’t stupid enough not to think of that.

[Are you really first place? Not a lie to deceive me?]

[Why would I deceive you?]

[Well, but…]

Hwa Nabi stopped writing and glanced at me. The emotion in her eyes was half disbelief, half trust.

She seemed to believe me since I said it myself, but her expression showed she was still puzzled.

[Honestly, you don’t believe me, right?]

[No, when you ask like that, that’s not exactly it…]

[What do you mean that’s not it? It’s written all over your face.]

If you’re going to lie, at least make it convincing. Who would believe you when your face clearly shows your distrust?

I pointed this out. And with that, the look in Hwa Nabi’s eyes changed slightly.

If until now her eyes had openly shown half-belief and half-doubt, now they seemed about 60% trust and 40% disbelief.

[What’s with that look?]

[What’s wrong with my eyes?]

[They still say you don’t believe me.]

[Maybe it’s just your imagination?]

Facing Hwa Nabi who still showed a disrespectful gaze, I pondered for a moment. How can I make this child believe the truth when they refuse to?

After contemplating with almost Buddha-like patience, I soon realized a fact that might as well be considered the truth.

[I was saying this for your sake, but forget it if you don’t like it.]

This is the fundamental point.

Somehow our positions got reversed, but thinking about it, I had no reason to prove myself in this situation.

The fact is, the person who didn’t understand the lesson isn’t me but Hwa Nabi. In other words, the one who needs help from someone else is her.

To be frank, this wasn’t something I needed to be concerned about. If a student refuses teaching, there’s nothing I can do. It’s not like I’m a desperate tutor dying to teach someone. I can just not help her.

[Wait, I didn’t say I don’t want it yet?]

[I don’t need you to say it out loud to know.]

[Okay, I believe you. Please teach me.]

[Is that how you ask someone for a favor?]

I was already a bit annoyed by the feeling of being looked down upon. Since I’ve got the upper hand now, I might as well make it clear.

I smiled slightly, just enough that others wouldn’t hear, at what they might consider a childish thought.

At that moment, a sound like a groan escaped from Hwa Nabi’s mouth. She’s not some female knight from a medieval fantasy.

[I-I’m sorry for doubting you, teacher. Please bestow your teachings upon me.]

[More politely.]

[How can I be more polite than this?!]

[That’s up to you to figure out.]

I put down my pen and rested my chin on my hand, looking sideways. My gaze was toward the blackboard, but at a perfect angle where I could just barely see Hwa Nabi.

Despite being in a rather uncomfortable position, I maintained it because I was curious about her reaction. I have quite a playful personality too.

I glanced at the blackboard occasionally, waiting for Hwa Nabi’s reaction.

She seemed quite troubled by my request, biting her lower lip without hiding her frustration.

[Where did the person asking for a favor go?]

Barely five seconds had passed, but I deliberately rushed her. Hwa Nabi, still biting her lip, quickly wrote something down.

[Do I really have to go this far?]

Why are you asking the obvious? This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t doubted me in the first place. So I’m going to collect my due.

I wrote just one letter that encapsulated my thoughts.

[Yes.]

“Men are so petty, seriously.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“Hey, I said be quiet over there.”

Hearing something I couldn’t just ignore, I raised my voice without realizing it. Thanks to that, I received my second warning of the day. At this rate, I’d deserve to lose points for classroom attitude and diligence.

[I told you to write with the pen if you have something to say. Are you going to take responsibility if my score drops because of you?]

[Men are so petty, seriously.]

“…”

She actually wrote it down when I told her to write. Hwa Nabi, who had just made a gender-discriminatory remark in this situation, quickly erased what she had written with an eraser.

[What? What happened?]

And then, as if she really didn’t know anything, she tilted her head looking at me. I found this series of shameless actions quite absurd.

I couldn’t figure out what kind of concept she was going for. I sensed it almost instinctively.

This woman is a formidable opponent.

[Are you just going to be shameless about it?]

Now she’s not even answering. Hwa Nabi must know that I wrote something in the notebook, but she gritted her teeth and just stared at the blackboard.

“Why are you looking if you say you don’t understand? What are you going to use it for?”

Since we needed to write notes to talk quietly, but Hwa Nabi wasn’t looking at the notebook, I had no choice but to speak out loud. I muttered quietly enough that no one else could hear.

I didn’t mean to hurt her pride, but if I didn’t do this, she would just ignore me.

Sure enough, my thought was correct. Hwa Nabi immediately responded by writing:

[Ugh, I don’t know. So are you going to teach me or not?]

Unlike before, her handwriting was messy and rushed, and I can guess why. It’s probably evidence that Hwa Nabi is slightly annoyed.

While one might be able to hide their expression, emotions tend to show in small details like handwriting. Let’s stop teasing her before she gets really angry.

[Okay, what don’t you understand?]

[I don’t know.]

[Yes, I know you don’t know. But exactly what part don’t you understand?]

[I mean, I don’t know what part I don’t understand.]

“…”

Given such a vague answer, I scratched the back of my head. If she doesn’t even know what she doesn’t understand, she’s almost at the level of someone who’s given up on studying. Hwa Nabi was in a much more serious state than I had guessed, and at this point, I had a fundamental question.

[How did you get into Chungha Highschool?]

It was pure curiosity, not meant as criticism. Chungha Highschool is so selective that even freshmen are admitted based on grades. That’s a fact known to all students living in this area.

Hwa Nabi seemed to understand my intention, as she didn’t appear angry at my question, which could have been perceived as rude.

[Just, somehow.]

[Does that make any sense?]

If Chungha Highschool was the kind of school anyone could enter “somehow” as Hwa Nabi said, I wouldn’t have asked this question. I wrote one more line.

[Don’t tell me you paid your way in?]

[No, I didn’t. What do you take me for?]

I thought she got in by paying like Han Siwoo, but seeing her strong reaction, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

That said, that seemed like the most likely possibility, but she says it’s not. This feels like entering a labyrinth.

[Then how did you get in? Don’t tell me you’re a sports scholarship student?]

[Do I look that athletic to you?]

My gaze unconsciously shifted downward under the desk. There, I saw Hwa Nabi’s thin legs asserting their presence under her skirt.

I couldn’t even say she looked athletic as a white lie. If anything, Hwa Nabi was closer to frail than athletic.

[What? Are you a pervert? Why are you sneaking looks?]

[Did I look because I wanted to? You told me to look.]

[Does anyone actually look when told to?]

I felt wronged for being called a pervert when I only looked because she suggested it, so I decided to just be brazen about it.

[What can I do about what I’ve already seen? I can’t erase my memory.]

[Shouldn’t you at least apologize?!]

[The moment I apologize, I become a real criminal.]

This is a strange country where even if you didn’t commit a crime, the moment you apologize out of moral obligation, it’s used as evidence of confessing to the crime. That’s not an exaggeration but 100% fact.

Setting that aside, I had nothing to be ashamed of. So I confronted her confidently.

Hwa Nabi’s gaze toward me gradually grew cold.

“This person is my fiancé?… I’m suddenly worried about my future.”

“What a coincidence, I’m worried too. About what kind of fool is my fiancée.”

“What? Fool?! Have you finished speaking?”

“Yes, I have. What are you going to do about it?”

“Wow, how can someone be so shameless? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

“If we’re being honest, you started it. Didn’t you? You called me a pervert first.”

“That was justified. What kind of pervert looks at someone’s legs like that just because they were told to look?”

“What? I looked at what? And pervert? Have you finished speaking?”

“Yes, I have. What are you going to do about it?”

We glared at each other and growled, forgetting we were in the middle of class.

That’s when it happened.

The teacher, who had been conducting the class gently, raised his voice and said:

“You two, having a lover’s quarrel during class. Both of you, go stand in the hallway right now!”

*

After school.

After all the other students had gone home, we remained at school and went to the fourth floor.

“I told you to be quiet during class.”

The reason, well, it’s obvious and not worth explaining. It was because of what we did during math class.

The math teacher, who was furious about our untimely lover’s quarrel (which it wasn’t), reported our misdeeds to the homeroom teacher. As a result, we had to stay after school for disciplinary volunteer work.

“Wait a minute. Why are you making it sound like it’s all my fault? Half of it is your responsibility, Siwoo, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s all my fault.”

What am I doing at this age? Belated regret washed over me, but regret is always too late.

Brushing it off, I grabbed the doorknob of the classroom. Our task was to clean the fourth-floor classroom in preparation for practical classes starting next week.

“Anyway, let’s finish quickly and go.”

Cleaning shouldn’t take that long. With that thought, I opened the classroom door.

But…

“Wow, what is all this?”

“Oh my goodness.”

We both exclaimed at the same time. And for good reason—the classroom interior was visibly covered in dust. With a bit of exaggeration, I would have believed it if someone said it was a classroom in an abandoned school.

Looking around, there wasn’t a single chair or desk that was in good condition. It was much dirtier than I had imagined.

“They’re making just two people do this? Are they out of their minds?”

“Wow, this would take all day to clean, wouldn’t it?”

No joke, I’m not sure we could finish even if we stayed overnight to clean. At this level, we should call a professional cleaning service. This punishment seems too harsh just for talking during class.

“Put these on first.”

“What are these?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? Masks and gloves.”

When I asked the homeroom teacher, they said this classroom had been abandoned for years. I had expected some level of dirtiness, though not to this extent, but it’s better to be thoroughly prepared.

“Are you not going to wear them? Breathing in all that dust will be really bad for your skin.”

When I mentioned skin, which is as precious as life to women, she quickly snatched them from me.

“…Why are you smiling?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

She would have been furious if I had said she looked like a squirrel stealing acorns.

Anyway, we put on masks and gloves at the doorway of the dirty classroom.

“Shall we start then?”

As I was about to begin cleaning with those words, I suddenly noticed how Hwa Nabi was wearing her mask. It bothered me so much that I grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

“What? Is there something on me?”

“You’re wearing your mask backwards.”

“What? Backwards?”

The seam should be on top, but it’s on the bottom. Even after I said that, Hwa Nabi seemed completely clueless. It seems like she’s never worn a disposable mask before.

“Is this your first time wearing a mask?”

“Have I ever had a reason to?”

“Not really, I guess.”

While wearing a mask when going out has become routine for me lately, it wouldn’t have been for Hwa Nabi.

“Hold still.”

Thinking it would take too long to wait for her to figure it out herself, I removed Hwa Nabi’s mask and put it on correctly for her.

Perhaps because the distance between us suddenly became close, Hwa Nabi froze and just blinked her eyes.

After staying like that for a moment, she suddenly cleared her throat and blurted out:

“I-I can do this much by myself.”

“Sure, of course you can.”

“No, really. Do I look like such an idiot that I can’t even do this? And who said you could just reach out and touch a woman’s body? Don’t tell me you do this to other women too? That’s sexual harassment.”

“Wow, you talk a lot. Why, are you embarrassed?”

“E-embarrassed? Who’s…! Ugh. I’m just speechless. Really, as I felt earlier too. Siwoo, you really lack sensitivity…”