Chapter 42: School Trip (5)

“Who’s there?”

I instinctively held my breath at the voice cutting through the night air.

The dorm area was dangerous since anyone could be watching. We’d walked far away knowing this, yet right before parting we’d carelessly chatted away. It was incredibly reckless.

Too late for regrets now.

Beside me, So-yul’s shoulders began trembling. Meeting her gaze, I saw her eyes darting around frantically. Her quivering lips couldn’t form a single word.

But freezing up wouldn’t solve anything. Cornered like this, we had to at least try something.

With that thought, I grabbed So-yul’s shoulder…

Then someone walked out from behind the shadowy dorm building.

Starting from their feet, then shorts, short-sleeve t-shirt, and finally their face. Their figure emerged piece by piece in the light.

Finally, in the dim moonlight, the person was revealed to be… none other than our homeroom teacher.

“Oh. Woo-jin, it’s you?”

They frowned as if surprised. Apparently I wasn’t on their list of students likely to be wandering around in the early morning during the school trip.

While feeling apologetic toward the teacher, I also felt relief.

Naturally so. They hadn’t asked why we were together.

Just then, I felt something twitch against my back.

Through the thin summer clothes, I felt a soft sensation. Warmth transmitted from where her small, delicate back touched mine. If I listened carefully, I could even hear her nervous breathing.

In this tense situation with the teacher suddenly appearing.

So-yul… was hiding behind me, our backs pressed together.

“What are you doing outside at this hour, or rather, at any hour?”

The teacher’s expression was sour as they questioned me. Their pronunciation was slightly unclear, perhaps having just woken up. They even swayed a bit.

Well, though they hadn’t caught So-yul with me, I’d still been caught sneaking out of the dorm. There was no room for excuses.

“I’m sorry. Um, I just came out for some fresh air.”

“You can get fresh air just by opening a window.”

When I offered this useless excuse, they snorted and:

“…Do you smoke?”

“N-no. I’ve never even touched a cigarette.”

I emptied my pockets to prove my innocence. Each movement caused my skin to brush against So-yul’s, creating a ticklish sensation.

So-yul must have felt it too, as a fragile breath escaped from behind me.

“Ah, right. Okay, okay.”

The teacher waved their hand vaguely, though it was probably invisible in the darkness.

“I don’t think you’re the type to do something like that anyway. I’ll trust you.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Rather than grateful for their trust, I just felt more apologetic. Though I didn’t smoke, I was fake dating. I straightened my emptied pockets while mentally apologizing.

“…Huh!”

At that moment, this sound echoed in the empty space behind the dorm.

My heart felt like it dropped.

So-yul must have let out a sound unable to bear the tickling. She seemed quite startled herself, as I felt her covering her mouth behind me. I could even feel her racing heartbeat.

The teacher’s eyes narrowed.

“Didn’t I just hear a girl’s voice?”

At this sharp observation, So-yul’s back trembled.

Though feeling all this, I maintained my most casual facade and:

“Huh? A sound? I didn’t hear anything. Maybe it was an insect?”

“An insect?”

The teacher scratched their neck and:

“Now that you mention it, maybe it was…”

Though they seemed somewhat suspicious, still scratching their head, that was all. Finally, they accepted my hastily made excuse. I swallowed my relief without letting it show.

Then they admonished in a gentle tone:

“Woo-jin. Since I’ve given you some freedom, stay within those bounds. If you act alone and get caught by another teacher, it’ll be awkward for both of us. You understand?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“And also…”

Trailing off, the teacher wrinkled their nose slightly and:

“You especially have a lot to worry about, so you might wander sometimes… When that happens, come find me. I’ll at least buy you dinner.”

“…Thank you.”

When I lowered my head slightly, the teacher gave a bitter smile.

Having especially a lot to worry about. The meaning behind these words was clear. Though not as much as So-yul, I also had a complicated family situation. The teacher must have heard something through the school.

But what about So-yul?

How did she understand what was just said?

With our backs pressed together, I couldn’t see her face. It wasn’t really something I could ask about later either. Maybe it would be better not to mention it unless So-yul brought it up first.

Having finished their business, the teacher stretched widely.

“Anyway, I’ll overlook it this time so go back quickly. The teachers are taking one-hour patrol shifts. Another teacher will come out at 2.”

Then they added as if to themselves:

“Well, I wonder if they’ll even wake up drunk… Ah!”

The teacher quickly shut their mouth. Of course, it was already too late.

Apparently students weren’t the only ones enjoying some freedom. Looking more carefully now, from their bleary eyes to swaying body, the teacher showed clear signs of drinking.

I smiled knowingly.

“Seems tough for you.”

The teacher returned a kind smile.

“Let’s keep each other’s secrets.”

It was a warmhearted scene.

With that, the teacher turned and walked back the way they’d come. Their uneven footsteps gradually faded.

Only when those sounds completely disappeared did I finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Haah…”

Though their sudden appearance nearly stopped my heart, we’d managed to fool them surprisingly smoothly. Mostly thanks to the teacher’s tipsiness. I was just grateful.

How many crises had we faced now? It was hard to even count. The fact that we somehow made it through each time was starting to seem almost impressive.

Even as I relaxed, soft sensations kept transmitting through my back.

Looking back, So-yul still had her hand over her mouth. Her body trembled slightly, fear perhaps not completely gone. The way she startled and looked around when I moved away was just adorable.

Unable to see what was happening, she probably had to keep holding her breath and waiting. The teacher was gone now. I decided to say something to reassure her.

“The teacher’s gone so it’s okay…”

“Ah, right. Woo-jin.”

The teacher’s voice cut in as if perfectly timed.

Swift footsteps followed. Too quick to even hide So-yul behind me again.

We were about to be caught for good.

So-yul’s eyes went wide, perhaps feeling the same sense of crisis. Though she couldn’t speak, I could tell she was internally panicking, wondering what to do.

There really was no other way.

Coming to this conclusion, I wrapped my arms around So-yul’s back… and held her delicate body tight.

Her small, fragile frame fit perfectly in my arms.

A soft, tender sensation spread throughout my body.

The scent of her shampoo and body wash – all of So-yul’s fragrances washed over me.

“Eep…!”

A small cry mixed with embarrassment.

As I held her tighter as if protecting her, the teacher’s voice followed a moment later:

“Oh my, sorry. I forgot I had something to say…”

The teacher apologized in a light tone while hurrying over. However, their voice gradually trailed off. Definitely not a good sign.

“Min Woo-jin.”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing turned around?”

They must have sensed something wasn’t right.

It probably looked suspicious, but I had no choice. In this situation, there was no other option.

Only one thing was allowed to me now. Just doing my best to muddle through.

“No, um, well. I thought I’d look at the scenery before going back inside.”

“What scenery could you see in this darkness?”

“Dark scenery has its own charm. And, um, I wanted to take in the night air one last time.”

“Really?”

Their tone was quite doubtful. But conversely, that meant they were only half-suspicious. Now was actually the time to push forward.

“Yes. So what did you want to tell me?”

“Ah, nothing special.”

The strategy seemed to work. I felt relieved.

But that didn’t last long.

“The head of student affairs was asking about you. I wondered if you’d done something to upset them.”

I almost let out a cry of shock.

So-yul in my arms showed her surprise with shaking shoulders.

To think they’d even question our homeroom teacher. They clearly hadn’t dropped their suspicions completely. No, rather than dropping them, they seemed desperate to find evidence.

“…No. Nothing.”

“Hmm. That’s good then. The head of student affairs is ridiculously strict, so try not to get involved with them. Got it?”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Better not reveal that I was already involved.

Making this judgment, I answered quietly and the teacher gave a light snort. Then with a “Sleep well,” their footsteps came again. Probably really heading back this time.

We really couldn’t let our guard down until the end.

It was a moment that taught an important if small lesson.

Only after everything went quiet did I loosen my arms. Though I expected So-yul to push me away immediately, she didn’t.

Looking up at me, So-yul wore a wry smile instead.

Then she whispered playfully:

“…It’s warm being held after so long.”

After so long, she said. Come to think of it, we had a similar experience before. It was when we’d just started fake dating.

Back then I’d also hugged her to hide her from being caught. It was quite amusing how different her reaction was now.

“Just to be clear, I had no ulterior motives then or now.”

“It’s okay. This time there was no other way. I’ll forgive you.”

What would she do if she didn’t forgive me?

Though holding the person I liked brought me joy, she surely didn’t feel the same. Better end this happy moment here.

When I released her from my arms, So-yul finally stepped back a few steps and straightened her clothes. Her cheeks were noticeably red. Probably from holding her breath this whole time.

So-yul let out a sigh that held many meanings.

Watching her, I said quietly:

“Anyway, we should both head in. They said another teacher comes out at 2.”

“Yeah. Our homeroom teacher was lenient, but we should hurry back.”

So-yul answered with her hand on her chest.

Her heart seemed to still be racing.

Though So-yul might have more to say, sadly time didn’t allow it. It was time to part ways. Well, we’d just have to make another chance to meet later.

“Sleep well. Be careful going in.”

So with just these parting words, I tried to quickly head to the emergency exit, but:

“Pfft.”

For some reason, So-yul let out a small laugh while covering her mouth.

Putting my raised foot back down, I asked:

“Why are you laughing?”

“Hehehe. No, it’s just.”

So-yul kept laughing as if unable to hold it in, then:

“At first you’d only say goodbye when I made you. Looks like I trained you well.”

Training, really? I wasn’t some pet dog.

I snorted openly as I replied:

“I’m just growing, unlike someone’s height.”

“What? You really… Even when I try to praise you.”

So-yul pushed out her lips and whined. I hadn’t even said it was about her. How was “I trained you well” even praise in the first place?

I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it was.

As we stood quietly looking at each other, So-yul’s sulky expression softened and she whispered in a warm tone:

“Thanks for today.”

The words held a hint of shyness.

Taking in that cute scene, I moved my lips:

“For waiting outside the bathroom?”

“As if that’s what I meant?”

Though I’d only asked jokingly, So-yul got worked up, even rising on her tiptoes. Apparently it was still too embarrassing to joke about. I decided to keep using it endlessly.

“Not that.”

So-yul continued.

“For saying you’d help however you could if I couldn’t hold on.”

As expected, that’s what she meant.