Chapter 68: Back to School

After the long break, a new semester arrived.

I didn’t know about others, but it wasn’t exactly a welcome development for me.

It marked the beginning of another few months of fierce competition. Once the semester starts, you have to study every subject without missing any, even if you’re not feeling well or have no interest in them. It’s nothing but trouble.

But this semester was different.

I’d been counting down the days until school started again all break long. The night before, I was so excited I could barely sleep. Even on the bus ride to school, my heart was lighter than ever before.

The reason was obvious.

I could finally see my girlfriend who I’d missed so much. That was all there was to it.

That’s why I kept looking around the gym where the opening ceremony preparations were underway.

We’d stayed in frequent contact during break. We’d had countless hushed phone conversations.

Each time, we’d shared playful stories, teased each other, and sometimes expressed sincere feelings about missing and liking each other… comforting our lonely hearts.

But now there was no need for that. So-yul would always be here at school. We’d attend classes in the same room again, and occasionally find chances to meet.

So I wanted to see her face right away… but no matter how much I looked around, there wasn’t a trace of So-yul anywhere.

The opening ceremony would start soon. So-yul wasn’t the type to skip events like this. Then why hadn’t she shown up yet?

Maybe there was some issue causing her to arrive late.

I’d heard flight delays happen fairly often. If that was the reason, I could understand So-yul being late.

Indeed, our homeroom teacher’s expression as they looked around at our class showed no signs of concern.

So I wanted to tell myself it was nothing and that meeting later would be fine, but somehow an ominous feeling crept up inside me.

I recalled our last phone call right before school started.

[“Um, hey.”]

[“Yeah? What is it?”]

[“…No. It’s nothing.”]

So-yul had hesitated strangely as if trying to say something, but ended up trailing off without explanation.

Yet her reluctance, as if wanting to share something, had come through clearly.

Should I have not put it off thinking I could ask slowly after school started? Was it wrong to decide not to pry since she seemed to have trouble saying it?

Just what had So-yul tried to tell me?

Just then, the sound of clicking heels came from near the gym entrance.

An out of place noise rarely heard at school. Naturally everyone’s eyes turned toward the entrance. The teachers were no exception.

And there, an entirely unexpected person was walking in.

A black outfit clinging tightly to her curved figure. Her sharp eyes matched her deeply furrowed expression. Her walk was proud, like a model’s. The heavily made-up face was quite familiar.

Right then, the head of student affairs rushed out. Their unusually quick movements seemed to exude bootlicking from their whole body.

Well, that feeling wasn’t entirely wrong.

Because this person was…

“Oh my, So-yul’s mother. Thank you for coming all this way with So-yul.”

None other than So-yul’s mother.

◎

“I tried to tell you beforehand.”

That night, at our secret bench after so long.

So-yul muttered this with her head hung low.

“Then why didn’t you?”

“…But, I thought you’d worry too much. Once Mom decided, there was nothing I could do to stop it anyway. I didn’t want to make you needlessly concerned.”

So-yul answered in a fading voice, looking guilty. She seemed to regret hiding it until things had reached this point. Signs that she was blaming herself for not giving me any warning were apparent.

Her expression looked ready to burst into tears from how sorry she felt.

Really, how could I properly be a boyfriend when my girlfriend was this sweet?

I gently stroked So-yul’s neatly arranged long hair.

So-yul trembled slightly in surprise at receiving my touch after so long.

“It’s okay. I’m not criticizing you for not telling me.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. I just want to be a reliable support for you. I don’t need you to tell me things that are hard to share. I just want to help however I can if you want help.”

While I’d always be happy if So-yul relied on me, that was just my goal. It wouldn’t make sense to force her to tell me every difficulty just because I wanted to help.

“…Okay. Thank you.”

So-yul answered while biting her lip as if holding something back.

At least it was fortunate that she showed a faint smile, seemingly finding comfort in my stroking.

But by now I could tell something serious had happened.

When So-yul walked in with her mother, she’d shown no energy. A dark shadow had fallen over her complexion. The way she walked with her hands tightly clasped looked almost like a marionette on strings.

Even now So-yul seemed endlessly apologetic. As if she should have told her boyfriend about something this major.

This wouldn’t be her reaction if her mother had just visited school for one day.

“So? What happened? Why did your mother come?”

When I asked quietly, So-yul’s shoulders jerked.

The explanation I’d waited for came after a long silence.

“When break started, Mom told me. That this semester she’d come to Korea with me and accompany my lessons and practice.”

“Your lessons and practice?”

“Yeah.”

After responding hazily and giving a slight nod, So-yul continued:

“Since I just play piano non-stop every afternoon anyway. Basically she means she’ll watch over me from after morning classes until bedtime.”

“Watch over you…”

While it could be phrased nicely as “watching over,”…

Put negatively… wasn’t it more like monitoring her every move?

Harsh words swirled in my mouth from the anger suddenly rising up.

Realizing saying them now would be pointless, I barely managed to swallow them back.

She’d come to this school trying to prove she could do it alone. She must have partly wanted to escape from her mother too. And now she had to spend a semester with the very person who had thoroughly crushed her spirit every time they met.

The stress So-yul would have to endure was beyond imagination.

No, maybe this too was part of So-yul’s mother’s calculations.

She was truly an unreasonable person. By now she was practically impossible to deal with.

“What should I do?”

So-yul finally raised her head and asked while looking at me.

Her face, meeting mine directly, showed clear signs of distress.

Well of course she would be. Having to endure a semester bound to her mother. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t worried. Even I was concerned, and I wasn’t even directly involved.

Then I at least shouldn’t show weakness. With this thought, I straightened my chest and spoke in a manly way.

“Everything will be fine. Because I’m here.”

“…But.”

However, So-yul seemed to have trouble shaking off her worries.

Perhaps I wasn’t that reliable to So-yul?

As I was wrapped in somewhat painful emotions, So-yul continued after a moment:

“But… if Mom’s watching the whole time, it’ll be hard to date you.”

“…What?”

“Hm? What is it?”

So-yul stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.

Sorry, but that’s the expression I wanted to make.

“No, wait. Weren’t you just worried about your mother constantly interfering?”

“What? What do you mean?”

So-yul gave a small smile at my question, then:

“Think about it. I’ve lived with Mom for years already. Sure it’ll be tough, but not unbearable. The arts festival and competition were different because they were such important stages. I’d actually had hopes then.”

“Was it like that?”

“Yeah. But…”

After nodding firmly, So-yul eventually showed a faint smile and:

“If Mom’s watching, it’ll be hard to go on dates alone with my boyfriend.”

She said this with a slightly pouting face.

An expression more troubled by the difficulty of dating me than by being pushed around by her mother.

How she valued me this much, liked me this much, and wanted to see me this much.

It was a statement so lovely it made breathing difficult. A fluttering feeling kept rising up enough to make my head spin.

The ticklish sensation blooming near my heart soon spread throughout my whole body.

Finally unable to hold back anymore, I tightly embraced So-yul’s fragile body.

I felt So-yul’s startled trembling against me.

“W-why are you doing this?”

“I love you.”

“Whaaat?”

At my sudden confession of love, So-yul buried her face in my chest.

Then she let out a tiny laugh saying “You must be a real dummy.”

I understood the delicate breath mixed in her voice was a sign of embarrassment she couldn’t hide.

While gently stroking So-yul’s small back as if cradling her:

“It’s okay. I’ll find a way to make dates possible somehow. It wasn’t easy to meet last semester either. There must be plenty of ways we can meet without your mother finding out.”

“…Yeah. That’s true. I hope so.”

“We will.”

Giving a firm answer matching my inner determination, I held So-yul’s body tight.

I deliberately ignored her grumbling “Dummy. I’m saying it’s hot.”

I felt just the same about wanting to date So-yul. Since becoming real lovers, all we’d done was have one conversation and spend one day living together. Our progress was quite strange, but well, that’s how it was.

So if there was no way, I’d make one just to meet.

I wanted to make it happen by any means if So-yul wished for it.

“Even though I said it’s fine, let me know if things get hard because of your mother. I’ll comfort you for hours. If you want to meet at night like today, contact me anytime. I’ll run to the bench even if I’m in the shower.”

“…You’ll put clothes on first, right?”

“Unless it’s really urgent.”

“Put them on even if it’s urgent.”

So-yul giggled at even such silly jokes, finding them amusing. Her laughter against my chest made it feel even more ticklish somehow.

Meeting after so long, stroking after so long, and embracing after so long seemed to excite both our emotions this much.

Soon So-yul murmured quietly:

“Being in your arms always feels warm and nice.”

Such a cute statement about liking the warm feeling of being in my embrace.

While it filled me with happiness to hear…

“Didn’t you just say it was hot?”

“Ah.”

Making sounds like “ah.”

Expecting to be teased for her painful mistake, So-yul rubbed her face against me with an “ugh.”

But well, since today was special, I decided to let it slide.

“I missed you.”

When I shared these belated feelings instead, So-yul giggled “hehe” and:

“…Yeah. Me too.”

She whispered this in an extremely shy tone.

To me, it was an endlessly lovely sight.

So I’d be spending another semester with such a precious girlfriend.

So-yul must have surely noticed my heart pounding with anticipation for what lay ahead.

Even so, I didn’t mind at all. Because So-yul probably felt exactly the same way.

Like this, while sharing the emotions we’d held back for so long.

We welcomed the start of a new semester.