Chapter 75: Secret Classroom Date (1)

It was so peaceful that it actually made me worried.

The third Saturday since school reopened. Looking at So-yul in front of me, I found myself lost in this thought.

I’d been concerned at the beginning of the semester when So-yul’s mother showed up. But since our chance encounter in the hallway, there hadn’t been any further contact.

Perhaps So-yul had been truthful when she said she didn’t care what her mother said—she didn’t show any signs of struggling.

Occasionally, when she silently opened her arms at our bench late at night… all I did was embrace her without a word.

Meanwhile, the head of student affairs had been strangely quiet too.

Last semester, they seemed ready to monitor our every move. No news is good news, they say, but this silence was suspicious. I wondered what scheme might be brewing.

Even the rumors circulating among our classmates showed no signs of spreading outside the class.

Except for the difficulty of dating, there was nothing hindering the relationship between So-yul and me.

Given these circumstances, it was only natural that our vigilance had started to fade.

“…It feels weird sitting face-to-face with my boyfriend here.”

So-yul, sitting across from me, shared her thoughts with a small smile.

I felt the same unusual sensation. Gazing comfortably at each other in a place like this—something we could never have done normally.

Of course, that was obvious.

“Seriously, I’m not sure if we should be doing this in the classroom.”

The place where So-yul and I were sitting face-to-face was none other than our classroom.

Weekend mornings, free from classes and So-yul’s mother, were our only chance for a cozy date.

Even then, without a place to meet secretly, all we could do was listen to So-yul’s piano performances in the practice room.

Today was no different. We pretended to be heading to the study hall, blending in with everyone else before changing direction.

Acting like we were looking for somewhere to study because the study hall was full, we planned to move to the piano room.

As I walked briskly, I somehow noticed that the back door of our classroom was slightly ajar.

Peering through the gap, I couldn’t see anyone inside.

Had someone forgotten to lock it on Friday? Or had someone borrowed the classroom and gone elsewhere?

Amid these questions, an idea crossed my mind.

Since there were no classes on weekends, no one would come to the classroom.

So… what if I called So-yul and enjoyed a secret classroom date?

“…Dummy. What if we get caught?”

So-yul, who had come to the classroom after this series of events, whispered with extreme caution.

If we were caught alone in the classroom, there would be no excuse. I understood her concern.

But I wouldn’t have called my girlfriend to the classroom without thinking it through.

I smiled reassuringly and said:

“It’s fine. You can’t see inside the classroom from the hallway windows. There’s hardly anyone passing by at this hour, so we’ll hear footsteps in the corridor. If someone does come, we’ll just hide.”

“…Do you really think that will work?”

So-yul tilted her head slightly with a doubtful expression.

Judging by her hunched posture, I hadn’t completely eased her concerns.

I remembered how I used to push So-yul away when she approached me, warning her of the danger.

Now I was the one inviting her for a date. It felt like my boldness was growing along with my closeness to So-yul.

After a moment, So-yul looked up at me intently.

“Anyway, alright.”

Then, with a gentle smile on her lips:

“…I’ll trust you since my boyfriend says it’s okay.”

She whispered this just loud enough for me to hear.

A single statement that was incredibly cute and filled me with gratitude.

It was so adorable that I instinctively reached out to stroke her hair.

At my touch, So-yul’s shoulders twitched as if ticklish, and she showed a flustered expression, saying, “W-what, what?”

Did she not realize how precious her words had just been?

If that was the case, this was the perfect opportunity to show her.

I decided not to stop stroking her head until she figured it out herself.

I gently ran my fingers through her hair, feeling the smooth strands slipping between my fingers.

So-yul, who had already closed her eyes to fully enjoy the sensation, soon revealed a subtle smile.

“…Having my head stroked in the middle of the classroom feels so much stranger.”

“Does it?”

“Yeah.”

So-yul nodded faintly.

Of course, that made sense.

Our classroom was always full of students. Normally, we could barely make eye contact, let alone stroke each other’s hair.

Now I was openly stroking So-yul’s hair in that same classroom. Even with no one around, it felt unbelievable. There was even a strange sense of transgression.

But then again, for So-yul…

“I’ve seen your friends stroking your hair plenty of times before.”

“That’s different. Dummy.”

So-yul laughed at my observation as if she’d heard something absurd.

I couldn’t see how it was different—stroking was stroking, wasn’t it?

As I tilted my head in confusion, So-yul gently opened her eyes. Then, with a brilliantly bright eye-smile, she answered:

“Someone who strokes my head with much larger hands, carefully so my hair doesn’t get tangled, yet firmly enough to make me feel secure… that’s only my boyfriend.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. That’s why it’s different from when my friends do it.”

So-yul explained with precise clarity what made my head-stroking special.

Was the redness gradually spreading across her cheeks a sign of bashfulness she couldn’t hide?

As always, she was impossibly adorable.

My lips parted involuntarily with joy, and my heart pounded so loudly I could hear it.

I wondered when she would realize the destructive power contained in each of her words.

I slowly slid my hand from her hair to gently caress her cheek.

At this unexpected contact, So-yul held her breath with a soft “hnn” and shot me a somewhat displeased look.

Her flushed cheeks seemed to indirectly convey her emotions.

With a happy grin, I said:

“It feels strange to me too, stroking you in the classroom. Actually, just having a normal conversation like this feels like a dream.”

“Hmm, but you used to get annoyed, saying what if we get caught just for greeting each other in the classroom.”

“Just how far back are you going?”

“Let’s see? About five months ago?”

Surely she didn’t think I was asking for the exact timing. To express my exasperation, I poked her soft cheek. So-yul, showing no sign of backing down, simply snorted.

“What? Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not wrong, but the situation has changed a lot since then.”

My follow-up whisper unintentionally came out sounding defensive.

Finding this amusing, So-yul chuckled for a while and then replied, “I know.”

“But more than the situation… haven’t you changed a lot from before?”

“Well…”

What an obvious observation.

“Of course I’ve changed. I found someone I like for the first time in my life. Wouldn’t it be stranger if I hadn’t changed?”

For the first time since coming into this world, I had fallen in love.

I now had an incredibly pretty, cute, precious, and lovable girlfriend watching over me.

It was only natural that I would completely transform from how I was before.

When I voiced the thoughts that had formed in my mind, So-yul’s eyes widened for a moment.

She then blinked her eyes blankly several times.

Her cheek, which I had been touching all along, quickly became hot as a burning coal.

Soon after, she began mumbling complaints.

“W-what? That’s not fair, saying things like that…”

“Aren’t we both equally guilty?”

“What? When have I ever been like you?”

So-yul flared up, puffing her cheeks grumpily.

Well, it seemed she genuinely hadn’t noticed.

I thought about explaining it all for her sake, but… in the end, I gave up and simply pressed her fully inflated cheek.

Even that seemed to amuse her, as she giggled. Her softened eyes and smiling expression spread across her face.

“It tickles,” she whined pointlessly as a bonus.

And to think she used to be incredibly embarrassed just from our fingers touching.

Seeing her like this, it was fair to say that So-yul had changed as much as I had.

Me, So-yul, and even our relationship—everything was changing now.

Just looking at each other made us happy. Even meaningless conversations brought immense joy. Simply wanting to feel each other’s presence and reaching out to touch only brought more happiness.

The only thing that hadn’t changed was the environment surrounding us.

I looked around.

The somewhat uncomfortable desks and chairs. The unnecessarily large teacher’s podium. Even the bulletin board with various notices. The scene was no different from last semester.

Only the autumn scenery visible through the window indicated the passage of time.

We had grown to like each other and eventually shared those feelings, but we still couldn’t even talk in the classroom.

Simply being close to each other drew stares, making us extremely cautious about every move.

Afraid of turning the classroom rumors into fact, lately I’d even been avoiding making eye contact with So-yul.

In an ordinary school, conversing in the classroom would have been no problem.

Patting her head or touching her cheek would at most have resulted in teasing about how couples should go to hell.

In this school where even such simple actions were strictly prohibited…

How much longer could we endure and hide?

Right at that moment.

From the hallway beyond the window, someone’s footsteps echoed.

—Tap, tap, tap.

Footsteps that showed no signs of fading, but rather seemed to be gradually approaching the classroom.

So-yul’s eyes grew wide. Her tightly bitten lower lip trembled.

Her cheek, where my hand had been resting, suddenly became stiff and motionless.

Who could be running down the hallway at this time?

Were they coming to the classroom where we were?

If… they opened the door right now, what should we do?

Not long after these worries crossed my mind.

The footsteps, which had been steadily growing louder, seemed to approach the classroom.

Eventually, the firmly closed back door of the classroom swung open.