7
The bell rang in the quiet classroom where everyone was holding their breath. The sound of pens scribbling hastily intensified.
“Time’s up. Collect from the back.”
“Ah, teacher! Just a little more! Just a bit longer!”
Disgruntled murmurs erupted simultaneously, but I shook my head firmly. Some students gave up and slumped over their desks, while others refused to let go of their OMR cards, desperately trying to finish marking until the last moment.
“This is crazy. So difficult!”
“Hey, what’s the answer for number 16?”
“How would I know? I just completely failed.”
Hearing cries breaking out here and there, letting them in one ear and out the other, I carefully counted to make sure the OMR cards were arranged in order by attendance number.
The hallway outside the front door was much more boisterous than usual because the exam that had just ended was the final period of the first semester’s final exams.
Considering all the College Scholastic Ability Test simulations and private mock tests, they take exams almost every month, yet seeing them so happy about finishing tests made me smile—they may be big in size, but they’re still just kids at heart.
After submitting the sealed answer sheets, as I was leaving the staff room, someone jumped on my back. A heavy weight crashed onto my back, almost making my legs buckle.
“Teacher!”
“Ah, Park Sung-woo! You’re really heavy!”
“Teacher, would you like some ice cream too?”
A long red plastic wrapper decorated with strawberries and apples fluttered in front of my eyes. What Sung-woo had stretched out his arm to show me was the plastic packaging with the name of the ice cream written in large letters.
Sung-woo seemed to be more nimble than he looked, as he clung firmly to my back and wouldn’t let go. Despite shaking my back this way and that, it was quite difficult to shake off Sung-woo with his bear-like large build. Only after I said several times that I understood and would eat it right away did Sung-woo finally get down obediently.
“What’s with the ice cream?”
“Our homeroom teacher bought it for us. But he accidentally ordered three boxes, so even though we’re eating with both hands, we still have more than a box left.”
Sung-woo was in Class 5 of the third year. I could almost hear my senior colleague’s voice. “Aigoya.” That was his habit whenever he was in trouble. I smiled slightly, imagining my senior pressing his palm firmly against his forehead.
“So now we’re all scattered around recruiting people to eat ice cream.”
Sung-woo chuckled, saying he had given away the five ice creams he brought to all the students he met, and now I was the sixth person he’d found. Thinking about the empty seat beside me, I followed Sung-woo to the playground.
My senior colleague was distributing ice cream among the students who were huddled together in the shaded areas of the wide stands that occupied one side of the playground. When he spotted me, he smiled broadly and waved his hand, urging me to come quickly.
“Teacher Song, good timing. Have one of these too!”
“I’ll enjoy it, teacher.”
“Want two?”
“No thanks, just one is fine.”
After receiving the ice cream, I quietly took a seat on one side of the stands. While unwrapping the plastic packaging, I quickly rolled my eyes around.
Next to my senior were two empty boxes and one half-filled box. The quantity marked on the outside of the box was 40. So there were still at least twenty ice creams without owners.
I realized I wouldn’t need to go inside until all of those were distributed. I felt somewhat happy at the thought that I could secretly watch my senior colleague without worry.
However, the problem I hadn’t anticipated was that the ice cream melted faster than expected, even after just a few bites.
Due to the hot and humid weather, the ice cream dripped continuously even when just holding it. As I diligently licked it, it melted even faster, forcing me to lick the melted parts, which then melted again. After repeating this cycle, the once elongated ice cream that had been twisted had become smooth and eventually disappeared, leaving only the wooden stick like a straw.
I wanted to stay a bit longer… Feeling regretful, I kept sucking on the empty red-stained stick. Then suddenly I remembered what my senior had said.
…He had asked if I wanted two. Should I tell him now that I’d like one more?
My conscience pricked me, but I pretended not to notice. It’s because the weather is hot, I told myself. And there are still so many ice creams left, and they need to be eaten before they all melt… That’s how I created valid reasons in my mind for the unavoidable situation, hanging onto them one by one.
“Now, who wants to eat three more? Taking applications for just five people!”
“Teacher, our mouths are going to freeze.”
“There’s no room for such weakness in our class. This is a great opportunity, see?”
Despite my senior’s exaggeratedly loud voice, there were still about a dozen left in the box. So it was very easy for me to get one more from him, who was stomping his feet trying to figure out how to get rid of the remaining ones.
This time, I made a private plan not to just mindlessly lick it, but to eat it carefully so it would last longer.
So I didn’t bite into it, nor did I unnecessarily lick the surface to encourage it to melt. I was just gently licking the unavoidably melting parts when…
“Thanks for going to the staff room, Tae-seon. Hot, isn’t it? Have one too.”
I slowly raised my head at that name.
“I already had one they gave me in the staff room.”
My eyes immediately met with Woo Tae-seon, who had been staring at me for who knows how long.
“I put the rest in the refrigerator.”
When I had followed Sung-woo to the playground, I quickly scanned the faces of those already gathered on the stands. While knowing my senior would be there was important, the face I had looked for first wasn’t his.
I had sat down happily, relieved not to see that face, but…
“Oh really? Then I’ll just put this away too. Clean up a bit, kids. I’ll be right back, teacher.”
Even though we were in the wide playground, I felt like I was alone with Woo Tae-seon, all my attention focused only on him.
Just as simple things could quickly make me happy, the shattering of my peaceful daily life was equally simple and easy.
Just being in the same place as Woo Tae-seon made me tense, and even though I avoided his gaze, I was on edge knowing he was still looking at me.
I couldn’t tell if what was streaming down was melted ice cream flowing from my fingers holding the stick all the way to my forearm, or cold sweat flowing down my tense spine. My heart was racing, and my whole body was trembling. As if someone had tightly covered my ears, only a buzzing sound filled my ears instead of clear sounds.
I didn’t even have the luxury to recall what I was holding or where I was. I needed to get out of there. That thought alone drove me.
“Haah…”
Only after safely entering the main building did I realize I had been holding my breath all this time.
The sound of my held breath bursting out echoed through the quiet corridor. At the end of the main building corridor, I could see the staff room. The fluorescent light leaking from the staff room beckoned to me. The staff room, if I could just get there…
At that moment, a cool temperature wrapped around my right wrist. And I could only watch as the staff room I had in sight gradually moved further away.
“Why, why…”
Even so, if I had stood my ground with my toes, I wouldn’t have been dragged away so easily. I could have forcefully shaken off one hand with all my strength, but all I could do was ask why. It was a question that didn’t even dare hope for an answer.
Woo Tae-seon pushed me into the last stall of the male teachers’ bathroom.
“Teacher.”
And while making intense eye contact with me, he reached behind to lock the door. It felt like I was trapped in thick mud like a bottomless swamp, suffocating me and forcibly closing my eyes.
Everything that had been tangling in my complicated mind disappeared, and only one thing remained.
“Here, here is not okay…”
It was very easy to imagine myself. With my beige pants barely hanging on one ankle, biting my lower lip so hard it would burst, unable to hold back explicit moans and sad cries despite my efforts. Me, desperately clinging to Woo Tae-seon’s nape.
Though it was at the end of the main building, being on the first floor meant it wouldn’t be strange for people to pass by. In this narrow place, where sound couldn’t possibly be contained, if we did that, the sounds would echo even louder. Then…
“Tea-teacher… here, teacher’s bath-bathroom.”
“Why? Because I’m a student?”
“…Huh?”
“Everyone secretly uses the teachers’ bathroom when they’re in a hurry. You didn’t know that.”
“Teacher, you’re surprisingly innocent,” Woo Tae-seon told me in a gentle voice, smiling as he pressed down on my shoulders. Unable to resist, I had to slump down onto the closed toilet seat.
Though just one knee had bent, all the strength left my body. A familiar sense of powerlessness crept up from my toes. Tears threatened to burst out. I desperately grabbed Woo Tae-seon’s hand.
“No, no… We’ll get caught. Please.”
His straight thumb parted my trembling lips and deeply entered inside. My stiff tongue, which froze whenever I begged Woo Tae-seon, became entangled with his thumb.
Woo Tae-seon seemed unconcerned about my soft tongue, rather, he boldly explored every corner of my mouth first.
“I was going to go for the top part anyway.”
“Plee-ease. Tae-seon…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
