After the final exams and academic assessments ended, the school felt quite languid with only the closing ceremony ahead.
The rapidly sweltering weather contributed to this atmosphere. When crossing the playground after lunch for a walk, the sunlight beating down on one’s head was quite intense.
Moreover, with all my nerves focused on one thing, I was on the verge of breaking into a cold sweat. I can’t see anything. I told myself I couldn’t see anything. I pretended to focus on my phone that I had taken out needlessly. I stubbornly ignored the figure frantically waving from the right.
The silhouette that had been desperately leaning out the window—so far that it might fall at any moment—finally seemed to give up and withdraw, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief internally.
[Hyung, can’t you see me? ㅠ_ㅠ]
[I’m on the third floor ㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜ]
Two message notifications arrived in succession on my phone screen, which had been unchanged since I first took it out. My thumb habitually pressed to check before my startled mind could think. Realizing my mistake, I quickly turned off the screen and tried to put it back in my pocket, but somehow knowing I wouldn’t reply, another message flew in immediately.
[You’re not going to read and ignore me, are you??]
[Hyung, that’s too cruel…….]
Only after seeing the round teddy bear pushing up the message full of disappointment, along with three crying emoticons, did I belatedly stuff my phone into my pocket. Despite having put everything away, it still vividly troubled me. But when he kept telling me to just trust him…
So, Hae-jin transferred to our school the week after final exams.
On the day he was supposed to get his new uniform fitted, I was startled by dozens of urgent message notifications. He wasn’t satisfied with sending me selfies pretending to be cool with a furrowed brow, and photos striking ridiculous poses in his crisp new uniform—Hae-jin eventually found his way to my apartment the day before his transfer.
‘Don’t acknowledge me at school. Promise?’
‘Ye-yes. I got it, hyung.’
‘It’s “teacher.”‘
‘Yes, teacher…’
Hae-jin, looking defeated, resembled a dog with its ears and tail drooping. I felt somewhat guilty, but this wasn’t an issue I could compromise on. There was nothing good about a teacher being familiar with a student at school.
With that, I gathered my resolve again and took out ramen from the cupboard. Thinking I should change the mood, I deliberately made loud rustling noises to divert Hae-jin’s attention to the ramen.
‘How many packets do you want?’
‘Just one for me…’
His crawling voice made me glance back. The wide-eyed gaze that had been fixed on me had disappeared, and seeing him sitting with his back turned, tightly hugging a cushion from the sofa, made it difficult to remain detached.
‘…Except when it’s just the two of us.’
‘Mm-hmm, got it!’
Hae-jin’s beaming smile, immediately brightening up at this small concession, flashed in my mind. And now the teardrops of those three teddy bears pricked my conscience. The phone I had pushed deep into my pocket was bothering me terribly.
[On duty today.]
In the end, I took out my phone again.
[Let’s meet at the subway station 30 minutes after I finish tomorrow.]
Whether he had been waiting or watching me take out my phone, as soon as I sent the message, the number beside the chat bubble immediately disappeared. And just as quickly, messages came flooding in one after another.
[Really??]
[Hyuuung ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[We’re really going home together tomorrow??]
[Promise? Promise?]
Though I had reluctantly backed down, I didn’t regret it since things had already happened. Seeing Hae-jin so overjoyed made my heart tingle. It’s not a crime to be cousins. It should be fine as long as we’re careful inside school.
* * *
A loud stretching sound came over the partition.
“It’s over, over, really over!”
With a final bang of a palm hitting the desk, a round crown appeared above the partition. I stood up in response, assuming an awkward posture as I acknowledged him.
“Ah… are you leaving now?”
“You should keep an eye on things and then leave too. A day with no one on duty is your chance, your chance.”
I smiled slightly, following Teacher Jung who was joking that leaving just ten minutes early wasn’t a big deal.
“Then I’ll be going first. Just a little more work for you.”
“You worked hard, teacher.”
“Yes. See you tomorrow~”
Teacher Jung left the staff room with a brightened face fitting for the journey home, waving his hand cheerfully. Listening to his footsteps echoing through the quiet corridor and gradually fading away, I collapsed back into my chair.
As I stretched my stiff body, the old chair’s backrest made a strained sound as it supported me. With a final drawn-out yawn, the staff room, now truly empty, fell silent.
What did I need to do by tomorrow? Pulling myself back to the desk, I checked the desk calendar on the partition and the Post-it notes attached to the monitor.
Just then, following a long vibration that shook the desk, Hae-jin’s name appeared, and his whining voice naturally came to mind.
‘But tomorrow is for real, right? I’m even bringing pajamas from home tomorrow!’
‘Yes, yes. I promised earlier, didn’t I?’
Apparently not reassured by the promise received via text, Hae-jin had pulled me aside as I was leaving the classroom after class and asked me repeatedly.
Did I say today? Tilting my head in confusion, I answered the phone.
“Yes, Hae-jin.”
—Hyung! Are you at school? You’re at school, right? Say you’re at school!
“Huh? Oh, yes. I haven’t left yet. Why?”
—Ah, thank goodness.
His urgent voice immediately relaxed.
“…What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
—Hyung, well…
Could something have happened? My mind raced anxiously at Hae-jin’s hesitant voice. The familiar unease that overtook me whenever I couldn’t understand why he was looking for me began to creep in.
—I just realized I didn’t lock the door.
“…What? The door?”
—Our classroom… I was on class duty this week.
“…”
—Ah, I forgot! I really forgot!
What followed the disappointment was relief. The tightly held tension released all at once, and I took a deep breath. If he were in front of me right now, I would want to give that head—probably rolling around trying to figure out how to avoid getting scolded—a good flick.
—Hyung, you’ll do it for me, right? Hm? Hm?
Hae-jin, who had been carefully watching my reaction, seemed to detect the sigh of relief escaping from the tense atmosphere and slowly began to act cute. His voice, now slightly more refined, called out to me desperately.
—Hyung, hyung. Hm? What would make hyung happy? Right?
“This is the last time. If you ask for this kind of favor again…”
—I won’t! I won’t! Come on. What do you take me for?
The key cabinet for all classrooms was a bookcase of moderate size. As I moved toward the entrance of the staff room where the bookcase filled with attendance books—each with a key hanging from it—was located, Hae-jin caught even that slight sound and chattered with a brightened voice.
—I’m in Class 6. You know, right? You know?
“How could I not know? It’s not like there would be two classes without keys hanging up, right?”
—Hehei. Say it’s because you remember your beloved brother’s class, Teacher Song Jae-yun~
“Sheesh. Watch your language.”
—Oh, and it’s a secret from Mom, okay? Promise that too!
Where had the nervous boy who was carefully bringing this up gone? Now he was boldly making demands.
“Yes. I got it, I got it.”
—Thanks, hyung! I’ll treat you to chicken tomorrow! Hehe, then please do me this favor. See you tomorrow, hyung!
“Mm, rest well. Sleep tight.”
Looking down at my phone, which was now silent after the incessant chatter, I saw the total call time blinking, indicating the end of the call. Only then did I realize that the call, which seemed to have completely absorbed my attention, had lasted less than three minutes.
As the blinking call end screen disappeared, what remained on the screen was the last app I had used.
[I think I’ll be leaving late today since I’m on duty.]
[I forgot to let you know in advance.]
[It was suddenly changed yesterday.]
[There’s also a weekly meeting tomorrow morning.]
