“How was this exam? Was it manageable?”
The math teacher stood in front of the podium and spoke. The kids in the class murmured as they each expressed their feelings. I gave up and solved it without thinking, so I’m not really sure.
“No….”
“It was difficult.”
“I just slept through it.”
One kid turned his head to the friend next to him and said nonchalantly.
“What? How could you do that? I worked so hard making those problems.”
The math teacher pretended to be shocked. The kid who said he slept had a smile on his face as he wiggled his pencil.
“The exam ended yesterday too, so let’s each study on our own today. Just don’t make too much noise chattering.”
He playfully winked one eye. As soon as the teacher finished speaking, the kids cheered. The teacher didn’t bother to stop them and waited until the kids calmed down.
“No moving seats. Talk from far away. From far away.”
The math teacher looked sternly at a kid who was just lifting his butt off his seat. The kid had a disappointed expression as he put his half-raised body back down to his desk. I looked at Hee-ae sitting next to me and said.
“Let’s talk too.”
Hee-ae readily nodded and turned his body completely toward me. I stared into Hee-ae’s pupils. Maybe because I only saw black eyes before possessing this body, Hee-ae’s golden eyes were fascinating.
“Did you get your eyes from your parents?”
“No. My mom has brown eyes and my dad has pink eyes.”
Hee-ae brushed off the eraser dust on his hands. Then he continued in a soft tone.
“It’s not from my parents but from a generation further up. My maternal grandmother had golden eyes, so it probably got passed down to me. No, I could be wrong.”
Sometimes there are people who resemble their grandparents rather than their parents. I looked a bit more at the golden eyes that seemed like yellow butterflies playing, then soon looked away.
“No. There are lots of kids who resemble their grandparents. Your eyes are interesting, the gold color is pretty.”
Hee-ae suddenly made eye contact with me, then hastily turned his head and mumbled.
“No. I think your eyes are interesting.”
“My eyes? They’re black.”
“I guess no one told you….”
Hee-ae tilted his head to the side. I looked in the mirror as soon as I possessed this body. Even then they were black eyes, so there’s no way my eye color would suddenly become silver now. I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“Your eyes, when they catch the light they have a greenish tint. Even now your eyes are slightly green.”
I reflexively raised my hand to cover my eyes. Hee-ae whined about why I was suddenly covering my eyes. I didn’t notice even when looking in the mirror, so I wonder how the kids knew. Mother’s eyes with their greenish tint came to mind. Did I take after Mother?
Greenish tint, how unfamiliar. Feeling stuffy, I unbuttoned the top button of my shirt and loosened my tie. Still, it’s interesting that they have a greenish tint when they catch the light.
It’s comfortable now that I’ve unbuttoned it after always keeping all the buttons done up. Warm air seeped in through the slightly open shirt collar.
“Shi-dan.”
In-sae called me from up front. In-sae stuck his head out between the kids and asked.
“You really don’t need the photo?”
I don’t need it at all. At the unwelcome sound, I put my hand to my forehead—no, my forehead to my hand. I don’t want to see that damn apple hair again. I’m really grateful for In-sae’s belated consideration, but very, very no thank you.
“I don’t. Please take it yourself.”
From the great mental blow, I suddenly became tired. I put my arms on the desk and propped up my chin. Even though I was tired, I tried to keep my eyes round and gentle. Then I languidly closed and opened my eyes for a moment.
Crash!
I opened my eyes with an internal sigh. I seriously need to contemplate why not a single day passes peacefully at this Aseon High School. When I turned around, Cho-yeon had fallen over for some reason.
Does this also count as a protagonist buff? I don’t know why Cho-yeon keeps getting caught up in incidents. Silence flowed through the surprised kids. Eyes focused on Cho-yeon who had fallen roughly.
“Oh no! Yeonnie, are you okay? Hm?”
Blue ribbon, ha. Lee Han-gyeol with a blue ribbon quickly got up from his seat and shouted. Cho-yeon twisted his face as if annoyed and said.
“I just fell while playing with the chair. Don’t make a fuss.”
This is what happens when you play with a chair. I looked at Cho-yeon getting up disheveled with a pitying expression.
What.
Cho-yeon said with his mouth movements. I whispered to Hee-ae, pretending it wasn’t directed at me.
“Just now, what did the noble Noble Prince of the Full Moon Han Cho-yeon-nim do?”
“It seems like he said something with his mouth movements. No, that’s just what I think. It might not be.”
“I think that’s right though. I wonder who he was speaking to.”
I really don’t know~ I smiled round and round with an expression clearly full of delight. The kids’ gazes focused on me.
“I made eye contact with Han Cho-yeon-nim and got too excited….”
I trailed off and spoke as if surprised. My acting shines today too. The kids agreed from here and there that it made sense. Cho-yeon sat down hurriedly with a thoroughly annoyed face.
[Mom][11:09 AM] Having fun?
The phone in my pocket vibrated. Befitting an internet novel, our school didn’t bother confiscating phones.
I leisurely took out my phone and looked at the text. Since I had meticulously saved Cho-yeon as Mom at school, Cho-yeon’s text looked like it was sent by Mom.
[Yu Shi-dan][11:09 AM] You should say I’m acting well.
I quickly sent the text and put my phone back in my pocket.
“Mother let me know we’re having kimchi stew for dinner today.”
I said to Hee-ae who was looking at me with curious eyes. From behind, I could faintly hear the twins’ voices.
“Yeonnie, your arm isn’t sprained? Hing.”
I should have ignored it. I have no idea where they learned to add “hing” at the end. I heard the sound of Cho-yeon saying he was fine then letting out a shallow scream. It seems his arm really was sprained.
“Teacher. It seems Cho-yeon sprained his arm. Shouldn’t we send him to the nurse’s office?”
The teacher, who was strangely lenient about going to the nurse’s office, readily told him to go and come back.
“Don’t follow me. I’ll come back when break time comes, so if you come to the nurse’s office you’re dead.”
Cho-yeon whispered powerfully to the Five Great Kings. Of course, since he was right in the seat behind me, it was perfectly audible to me. Our Cho-yeon opened the classroom door like that and disappeared.
“I hope he’s not badly hurt.”
I said while crossing my legs.
***
As soon as the bell rang, I immediately opened the classroom door and went outside. Then I crossed the hallway and went down the stairs. On the second floor, the teachers’ office and such are lined up neatly in a row. I politely greeted the teachers with familiar faces.
I passed the teachers’ offices and went deep into the right hallway of the second floor. On a white sign, “Nurse’s Office” was written in proper handwriting. I pushed open the door to the nurse’s office without hesitation.
“Hello.”
“I told you not to come, shit.”
Cho-yeon turned his head fiercely and even said “shit” before discovering it was me. When he saw me, he stopped talking. Cho-yeon’s arm seemed fine as there appeared to be no particular treatment. It really was just a simple sprain.
“Surprise appearance~ just kidding, I also had business at the nurse’s office so I came.”
I exaggeratedly spread both arms then decorously withdrew them as I spoke. It was true that the bandage I’d roughly stuck on had come loose and was flapping around. I came to see Cho-yeon while I was at it though.
“Where’s the nurse?”
“She treated me then went somewhere.”
Cho-yeon said indifferently. As expected, in places like this the nurse is always going somewhere. It’s too bad—if I’d studied harder I would have prepared for the civil service exam and gotten a job as a school nurse. I brushed back my bangs and said.
“Too bad, I need to reapply my bandage.”
“What’s that on you?”
He frowned and asked. I guess he just now noticed the bandage that had been hidden by my bangs.
“I sacrificed my forehead to avoid getting entangled with our majestic and great Five Great Kings-nim.”
“Are you crazy? What did you do?”
I evaded the question and smiled as prettily as possible.
“Is that all when you smile like that?”
Cho-yeon threw the pillow that had been placed on the nurse’s office bed at my face. I barely managed to catch the flying pillow with my hands. Like last time at home, Cho-yeon seems to have a habit of throwing things.
“You. So.”
Cho-yeon took a breath and finished his words.
“Be more careful when you go around.”
“I’ll try. You be careful too.”
I covered my bangs again and tried to reapply the flapping bandage.
“I can’t just die randomly. I’ll have to come back later.”
I looked around the nurse’s office once. It’s a nurse’s office with a unified design in a clean white tone. The drawer that obviously contained medicine caught my eye, but you’re not supposed to touch medicine carelessly.
And I subtly said to Cho-yeon.
“If it gets hard, call or text me. While you’re at it, set your speed dial number 1 to 112 like me.”
I said the words that had been bothering me all this time and stepped back. Cho-yeon unwillingly received attention, and on top of that, as a villain who had fallen into an unfamiliar world, he was having a hard time.
Though he’s been somewhat okay recently, I’m the only one he can talk to about this, and I happened to run into the Five Great Kings and aroused their suspicion. Worried they’d find out Cho-yeon and I know each other, we haven’t even been able to meet recently. I spoke out of worry for Cho-yeon.
It feels somewhat comfortable to say the words that had been bothering me. I opened the door behind me and went out. Cho-yeon’s figure gradually slid away and disappeared in the sliding door.
Since Cho-yeon told them not to come, there was no chance the Five Great Kings would come—it was really good timing. Still, just in case, I went a long way around using the left stairs on the opposite side instead of the central stairs.
“Where did you go?”
“Teachers’ office.”
I answered Hee-ae and sat down in my seat.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
