By Zephyria 
The gym teacher was a teacher who particularly favored me. The reason was simple: I was a diligent student who studied hard and had proper conduct!
He was the teacher who sent me to the nurse’s office, worried when I got a nosebleed during class, and he was also the owner of the whistle I had briefly stolen. (Though I’d prefer to claim I borrowed it.)
Most importantly, he was strict, large, and intimidating, making him the teacher delinquents found most troublesome. He was a difficult opponent, as they would flee at the mere sound of his whistle.
“Yes, come in! Oh, who is this. Our Hae-jun!”
After class, I went to the gym teacher’s office. Upon seeing my face, the gym teacher called out to me heartily. He had the energetic demeanor of someone who would slap my back hard, as usual. He was burly and dependable.
“Hello.”
“Yes, yes. Hello. What brings you here!”
I bowed respectfully, and the gym teacher laughed heartily.
“Um… I came because I have something I want to discuss.”
“Discuss?”
“Yes….”
I’ll go for sympathy from the start!
I immediately teared up, and the surprised gym teacher, flustered, led me out of the office.
“Oh dear! A man shouldn’t cry!”
The gym teacher took me to the convenience store, telling me to calm down with a drink.
All the students had gone home. The few students remaining in the store coughed and slowly backed away upon seeing the burly gym teacher. They seemed to want to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
Standing by the vending machine with me, the gym teacher naturally pointed to a strawberry-flavored drink.
“This is really delicious, have you tried it?”
“No.”
“Try it.”
My clumsy tear act had ended by the time we reached the convenience store. I rubbed my ticklish nose and nodded reluctantly, looking at the pink can standing alone among the many. It naturally reminded me of Min Si-hu and Lee Beom.
Is there a culture in this world of buying strawberry-flavored drinks to comfort someone?
“Shall we go outside?”
I headed to the sports field with the teacher holding the can.
The sky, a week past the summer solstice, was bright beyond measure, and a warm breeze, heralding the full heat of summer, blew in. Lush leaves swayed with the gentle wind. The trees lining the sports field were growing thick with deep green foliage.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
I took the cold drink can and sat on a shaded bench. The moisture clinging to the aluminum can felt chilling.
“So, what’s wrong? To think that a man like Hae-jun would shed tears!”
The gym teacher shouted boisterously, as if trying to make me laugh, but I deliberately hesitated, only moving my lips. Seeing that I didn’t smile, the teacher’s expression grew serious too.
“Is it serious?”
“Could you keep it a secret for now?”
As I lowered my gaze, my eyes pleading, the teacher’s nose twitched.
“Of course! Absolutely! If you talk about loyalty, you talk about Kim Gwang-yong; if you talk about Kim Gwang-yong, you talk about loyalty!”
The gym teacher thumped his chest. He was so trustworthy that I almost laughed out loud, which would have been out of place. I fiddled with the can in my hand.
“Well…”
As I looked around to see if anyone was listening and paused, the gym teacher leaned in, his face also tensed.
I embellished the story I had told the counselor before, adding details. I first explained how Seong Hae-min was blackmailed into joining the delinquents, and how he was constantly summoned for gang fights. Then, I spiced it up with tales of the other Four Heavenly Kings.
“It’s not just Hae-min. Lee Beom also wants to study hard but is being hindered by the seniors. The reason Hae-jun sleeps in class every day is because he’s called out by seniors every night, and Si-hu hides tears behind his bright smile…”
I could now tell these kinds of stories shamelessly. My tolerance for cringe had significantly increased. I spun a tale, adding details as I went. I didn’t forget to sound like I was about to cry. The gym teacher’s face grew serious.
“I even tried talking to the counselor… but they said the school couldn’t help.”
After finishing my explanation, I looked up with eyes that seemed to have squeezed out tears.
The gym teacher’s face turned red and purple as he clenched his fists. I was more surprised by his reaction and fell silent. I knew he had a righteous personality, but I hadn’t expected him to get this angry.
The gym teacher suddenly stood up, looked at the sky, and raised his fist. Then he declared resolutely,
“Alright!”
“Yes?”
“This rotten world! Kim Gwang-yong, a true man, will become your strong support, Hae-jun! I’ll help you!”
Huh? I… I didn’t expect this?
Though bewildered, I couldn’t react with indifference, so I exclaimed as if delighted,
“R-really?”
“Of course! Kim Gwang-yong, a man of his word!”
The gym teacher, showing unexpected enthusiasm, pounded his muscular chest. Was this like the passionate teachers in teen romance novels? His unexpected reaction made me suddenly want to stop him. I felt an urge to suppress it out of defiance! Hiding my panic, I averted my gaze hesitantly.
“But how? I’m worried that if the seniors find out, they’ll retaliate against Hae-min…”
The teacher seemed to interpret this as timidity born from prolonged tension and worry, and gave me a sympathetic look. I could clearly see his jaw clenched, pitying me. This wasn’t what I intended.
The gym teacher said he would think about a solution and promised to keep my secret securely. The conversation, sealed with his promise, concluded with strong encouragement. The gym teacher patted my back, saying I must have been through a lot. I almost stumbled from the force of his pat, but he caught me, laughing heartily.
“Don’t worry anymore!”
After the unexpected conversation ended, I headed home, drinking the strawberry-flavored drink the teacher bought me.
‘I did the right thing… right?’
Still, there was an unexpected gain. I didn’t expect the gym teacher to be able to help as much as his enthusiasm suggested, but it’s always good to have one more person on my side.
All the teachers at school are a bit strange. I need to study for exams. I wonder what Seong Hae-min is doing at home. Walking absentmindedly, lost in my thoughts, I snapped back to reality when an unwelcome voice called me.
“Oh? It’s Hae-jun.”
“Uh… Hello.”
My unfocused vision sharpened. It was Yeon Su-hwan. I greeted him vaguely, lingering. What terrible luck. Meeting him on the way home. I grumbled inwardly. It was the first time I’d seen him since returning his whistle to the gym teacher’s office, so I found Yeon Su-hwan uncomfortable.
But Yeon Su-hwan’s face darkened when he saw me.
“…Did you cry?”
Yeon Su-hwan strode closer, brushed my hair aside, and checked my eyes. I instinctively stepped back.
“N-no.”
“Why did you cry? Who made you cry?”
It seems no one in the world listens to me.
Yeon Su-hwan paid no mind to my denial. His voice carried a subtle anger. I felt more repulsion than gratitude. I mumbled,
“Uh, just…”
“Just?”
“Because of study stress.”
“Really?”
Yeon Su-hwan tilted his head skeptically.
“So, were you talking about that with Gwang-yong just now?”
Gwang-yong? For a moment, I pondered who Gwang-yong was, then I remembered that the gym teacher’s name was Kim Gwang-yong.
‘Is Gwang-yong your friend?!’
As I cried out inwardly, a chilling realization sent a shiver down my spine.
‘But how does Yeon Su-hwan know?’
I had looked around earlier, and there was definitely no one there.
“How do you know, Sunbae? That I was talking with the gym teacher.”
“Heh…”
As I questioned him warily, Yeon Su-hwan smiled leisurely, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. I looked up at him, not hiding my displeasure.
“I know what you’re thinking, but I just happened to see you. You were with Gwang-yong.”
Yeon Su-hwan just laughed with a strange sound. But like when he suddenly appeared at school and grabbed my shoulder before, I didn’t understand how he always showed up at such uncanny timings. It might be a coincidence, as Yeon Su-hwan said, but I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
I had clearly said it was study stress, so what did he mean by helping? Was he going to invent a new concept for memorization? I wanted to retort, but I exercised patience and replied calmly.
“Yes.”
“How can you be so sure? You might need help later.”
“Then I’ll ask if the need arises.”
“Heh, really…”
Yeon Su-hwan touched his lips and murmured slowly.
“How can you be so alike in every single way?”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
Who talks to themselves that loudly! I almost crushed the can in my hand in frustration.
I felt like my health would be at risk if we continued talking, so I bowed slightly and turned to leave, but Yeon Su-hwan stopped me.
“Oh, and Hae-jun. I’m warning you again, don’t get too friendly with Do Yun-hyeok.”
“What?”
“I believe you understood enough from what I said last time, but I’m saying it out of concern. If I see you with that guy…”
Yeon Su-hwan winked one eye.
“I’ll be upset.”
“……”