“Oh, hello……”
Seo Juhan awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth.
The two-block cut guy was Hwang Sihyeok, a student in the class he was in charge of. The guy wearing a skin-tight fitted tee grinned widely as if glad to see him.
“Hello.”
The guys standing next to him also greeted him one after another in husky voices. About half of them were from the same class, and the rest were from other classes.
“Uh……”
Seo Juhan awkwardly accepted their greetings. His gaze was focused on the clutch bag Hwang Sihyeok was holding.
A red and green brand logo was prominently attached. The leather was decorated with the iconic pattern. Although he had a bag from the exact same brand at his family home, he didn’t think he’d ever want to carry it again.
“Teacher, did you come to buy clothes too?”
Hwang Sihyeok acted friendly in a greasy way.
“Huh? Uh……”
“We came to buy clothes too.”
Hwang Sihyeok stood on one leg and swaggered. The guy who had no presence in the classroom looked confident outside.
“Is that so.”
“Are you buying these?”
Hwang Sihyeok asked while glancing sideways at the t-shirts Seo Juhan had hung over his arm. He seemed like he wanted to continue the conversation.
“Looks like you guys came to buy clothes too. Then go pick out your clothes. Have a good holiday.”
Seo Juhan quickly said goodbye.
“Ah…… Yes. You too, teacher.”
Hwang Sihyeok acted friendly as if treating a neighborhood hyung.
The other guys greeted him one after another, saying “Goodbye” in heavy tones like gangsters.
“Yeah. Go.”
Seo Juhan answered dryly.
The group of punks disappeared while giggling among themselves.
Seo Juhan waited until their backs disappeared into the distance, then walked steadily toward the fitting room.
They didn’t even greet him when they passed in the hallway, but when they met outside school, they acted like they knew him as if it was fascinating.
In the end, he only bought one outfit out of all those clothes. It looked fine when it was hanging on the rack, but when he put it on, the fabric was rough and the fit was really bad.
While looking for another clothing store afterward, the same thing happened two more times in a brief moment.
Are all these kids hanging around here……
Seo Juhan was exhausted from fatigue.
Even his precious day off wasn’t easy, having to put on a social smile. It was almost as if he’d become a public figure in this area.
Given the occupational characteristic where one teacher has to deal with multiple students, it was unavoidable, but it was still an ordeal.
Moreover, Seo Juhan didn’t know that his appearance was quite eye-catching. The delusion that he was a manly man wasn’t a delusion to him.
Seo Juhan eventually took drastic measures. It was right after an unidentified student whose identity made him doubt whether it was even a class he taught came up to talk to him.
He bought a hat and mask.
A regular adult-sized mask covered generously from below the eyes to the tip of his chin and still had plenty left over. When he put on a cap with a wide brim, it cast a shadow and made it completely impossible to tell who he was.
Both the mask and hat were dull black, making him look at first glance no different from a criminal, but he liked that no one could easily approach him.
Whether the strategy worked or not, after that, he wasn’t bothered by anyone.
He was able to safely complete his mission.
Seo Juhan moved his exhausted steps slowly.
His backpack with books was already heavy, but shopping had increased the load in both hands, and even his respiratory system was blocked, so it was understandable.
He was also hungry. When he thought of his studio apartment’s refrigerator, a wrinkled apple and a pizza that had become frozen ice cream flew before his eyes.
His slow steps toward the bus stop halted.
A red neon sign flashed flashily in its distinctive logo shape.
Seo Juhan looked up at the building with shopping bags in both hands. Because of the hat brim, he had to tilt his neck higher.
Befitting the main branch, it was large in scale. The entire 3-story building was the ‘FunEat Burger’ store.
On the glass wall of the first floor, appetizing burger photos were posted. There were also life-size idol posters with them. Beyond that, he could see customers sitting looking out the window.
On one side, an unfamiliar motorcycle was parked. Perhaps because the only motorcycle he’d paid attention to in his life was one, that one looked pretty shabby. Still, it had a certain charm with the shadows cast by the bright lights coming from the store.
Seo Juhan, who had been staring blankly at that two-wheeler, changed direction and took steps.
The automatic door opened by itself. As soon as he entered, cool air enveloped his entire body. It seemed the air conditioning was turned on full blast.
The hall looked more like a modern café than a franchise store. The high ceilings and spacious area, plus the large communal table in the center, made it even more so.
The wooden furniture and dark green foliage plants created a calm and luxurious atmosphere. The wide spacing between tables made it look even more comfortable and cozy. The clear yet dreamy pop music playing as background music added cheerfulness and vitality.
Even though it was late, there were quite a few people. The remaining seats were single seats facing the window.
Seo Juhan deliberately settled in that secluded spot. He set down shopping bags on the chair to mark his territory, then walked to the register.
He scanned the menu board attached above and said to the staff.
“One Cream Retro Burger set, please.”
“The Eccentric Random Box is sold out, is that okay?”
Seo Juhan, who was looking for his card in his wallet and didn’t hear properly, asked again.
“What?”
“The Eccentric Random Box is sold out.”
“Ah…… Yes. That’s fine.”
“If you go to the FunEat Burger homepage, you can enter the autograph session raffle with your receipt number.”
The staff member wearing a red apron and black hair net was exceptionally kind.
“……Yes.”
Seo Juhan answered in a daze.
The name of the 6-member male idol group that had a ‘collaboration’ with FunEat Burger was ‘Eccentric.’
He just wanted to try the new limited product, but he felt awkward being treated like a fan.
“One Cream Retro Burger set, right?”
“Yes.”
“Eating here? Or to go?”
Seo Juhan rolled his eyes left and right before answering.
“……I’ll eat here.”
“Yes. I’ll help you with payment.”
After completing the card payment, Seo Juhan took the vibrating pager and returned to his seat.
After that, he spaced out looking at people passing by outside the window.
During that time, several customers came and went behind him.
A group of young men and women who appeared to be college students went upstairs cheerfully showing off, and pimply kids in school uniforms came down in a group and went outside.
Among them, whenever someone wearing a helmet came in, Seo Juhan flinched. He brought his hand to his face to check if he was wearing his mask properly.
But that was brief too. The unfamiliar delivery workers kept tapping their phones in one corner, then took the freshly made packaging bags and left again. There was no intimidating black matte helmet.
Perhaps because it was a handmade burger, it took some time for the food to come out.
Seo Juhan lowered his head and hung the mask right below his chin. The burger with grease rising from it stimulated his appetite. However, he opened his mouth small and nibbled like bird feed. He chewed slowly as if waiting for something.
The half-eaten burger was set down on the tray. Between the bulgogi patty and fried egg, there was plenty of sliced cabbage marinated in tomato sauce and cream sauce.
Seo Juhan rubbed his fingertips covered with french fry seasoning powder.
……Maybe he doesn’t work every day.
Since the exams were over, he might be on self-imposed leave.
His plan to gloat after seeing him running around frantically fell through.
Still, since he tasted the new burger, it wasn’t a wasted effort.
Should I go now?
Bzzt.
Just then, his phone on the table vibrated. Seo Juhan wiped his sticky fingertips with a wet wipe. He picked up his phone and pulled down the top bar to check the message.
……Mobile wedding invitation?
One eyebrow rose high.
The sender was Kim Taeyoon.
He was the type who would spread rumors far and wide if he got a girlfriend. But for that guy who had been radio silent to suddenly send a wedding invitation?
Naturally, he suspected a shotgun wedding.
Bzzt. Bzzt.
Seo Juhan flinched as the phone in his hand rang. Since he was just about to call anyway, he answered gladly.
“Hey. What’s this?”
Since they were close enough not to need formalities, Seo Juhan interrogated him point-blank.
[Oh, did you see it? I just sent it. How unusual for you to check messages right away.]
Kim Taeyoon seemed to be outside too, as it was noisy. From the distant sound of toasting, it seemed to be a bar.
“What is this? Hurry up and spill.”
[What do you mean what. Hey, he says he wants to talk to you.]
“What are you talking about?”
Seo Juhan, falling into doubt, asked coldly.
The other party muttered without answering. It felt like the phone was being passed from hand to hand.
Seo Juhan swept the inside of his mouth with his tongue. He couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.
[Hey, Juhan. How have you been?]
A voice with a low resonance like a cello pierced his eardrums.
