Luxurious Palace (1)
Hiss.
The back door of the green bus number 1004 opened.
Seo Juhan boarded the ferry to the underworld heading to Yangseong School. His legs felt like a thousand pounds just climbing the mere three-step stairs.
He sat in his usual safest seat—right behind the driver’s seat. Then he plugged in his earphones to block out the noise.
Pop.
The sound of twisting open a drink cap was cheerful.
Seo Juhan tilted the bottle and took a sip. It was coffee he bought from a convenience store. It had a “high caffeine content warning” label.
Even though he only moistened his mouth, he felt his mind paralyzed with worry forcibly awakening. The sensation of his heart beating hard was uncomfortable, but it couldn’t be helped. He had to enter combat mode.
As they left downtown Jeonghan City, a pastoral and peaceful landscape unfolded. But Seo Juhan felt like he was sticking his head into a crocodile’s jaws. It was as if he was personally offering himself to be caught and devoured.
‘Uncertainty’ was one of the things Seo Juhan extremely hated. It was in line with his major.
Unlike other subjects, mathematics didn’t need to greatly worry about test question errors due to the duality of interpretation. Only answers based purely on logic existed.
The foundation that had safely supported him had been shaken. Like walking along a lakeside deep in a misty mountain, one step ahead was unclear. He had no idea what was lurking on the path ahead.
With a grim heart, Seo Juhan was the first to open the staff room door.
The round table in the corner came into view. It looked perfectly fine with no trace of the sexual acts to be found.
A single slipper left alone underneath caught his eye.
At the imagery that rose in billows, Seo Juhan quickly averted his gaze.
“…”
But still, there was nowhere to rest his eyes.
It wasn’t just the table. His own desk, the cabinet, refrigerator, and storage—nothing could be more unfamiliar. It felt like the world had been divided in two as of yesterday.
He wanted to gouge out yesterday’s memories with a knife.
Seo Juhan slipped his feet into the slippers while trying not to look at the table as much as possible. Then with a sunken expression, he sat at his seat and turned on the computer.
Before long, teachers from the same grade level began entering one by one. Seo Juhan nodded and exchanged greetings. Other than that, he did nothing and just stared at the monitor.
Unlike his firmly resolved will, anxiety spread thickly. Nothing was graspable.
Homeroom time arrived without fail.
He moved his reluctant feet to his homeroom classroom. It felt like his legs were being sucked into a sticky swamp.
Seo Juhan entered through the front door and stood behind the teacher’s desk. Though students were still trickling in late, he started homeroom since it was routine.
“Tomorrow there’s no lunch because of the educational civil service workers’ strike. I already informed you last time.”
While pretending the most indifferent tone possible, he glanced at the person sitting in the back window seat.
That ungrateful criminal bastard was just looking out the window. The morning sunlight shattered and reflected off the ends of his black hair, drawing even more attention.
His neat appearance was the same as always, but the way he sat with both hands in his pockets and legs spread wide was irritating. He exuded a leisurely ease like an idle playboy, making it questionable whether he was even listening properly.
Anyway, since the gaze was one-sided, he could at least curse him out with his eyes as much as he wanted.
“Bread and drinks will be provided as substitute meals, so anyone bringing a lunchbox—”
At that moment, Go Un suddenly turned his head, and their eyes met.
Flustered, Seo Juhan quickly averted his eyes.
“…can bring it.”
In those clear black pupils directed at him, not a trace of guilt could be found. They even curved gently.
I want to gouge out those eyeballs right now.
Fire ignited in his heart. On the other hand, his frightened legs felt weak. He couldn’t help the reflexive physiological reaction.
Seo Juhan swallowed his saliva and continued.
“Next… the Korean teacher said there are still many people who haven’t submitted their Speech and Writing performance assessment. The submission deadline is this week.”
Other than the blunt voice announcing information, the classroom was quiet.
“If you don’t submit, you’ll only get the base score of 30 points, so don’t forget to submit.”
Hardly anyone listened diligently anyway.
“That’s all for today.”
Seo Juhan finished roughly and left.
The hallway, past school arrival time, was still bustling.
Tardy students who didn’t care about attendance at all wandered like ghosts. Some reeked heavily of smoking enjoyed since morning.
Seo Juhan walked quickly through the gaps between the foul-smelling smokers. Only around him was thick with cologne like a protective barrier.
Why should I be the one avoiding?
As he realized he was hurrying away like running, resentment suddenly rushed in.
It was infuriating. Frustrating and bitter. Utterly lamentable. The reality where the perpetrator laughed and the victim had to avoid was deplorable.
Seo Juhan’s steps quickened as if running.
Is this what it feels like to blow your lid? I want to kill him.
Hatred and vengeance boiled intensely. Like freshly erupted lava, it blazed red hot and spewed out. As if burning fiercely to sweep through nature. As if it would destroy everything and melt it without a trace.
But the emotions that flared up quickly cooled down just as fast.
He didn’t have the guts to attempt a barbaric solution directly against that bastard in the first place.
The only revenge Seo Juhan could think of was destroying his school record. But even that would be useless if he didn’t go to university.
Seo Juhan walked looking only at the ground with a completely hardened face.
“Juhan-ssaem.”
Seo Juhan raised his head at the familiar voice.
Student Affairs Director Park Daekwon was waiting in front of the second staff room.
“Ah, hello.”
Seo Juhan bowed his head, still unable to hide his sharp expression.
“How have you been lately?”
Park Daekwon asked heartily, befitting the big elder of Yangseong School.
He was also someone who had fostered Seo Juhan’s will to escape by intermittently passing down legendary incidents that had built an epic saga since Yangseong School’s opening.
“…Yes.”
Seo Juhan answered while feeling slight unease.
The student affairs director seeking out a homeroom teacher was an ominous sign worth worrying about.
“You came to the after-party for the sports event yesterday. It was fun.”
Burp. Park Daekwon, who must have eaten and drunk late, suddenly belched and laughed heartily.
“Ah… You went to the drinking party too, Director?”
“Yeah. I heard you played friendly volleyball?”
Playing volleyball with the teachers in the school gymnasium was just yesterday, but it felt distant. It felt like an event from long ago, as distant as Andromeda. It was because of what happened afterward.
He wanted to forget, but it was difficult to control his expression because of memories that kept piercing his mind like lightning.
Regardless, Park Daekwon spoke in his characteristically raspy voice.
“Maybe it’s from exercising, but you have good color.”
“…Pardon?”
Seo Juhan, who heard something incomprehensible, raised one corner of his mouth.
“Or did you get a girlfriend? Did you not come because you were meeting your girlfriend?”
Park Daekwon laughed like a Hahoe mask with a good-natured expression and patted Seo Juhan’s shoulder.
“…Haha.”
Unlike his smiling lips, his brownish irises shook, engulfed in confusion.
At the meaningful remark, Juhan’s heart nearly dropped to the ground. As expected of the student affairs director. Like a trainer handling beasts, he had keenly developed instincts like an animal.
Seo Juhan didn’t know, but as Park Daekwon said, his cheeks were rosy. His pale skin that hadn’t received sunlight looked rather fair white rather than pale as usual. His skin was glossy and shiny.
Though it had been forced, it was a result brought about by the intense coupling that burned his nerves with pleasure.
“I heard the young teachers gather to play volleyball? Next time you exercise, call me too. I’m getting hurt thinking you don’t call me because I’m an old geezer.”
“What old geezer, no way.”
Seo Juhan barely managed a social smile.
“I had surgery before because I injured my knee playing badminton. Even though it’s fine now, they don’t call me much.”
“Ah… I see.”
Though it was outside his interest, Seo Juhan nodded sympathetically. He was getting sick and tired of the useless small talk.
“Ah right, this isn’t the time for me to be doing this.”
Park Daekwon finally got to the main point.
“That fight in the cafeteria last time, Juhan-ssaem knows about it, right?”
“Ah yes. I heard about it. Though I don’t know the details…”
Honestly, except for the fact that something had happened, he didn’t know. As long as it wasn’t his domain, Seo Juhan was indifferent to whatever incidents or accidents occurred at school.
“The PE class kids had a fistfight during lunch. Throwing food trays, overturning the food waste bins. What a mess. It looked like a pack of dogs came and devastated the place.”
Park Daekwon clicked his tongue and continued.
“Anyway, causing new incidents every year is also a skill, a skill.”
Seo Juhan made a dumbfounded expression and asked.
“Why of all places in the cafeteria… What did they fight about?”
“When I asked, there wasn’t a big trigger.”
Park Daekwon paused to build curiosity.
“They said it was because someone stared at them unpleasantly. Seriously, it’s ridiculous.”
“…”
Even Seo Juhan was deflated.
The cause of the pandemonium was nothing more than instinctive low-level hierarchy posturing.
“So the cafeteria ladies had a lot of complaints about cleaning it up. They even went to the principal’s office to complain it was hell. One person even took sick leave saying it strained her heart.”
Park Daekwon built up the context step by step and reached the main conclusion.
“So we decided teachers will take turns supervising during lunch. It seems like those with lower seniority should take it. From the second staff room, Juhan-ssaem, please take the trouble.”
