“Have you been to Washington? It’s my first time on the East Coast.”
“I’ve only been to New York.”
“But didn’t someone say they went to America for language study when they were in elementary school? Shin Yumyeong, wasn’t it you?”
As friends were talking, Yumyeong, whose name was suddenly called, raised his eyes and shook his head.
“No.”
Then Hanju, who was in the front seat, suddenly chimed in.
“That’s me, me. But I just went back and forth between the homestay house and school, so I didn’t even feel like I was in America. Even when moving around, I always traveled in the guardian’s car. Just studied all day…”
“Then we can consider it your first time too.”
“Right, right.”
No matter how much overseas travel experience a kid had, the excitement level for a school trip was different. As if unable to hide their excited feelings, everyone’s voices got louder.
“Kids, you can hear my voice, right~?”
Even at the teacher’s warning, the excited children couldn’t easily calm down their excitement. As if this class wasn’t the only one in chaos, a roar loud enough to shatter windows was heard from the class next door beyond the hallway. The kids burst out laughing.
However, Hakyoung kept being bothered by the fact that Yumyeong alone was expressionless even in all this chaos.
“If you have any questions, come find me in the teachers’ office, and that’s it for today!”
Soon the teacher left the noisy classroom. And while no one was paying attention, Yumyeong silently got up and followed that homeroom teacher.
Only Hakyoung noticed this. Hakyoung very carefully followed behind.
“Teacher, I don’t have to go on the school trip, right?”
Yumyeong’s first words upon following into the teachers’ office were quite unexpected. The homeroom teacher’s eyes widened as if a bit surprised.
“Yumyeong, all of a sudden? Is something wrong?”
“…I don’t have to go, right?”
Instead of explaining the situation, Yumyeong just asked again.
The homeroom teacher, though flustered, tried to hear him out first. Sometimes there were students who gave up on school trips due to family circumstances or health problems. Moreover, since they always chose North America or Europe as school trip destinations, there were quite a few parents who found the school trip cost of over 3 million won burdensome.
But Yumyeong’s family was wealthy, he had many friends, and he was a healthy child with no chronic illness. On the surface, there was no problem.
“Yes, you don’t have to go, but… if you don’t go, you have to substitute the school trip with independent experiential learning. But there needs to be a special reason, and you need parental consent.”
“I understand.”
As if he’d gotten the answer he wanted, Yumyeong politely bowed and tried to turn back. The homeroom teacher urgently stopped such a Yumyeong.
“Is there some problem? You can tell me.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then?”
“I just don’t want to waste time playing around.”
Watching Yumyeong answer with a blank face, the homeroom teacher thought something was wrong. That face showed neither excitement nor anticipation about the school trip, nor did it show disappointment about giving it up. On the surface he seemed very composed, but that itself was distant from the ordinary eighteen-year-olds the teacher knew, which felt incongruous.
Of course, it was true that Yumyeong, who seemed to have pulled himself together and devoted himself to studying in the second semester, was admirable. Still, the thought that something was a bit strange couldn’t be erased.
“Yumyeong, the school trip isn’t about going to play. That’s also clearly an experience and study.”
“Anyway, if there’s parental consent, it’s fine, right?”
“Yes… Be sure to talk with your parents and let me know when it’s decided.”
“Yes, thank you.”
With that greeting, Yumyeong left the teachers’ office.
“What’s this about? Shin Yumyeong says he’s not going on the school trip?”
The English teacher, who had been pretending to focus on work with head down at the next desk, immediately rolled over in the wheeled chair and asked. The homeroom teacher just shook their head while touching their temple with a complicated expression.
“I don’t know. Should I call his parents?”
“That’s odd. That kid who plays well when it’s time to play. I thought he’d like it more than anyone.”
“I know. It’s not like him…”
Just then, the teachers’ office door opened again. This time it was Ryu Hakyoung who entered. Though bewildered by the continued visits, the homeroom teacher welcomed their student with a smile.
Hakyoung, who walked over briskly and politely greeted them, hesitated for a long time.
“Um, teacher…”
“Yes, Hakyoung.”
“Um, teacher. By any chance…”
Hesitating and moving his lips, what he finally asked was this.
“Um… what did Yumyeong just say before he left?”
At the unexpected question, the homeroom teacher was rather pleased and unburdened their concerns.
“Hakyoung! The thing is, phew. Yumyeong says he won’t go on the school trip? Do you know why?”
“What? He’s not going on the school trip?”
Hakyoung was a bit surprised but soon accepted it thinking ‘I see.’
Everyone knew that Yumyeong and Hakyoung were close friends. The homeroom teacher continued the conversation with faint hope, wondering if they could find out from Hakyoung why Yumyeong was like this. However, when carefully asked if something was going on with Yumyeong’s state of mind, Hakyoung firmly kept his mouth shut.
Moreover, the answer that ultimately came back from Hakyoung was completely different from the teacher’s expectations.
“What? You’re not going either?”
“Why are you two doing this?”
The English teacher who’d been eavesdropping from the next seat chimed in again, sliding over in the wheeled chair. Even under both teachers’ gazes, Hakyoung had a calm and resolute face.
“If I don’t have to go, I won’t go either. I just need to get my parents’ permission, right?”
***
When rumors spread that the two popular students of second year had chosen independent experiential learning instead of the school trip, quite a few students showed disappointment. After all, the opportunity to talk to them at the destination and the opportunity to play truth games together at the lodging had disappeared.
Still, since going itself was a joyful thing, the students soon shook off their disappointment.
The person most flustered by this news was none other than Yumyeong.
“Now, you two are the only ones who decided not to go on the school trip, right? Don’t think you can just goof off. Let’s make a plan together for what you’ll do for experiential learning during that time.”
A subject teacher who wouldn’t accompany the school trip came into the classroom and distributed papers one by one. On the A4 paper was a simple table in what seemed like a hastily made format.
Holding the blank plan, Yumyeong had been feeling frustrated inside.
Sneaking a glance to the side, Hakyoung was looking at the paper with a calm face, chin propped on his hand.
‘It can’t be that he’s not going because of me.’
Though strong suspicion arose, he couldn’t outright ask. If Hakyoung denied it, he’d be the only one who was self-absorbed. Moreover, when he thought that maybe he’d done this hoping Yumyeong would ask…
‘Absolutely won’t ask.’
He became even more reluctant to start a conversation.
Though it would be understandable to be upset because he wasn’t reacting as expected, Hakyoung was pretending not to know quite well. Not even making eye contact with him and filling out the paper.
Thinking he couldn’t understand what was inside at all, Yumyeong shook off his displeased thoughts.
“But don’t you two even discuss it once? By the way, you can’t do experiential learning separately. I’m the only escort. And what on earth are you writing? You haven’t even decided anything.”
Saying that, the teacher snatched the paper away. Hakyoung looked flustered for a moment then hung his head.
“What can you do for two nights and three days, there’s no clear plan yet. If you submit it haphazardly, they’ll definitely tell you to fix it, so from the start a proper clear plan… cle… doo doo doo baby shark doo doo…”
The teacher, who had been reading Hakyoung’s memo written as a stream of consciousness in a solemn voice, muttered ‘What’s this?’
In that moment, laughter burst out from the next seat with a “Puhak.”
Hakyoung looked to the side with wavering eyes. He’d clearly heard laughter from beside him, but Yumyeong sat with his head deeply bowed, not moving at all. Only after a while did Yumyeong slowly raise his head and look at the blackboard with unfocused eyes. Though he looked fine on the outside, he was deliberately making his consciousness hazy and spacing out like an airhead to prevent laughter from bursting out unexpectedly.
Embarrassed at being caught doing something stupid, Hakyoung spoke to the teacher in a small voice saying ‘Please give it back.’ The teacher let out a deflating laugh and returned the paper onto the desk.
“Geez, you rascal. Your face is this pretty but why is your handwriting so ugly? Anyway, you two talk together. About what you want to do. Except drinking, gambling, drugs, entertainment, and enlisting together…”
Saying that, the teacher left the classroom saying they’d go take care of something briefly.
Silence flowed in the classroom left with just the two of them.
Unexpectedly, it was Yumyeong who spoke first.
“You.”
Hakyoung flinched only inside without a word.
“Yeah.”
When he answered without even making eye contact, Yumyeong continued.
“Why aren’t you going on the school trip?”
“…I lived there. Washington DC. So not interested.”
“Ah.”
A very short conversation passed. The whole time, the two looked only at their desks without making eye contact. Yumyeong thought Hakyoung was making excuses, and Hakyoung’s throat tightened because Yumyeong speaking to him made him more nervous than he’d thought.
“What about you?”
This time Hakyoung carefully asked.
Yumyeong had no answer for a long time.
Looking to the side, Yumyeong was expressionlessly doodling, rolling the pen round and round on the paper. Only after a while did his mouth open and words spill out.
“…Too expensive.”
“…”
“A kid who costs money is burdensome, you know.”
At those words, Hakyoung didn’t know what to say.
