Free Web NovelChapter 7: Class Observation
At first, I thought I was just groggy. Then, I figured it must be someone who looked similar.
But...
The bright blond hair that looked painted with crayons, the silver piercing only on the left earlobe, and the bronzed, muscular body visible even under the clothes. Everything reminded me of my older brother.
"Why do you look like that?"
Even the voice was the same.
Only then did Moon-byul realize that Taeyang had come for the class observation and opened her mouth in a silent scream.
If she had screamed here, it would have been the ultimate embarrassment. Barely lowering her volume, Moon-byul growled. Her hand hovered around his neck, ready to grab his collar at any moment.
"Hey! Why are you here!"
"Why not?"
Sitting on Moon-byul’s desk, Taeyang shrugged nonchalantly.
"It’s Moon-byul’s class observation day, so of course, I had to come."
Saying that, he opened the top of the bag he was carrying and showed her the inside. It was full of silver tin lunch boxes.
"I even packed lunch."
"No, how did you even know! And what about your exams!"
He was in casual clothes, clearly not planning to return to school after a brief appearance. It was an obvious outfit for skipping school.
Taeyang closed the bag again and replied,
"Missing a day won’t be a big deal."
"It is a big deal! It’s midterms!"
"More important than that,"
In an instant, the smile vanished from Taeyang’s face. Seeing him with a rare serious expression, Moon-byul couldn’t help but shut her mouth.
"You are much more important."
She should have told him to go back right away, to go to school and take the exam. That’s what she should have said. But Moon-byul couldn’t bring herself to say the words that had been on the tip of her tongue for so long. In the end, she hung her head, and Taeyang patted her shoulder encouragingly.
"Focus on your class. I’ll be watching from the back."
*
Class observation days are different from regular classes.
If the teacher just read from the textbook and wrote notes on the board like any other day, it would be ridiculous for the observing parents.
The class was divided into two groups, and the teacher would throw out a topic for a debate.
Of course, the quality of such classes depends entirely on the students’ participation, but during parent observation days, students have no choice but to raise their hands, whether they like it or not, under the watchful eyes of their parents.
"Alright, who wants to present next? Okay, Suhyeon, you go."
Moon-byul, sitting in the middle of the classroom, sat upright and stared at the blackboard. She hadn’t raised her hand even once during the third period due to lack of motivation, but during the fourth period, she felt a constant prickling sensation on the back of her neck.
She slowly turned her head to look behind her.
At the back of the classroom, Taeyang was leaning against a locker, staring intently at her. She checked the back several times, but not once did she see him looking at his phone or anywhere else.
Moreover, every time their eyes met, Taeyang would smile slightly, and Moon-byul would quickly turn her head back, feeling like a child caught doing something wrong.
As the teacher looked around the classroom, it was almost time to end the class.
"Alright, who wants to present their opinion last?"
After hesitating for a while, Moon-byul raised her hand.
The most surprised was her classmate, and next was the teacher leading the class.
"Uh, okay. Moon-byul, you go."
Since she was far from a diligent student, her presentation caused quite a stir. Moon-byul stood up slowly. She glanced at Taeyang one last time before opening her mouth.
"...Therefore, I agree with the topic." freewebnovel.cσ๓
After finishing her stumbling presentation, she sat back down. The sound of loud applause came from where Taeyang was sitting, enthusiastically clapping his hands.
Can’t he be a bit more modest? She thought, but when their eyes met and he stopped clapping, giving her a thumbs up, she couldn’t help but smile.
She mouthed a single word to him,
"Idiot."
And instantly, her face flushed red.
She felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. Trying to hide her reddened face, she covered her cheeks with both hands and hung her head.
She had meant to say thank you, but instead, harsh words came out. Why had she done that?
After that, the teacher made some closing remarks, but Moon-byul couldn’t focus at all. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t understand Taeyang.
Listening to her classmates talk about their brothers, Taeyang seemed like a character straight out of a novel.
Kind, handsome, good at studying, and physically fit.
In her memories, her brother had never gotten angry or rebellious with their parents or her.
She had never been jealous of Taeyang. In fact, she had genuinely liked him.
Rather, because he was so mature, their parents’ love and attention were mostly directed towards her, and Taeyang had always been on her side, no matter what.
The more she thought about the past, the more she felt guilty and embarrassed.
Except for that one big fight a year ago, Taeyang had always taken care of her selflessly. She might not be grateful, but at least she shouldn’t be so harsh...
Still hanging her head, she muttered darkly,
"Why does he take care of me so well...?"
*
After class ended, it was lunchtime. Some families went to the cafeteria, while others spread out mats on the playground or in the rest area.
And Taeyang and Moon-byul...
"Hmm, this is nice."
Leaning against the rooftop railing, Taeyang looked out at the view. The school, located on a hill, had a pretty decent view.
"Your... brother’s school also has a rooftop you can go up to."
"Our school has an apartment complex nearby, so there’s nothing to see. Plus, it’s usually crawling with delinquents, so it’s not really a place to hang out..."
Taeyang, casually replying while opening the lunch box, suddenly turned his head in surprise. He thought he heard an unbelievable term just now. freeweɓnøvel.com
Sitting next to him with her legs crossed, Moon-byul pouted and bounced her knees up and down. Her short skirt occasionally revealed her underwear, but she didn’t seem to care.
"What? What is it?"
"Nothing, it’s just..."
He didn’t want to say anything that might upset her. Taeyang smiled and ruffled Moon-byul’s hair.
"Our Moon-byul has grown up so much."
"Don’t touch me without permission!"
She was about to slap his hand away but clenched her fist instead. She grabbed Taeyang’s wrist and slowly lowered it. Her unusual behavior made him just smile.
"Let’s eat."
Opening the lunch box, Moon-byul couldn’t help but be impressed.
"...When did you prepare all this?"
Judging by the atmosphere, he couldn’t have known about the class observation for very long, yet the lunch was so lavish it was almost extravagant. Plus, every dish was one of her favorites.
"I put in some effort."
And cut my fingers a bit. Taeyang left the last part unsaid and handed Moon-byul a pair of chopsticks.
"You skipped breakfast too."
Moon-byul quietly took the chopsticks.
As they finished most of the lunch box, Moon-byul looked back and forth between Taeyang and the lunch box and muttered,
"Well, with this, you could get married right away."
"Really?"
At her compliment, Taeyang smiled lightly.
"Still, you can’t get married alone, right? You need a partner."
"So... "
Hesitating for a moment, Moon-byul asked carefully. She tried to sound casual, but her voice trembled with nervousness.
"What about me...?"
She tried to pass it off as a joke, but she couldn’t hide her tension. Unlike her nervous expression, Taeyang laughed at the cute question.
Then he started patting Moon-byul’s back vigorously.
"Ouch?"
"Moon-byul would be more than enough!"
After a few pats, Moon-byul writhed in pain. Rubbing her back with the back of her hand, she shouted,
"Damn it... Why are you so strong?"
Despite her words, the corners of her mouth kept twitching upwards. The warm feeling spreading from her back throughout her body felt strangely good.
"What’s wrong? Does it hurt that much? Should I blow on it?"
"Are you crazy! Really!"
As they finished the apple he had brought, Taeyang asked,
"So, how’s school life?"
Usually, her answer to such personal questions would be, "It’s none of your business." But today was different.
"It’s not bad... Yeah, it’s okay."
The siblings talked. Maybe it was because they were in a more open space rather than their usual home, but they felt a slight opening in their usually closed-off hearts. Their conversation continued until the bell rang, signaling the end of lunchtime.
*
Starting from the fifth period, there was no more class observation, so the two had to part ways.
Unlike her sullen mood in the morning, Moon-byul smiled and waved as she entered the classroom for the last time. Feeling that they had resolved things reasonably well as a family, Taeyang felt that skipping the midterm exams was worth it.
He was now waiting in an empty classroom for his turn to meet the homeroom teacher. The parent-teacher meeting would take at least another hour before his turn came.
Instead of just waiting idly, he decided to explore the school.
"Hmm."
As he walked around the school, Taeyang stopped in front of a glass door outside the building. The sign said "Infirmary." He hesitated.
He hadn’t shown it, but he had badly cut his finger while preparing the lunch box.
He had only done a quick first aid with a bandage since he didn’t have time to do more. Since he was here, he thought he might as well get it properly disinfected.
"Since I’m here as a parent..."
Muttering to himself, he opened the infirmary door and stepped inside. He hoped they wouldn’t turn him away.
