Chapter 43: The Student Becomes the Teacher

I hesitated in response to Jinhyang’s question, feeling a bit tense.

I had been imitating a scarier version of her, and I worried that maybe I’d gone too far and made her uncomfortable.

“What were you doing, grabbing Raxy’s cheek like that?” she asked.

“Um… well…”

I fidgeted nervously, debating what to say, but ultimately decided to be honest.

There was no point in trying to hide something she’d already seen.

“I was… pretending to be you.”

“Pretending to be… me?”

“Yes.” Even as I answered, I kept a close eye on her reaction.

I’d been imitating her intense side, so it was only natural that she might feel offended.

“That was supposed to be… me?”

“Yes, the ‘angry’ version of you.”

“Really?”

“But you don’t usually seem that scary! It was just a bit exaggerated, you know, for effect.”

I felt a surge of panic, convinced that I was in trouble.

I straightened my posture, sitting properly on the sofa with my hands on my knees in a polite pose.

“Do I normally act like that around you?”

“No, of course not! That was just your ‘scary’ version. There’s also a ‘nice’ version of you.”

“My ‘nice’ version?”

A peculiar expression crossed Jinhyang’s face as if she were trying to imagine what her ‘nice’ side might look like.

“Want me to show you?”

“…Sure, go ahead.”

“Alright!”

Since I had her permission, I figured there was no reason to hold back. Clearing my throat, I stepped closer to her.

“Can you crouch down a bit, boss?”

“How much?”

“Lower.”

Though she looked puzzled, she bent down at her waist and knees, so she was almost at eye level with me.

“A little more. Even smaller, please.”

“What exactly are you trying to do?” she asked, sounding slightly exasperated but complying nonetheless, her height dropping until she was shorter than me.

At that point, I slid my arms under hers, aiming to lift her.

“Guh!”

I tried to hoist her up, but she didn’t budge an inch. My arms trembled as though I were trying to lift a soft block of iron.

‘S-So heavy.’

Clearly, lifting her wasn’t going to work, so I adjusted my grip and instead wrapped her in a tight hug.

“Grr!”

Using all my strength, I tried to lift her by hugging her around the waist, but she was still too heavy.

“What are you doing?”

“I wanted to lift you, but it turns out you’re really heavy, boss.”

Since she was tall and lean, I thought it’d be easy to lift her, but it seemed like she weighed more than expected.

“Maybe it’s not that I’m heavy; maybe you’re just weak, Harang,” she said, giving me a sly, crescent-eyed smile.

I took a step back, instinctively retreating. For some reason, that smile felt even scarier than her angry expression.

Seeing me recoil, Jinhyang straightened her posture, stepping forward each time I took a step back.

“So, what exactly were you going to do after lifting me?”

“Well… I was just going to give you a hug…”

“And why’s that?”

“Because you’re the ‘nice’ boss?”

Jinhyang froze at my response, processing what I’d said.

“That’s what you think my ‘nice’ side looks like?”

“Yes.”

“Hm…”

She gazed at me for a long moment before suddenly reaching out to gently pat my head.

Jinhyang’s touch was unusually gentle, and it sent a strange chill down my spine.

“Wh-what’s going on?” I stammered, wondering if she was still upset. Or was this just her way of expressing anger?

Before I could make sense of it, Jinhyang lifted me up into a tight embrace.

“Why do you like this so much?” she asked.

“It’s just… it makes me feel relaxed.”

“Really? Should I hold you like this all day, then?”

“All day…?” That would be torture! Even nice things get exhausting when they go on too long.

But I didn’t really have a choice here—I could only nod in agreement.

‘Was this her plan all along…?’

I knew she was upset, but I never imagined she’d vent her frustration like this.

Truly, she was a terrifying woman. However, there was one thing she didn’t realize. If I couldn’t move while she held me, I could simply… fall asleep.

I flashed her a little grin, closed my eyes, and gave in to my drowsiness. After all, humans are adaptable creatures.

Raxy Bora watched Harang drift off in Jinhyang’s arms, then turned to face her sister.

“Unnie, this time, you were the one in the wrong. You know that, right?”

“…”

With a pout, Raxy Bora fixed Jinhyang with a reproachful look, catching Jinhyang off guard. It was the first time she’d seen Raxy look so serious.

“Kids pick things up quickly. You saw how Harang acted earlier, using harsh language.”

Though Jinhyang was unused to being scolded by Raxy, she had to admit her fault this time. She sighed in resignation.

“Alright. I understand. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I mean it.”

Jinhyang closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. She hadn’t expected Harang to mirror people’s behavior so closely.

‘Maybe he learned it by watching me?’

It was clearly her mistake. Children often absorb the actions of the adults around them.

Perhaps it was a mistake to occasionally treat Harang like an adult, even though he’d once been one.

Jinhyang tended to be hard on herself when it came to setting a good example,

which may have led her to react more harshly to Harang’s behavior.

‘I should have just treated him like a child.’

In moments like these, she envied Raxy Bora and Yoon Bora, who could see Harang purely as a child.

‘But acting like Raxy isn’t easy for me now.’

Spoiling Harang unconditionally didn’t suit Jinhyang’s nature, yet she couldn’t avoid it entirely.

After all, Harang was still growing, and he would inevitably be influenced by those around him.

His character, actions, and emotional responses were bound to evolve as he absorbed everything he saw and heard.

“Tsk.”

Jinhyang clicked her tongue softly and gently tugged at Harang’s cheek as he slept.

“Raxy.”

“Yes?”

“You’re in charge of his education from now on.”

“M-me?” Raxy’s cheeks turned pink at the sudden responsibility.

As Raxy stepped closer, Jinhyang instinctively moved back a bit, feeling slightly overwhelmed by her eagerness.

“Yes. You’ll handle his studies and physical education. Think you can do it?”

“Of course! Leave it to me!”

“Yap-yap!”

Raxy cheered, throwing a fist into the air, and Jinhyang nodded in approval.

Knowing Raxy’s genuine care for Harang, Jinhyang felt reassured.

But then, a gentle shake on my shoulder woke me up from my slumber.

“Hmm?” I murmured, rubbing my tired eyes and looking toward the source of the gentle prodding. There stood Raxy Bora, holding a wooden pointer.

“Raxy?”

She tapped the pointer lightly on her hand, looking down at me. “Harang, wake up.”

Tap-tap—

The rhythmic tapping of the pointer was oddly soothing, like a lullaby, and my eyelids grew even heavier.

“Raxy, I’m sleepy. Can I just sleep a little more?”

“It’s ‘Teacher,’ not ‘Raxy,’” she corrected.

“…Teacher?” I repeated, confused.

With my eyes half-closed, I noticed that she was dressed like an actual teacher,

complete with a pointer, glasses that didn’t seem necessary, and a neat blazer.

‘Is this a dream?’ I wondered, fighting my grogginess as I sat up.

That’s when I realized I had been lying on the living room sofa.

“Now, Harang, say ‘Teacher.’”

“Teacher?”

“Ugh!” Raxy clutched her chest dramatically and sank into a chair.

“Teacher, I have a question.”

“Wh-what is it?”

“What are you doing right now?”

She cleared her throat and replied, “Starting today, I’m officially in charge of your education.”

“Ohh.” I remembered Jinhyang mentioning that I should work on some brain exercises to get sharper. Maybe this was part of that plan.

“Harang, are you done with all your questions?” she asked, eager to move on.

“Yes!” Becoming a genius seemed simple enough—I’d just follow her lead.

“Then let’s begin with a lesson on mathematical thinking.”

Raxy pulled out a worksheet, a set of elementary-level problems.

The difficulty was around an upper elementary grade level.

‘Elementary school math?’ I thought, feeling slightly underestimated. I’d at least learned high school-level math before.

“Before we start, let’s do a little skill test. Try solving this first problem here.”

“Alright.”

“No, say ‘Yes, Teacher,’” she corrected again.

“Yes, Teacher.”

I took the worksheet Raxy handed me and sat at the table.

‘Hmm…’

The ten problems she’d given me weren’t impossible, but I felt a bit rusty. Still, I worked through them, counting on my fingers when needed.

It was just elementary school math, after all.

“Raxy, I’m done,” I announced, holding up the paper.

“Teacher.”

“Teacher, I’m done with the worksheet.”

“Alright, let me have a look.”

She took the worksheet from me and began marking it—or pretending to, rather. She got stuck on the very first problem.

“Hmm, this is… harder than I thought.”

“Raxy…?”

“Ahem! Teacher?”

I watched her scrawl a series of numbers on the page, but they had no relevance to the solution.

She’d even scribbled some random symbols that looked more like doodles than math.

“Harang, what does ‘common denominator’ mean?”

“…Common denominator?”

Wasn’t that something basic? Seeing my look of sympathy, Raxy, who was nearby, averted her eyes.

Raxy coughed, a bit embarrassed. “I, uh… was an art major, so math isn’t really my thing…”

“But this is elementary math?”

“…”

Her silence said it all. She wasn’t really equipped to teach me math, at least not at this level.

“H-Harang, is this the right answer?” she asked cautiously, glancing at me.

Putting on a serious expression, I replied, “It’s ‘Teacher,’ Raxy.”

“Harang?”

“Ahem! Teacher,” I insisted.

Seeing her bewildered look, I tapped my pencil on the table a couple of times.

Tap-tap!

Sorry, Raxy, but it looks like I’m the teacher now.