Chapter 53

After Park Geon-su called Min Hae-yun over separately,

Hae-yun followed Park Geon-su wherever he led her.

Then, upon reaching the third-year level…

“Who is Jin Ho from the Department of Computer Science?”

“That’s me!”

“It’s about the club. Come over.”

Without any preamble, Park Geon-su entered the third-year computer science class and summoned Jin Ho.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“Exactly as you’ve heard. There’s something the club supervisor wants to discuss with you.”

“Ugh…”

When Jin Ho asked for clarification, Hae-yun didn’t elaborate much.

She only understood that they were being assigned a new room, but providing a detailed explanation was Park Geon-su’s responsibility. Moreover, it would have felt awkward to chatter excessively in front of the primary parties involved. So, they arrived at the second-year level, where Hae-yun obediently followed behind Park Geon-su.

“Is Condi Arin here?”

“That’s me?”

“Yes, you. These days, when I call you, it’s ‘That’s me?’ instead of just ‘Yes’…”

“I’m sorry, teacher. It’s just…”

“Ah, it’s you, isn’t it?”

Park Geon-su seemed poised to start a familiar reprimand but abruptly shut his mouth, pretending to know her well.

“Last semester, there was a lecture that I forgot about, but looking at your face now, it all comes back to me. Arin.”

“Thank you for remembering me.”

“Yes, yes, you were the best handling Spine animations in our school. How vivid the memories come back.”

This was followed by excessive flattery.

This guy…

“Too easy to read…”

It felt like this educator was going too far, even for someone like him. He was especially vulnerable when it came to pretty girls like Hae-yun and Arin.

Of course, as long as he didn’t cross certain boundaries, this was a teacher who could be exceptionally kind to female students, as evidenced by his willingness to secure a room for the club upon Hae-yun’s request. He planned to maximize the potential utility of this situation for now.

“What exactly happened?”

Naturally joining the group, Arin asked Hae-yun about the situation.

“You’ll know when we get there, I suspect. All I’ve been told is that it relates to the club.”

“Me too.”

“Related to the club…?”

Arin tilted her head, not quite understanding, and Park Geon-su reprimanded them not to chatter in the hallway.

Though lenient with female students, he was still pretty strict about such things. So, the four cautiously headed toward the farthest end of the second-year level.

When they arrived…

“I’ll get the key to this room later.”

Park Geon-su unlocked the padlock and entered. There was a musty smell in the neglected classroom, and all three who followed him frowned slightly.

“Let’s ventilate. Pull the curtains and open the windows.”

With that, Park Geon-su clapped twice and suggested they ventilate the room. He would stand still by the teacher’s desk while they opened the windows. Since none of the three were particularly inflexible types, they headed toward the windows without verbally responding.

They opened the squeaky windows, then turned back to Park Geon-su.

“Don’t sit on the chairs. Listen standing since they’re covered in dust. We need to clean before we can use them properly.”

“Understood, sir.”

Hae-yun answered on behalf of the group while Park Geon-su picked up a piece of chalk rolling around the board and roughly scribbled a character.

Though Hae-yun wasn’t skilled at reading Chinese characters, she recognized it as a name since she had seen it once before.

“Min Hae-yun, I’m your homeroom teacher, and I assume you, Arin, know my name even if only vaguely. With the addition of computer science students, let’s redo introductions properly. First, I am Mr. Park Geon-su, your supervisor for the club.”

“Wow…”

“Clap…”

“Wow, wow!”

After Park Geon-su introduced himself, there was an awkward outburst of praise from the three students.

“Ah, you don’t have to. Anyway, moving on, your club’s name is temporarily ‘Game Publishing Division.'”

“Why?”

“Hey, don’t rush me….”

“I’m sorry!”

On reflection, even before they had agreed on a club name, Park Geon-su had already submitted the application. It seemed like he had arbitrarily chosen the name “Game Publishing Division,” leading to a situation Arin hadn’t anticipated, which instinctively prompted her to behave in what one might call an MZ way (“MZ” referring to the Millennial and Generation Z age group). Of course, asking “Why?” is the one thing teachers of Park Geon-su’s generation dislike most.

“In any case, to start over, the ‘Game Publishing Division’ is named so to differentiate it from the current general club, the ‘Game Development Division.'”

“What’s the exact difference?”

Though Park Geon-su’s attitude might irritate some, Hae-yun continued asking questions, pushing for clarification.

“Practicality. Hae-yun, remember when you showed me that 360 million won crowdfunded webpage?”

“I did?”

“When I searched for the game’s name, it appeared right away, and I used that as material at the last faculty meeting.”

“That?”

“Rare student-led initiatives these days, combined with economic aspects. In our school, which focuses on employment preparation, activities like these should actually be encouraged.”

Thus, Park Geon-su cleverly leveraged that crowdfunded project he’d stumbled upon to broker a deal at an internal faculty meeting and even secured approval for the establishment of a new club, a true testament to what a dedicated educator should do.

“So, are we talking about the addition of a new club? I heard they were only continuing with the existing free choice clubs due to all the talk about the pandemic and so on…”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“Well, yes. I can understand approving the establishment of a club, but this classroom was originally used by the second-year computer science class, group 3. Though class 3 has been dissolved due to student capacity adjustments starting this year…

“Is it really a problem that an empty classroom has been assigned to you?”

“Not really a problem… but I don’t quite understand the circumstances…”

While Jin Ho, who had quietly listened to the conversation, posed a few questions, Park Geon-su responded with a chuckle and expanded his explanation.

“Simple. A teacher’s job is to give wings to proactive students.”

This was a stark contrast to his earlier reaction when Arin instinctively questioned him.

Apparently, Park Geon-su was incredibly strict with students showing so-called MZ behaviors but excessively lenient with proactive students like Jin Ho, who asked questions to better understand the situation.

“To tell you the truth, if a student can create a team before even enrolling, develop a game, and generate sales in the tens of millions, that’s a strong enough reason to establish a new club. Giving up one classroom—it’s not that hard, even in my opinion.”

“Ah…”

Hae-yun finally seemed to understand, emitting a small sigh. Park Geon-su, nearing retirement age, was among the more senior members of the faculty.

It’s a bit like treating him as a senior non-commissioned officer. Even if his requests might seem a bit excessive, he generally tries his best to accommodate them.

Moreover, since there are only four people, including the supervisor, in a classroom, it doesn’t violate social distancing guidelines or legal issues.

“In any case, henceforth, this is where you’ll conduct your activities.”

“Are there any rules we should keep in mind?”

“Just avoid fooling around here. Feel free to come whenever—before morning assemblies, lunch break, and after dismissal—to work on your projects. If hauling tablets or laptops around is cumbersome, you can store them in the empty lockers over there.”

In short, an untouchable sanctuary had been established.

From now on, the trio could leisurely work here, perhaps sipping coffee. They wouldn’t have to worry about distractions or interruptions from others while they worked in the classroom.

“We have three keys in total, including the spare. The two who get here earliest should take care of them. I’ll hold onto one in case of emergencies.”

Afterward, Park Geon-su handed over the two spare keys, suggesting they share them among themselves.

Hae-yun, Arin, and Jin Ho exchanged subtle glances before…

“Well, I’m off then.”

Park Geon-su naturally headed for the classroom door.

“Leaving so soon?”

“Even if I stayed, I wouldn’t be of much help since the type of games you’re making feels foreign to me. The art styles don’t really suit my tastes either. So, it’s better if you continue as you always have. A monthly progress report will suffice for us to stay in touch.”

And just as he was about to leave coolly…

“Oh, do clean up this place a bit. It was only used for online classes and locked up all last year. It’s filthy. It might harm your respiratory system if you just use it as is. Plus, you’ll get your uniforms dirty.”

After leaving a few more pieces of practical advice, he calmly left.

Thus, the three were left standing alone in the dusty classroom.

“Should we clean up a bit? There’s still time before the first period begins.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Ugh… I hate cleaning… The boys always get tasked with it, don’t they? Teachers at our school…”

“But don’t girls outnumber boys in our school now?”

“True. Yet here’s someone so big acting so whiny… Hae-yun, with someone as small as you taking the initiative, it’s funny.”

“Oh, well… let’s just clean. Cleaning.”

After some brief grumbles, they began tidying up.

#

Club activities.

The game publishing division started its official operations on the first Wednesday.

“Did you finish the new SCG (Scripted Cutscene Game) work?”

“Yes, I’ve completed it. I’ll upload the file to group chat right away, so please apply the latter half of the SCG as soon as possible. To finalize the sound scripting, the other script insertions need to be finished first.”

“Ah, I’m almost done with the final background. I’ll send it over quickly.”

Hae-yun deviated from the schedule she had planned before in-person classes resumed.

Now, Hae-yun attends school by 8 AM, attends classes until the end of the day, meets with the group in the club room from early afternoon until around 7 PM. Though still packed, working together at school allows her to have more leisure time at home, which makes her feel more at ease.

“Great work. Have a good day.”

“Right, see you tomorrow, Hae-yun. Remember, if you need snacks, just tell me?”

“Phew… I’m so tired… Since I’m in the final year, I’m getting worn out early… Goodnight, everyone. I’ll head home first.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow.”

And then,

After working solidly until 7 PM, Hae-yun walked home alone.

“Ah.”

Hae-yun let out a small sigh, as if realizing something important.

“Shit…”

Today was Wednesday.

As Arin had said, “See you tomorrow,” Hae-yun would need to come to school again, and there were still two more days left in the week.

“Why must I endure such trials?”

She needed to find a way to make attending school a bit more enjoyable. It couldn’t go on like this indefinitely.

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