“Hohoho! I’ll put this to good use!”
The faculty room of Hanbit Academy.
A deep, hearty laugh echoed through the room.
The laugh belonged to Yoo Jeonghwan, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-B.
Thirty-nine years old. Single.
With a noticeably lighter step than usual, he left the faculty room and headed toward the classroom.
As a homeroom teacher, winning the sports festival this time had him in high spirits.
Especially the fact that he’d won a bet against the Class A homeroom teacher—it boosted his pride even more.
As soon as he opened the door, the chatter of students filled his ears.
“Quiet, quiet! Let’s start the class!”
He spoke in a cheerful voice, already wearing a satisfied smile in his heart.
‘Our class really did great this time.’
Walking toward the teacher’s desk, his gaze naturally passed over the faces of the students one by one.
Finally, his eyes landed on the last seat in the back.
Kim Dohyun.
He was sitting there, staring blankly out the window.
‘Whose son is he? So good-looking. He reminds me of my prime days.’
Dohyun’s expression seemed deep in thought, but what he was thinking about was a mystery.
‘What on earth does he spend his days thinking about?’
Jeonghwan let out a short sigh.
Recently, Dohyun had become one of the most talked-about students in the school.
He’d gotten into trouble for hitting one of the infamous Choi Gihoon’s gang members and had been disciplined for it.
But during this sports festival, his performance stood out remarkably.
His leadership and skills in the soccer match played a decisive role in the team’s victory.
‘He’s talented, but he seems so unmotivated.’
Jeonghwan pondered for a moment.
Kim Dohyun was a mysterious kid.
Despite his seemingly indifferent attitude toward his classmates, he was popular with everyone.
His skill in soccer had left the spectators in awe, and there were even rumors that a fan club had formed for him.
Yet, in the classroom, he remained the same—staring out the window, lost in thought.
That was Kim Dohyun.
Jeonghwan lightly tapped the desk and said, “We all know we won the sports festival, right?”
The students responded with cheers.
“Teacher! What are you going to do with the prize money?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk about.”
The students’ eyes sparkled as they focused on Jeonghwan.
“Since we beat Class A, we should decide where to go for our trip. Does anyone have a place in mind?”
The classroom immediately buzzed with excitement.
“Let’s go to an amusement park!”
“No, isn’t the beach better?”
“Camping would be fun too!”
Listening to their suggestions, Jeonghwan nodded lightly.
“Alright, alright. All good ideas. So, after class, let’s have the class president gather suggestions and hold a vote. Got it?”
The students responded enthusiastically.
“Yes!”
Jeonghwan smiled warmly and said,
“Let’s give it our best today, too!”
Leaning against the teacher’s desk, he glanced at Kim Dohyun again.
‘What an intriguing kid.’
***
Before the excitement of their sports festival victory even settled, Class 1-B was caught up in another heated debate.
This time, it was about where to go for their trip.
The boys and girls of the class were divided, each side standing firmly by their choice.
To be honest, I didn’t really care.
My seatmate, Seo Yuna, didn’t seem interested either.
‘I’d prefer somewhere close by,’ I thought.
While I was lost in thought, Jinyoung, the boys’ representative, stood up and slammed his desk.
“If it’s summer, it has to be the beach!”
“Think about it. There’s nothing like the beach in summer! We can swim, play soccer on the sand, and even enjoy fireworks at night. It’s perfect!”
The boys cheered in agreement.
“Yeah, yeah! The beach in summer is the best!”
“On a hot day, playing in the water is a must. Disagree, and your opinion doesn’t count.”
On the other hand, the girls didn’t look pleased.
“Does it have to be the beach?”
Choi Dabin, the girls’ representative, placed her hands on her hips and argued, “Think about it. The beach is too far! Plus, there’s so much to prepare. Don’t you hate how sand gets everywhere? It’s uncomfortable and annoying!”
She continued with a serious expression, “An amusement park is way more practical. You can ride attractions all day, take lots of photos, and you don’t have to travel far.”
The girls nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, the amusement park is more convenient!”
“The beach requires too much effort.”
The two representatives didn’t back down, and their argument escalated.
“Amusement parks are boring. What’s the fun in that?” Jinyoung taunted.
“Let’s be honest. The real reason you girls don’t want to go to the beach is because you’re worried your makeup will come off in the water.”
“What?!”
Dabin’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“I knew you’d say that. Boys are so immature. What’s fun about the beach? It’s so predictable. You just think we have to go because it’s summer.”
“Who cares? It’s about making memories!”
“Can’t we make memories at an amusement park? Riding attractions is way more fun.”
Dabin’s words made Jinyoung scoff.
“Screaming on rides is so enjoyable, huh? Also, amusement parks are a rip-off. The price of churros… ugh!”
“And beaches are cheap? All you do there is sit in the sand!”
Their argument grew more emotional.
I sighed, watching the two bicker.
‘Seriously, why are they like this? Just go anywhere.’
The classroom was already divided.
The boys cheered enthusiastically for Jinyoung, while the girls stood firmly with Dabin.
“Hey, what’s the point of an amusement park? You spend the whole day standing in line.”
“Then the beach? What are we going to do there, build sandcastles?”
“The amusement park will be packed with people too!”
“So will the beach! And don’t even get me started on how uncomfortable sand is!”
As the heated exchange continued, the class president glanced at me.
“How about we let Dohyun decide? After all, he played a big part in us winning first place in the sports festival.”
‘Ah, why suddenly turn the spotlight on me?’
I shot her a resentful look at her unexpected suggestion.
“Me?”
All eyes turned to me, waiting for my answer.
‘Seriously, why is this happening to me…?’
Though I was internally fuming, I tried to maintain a calm and indifferent expression.
Honestly, I didn’t care where we went.
In the original storyline, we didn’t even win the sports festival—we just stayed at school for self-study.
The fact that we were going somewhere was already a win in my book.
“Anywhere is fine,” I said casually.
Both the boys and girls looked dissatisfied with my answer.
The argument reignited almost immediately.
Jinyoung ran over to my seat, winked, and said, “See? You think the beach is better, right? Thanks, buddy!”
This guy… only calls me his friend when it’s convenient for him.
I raised my hands in mock surrender.
“No, I’m neutral. You guys figure it out yourselves.”
Ignoring me, Jinyoung raised his voice again.
“Listen, the cool breeze, the sound of the waves, and fireworks at night—it’s the perfect summer package! Admit it, summer equals the beach, right?”
The boys cheered and clapped at his words.
“Yeah, yeah! Swimming is a must!”
“And who knows, we might even see some cute girls there!”
However, the girls still seemed unconvinced.
Dabin narrowed her eyes and said, “I get what you’re saying, but let’s think practically. Going to the beach takes hours, and there’s so much stuff to prepare.”
She crossed her arms and glared at the boys.
“Honestly, we all know why you really want to go to the beach. You just want to see girls in bikinis, don’t you?”
The classroom erupted into laughter at her blunt remark.
“What? Why would you say that!”
Jinyoung’s face turned red as he quickly retorted.
“That’s not it! It’s just that the beach is genuinely a fun place to hang out!”
Dabin scoffed.
“Really? Then let me ask you—what exactly are you planning to do at the beach?”
Jinyoung hesitated for a moment before replying, “Swim, play soccer on the sand, set off fireworks—”
Dabin cut him off mid-sentence.
“Soccer on the sand? Do you seriously think going all the way to the beach just to play soccer makes any sense? You could do that on the school field!”
Once again, the classroom filled with laughter.
Tired of this childish debate, I reluctantly raised my hand.
All eyes turned to me again.
“Let’s just settle this with a vote,” I said.
The classroom fell silent for a moment, then everyone nodded in agreement.
“Alright, let’s vote!”
“Yeah, that’s the fairest way.”
The tension in the room eased slightly.
The class president began distributing paper slips for the vote.
As I received my slip, I wrote down my choice:
[Local Comic Book Café]
Honestly, I didn’t want to go to the beach or the amusement park.
Just lying around and reading light novels sounded like the perfect day to me.
The class president collected the votes and began counting them quietly.
“Alright, everyone, settle down!”
Her voice filled the room, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the results.
“The results are in… the beach it is!”
The boys erupted into cheers.
“Yes! Let’s go to the beach!”
“Summer is all about the beach!”
The girls, on the other hand, exchanged disappointed glances.
“Ugh, it’s only because there are more boys in our class.”
“Seriously, I hate how sand gets everywhere…”
I glanced at Yuna, who was sitting next to me.
Her blouse and skirt clung to her figure, making me think, ‘Well… the beach might not be so bad after all.’