Quite a bit of ti had passed since that day.
That ans sumr vacation had started. And it also ant it was about to get busy for .
‘This is really the last ti...’
Once this is over, I’ll make sure to stay in bed for good.
I yawned and looked at the book in front of .
[Angel] had already arrived in the country.
Even though I was running out of ti, if anyone asked why I was reading a book in the school library, I wouldn’t have an answer for them.
The reason was simple. I couldn’t see it right now.
To be exact, there was external control in place.
The painting just arrived yesterday, and there were still several checks and controls going on.
When I was in China, I solved [Phoenix] as soon as it arrived.
Why is it different in our country... Hmm.
But I thought it was better to ensure security and do proper inspections.
That’s why I was staying still.
There was no rush, and since my teacher had already seen it, I wasn’t too worried.
But there was one thing on my mind.
The whereabouts of the [Dragon].
The painting had long been burned and disappeared, along with the personality that was inside it.
Considering the last sighting was [Angel]... I don’t know.
I was used to masterpieces fighting with each other, but they couldn’t kill each other.
Well, should I say they killed each other? They could eat each other, after all.
Leaning back against the chair’s backrest, I crossed my arms.
‘Should I just fix the painting and leave?’
Was there really a need to et that guy again?
...I guess I have to.
Anyway, there was nothing I urgently needed to do right now.
For so reason, my teacher and Hong Jin-Hoo were with [Angel].
When did those two beco so close?
I pushed the random thought aside and turned my eyes to the clock hanging on the library wall.
It was almost lunchti. Our Sa-Jong Art High School is different from other schools, as it operates during the vacation.
It’s like a sumr session in college.
Third-year students have to attend, no choice there.
But while we attend school, attending classes is optional.
If that’s the case, I don’t really know why we even have to co to school, but what can I do?
The school guidelines say so.
To be honest, it didn’t make much difference since I spent most of my ti sleeping even when it was during the term.
It was vacation, but I was still coming to school. This felt weird.
I stretched my arms and stood up, just as I heard the library door open.
Three light, quiet footsteps.
“What’s up? Let’s go eat lunch!”
“We’re in a library, though.”
“So what? You’re the only one here, Eun.”
I had nothing to say. I chuckled at Choi Ye-Seo’s objection and put the book I was reading back on the shelf.
“Eun, you don’t drink milk, right?”
“Yul, don’t you think you should stop drinking so much milk...?”
Ha Soo-Yul asked from the side, and Hong Ye-Hwa awkwardly smiled and spoke.
“Milk doesn’t make you fat. It strengthens your bones.”
“Sure...”
Hong Ye-Hwa leaned tiredly against Ha Soo-Yul’s shoulder.
She looked so tired, I wondered what she had been doing.
Maybe she noticed my expression. Hong Ye-Hwa smiled slightly and began to speak.
“I was curious about how the PE classes were going. So I went to visit...”
It seed like she didn’t want to go any further.
I could guess what had happened.
Especially since Choi Ye-Seo, being an idol, had decent stamina and didn’t seem that tired.
Though, she said she wasn’t as tired as Ha Soo-Yul, but... honestly, it seed like the difference wasn’t much.
To , it looked like they were all the sa.
‘Still, my stamina’s improved quite a bit recently.’
Maybe I should try exercising a bit more seriously.
I thought about that as I led the group to the cafeteria when I spotted a familiar back.
“Teacher Lee Ah-Reum.”
“Oh? Ha-Eun! Soo-Yul, Ye-Seo, Ye-Hwa, hello.”
After vacation began, Seol Yoon returned to her position as a manager at Drawing Korea.
Originally, she had planned to stay until the second sester, but my teacher’s return ant Lee Ah-Reum’s return as well.
In other words, things wrapped up earlier than expected.
To be honest, she seed pretty happy when she left. When I asked why...
“Ugh, today’s kids are so hard to deal with!”
She said that as she left. But, isn’t Seol Yoon still one of “today’s kids?”
We’re not that far apart in age.
Anyway, when Teacher Lee Ah-Reum returned, the school returned to normal.
Well, at least our class did.
“Lunch, always going out to eat...”
“Oh no. I’m not that bourgeois.”
What... a hotel that costs tens of thousands per night and here you are...
Seeing her skillfully avoiding my gaze made feel absurd.
This person hasn’t changed one bit. Well, neither have I, really.
“Just... sotis, I want to eat school als too.”
“Ah, okay.”
I wonder if this teacher will ever get married.
She’s getting to an age where it seems possible... Hmm.
But I’ll leave those thoughts for later.
I couldn’t ignore the three pairs of eyes glaring at .
“Why don’t we eat together?”
“Oh, is that okay? I thought it would be awkward.”
I barely shook off their intense stares and shrugged.
“Teacher, you don’t have any friends, do you?”
“Hey, you!”
I didn’t mind the sharp looks they were giving . Honestly, I was sweating behind my back.
The reason I was insisting on having lunch with Teacher Lee Ah-Reum was because I had a question to ask and sothing I wanted to discuss with her later.
You might think I could just ask after lunch, but...
Hmm, is there really a need to go through the trouble?
It’s more efficient to handle it all at once.
While holding my tray and sitting by the window, the two of them sat next to , and the others sat across from .
Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol weren’t in the cafeteria. They must’ve gone to eat separately.
As we ate and chatted, the atmosphere relaxed.
“Teacher, has the teacher ever done anything strange?”
“Hmm? Not really.”
When I started talking about my teacher, Teacher Lee Ah-Reum nodded.
I was asking because my teacher sotis does strange things. It always leads to incidents.
Like walking straight through the middle of a ladder or eting a black cat.
These kinds of unlucky events tend to follow my teacher.
“Oh. I think when he saw [Angel], his expression stayed frozen for a while.”
“Hmm. Got it.”
Well, that wasn’t really strange.
‘But sothing feels off...’
It felt like I had eaten a sweet potato without a drink.
I didn’t feel satisfied. But I guess there’s nothing to be done. I’ll just have to wait.
As they say, ti is the answer. But just then, my phone vibrated.
[Teacher: The inspection is over. It seems like it’s going to be transferred to Drawing Korea, but... will you co over?]
My appetite imdiately vanished, teacher.
***
[: I'll go after school is over.] [Teacher: Okay.]
I sighed while looking at the ssage from four hours ago.
I had already finished school. Changed clothes and arrived at Drawing Korea for the first ti in a while.
mories from a few years ago ca flooding back. I had sent out Peach Blossom Paradise from here.
That was already three years ago. Ti really flies.
I entered the building and walked up to the receptionist at the desk.
"Hello~. How can I help you?"
She smiled brightly, which made think she had probably just started working here.
The employees here always had dark circles under their eyes.
I didn’t recognize her face either.
"Where is the art managent office?"
"Ah... just a mont!"
The receptionist beca flustered for a mont and quickly pulled out a manual.
Then she said,
“Sorry, but we don’t have sothing called an art managent office here…”
"Wait, hold on."
What the heck?
She picked up her phone and dialed.
[Did you arrive okay?]
“I did, but they say there’s no art managent office here?”
[Oh, right. They said the regular staff wouldn’t know.]
Has she really gone senile?
[Wait a mont. I’ll co up.]
“Okay…”
I frowned, feeling a headache coming on, and apologized to the flustered receptionist.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t given proper instructions.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine!”
Finally, she smiled again. I sat in a chair tucked into a corner, relieved.
After waiting for about five minutes, I saw my teacher, Low-Hwa, walking out from the opposite corridor.
"Your face looks quite gloomy."
"Whose fault do you think it is?"
I hadn’t eaten lunch properly after reading that ssage.
At my rebellious attitude, my teacher chuckled.
"Let’s go. Jin-Hoo and Jin-Cheol are here too."
"Only you call them that, teacher."
"I’ll take it as a complint."
The Sun of Atlantis, the Chairman of Sa-Jong Art High, and on top of that, my teacher.
What a combination.
I followed my teacher as we walked, and soon we arrived at an elevator.
I had seen earlier that this area was restricted for authorized personnel only.
Should I even be here?
“There’s an angel on the second basent floor. I tried fixing it once in France, but it wasn’t easy.”
"What’s that? Then, please finish fixing it."
“That’s sothing only you can do, you know?”
We joked as we entered the elevator. My teacher pressed the button for B2.
The doors closed, and we slowly descended.
When the elevator reached its destination, the bell chid and the doors opened.
A short hallway was all I could see. And at the end of that hallway, a lone door.
How does a company even have a space like this?
Even though I was surprised, my teacher walked out as though it was nothing.
“Nothing’s really changed. But the color has completely changed.”
“That’s contradictory.”
“What I an is that the identity of the painting is still the sa. And fixing that is your job.”
“Really.”
“Really, what? Try doing more.”
“You’re a big-hearted person. I’m so touched that you prepared the work for your student in advance.”
One day, I will pour a jar of honey over that man’s head.
“As soon as you see it, don’t be surprised. I did my best too.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
My teacher opened a double-layered door.
What appeared inside was an empty room.
Just one painting and a few people.
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