Chapter 71

The time after the start of the school term passed quickly.

"Looks like it's time to put away the autumn clothes," said Teacher Lee Ah-Reum.

"The weather's gotten colder, hasn't it?"

The fallen leaves scattered on the ground were proof enough. It was undeniable—the air had turned crisp and cold.

Walking beside me, Teacher Lee Ah-Reum stifled a yawn and turned to look at me.

"So, why today of all days?"

"Pardon? Oh, well, the [Seiren] project is almost finished, and I finally have some free time," I replied.

"Oh? Does that mean you'll show me [Seiren] when it's done?"

"That won't be too hard," I said casually.

October was already nearing its end. Nothing particularly eventful had happened in the meantime. My life followed a predictable routine: home, school, studio, then back home again.

Recently, though, the work on [Seiren] had entered its final stages.

"I estimated it would take about three months, but it looks like I might finish it earlier than expected."

With that in mind, today I had planned to visit the old school building with Teacher Lee Ah-Reum.

And no, it absolutely wasn't because I was afraid of running into ghosts.

"Oh, by the way, teacher," I said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Do you know the name Lee Ah-Ram?"

"Huh? How do you know that name?" she asked, visibly surprised.

My hunch had been correct. The world really was a small place.

"Ah, never mind. If it's a sensitive topic, you don't have to explain."

"It's not exactly sensitive, but... hmm."

She hesitated briefly before speaking.

"I had an older sister by that name. She was quite a bit older than me, so I don’t really remember her."

"I see."

An awkward silence followed. Not knowing what to say, I kept glancing at her for cues.

"We're here. I’ve got the key to the main gate, so I’ll open it," she said, breaking the tension.

I quietly watched her back as she walked ahead to unlock the gate.

"...Not something I need to dwell on," I muttered to myself, exhaling a sigh before following her into the old building.

"Whew. If you come here in winter, there’s no need for heating. The chill will do the job," she said with a whistle, shivering dramatically.

The building radiated an odd warmth, courtesy of Director Seol Yoon’s masterpiece, The Illusion of the Plum Tree. Even now, I could feel its subtle, comforting heat seep into my body.

Without speaking, the two of us climbed the creaky stairs to the second floor, searching for the Plum Tree Classroom.

"Let’s rest here for a bit before heading to another room. This place is just too nice," she said, sprawling out on the classroom floor and stretching like a cat.

"Should a teacher really act like this?" I wondered internally.

Still, I couldn’t deny the urge to rest for a moment as well, given the chilly weather outside.

I glanced around the classroom, taking in the sight of the plum tree. It looked exactly the same as before. Part of me wanted to completely revamp it, but...

That probably wasn’t the right call.

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly.

"Let’s move on now," I said.

At my words, Teacher Lee Ah-Reum sprang to her feet and followed me out of the room.

"Where to next?" she asked.

"Hmm, let’s see..."

Among the set of keys in my hand, one caught my attention—it had a fish motif etched on it.

"Let’s head to Class 2-3," I said.

We made our way down the corridor until we reached the door of Class 2-3, which was securely padlocked. I selected the fish-key and inserted it into the lock.

Click!

The padlock came undone, and the door creaked open.

"Good thing it’s daytime. If it were night, we wouldn’t be able to see anything in here," she joked.

"True," I replied, stepping into the room.

The classroom was completely empty, a mirror image of the Plum Tree Classroom in layout but devoid of the artwork that gave the latter its charm.

"I guess the old school building doesn’t have desks or chairs anymore. Looks like they cleared it all out," she remarked.

"Well, it’s not in use anymore," I replied, inspecting the space.

Wooden floors, a ceiling with seagull patterns, and a chalkboard painted green—it was an ordinary classroom. I briefly wondered if it might hold a hidden painting, like the Plum Tree Classroom, but nothing of the sort seemed to be here.

"Nothing special about this place," Teacher Lee Ah-Reum said, and I nodded in agreement.

Her assessment was accurate—it was a plain old classroom.

Or so I thought.

My eyes drifted to a corner of the room, where I noticed a small doodle of a fish. It was about the size of my palm.

"What’s this?" I murmured, stepping closer to examine it.

The moment I drew near, my vision shifted.

***

“Hmm…”

What should I even do? I've been dragged into some mysterious drawing without a clue as to what it is.

At least it’s not a real kidnapping, I suppose. Small blessings.

It was still broad daylight.

Under the bright sky, deep within a mountain, I stood there, disoriented.

First things first, I needed to assess the situation. This wasn’t an illusionary world, that much I could tell.

If this were one of those masterpiece worlds, there would be a distinct presence—a master of the domain.

But here? Nothing. No feelings, no emotions, no aura of any kind.

Scratching my cheek, I looked around.

A dense forest surrounded me, with a small pond shimmering nearby.

‘Why does this place feel familiar…?’

The scenery wasn’t strange to me. It felt oddly nostalgic.

“Could this be…”

The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. I whipped my head around instinctively, and then—

“Master, there’s a fish here!”

A young voice called out, sending a chill down my spine.

“Hm. A pond in the middle of the forest. Not particularly unusual,” another voice responded, aged and filled with experience.

It was all too familiar. Frustratingly so.

That voice belonged to him. My damned mentor.

“Should I catch it for you? Perhaps grill it over a fire?”

“No thanks. I’m not a fan of fish,” came the boyish reply.

I turned my gaze toward the source of the voices.

By the pond sat a young boy, crouched and staring at the fish in the water. Standing beside him, resting a hand on the boy’s head, was an old man.

“Master…”

I muttered the word unconsciously, though neither of them seemed to hear me.

‘This… this is my memory.’

I had no idea how my mentor had managed this.

‘No, wait. This isn’t my memory. It’s his.’

My eyes remained fixed on the pair, while their attention stayed on the pond.

The boy suddenly plopped down on the ground and pulled a notebook and pen from his pocket, beginning to sketch.

I remembered this moment. It was around the time I first met my mentor.

That fish in the pond wasn’t the first animal I’d seen after venturing into the mountains.

The first was a fox.

Specifically, the fox yawning atop the boy’s head.

The old man simply waited, patient and still, as the boy sketched something in his notebook.

Eventually, the boy’s hand stilled, and he tucked the notebook and pen back into his pocket.

“It seems like the trees are protecting the fish,” the boy remarked.

“It’s not just the trees,” the mentor replied. “Everything in this natural world exists to protect that lifeform.”

“Why is that?”

“Haha, even I don’t know the answer to that.”

“What kind of explanation is that?” the boy grumbled, standing up.

The fox wagged its tail lazily, brushing against the boy’s neck and causing him to laugh quietly.

“Sanya, what does nature mean to you?”

“I’m only fifteen, Master. Isn’t this a bit too philosophical for me?”

“Come now, answer me,” the old man insisted.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. Isn’t this a bit too abstract?”

Shrugging, the boy turned his gaze back to the fish.

The mentor, Wu Hua, patted the boy’s shoulder with a chuckle.

“Nature is art. It is a mystery. Everything we see around us is a painting. Do you understand?”

“Not really.”

“Hmm. You will, in time.”

Leaving those cryptic words, Wu Hua walked ahead, moving easily despite the uneven terrain.

The boy, Sanya, watched his mentor’s back for a moment before turning back to the pond.

“But even nature can be changed by humans, can’t it?”

Yes. Like a painting, it could be altered at any time.

For Sanya, there were no absolutes—he simply went with the flow, living without a rigid sense of purpose.

“Your name is Seiren, okay?”

The boy gave the fish a small smile as he greeted it.

“And this is Gumiho. Miho, you’re not allowed to eat Seiren, alright?”

Sanya grinned, scratching the fox behind its ears as it looked at him with an expression of feigned ignorance.

“I’ll come back again,” he whispered.

His steps were light, yet they seemed burdened as he followed his mentor’s retreating figure.

When the sun set, Sanya would have to return to hell.

The boy disappeared, and my vision went dark.

***

"What's wrong?"

"...Pardon?"

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the old school building.

‘…What the hell was that?’

Teacher Lee Ah-Reum was staring at me with a confused expression.

"Your face is pale… You’re not feeling unwell, are you?"

"Oh, no, I’m fine. I just felt a little cold, that’s all."

"Really? Thanks to the Plum Tree, I’m not cold at all," she said with her usual playful tone.

Ignoring her teasing voice, I turned my gaze back to the doodle.

Would it show me something again?

It didn’t.

A one-time use, it seemed.

‘What are you trying to tell me, Master?’

My mentor was as enigmatic as ever.

An eccentric, a man who carried himself like a sage, and someone surrounded by endless mysteries—that was my master.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Hm? About a minute or so?"

Not too long. That was a relief.

I let out a deep sigh, tapping my temple to calm my racing thoughts.

Seeing a memory I had buried long ago was far from pleasant.

It wasn’t something I wanted to reminisce about.

But regardless of how I felt, I needed to check the other classrooms.@@novelbin@@

My mentor’s messages wouldn’t be meaningless.

"Alright then. Let’s head to 2-2."

"Hm? Oh, sure."

Teacher Lee Ah-Reum hesitated briefly before following me.

We arrived at the door of the adjacent classroom. I pulled out the key with the fox motif and inserted it into the lock.

With another satisfying click, the door opened.

Like the previous room, this one was empty.

But.

‘Just as I thought.’

In a hard-to-notice corner of the room, another doodle was waiting to be found.

This time, as I focused on the doodle and tried to channel my thoughts…

Nothing.

‘Why isn’t it showing me anything?’

A theory popped into my mind.

No, it couldn’t be.

‘Am I supposed to see the Gumiho first? Are you kidding me?’

Unfortunately, it seemed I was right.

***

“Ugh, I really thought there’d be something interesting in there. What a letdown,” Teacher Lee Ah-Reum said, pouting slightly.

"Haha… I’ll go back to my classroom now."

"Ah, okay. See you during homeroom!"

After parting ways with Teacher Lee Ah-Reum in front of the staff room, I started walking back to my classroom.

As I walked down the hallway, I found myself lost in thought.

The [Gumiho] was currently in Japan. It wasn’t impossible for me to go there, but…

There just wasn’t enough time.

At this rate, I’d have to spend every school break traveling overseas until graduation.

In between that, I still needed to change the worlds of the masterpieces.

And trace my mentor’s footsteps.

Not to mention, I also had to accompany Teacher Lee Ah-Reum to the Prize event…

‘Ugh. Why has everything gotten so complicated?’

A groan of frustration echoed down the empty hallway.