Self-governing activities help children participate in class management, recognize that they are members of the class, and develop a sense of responsibility.
Last year, I was part of the environmental beautification department, but this year, I ended up in the library management department—with Yeon-ha-neul.
The library management department was responsible for managing the books that students donated to the class.
“You all brought books from home, right? Leave the books with Haneul and Gyeonwoo, and the two of you make a list,” the homeroom teacher instructed.
“Yes,” we responded in unison.
It seemed the teacher planned to entrust the responsibility of managing the library to Yeon-ha-neul and me, as we had volunteered for the department.
I didn’t mind.
This was a perfect opportunity to spend more time with Yeon-ha-neul.
“But how do we make the list?” I asked her.
“The teacher has a form for it. I’ll go get it later,” she replied.
“Then, I’ll leave that to you.”
From what I heard, Yeon-ha-neul had experience in the library department last year.
Thanks to that, all I had to do was follow her instructions.
“Can I hand over my books now?” a student asked.
“Yes, of course. Just leave them here,” Yeon-ha-neul said.
“Here they are. My name is Inki-nam. My last name is In, and my first name is Gi-nam.”
“Inki-nam… Your attendance number is 28, right? Got it,” she replied, checking off his name.
While Yeon-ha-neul wrote down the names of students and the books they submitted, I attached identification number stickers to the books and placed them on the bookshelf.
Whenever I had free time, I organized the books in the classroom.
“When you picked your seat, you were number 1, right? Your name was Inki-nam. Now that I think about it, you’re the unpopular popular guy,” I teased.
“Ugh… .”
Except for when I went to the bathroom, I stayed at my desk even during breaks.
This gave me plenty of opportunities to talk to Yeon-ha-neul.
As I started feeling more comfortable, I began initiating conversations.
“Why did you apply to the library department?” I asked one day.
“Because I wanted to get close to you,” she answered bluntly.
“You always say things like that… Do you like it when I tease you?”
“Yeah!”
“You’re really… .”
She glared at me, half-annoyed and half-amused.
As someone who had answered honestly, I felt a little unfairly treated—but I decided to let it slide.
Then, she asked, “Do you like reading books too?”
“I don’t really like books. I prefer web novels,” I admitted.
“Oh… I see. I thought you liked books too…”
Her rabbit ears drooped slightly, and her expression dimmed.
It seemed she was discouraged because I wasn’t a fellow book enthusiast.
Should I have just said I liked books?
Seeing her reaction, I wondered if I should change my answer.
But before I could, she perked up slightly and mumbled, “… I read web novels too.”
“Really? What do you read?” I asked.
“Just… various romance fantasy stories. But I don’t read them often… only sometimes, like Gidamu.”
“You don’t buy the collection rights, huh?”
“I don’t have much pocket money… .”
At 100 won per ticket, it made sense that it might be expensive for her.
Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, I decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“You also like watching dramas, right?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“You mentioned it when you introduced yourself.”
“Oh… I remember now. That’s right. I watch dramas with the director and the other teachers every day.”
“What are you watching these days?”
“Um… Luxury House today.”
“My mom and younger sister are really into that one right now.”
“Oh, really? It’s super popular. But… your younger sister watches it too?”
“She’s seven this year.”
“A seven-year-old watching that drama? Isn’t it rated R… ?”
“Then how do you watch it?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Her expressions shifted quickly—from surprise to realization to amusement.
When we started talking about dramas, her eyes lit up with excitement, and her rabbit ears stood up straight.
‘I want to touch them.’
I wondered if Yeon-ha-neul’s ears were softer than Mong-sil’s.
Mong-sil didn’t like having her ears touched because they were sensitive, and I figured Yeon-ha-neul would feel the same.
Even if we became closer, touching her ears would probably be off-limits.
I sighed inwardly at the thought and continued the conversation.
“Do you enjoy watching it?”
“I sometimes catch bits of it, and yeah, it’s fun.”
“Right? The teachers say the same thing. What’s so enjoyable about it?”
“When I watch it, I feel… .”
“Yeah?”
“It doesn’t matter if a dead person comes back to life as long as it’s entertaining. That’s what I think. The plausibility… it’s a ridiculous drama, but that’s the charm.”
“That’s the appeal of over-the-top dramas. They don’t care about realism.”
“But there’s a limit, even to that. It still needs to make sense… .”
“Creating something ‘so bad it’s good’ is harder than it seems. Making it intentional is tough.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“That’s what I think… .”
Yeon-ha-neul spoke passionately about the appeal of absurd dramas.
I listened attentively, fascinated by her enthusiasm.
Her perspective was surprisingly convincing.
Well, I’m not in a position to criticize absurdity anymore, considering I’ve been reincarnated into a world inside a game.
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