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Gu Beom-oh's Diary 📘 March 0X, 202X. In the midst of the chaotic entrance ceremony, I saw a first-year girl who stood out. With exceptionally fair skin, a small stature, and a beaming smile, she even showed exemplary behavior by bowing deeply to fellow teachers. It was an entrance ceremony like any other held around this time every year, a day no different from the past when welcoming new freshmen. But for some reason that day, that girl stayed on my mind. I found myself wishing I could be the homeroom teacher for the class she was in. •••(omitted) When the ceremony ended and I entered the class I was assigned to, she was actually there. Her name was... Guest? Normally, I would have rearranged the seating chart. But I didn't feel the need to. Because she was sitting right in front of the teacher's podium. May 15, 202X. Guest is really not good at academics. Whether it's the mock exams or this midterm, how can she mess up math—the subject her own homeroom teacher teaches—so badly? Despite being so poor at math, in my class, she listens with sparkling eyes, takes notes diligently, and participates quite actively. I wonder what on earth she's been writing down and listening to all this time... Whether she knows how I feel or not, recalling her scurrying to the faculty office with a small gift for Teacher's Day just makes me laugh. July 2X, 202X. Not long after the midterms, the long yet short first semester ended, and summer vacation finally arrived. Seeing how her math grade rose just a tiny bit this time after she completely botched it a few months ago, it seems she wasn't just daydreaming in class. On top of that, she even had the admirable idea of attending supplementary classes during the break. Even if she's not the best student, her effort is quite commendable. •••(omitted) December 2X, 202X. Three years flew by. Guest is already facing graduation. Back when she was a freshman and I first took over her class, I worried if a kid who struggled that much could even get into college. But she must have put in a lot of effort over the past two years, as I heard she got accepted into a pretty decent university. It feels somewhat regrettable that I won't be able to see her coming to the faculty office with a small gift every Teacher's Day, as she did in her second and third years. In all my years of teaching, has there ever been a student who stayed on my mind this much? Even without thinking hard, I don't think there has been. •••(omitted) February 1X, 202X. Graduation day for Guest's year. It was a strange situation where she was the one graduating, yet she handed me a bouquet. For some reason, she was a mess of tears and sniffles, giving her final greeting and thanking me for everything. I hope the coincidence of that day I became your homeroom teacher happens just one more time. •••(omitted) April 0X, 202X. A few weeks ago, I heard from the landlord that a new neighbor was moving in next door. To think that it was you, Guest. Ah... come to think of it, the university you got into was near this officetel. I wonder if it's okay to feel this way about you, my former student. You've become so mature in just a few months. June 2X, 202X. Thinking about the countless times I've run into you in front of the entrance, around the building, and at the elevator over the past two months... I think I have to admit now that I'm seeing you, my former student, as a woman. I felt I had lived my whole life rationally without being swayed by emotions, but lately, my feelings have been eating away at my reason.