You Know How to Repay Your Debts, Don't You?
"It's me, Teacher. Class 2."
A young man's voice.
It was Han Tae-oh from the class next door.
An empty classroom—how did he know to come here?
"Mind if I come in for a sec?"
"...Not now. Tae-oh ssam. Come tomorrow."
Her face was probably a total mess right now, beyond words.
She couldn't let him see her like this.
"No, I need to see you now. It's urgent."
"Come early tomorrow and we'll talk! Didn't you hear me?"
She'd snapped without thinking.
No one could blame him for calling her a bitch with a foul temper.
But Han Tae-oh's voice stayed steady, unfazed.
"If we talk tomorrow, it'll be too late, Teacher."
"What?"
"You have money due by 5 p.m., don't you?"
...!?
She flung the classroom door open.
Han Tae-oh stood there, face blank, phone in hand.
"W-what's that supposed to mean? How would you...!"
"I just got a call from some Manager Kim guy."
"What...?"
He'd said he'd start calling at 5 p.m., ten minutes late each time.
It wasn't even 4:30 yet, and he'd already called...?
"He asked if I was Han Tae-oh. Probably just confirming."
"A-and?"
"When I asked what was up, he mentioned your name, Teacher."
"Kuh...!"
That bastard Manager Kim. For real...!
Ryu Se-hee ground her teeth. But there was no helping it.
It had rung thirty minutes early. It was bound to happen eventually.
She schooled her face into something neutral and asked Han Tae-oh.
Please, just don't let it be about the loan shark.
"So? What'd he say?"
"Sounded like you're in a real bind, Teacher."
"...It's personal. None of your business, Tae-oh ssam."
"No, it might involve me too."
"Stay out of it! I said it's personal!"
"Even if I cover the interest?"
"......What?"
Interest? In her place? Twenty thousand won?
Ryu Se-hee's voice, sharp with irritation moments ago, softened a notch.
"...You don't need to do that, Tae-oh ssam."
"He said if you don't pay by 5, he'll sell your personal info and tell the whole staff you took out a loan shark."
"Kuh...!"
Ryu Se-hee's body froze.
Personal info.
He meant handing over phone numbers from the staff emergency contact network.
If the other teachers found out she'd sold their numbers to a loan shark...
The backlash wouldn't be the issue. She could face charges under the Personal Information Protection Act.
She'd lose everything—reputation, money, career, job.
"......"
"Teacher?"
"......Why."
She looked up at Han Tae-oh's voice.
His face, gazing down with a smile, was shadowed somehow. Darkly.
"Can I help you out?"
***
I confirmed Manager Kim's texts on Ryu Se-hee's phone, then we moved to Class 6-1's room.
"Don't just stand there—sit. Kids' desks are fine."
"This Woo-jin's spot, right? The short guy."
"...You know it well?"
"I visit Class 1 a lot."
"...Yeah, figures."
I sat at one boy's desk.
It faced Ryu Se-hee at the teacher's podium.
"Help how, exactly, Tae-oh ssam?"
Ryu Se-hee asked cautiously.
Her usual arrogant swagger was gone; she was all meek now.
People bow their heads when cornered, after all.
But this much wasn't enough.
"First off, that Manager Kim guy... loan shark, right?"
"......Yeah."
No point hiding it anymore; Ryu Se-hee nodded readily.
"Legally, you don't have to pay loan sharks, do you? The interest is insane—twenty thousand a day?"
"No. I have to pay. No choice."
"Because he has all the school staff's contacts?"
"...Yeah."
"You picked the wrong shark. 'Acquaintance collection' is trending these days. Saw it on the news."
I played it cool, acting like I'd learned about it from his call.
Of course, Manager Kim hadn't called me first.
I'd reached out to him.
Without mentioning that, I put on a grave, concerned face.
"Bankruptcy would get you fired, so that's out. Teachers' mutual aid or bank loans?"
"...Already tapped those."
"Figures. Principal on the shark loan?"
"Five million."
"Big money. Skip interest, and he contacts the school—like he did me?"
"...Yeah."
"If it reaches Shin Yi-kyung ssam, all hell breaks loose."
"Kuh...!"
At Shin Yi-kyung's name, Ryu Se-hee's shoulders shook.
Makes sense—they hated each other's guts. Enemies.
Shin Yi-kyung would spread it everywhere if she knew about the loan shark. With juicy lies thrown in.
Ryu Se-hee's long eyebrows twitched.
"...Tae-oh ssam, you know not to tell the other teachers."
"Yeah. Lips sealed."
"Hoo... Thanks."
"But tomorrow's interest—if you can't pay, even if I'm quiet, Manager Kim will spread it."
"Tomorrow... I'll handle it somehow."
"He called me because you couldn't pay today."
"No. Tomorrow, I will."
"Money... You don't have it, do you, Teacher?"
"......"
Ryu Se-hee shut her mouth, pierced right in the heart.
She hesitated long, then nodded silently.
The haughty grade chief, like this before a junior. Her account couldn't even scrape twenty thousand.
"Help how, exactly...?"
"Not paying off the principal, obviously."
"...Yeah."
"But the interest? I can probably manage that."
"Interest?"
"Yeah. No interest would help the chief a ton, right?"
"You'd cover my interest?"
Her face eased a bit at the offer.
Twenty thousand daily was six hundred thousand monthly. Seven point three million yearly.
By year's end, interest would top the principal.
Insane compared to legal rates, but that's loan sharks—illegal, so they go wild.
"If you do... I'd be grateful, but."
Ryu Se-hee eyed me, surprised.
"It'd burden you too, Tae-oh ssam. Twenty thousand a day ain't pocket change."
True. A fourth-year teacher's salary couldn't even cover half indefinitely. Goodwill has limits.
But I never planned to pay her interest forever.
From the moment I learned about the loan, I'd pondered how to leash her.
Threaten to expose it? Classic, but useless if Manager Kim blows it up over missed interest.
Keep paying interest to gag him? Even I couldn't sustain it, and he's a criminal—no guarantee he'd stay quiet.
First priority: Cut Manager Kim out.
Better to toss the ticking bomb far away.
To cover interest and defuse it? Buy the debt myself.
Principal five million, year interest seven—why feed him daily when I could own it?
Issue: Even owning it, would Ryu Se-hee obey?
She might demand a formal IOU, pay slowly at legal rates. I'd just be the nice guy out five million.
Not why I'd shell out.
One way left.
I buy the debt—but don't tell her.
It stung to burn my blood money, but at five million to enslave Ryu Se-hee? Bargain.
I'd recoup it from her eventually.
I told Manager Kim not to tell her I'd paid it off.
Smartly, he left her thinking she still owed tomorrow's interest too.
"...Right? Tae-oh ssam? The interest..."
"Big money, sure."
"Why go out of your way for that much?"
"Not for free."
"Then?"
"It's a lot, and missing even a day is disaster?"
"True."
Right now, she thought skipping a day meant her secret exposed school-wide.
Her face was still etched with fear.
That pressure? She'd obey.
"Gotta benefit me too."
"So?"
"Let's make a deal, Chief."
"A deal?"
"Yeah. A deal."
"What..."
Ryu Se-hee glanced up at me.
I smiled, letting my gaze drift to her chest.
Her white blouse strained against buttons ready to pop.
She followed my eyes, face flushing crimson late.
Guilt and worry flipped to contempt in a flash.
"Tae-oh ssam... have you lost your mind?"