Chapter 114
This weather forecast was wildly inaccurate. It had predicted clear skies all week, but suddenly, the sky turned cloudy this morning.
I figured it would clear up soon, but by the end of first period, light, powdery snow began to fall. It was the first snow of winter, so everyone excitedly rushed out to the playground to catch the flakes. This powder snow grew heavier, turning into large flakes by lunchtime. And now, during the last period...
‘What should I even call that?’
I didn't know if there was a specific name for that kind of snow, but one thing was for sure: it wasn't ordinary snow. It looked like it would sting your cheeks if you went out and got hit by it.
It was due to the sudden drop in temperature and the strong winds that had begun to blow.
Would I be able to go home later?
I hadn't driven in snow before. Bom kept glancing worriedly out the window.
It might be impossible to meet Jae-gyu in this kind of weather.
[Bom-ssi. We're going somewhere important tomorrow. The location is top secret. When we're done, drive Hin-suni to my place. Leave her there, and we'll take my car.]
Jae-gyu had said this quite seriously yesterday when he dropped me off at home.
He was trying to act so proper. Where could he be taking me?
Because Jae-gyu had said that, I put a lot of effort into my appearance today. I curled the ends of my hair with rollers and pulled out my cherished cashmere coat. I even almost made myself late for school because I hadn't done my makeup in so long.
Perhaps thanks to all the effort this morning, I was quite pleased with the result. Jae-gyu would definitely give me a thumbs-up, saying I looked pretty.
But I hadn't anticipated this much snow. How nice it would have been if it had just snowed a little. It was supposed to be a first snow date, after all.
As soon as class ended, I'd call Jae-gyu and just tell him to meet another time. It was a shame, but there was nothing I could do.
‘I had something to tell him today, too…’
To be honest, I had a surprise for Jae-gyu. I was planning to surprise him during our date, depending on the situation. But since things had turned out this way, I'd have to wait for another opportunity.
"Whoa, look at the snow! Crazy!"
Thump! A strong gust of wind slammed against the classroom window, making it rattle. At the sudden increase in wind noise, all the students turned their heads to look outside.
"Seriously, this is bad."
"Oh my god, what do we do? How are we supposed to get home now?"
"We still have over thirty minutes left, this is a huge problem."
The students, who had been busy making their senior year schedules and hadn't paid attention to the weather outside, started to buzz with chatter as they realized the seriousness of the situation.
Bom stuck to the window, trying to reassure the worried students, but in truth, she was scared too.
‘Is this some kind of anomaly? Why is it suddenly like this?’
She believed safety was paramount and, if it were up to her, would send everyone home. However, the school had to follow the administration's decision. She should maintain her composure and wait, but looking out the window only amplified her anxiety.
"Oh, what's this!"
"Isn't that a disaster alert?"
Just then, the vibrations that rang out from various parts of the classroom were indeed disaster alerts.
"Holy crap, it's a strong wind warning and a heavy snow advisory!"
"It says to refrain from going outside, Teacher? Aren't we basically outside right now?"
It was at that moment the students began to get agitated.
—Ah, ah! This is an announcement for all classrooms. Uh, is this thing on?
A school-wide broadcast flowed through the classroom speakers.
Thank goodness. Bom quickly quieted the students and made them focus on the broadcast.
"Kids. Quietly pack your bags and listen to the announcement."
It must be an announcement about shortened classes and early dismissal. Even if it wasn't, if the situation became too serious, she'd have to take the kids down to the faculty office or something.
—This is an announcement for all teachers and students in the classrooms. Ah, it's snowing heavily outside right now. The principal has decisively decided to shorten classes. Homeroom teachers, please go to your respective classrooms immediately upon hearing this broadcast and dismiss your students. I repeat…
Bom quickly went to the window and checked the situation outside. The blizzard was still fierce, but its intensity was less than when it had rattled the windows earlier.
"Good thing I'm the last period teacher. Did you all pack your bags already?"
She quickly stood in front of the podium and got their attention. She wanted to tell them to go right away, but her worry made her add a few nagging words of caution.
"The wind is strong, so be careful not to get hit by anything flying around. Absolutely do not look at your phones while you walk."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"No other announcements. Go home safely. Don't go anywhere else, okay? Let's check on each other using our class's safety contact network. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, then, hurry on home."
The students surged out of the classroom like a receding tide.
"Homeroom Teacher."
Han-gyeol and Se-jin approached her, their bags slung over their shoulders. Bom unplugged the outlets in the classroom, looking at them worriedly.
"Why aren't you two leaving?"
"Well…"
Se-jin hemmed and hawed, nudging Han-gyeol's side with her elbow. Han-gyeol, in turn, wore a slightly troubled expression.
"…What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
"You were supposed to meet my uncle today, Teacher, weren't you?"
So they knew. Indeed, since Jae-gyu had said they'd meet at his house first and then leave, it would have been perfect to pick up Han-gyeol on the way. But I had already decided to cancel today's plans. Plus, it was my first time driving in snow, and it would be a disaster if I took the kids and something happened.
"Yes, but with this weather, I don't think we can meet. Public transportation is better on a day like this. The wind's died down a bit, so hurry and go."
As she said that and unplugged the remaining cords, both of them looked flustered and whispered to each other. She vaguely heard the words 'uncle,' 'insistently,' and 'ring.'
Could it be that his uncle had insistently prepared a ring? The words seemed to fit together quite plausibly.
Now that she thought about it, something similar had happened recently.
[What's this suspicious box? Is it a ring?]
[Oh, my mom got some sponsored items, and they sent one for me too.]
This was a conversation she'd had with Jae-gyu when he discovered a box his mom had given him in her car. Until she sued her brother, she hadn't expected much. However, her mom, having apparently come to terms with her feelings about her brother, had actively stepped up.
After this incident became a hot topic, companies occasionally sent gifts to her as well. They were mainly what were called 'mother-daughter items,' and this time, it was a ring.
[Why aren't you wearing it? Don't you like rings?]
[It's not that, it just doesn't fit. Looking at the sticker on the bottom, it's a size 10.]
Then Jae-gyu nodded and said,
[Bom is a size 7, so that's a US size 4, European size 47.]
[What? How did you know?]
She was so surprised, but Jae-gyu casually said it was a top-secret, and that he was a 'Measurement King' who could guess everything by eye.
At the time, she just thought he was spouting nonsense, but was he really planning to give her a ring?
"A ring, Han-gyeol?"
She turned her head to Han-gyeol to confirm. Han-gyeol kept his mouth shut, and Se-jin spoke instead.
"Han-gyeol lost his ring."
"What?"
"He got it from his uncle, but he lost it."
Her guess was wrong, but that wasn't what mattered right now. Jae-gyu wasn't the type to give just any item; it surely had some meaning or was quite expensive.
She wanted to tell him to look for it immediately, but the situation wasn't ideal. She didn't know when or how the weather would change again.
"If I find it, I'll let you know. Don't worry and just go, both of you."
"But…"
Bom reluctantly pushed them out. As she finished tidying the classroom, she simultaneously began to search for the ring Han-gyeol had lost.
After searching for a long time, Bom suddenly realized a good amount of time had passed.
Her watch confirmed it, and not a single student's voice could be heard, as if the entire school had gone home.
By now, even the teachers might have clocked out early and gone home.
"Ha, I still haven't found it…"
Bom mumbled regretfully, then her eyes widened, and she gasped, sucking in a breath.
"That's right, Jae-gyu-ssi!"
It was a good thing they had promised to leave from Jae-gyu's house; otherwise, knowing him, he'd probably be waiting like an idiot, getting hit by the blizzard.
‘My phone must be going crazy.’
Turning off the classroom lights and locking the front and back doors, Bom went down to the faculty office.
"…"
She had guessed everyone would be gone, but she hadn't expected this. Bom grabbed the doorknob of the darkened faculty office and rattled it.
"Oh no."
The empty faculty office was securely locked. The school in Seoul had a digital lock, so you just entered a password, but this one was old-fashioned and needed a key.
The resident janitor had the master key, but when she went to the night duty room, no one was there.
‘My phone is in there.’
Why was everything getting so complicated? Bom stood in front of the night duty room, put a hand to her head, and tried to calmly sort things out.
The janitor wasn't exactly diligent. Teacher Hong Jeong-pyo had been caught habitually engaging in illegal gambling and was dismissed, and rumors said the janitor also frequented gambling houses with him.
Since he kept leaving his post, Vice Principal Seok Gwan-su was trying to figure out a solution, wondering if he might be gambling nearby.
Given the situation, she couldn't just wait here indefinitely.
It might be better to go home and log into messenger on her PC to talk to Jae-gyu.
Anyway, once Han-gyeol arrived home, he would tell Jae-gyu what was happening.
"Alright, let's go home."
Bom made up her mind and stepped out of the building. Whoosh! A chilling, biting wind swept across her cheek with a brutal sound. Large, sand-like pellets of graupel moved swiftly with the wind.
Bom quickened her pace towards the parking lot. A lot of snow had fallen all day, and the ground was frozen solid from the cold snap, so she couldn't just leave immediately.
Jae-gyu had bought her snow chains and taught her how to put them on as soon as the weather turned cold, but since it was a short drive, she decided to use the spray-on tire chains for snow driving.
Sssshhh, sssshhh— Bom carefully sprayed the spray-on tire chains onto her tires, then got into the car.
Having thoroughly prepared for the drive, Bom gently turned the steering wheel.
"Good."
Perhaps it was thanks to her thorough preparation. She smoothly exited the icy parking lot.