Chapter 99
Chapter 99
“…….”
Bom sat quietly at her desk, turned on her computer, and logged into the work portal. There were no new public documents to review or urgent drafts to prepare, but she just wanted to look busy for the moment.
She could feel the other teachers, who had returned to their seats, craning their necks and stealing glances at her.
[Of all the men out there, how could Ms. Yoon Bom be so shameless as to mess with a married man?]
[She’s such a bad influence on the kids. Just looking at her face gives me the creeps……!]
A similar situation in a similar place. And a similar reaction…….
“Um, Teacher Bom.”
Jung Jin-hyuk, one of the second-year homeroom teachers who had been exchanging glances with the person on the other side of her, lowered his voice to a whisper. Even that small sound made her flinch; her body jerked, and her chair rolled back on its wheels.
Ignoring the cold sweat pouring down her back, Bom struggled to maintain a blank expression.
“Yes, Teacher. Go ahead.”
“Well, it’s just……”
He probably wants to say I’m disgusting. He must have seen that photo on the internet, too.
At that thought, her heart began to thrum wildly, and tiny beads of sweat formed along her hairline. When Jung Jin-hyuk hesitated, Seo Hye-sook, sitting on the other side, tapped her foot impatiently.
“I’ll just ask her myself.”
“……Yes.”
“Is it true? Are you really the daughter of the actress Jung Nan-hee?”
When Bom gave a slight nod, gasps of "Wow!" erupted from both sides simultaneously. It was Bom who was caught off guard by the unexpected reaction. Several teachers stood up and hesitantly gathered around her.
“Now that I look at you, you’re the spitting image of her.”
“I remember when she first debuted! You look exactly like she did back then, seriously.”
Everyone began chattering away, but only about her mother. They must have seen the other news; it was all over the internet tabloids. There was no way they didn't know…….
“I’m a fan too, ahem!”
“Pardon?”
Eventually, Vice Principal Seok Gwan-su approached with his hands behind his back, his face flushed. After that, they asked about her mother’s next project and were even curious about her MBTI. As she gave awkward answers, the bell rang. It was time to head to the classrooms for morning assembly.
“I’ll, uh, head to the classroom now.”
Bom grabbed the attendance book from the grade-level cabinet and was the first to slip out of the faculty office.
“…….”
Her eyes were still swollen, but strangely, nothing bad had happened. She even started to think that maybe it wasn't as big a deal as she had feared.
“Oh boy, ahem! You all did very well.”
Seok Gwan-su took out a handkerchief and pressed it against his forehead—or perhaps his scalp, as the boundary was now faint—to wipe away the sweat.
“Goodness, my face was cramping from trying to keep a straight face!”
“Ugh, we didn't make it obvious, did we? The things we have to do.”
The teachers who had been sitting stood up and gathered around the Vice Principal, chiming in. Seok Gwan-su clapped twice to get their attention and spoke with authority.
“Anyway, Teacher Bom must have been the most shocked of all, so let’s at least try to help her out like this.”
At the Vice Principal’s words, Teacher Seo Hye-sook wore a worried expression.
“Oh, my heart just ached for her. Imagine how scared she must have been……”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Teacher Bom’s pale face had been blotchy and red, especially around her eyes, showing just how much she had cried before coming in. It was impossible not to feel sorry for her.
Everyone remembered what Yoon Bom was like when she first arrived at Shinsu High.
It was only natural for a rare beauty from Seoul to draw attention. However, Teacher Bom had been expressionless and silent, as if she were a person who knew neither joy nor sorrow. No matter what anyone asked, she gave the shortest possible answers to shut down the conversation.
She clearly had a story she couldn't tell. The change in Teacher Bom began this spring, her second year.
She started initiating conversations in the faculty office and formed a tight bond with her students in Class 2-2. Most importantly, the biggest change was that Teacher Bom had started to laugh.
It must be because she met him.
They had assumed she would eventually leave for Seoul with good memories. But unexpectedly, after this semester started, Teacher Bom had even come to the Vice Principal for a consultation, saying she wanted to stay here.
It wasn't just because she wanted to be with him; it was because she had grown fond of this place.
“But you know,”
Teacher Noh, who had been keeping quiet until now, spoke up cautiously.
“It’s definitely not true, right? The affair……”
A brief silence fell over the room.
“Are you crazy?”
Seo Young-ju, the Head of Academic Affairs, who had been speechless for a moment, suddenly shrieked.
“Did you see the face of that old geezer in the affair photo on the internet? Do you have any idea how picky Teacher Bom is about looks!”
Startled by Seo Young-ju’s outburst, Department Head Kang asked, “How do you know she’s picky about looks?”
Instead of Seo Young-ju, Teacher Seo Hye-sook clicked her tongue and spoke.
“Didn't you see the look on Teacher Bom’s face when she saw that civil servant you kept trying to set her up with?”
“…….”
“Ahem, that’s right.”
Seok Gwan-su chimed in. He had kept the secret until now, but since it was all over the internet, everyone knew anyway.
“Teacher Bom is dating Han-gyeol’s uncle right now. Just think about that man’s handsome features, and you’ll have your answer. Ahem!”
“The way I see it, Teacher Bom was probably just helping that old man walk or something when the photo was taken. It just happened to be in front of a motel. There’s no proof they even went inside! Anyway, it’s absolutely not true!”
“I suppose……”
“I was more shocked that she’s dating Han-gyeol’s uncle than the fact that she’s Jung Nan-hee’s daughter.”
Forgetting about the morning assembly, the teachers grew heated as they discussed Teacher Bom.
“Since when have they been dating?”
“Well, you see. Actually, the Vice Principal and I, back when the typhoon hit this summer……”
As Teacher Noh began to spill the story, even the teachers who had been sitting and just listening gathered around.
“Ahem, teachers, you need to head to assembly before the first period starts!”
After giving a light reminder, Seok Gwan-su left the room and headed into the hallway.
I should send a text to that gentleman telling him not to worry.
He had received the call early this morning.
[Vice Principal, this is Seon Jae-gyu. I have an urgent favor to ask.]
Seok Gwan-su, who had been practicing the habit of sleeping early and waking early for the sake of his skin, hadn't even known such a thing had happened overnight. After explaining the situation, the favor the man asked for was simple.
Please talk to the teachers in the office beforehand so that no cruel words reach her ears.
Our teachers might be loud and blunt, but they have good hearts. That’s not the real problem.
Seok Gwan-su stopped as he rounded the corner at the top of the central stairs.
Teacher Bom was standing perfectly still in front of the Class 2-2 classroom, her hand just resting on the doorknob.
Yes, that is the real problem. That right there.
⋆★⋆
Uncle. You always call yourself a lucky boy.
But actually, I’m pretty lucky too.
Han-gyeol thought back to last night.
The house had been chilly for several days while his uncle was away on a business trip to China. He was supposed to arrive at Gimhae Airport on a flight tomorrow evening.
He had gone on business trips to China before, but this was the first one this year. Usually, he would push the trips onto Philip because he wanted to orbit around the teacher like a satellite, but this time he said it was an important matter regarding business expansion and went himself.
“My brother said he’s finishing after ten today, so I told him to pick me up here. I want to stay here until ten.”
He had finally brought Se-jin over today, after she had been wanting to visit for days. To be honest, he wanted to be with her the entire time his uncle was away, but he held back.
He didn't want to leave a bad impression on Jun or Se-jin’s parents by disrupting her schedule.
Fortunately, her tutor had to cancel today due to personal circumstances, so he was able to bring her home under the pretext of studying together.
Of course, studying was important, but.
“I’ll make dinner then. Se-jin, what do you want to eat?”
His real goal was to see Se-jin’s face up close like this. She showed many sides of herself that were different from when they were at school.
“Are you trying to decide what you want?”
How could her hair be so pitch black? He toyed with Se-jin’s hair, which felt like black silk, and gazed into her round eyes. It was fascinating that her pupils were as black as her hair.
Perhaps because of the contrast with her pale face, Se-jin looked cold at first glance. It wasn't just her appearance. She hated losing to anyone and wouldn't tolerate even the slightest provocation.
But who else but him knew that Se-jin’s heart was as soft and fragile as milk pudding?
“I’ll just have whatever.”
“You’re usually the type to point exactly at what you want. You only say ‘whatever’ to me.”
“That’s because I like everything you make.”
As she spoke, Se-jin’s face flushed a lovely shade of peach. He loved that expression—the way she didn't know what to do with herself whenever she expressed her feelings—so much it made his head spin.
“Should I make omurice?”
“Ooh, that sounds delicious. Yes, make that. I’m coming to the kitchen with you.”
They cooked and ate omurice together. After clearing the table, he prepared various fruits. He arranged them beautifully in a deep bowl and headed to the living room. It included the apple mangoes his uncle had previously scurried off to offer the teacher.
He made Se-jin, who was sitting on the sofa with her knees pulled up, sit properly and fed her pieces of fruit with a fork. Se-jin was watching TV.
“If it’s a medical drama, is it that one called Emergency Sign?”
“Yeah, I was curious about this.”
A drama that was currently number one in the ratings had just started. It was already on episode 13, and though she didn't know the previous plot, Se-jin was completely absorbed in it. He found her focused expression adorable and watched her while diligently feeding her fruit.
“Is it that good?”
“Actually, it’s not so much that it’s good, but, well.”
“Then?”
“Would you believe me if I said one of my wishes was to just watch TV like this without a single thought in my head?”
Considering Se-jin hadn't been able to sleep properly before her runaway incident, it made sense.
“Then fulfill your wish today. Watch whatever you want until Jun gets here. It’s just for one day.”
“Should I……?”
Han-gyeol felt his lips curl into a smile as he watched Se-jin lean comfortably against his shoulder, remote in hand.
Truthfully, he had never found watching TV all that interesting. But since Se-jin liked it so much, he didn't think it would be bad to watch it with her for hours.
“Wow, it ends like that?”
“The directing is good.”
“Right? Ha, time really flies.”
The drama ended sooner than expected. Feeling a bit disappointed, Se-jin flipped through the channels. When she landed on the QBS channel, she suddenly sat up and frowned.
“Ugh! That Nakega show still hasn't failed?”
One of the contestants was singing. Han-gyeol stared at the screen for a moment and then stopped Se-jin as she tried to change the channel.
“You said you didn't get a good look last time. Do you want to see? My mom’s face.”