Episode 9
The first scene that came to Liam’s mind when he recalled his childhood was a single one: the shouting that happened every day between his parents and how they constantly tried to offload custody onto each other. He was young, but old enough to understand what custody meant.
Both his mother and father were separated, each seeing someone else. In a family on the brink of collapse, nothing was impossible. The casual way they would show each other their lovers to Liam was nothing short of bizarre.
Yet, they were afraid. Because the divorce proceedings were ongoing, they worried this would get back to the other party.
Therefore, there was one phrase Liam heard most often back then.
“You didn’t see anything. Don’t even think about telling anyone.”
From that moment on, Liam learned how simple and easy it was to keep his mouth shut and pretend he didn’t know.
In young Liam’s hands, there was always an old, worn carrot stuffed animal. It was bought on a trip to an amusement park during a time when the family got along. Liam carried that stuffed animal for a long time.
Until someone scolded him that he was too old to be carrying a stuffed animal. After that, he couldn’t remember what happened to it. It was probably tucked away somewhere in a storage room.
And after a long time, the stuffed animal returned to its rightful place. Alive, even. Liam could vaguely imagine how Geppetto must have felt when he first met Pinocchio.
On his way to work, Liam stopped by a café and bought several cups of coffee, placing them on each teacher’s desk. Of course, it was just a ruse to give a drink to Lee Hyun. Liam set an iced tea on Lee Hyun’s desk, stared at it for a moment, then picked up a piece of paper, wrote a short note, and slipped it under the cup.
Satisfied, Liam left immediately, and soon the teachers began returning to their desks, noticing the coffee with delight. Lee Hyun was among them. After finishing the morning check-in, she assumed the director had distributed the drinks and, without suspicion, picked up the iced tea.
At that moment, the note slipped out from under the cup and fluttered to the floor. Lee Hyun picked it up with a puzzled expression, and her face immediately turned red.
“Have another uncomfortable day today.”
Lee Hyun, staring at the note with trembling hands, crumpled it immediately. Jin Lee Hyun had never asked for much in life. She had only dreamed of ordinary, peaceful days without any incident.
But that dream was gradually crumbling. A huge variable was about to engulf her. As she stared blankly at the crumpled note, her colleague Somi asked.
“Lee Hyun, is your injured foot okay?”
“Ah, yes. It’s a little better now.”
“That’s good. We’re having a staff dinner today.”
“Huh?”
Lee Hyun, who hadn’t heard about it, showed immediate confusion. Somi whispered.
“Did you forget a new physical education teacher is joining us today? You know the director’s personality, it’s obvious.”
“Oh, right…”
It was a long-standing tradition at ‘Green Kindergarten.’ Whenever a new teacher joined, they had to endure a night of heavy drinking. The director always insisted it helped everyone bond quickly, setting the dinner without regard for the next day’s work.
Recently, they’d hired a professional PE instructor, and it seemed someone had already been selected. Lee Hyun had seen some of the interviewees but had no way of knowing who got the position. Lately, she was already struggling just to manage her own life.
“Lee Hyun,”
“Yes?”
“I’ll make sure Liam comes too…!”
Somi whispered, clutching her fists with passionate eyes. Ever since Liam had babbled nonsense last time, she had been eager to pair the two together.
It was almost laughable to deny it. Lee Hyun’s face would flush whenever Liam was mentioned.
Lee Hyun closed her eyes tightly, nodded silently, and sat down. The iced tea that had been refreshing just moments ago now tasted bitter, like poison. As she stared blankly at the ceiling, the director entered the teacher’s room with someone.
“Everyone, say hello. Starting today, this is Teacher Baek Do-yoon.”
Lee Hyun turned her head toward the shadow that had quietly appeared. Their eyes met instantly.
Do-yoon, with a tanned, toned complexion, brown hair, and kind eyes that curved when he smiled, looked at Lee Hyun briefly before averting his gaze and introducing himself.
“Hello, I’m Baek Do-yoon, in charge of physical education at Green Kindergarten.”
Even in that brief moment, Lee Hyun felt a strange sensation and bowed her head. There was curiosity in that fleeting glance. Her cheeks burned hotly, hidden partially by her hair but not enough.
The director laughed sharply at the sight.
“Oh my, Lee Hyun is blushing just from seeing a man again.”
“Huh? No, that’s not it…”
Her colleagues frowned at the rude comment, but the director didn’t care. Instead, she patted Do-yoon’s back and laughed heartily.
“Do-yoon understands, our Lee Hyun is so into men that just looking at one turns her face red.”
“Director, you know that’s not true,” Min-young said in her defense from the other side.
The director scoffed.
“Nonsense. I’ve already heard she likes Teacher Liam.”
Lee Hyun felt blessed, she thought. If she found a husband here, it would be thanks to the director.
Her hands on her lap trembled slightly from endless ridicule. The director always acted like this—only seeking Lee Hyun when convenient, mocking her otherwise.
She felt like crying. Not from sadness or injustice, but from embarrassment and frustration. But if she cried now, it would only make her look more ridiculous.
The tense atmosphere broke slightly as Do-yoon looked around and laughed freely. He stepped closer, shielding Lee Hyun with his back, and asked.
“You said we’re having a dinner tonight. Are we leaving together?”
“Oh, everyone’s going separately. We’re all heading in different directions. We’re old enough to handle our own way home, right?”
“That’s better.”
The director, caught up in the conversation, began lecturing at length about how meaningful the dinner was. Do-yoon quietly grabbed a tissue from the desk and slid it behind him to Lee Hyun.
It was a quiet, secretive gesture, unnoticed by anyone. Lee Hyun, swallowing back her tears, looked up in surprise at the tissue, seeing Do-yoon still watching ahead.
She discreetly took the tissue from his hand, and Do-yoon glanced back with a curved smile. Wiping her tears with the tissue, Lee Hyun thought:
Strangely, Do-yoon seemed familiar.
But before she could dwell on it, Liam entered the teacher’s room. He seemed late from preparing materials for the morning class.
He appeared awkward at the sudden presence of an outsider. There was sharp hostility in his gaze toward Do-yoon. The director awkwardly introduced Do-yoon in broken English, and Liam said in a blunt tone.
[“Nice to meet you, I’m Liam, in charge of English classes.”]
Even while saying this, Liam’s eyes repeatedly went to Lee Hyun. She had clearly been crying. Her face was flushed as usual, but the corners of her eyes were slightly bloodshot.
Liam, familiar with the director’s personality, was about to gauge the situation with a wary look, when Do-yoon looked at Liam’s outstretched hand and said:
“You only know English, right?”
“That’s right. The reason our kindergarten is so well-regarded among moms? It’s all thanks to Liam.”
As the director praised him, Do-yoon raised a corner of his mouth and said:
“Oh, I see.”
He then grabbed Liam’s hand firmly and shook it. Liam furrowed his brow slightly at the excessive grip, and Do-yoon smiled brightly.
“I’m uneducated and can’t speak English, so I hope you’ll forgive my rudeness.”
At that, Lee Hyun’s tears receded. Surely, some strange new relationship was about to begin.
