Chapter 07
“Principal, did you call me?”
Mokyeon quickly stood up and walked toward him.
Principal Lee Sangtae suddenly pointed his finger at her and demanded,
“What time did you come today?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked what time you came!”
Everyone was watching them. Mokyeon’s lips trembled.
“I—I came at eight.”
“Eight? I just saw you walking in! What are you talking about? I’m already walking on thin ice with the Chairman, and you get caught like this? Huh?”
The Chairman?
What does that mean?
Sea swallowed dryly.
“Even before his inauguration, he’s been coming at dawn, pushing everyone about handovers and reports. And Teacher Jin Mokyeon just had to make things worse for me, huh? A teacher coming in almost at nine o’clock!”
The principal kept shouting, his finger almost touching Mokyeon’s chest.
“Get yourself together! Do your job properly!”
He slammed the door and stormed out of the teachers’ office.
He had always been hot-tempered, but he had never humiliated a teacher like this in front of everyone.
“Waaah…”
Mokyeon covered her face and collapsed to the floor. A few teachers hesitated, then went over to comfort her and help her up.
But why did he suddenly bring up the Chairman?
Sea recalled the principal’s words.
It felt like he had been scolded by the Chairman and was taking out his anger on Mokyeon. The principal had never cared about teachers being late before.
If the Chairman really had said something…
Why?
Could it be…
Because of me?
Sea shook her head.
That was too self-centered. Impossible.
“Ms. Han Sea.”
Startled by the sudden voice, Sea turned around and quickly stood up.
Department Head Kim Taesik was standing in front of her.
“Yes, Department Head. Is something wrong?”
“I’ve held this in long enough.”
His brows were deeply furrowed.
“Your class is too messy. It’s a teacher’s job to make sure students manage their environment and clean properly. Being all smiley and easygoing isn’t what a teacher is supposed to do.”
Sea’s classroom wasn’t particularly dirty. Even if students cleaned every day, dust would naturally gather. It was the same in every class.
But she understood why he was suddenly saying this in the morning.
Because of that group chat.
And after Mokyeon had just been scolded by the principal, he must have felt some pity for her.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll guide them more strictly.”
Kim Taesik shook his head.
“You said that last time too. But nothing changed. That’s why I’m saying this.”
Then he suddenly walked to the corner of the office and brought back a large mop. Sea looked at him in confusion.
“Go mop the hallway yourself. See how much dust comes out.”
“Right now?”
Students cleaned the hallway every day. Sea often guided them during cleaning time, but she didn’t want to mop alone first thing in the morning.
Especially when she knew why he was doing this.
“I’ll have the students clean it together after they arrive. If I mop now, it might inconvenience them while they’re coming in.”
“Ah, this is unbelievable.”
Kim Taesik’s face suddenly turned red.
“Ms. Han Sea!”
He shouted loudly.
Sea flinched, her body trembling.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward them.
It felt just like earlier—with different people, but the same humiliation.
“Why can’t you understand simple words, huh? I told you to clean! How dirty must it be for me to even bring a mop and beg you like this, huh?”
Kim Taesik was kind to people he considered his own, but to those he didn’t, he would act hysterical like this.
Everyone knew it. But he was older and the department head. No one dared to tell him to stop.
They only looked at Sea with pity.
“I understand.”
Sea took the mop.
Along with the humiliation, old memories slowly rose inside her.
Her stepfather and stepbrother, always shouting and using violence.
And even now, after all this time, shrinking like a child at just one shout.
She tried not to lose her composure and dragged the mop out of the teachers’ office.
As she cleaned the hallway, students arriving at school looked surprised and approached her.
“Teacher, why are you cleaning this early?”
“Teacher, we’ll do it.”
Sea bit her lip.
Warm words poured into her already messy heart, and she felt tears about to fall again. Crying in front of students would be even more embarrassing.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll do it. It’s a bit dirty here. You all go inside and study.”
She forced a smile and pushed the mop hard.
Maybe too hard.
She failed to notice a pair of slippers that suddenly appeared, and pushed straight into them.
“Ah!”
The person quickly pulled his foot back.
It was Dongjun.
His socks and slippers were soaked by the dirty mop water. He lifted his wet foot and said,
“You should watch where you’re going.”
“I’m sorry, Teacher.”
Since Dongjun used the same teachers’ office, he must have seen Sea taking the mop out.
Why had he walked this way?
Did he come to help her?
Maybe they could talk properly about the issue with Mokyeon.
Thinking that made her feel slightly better.
“And cleaning should be done ahead of time. How can you mop when students are arriving?”
Sea frowned.
So… he didn’t know what was going on. He just happened to pass by.
“The Environmental Department Head told me to. He said he wanted it cleaned quickly.”
“Oh, really?”
He really didn’t know.
Sea almost laughed in disbelief.
“Ah, what am I going to do about these socks? My cousin bought them for me in America.”
Dongjun muttered while examining his socks.
Sea was speechless.
Even if he didn’t know the situation, she was mopping because she was ordered to. Couldn’t he at least show some concern?
She was his girlfriend.
Even if they couldn’t show it openly…
All he cared about were his socks.
“I’m sorry. Should I buy you a new pair?”
Sea asked, anger rising inside her.
Dongjun frowned deeply.
“How can you buy the exact same ones? I told you they were bought in America.”
Just then—
Sea suddenly felt the mop become lighter in her hands.
She didn’t immediately realize what was happening.
The mop was lifted, and dirty water instantly soaked Dongjun’s knit sweater and pants.
The socks that had just been wiped were soaked again.
“What the—!”
Dongjun turned around in shock.
Standing there, holding the mop, was Seonghan.
He was wearing a suit—completely out of place—yet he was calmly dragging the mop across Dongjun’s body as if he were cleaning the hallway.
“What are you doing, you—!”
“Ah.”
Seonghan stopped mopping.
“Why are you standing there? I’m cleaning the school.”
“What?”
By now, Dongjun’s whole body had been wiped down with the mop. A strong smell rose from him even if he stood still.
“Move aside. I need to clean.”
Seonghan lifted the mop again.
“Are you crazy—!”
Dongjun trembled with anger and looked around. Students were glancing at them as they passed by.
Dongjun always maintained the image of a fair and upright teacher. No matter how angry he was, he couldn’t grab the Chairman by the collar in a place like this.
He turned away angrily—only to slip on the wet floor and fall hard.
“Are you okay?”
Sea hurried toward him in shock.
Dongjun quickly raised a hand and stood up, rubbing his backside dramatically.
“I’m fine. I’ll be going first.”
He glared at Seonghan once and walked away.
With every step, the smell of dirty mop water followed him.
“What on earth are you doing?!”
Sea stared at Seonghan in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Seonghan calmly continued mopping the area she had left unfinished.
“Chairman!”
Sea tried to take the mop from him, but Seonghan looked up and said,
“This is what I do. I help the teachers focus on teaching properly.”
Sea’s lips twisted.
“Then just clean the school. Why involve Teacher Lee Dongjun?”
“I was cleaning. Something dirty got wiped with a mop. Did I do something wrong?”
He shrugged and pushed the mop into the corner of the hallway.
“And.”
After finishing, Seonghan looked at Sea.
“There’s no need to do this early in the morning. It disrupts the students arriving. Cleaning should be done during cleaning time.”
He handed the mop back to her and walked away with steady footsteps.
Sea stood there, staring at his retreating figure in shock.
