Chapter 16
“You did well. You did well.”
It was the third day of her sick leave.
Se-ah had called Yeon-sil over to her house.
She truly hadn’t wanted to take time off, but she had no choice. Her panic disorder had relapsed.
She went back to the psychiatrist and had her medication increased. The hospital also wrote a note recommending that she take a break for the time being.
“Take this chance to rest properly. Don’t think about anything else.”
Se-ah could speak to Yeon-sil about what had happened without shame. Yeon-sil had become her friend even after knowing about her family situation.
Se-ah had spoken with difficulty, but Yeon-sil responded as if it were nothing.
“And moms like that—ugh—you see them on the news all the time, don’t you? It’s not your fault.”
“Mommy…”
While Yeon-sil was talking, her three-year-old daughter, who had been sleeping, mumbled “Mommy” in her sleep after hearing the word.
“Oh my baby, sleep more. It’s okay.”
Yeon-sil had even brought her child with her. That was how worried she had been about Se-ah.
“I know it’s not my fault.”
Se-ah continued, staring at the floor.
“Still… I keep thinking, how easy must I have looked for her to treat me like that?”
“Hey, don’t even think like that. It’s her fault, I’m telling you. You know how rich families abuse their power? That’s what happened to you.”
Yes, she knew that in her head. She knew she had simply been a victim. But even so, her heart wouldn’t settle.
“More importantly, what about Lee Dong-jun? You finished things clearly with him, right?”
Only then did Se-ah realize she had completely forgotten about Dong-jun.
She hadn’t even told him why she was on sick leave.
“No.”
“What? You didn’t say anything at all?”
Yeon-sil’s eyes widened. Se-ah and Dong-jun weren’t the type to contact each other constantly, but they at least kept each other updated about important matters.
“Isn’t he curious? There must be rumors at school.”
“Maybe there aren’t. Who would spread them?”
“Isn’t Lee Dong-jun the principal’s son? The principal must have told him.”
Now that she thought about it, Yeon-sil wasn’t wrong. Even if the principal didn’t know about Se-ah and Dong-jun’s relationship, he might have mentioned what happened at school.
Or perhaps Dong-jun had asked his father why Se-ah suddenly stopped coming to work.
“He didn’t contact you?”
At Yeon-sil’s question, Se-ah couldn’t answer.
“Hey, your girlfriend hasn’t been going to work and he doesn’t even check on you? What trash. Seriously insane. Throw him away. I’m getting mad just thinking about it.”
Yeon-sil fumed as usual. But strangely, Se-ah felt it was odd that she herself felt nothing.
The person she had been thinking about all this time wasn’t Dong-jun.
It was Chairman Seonghan.
After angrily forcing her to take sick leave, Seonghan hadn’t contacted her either.
“Oh… the inauguration ceremony must have happened.”
The ceremony had been scheduled for Wednesday. Important local figures were expected to attend, so the school must have cleaned thoroughly and adjusted the academic schedule.
Thinking about Manager Kim bustling around more than ever made Se-ah feel relieved that she wasn’t there.
“Inauguration ceremony? What ceremony?”
“The chairman’s inauguration.”
After saying it, Se-ah wondered why it even mattered. It had nothing to do with her.
She was grateful—and surprised—that Seonghan had suddenly stepped in that day. He had taken care of her the day before and allowed her sick leave.
But it wasn’t because he had any special interest in her.
He had helped her when she was drunk, and he had seemed to ask about her past.
Se-ah shook her head at the thought.
It was probably just a sense of responsibility toward his employee.
“Chairman? Chaaairman? That handsome guy we saw before? The chaaairman?”
Yeon-sil, who had been angry until moments ago, now smiled brightly, repeating “chairman.”
“Yeah. The chairman.”
“Wow, he was inaugurated? I should’ve prepared a bouquet. You should’ve told me. I would’ve delivered flowers in your name.”
“What are you talking about?”
Se-ah frowned and waved her hand dismissively, but Yeon-sil had no intention of taking it back.
“Hey, Lee Dong-jun is over anyway. From now on, switch lanes to the chairman and speed down the highway. You’ve suffered riding a junk car—time to upgrade!”
“Stop it.”
As Se-ah grimaced, Yeon-sil laughed and smacked her back.
“You are the ultimate queen of pretending. I saw everything that day. The laser beams shooting out of your eyes when you looked at that man. And you’re still pretending? I don’t even want to say this, but this is ridiculous!”
“What are you even saying?!”
The more Se-ah protested, the more Yeon-sil laughed.
Laser beams? From her eyes?
She told herself Yeon-sil was just making things up because she liked him.
But she knew Yeon-sil wasn’t entirely wrong.
The moment she saw Seonghan again, her heart had trembled.
She hated him. Resented him. Never wanted to see him again.
And yet she kept thinking about him, and that made it painful.
“The chairman is not an option. Not him.”
“Not him?”
He was someone who had betrayed her once. Deeply. Painfully. She had lived through a time she never wanted to experience again.
But she couldn’t say that out loud.
“He’s chaebol.”
Se-ah finished her cola in one gulp.
“Ah, so you love him but you’re suffering because he’s rich?”
Before she could even put the glass down, Yeon-sil said it.
Unable to endure it any longer, Se-ah pointed at the door.
“I won’t see you out.”
“Throwing me out means it’s true. Fine, fine. Then let’s talk about dealing with that parent first.”
She didn’t want to talk about that either, but it was better than talking about the chairman.
“Deal with is a strong word.”
“What do you mean? Of course she should be dealt with. I don’t know much, but can’t you sue her? That’s assault.”
Se-ah lowered her gaze. In principle, it was grounds for a lawsuit. But if rumors spread that a teacher had almost been slapped by a parent, how would she face her students afterward?
It wasn’t her fault. Still, it felt unbearably humiliating.
“I don’t want to sue publicly. I wasn’t actually hit. Just almost. I’d prefer a private apology. Though I doubt I’ll even get that.”
“An apology? Don’t be so soft. If you’re going to accept an apology, at least get money out of it.”
“How can a teacher take money from a parent?”
Yeon-sil looked dissatisfied, then suddenly clapped her hands.
“I’ve got a great idea.”
“What?”
“You said you don’t want money but want a proper apology, right? I know how.”
Se-ah prayed it wasn’t what she thought.
“Ask the chairman!”
Of course. It came back to the chairman again.
“Can we stop talking about him?”
“Then what’s the solution? Do you think a parent like that would apologize without conditions? The chairman has to say something. You’re entitled to ask.”
If he weren’t her ex-boyfriend, maybe she would have.
But she couldn’t bear that he had already seen her humiliation. She couldn’t ask him for more.
“Forget it. I’ll just rest and go back when enough time has passed. If I focus on teaching, I’ll forget.”
“Mommy…”
Just then, Yeon-sil’s daughter Ha-yeon stirred and opened her eyes.
As Se-ah watched Yeon-sil soothe her child, she suddenly remembered something and stood up.
“Oh right, I bought something for Ha-yeon. Wait a second.”
“What did you buy now? Are you spending your whole salary on her toys?”
Yeon-sil said that, but she was smiling brightly.
Se-ah brought out a large dice-shaped toy. When you pressed the buttons, it spoke English.
“It’s popular these days. I hope she likes it.”
“Oh my, this is the national toy! You’re my one and only friend. I kept putting it in my cart and deleting it. It’s so expensive. Are you really spending your whole paycheck on Ha-yeon?”
Even as she complained, Yeon-sil quickly unwrapped it and handed it to Ha-yeon.
“Say thank you to auntie.”
“Auntie, thank you.”
Ha-yeon mumbled lazily and pressed the buttons repeatedly. Se-ah watched her with hearts in her eyes.
Then the doorbell rang.
“Hey, someone’s here.”
At Yeon-sil’s words, Se-ah stood up with an uneasy feeling.
“No one’s supposed to come.”
“What if it’s the chairman? Speak of the tiger?”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Shouting back, Se-ah went to the door.
She remembered only then that the intercom was broken. With no choice, she slowly opened the front door.
“Who is it?”
Usually, no one came except for deliveries.
But the moment she looked up—
She froze.
Standing in front of her…
Was Dong-jun.
