Chapter 23
“Oh my, unni, what brings you here at this hour of the night?”
Hyun-kyung looked at Sea with wide eyes. Sea chuckled lightly.
“Exactly. I came back to work after a while, and now I’m stuck doing overtime at night.”
“Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t seen you around lately.”
“Yeah, I’ve been a bit busy.”
It was hard to say she had taken sick leave because of a conflict with a parent.
Even if Hyun-kyung was someone she was close to.
“I see. I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you lately.”
“Wondering about what? Nothing much happened.”
After saying that, Sea ordered an iced Americano and the iced caramel macchiato Seonghan had asked for.
But Hyun-kyung’s attitude while making the drinks felt a little strange.
Every so often she glanced at Sea, as if watching her carefully.
“Ah, well… there’s another teacher staying late.”
Sea assumed Hyun-kyung thought it was odd that one person was ordering two drinks, so she made up a casual excuse.
“I see.”
But Hyun-kyung didn’t seem particularly interested in the answer.
“I should have the younger one buy it and bring it.”
Feeling awkward, Sea added something that hadn’t even been asked. Hyun-kyung simply handed over the coffee without saying anything.
It was quite different from her usual bright and lively personality.
Maybe because it’s an iced caramel macchiato, she’s guessing it’s for the chairman.
Sea quietly watched Hyun-kyung’s reaction. Hyun-kyung barely even met her eyes.
“When do you close? It must be hard working this late at night.”
“I’m about to clean up and leave soon.”
After saying that, Hyun-kyung fidgeted with her lips, as if searching for something to say.
“Well then, hope you sell a lot.”
Whether she thought it was for the chairman or not, it wasn’t something Sea needed to worry about.
Just as Sea organized her thoughts and was about to leave the café—
“Um, unni.”
Hyun-kyung raised her head.
“Hm?”
She hesitated while meeting Sea’s eyes, then lowered her gaze again.
“Never mind. Go safely.”
“…Okay, I’m going.”
Sea said goodbye and left the café.
Hyun-kyung’s behavior definitely seemed unusual.
They hadn’t known each other long, but from what Sea had seen, Hyun-kyung was very perceptive. She had even been the first to ask whether Dongjun and Sea were dating, even though Sea had never mentioned it.
If she realized something strange about the relationship between the chairman and Sea, that could become troublesome.
It was already embarrassing enough to talk about breaking up with Dongjun.
Still… it’s not like the chairman and I have any kind of relationship.
Sea shook her head and walked back toward the school.
The school was silent with no one around. Entering the dark building felt a little frightening.
As she hunched her shoulders slightly, someone suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Eek!”
Startled, Sea stepped back—and then realized it was the night security guard.
“Oh, teacher, why are you wandering around alone this late at night? And why are you wearing such a big coat?”
“My coat?”
Only then did Sea realize she was still wearing Seonghan’s suit jacket.
Ah… so that was why Hyun-kyung had that expression.
If she went back now and tried to explain, it would probably look even stranger.
I should stay away from the café for a while.
Reaching that conclusion, Sea looked at the guard.
“I still have some work left. Another male teacher lent me this suit.”
“Oh dear, working this late? Be careful. A ghost might show up.”
The guard’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
“A g-ghost?”
“Don’t you know? There’s a legend at this school.”
Ghost stories were Sea’s weakness.
“Please stop.”
“It’s true. Thirty years ago, a student died here.”
The guard chuckled, but Sea genuinely hated ghost stories.
“Please stop. I really don’t like stories like that.”
“Really? Well that’s too bad. From what I saw today, it might show up tonight.”
Regardless of her fear, the guard teased her like that and then walked away whistling.
Sea glared at the back of his head, but it changed nothing.
Seriously…
She knew he liked jokes, but this kind was truly troublesome.
Sea squeezed her eyes shut and then stepped into the dark corridor.
“Ah!”
But after only a few steps, Sea collapsed to the floor.
The moment she looked down the dark hallway, the guard’s story came back to mind and she couldn’t move forward.
What should I do?
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried walking again.
But she misstepped and almost fell. In the end, she set the drinks beside her and sat down on the floor.
What am I supposed to do?
Screaming in an empty hallway wouldn’t help.
But she also couldn’t bring herself to just walk forward.
Her body trembled as she sat there.
At that moment—
From the other end of the corridor, she saw a dark figure approaching, footsteps echoing steadily.
“Ahhhhh!”
Sea screamed and ran out of the corridor. It was almost instinctive.
But before she could get far, she tripped loudly and fell onto the floor.
“Ow!”
“What are you doing?”
The person who hurried over, crouched beside her, and reached out a hand—
was none other than Chairman Seonghan.
Why was he walking alone down the corridor like that in such a scary way?
“Ah… so it was you, Chairman.”
“Were you startled?”
“No, not really.”
“You seem quite startled. Get up. Are you hurt?”
Seonghan seemed just as surprised as she was. Without thinking, Sea grabbed his hand.
His large, warm hand held hers and helped her up. The strange sensation slowly returned life to her body, which had frozen moments before.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll support you. Lean on me as we walk.”
“That’s not necessary. I can walk.”
Sea walked bravely. Her knee hurt, but it wasn’t unbearable.
However, as they walked, the back of her hand kept lightly bumping against his.
Seonghan was deliberately walking close beside her.
Each brief touch of warmth made her heart pound.
A strange emotion stirred inside her.
“Let’s go in.”
Had she secretly hoped the path would continue longer?
Sea bit her lip as she watched Seonghan step ahead and open the door for her.
Oddly enough, she hadn’t been afraid like this in high school. Even during stormy nights she had stayed alone cutting paper shapes.
But somehow, as she grew older, things had changed.
“Sit down. I’ll bring the coffee and the laptop.”
“No, I’ll—”
Sea awkwardly started to stand, but Seonghan had already left the chairman’s office without even looking back.
Embarrassed, Sea let out a warm sigh.
He was someone she should keep her distance from, yet the jacket draped over her shoulders felt warm.
As if it were protecting her from the cold world.
Just like Seonghan used to do in the past.
But he disappeared suddenly.
The thought felt like cold water poured over her heart.
Right.
She had forgotten.
That man betrayed me.
Sea didn’t want to be hurt again.
She didn’t want to lose everything and watch her life collapse once more.
Ordinary students with healthy hearts might not be deeply affected by a failed romance.
But Sea was different.
Back then, Seonghan had been everything to her—the only person who protected her.
Like the single rope that descended from heaven in the folktale of the brother and sister who became the sun and moon, escaping the tiger.
But that rope had rotted and snapped.
Sea had fallen toward the tiger.
Her body was torn and wounded. Her life had become so tattered that nothing could be done.
How she escaped that hell—just thinking about it still chilled her.
She had fled somewhere no one knew, using work as an excuse. Only her mother knew how to contact her.
I don’t want to go through that pain again.
Once she calmed down, her mind felt lighter.
Yes. They shouldn’t get close again.
He was simply her superior, and she was an employee. Nothing more.
The door opened.
Seonghan came in holding the laptop. Sea stood up.
“Thank you. Then I’ll be going now.”
“Going where?”
Seonghan frowned.
“I’ll finish it at home.”
He shrugged as if he didn’t understand why she would buy coffee only to go home.
“Just do it here.”
“It’s getting late.”
“Then can you go home alone?”
Seonghan opened the door. The dark corridor appeared again.
Sea bit her lip.
Seriously, that security guard!
If he hadn’t told that ghost story, she would’ve been fine.
“Aren’t you going?”
“…Then I’ll just finish the work and leave.”
Sea sat back down.
Yes, he might be a traitor, but what could possibly happen just from working in the same room?
She turned on her laptop and opened the file.
Even while drinking coffee and working, she kept yawning.
This is driving me crazy.
It had been so long since she worked like this that it wasn’t easy.
Rubbing her stiff eyes, she continued working when she suddenly felt warmth beside her.
Turning her head, she saw Seonghan standing next to her.
“Chairman?”
“Want me to help?”
Seonghan frowned slightly.
“Close your eyes for a bit. I can finish this in thirty minutes.”
“This? I have to organize five years’ worth of data.”
“I’ll wake you up in thirty minutes, so get some sleep.”
His fingers touched the keyboard.
But since Sea’s fingers were already on the keyboard, their hands overlapped.
Sea slowly blinked at the soft, warm sensation.
Even his fingers were warm.
Then Seonghan’s voice whispered close to her ear.
“Why is it that you sleep so well at someone else’s house, but you can’t sleep in the chairman’s office?”
