Chapter-4
Lee Hyun was not the type of person who could live with debt.
It wasn’t because Jin Yi-hyun was especially kind or righteous. It was because of a deeply ingrained, almost pathological fear—that one day, that debt might be used to seize her by the throat, to expose a weakness she couldn’t afford to have.
Jin Yi-hyun’s life was already full of risks. She had no desire to add even one more.
That was why she struggled to accept kindness from others. Because kindness, in the end, was something that had to be repaid.
So ever since the incident a few days ago, Lee Hyun had been hovering around Liam, watching carefully for the right moment.
If it were up to her, she would’ve sent him a gift coupon and ended things cleanly. But considering the terminal-stage axe disease he suffered from, he’d undoubtedly misunderstand that too.
Placing a cup of coffee on Liam’s desk, Lee Hyun muttered quietly,
“I bought you a vanilla latte just for you, so be grateful. Seriously…”
Repaying a favor to a terminal axe-disease patient was unnecessarily complicated.
If she bought coffee for Liam alone, it would definitely cause another scene. So she ended up buying coffee for the principal and all the other teachers as well—though she did add a small distinction.
Everyone else got Americanos.
Liam alone received a slightly more expensive vanilla latte.
Just as she quietly slipped out of the teachers’ office, she heard footsteps. Liam was always punctual, so she assumed it was Minyoung.
But the broad shoulders that came into view down the hallway unmistakably belonged to Liam.
In an instant, Lee Hyun’s face flared hot.
Facing him like this—especially after he found out she’d bought coffee—he would definitely misunderstand again and convince himself he was “maintaining professional boundaries.”
Panicking, Lee Hyun crawled under her desk and hid.
Dragging her chair to shield herself, she thought,
Why am I hiding right now?
She knew it was bizarre. Completely wrong.
But she couldn’t stop.
More accurately—she couldn’t turn back.
Because Liam had already entered the teachers’ office.
His long legs strode in steadily, then stopped.
Worried he might hear her breathing, Lee Hyun clamped a hand over her mouth and watched his reaction in silence.
Liam picked up the vanilla latte on his desk and frowned slightly. As if he already knew who had bought it, his gaze drifted toward Lee Hyun’s desk before he let out a sigh.
So ungrateful…!
Lee Hyun clenched her fist tightly.
Just then, Minyoung entered the teachers’ office and greeted Liam. She noticed the Americano on her desk and asked,
“Did you buy this, Liam?”
“No.”
“Then who did…?”
“I think it was Jin Yi-hyun.”
With an indifferent expression, Liam set the vanilla latte back on his desk and said,
“I don’t like sweet drinks. Want to trade?”
Minyoung nodded happily and swapped her Americano for his latte.
The moment Lee Hyun saw that, her whole body began to tremble.
At the same time, dust that had settled in the corner beneath the desk tickled her nose. She inhaled sharply, the dust rushing deep into her lungs—
“Ah-choo!”
It sounded less like a sneeze and more like a pansori performance.
Blinking in shock, Lee Hyun immediately knew.
I’m screwed.
A shadow loomed over her. Slowly lifting her head, she met Liam’s gaze—his expression clearly asking what kind of insanity this was.
As he looked down at her, his eyes held a mix of disbelief and discomfort.
Staring back blankly, Lee Hyun slapped the floor uselessly with her palm and blurted out,
“There are… a lot of bugs down here…”
“….”
“I think we should… ask the director to call pest control…”
As she muttered her pathetic excuse, something was placed on her head with a soft tap.
Then Liam turned away, sat down at his desk, and turned on his monitor.
Awkwardly standing up, Lee Hyun shuffled out of the teachers’ office like a wreck—only to notice something on her desk.
Liam’s coffee.
Dumbfounded, she was about to approach him when her phone vibrated sharply in her pocket.
At this hour, messages were usually about student drop-off or pick-up issues.
She checked it urgently.
And swore.
“Is he insane?”
It was quiet, but clear.
Minyoung asked if something was wrong, but Lee Hyun shook her head firmly and stormed out of the teachers’ office.
On her phone screen, a message from Liam floated ominously.
Do you not understand what “enough” means?
Only then did Lee Hyun realize—
You don’t repay kindness to beasts.
You repay it with enmity.
“Teacher, are you sick?”
During story time, one of the children raised their hand and asked brightly.
Lee Hyun, her face pale and drenched in cold sweat, shook her head.
“No, I’m just hot.”
“But we’re cold!”
“Cold?”
Several children nodded.
Staggering to her feet, Lee Hyun turned off the air conditioner with trembling arms and thought,
I really lost my mind. Why did I drink that?
After Liam had practically dumped the coffee on her, something stubborn flared up inside her. Even though she didn’t drink coffee, she’d forced herself to finish it—ice and all.
It wasn’t about the money. A three-dollar coffee wasn’t going to ruin her finances.
She was just angry.
Angry that he wouldn’t accept it. Angry that he treated a single cup of coffee like some kind of declaration.
So she’d chewed through the ice on purpose, glaring at him while doing it. Liam had watched her like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Not long after, Lee Hyun realized her mistake.
She was extremely sensitive to caffeine—especially on an empty stomach.
She was dizzy. Nauseous. She’d even skipped lunch.
Now, with nothing but coffee sloshing around in her empty stomach, she felt like she might faint.
Leaning against the wall for a moment, she forced a smile and returned to her seat.
If she opened her mouth, she’d definitely throw up, so she stayed silent.
The children immediately protested.
“Keep reading!”
“Hurry, teacher!”
Ah… children.
You’re so cruel.
Ignoring a person who looks this pale—it’s almost beautiful…
Thinking briefly about the inherent evil of humanity, Lee Hyun collapsed onto the floor and muttered,
“Teacher’s just going to lie down for a moment… just a moment…”
The children swarmed her with questions, but her ears rang too loudly to hear anything.
When she finally cracked her eyes open, she saw one child bolt out the classroom door.
“Jiu! Where are you going?!”
Lee Hyun called out desperately, but the child didn’t stop.
After warning the others not to move, Lee Hyun staggered to the doorway.
Down the hall, she saw Jiu stopping in front of Liam, babbling frantically.
“Our teacher—her face is really white, and she’s sick. Please help.”
Liam met Jiu’s eyes and listened seriously, nodding.
Barely holding her wavering vision together, Lee Hyun thought bitterly,
Jiu… no matter what you say, Liam won’t understand. He doesn’t speak Korean…
Just as she was about to call the child’s name, a sharp pain twisted her stomach.
She collapsed to the floor with a faint groan.
Then—
A familiar, unfamiliar voice reached her ears.
“So the teacher is sick.”
It was Liam.
But not in the language she always heard.
It was clear, fluent Korean.
Leaning against the doorway, breathing hard, Lee Hyun stared at him.
Their eyes met.
And then—
Her consciousness went dark.
Even as everything faded, one thought echoed clearly in her mind.
Wait… did Liam just speak Korean?
