Episode 10
Before class began, Liam blocked Lee Hyun’s path as she hurried down the hallway. By now, Hyun, who was no longer easily surprised, tried to casually step aside, but Liam moved a step forward and blocked her again.
Hyun let out a low, irritated sigh and asked quietly,
“Why again?”
“Did you cry earlier?”
“I didn’t.”
She immediately denied it, though it was obvious how she looked. Her face, turning red at unpredictable moments regardless of her intentions, often caused her these little trials.
Hyun lifted her textbook slightly to shield her eyes and said confidently,
“It’s just a stye. Just ignore it.”
Liam let out a deflating, hollow laugh, then slammed the textbook down with his hand and spoke lowly, as if issuing a warning.
“A stye? Anyone can see you’ve been crying miserably.”
Hyun stepped back, hesitant, as his face loomed right in front of her. Raising her hands gently as if calming a wild animal, she spoke softly.
“Liam, we’re not the kind of people who worry about stuff like this. Please, can we just go on like before?”
“I told you yesterday, didn’t I? I got curious about Jin Hyun.”
“I’m uncomfortable because of it.”
“We’ve always been awkward with each other, so what’s changed?”
Hyun let out a weary sigh at his unyielding stance. He seemed determined not to back down unless she explained why she had cried. But she didn’t want to go into every little detail. It would only be worthless emotional labor.
“What did the director say again?”
“Nothing like that.”
“Then why are you lying and hiding it?”
Irritated, Hyun lifted her head—and there he was, wearing an unexpected expression. He looked hurt and disappointed that she hadn’t confided in him. She hadn’t been trying to exclude him or keep a secret, but his reaction wasn’t what she expected.
Hyun knew that expression well. It was the look a kindergarten child sometimes made when they felt left out. And amusingly—or rather painfully—that expression often hit Hyun hard.
Her resolve weakened immediately, and she began to soothe him.
“It’s nothing like that. Even if you knew, it wouldn’t make a difference. So don’t make that face.”
“What face are you talking about?”
“You’re… just…”
Pressing her finger against the corner of her textbook to avoid answering directly, Hyun muttered while averting her eyes.
“You’re making a childlike face.”
His previously innocent, childlike face instantly hardened. Only after it returned to the familiar face Hyun knew did she feel relief. She tapped his shoulder lightly as encouragement and tried to settle the situation.
“Anyway, it’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”
“You sound a little hurt, though.”
Liam let out a deflating laugh and stared blankly at the small, white hand resting on his shoulder. But it lasted only a moment. Hyun quickly lowered her hand when she spotted In-Young at the end of the hallway and, in awkward English, spoke to Liam nonsensically.
“Okay, Liam! Good day!”
Startled by her sudden nonsense, Liam frowned, about to speak, when Doyun approached them and asked,
“What are you two doing here? Isn’t class about to start?”
“Oh, right. We just bumped into each other and were saying hi.”
Doyun’s cold gaze fell on Liam, then quickly shifted to Hyun as he smiled.
“Are you going to the company dinner today?”
“Of course. It’s not optional.”
As the warm conversation flowed between Hyun and Doyun, Liam glanced at Doyun with a stiff expression, then spoke.
[If you mean the dinner, I’m planning to go too.]
He said it in English to acknowledge Doyun, but his eyes were firmly fixed on Hyun. Feeling the gaze of both of them, Hyun’s face instantly turned bright red.
She lifted her textbook slightly again to cover her cheeks and nodded. Watching this amusing scene, Doyun asked Hyun,
“Did you say his name was Nian?”
“No, it’s Liam. And he’s not good at Korean, so it’s better to speak in English.”
“Actually, if he’s going to stay in Korea, shouldn’t he have learned Korean?”
Doyun teased with a sly smile, and Liam’s eyebrows shot up. Hyun could only feel awkward, unable to understand the strange tension between the two.
“Then I’ll go to class now.”
She no longer had the energy to deal with them. The rest of her day was long. As she quietly slipped away, Doyun called after her.
“Teacher Hyun.”
“…Yes?”
Doyun, staring at her for a moment, smiled and asked,
“You’re okay, right?”
Only then did she remember that Doyun had helped her after the director scolded her. She felt she should thank him, even belatedly. Moreover, he was worrying about her again. He must be a genuinely kind person.
Hyun nodded slightly and expressed her gratitude.
“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you earlier.”
“No problem.”
As Hyun tried to leave again, Doyun spoke in a barely audible voice.
“I’ve been thankful for a lot of things before.”
Of course, Hyun didn’t hear it. Doyun watched her leave for a long moment and muttered to himself,
“Still so cute…”
Lost in thought, he glanced at Liam and said as he passed by,
“I’d be scared someone else would take a liking to her.”
It was clear that an unusual man had arrived at Green Kindergarten.
Hyun encountered Doyun again during nap time. As usual, after putting all the children to sleep and quietly working on paperwork, Doyun quietly appeared at the classroom door.
Startled, Hyun widened her eyes. Doyun smiled innocently and shook a banana milk in his hand.
Thirsty and craving sugar, Hyun smiled in return. Doyun tiptoed over and handed her the drink, whispering,
“It’s my first day at work, so I didn’t want to come empty-handed. There’s more in the teacher’s room fridge, so have some.”
“Thank you.”
Hyun bowed slightly and took a sip through the straw. But something felt off. She had expected him to hand over the drink and leave, but he lingered.
Instead, he boldly sat beside her, watching her drink intently. Feeling a rush of heat to her face, Hyun lowered her head and asked,
“Are you going to stay here…?”
“Yes, I already gave drinks to the other teachers.”
“You know you can go rest.”
“I want to rest here.”
Why is he like this? Hyun silently cursed the sky and turned her attention back to her monitor. Though pretending to be indifferent, her mind was in turmoil.
Jin Hyun was no fool. She understood exactly what a man’s playful behavior meant.
Of course, she wanted to refuse intensely. The problem was, Doyun had a fairly handsome face. Being near a man caused her face to heat up even more due to Doyun’s peculiarity. Watching the rare scene with amusement, he asked innocently,
“Can I ask you something?”
Instantly, Hyun’s mind raced with potential questions he might ask. Would he ask if she had a boyfriend or her phone number? She quickly dismissed the thought.
Unless he was insane, he wouldn’t act inappropriately on his first day at work, especially to someone he met only a day ago. She swiftly decided and nodded instead of answering.
Then Doyun asked gently,
“Do you not remember me?”
Hyun’s heart sank instantly. Turning beside her like a broken robot, she saw him looking at her with an innocent, hopeful face. She quickly ran through her life in her mind, but no one came to mind.
There was only one conclusion. He was insane.
Terrified, Hyun shook her head repeatedly, and Doyun muttered in a gloomy voice, as if disappointed,
“I’m disappointed. I thought about you a lot.”
“I… don’t understand what you mean.”
Her heart pounded violently—but it was only momentary.
Doyun suddenly jumped up and was dragged out of the classroom. Hyun’s eyes went wide in shock as she watched, and she saw Liam clench his teeth.
His low, threatening voice pierced her ear.
“Come out, you crazy bastard.”
Perfectly pronounced Korean. Liam had revealed his secret to save Hyun.
