Chapter 11
“We were going to eat samgyeopsal.”
Min-kyung said it.
In front of Min-kyung, In-hye, and Se-ah, meat was sizzling on the grill.
But it wasn’t the pork belly they had planned to eat.
“Finish this first, then eat. There’s not that much anyway.”
The one flipping the meat was Chairman Seonghan.
He had stopped the three of them who were about to eat pork belly and insisted they go together, bringing them here instead.
Despite saying it wasn’t much, in front of them were neatly arranged cuts of Korean beef—tenderloin, striploin, oyster blade, rib meat, and chuck flap tail.
“I-I’ll grill it now, Chairman.”
Unable to just watch, Se-ah quickly stood up and reached for the tongs, but Seonghan was faster. He lifted his hand higher to avoid her and gestured with his eyes.
“Just eat comfortably.”
Min-kyung and In-hye glanced at each other and pulled Se-ah back down by her sleeve. Se-ah kept biting her lip, feeling uneasy.
“I just joined, so I should make a good impression on my seniors. Don’t worry, I won’t burn it.”
Calling himself a “new recruit,” Seonghan placed perfectly grilled meat onto their plates.
“New recruit? Chairman?”
Min-kyung forced a smile.
“If anyone should be trying to impress someone, it’s us. Haha.”
In-hye scratched the back of her head awkwardly. Seonghan raised his eyebrows, a gentle smile forming on his lips.
“The one who comes later should work harder. That’s the order of the world, isn’t it? Whether I’m chairman or whatever, who would welcome someone who just rolled in?”
His words were rough despite his calm expression. The three women stiffened.
“Oh no, Chairman. We’re not that narrow-minded.”
Min-kyung waved her hands quickly, and In-hye nodded.
“Of course. People say a lot about teachers’ groups, but we’re not like that. Well… maybe we can be a little rigid sometimes.”
“Rigid? In what way?”
As he placed another piece of meat on a plate, Seonghan asked.
“Well… since most of us were model students ourselves, we tend to think students should act a certain way, and teachers should act a certain way.”
Min-kyung snorted.
“Yeah, and then gossip behind each other’s backs. Ah—sorry, Chairman.”
She quickly pressed her lips together, and In-hye lightly hit her shoulder.
Se-ah silently moved her chopsticks.
In truth, she just wanted this to end quickly. When Seonghan had joined them earlier, she should have gone home, but Min-kyung and In-hye had stopped her.
“Haha, I understand. It’s the same in companies. People act all proper in suits in front of others, but behind the scenes they do whatever they want. The world is similar everywhere.”
As he spoke, his eyes turned to Se-ah.
She stopped moving her chopsticks.
“Teacher Han Se-ah.”
He spoke slowly, watching her. Min-kyung and In-hye also turned to look at her.
“What do you think? Are you satisfied with the teachers’ society?”
Se-ah raised her eyes.
What should I say? Why is he asking me this?
She gave a faint smile and lowered her gaze.
“Yes. Of all the places I’ve belonged to, it’s the best one.”
Min-kyung’s eyes widened.
“What kind of life have you lived to say that? The teachers’ world is the best?”
“It could be. The company I worked at briefly before this was much worse.”
In-hye picked up her empty soju glass, then glanced at Seonghan and put it down again.
Seonghan smiled and filled her glass.
“I have to drive, so I won’t drink much. Please enjoy. Let this junior treat you today.”
“Well, I can’t eat meat without soju, so I’ll excuse myself.”
In-hye turned her head and drank. “Ahh,” she let out, and Min-kyung held out her glass too.
“Me too, Chairman.”
After filling her glass, Seonghan looked at Se-ah.
“You should have one too, Teacher Han.”
“I’m not good with alcohol.”
As soon as she said that, Min-kyung smacked her back.
“What are you talking about? Last time you lasted till the end and were the only one not drunk!”
“I’ve never seen a teacher go head-to-head with the vice principal before!”
Se-ah bit her lip.
She had actually wanted to drink. Her mouth itched as she looked at the soju.
But drinking in front of Seonghan made her hesitate.
That day, she hadn’t been sober—she had just tried hard not to look drunk. After going home, she had collapsed and slept all weekend.
“Drink.”
Seonghan filled her glass until it was almost overflowing.
Afraid it would spill, Se-ah quickly put it to her lips—and ended up drinking it all in one gulp.
“Nice! Chairman, you should drink too. I don’t like it when someone doesn’t drink alone at gatherings like this. Just call a driver, right?”
Min-kyung cheerfully filled Seonghan’s glass, and he accepted it without refusing.
“Alright. Thank you for including me.”
“Of course. We’re like family now.”
As the drinks went around, the awkwardness slowly faded.
Se-ah felt pleasantly tipsy.
Min-kyung began complaining about the head of academics, and In-hye joined in.
“So what if I’m not married? Does that mean I’m defective? That’s harassment if you think about it!”
Min-kyung slapped the table as she spoke, and In-hye clapped.
“Exactly! But when it’s a married woman, he complains about her missing work because her kid is sick. It’s always something. It’s like we’re some kind of disease!”
“If you marry, they complain. If you don’t marry, they complain!”
Min-kyung suddenly shouted and fell sideways. In-hye hurried to support her.
“Hey, you drank too much. I’m sorry, Chairman. She’s had a lot bottled up. People keep nagging her about not getting married.”
“I understand.”
Seonghan answered shortly.
“Hey, get up. You shouldn’t be like this in front of the Chairman.”
In-hye pulled her up.
“I’m not defective. I didn’t stay single because something’s wrong with me.”
“I know. Every guy you dated was trash. One disappeared without a word. One cheated.”
Without meaning to, Se-ah glanced at Seonghan—and their eyes met. She quickly looked away.
Seonghan judged that they couldn’t stay longer.
“I’ll call a taxi.”
“No, it’s okay. I messaged my husband earlier. He’s almost here. I’ll drop Min-kyung off on the way.”
Soon, In-hye’s husband arrived, and she left with Min-kyung.
After seeing them off, Se-ah finally came to her senses.
Countless empty bottles were on the table. She couldn’t remember how much she drank.
“You really can hold your liquor.”
Seonghan had also drunk quite a bit, yet he looked no different than usual.
“You too, Chairman.”
She lowered her gaze. She was about to suggest leaving when he spoke first.
“Have you thought about the plan?”
As he poured her another drink, he asked.
She looked at him as if to ask what he meant.
“The revenge plan.”
Her eyes widened.
“Oh, that…”
“What’s there to think about? We can start tomorrow.”
As if he would do anything she asked.
She shook her head.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Didn’t you hear earlier?”
She recalled Min-kyung’s drunken shouting.
— “I didn’t fail to marry. I chose not to. Every guy was trash! One disappeared. One cheated!”
— “Exactly! May those disappearing and cheating guys suffer!”
With alcohol in her system, her words flowed freely.
“If you think about it, you’re trash to me too. What’s the difference between you and a guy who disappears?”
She poured her own drink and swallowed it in one shot.
“You kissed me and ran away, and now you’re talking about revenge? Are you out of your mind?”
A man who runs away, a man who cheats—it’s all the same.
Seonghan watched her silently, then lifted one corner of his lips.
He tapped the table lightly with his finger.
“Are you curious why I ran?”
“No. I’m not.”
She grinned.
“Not at all. Actually, I’m more curious why you’re asking now. Do you not know what shame is?”
That was the last thing Se-ah remembered that night.
When she opened her eyes the next morning—
She realized she was lying in an unfamiliar house.
And what she saw—
Was Seonghan’s naked body.
