Chapter 25
“Is that true?”
“Did Teacher Han Sea really do that?”
Sim Ji-yeon and Lee So-young put down the tteokbokki they were eating.
Dong-jun nodded with a serious expression.
“Yeah. I didn’t really want to say anything either.”
A low sigh escaped his lips.
“I couldn’t stay quiet knowing you might keep getting hurt.”
Sim Ji-yeon and Lee So-young had been the students who liked and followed Dong-jun the most in his class last year.
Since they were friendly and good with teachers, they were also adjusting well in Sea’s class now.
However, minor conflicts between friends always happened due to grades or other reasons, and Ji-yeon and So-young had experienced such conflicts last year.
The friend who became distant during that time was Kim Ha-yoon. It had started simply: the boy Ji-yeon liked ended up dating Ha-yoon.
Since Ji-yeon had never confessed her feelings, Ha-yoon only realized it later, and they eventually broke up. However, Ji-yeon and Ha-yoon never became close again.
“But teachers often fall for temptation. Ha-yoon’s mother visits the school frequently and treats Teacher Han Sea well, so at first, she refused, but couldn’t resist in the end.”
“No matter what, accepting gifts from parents is not allowed. And because of that, she got selected for the Korea University internship?”
The Korea University internship selected one student from each class, recommended by their homeroom teacher, to attend classes at Korea University and submit a short thesis.
Of course, this activity was recorded in the student’s school record and was advantageous for college admissions.
“Ha-yoon got picked for the internship?”
Dong-jun pretended not to know. Since selections were shared across classes, it was impossible not to know.
“Of course. But I don’t know what the criteria were.”
Sim Ji-yeon said, sounding upset.
“It definitely wasn’t based on grades. She’s worse at studying than me.”
“Her volunteer activity score was high, but if that’s the internship requirement, it’s really strange.”
Lee So-young also raised her voice in anger.
“Yeah, the criteria were kind of unclear. I can see why you’d feel frustrated.”
Dong-jun suddenly remembered the time Sea had consulted him about selecting students for the internship.
- I don’t know what criteria to use. Should I just go by grades? But being good at grades doesn’t mean being diligent. Students like Sim Ji-yeon are good at studying but avoid cleaning, so I wouldn’t recommend them.
- That kind of student shouldn’t be picked. It’s your homeroom teacher authority. Pick a student you really want to support. Isn’t there such a student?
After thinking for a moment, Sea had replied:
- There is one. But her grades are a bit low. Other than that, she’s really perfect. She’s diligent, consistent with volunteer work… but her family situation is unfortunate.
Sea let out a low sigh, sounding distressed.
- So her family can’t afford to send her to academies. They can’t even buy her workbooks or notebooks, so she uses scrap paper she collects.
Thinking about it made Sea’s eyes glisten with tears.
- Hey, then you should recommend her. That’s what teacher recommendations are for.
Dong-jun firmly said there was no need to worry.
- But students don’t usually talk about family circumstances, and if you say that was the reason, they might feel embarrassed. So there isn’t a clear criterion.
- It’s fine. If you say you picked her, no one can complain. If questions come up later, we can explain the criteria then.
- Is that okay?
- Of course. The important thing is to recommend the right student.
At that time, Dong-jun had no idea that this would later become something he could use against Sea. Back then, he had truly been advising her as a senior teacher. He thought it was right to give this opportunity to a student who needed the experience, not just someone who was academically strong.
“You need to be careful.”
Dong-jun sighed deeply.
“Even if someone smiles on the outside, you never know what they might do behind your back. It might look good to Teacher Han Sea, but inside it’s not. Even among teachers, there’s a lot of talk. It’s upsetting that there are still teachers like that.”
“Really? We were completely fooled. Acting all nice. I’m so pissed.”
Sim Ji-yeon tried to speak but covered her mouth, and Lee So-young poked Ji-yeon’s side with her elbow.
“Just keep this in mind. Don’t say anything. I’m telling you because you’re my special students.”
Dong-jun stopped there and stood up.
The more you tell someone not to say something, the more they want to. Starting tomorrow, the atmosphere in Sea’s class would change. And it was only a matter of time before Sea heard about it.
‘Han Sea would never say it was because of the students’ circumstances. She’d rather I step down.’
Even if it put him at a disadvantage, Dong-jun would never betray a student. He thought that quietly to himself and smiled.
“Wow, Teacher Sea, as expected. Perfect, just perfect.”
Manager Park clapped after seeing Sea’s report submitted the next day.
“Thanks to you, our daughter’s birthday party went well. Thank you.”
Sea forced a smile, unsure what to say.
At that moment, Manager Kim approached from the neighboring seat.
“Manager Park, did you get home okay yesterday?”
Manager Park’s eyes widened in surprise. Sea pretended not to notice and stayed seated.
“No, why would I get home okay? Just go back to your seat.”
“No, I was worried because you were totally drunk yesterday.”
“Go back to your seat.”
When Manager Park waved him off, Kim tilted his head and returned to his seat. He even kicked Sea’s chair lightly.
“Oh, you missed your step.”
Kim glared at Sea. Since the KakaoTalk incident, he often harassed her.
“Why is it so dusty here? It’s dirty, so I can’t see well.”
“Why don’t you clean your glasses?”
Normally, Sea would stay quiet, thinking he wasn’t worth her attention. But today, she didn’t feel like it.
“What did you say?”
“My point is that maybe it’s not the dirt but your glasses making things unclear. People often criticize others for being dirty without realizing they themselves are messy.”
Sea smiled faintly at Kim. Kim’s face turned red and purple.
“What? Huh? You never manage your class properly!”
“While teachers are responsible for class management, isn’t managing students’ hearts more important than cleaning? I heard a class went through mass transfers two years ago because of poor management.”
That class had been Kim’s class. Before becoming Head of the Environmental Department, his class management was so poor that complaints arose and many students transferred out.
“What? Are you saying this to me now?”
Kim shouted angrily, but Sea stood up calmly. After seeing Manager Park’s true side yesterday, she no longer felt the need to please anyone. She only needed to get along with those she clicked with. There was no need to appease those who harassed or disliked her.
“It’s not about that. I just think you need to look at hearts rather than appearances.”
Sea smiled once and stood up, holding the attendance register. Kim seemed about to shout more, but seeing other teachers glancing at him, he turned away.
“Nowadays, young teachers have no manners!”
Kim yelled, but no one agreed. As Sea said, he really had mismanaged his class.
Moreover, since becoming Head of the Environmental Department, he had been forcing new homeroom teachers to keep their classes clean while giving himself power, which earned him quiet resentment from other teachers.
Sea’s words drew supportive glances from other teachers, while Kim received looks of disdain.
“Wow, Teacher Sea, scary.”
Manager Park chuckled. Sea looked at him.
“No, I’m not scary. The truly scary people are those who are two-faced. People who pretend to be kind but deceive inside are much scarier, don’t you think?”
Her gentle words made Park clear his throat awkwardly.
“You can be honest with me from now on. I’m not narrow-minded.”
Sea said that and left the staff room with the attendance book. Watching her back, Manager Park let out a quiet sigh.
