Chapter 08
Too many things had happened since morning.
Sea’s head throbbed as if it were being squeezed. She took a painkiller and went into the classroom for homeroom.
“Is everyone here? Raise your hand if you’re absent.”
She joked lightly while looking at the students.
“How can someone who’s absent raise their hand?” the students laughed, pointing at an empty seat.
“Park Jitae isn’t here.”
“Jitae is late!”
Park Jitae was the only troublemaker in Sea’s class. Most of the students this year were kind and bright, but Jitae had been difficult from the first day.
She had held him back to talk, even scolded him, but he never opened his heart. He was late or absent without notice as if it were nothing.
“Alright, except for Jitae, everyone’s here? Did you eat breakfast?”
“No!”
“Buy us bread, teacher!”
Their loud voices softened Sea’s heart. She tapped the podium.
“Quiet. I’ll give you today’s announcements.”
After class, Sea returned to the teachers’ office. Jitae still hadn’t shown up.
She called Jitae’s mother.
[He didn’t go to school again?]
As soon as she picked up, Jitae’s mother spoke without even greeting her.
“Yes. He wasn’t here during homeroom. When did he leave home?”
[How would I know? I’m at work.]
Her tone was stiff. Sea felt like the breakfast she hadn’t eaten was rising in her throat.
“Have you been able to reach Jitae?”
[No, his phone is off.]
“I wanted to inform you of the situation first.”
[How are you guiding him that he’s late every single day?]
For a moment, Sea’s mind went blank.
Jitae’s mother had never been warm, but she had never attacked Sea like this before.
She was divorced and raising Jitae alone. She said she left home before dawn and only returned late at night.
Feeling sympathy for her situation, Sea had quietly tried to look after both Jitae and his mother.
“Ma’am, I believe I’ve guided Jitae sufficiently.”
Her voice trembled.
She had taken him out for tteokbokki, had tea with him separately. But he never opened up. From what she could see, he seemed to be hanging out with friends who didn’t attend school.
“I’ve tried talking with him.”
[That’s not it. You should hit him.]
Jitae’s mother’s voice rose sharply.
[What kind of school can’t even control one late student? If you can’t manage him, you should hit him until he comes on time. Why do you keep calling me about it?]
“Ma’am, corporal punishment is prohibited at school.”
[You can hit my son. I won’t say anything. Even if you have to beat him, make him listen. The teacher is too soft—that’s why he keeps fooling around.]
“Ma’am.”
Sea took a deep breath before speaking.
“Jitae is eighteen now. Even if corporal punishment weren’t banned, I don’t think he’s at an age where it would work. In my opinion, he seems to have some emotional struggles.”
Even though it was frustrating, Sea had tried to handle him firmly but wisely, without violence.
But to her, this wasn’t just Jitae’s problem.
She had mentioned this to his mother several times before. She had even recommended counseling.
But every time, Jitae’s mother avoided responsibility, saying she was too busy and didn’t have the time or money.
“Have you tried talking with Jitae? I believe I asked you before to set aside some time to have a proper conversation with him.”
[I’m busy enough as it is. What conversation? So you’re saying it’s my fault?]
She immediately became defensive.
Sea swallowed dryly.
Parents were always ten thousand times harder than students.
“That’s not what I mean, ma’am. I just think Jitae needs conversation rather than pressure.”
[That’s just your opinion. He wasn’t like this last year. His previous teacher was strict with him, and he was fine.]
That wasn’t true.
Last year’s teacher simply hadn’t reported Jitae’s absences to his home.
Sea closed her eyes.
“I understand. Please talk to him when he comes home today and make sure he attends tomorrow.”
She ended the call after saying words she knew were useless.
Because she knew it wouldn’t change anything.
All the strength drained from her body at once.
If only Jitae’s mother would cooperate a little. It seemed that because of her own struggles, she couldn’t see her son’s pain.
What was I like?
Suddenly, Sea thought of her own high school days.
She had never rebelled in obvious ways like being late or skipping school. But inside, she had been rotting alone.
As she drifted into memories, a small light flickered in her heart.
“Come out.”
“I have night self-study.”
It was voluntary, but Sea had signed up because she wanted to stay away from home as long as possible.
“Day one,”
Seonghan said in a relaxed voice.
“I’ll say I assigned you student council work.”
“You’re a retired student council president. What authority do you have?”
“Hmm. My grandfather’s authority?”
After joking once about being from a chaebol family, Seonghan often used that line.
“Ah right, your grandfather is a chaebol.”
Seonghan smiled silently and pulled her along.
They took a bus to Namsan.
The world had grown dim, and from below Namsan, rows of tall buildings stretched out.
A cool breeze brushed her hair, and Sea smiled faintly. At some point, Seonghan’s hand rested on her shoulder.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
“This is where I come when my head hurts.”
Sea looked at him.
His eyes were fixed somewhere far away. His pupils shifted, and his eyelids trembled.
She had thought he was someone without worries.
Did he also have headaches?
Sea lifted her hand. His forehead, touching her fingertips, was cool and smooth.
He lowered her hand.
His soft lips brushed against it.
“Han Sea.”
Seonghan lowered his eyes.
His lips moved as if he were about to say something.
But in the end, he said nothing.
He simply pulled her into his arms.
His embrace was warm—yet somehow heartbreaking.
That day, on their way back, they went to the subway station. Seonghan said he would walk her home and got on the train heading toward her neighborhood.
Two seats became available. Sea sat down first, and Seonghan was about to sit beside her.
At that moment, the subway suddenly jerked forward.
Seonghan, who had just taken his bag off his shoulder, lost balance and tilted toward Sea.
She instinctively reached out to catch him.
But Seonghan threw his bag to the floor instead of leaning on her.
Because of that, his body rolled onto the subway floor.
“Sunbae, are you okay?”
Sea asked in shock.
Seonghan stood up as if nothing had happened and asked,
“Are you okay?”
Only then did Sea realize that he had chosen to fall to the floor rather than fall onto her.
Seeing dust on his usually spotless uniform, her face twisted.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
Sea closed her eyes at the memory.
Why do I keep remembering this?
I thought I had forgotten. I have to forget.
It was already over.
He had gone abroad without a word. He had changed his phone number—everything—so she couldn’t contact him.
After that, Sea lost her confidence. She believed he had left because he disliked her.
She couldn’t date anyone.
Until she met Dongjun at work.
“Ms. Han Sea, are you free this period?”
As if on cue, Dongjun approached her desk.
It seemed he had already changed the clothes that had been soaked by the mop earlier.
Sea actually had many things to talk about with him.
“Yes. I have about thirty minutes.”
“Then, can I see you for a moment?”
He said that and walked away with firm steps.
He looked somewhat angry, which confused Sea.
Wasn’t she the one who should be angry?
Suddenly, she remembered when they had first started dating.
Not long after she began working at this school, Dongjun had scolded her harshly once.
It was the day she was late because she had a bad cold and fever.
She had forced herself to come to school, thinking she shouldn’t take leave. She had even called the vice principal beforehand.
But it wasn’t the vice principal or the department head who scolded her.
It was Dongjun.
That day, Sea had cried alone in the bathroom.
When he saw her swollen eyes, Dongjun took her out for drinks and comforted her, saying he might have gone too far.
After that, their relationship continued like that.
He would scold her harshly.
Then comfort her.
Sea had been confused.
Then one day, Dongjun confessed that he liked her and asked her to date him.
If I refuse, will he make my life harder?
Her mind had already been unstable.
So she agreed.
She thought maybe if they dated, he would scold her less.
Somewhere deep inside, Dongjun overlapped with her stepfather and stepbrother—people who made her suffer.
Dongjun walked into the teachers’ lounge.
He sat down and gestured toward the seat in front of him.
It looked exactly like the way he used to sit when he scolded her.
