Chapter 7. A Kiss by Mistake
The relentless downpour from the previous day felt almost like a lie. The weather had cleared beautifully, not a single cloud in the sky.
Chirp, chirp, chiiiirp—
The sound of cicadas drifted in through the classroom windows.
Seim, writing in her lesson log at the teacher’s desk, paused to glance outside.
Even if her ears were still ringing, this was the kind of romantic moment only early summer could offer. When midsummer came, the classroom would be filled with the droning hum of the air conditioner.
“Teacher! Are we leaving now?”
A small voice called from below. Seim leaned over and looked down at the student, barely half the height of the desk. The child, backpack in tow, was already grabbing their shoe bag.
“Yes. Hye-yul, but make sure you do your homework tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
Once the last student left, silence settled over the classroom. Seim slipped her completed log into the file and began preparing to leave. As she closed the windows one by one, the front door suddenly swung open.
A man with a gentle expression peeked in.
“Teacher Han, thank you for your hard work today.”
Kim Jae-wook, a classmate from primary through high school, was now a teacher at Mangwool Elementary. In this island community, where jobs were scarce, he had even helped Seim get a position as an after-school instructor.
Seim smiled faintly and slung her eco-bag over her shoulder.
“Is all your work done?”
“Yes, parent-teacher week ends today. Well, I don’t have anything to give you, but…”
He stepped closer and handed her a bottle of orange juice, one of the beverages included in a gift set.
For some reason, a fleeting image of that morning at her front gate crossed her mind. She had felt relieved that nothing had been left there, yet here it was, surfacing unexpectedly—a contradiction she couldn’t quite explain.
“Thanks.”
“Let’s leave together. I’m leaving on time today, too.”
In recent weeks, though infrequent, they usually left school together when Jae-wook wasn’t busy. Occasionally, their conversations would stretch long enough that they had dinner together.
Perhaps because of the recent gap, Jae-wook chattered continuously as they walked across the playground. Amused by his unusually excited mood, Seim tilted the juice bottle and asked:
“You’re leaving early—what are you going to do?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Will you hang out with me?”
“Shall we?”
Jae-wook snapped his fingers.
“Oh, then maybe we could go to my place after a while…”
In that moment, Jae-wook’s expression stiffened as if frozen by ice. Following his gaze, Seim widened her eyes.
The car parked at the school gate and the familiar face perched on its hood were unmistakable.
He had clearly come from somewhere, his hair slicked back with wax, not a strand out of place. His impeccably tailored suit and the sleek sedan were as out of place in this shabby little town as always.
Cha Taemok moved with his characteristically indifferent expression, slowly planting both feet on the ground. His gaze, now calmer, swept over the hand holding the juice for reasons Seim couldn’t fathom.
When his eyes returned to her, they carried unmistakable displeasure.
Facing him, Seim twisted on her heels after a moment.
“Alright, let’s go. Your place.”
They passed the school gate, avoiding the side where his car was parked. Jae-wook followed with quick steps, glancing over his shoulder repeatedly, clearly aware of the man’s gaze fixed on them.
Then—
Honk!
The car horn sounded, sharp in the quiet surroundings. Seim froze, swallowed, and quickened her pace.
A voice came from behind, grabbing her attention like a hook.
“Hey, Han Seim. I won’t call you out for running off, so come over here.”
“Running off?”
She was speechless.
Seim took a deep breath and chose to ignore him, unwilling to be swayed by his provocation.
Noticing the unusual tension, Jae-wook leaned in to whisper in her ear, “What’s going on?”
Blaaang!
The horn sounded even louder this time, and their steps came to an immediate stop.
“Take one more step, and this obedient little lady is going to get defiant.”
Even with his relaxed tone, it was a clear warning. Unsure what else he might say, Seim turned around. A sly, triumphant smile greeted her.
He leaned one arm casually through the open car window, his nonchalant posture irking her even more. He always had a way of stirring chaos without getting a scratch himself.
Seim exhaled sharply and walked toward him with measured, angry steps.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
He tilted his head slightly, as if mocking the question.
“I heard you’re visiting another man’s house after a long time. Think I won’t notice?”
“Take your hand off first.”
“Oh, you didn’t like that?”
The horn went silent, and he ran a hand between his brows, not gently.
“Tell your friend to scram. I don’t think I’m in the mood to be polite right now.”
His piercing gaze didn’t waver. The thought that he might confront Jae-wook directly sent a wave of unease through Seim. Their physical difference alone made it a daunting prospect.
Seim quickly turned her gaze, forcing a faint smile.
“Jae-wook, I’ll text you later.”
Jae-wook reluctantly nodded and began to leave, glancing back repeatedly as Cha Taemok’s figure slowly shrank in the distance.
Finally, Seim let out a frustrated mutter:
“Damn it.”
A strange defiance welled up within her.
She spoke without thinking, but it landed hard.
“Jae-wook isn’t some other man.”
Her normally steady pupils hardened further. She clenched her fists, realizing she might have found a way to push him back.
“We’re meeting… with good intentions.”
He responded with nothing but a deflated laugh. His narrowed eyes pierced her as he sneered:
“Good intentions, huh? So she kisses someone else with ‘good intentions’?”
Seim glanced away, deciding to change the subject.
“It was a mistake—a kiss.”
“A kiss by mistake, huh? You’ve gotten careless while I wasn’t looking.”
“Yes… while you weren’t looking.”
Her eyelashes fluttered as she swallowed, then continued.
“While you weren’t looking… I got even worse.”
If flimsy lies about another man wouldn’t work, there was only one path left. She had avoided it as long as possible, but she had to draw a line here.
“I failed the teaching exam again. I ran out of money and had no choice but to come back.”
She conveyed her current state—not much different from the twenty-three-year-old Seim he last remembered. Perhaps even worse now.
“I’m not a teacher, just an after-school instructor, twenty-eight, with barely a few hundred in my account.”
It was painful, realizing the growing gap between them with each passing year. He had kept rising while she stayed behind, helpless against it. The feeling had hit her painfully when they reunited in the playground days ago, and now it surged again.
“I… just… don’t have anything.”
Back then, when she had ended things, she hadn’t given him any reason. Cha Taemok must have known. Not saying it had been her last shred of pride.
Now, at twenty-eight, she could finally let go, accept it.
“Even luck hasn’t been on my side. So I have to work harder than anyone else just to live normally. So… what I’m saying is…”
Seim spoke with calm resignation:
“Please don’t provoke me anymore. I’m asking you.”
