In the sacred school

Episode 10

“I… I think I should go now.”

Se-ah took a deep breath and stood up.

Sung-han watched her and spoke in a calm voice.

“Yeah, if you need to go, then go. But…”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“Just head home. I’ll take care of the rest of your classes.”

Se-ah’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, she let out a small, bitter laugh.

“Classes aren’t some kind of job that can be covered by someone else. I’m really fine. If I don’t finish them, I’ll just fall behind later.”

Her firm response left Sung-han with nothing more to say. He simply nodded.

“…Alright, then.”

He looked at her, and for a moment, Se-ah felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Why does he keep looking at me like that?

It’s over.

He abandoned me, and I’ve already let him go.

She took a step back and bowed politely.

“I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

Sung-han remained silent, his eyes fixed on her. Then, he nodded again.

“It’s not that… Just be careful when you’re around male teachers.”

Se-ah clenched her fists.

“You’re a man too.”

“If it helps, you can carry something like a plastic bag—”

“I’m fine now. And I will be fine. Thank you for your concern.”

She turned away quickly. Her hand had just reached for the door when—

“…Did you hear?”

Se-ah froze.

“That guy. If you wanted, I could have gotten rid of him.”

Se-ah slowly turned back. Sung-han was looking down, his expression clouded with anger. But it wasn’t clear who he was angry at.

She bit her lip.

“No… It wasn’t anything serious. It’s just my past catching up with me.”

There was no need to bring up that story here.

“It’s nothing.”

Without waiting for a response, Se-ah hurried out of the office.

Her heart was pounding again, and heat rushed to her face. But at least she wasn’t panicking like before.

She let out a shaky breath and headed straight to the teachers’ office.

***

A Small Mistake

It was the last class of the day.

Se-ah did her best to focus, despite the lingering thoughts in her mind.

As the lesson neared its end, the tension in her body finally started to ease.

That’s when she made a small mistake.

She told the students to turn to the wrong page in their books.

For a moment, the class was filled with confused murmurs. Realizing her error, Se-ah quickly corrected herself.

“Wait—no. Not page 354. It’s page 145.”

“Oh, I was wondering why it didn’t make sense!”

“Hey, pass me the correction tape!”

The students laughed, teasing her lightly.

Se-ah grinned and played along.

“I was just testing to see if you were paying attention. It was totally on purpose.”

“Yeah, right!”

The room filled with lighthearted chuckles.

But then—

From the back of the room, a quiet yet sharp voice cut through the laughter.

“…Is that why we had to retake the test?”

Se-ah’s smile froze.

A student sitting in the corner glared at Se-ah and spoke.

“So… is this why we had to retake the test? Because you teach like this?”

Se-ah slowly lifted her head.

The student sat with her desk completely empty—no textbook, nothing.

“We had to retake the test because of you,” she continued. “So maybe try teaching properly.”

A brief silence filled the room.

This student’s father was a politician, and it was rumored that he had donated a large sum of money to the school. Because of that, the principal had warned the teachers not to say anything about her behavior.

So even though she never brought her textbook, Se-ah had ignored it.

But this? This, she couldn’t ignore.

Se-ah walked toward the student, her footsteps slow and deliberate. She leaned down slightly, locking eyes with her.

“I’m sorry for my mistake.”

Her voice was calm, even gentle.

“But before you point fingers at me, don’t you think you should at least bring your textbook to class?”

She was smiling, but her gaze was sharp as an arrow.

“And saying things like ‘teach properly’ or ‘this is how you teach’—that’s not very polite, is it?”

Her eyes swept across the classroom.

“This is a school. And I am your teacher. I’m here to teach you, but basic respect is something you should already know.”

She patted the student’s shoulder lightly, then straightened up and walked away.

She held herself together until she left the classroom.

But the moment she stepped outside, heat rushed to her head.

Ugh. What the hell was that?

She replayed the moment in her head.

She had kept her tone soft, hadn’t been too harsh… but still.

Will this come back to bite me later?

Se-ah sighed and headed to the teachers’ office. She dropped her books onto the desk and let out a long breath.

A message notification popped up. It was from Dong-jun.

She hesitated before checking it.

[Hey, what the director’s kid said earlier? It’s not true. My dad and I didn’t take anything. Just didn’t want you getting the wrong idea.]

Se-ah stared at the screen.

So… you won’t stand up for me, but you’ll defend yourself?

She debated ignoring it but ended up replying.

[I don’t care.]

[…Yeah, okay.]

That was it. No apology, no explanation.

She wasn’t deeply hurt, but… she had once thought of Dong-jun as a reliable friend.

Now? She wasn’t so sure.

The school day was finally over.

Se-ah packed her bag, stretching her stiff shoulders. Just as she was about to leave—

“Se-ah! Want to go eat some samgyeopsal?”

A hand playfully smacked her back. It was Min-kyung.

“Samgyeopsal?” Se-ah blinked.

“Yeah, I need some greasy food and soju after today.”

Standing beside Min-kyung was In-hye, another teacher and their mutual friend.

“Come on, you should come too,” Min-kyung insisted. “I’m in a terrible mood.”

She huffed.

“Can you believe the head teacher actually told me to run because I left later than the director’s daughter? Like—what kind of nonsense is that?”

Se-ah chuckled softly.

Min-kyung, in her late thirties, had recently gone through a breakup.

In-hye, on the other hand, was five years into her marriage.

As Min-kyung ranted, In-hye sighed and shook her head.

Se-ah smiled.

It felt… nice. To have friends who cared.

“That head teacher, always meddling,” In-hye sighed. “Marriage isn’t a race, you know? It happens when it happens.”

The three of them were walking toward the school gate when a chirpy voice called out.

“Oh my, where are you all going?”

It was Jin Mokyeon.

Their faces stiffened at the same time.

Se-ah bit her lip.

Min-kyung responded first.

“Oh, we’re just heading home. Why?”

“If you’re going somewhere fun, take me with you! I get lonely too, you know~” Mokyeon pouted.

In-hye chuckled, but Se-ah clenched her teeth for a different reason.

“If you’re lonely, go home and sleep,” Min-kyung said dryly. “You were late today, weren’t you? Better get some good rest unless you want another public scolding.”

Mokyeon’s face turned red.

The principal had chewed him out this morning, and Min-kyung was obviously mocking him.

“Ugh, whatever. Goodbye!”

Mokyeon quickly walked away.

In-hye laughed, but Min-kyung smacked her arm.

“Don’t make it so obvious,” In-hye scolded. “You know how he is. If you push him too hard, she might get back at you later.”

Min-kyung scoffed. “he never thinks before speaking anyway.”

Se-ah finally let out a laugh, watching the two bicker.

Then she remembered something.

“By the way… was that Hwang Min-myung earlier?”

Min-myung—the politician’s daughter. The same student Se-ah had confronted today.

“I told her off for being rude in class. That won’t be a problem… right?”

Min-kyung’s face immediately darkened.

“Min-myung? Ah… You shouldn’t have done that.”

They had reached the school gate by then.

The samgyeopsal place was nearby, so they planned to walk.

“I know,” Se-ah sighed. “But still…”

“Her dad isn’t just anyone,” Min-kyung warned. “If possible, avoid getting involved with them.”

CRASH!

A loud glass-shattering noise interrupted their conversation.

All three turned their heads.

A sleek black sedan was parked near the school entrance.

The tinted window rolled down.

And Se-ah’s breath caught in her throat.

It was the chairman.