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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Appearance of a Powerful Rival
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“This is the science lab…, and this is the art room.”
Kwang-hyun had come to the school for a preliminary visit ahead of his student teaching practicum, accompanied by a few other trainees who would be doing it with him.
They had gathered in the meeting room to go over how to write the practicum log, important school rules, and the basics of how to deal with students.
Now that the explanations were finished, they were taking one last tour of the school facilities with the supervising teacher to get their bearings.
“Sunbae, doesn’t this bring back memories of your school days?”
Chae-won, with her pale, slender face and large eyes without double eyelids, flashed a bright smile at Kwang-hyun as she asked.
Kwang-hyun didn’t answer right away. Being back at school after so long seemed to stir up a lot of memories.
“Ah! Sunbae’s been out of school too long to remember.”
“What are you talking about? It’s only been six years since I graduated.”
Kwang-hyun playfully bristled at Chae-won’s teasing.
He’d had a spectacular high school life, after all—vice president of the student council and soccer team champion.
Chae-won giggled at his reaction, smiling with her eyes again.
“Alright, I think that covers the inside of the school. If anyone wants to look around more on your own, go ahead, and we’ll see you all again in a week. If you have any questions, contact us ahead of time so there are no mistakes on the actual practicum day.”
The supervising teacher adjusted his glasses and wrapped up the preliminary visit.
His speech was slow and gentle, but the small, sharp eyes peering through his glasses looked strict and piercing.
As the supervising teacher left, the other trainees started heading out one by one.
“Sunbae, drop me off on your way?”
Chae-won said.
“Sure. But I need to hit the bathroom first.”
“Then I’ll wait by the car.”
Kwang-hyun looked around for the staff restroom but couldn’t find it, so he headed to the men’s room right in front of him.
“Hey! Is anyone there? Help! Someone’s trapped in here. Please help!”
‘What’s that?’
The woman’s voice, thick with tears, sounded desperately urgent.
Drawn by the sound, he turned toward the women’s restroom.
He hesitated at the door—should he go in?—but it seemed urgent, so he stepped inside.
“Is anyone there?”
“Yes, yes!! The door seems broken. Please get someone!”
‘Broken?’
It wasn’t broken; a mop was blocking the door.
He didn’t know the full story, but Kwang-hyun decided to remove the obstacle first.
He cleared it away and slowly opened the door.
Light filtered through the crack, making it hard to see inside.
Once his eyes adjusted, the woman trapped inside came into view.
‘A-jin?’
He’d thought he’d see her in a week, but he never imagined it would be here, like this.
Kwang-hyun was just as shocked as A-jin.
The moment he’d seen the name of the practicum school, he’d been thrilled at the thought of seeing her.
“A-jin.”
“A-jussi?”
She hadn’t expected him to show up at all.
Her eyes, nose, and mouth all widened in surprise, and she covered her mouth with both hands.
“What are you doing here? And what’s with your clothes?”
Her shirt was wrinkled and soaked in spots.
An hour had passed, so some parts had dried, but plenty were still wet.
Kwang-hyun asked, doubly shocked by her disheveled state.
“How did you end up here?”
For a moment, she’d forgotten.
She’d forgotten her clothes were soaked, and that she’d been trapped in this confined space, terrified, until now.
Seeing him was such a shock.
“I need to get out first.”
He set aside his joy for the moment and pulled her out of the stall.
Then he took off his beige jacket and wrapped it around her.
“What happened? How did this happen? You’ll catch a cold.”
With a worried look, he wrapped his arms around her, tying it securely so she wouldn’t feel cold.
But she was too stunned by his sudden appearance to care about the chill, unable to tear her eyes from Kwang-hyun.
She looked like she was seeing a mirage.
“Stop staring. You’re gonna burn a hole through me, A-jussi’s here as a student teacher.”
“A student teacher?”
“Yeah. Today’s just the preliminary visit.”
“…….”
“I was really happy when I first got assigned this school. At least I’d know someone.”
“You remembered the school I go to?”
“How could I forget.”
He remembered her.
Something hot welled up inside her.
Kwang-hyun headed to the vending machine at the school entrance and looked for a warm drink she could have.
“Job’s tears tea sounds good.”
With a clunk, a paper cup dropped, and the tea poured in with a gurgle.
Kwang-hyun handed the Job’s tears tea to her.
“Thank you.”
Their fingertips brushed lightly, turning A-jin’s cheeks pink with embarrassment.
“Something warm should help.”
“Yes.”
“But A-jin, you’ve gotten so pretty. I almost didn’t recognize you at first.”
“Me?”
Her cheeks flushed hot at his compliment.
Maybe it was because her cold body was finally warming up.
“Didn’t you used to wear glasses?”
“They broke.”
“You look much prettier. I knew you’d be even prettier without them.”
The compliment embarrassed her, but it felt good to hear.
A flustered A-jin crumpled the paper cup in her hands.
-Bzzz-
Just then, as the mood was perfect, Kwang-hyun’s phone vibrated, pouring cold water on it.
“Hang on…. Hello?”
That gesture asking her to wait, the firm arm holding the phone, the smooth nose bridge smoother than the phone itself.
A-jin stared entranced at Kwang-hyun, just like the first day they met—like a David statue.
“Got it. I’m on my way now.”
After finishing the call, Kwang-hyun said to A-jin.
“My junior’s waiting. Let’s go. A-jussi will give you a ride.”
Kwang-hyun gently placed his hand on A-jin’s back.
His touch sent an electric jolt down her spine.
Her heart was still drawn to him, it seemed.
The school staff had all gone home, so the back parking lot had only a few cars.
Kwang-hyun’s remote made his silver SUV flash its lights welcomingly, and A-jin could tell right away which one was his.
And she saw the woman standing in front of it.
‘Who’s that?’
“Sunbae?”
The slender, almost fragile-looking woman waved at him.
A-jin’s face, which had regained its color, turned pale in an instant.
‘Did he come with his girlfriend?’
It was disappointing.
“Sorry. Did I keep you waiting long?”
“I thought you’d been kidnapped or something.”
Chae-won wrinkled her nose and teased him.
Then Chae-won spotted A-jin too.
She gave Kwang-hyun a look asking who she was.
“Oh! This is A-jin, a friend I met at camp.”
“Hi, but why are you soaked?”
“A-jin, this is…”
“A-jussi, I’ll just take a taxi.”
If she’d known his girlfriend was with him, she wouldn’t have followed him out.
She didn’t want to get in between them.
“Why?”
Kwang-hyun was flustered by A-jin’s sudden mood shift.
“It’d be more convenient.”
“No way. You’ll catch a cold. Get in.”
“No.”
Was she saying that because she felt bad for troubling him?
Kwang-hyun insisted it was fine and opened the back door, ushering her in.
He turned on the seat warmer and pulled a blanket from the trunk to drape over A-jin’s lap.
He was still so gentle and kind.
“But seriously, what happened?”
“Someone must’ve pranked me.”
A-jin said it like it was no big deal.
She’d long forgotten who might’ve done it to her.
She only cared about the two of them sitting side by side up front.
“Sunbae, what are you wearing on the first day?”
“Me? A suit, I guess?”
“You might need to go shopping. You always wear jeans; a suit’s gonna feel so awkward and uncomfortable.”
“As long as it’s neat.”
“Come on, oppa, wanna hit the department store today? Dad gave me his card to buy clothes anyway.”
“Uh…. Today?”
Chae-won touched Kwang-hyun’s shoulder every time she spoke.
Were they dating? Their skinship was so natural, and her tone dripped with affection.
The back seat was under a raincloud; the front was all pink and rosy.
A-jin couldn’t bear to watch anymore and hung her head.
Yeah, maybe this was for the best.
Even after all this time, her heart still raced around him. She didn’t want to build up false hopes and go through that pain from a year ago again.
‘Why does she look so down?’
Kwang-hyun barely registered Chae-won’s words.
He was too focused on A-jin in the rearview mirror.
She worried him, sitting there silent with such a serious expression.
‘Is she being bullied or something?’
From the circumstances, it looked like someone had deliberately placed that mop.
It wasn’t a small thing, and it could happen to someone as innocent and kind as her.
He wanted to ask, but it was a delicate issue.
‘I’ll keep an eye on her.’
Kwang-hyun couldn’t take his eyes off A-jin the whole drive.
* * *
“You were locked in the bathroom?”
Cho-hee pretended to be startled as she listened to A-jin’s story.
The more she overacted, the safer she’d be from suspicion, so she put on her most concerned and shocked face.
“Yeah.”
“Do you know who did it?”
No way she knows.
Cho-hee’s voice trembled ever so slightly.
“Nope.”
A-jin shook her head, looking clueless.
Of course not.
Someone as oblivious as you wouldn’t have a clue.
Cho-hee smirked inwardly.
“I should’ve gone with you…. I shouldn’t have left right away.”
“But someone passing by helped.”
Someone got you out, huh.
Always so lucky.
“Who got it open?”
“Got it open?”
A-jin raised an eyebrow, as if wondering what she meant.
Oops.
She’d almost admitted to being the culprit.
“I mean, who opened it.”
“Oh, that…. ”
Thinking of Kwang-hyun soured her mood again.
Not his face, but his girlfriend’s face came to mind first.
A-jin’s eyebrows drooped dejectedly.
“Who was it?”
“You won’t believe this.”
Someone worth being shocked about—Jun-woo?
No, Jun-woo was with me.
Cho-hee focused on A-jin’s lips.
“It was… Kwang-hyun a-jussi.”
“Kwang-hyun a-jussi? Why?”
Cho-hee knew him too, of course.
She was genuinely surprised this time by the unexpected name.
“He’s coming as a student teacher.”
“A student teacher? Oh, right, he was in the education department.”
“Yeah.”
“But why the long face? You get to see a-jussi.”
“Well…. His girlfriend was with him. Also a student teacher.”
“Really?”
Cho-hee looked at A-jin with pity.
Her expressions and inner thoughts often differed, but this time she truly felt sorry for her.
She’d seen how much A-jin liked Kwang-hyun.
“Yeah.”
“Hey! Whatever. It’s not like anything would happen between you two anyway, and he’s way older.”
“Right, yeah. But seeing his face again made my heart flutter, and I hated that.”
Her hurt feelings showed plainly on her face.
A-jin left the food on her tray untouched and set down her chopsticks.
‘She still likes him….’
Cho-hee set her chopsticks down too, following A-jin’s lead.
The news of Kwang-hyun’s girlfriend saddened her too.
The bigger A-jin’s hopes for Kwang-hyun, the less she’d notice Jun-woo.
Her gaze on A-jin filled with worry as she pondered some solution.
