In the sacred school

Episode 9

“Today was tough, right?”

Unlike his angry face, Dongjun spoke first as if he cared about Se-ah.

Se-ah stayed quiet for a moment, then lowered her eyes and opened her mouth.

“Yeah… in many ways.”

Maybe because her heart was still unsettled, her words didn’t come out smoothly.

“I also have something to ask you.”

After saying that, Se-ah looked at Dongjun.

“Actually… why did you act like that earlier?”

She was about to say she saw him with Mokyeon, but Dongjun cut her off.

Se-ah, who was determined to say it, got interrupted. Holding back her rising anger, she asked again.

“Earlier, in front of that… no, in front of the chairman—”

Dongjun crossed one leg over the other and shook it lightly.

Sung Han also had a habit of crossing his legs, but since Dongjun had shorter legs and thicker thighs, it looked awkward—like a tied-up native chicken flapping its wings.

“Earlier, what did I do?”

“Are you making me look like a fool? In front of the chairman—me?”

Se-ah was so dumbfounded that she opened her mouth slightly. Dongjun frowned deeply, clearly angry.

“You should’ve sided with me. That guy is trying to get rid of me first to take down our school. So you have to be my shield.”

What nonsense was this? Why would the chairman attack Dongjun for that reason?

It was true that what Seonghan did earlier seemed mean-spirited, but it didn’t look like some petty plan to destroy the school.

Besides, Dongjun wasn’t even in such an important position. He was the principal’s son, but just a young teacher—not even a department head.

“Do you really believe that?”

At Se-ah’s question, Dongjun snapped his mouth shut.

“Of course! I’m the principal’s son. It’s easier to take down the school by targeting me first.”

Dongjun shivered slightly as he spoke.

“That’s why you have to be on my side. Before they mess up our school, we need to prepare. Next time something happens, you should step up and tell them to stop.”

Se-ah stayed silent.

To be honest, what Seonghan did to Dongjun was strange. But it didn’t seem to be for the reason Dongjun thought.

“I understand why you’re saying this, but—”

Se-ah paused for a moment before continuing.

“I’m just a teacher.”

Even if she wanted to step up, there was nothing she could do. She was already exhausted as it was.

“So, what? You’re just a teacher, so you can’t say anything? Then you don’t deserve to be one. A real teacher should stop those who try to ruin the school!”

Dongjun always brought up her qualifications as a teacher whenever she disagreed with him.

Looking back, it seemed like he did that whenever someone opposed him.

Until now, Se-ah thought Dongjun was just a passionate senior teacher. But now, she was starting to wonder if that was really the case.

“Then you should do it yourself.”

For the first time since the argument started, Se-ah fought back.

“You’re the principal’s son. Since the chairman is trying to bring the school down, you should fight back yourself.”

Dongjun suddenly stood up with a loud noise.

He pushed the chair so roughly that it tipped over and made a loud crash. Se-ah flinched, and Dongjun’s face grew even more menacing.

“You’re going to be the principal’s wife. Are you really not listening to me?”

Se-ah realized now that Dongjun was talking about their marriage.

While they were dating, Se-ah had never really thought about marrying Dongjun. They had never talked about it directly.

Moreover, since she saw him with Mokyeon  earlier, and his increasingly disappointing behavior, Se-ah was starting to feel distant from Dongjun.

“If you marry me, you’ll be the vice principal later. I’ll be the principal, and you’ll be the vice principal. But if that chairman ruins the school, it’s all over.”

Se-ah couldn’t help but laugh softly.

She had never considered that idea. More than anything, Se-ah had no desire to be the vice principal or principal. She just wanted to keep teaching until she retired.

“You’re laughing?”

Dongjun approached Se-ah with a twisted, angry face.

“Did you not hear me?”

“I don’t want to be vice principal or principal.”

Dongjun shouted at Se-ah, standing near her feet.

“I said you’ll do what I say! Who’s the woman here?”

Se-ah stared at Dongjun, unsure if he was the same person she had been dating.

There had been moments when he had given her thoughtful advice, and they had laughed together.

But now, she saw him only filled with power-hungry desires.

“I’ll talk to you later. I need to go to class.”

Se-ah felt she couldn’t continue the argument, especially in this heated state. She started to leave her seat.

But as she tried to leave, Dongjun blocked the door.

At that moment, Se-ah suddenly remembered something from long ago and began to feel suffocated.

“You want to leave?”

The memory of her father and stepbrother’s violent kicking replayed in her mind like a flash.

Those painful, endless memories filled her thoughts again.

“Stop! What are you doing?”

Dongjun’s words felt like a slap to her. She felt dizzy.

“I’m going to class…”

Her chest tightened. She was starting to feel panicked, but Dongjun seemed completely unaware of her condition and just kept raising his voice.

“Are you trying to avoid me? You laughed at me earlier, didn’t you?”

Dongjun’s words came closer and further away, and Se-ah couldn’t breathe properly.

“I… I’m not feeling well. I need to take a break… please…”

Se-ah tried to catch her breath, but Dongjun didn’t seem to care about her state. He just yelled louder.

“What’s this? You’re fine one moment, then suddenly sick? Is it that hard to talk to me?”

Dongjun showed no intention of helping her.

“Just say you’ll help me. Why are you acting like this?”

Se-ah tried to speak, but her voice was shaky as Dongjun kept shouting.

“Say it! You’ll side with me, right? You’ll go tell the chairman next time. That’s all you need to do!”

At that moment, the teacher’s lounge door crashed open.

Dongjun stumbled back, and Se-ah was left standing there. Seonghan rushed over to her.

“Are you okay?”

“Can’t… breathe… properly…”

“Take it slow. It’s okay. Just breathe in slowly and breathe out.”

Seonghan gently held Se-ah’s shoulders and took a deep breath himself to show her how.

Dongjun, frustrated, stormed over to Seonghan.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Why are you—”

“Go get a plastic bag.”

Seonghan cut him off without looking at him.

“What? Ha! Are you ordering me around?”

“You don’t plan to stay at this school for long, do you? You and your father seem close. If you don’t want things to get worse, go bring it.”

Seonghan turned and glared at Dongjun. Meeting his gaze, Dongjun hesitated.

“…Fine, whatever.”

As soon as Dongjun left, Seonghan helped Se-ah sit down. She was finally starting to calm down.

“Was that a panic attack?”

Seonghan covered Se-ah’s mouth gently, helping her regulate her breathing.

Se-ah, still teary-eyed, only nodded. Her face was still pale, and her chest rose and fell unevenly.

“That bastard did something, didn’t he? What happened?”

At his question, Se-ah shook her head without answering.

As she started regaining her senses, a thought crossed her mind—why was Seonghan here?

“Why… how did you…?”

“I was passing by and heard shouting. Are you okay now?”

“I’m fine… now.”

Just then, the door opened again, and Dongjun returned with a plastic bag. A strong fishy smell came from it.

“Here.”

Seonghan grimaced, taking the bag from Dongjun and immediately shoving both him and the bag out of the lounge.

The plastic bag was supposed to help regulate Se-ah’s breathing.

But in truth, Seonghan had made Dongjun fetch it just to get him out of the room. After all, he was the reason this happened in the first place.

“Are you not going to tell me?”

“What exactly happened? What did that bastard do?”

“Nothing happened.”

Se-ah kept shaking her head.

“This just happens sometimes. It’s my issue. It has nothing to do with Mr. Lee Dongjun.”

Seonghan let out a deep sigh. His hand gently brushed over Se-ah’s shoulder.

Se-ah looked up.

His eyes were filled with sincerity.

For a moment, it felt as if ten years of emptiness had disappeared right before her.