In the sacred school

Episode 4

Se-ah’s lips moved slightly, but she didn’t know what kind of expression to make.

“Teacher Dongjun, there’s a new chairman. He might be here,” Mokyeon said with a bright face.

“Oh, really? Did you order coffee? If not, I’ll buy it,” Dongjun said and walked to the counter.

Hyunkyung smiled as he saw him.

“Oh, you’re here. Shall I prepare your usual?”

“Yes. And the usual for her too. An iced Americano, two shots,” Dongjun said while glancing at Se-ah.

Just then, a voice came from behind.

“Here, your drinks are ready.”

It was Seonghan. He carried two cups of coffee and placed them down. Dongjun’s face stiffened.

“Huh? Who—?”

“You don’t know? He’s the new chairman. And he’s really handsome. He even bought my drink earlier,” Hyunkyung said cheerfully.

Dongjun turned to look at Seonghan with a surprised expression.

“Oh, so you’re the one,” he muttered.

“Yes. I’m Shin Seonghan, the new chairman,” Seonghan said, sitting down and crossing his legs. His posture was confident, almost intimidating.

Dongjun looked startled for a moment, but then a smirk appeared on his face.

“Oh, I heard about you. You came from that big company, right? You don’t know much about education, just business?”

Hyunkyung’s eyes widened at his words. Even Se-ah straightened her back in surprise.

“I heard you want to manage our school, but I’m sorry—it won’t be that easy. Education and business are different. Guiding students onto the right path isn’t the same as making money and filling the pockets of the rich,”
Seonghan looked at Dongjun silently, then suddenly burst into laughter. He cleared his throat slightly and stood up.

Dongjun was not short, but when Seonghan stood up, he looked much taller. His broad shoulders made him seem completely different from Dongjun. He stepped closer with heavy footsteps.

“Interesting.”

Seonghan nodded lightly.

“You are a teacher full of duty.”

“A teacher must think that way.”

Dongjun’s eyes were sharp as he spoke. Seonghan nodded again.

“Good. That’s good. But to lead students on the right path, shouldn’t the teacher walk the right path first? If I roll around in the dirt but tell students a hundred times to walk the right way, will they listen to me?”

Dongjun’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I think you know best what I mean.”

Seonghan glanced at Mokyeon’s face, then looked back at Dongjun.

“Anyway, I look forward to working with you. And you seem to think that just because someone studied business, they only care about money. But business is also about dealing with people. You should know what you’re talking about before speaking.”

Seonghan let out a small laugh, picked up his coffee, and turned around.

“Thank you for showing me the café. I will see you on the day of the inauguration.”

As Seonghan walked away slowly, Se-ah turned to look at Dongjun. He was fuming, his eyes narrowed as he glared at the door Seonghan had just exited through.

“People like that are why education is failing. That rich kid must have been spoiled since birth, always treated with respect for no reason.”

Dongjun’s angry voice made Se-ah feel strangely uneasy.

Then, a sound came from somewhere. A soft crying noise.

It was Mokyeon.

Everyone turned toward him in surprise as he suddenly began sobbing like a child.

“I’m scared… I hate fights like this,” he said.

Mokyeon wiped her face with a napkin. Dongjun looked at him with a guilty expression.

“I’m sorry, Mokyeon. I didn’t act like a proper teacher. I get too emotional about justice… Don’t cry.”

Dongjun slowly stepped closer and lightly patted his shoulder. But instead of feeling at ease, Se-ah felt even more uncomfortable.

“…I should go too. Mokyeon, will you stay here?”

At Se-ah’s question, Mokyeon shook his head side to side.

“No, let’s go together, teacher!”

Mokyeon clung to Se-ah’s arm.

For a moment, Se-ah remembered how Dongjun and Mokyeon had been together earlier. She wanted to shake hin off but barely held back.

“Uh, but I have a rash on my arm. It might be contagious. Are you okay with that?”

Mokyeon widened his eyes and quickly let go of Se-ah’s arm.

“W-what rash? Can rashes even spread?”

“They might. That’s why I’m saying it. I didn’t know either.”

Se-ah said that and walked away, her heels clicking against the floor. It felt like steam was rising above her head, but she tried not to show it.

—

At Grace, the café inside Jungwoon Hotel, Se-ah and Yeon-sil sat across from each other in a corner.

“Those crazy bastards!”

Unlike the furious Yeon-sil, Se-ah remained expressionless.

“People are looking.”

Se-ah spoke as if calming her down.

“That’s not the problem! Why do you care about others right now? Look at yourself first! That scumbag Lee Dongjun—what? With a junior teacher? Ugh! Just hearing it makes my stomach turn, and you—”

That day, Se-ah never asked Dongjun anything.

She wanted to say: “What were you doing with Teacher Mokyeon? Why were you hiding together? Did you really kiss her on the forehead?”

She had to ask. No matter what, she had to.

But for some reason, she was scared.

So, over the weekend, she called her friend Yeon-sil to talk about it.

—

“What should I do?”

“You should have caught them on the spot, slapped them, and told them to stop living like trash! Seriously, Han Se-ah! You act all calm, but deep down, you’re soft and weak!”

Se-ah barely had any friends. And the only one who knew her true self was Yeon-sil.

They met in college while taking the same class. It was a counseling class. Se-ah took it because it was required. Yeon-sil, a business major, took it because she had no other options.

Se-ah focused and took detailed notes. Yeon-sil focused on her online games.

Then, before exams, Yeon-sil asked to borrow Se-ah’s notes.

“You should have taken your own notes.”

Se-ah said that and ignored her, walking away.

That was when she ran into him.

Her stepbrother.

She remembered him mentioning that his girlfriend attended her university.

While walking, he spotted Se-ah and greeted her.

A smile on his face—something she had never seen at home.

Se-ah’s shoulders shrank.

The fear she thought she had buried rushed back.

She tried to turn away but stumbled and fell.

Then, in front of her, Yeon-sil stepped forward.
“Are you okay?”

Yeonsil looked at Se-ah’s trembling face with confusion. Then, she turned to look at the man standing in front of them—Namseok.

“It’s been a while. Have you been eating well?”

Namseok smirked, not even offering a handshake.

Se-ah stood up. Without saying a word, she rushed away but tripped again. Yeonsil couldn’t leave her alone.

“Who are you to act like this?”

Yeonsil stepped in front of Namseok.

“Me? I’m Se-ah’s brother.”

Namseok chuckled again.

“Brother or not, Se-ah doesn’t seem happy to see you. So just leave.”

Yeonsil’s firm words made Namseok gape in disbelief.

“What does this have to do with you?”

“I’m Se-ah’s friend. And I’ve heard all about you. Stop bothering her and get lost!”

Se-ah froze. She had never told anyone about her family situation. Yet the girl who had just borrowed her notebook today was standing up for her as if she knew everything.

“W-what? You told her everything? Why would you do that?”

Namseok’s voice rose as he stepped toward Se-ah, lifting his foot as if to kick her. But before he could do anything, Yeonsil suddenly screamed.

“Someone help! A guy is attacking a girl!”

A group of students who had just finished class turned their heads and rushed toward them. Among them was Namseok’s girlfriend.

“Oppa, what are you doing here?”

With his girlfriend now watching, Namseok couldn’t say anything. He turned away and quickly walked off, holding his girlfriend’s hand.

Se-ah finally let out a long breath. She hadn’t even realized how tense she had been.

When she came back to her senses, Yeonsil was holding her arm.

“Can you stand?”

Se-ah looked at Yeonsil. Just a while ago, she had seemed like nothing more than an airheaded student who only cared about borrowing notes. But now, she felt different.

Yeonsil could have ignored everything and walked away. But instead, she stood up for her, called for help, and protected her.

“Hmph.”

Why?

Se-ah had always been strong. No matter what happened at home, she never told anyone. She just endured it on her own.

But for the first time, she broke.

Unable to even get up, she burst into tears.

Yeonsil, who had been watching her silently, let out a small sigh and sat down beside her.

She gently patted Se-ah’s back.

So the two became friends.