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Chapter : 11
“So you moved in behind us?
Then were the moving boxes that came in this morning theirs?”
“They said they moved in and brought rice cakes. You really never know how life will turn out. Who would’ve thought we’d meet again like this.”
The first person to greet Yi-seol, who was standing there bewildered, was Yoo-shin.
He was tall, but slimmer than his older brother, with a youthful, gentle-looking face.
“Hello, ma’am. My name is Lee Yoo-shin. Thank you so much for saving my brother. I’ll never forget this kindness, even if I die.”
“There’s no need to go that far. Your brother saved us from trouble last time. I was just returning the favor.”
“He could’ve lost his life. That’s not a choice just anyone would make.”
“Yoo-shin is right. We owe you a great debt.”
Jae-hyeok, standing beside him, also held out his hand. When Yi-seol took it, Tae-shin’s gaze fixed on their clasped hands.
Noticing Tae-shin’s look, Jae-hyeok quickly let go.
“My name is Ahn Jae-hyeok. It’s late, but thank you again. Please take good care of my older brother and my younger one.”
Jae-hyeok handed over a box tied with a red ribbon.
Inside were bite-sized rice cakes, individually wrapped.
It was a gift that didn’t quite match their tough, macho appearances.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”
“Just leave the rice cakes here. People in this neighborhood come to our clinic almost every day, so it’s better than going around delivering them one by one.”
Director Jang said, pointing at the mountain of rice cakes piled on the table.
“Then we’ll leave it to you.”
“Don’t just stand there—sit down. You’re all so tall it makes my neck hurt looking up at you. I’ll bring out some tea, so have a drink before you go.”
The three men sat side by side on the sofa, and Yi-seol followed Director Jang into the kitchen.
While Director Jang boiled water and brewed the tea, Yi-seol arranged rice cakes and tangerines on a plate.
“What’s going on? You didn’t seem very surprised earlier. Did you know already?”
“Not exactly. I ran into them at school earlier.”
“At school?”
Yi-seol briefly explained Tae-shin’s return to school and Yoo-shin’s transfer.
“So that means you’re that man’s homeroom teacher now?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Going back to school at such a late age—something must’ve happened. Anyway, I knew they weren’t ordinary people.”
Director Jang shook her head.
They don’t look ordinary to begin with.
Yi-seol replied only in her mind.
When Director Jang brought the tea into the living room and set cups in front of everyone, she said,
“Anyway, meeting again like this must be fate, and now we’re neighbors too. Let’s get along well.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Yoo-shin smiled warmly and lifted his teacup.
“By the way, how’s your wound? Has it healed well?”
At Director Jang’s question, Tae-shin nodded.
“Thanks to you, it’s healed cleanly.”
“That’s a relief. It was such chaos back then. Do you remember the day you came in injured? Even while you were half out from anesthesia, when Jun-pil tried to change your clothes, you kicked him. Said you didn’t want a man stripping you.”
Why bring that up now?
“Director, why would you mention that…?”
Yi-seol was cautiously watching Tae-shin’s reaction when Yoo-shin and Jae-hyeok started laughing.
“And that’s not all. Saying he had chills, he held onto Teacher Yi-seol all night—!”
“Director!”
Yi-seol hurriedly set down her teacup, grabbed Director Jang’s arm, and shot her a warning look.
“Huh? Why? Was that something I shouldn’t have said?”
Sometimes it was hard to tell.
Whether she did it on purpose or was just clueless.
Judging by the sly curve of her lips, it seemed like she was just teasing.
“It’s not a crime for a young man and woman to hold each other all night.”
As Director Jang muttered casually while peeling a tangerine, Yoo-shin and Jae-hyeok both turned to look at Tae-shin.
They looked puzzled, as if unable to imagine him doing such a thing.
The person in question, Tae-shin, showed no change in expression and elegantly sipped his tea.
Only Yi-seol sat there, cheeks burning red, completely flustered.
“Mr. Lee Tae-shin and I are teacher and student now. It would be problematic if you said things like that elsewhere, Director.”
“I know. Don’t worry. When would I ever say that outside? I’m only saying it because these three are family.”
Even so, it was still embarrassing.
“I thought about waking you up back then. No matter how badly he was hurt, I wondered if it was okay to leave a man and woman who’d never met before alone in a room.”
“Then why didn’t you wake us?”
If she had just woken them then, it wouldn’t be this awkward now.
“You both looked so peaceful. The way you were sleeping, holding each other…”
Director Jang continued, gazing into the distance as if recalling that day.
“It was like you were originally a matched pair—so perfectly fitted together that it felt wrong to separate you.”
Yoo-shin pressed his lips together, holding back laughter, and Jae-hyeok rolled his eyes.
“Ah, shouldn’t you be heading back now? You must be very tired from moving.”
In this awkward situation, the quickest escape was to send these men away.
Yi-seol quickly changed the subject, took the teacup from Tae-shin, and set it down on the floor.
Then, pretending to yawn, she added,
“I need to wash up and go to bed too.”
“Already? It’s not even seven yet.”
Director Jang asked teasingly.
“Yes. Today was really exhausting for me.”
Jae-hyeok stood up and said,
“Director, and Teacher. To thank you for saving my brother—and as a housewarming—I’d like to treat you to dinner. When would you be free?”
“Any time except weekend evenings.”
At Director Jang’s words, Yi-seol nodded as well.
“Me too.”
“They say you should strike while the iron’s hot. How about tomorrow evening at six?”
“Sounds good.”
With that, the plan was set, and the three men returned home.
After confirming the door had closed, Yi-seol helped Director Jang clear the table and cautiously brought it up.
“Director… you’re not going to bring up embarrassing stories like that tomorrow too, are you?”
“What else would there be?”
“There isn’t anything else, right?”
“But no matter how I think about it, I feel like the reason that man came back is because of you, Teacher Yi-seol.”
“That can’t be true.”
“My intuition has never been wrong. Him returning to school to your class, and moving in right behind you—it all fits. He doesn’t seem like a bad person, so try getting along with him.”
“I’m a teacher, and he’s a student now. Please don’t say things like that elsewhere. I’m begging you.”
“Alright. I won’t say anything.”
After emphasizing it once more out of concern, Yi-seol went into the bathroom.
Her reflection in the mirror was still bright red.
After splashing her face with cold water, the heat subsided a little.
He came back because of me.
There was no way.
She knew it was nonsense, yet her thoughts kept drifting in that direction.
The fact that he ended up in her class, that he moved so close.
The more she thought about it, the more it felt like, as Director Jang said, none of this was mere coincidence.
Lost in thought, she showered longer than usual, roughly dried her wet hair, and returned to her room.
She still felt feverish.
She opened the window.
A cool night breeze blew in, soothing her heated cheeks.
Across the low wall, a light was on in the opposite room.
It felt strange to see light in a place that had always seemed deserted.
Whose room is that?
At that moment, someone appeared by the window.
It was Tae-shin, wearing only a bath towel around his waist, as if he had just finished showering.
The houses were closer than she’d thought, and his room was clearly visible.
She stared blankly at his still-beautiful, well-built body, until her gaze landed on the scar from where he’d been stabbed before.
In an instant, everything went quiet.
As she slowly lifted her eyes, she met Tae-shin’s gaze.
Embarrassed, Yi-seol quickly pressed herself against the wall beside the window, hiding her body.
Her face burned bright red.
Why did it have to be that room?
Of all the rooms.
And why did I hide?
I only looked because I could see it.
It’s not like I was spying.
What do I do now?
Should I pretend I didn’t see anything? Or just sit down on the floor?
As she hesitated, unable to decide—
Tae-shin’s voice came through.
“Did you enjoy the view?”
