TNV 21

Chapter 21

I really don’t know how someone can be that blunt.

If anything, she should’ve used their landlord–tenant relationship as a weapon and lorded it over him.

Moo-hyun, who had been chuckling to himself, suddenly voiced the thought that popped into his head.

“Have you ever heard this kind of line before, Ms. Song Chae-yoon?”

“…What line?”

Looking at Chae-yoon narrowing her eyes as if wondering what nonsense he was about to spout this time, he continued.

“You’re the first woman who’s ever treated me like this.”

Her shocked expression as she stared at him was actually quite cute. Leisurely enjoying that look, Moo-hyun stood up with a smile still on his face.

“Thanks for the meal. But starting tomorrow, please make the food yourself. I’m kind of picky.”

Instead of answering, she just let out a sigh. Moo-hyun, who hadn’t expected a reply anyway, walked out of the annex still smiling.

That night, and for several days after, the smile never left Moo-hyun’s face.

It wasn’t that his expression had become completely bright like other people’s. But the change was obvious, especially for someone whose face was always expressionless. So every time the Strategy Planning Department employees saw him, they were startled.

It was no secret that Moo-hyun had a prickly personality. Even when he was in a good mood, catching sight of him smiling was as rare as stars in the sky. Because of that, the female employees often jokingly called him “You Who Came From the Stars.”

Yet the corners of Moo-hyun’s lips had been raised for four whole days. It was only natural that the staff went beyond surprise and started feeling wary.

Unable to endure the constant whining of employees saying they wanted to at least know the reason if they were going to get struck by lightning from the chief, Junho finally took it upon himself to ask.

“Chief, isn’t commuting from Yangpyeong tiring?”

It was on their way back after lunch. Walking a step ahead, Moo-hyun replied without even turning around.

“No. Why suddenly?”

“It’s just… Your expression hasn’t looked great lately. Are you eating properly?”

“Yeah. Turns out my landlord’s a decent cook. And I’ve actually been in a good mood lately.”

At that, Junho tilted his head, as if only now realizing that the brightened expression was genuine.

“So you’re really not uncomfortable… at all?”

“I said I’m not. Why do you keep prying?”

Giving Junho, who still looked confused, a light rebuke, Moo-hyun suddenly remembered something and asked,

“Did you look into the school Song Chae-yoon worked at?”

“…Yes. I actually just got the email a little while ago. I’ll整理 and report as soon as possible.”

Thirty minutes later, Moo-hyun leaned deeply back in his chair, eyes closed, as he listened to Junho’s report.

“…Officially, Ms. Song Chae-yoon was disciplined for inappropriate behavior. But the teachers who still remember the incident say something completely different.”

“How?”

“The vice principal apparently often harassed newly hired young female temporary teachers. So when something happened with Song Chae-yoon, everyone just thought, ‘He’s at it again.’”

“And?”

“The problem was that Ms. Song Chae-yoon wasn’t someone who would just put up with it. Whenever the vice principal tried to get her alone, made her sit beside him during meals or staff gatherings, and acted inappropriately, she showed very clearly that she was uncomfortable.”

“Of course she would.”

Even as he answered casually, Moo-hyun could easily imagine what happened afterward.

Song Chae-yoon was not the type to silently endure injustice, so she must have become a thorn in his eye.

And that trash of a vice principal at Myeongun Middle School must have pinned everything on her when she wouldn’t bend to his will, then driven her out.

“Ms. Song reported it directly to the principal, asking for help. But the principal sided with the vice principal, and in the end, Ms. Song had no choice but to resign with the stigma of being a seductress.”

“…”

“During that process, teachers who were under the vice principal’s influence and aggressive parents severely insulted and tormented her. One teacher even teared up recalling how pitiful she’d looked packing her things and leaving.”

While listening to the story, which was exactly as he had expected, the faint smile that had lingered on Moo-hyun’s lips for days completely disappeared.

After a moment of silent thought, he opened his eyes and looked at Junho.

“Doesn’t something feel off?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said this wasn’t the first time he’d done that to young female teachers. Then why did only Song Chae-yoon’s case blow up?”

“….”

“In cases like that, people usually keep things quiet instead of making a fuss. Even if all the teachers know, they try to prevent rumors from spreading to students and parents. But you’re saying not only teachers, but parents gathered to torment Song Chae-yoon?”

“That… does sound strange.”

Junho slowly nodded, agreeing. Moo-hyun then gave additional instructions.

“Investigate the vice principal thoroughly. Whether he’s still working at Myeongun Middle School, and if he has a pet, even its age and gender. Don’t leave anything out.”

“Understood.”

After Junho left, Moo-hyun fell back into thought.

The more he thought about it, the stranger the incident seemed.

As far as he knew, Song Chae-yoon had no family, no relatives, no friends. Her mother, who had left her with Madam Song when she was young and disappeared, couldn’t be located even with Junho’s network.

In other words, she had no enemies, but also no allies. And considering her personality, it wasn’t likely she had done anything to earn hatred.

So why had the vice principal gone so far against Song Chae-yoon?

If bothering young female teachers wasn’t new to him, then he must have known his limits. How far he could push before things got noisy.

And not every teacher he harassed could have been timid and fearful. At least one or two must have reacted like Song Chae-yoon.

Yet the only one who was branded a “seductress” was her.

Mobilizing not only teachers but even parents to humiliate her could only mean one thing: someone intended to completely ruin her future.

What on earth had Song Chae-yoon done, for him to drive out an innocent young teacher—someone he wasn’t even personally close to—with such cruelty?

“There’s definitely something.”

Tapping his fingers lightly on the desk, Moo-hyun muttered quietly.

After losing her job, Song Chae-yoon reportedly returned to her hometown and lived like a shell of herself for a while. So it was highly likely that even now, she still didn’t know the full story.

And if she didn’t know, there was no need to tell her.

Digging into old wounds would do no good. Things were already off to a bad start between them; he had no intention of being the one to reopen them.

But that didn’t mean he planned on letting it go.

Since he couldn’t rest unless he dug into things until the end, he fully intended to find out exactly why the vice principal at Myeongun Middle School had done such a thing.

“Anyway… life sure hasn’t been boring lately.”

Thinking back to the time since the day he went to Yangpyeong to meet Song Chae-yoon, he let out a short laugh.

His life, which had been dull ever since he lost his memory, had become interesting after meeting her. It felt like a once-colorless painting was slowly being filled with different colors.

He didn’t know how long this feeling would last, but for now, he decided to enjoy it.

Before and after losing his memory, this was the first time he had ever felt joy because of someone else—and surprisingly, it wasn’t a bad feeling at all.