The sound of the woman’s black high heels clicked calmly against the floor of the school corridors as she walked toward her destiny, her back effortlessly erect, confident, and elegant as she carried a bulky quantity of notebooks, books, and folders in one arm, as the other was busy carrying a large-sized clutch. She smiled warmly as she entered the classroom.

“Good morning, kids,” she greeted, holding in an amused grin after seeing the students’ surprised faces.

“Good morning, Ms. Kim,” they greeted back, a bit hesitantly.

“I know you were expecting Ms. Hwang,” she began explaining, closing the door behind her with her ankle, “but she’s called in sick this morning and asked me to fill in for her.”

“Gosh, Ms. Hwang never misses a class,” one of the students murmured to the other. “She must be feeling really bad.”

“Yeah. I bet she has gotten a terrible headache from all the questions you asked her yesterday about a presentation that isn’t due for a month,” her friend taunted with a whisper, reining in a chuckle. “You’re such a nerd, Sunny.”

Sunny pushed the girl’s shoulder lightly. “Shut up, Seohyun.” She sighed, looking around. “Where is Sooyoung, by the way?”

The girl named Seohyun just shrugged, and she and Sunny returned their attention to the woman standing in front of the class, who had just finished accommodating her things on her desk.

“All right,” the woman began again, clapping her hands together. “Here’s the thing, kids. I’ll be completely straightforward with you,” she said, paused for a while as she read a piece of paper that had been clipped to one of the folders she had been carrying, and then shrugged. “I don’t know a thing about whatever Ms. Hwang has been teaching you, and I hate literature. We’re having a Math class instead,” she said simply. The class was instantly taken by groans and whimpers. Most students rolled their eyes back, some slammed their faces against their tables, and very few seemed relatively contented or indifferent to the occasion.

The teacher smiled ironically. Her face had an amused and smug look as she glanced through the students. “I love how excited all of you always are for my classes.” She walked toward her desk and grabbed a pen before starting to the whiteboard. “Get your notebooks, kids. Let’s work. And if I hear another complaint,” she said, glancing back over her shoulder, “I’ll give you extra homework.”

The classroom grew deadly quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the turning of paper pages and the teacher’s muffled chuckles.

 

The woman had a very satisfied smile on her face as she dismissed her students, who dashed off to enjoy recess time. Left alone in the room, she closed the door quietly, took her cell phone out of her pocket, and skillfully tapped the screen as she dialed a very familiar number.

“Hello?” said a feminine voice.

“Hey,” the teacher greeted rather shyly. “How are you feeling?”

The other woman on the line sighed. “Better, but exhausted. I couldn’t sleep well last night. I’m sorry I had to ask you to fill in for me. I know this was supposed to be your day off, but you know I only trust those kids with you.”

Ms. Kim chuckled. “It’s fine.”

“How did it go?” the other woman asked, referring to the class.

“Splendid. We had a wonderful chat about Geometry.”

“What?! Taeyeon, I thought I had given you instructions to talk to them about Shakespeare, my God.”

Taeyeon chortled. “That you did, but I teach Math, Tiffany. I don’t know a thing about Shakespeare. I don’t even like Shakespeare,” she said, and smiled to herself as she heard her friend chuckle on the line. “Thank you for the opportunity, by the way. I was a little behind with them and managed to catch up.”

“Well, you’re welcome, I suppose.”

A small pause followed before Tiffany spoke again. “Can I trouble you just once more?” she asked.

“Of course,” was Taeyeon honest response.

“I’ve run out of food. I know it’s a bit early, but could you grab some lunch and come over?”

Taeyeon glanced at her wristwatch. 11:30a.m. “I’ll be there in 45 minutes,” she responded, smiling to herself.

“God bless you,” Tiffany said, joking. “Bye.”

 

***

 

“Did you fall from bed?” Seohyun asked as she leaned against the lockers, eyeing her tall friend as the latter closed her locker.

The tall girl looked at Seohyun. “Actually, I did,” she responded as she stuffed half a muffin in and chewed on it. “And I didn’t even have the chance to have breakfast.”

Seohyun shook her head slowly, incredulous, squinting her eyes at her friend. “It’s past 11:30 in the morning. Why even come to school at this hour?” she mumbled.

“Sooyoung, you missed class!” said Sunny with a reproaching tone as she approached her two friends. “What the hell happened?”

“She slept on it,” Seohyun said, and then laughed heartily at her own joke.

Sunny and Sooyoung eyed her gravely.

“That was an awful joke,” remarked Sooyoung.

“Yeah, you should really stop doing that,” agreed Sunny.

Seohyun rolled her eyes.

“Anyway. What did I miss?” the tall girl asked, eyeing her two friends as the three walked about the halls.

“A most boring Geometry class,” responded Seohyun.

“Very fruitful, though,” Sunny added, mumbling. "Ms. Kim cleared a lot of my doubts."

“Geometry? Ms. Kim?” asked Sooyoung, confused. She took her phone out and checked the date and time on it. “No, I’m pretty sure today is Tuesday and that we were supposed to have just had an English class with Ms. Hwang.”

“Ms. Hwang called in sick and asked Ms. Kim to replace her,” Sunny explained.

“I swear those two have a crush on each other,” Seohyun mumbled.

“God, me too!” Sooyoung interjected. “I swear I thought I was the only one.”

“Hell, no. I mean, why would you ask a Math teacher to replace you, if you were an English teacher? It doesn’t make any sense. Unless, of course, you had a certain preference for said teacher,” Seohyun said, raising her eyebrows as she eyed Sooyoung mischievously. “Besides, do you remember last week, when Ms. Kim interrupted our class because she needed to borrow Ms. Hwang's laptop? Did you see her elevator eyes on Ms. Hwang when she handed her the darn laptop?”

“Yes, YES!” Sooyoung assented, a little too excitedly. “And they always stick together when they are not in class. These days, I even saw them leave together in Ms. Kim’s car.”

“Wait, wait,” Sunny chimed in. “Are you two insane? Do you think our teachers have an affair or something?”

The two taller girls blinked. “Well,” Seohyun started, “no, not an affair. Yet.”

“We just think they have a huge crush on each other and don’t know it.” She made a pause. “On a second thought, maybe Ms. Kim knows it. She’s pretty obvious.”

Seohyun chuckled with amusement. “Don’t you guys think they would make a good-looking couple? Not to mention, fun. They are by far the nicest teachers we have. Even though their subjects can be so...” she finished her sentence by making a disgusted face.

The sound of the bell ringing, announcing the recess was over, interrupted Sooyoung, who was about to respond. Seohyun groaned.

“What do we have next, Sun?” she asked.

“P.E.,” Sunny responded.

“Cool. Let’s skip it.”

“I actually like P.E.,” said Sooyoung.

“Seo, you have been skipping P.E. for three weeks now. It's enough. Come on,” Sunny said, taking her friend by the arm and dragging her along as she marched toward their destiny.

Seohyun pouted as she tagged along. “And I thought high school would be fun with you guys,” she grumbled.

 

***

 

Tiffany looked at her wristwatch as she opened her apartment’s door. “12:15. Precise 45 minutes,” she said, then glanced at the woman standing in front of her. “Sometimes, you scare me,” she joked.

Taeyeon grinned proudly and entered the apartment as Tiffany made way for her to pass. “Someday I might teach you how to make the exact calculation to never be late for anything.”

“I think I’ll pass that,” Tiffany responded as she closed the door, watching her visitor walk further into the apartment and place a couple of bags on the dining table. “I happen to find calculations terribly dull.”

“They aren’t duller than Shakespeare, though,” Taeyeon taunted.

Tiffany grinned and walked toward the woman, then pulled two chairs for them to sit. “I’m sorry I’ve put you through all this trouble. I owe you one,” she said, looking at the other woman.

Taeyeon smiled warmly at her. “It’s fine. Are you feeling better?”

Tiffany’s voice was muffled against her palms as she rubbed her face tiredly. “Yeah, I suppose I am. At least I’m no longer feverish. God, you have no idea how hard last night was.”

“Feverish?” Taeyeon repeated, eyeing Tiffany with concern. “You should have called me.”

Tiffany chuckled. “But what would you do?”

Taeyeon shrugged shyly, then resumed to taking the food out of the bags. “At least you wouldn’t be alone.”

Tiffany smiled timidly as she watched Taeyeon unpack their lunch. She reached her hand up and placed it on Taeyeon’s wrist, veering the woman’s attention to herself. “Thank you, but don’t worry,” she said, glancing up at Taeyeon’s eyes. “I’m fine now. All I need is some good food and rest. I’ll be back on track tomorrow.”

Taeyeon eyed Tiffany silently for a moment, and then smiled playfully as she sat down beside her. “I hope you like chinese food.”

Tiffany grinned. “One of my favorites, actually.”

The two chuckled, and then resumed to enjoying their lunch and each other’s company quietly.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay a while longer?” Tiffany asked as she accompanied Taeyeon to the door. “I think I could use some company. And I’m feeling much better now. I could bake you those cookies you like to thank you for treating me lunch.”

Taeyeon turned around to look at Tiffany and opened to respond, but then closed it again and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, I have to prepare for tomorrow’s class. You know how slow I am,” she justified as she grabbed her purse and opened the door herself.

“Right,” Tiffany mumbled, then chuckled shyly. She looked at Taeyeon and then took her hand, holding it gently. “Thank you. Really. Both for filling in for me today and for taking care of me. I feel like a big baby, but I’m glad I had someone to help me out,” she said, grinning bashfully.

Taeyeon smiled and shook her head. “It was nothing.”

Tiffany eyed the other woman for a moment and then let go of her hand, more abruptly than she wished she had. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Right,” Taeyeon agreed. “Take care. Call me if you need anything.”

Tiffany nodded and Taeyeon turned around to walk away, but before she did, she stopped herself and turned to Tiffany again. “Tiffany?”

“Yes?” Tiffany responded, her face brightening up at the sound of Taeyeon’s voice.

“Uh… I can’t stay here today, but I have two tickets for this movie Saturday night, and… Well, I was going with a friend, but she can’t make it, so I thought… would you like to come with me?” she asked, smiling sheepishly.

Tiffany grinned brightly. “Of course. What time?”

“I… I can pick you up at 6 o’clock,” Taeyeon offered.

“Wonderful. Saturday at 6 it is,” the other woman assented, still smiling as she nodded.

Taeyeon nodded back in response and, with a smile and a wave of her hand, turned around once more and left.

When Tiffany closed the door, she leaned her back and head on it, grinning ear to ear with sheer satisfaction.

“At last,” she mumbled to herself.

 

***

 

“Good morning,” Taeyeon greeted politely as she entered the school’s common room. She quirked an eyebrow when she noticed a strange commotion in the room, as the teachers were all gathered in a circle, talking excitedly. She did, however, feel a bit more at ease when Tiffany turned around and smiled at her, acknowledging her presence.

“Good morning, Taeyeon,” Tiffany said as she approached the brunette. She took the woman by the arm and guided towards the other teachers, which made way for her to pass. Amidst them, there was an unfamiliar figure.

“Taeyeon, this is Mr. Adrien Green. He’s our new French teacher. Adrien, this is Ms. Kim, one of our Math teachers,” Tiffany introduced the two, gesturing back and forth to each.

The man took Taeyeon’s hand and shook it politely, smiling as he did so. “Enchanté. I am delighted to be in this school. All the ladies are so beautiful,” he remarked in a strong French accent, chuckling charmingly.

Taeyeon squinted discreetly at the man. He was tall, handsome, and stylishly dressed, despite the fact that his age showed in some of his grey strands of hair and beard. She didn’t like his appearance at all. Nor did she like his voice or anything about him. She forced a smile, just for the sake of righteousness. “Nice to meet you, Adrien,” she said curtly.

“Adrien was telling me how fond he is of languages and literature, which is why he became a teacher,” Tiffany told Taeyeon. “It’s nice to have someone who shares a bit of my interests here,” she continued, eyeing the man again. “Believe or not, even among teachers, it seems to be a common belief that English is the dullest subject of all.” She chuckled.

“But the English language is so rich and beautiful!” Adrien said. “I’m sure you and I will get well-acquainted very easily, Ms. Hwang.”

“Yes, so do I. Especially because our principal put me in charge of showing you around."

Taeyeon glanced at Tiffany, feeling a bitter and resentful sting when she saw the warmth with which the woman smiled and looked at the foreign man. She cleared loudly before speaking, “If you two will excuse me, I have to get to class. Goodbye.” With that, she turned away, sans looking at Tiffany again, picked up her things, and left the room with a very displeased countenance.

Inside the common room, Tiffany was left slightly astounded.

“What is it, Ms. Hwang? Is there anything wrong with Ms. Kim?” Adrien asked politely upon noticing the woman’s puzzled expression.

“Her first class only starts in an hour,” Tiffany mumbled to herself, almost audibly, as she looked toward the door.

“Sorry?” said the man.

Tiffany returned her attention to the new teacher and smiled politely at him. “Never mind. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

The man assented gladly, and followed Tiffany outside.

 

***

 

“Good morning,” said Taeyeon coldly as she entered the classroom. “Get your books. We have a lot of work to do.”

Seohyun and Sooyoung eyed each other, then turned around simultaneously to look at Sunny, who was sitting behind them, in deep concentration as she read the book she had in hands.

“What do you think has happened?” asked Sooyoung.

Sunny looked up. “What?”

“Ms. Kim. She looks rather pissed off.”

Sunny glanced over the heads of her two friends to take a look at Taeyeon, who was quietly setting up her laptop and notebooks on the desk. She shrugged. “She looks normal to me.”

“She’s quiet as a corpse today,” Seohyun remarked. “She’s always very cheerful and witty. There must be something wrong.”

Just as the three girls were about to continue the discussion further, there came a knock on the door, which drew the attention of the entire class, including the teacher’s. As Taeyeon glanced at the wired glass door and saw who the two visitors were, her face darkened immediately.

She had to contain an exasperated sigh as she walked toward the door and then opened it, welcoming Tiffany and Adrien in.

“I’m visiting the classes with Adrien to introduce him to the students,” Tiffany whispered as she leaned closer to Taeyeon. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Taeyeon forced yet another smile; this time, however, she didn’t ascertain that it looked natural. “Be my guest,” she said unemotionally, with a gesture of her hand.

As Tiffany began introducing the school’s new teacher, Taeyeon walked calmly back to her desk and perched on its edge, crossing her arms and legs. Her eyes traveled everywhere around the room, stopped a few times with angry gazes at Adrien, and avoided Tiffany at all costs.

Seohyun elbowed Sooyoung on the stomach. “It’s him,” she muttered through gritted teeth as the man spoke. “It’s him, it’s him!”

“Yeah…” Sooyoung replied absently, sighing adoringly as she looked at the man, enchanted by his chic appearance. “It’s him.”

Seohyun eyed her friend and, with a reproving gaze, slapped her thigh. “No, idiot. It’s him. Ms. Kim is angry because of him.”

“What? I don’t get it."

Seohyun rolled her eyes and discreetly pointed at Tiffany and Adrien, standing close together, and then at Taeyeon, looking unusually sullen.

“You think she’s jealous? Of him?” Sooyoung whispered.

“Seems like it, doesn’t it?”

“But why would she be jealous of him?”

“I don’t know. But she doesn’t look comfortable in his presence. And have you noticed how coldly she has treated Ms. Hwang?” Seohyun pointed out.

Sooyoung eyed Seohyun with slightly widened eyes. “Dang, Seohyun, if you are right…”

“I know. It’s deeper than we thought.” Seohyun said, observing as Tiffany and Adrien made their way out of the classroom and Taeyeon closed the door behind them, resuming her class. “But maybe Ms. Kim is only having a bad day,” the girl continued, looking at Sooyoung as she nodded. “Let’s wait and find out.”

 

***

 

As the rest of the week went by, Taeyeon and Tiffany’s interactions diminished considerably. Tiffany had grown busy interacting with Adrien, since the two shared many interests in common, and Taeyeon couldn’t help being profoundly annoyed by that, especially as she felt that the man seemed to follow Tiffany like a shadow wherever she went. And when Tiffany tried to initiate a conversation alone with Taeyeon, the latter would curtly finish it before it even started. That had begun to bother Tiffany significantly.

The discontentment of the two teachers’ with how things were going between them, naturally, reflected on their posture during their classes, and it didn’t take long for their students to see a clear difference in their manners, which left them all puzzled—but one, in particular, very intrigued.

“Listen. There is something very wrong going on between Ms. Kim and Ms. Hwang,” Seohyun said as she sat with her two friends in the cafeteria. “Don’t tell me you two don’t see it.”

“I know I do,” Sooyoung said, taking a mouthful of her food. “Ms. Kim looked and acted very strangely last class. And Ms. Hwang seemed aloof. She is never aloof. You know how much she adores to talk about Shakespeare. She got Othello and Hamlet mixed up, last class. I was scandalized.”

“And I am nearly positive it’s because of that new French teacher you’ve been swooning over,” Seohyun said, wagging her finger at Sooyoung.

“How?”

“I’ve seen him and Ms. Hwang walk around the school together every day since he arrived. They seemed to get along pretty well. And you know with whom Ms. Hwang used to walk around these wretched buildings before, don’t you?”

Sooyoung thought for a moment, then nodded shortly as she raised her eyebrows. “Yeah. It makes sense.”

“So I’ve come up with a plan,” Seohyun said happily. “Sunny, put that book down,” she demanded, pointing at her shorter friend, who immediately paid attention. “We’ll need you for this.”

Sunny rolled her eyes. “Are you two insisting on that silly idea that Ms. Kim and Ms. Hwang have a thing for each other?”

“Yes. And it isn’t an idea, it is a fact. You’ll see. Now,” Seohyun commenced, straightening her back and placing her hands tightly wrung together upon the table, to look more serious, “here’s what I’ll need you two to do. Let me tell you beforehand that this plan needs to be carried out on Tuesday, because Ms. Kim doesn’t come to school on Mondays. And no delays, because I don’t want to tolerate sulky teachers for another week. All right; moving on to the actual plan. First, you, Sooyoung,” she said, pointing at the taller girl, “I need you to use your artistic talents and mimic Ms. Kim and Ms. Hwang’s handwriting. I only need you to write two small post-it notes, one in Ms. Kim’s handwriting and another in Ms. Hwang’s, saying ‘Meet me at room 307 during recess,’ because that’s where Ms. Hwang is going to be on Tuesday. Do you get it?”

Sooyoung smiled and nodded excitedly as she clapped her hands together a few times. “Leave it to me,” she assured.

“Wonderful. Now, Sunny,” Seohyun continued, looking at her other friend, “my dear, dearest, lovely Sunny.”

“Oh, God,” said Sunny upon hearing the endearing nicknames. “Don’t tell me.”

“I need you to sneak into the common room.”

“Are you insane!?” she asked through gritted teeth. “I can’t do that! What if they catch me?”

“You’re the only one of us who can, because you are smaller and more agile. They won’t catch you. You’ll have to do it when all of the teachers are in class. That should be early in the morning, as soon as the first class starts. You’ll excuse yourself to go to the bathroom, and then you’ll sneak into the common room and stick Sooyoung’s notes on Ms. Kim’s and Ms. Hwang’s respective folders, which they’ll have to pick up before they get to class, as if they had sent their notes to each other.”

Sunny exhaled heavily. “Seohyun, this is crazy.”

Seohyun smiled mischievously. “But fun. And a good plan. Admit it.”

“Well, it is, but…”

“Then you'll do it?”

“Will you leave me alone if I don't?”

“No.”

Sunny glared at her. “Then I'll do it.”

“Nice!” Seohyun exclaimed, clapping her hands with excitement. “The best part is that that corridor gets completely empty during recess, so we can stay there hidden and try and catch a glimpse of whatever happens inside that room.”

“You want to stay and watch?!” Sooyoung asked. “Wouldn't that be a little too risky?”

“Do you want to quench your doubts or not?”

Sooyoung thought for a moment, then simply nodded.

“We’re staying, then. Oh, and Sunny, another thing,” Seohyun said, addressing her blonde friend.

“What?”

The red-haired girl looked around before adding, “I need the master key. The teachers’ copy. I know they have one.”

“You want me to steal a key?!” Sunny interjected.

“Listen, I wouldn't go to such extremes if I didn't think it extremely necessary.”

“How is that necessary, Seohyun?”

“Do you by any chance plan to lock the two inside the room?” Sooyoung asked concernedly. “Really, Seo, maybe we should take it easy…”

“God, you two! First of all, no, that’s not what I want the key for. Second of all… oh, come on, guys, this school . It is boring and old-fashioned and ruled by the patriarchy. You know two of the few joys we have here are Ms. Kim and Ms. Hwang. Their last couple of classes this week have been horrible because they aren't in good terms and that condition is affecting them so deeply that they can’t even deliver good classes and lessons. Let's do this not only for ourselves, but for them, too, all right?” Seohyun insisted.

Sunny sighed. “Yeah. Okay. Fine. We’ll do it.”

Seohyun smiled, then looked at the other girl. “Sooyoung?”

Sooyoung just shrugged. “Count me in.”

Seohyun grinned, satisfied. “I love you both.”

“And with that,” Sunny remarked, pointing at Seohyun, “I can count five times in total that you've said you love Sooyoung and I in… eight years of friendship,” she finished, counting on her fingers.

The three chuckled happily together.

 

***

 

When Saturday came, Taeyeon felt a little more positive than she had throughout the week. She remembered the appointment (she wanted to call it a date, but she didn't want to get her hopes up) she had with Tiffany, thinking it would be nice to spend some time with her alone at last, free from Adrien’s inconvenient presence. At 5:30 in the afternoon, finally, after getting dressed up, she decided to call Tiffany, to check if her friend and colleague was ready to be picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hi,” Taeyeon said, a bit embarrassedly. “It's Taeyeon. Um, are you ready?”

There was a short pause before Tiffany responded, “Ready?”

Taeyeon quirked an eyebrow and tightened her grip on her cellphone nervously. “I invited you to the movies tonight. I was supposed to pick you up at 6.”

A long silence and a feeling of embarrassment mixed with regret fell between the two.

“Oh, gosh. Taeyeon, I'm so sorry,” Tiffany finally said. “I'm so, so sorry, I completely forgot about it. I'm at school. I've been helping at the library all afternoon. You've heard they are re-arranging the shelves, haven't you? They asked me for help. And then Adrien came and we kind of lost track of time chatting and organizing the books together. Please, please forgive me,” she entreated. “Do you think you could pick me up at, say, 7 o’clock? I can make it home in a little over half an hour.”

Adrien, Taeyeon repeated the name in her head. She inhaled sharply before responding, “It’s fine. Don't bother yourself. Have a nice weekend. Bye,” she said coldly, finishing the call, and depriving Tiffany of a chance to argument further.

She tossed her phone aside and threw herself on the couch in the living room, groaning angrily. Then, as she hugged one of the cushions tightly against her chest, her eyes began to become warmly wet. Taeyeon’s feelings toward Tiffany had long exceeded friendship, and for over a year she had been quietly carrying them with her, afraid the woman wouldn’t correspond. It seemed and felt just too awful and unfair to her that a strange man, who much to her dismay seemed to be much more compatible and adequate for Tiffany than herself, managed to ruin the first time Taeyeon had had the courage to ask the woman out.

It pained Taeyeon how easily Adrien managed to yank Tiffany from her. At school, Tiffany’s attention, when it wasn't on her students or classes, was always on Taeyeon. The two would spend recess time together, lunch time together, and even keep each other company when they had something to do while the other had a free period. None of that had happened since Adrien arrived. And Taeyeon knew that Tiffany was, in most part, just being polite and friendly, for that was her nature; but when Tiffany told her that she had forgotten about their meeting because she lost track of time being with him, her heart just ached, and her hopes were all shattered.

She shook her head rapidly, trying to rid it from the unpleasant thoughts and, lying on her side, curled up with the cushion she had been hugging, closed her eyes, letting her tears fall quietly.

They did not speak to each other during the rest of the weekend. Tiffany did send her a couple of texts and called her a few times, but as Taeyeon did not answer to any of them, eventually she gave up. And on Monday morning, when Taeyeon would usually send her a message wishing her a good day, asking Tiffany to take care of the kids while she wasn’t around, Tiffany’s phone did not ring with any message alert. The English teacher was confused as to her friend’s sudden change of behavior, and she felt guilty for the uncomfortable, unfriendly atmosphere that had settled upon them, though she didn’t really know why.

 

***

 

“Did you manage?” Seohyun whispered expectantly when Sunny returned into the classroom, sitting herself behind Seohyun and Sooyoung, who also turned around to talk to the smaller girl.

Sunny nodded discreetly, gulping. The three eyed the teacher, who was peacefully and distractedly writing on the whiteboard, before continuing the conversation.

“Why do you look so anxious?” Sooyoung asked. “Do you think somebody might have seen you?”

“No. But sneaking into the teachers’ room underhanded and handling their stuff is not exactly an everyday activity, is it?” Sunny hissed.

“I’m proud of you,” Seohyun said as she smiled. “And the key?”

Sunny looked around with suspicious, but upon realising no one’s attention was on them, not even the teacher’s, she took a key out of her pocket and placed it hurriedly in Seohyun’s palm.

“Seohyun, I’m worried about one thing, though,” Sooyoung addressed her friend, looking at her. “Where are we going to hide? We can’t crouch by the door or watch through the glass. They’ll see us. The door is not all transparent, but still. Who wouldn’t notice three heads by the door?”

Seohyun smiled rascally. “You know those lockers that surround the room’s door?” she said, nodding slowly. “We’re going to hide in there.”

“In the lockers?!” Sunny intervened.

“What did you think I wanted the key for? Of course we’re hiding in the lockers. We’ll hide there until everyone has cleared the corridor and until we hear high heels clicking toward the door, and then the door closing. Then we’ll get out and find a way to watch without being seen,” Seohyun explained.

Sooyoung and Sunny just eyed each other, quirking their brows.

“Don’t worry. Everything will go smoothly,” Seohyun reassured, patting her friends’ hands. “Now we’ll just have to wait and see,” she said, turning around calmly as she heard the teacher begin his explanation.

 

***

 

“That’s it for today, class,” Tiffany said with a small smile as the bell rang, announcing recess time. “You’re dismissed.”

Seohyun bit her lower lip and held back an excited smile as she took Sooyoung’s wrist, watching the teacher attentively as she did so. “Let’s go. Grab Sunny,” she whispered.

Sooyoung took Sunny’s hand and yanked her away from her seat. “I was just finishing my notes!” the blonde girl complained.

“We’re possibly about to witness the blooming of the greatest love story this insufferable school has ever seen, and all you care about is your notes?” Seohyun asked.

“It’s not that deep,” responded Sunny with a shrug.

Sooyoung pointed and wagged her finger at Sunny with a challenging face as the trio walked out of the room. “We’ll wait to see if they kiss, and if they do, depending on how, we’ll discuss that,” she said.

Seohyun had to repress a hearty laugh when she heard her taller friend’s comment and noticed Sunny’s shocked face. The three managed to follow their plan accordingly, and soon after the other students had disappeared from the corridor, Sooyoung, Seohyun, and Sunny were safely hidden inside the tall lockers.

 

Inside the room, with a sigh, Tiffany closed the door. When she returned to her desk and perched upon it, she picked up the note that had been stuck to her things once again, reading it once more as she dragged her thumb across it. She wanted to feel happy about meeting with Taeyeon, but the events of the past couple of days and the way her friend had treated her made her feel rather apprehensive. She didn’t know what to expect; she was, though, looking forward to seeing Taeyeon again.

Punctual as usual, Taeyeon arrived at the exact time written in the notes. She looked unenthusiastic as she walked into the room and toward Tiffany, holding a small, neon orange paper between her fingers. As she stopped a few steps away from Tiffany, who was sitting upon her desk, she lifted her hand and showed the other woman the little post-it note.

Outside, Seohyun, Sooyoung, and Sunny had successfully and inconspicuously come out of the lockers, and were now hiding behind the door, ears glued to it so that they could hear their teachers’ conversation.

“What do you want?” Taeyeon asked Tiffany.

Tiffany furrowed her eyebrows, frowning both at the cold tone which Taeyeon use to address her, and at the note in Taeyeon’s hand. “What’s that?” she muttered, pointing at it.

“The note you’ve placed on my stuff earlier this morning.”

Tiffany shook her head slowly. “I didn’t… I didn’t write that,” she denied, taking the tiny paper in her hand and examining it before she looked at Taeyeon again. “I’m here because you placed a note like that on my stuff, earlier this morning,” she explained, showing Taeyeon the other note.

Taeyeon’s eyebrows shot up, and she shook her head. “I didn’t do that.”

“Well, it certainly looks like your handwriting,” Tiffany argued.

“But I’m telling you I didn’t write it. Nor did I place it on your stuff. Now, if you don’t have anything else to say, I’m going,” the Math teacher said, turning away.

“No, Taeyeon, wait,” Tiffany called, stopping the woman in her tracks before she could reach the door. “I do have something to say.”

Taeyeon turned around and perched on top of a student desk. Crossing her arms, she eyed Tiffany bitterly, waiting for the woman to continue.

Tiffany sighed. “I’m sorry about Saturday. I really am.”

“It’s fine,” said Taeyeon.

“No, it’s not. I know it isn’t. You are angry with me, I can sense it.”

“Why don’t you go keep your new French friend company, then? I’m sure he isn’t angry with you. I don’t want to distress you,” Taeyeon blurted out as she looked away.

“What? Adrien?!” Tiffany asked. “That’s absurd. He’s not even my friend. We just--” She stopped abruptly when the realization came. She looked attentively at Taeyeon and, repressing a contented smile, addressed the woman again. “Are you jealous, Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon feigned a scoff and looked at Tiffany again. “Why would I be jealous of you?”

“I don’t know,” Tiffany said, taking a few shy steps further, toward Taeyeon. “You tell me. Are you?”

Were the circumstances different, Taeyeon would be glad to take and make use of the opportunity she was having of telling Tiffany about her true feelings, but after what had happened on Saturday, she thought she would hardly bring herself to even try to confess. “No,” Taeyeon said quietly as she looked at Tiffany, shaking her head. “Don’t flatter yourself that much.”

Taeyeon’s words struck Tiffany’s heart with a knife, so painfully that the woman couldn’t even respond. She wanted Taeyeon to be jealous, she really did. But what hurt her the most was Taeyeon’s unfamiliar frigid, unemotional behavior. Of course, she didn’t understand that that the terse treatment which Taeyeon was offering was just a way that the woman had found not to get even more hurt.

Tiffany, then, simply nodded quietly and turned around, walking back to her desk, ready to gather her things to leave. Taeyeon would have remained quiet and indifferent, weren’t it for the hurtful and slightly wet glint she saw in Tiffany’s eyes before the woman turned away.

She watched anxiously as Tiffany began picking her stuff up. Just as the woman was getting ready to leave, Taeyeon sighed audibly, and straightened her back as she started, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she muttered.

Tiffany stopped in her tracks, put her things down calmly, and turned her face around in the same manner to look at Taeyeon.

Tiffany’s eyes were enough to encourage Taeyeon to continue, as she took a deep breath, “Maybe I am jealous.”

Outside, Seohyun slapped her friends’ arms repeatedly in excitement. She mouthed an ‘I told you,’ and Sooyoung had to cover her own mouth to prevent a very loud ‘Oh, my God’ from coming out of it.

Tiffany’s eyes brightened up a bit. She turned her body around and leaned slightly on the desk, crossing her arms as she eyed Taeyeon attentively, waiting for her to proceed.

“Maybe I was bothered when I saw you hanging with him around the school,” Taeyeon added.

“And why?”

The Math teacher shrugged modestly. “Because that was what we used to do together, I think,” she lied.

“I was just showing him around so that he would adapt faster, Taeyeon. The principal asked me to do it.”

“Yeah. Like you did to me when I was hired,” she mumbled, looking down.

Tiffany bit on her lower lip, smiling. She then forced the smile to fade away a bit, and walked slowly toward Taeyeon, stopping a few steps away from the woman. “Is that all?”

Taeyeon glanced up again, and her eyes fell on Tiffany. She wanted to tell her, but she couldn’t. And so she didn’t, and simply nodded her head in response. “That’s all,” she mumbled.

The three students behind the door propped her heads up and peeked inside the room through the small glass rectangle on the door, eyes attentive on their teachers’ every move.

“You know,” Tiffany began, taking a couple more steps toward Taeyeon, stopping herself just inches away from the woman, who was still sitting prettily upon a student desk, “I felt terrible for Saturday. I was really looking forward to our date,” she completed, eyeing Taeyeon.

Taeyeon gazed with surprise at Tiffany upon hearing the word ‘date.’ After a few seconds, she recomposed herself and cleared . “Yes, so was I. But it doesn’t matter. We can go out together another time,” she said, with a small smile.

“There was something I really wanted to do back then. I still do, actually. Now more than ever, maybe,” Tiffany cooed.

Taeyeon eyed Tiffany curiously, tilting her head a little. Tiffany smiled widely when she saw the gesture. Taking a deep breath as she mustered up her courage, Tiffany drew even closer to Taeyeon with shy steps, and when her arms could reach it, she wrapped them around the other teacher’s torso, bringing Taeyeon’s body against her own as she closed the distance between their lips with a warm kiss.

Seohyun’s, Sooyoung’s, and Sunny’s jaws fell to the ground. One of Sooyoung’s hands covered Seohyun’s mouth, preventing the girl from screaming as she jumped and wailed in place, while the other was curled up in a fist, in , impeding herself to scream. Sunny was perplexed, her eyes wide, and agape.

Shock prevented Taeyeon to react and even respond to the kiss immediately. When Tiffany pulled away and looked at Taeyeon again, she giggled with amusement. “What?” she asked, loosening her grip around the woman.

Exhaling heavily, and finally digesting what had just happened, Taeyeon landed her hands on Tiffany’s arms, her eyes travelling back and forth from Tiffany’s eyes to her lips and vice-versa as though she were hypnotized. “Could you do that again?” Taeyeon cooed, slowly pulling Tiffany closer.

Tiffany smiled again and, acceding, leaned in to capture Taeyeon’s lips again. This time, Taeyeon roamed her hands through Tiffany’s back and neck, holding the woman’s body closer to her own as their lips moved and danced together against each other.

“Holy , you guys, holy ,” Seohyun chirped under her breath, full of excitement. “They’re kissing. They are KISSING. Oh, my God. Ms. Kim and Ms. Hwang are kissing. This is BEAUTIFUL,” she said, a little louder than she should have. “I just knew they were into each other.”

“Can you believe our two best, coolest teachers are in love and making out thanks to us? I feel so damn accomplished right now,” Sooyoung said, sharing the excitement as she watched the two women inside the room shamelessly.

“I never thought about them as a couple until now,” Sunny admitted, peeking through the door. “They do have a lot of chemistry. I like this concept. I like it a lot,” she said, nodding her head.

“You guys,” Seohyun said, turning to her two friends and gaining their attention, “we are the best. This is wonderful. They’ve made up. And they look happy. I can’t--” Instead of completing her sentence, Seohyun just smiled brightly and wailed her hands excitedly.

Inside the classroom, still pressed tightly against Tiffany’s body, Taeyeon would have allowed herself the liberty to wrap her legs around Tiffany’s hips, hadn’t she been startled by a low chitter coming from the other side of the door. Slowly and reluctantly, she pulled away from the kiss and eyed the door suspiciously, squinting her eyes as she did so.

“What is it?” Tiffany asked worriedly. Instead of replying, Taeyeon pressed a finger against Tiffany’s lips. Understanding the gesture, Tiffany remained quietly, but eyed Taeyeon with preoccupation.

Taeyeon pushed the other woman away delicately and started toward the door, beckoning Tiffany to follow her with one of her hands, as with the other she wiped the corner of her lips with her index finger. Once she reached the door and once Tiffany was standing by her side, she opened it with one abrupt and swift move, meeting with the three giggly teenagers, who instantly turned their heads to face their teachers, and had their countenances overtook by shock and fear.

Tiffany’s jaw fell and her eyes widened. Taeyeon’s face looked grave, and she offered the three young girls a wry smile. “Would you like to go straight to detention, or would you rather try to explain and justify your presence first, girls?” the Math teacher asked.

The three gulped. Seohyun smiled nervously. “I-I’m sure we can explain,” she stammered.

Taeyeon nodded slightly and beckoned the trio inside the room. Sooyoung’s big, round eyes were widened in a virtually comical way as she entered the room; Sunny walked as stiff as a rock; Seohyun was trying to come up with a good lie.

Once the five of them were inside the classroom, Taeyeon closed the door, and stood in front of the students beside Tiffany with her arms crossed and a severe expression. “Well?” she asked.

Sooyoung and Seohyun opened her mouths to speak, but neither could come up with a good, convincible excuse. Sooyoung began to fan herself with her palm, feeling the cold sweat run down her neck. Sunny broke down in tears.

“Oh, good God,” Seohyun muttered as she let out an exasperated sigh, shooting a deathly gaze at Sunny.

“Sunny wasn’t feeling very well,” Sooyoung chimed, pointing at her friend. “So we decided to stay… here. Away from the people. Do you see how she’s crying? She’s having a terrible day. Her… cat. Her cat died. Yesterday. Poor thing,” she lied terribly, shaking her head.

Taeyeon cocked an eyebrow as she looked at Sooyoung, unconvinced. Tiffany had to muffle a chuckle as she watched the three girls’ terrorized faces.

“Oh, forget it,” Seohyun said, looking at Sooyoung. “Let’s just tell them the truth. Listen, we were trying to help you make up,” she confessed, looking at Taeyeon and then at Tiffany.

Tiffany blinked, confused. “Pardon?” she asked.

“Well, you know, that French guy arrived and started hanging around with Ms. Hwang and you two suddenly became bad-tempered and sullen during classes and we didn’t see you together around the school for a week, so we-- I kind of assumed there was something wrong between you two. You were always so close,” Seohyun said, eyeing the two teachers with a tad of hesitation and insecurity. When she did not see any sign of severe reproval of her words in the two women’s faces, she decidedly continue, “And, to be honest, I always thought you two… well, you, specifically,” she said, looking at Taeyeon, “always had a thing for Ms. Hwang, and I… yeah. It seems like I was right?” she asked sheepishly, smiling.

Tiffany had to laugh.

“Tiffany, come on,” Taeyeon rebuked as she heard the woman chortle.

“I’m sorry, but this is just too funny, Taeyeon. To put it mildly,” Tiffany responded.

“It’s not. It’s awful,” Taeyeon insisted, although deep down inside she, too, found the whole situation rather amusing.

“I’m sorry if I’ve caused great trouble,” Seohyun muttered. “Anyway, it was all my plotting. I dragged them into this,” she said, eyeing her two friends each at a time, then returning her gaze to the teachers. “If you are to punish someone, punish me. They have nothing to do with this.”

A small silence followed, but was soon broken. “No. It is my doing, too,” Sooyoung confessed. “I wrote the notes. I know that is considered handwriting forgery…” she added as her voice dwindled.

“And I sneaked into the common room and placed the notes on your folders,” Sunny compounded bravely, much to Sooyoung’s and Seohyun’s surprise. “We are all to blame.”

Taeyeon and Tiffany grew quiet as they eyed the girls attentively and examined the situation in their heads. Tiffany, despite the initial shock, was taking it all very lightly, and Taeyeon, albeit bearing a more severe posture, softened a little when the girls confessed. Still, what they had done was wrong, and worse, it was a deliberate act of invasion of privacy, something Taeyeon strongly disapproved of.

“I’ll ask you two more questions,” the Math teacher said as her eyes travelled from one girl to another. “How long have you been here and what have you seen?”

Seohyun, Sooyoung, and Sunny eyed each other fearfully. Finally, Seohyun took the lead and, with a gulp, responded, “Enough.”

“Jesus Christ,” Taeyeon muttered under her breath as she rubbed her temples.

“I know we shouldn’t have stayed to watch, but… honestly, can you blame us? We needed to relieve our doubts. What we saw here was the fruitful result of our hard labor. Do you think it was easy on us? Sunny almost had a heart attack this morning in the common room. Sooyoung had to write those notes over twenty times to make them look perfect. We ran out of post-its. I lost two nights of sleep thinking our plan out,” Seohyun justified, and albeit her expression was that of utmost seriousness as she spoke, her words came out with so strongly dramatized a tone that the two teachers in front of her couldn’t help but give out a low, light chuckle.

“Girls…” Tiffany began, gesturing towards the trio, “I’m sure you meant well,” she said, looking at Taeyeon, whose face had now softened a bit more, then back at the students, “but you know that what you’ve done cannot go unpunished.”

The three friends nodded, lowering their heads as they faced the floor.

Tiffany looked at Taeyeon again. The smaller woman grinned amusedly at Tiffany and nodded rapidly, gesturing her to continue, implying that anything Tiffany decided would be fine.

“Twice the amount of homework for the next semester should be enough punishment for you,” Tiffany said.

The three heads in front of the teachers shot up, and the girls eyes fell on Taeyeon and Tiffany again.

“Really?!” Sunny asked excitedly. “That’s all? For real? Aren’t you going to report us or something?”

Tiffany smiled, shaking her head. “But,” she said, as her smile faded gradually, “I will entreat that you girls don’t meddle in other people’s private affairs again. Not without consulting them first, and most certainly not by breaking the laws of this school and country,” she added, looking gravely at Sooyoung.

Seohyun sighed with relief. “Thank you. We won’t, we promise. And, if I may say, this punishment is totally worth it,” she said, smiling. “You two make such a good-looking couple.”

“Er, Seohyun, no one must know about this,” Taeyeon advised, looking at the girl as she shook her head. “Not through a student. It might get Tiffany and I in trouble with the principal.”

The bell rang again, proclaiming the end of recess time. The three students smiled happily at their teachers.

“Nobody will know, we promise,” Seohyun assured. Sooyoung and Sunny nodded.

“Excellent,” Taeyeon concluded.

“Now, you three,” Tiffany started, beckoning the girls to leave the room as she accompanied them, “out. Go to your classes, and not a word about this to anyone. No more funny business, either.”

“Yes, Ms. Hwang,” the three agreed happily. When the three crossed the door, Tiffany mouthed a quiet ‘Thank you,’ which made the girls giggle with amusement. Closing the door, Tiffany turned around, and chuckled as she walked toward Taeyeon, who was sitting on the teacher’s desk.

“Can you believe this?” she asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

Taeyeon chuckled lightly. “I guess it is a bit amusing, isn’t it?”

“I’m still digesting it all but, yes, it is definitely amusing. It is so absurd that it is amusing,” Tiffany agreed.

Taeyeon’s eyes travelled slowly down Tiffany’s body for a moment, then returned to her face. Biting her lower lip, she reached out for Tiffany’s wrist and gripped it gently, pulling the woman closer. “Where were we before they interrupted us, anyway?” she asked, making Tiffany giggle.

“No,” the English teacher resisted, pulling her wrist away. “Not now.” Leaning over, she placed her lips next to Taeyeon’s ear. “Save it for tonight,” she whispered, then pressed a kiss against Taeyeon’s cheek before she withdrew and eyed the woman again. “I still want that movie date.”

Taeyeon looked at her with a playful, coquettish grin, and gave out a low, short chuckle. “Movie, alright,” she muttered.

Tiffany chuckled. “Bye, Taeyeon,” she said as she picked up her stuff and walked away.

Taeyeon smiled as she watched the woman leave the room. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes as she delighted in the memory of Tiffany’s mouth against hers and her hands touching her clothes and skin. When she opened her eyes again, replaying the recent events in her head, she couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. God bless you, girls, she thought, thinking about the three students that were present in the classroom not long ago.

They were definitely getting extra points on their next Math exam.