Something must have happened. I come to school as always and made sure I’m not wearing anything weird, but the kids are all staring at me like I’m some kind of an alien. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I think every time I pass by the students, I hear them whispering to each other.  I enter the staff room and finds Heejin sitting at her desk next to mine, staring at her smart phone and looking troubled.

“Heejin, don’t you think something is weird? Everyone has been staring at me and-”

And I thought everything ends at the staff room, only to find that the teachers have the same look at me. Some even look at me in disgust. I look back at Heejin. She seems worried.

“W... What’s going on?...”

Heejin quickly gets up and pulls me aside. She whispers. “Have you seen the school’s online board?”

I shake my head. “Why?”

“Yoonyul, I... We’ll talk later, okay? The principal is furious. He wants to see you.”

“The principal? Why? What happened?”

“I believe in you, Yoonyul. Don’t worry.” Heejin smiles at me, bitterly so before she squeezes my fingers and leads me towards the doorstep. It seems urgent so I decide to save my questions for later. I have a bad feeling, churning at the pit of my stomach. I take a deep breath and walk into the principal’s room.

I know the principal isn’t always nice with me but this time, seeing his tight, red face makes me nervous. He looks up from his desk and then threw a couple of papers to my face. I flinch from the unwelcomed surprise.

“Explain, Miss Bae!” His voice booms within the room. I keep myself from returning questions to him and look down at the papers instead. I see pictures. Familiar pictures which remind me of last night. The face isn’t that clear except for Seungoon’s, but it is believable enough for anyone to point out that the woman is me. One of the pictures shows us together in the music room, Seunghoon looking upset, while the other shows the two people in a heated kiss.

I look up and look into the principal’s eyes. I found myself at lost for words.

They called Seunghoon’s father right away. I know the school would want to make the matter as discreet as possible, but because it involves Seunghoon, they have to invite his father for further discussion. I, on the other hand, am quarantined for the day as we wait for Seunghoon’s father to arrive. I couldn’t teach, I couldn’t leave the staff room, just like a criminal. Heejin and Jungwoo kindly texted me to let me know what is going on outside. They said everyone is talking about me, but the school covers it up by saying it was someone else. As for Seunghoon, they couldn’t do anything about him since his picture was quite obvious.

“This is absurd!” Seunghoon’s father, Mr. Kim slams the pictures on the coffee table. The principal flinches, along with the vice principal and the disciplinary teacher. I couldn’t do or say much other than keeping my head low.

“What are all these teachers doing?! This wouldn’t happen if you carry out your job properly!” Mr. Kim yells. Seunghoon looks away in resentment.

The principal looks a little nervous as he began to speak. “C-calm down Mr. Kim. That’s why we’re still discussing the best solution to make up for our lacking. Miss Bae will be punished, definitely, but Seunghoon has to go, uh, under, some sort of punishment as well so that the other kids wouldn’t-”

“It’s all your fault that my son behaved that way! I’m not taking anymore crap for this. I’m sending him to better school!” Mr. Kim insists.

“M-Mr. Kim! We can still talk over this! I-I mean, Seunghoon has a bright future and-”

“I’m sending Seunghoon away. And fire her.” His tone threatening.

“F-Fire…” the principal mumbles as he glances towards me.

“Fire her, or you’ll never see me again.”

His final say sounds like a thunder striking my world and splitting it aaprt. I feel strong emotions building up inside me, and I feel like I might breakdown anytime. I slowly look up, hoping someone would speak up for me, but the other teachers just hung their heads low. When I turn to Seunghoon, he is glaring at his father with furious eyes.

“She did nothing wrong,” Seunghoon says, barely keeping his emotions under control, “if you want punishment to be carried out, it should be on me. You guys can kick me out of school or anything, but she did nothing wrong.”

“Kim Seunghoon!” Mr. Kim’s voice booms in the room.

“Mr. Kim, we’ll do whatever it takes to carry out a just verdict and reasonable punishment for her. For the best of this school, and for the best of your son.”

6.30 p.m.

I enter an empty classroom basked in orange as the sun calls it day. I stood in front of the teacher’s desk and stare at the empty desks lined in mocking rigidness.

Deep inside me, I keep asking ‘what should I do?’. Nothing, of course. Something that is out my control has happened, and there is nothing I could change despite how hard I resist the outcome.

No, I don’t want this to happen. I don’t want to leave this school, I don’t want to be viewed as the teacher who seduced her student, I don’t want Seunghoon to be the bad guy.

It’s all too much.

I burst into tears, sobbing hard in my hands.

After a while, I feel gentle hands touching me, gently pulling away my hands from my face. When I look up, I see Intae. He isn’t angry or disappointed, in fact, he looks so gentle. I hastily turn around, but he stops me half way through and pulls me to face him again. I can’t. I can’t face him; not now, not like this.

I just look down and continue crying no matter how much I try to stop. It is as if my tears are endless. Intae gently wipe away my tears and push my chin up, forcing me to look at him in the eyes. He must have heard everything that happened.

“I’m sorry,” is all I could say to him.

“It’s not your fault,” he tells me back, his voice soothing to my wounds.

“There’s nothing concrete yet, but the final decision will be made in a week.”

I only have a week left.

The thought just crushes me. I bury my face into his shoulder, and he wraps me in the safe of his arms.

I could never fully relate when people said the sky is crumbling down. But right now, it feels that way.

[A/N] Hi guys. Guess what, I'm still alive OTL. If anyone is still reading this, let me take a moment to bow down to you. Now let me continue chapter 11.