“This year, a new teacher has been assigned to you. Behave, alright?” The headmaster smiled at the teenagers who just smirked back. Great! What did I get myself into?! “Teacher Go, this is class 1-A. Class, this is teacher Go, the new English teacher and your homeroom teacher as well. I’ll leave you now.”

Scanning the crowd in front of me, I found nothing terrifying, but plain normal faces, staring at me with curiosity. But even so, my hands trembled on the mechanic notebook, knowing that this was a milestone I just had to cross.

“Hello,” I started, trying to keep my voice steady and calm, “like headmaster Kwak said, I will be your English and homeroom teacher this year. My name is Go Seon Yul and I really hope we’ll get along these two semesters. Now, I’d like to call your names out and afterwards, if you have questions, feel free to ask me anything.”

Going through thirty-five new names wasn’t an easy task for me after spending nine years abroad and getting used to English names more than Korean ones. But, blushing and causing laughter, I managed to get to the bottom of the list.

“Kim Byul.”

“Yes!” A brunette girl raised her hand upon hearing her name called.

“Ok, so, any questions?” I looked at the class, courageously stepping out from behind the teachers’ desk. “Nothing at all?”

“How old are you, teacher?” A boy with witty smile jumped up from his seat.

“I’m turning twenty-nine this year. By the way, you don’t need to stand when talking to me. You can remain sited if you keep your tone polite,” I stepped even closer to the first row of students.

“Are you married?” This time it was a girl.

“No, I just returned from abroad so I haven’t met any of Korea’s fine men,” a smile crept on my lips while twisting the ring on my finger. It was a habit of mine, a bad one, but still a habit. And that morning I needed the strength to carry on through presentations and introductions, through getting used to hearing only Korean and to thinking in two languages at the same time. It’s funny, isn’t it? How a small and unimportant thing can give you so much power?

“Then what’s that on your finger, teacher?” The same girl pointed out to my ring finger from where the gem was sparkling.

“Byul, isn’t it?” I tried my memory and got an admiring nod in return. “This little thing is a small treasure of mine. It has supernatural powers, you know?”

“No way!” The class laughed in disbelief.

“You might not believe me, but it’s true!” I laughed along. “For example, I didn’t have it on my finger yesterday when I landed in Incheon and my bags got lost at the airport. Then, I couldn’t find a taxi to take me to my apartment. And when I finally got to my apartment, I found that the power had been cut down two day before. But this morning I put the ring on and I got to meet my amazing work colleagues and you guys. Now, isn’t this magic?” I studied all their faces and noticed that they were listening to me for real. “Or it could be just the power of positive thinking,” I winked.

×  ♣ ×

“No need to be nervous, really!” Wu Yifan, the Chinese teacher assured me while on our way to the conference room. “The parents are very supportive of us and they’re really looking into the well being of their kids. Thanks to them we’ve got some strict rules against bullying for example. So, don’t worry!”

I tried to calm myself down, but my hands were still shaking. “But what if they don’t like me? I know that I have an accent because I lived in Scotland for so long…”

“I’m telling you that you needn’t worry!” And he simply pushed me inside the room, making everyone turn to us. “Everyone, this is our newest ‘acquisition’, miss Go Seon Yul, English teacher,” he made the introductions in such a familiar manner that for a second I froze, expecting… I don’t know what exactly, maybe some sort of violent reaction. But they all smiled in a friendly manner and a seat was offered to me almost instantly.

“So, these are the five parents, members of the High Council,” the headmaster spoke a moment later. “On your right you have Mrs. Kwon, her son is in the 3rd year now. Next we have Mr. Paek, who’s a new member of our council just like yourself, then Mrs. Cheon, whose daughter is an international medalist in mathematics, Mrs. Han and on my right we have Mr. Kim, whose daughter is in your class.”

“Hello, nice to meet you all!” I bowed politely, trying not to stare at the last figure, whose piercing eyes made me frown at the familiarity of their stare. But I soon shook off the feeling and concentrated on the meeting. Just like Yifan had said, they were nice folks, interested in the education of their kids.

“So?” Yifan asked as we headed back to the teachers’ room.

“I think I’m going to like it here,” I smiled, picking up my coat and bag from my desk. “I’m going to leave first. Take care!”

“You too!” He smiled from his place.

×  ♣ ×

The lights flickered inside the hallway when I stepped in, dropping the shopping bags on the floor and throwing away my shoes. I had to buy some groceries, but I was in no mood to cook. And as I entered the dark living room, I realized that I hadn’t missed Korea or the apartment at all. Instead, I was missing Scotland profoundly.

“I thought I was hallucinating when I saw you back there. But apparently, I wasn’t,” a voice resonated inside the apartment, making my hands freeze on the scarf I was just taking off.

Turning around slowly I finally noticed him, the dark silhouette that had hidden in the shadows of the kitchen and that was now stepping into the light. It was Mr. Kim, one of the council members.

“I thought I heard it wrongly when that guy spoke your name,” he stepped closer and closer. “But here you are. You’re finally back, Go Seon Yul.”

I stepped backwards, afraid of his words, afraid of his familiarity. He was a stranger and yet he sounded so familiar, his voice echoing from a past I wanted forgotten. And maybe because I was fighting against the memories I had suppressed for almost a decade, I couldn’t recognize him at first. But then reality slapped me awake: Kim Jongin.

“W-What are you doing here?’ I stuttered in front of him, still backing away. “How did you get inside?!”

A key appeared between his index and middle finger like magic. “You gave me your spare key, remember? Nine years ago, when everything seemed to be just perfect between us, you gave me your spare key. I guess you weren’t planning to leave me at that point. You know, I still wonder even today: when did you actually decide to let go of me?”

The stranger was gone. And all that was left was a heart full of scars that couldn’t find peace.

“You want the truth?” I asked, turning on the lights inside the kitchen and bringing out the bags full of food. I had to keep my hands and mind busy.

“Please, do enlighten me,” he drew out a chair at the tall table and turned dark eyes to me. He was unforgiving.

I gulped. “It was in my plan from the very beginning. We weren’t meant to be, Jongin,” I the coffee machine and its buzzing calmed my nerves. “From the very beginning, from the moment we met and up until Chaelin took over the reins of our life – we weren’t meant to be. I loved you, God knows I loved you, but I chose your happiness over ours. And I think it worked out for the best. Mira is back in your life, you got to make your dream come true. I had nothing more to offer to you.”

“You played God, Go Seon Yul,” his low tone screamed danger. “Why don’t you just admit that you were scared and just wanted out?! ‘Cause I loved you and only God knows how much I wanted to live the rest of my life with you. But you took that with you when you left.”

I placed the mugs on the table and decided to sit down across the table, so that I could see him and imprint his dark look on my soul.

“I broke your heart. That I know,” I played with the ring on my finger, absent minded. “But it was the only way I could leave you and make sure you’d carry o