“Ne, umma. I know. No. Umma, please. Talk about something else will you? No, umma I’ll call you later ok?” Eunsook sighed after receiving her mom’s call. For n^th time her mom kept on reminding her about getting married soon. Eunsook looked at her watch and decided to return to her office when suddenly someone called her.

“Eunsook noona!” Eunsook was so surprised to hear the voice that used to be so familiar. “Taemin?” Lee Taemin, the name that she tried so hard to forget these past two years.

“Noona, umm, can we talk for a while?” Eunsook sat back in her seat at Taemin’s request.

“Noona, umm, how are you?” Taemin nervously asked her.

“I’m fine,” Eunsook tried to be calm despite the ache she felt in her heart.

“Noona, I want to apologize to you. I… I know I was a jerk that time. I realize I hurt you so much till you told me that you regretted everything that happened between us. I’m so sorry noona,” Taemin looked down and played with his finger. He was fidgeting in his seat. “I miss our friendship, noona.”

Eunsook sighed, “Taemin, look at me. Forgiveness will always be given for those who truly ask for it. Second chance will also be given for those who truly wish to change. It means I forgive you but I’m sorry, I can’t be friend with you like we used to be. Sorry Taemin, I just can’t.”

“I know, noona. Your forgiveness will be enough for me. Thank you so much, noona. I hope the best for you,” Taemin stood and bowed to Eunsook before he left the café. Eunsook followed him out and walked back to her office.

That evening after she reached home, she sat on her sofa and remembered about her meeting with Taemin in the afternoon. She didn’t expect to meet him. Her mind wandered to four years ago, when everything started.

4 Years Ago

It was the second year Eunsook worked in the Junior High School as a music teacher. It was a new academic year with new students attending the school. They were having assembly in the hall, when Eunsook saw him. One of the new students that caught her eyes.

The first music lesson started with her class combined with her coordinator’s class. She couldn’t help but see that student. She was eager to know that student’s name. By the end of the day, Eunsook knew his name.

Lee Taemin.

Days went by. Eunsook wanted to get closer to him. She was desperate to find a way to get close to him. Then the chance came. She was scrolling in facebook and typed his name. His profile popped out and he’d just written a new status.

“Can someone call me? I’m lonely”

Eunsook replied, “How can I call you if I don’t even know your number?”  Her heart pulsated wildly after she wrote the comment. Soon after that the new message notification in facebook beeped. She squeaked loudly.

It was a message from Taemin. “Hello seonsaengnim…how are you? Kekeke…this is my number 89164728. Mind telling me your number?”

Eunsook quickly typed the number in her phone and texted him.

“Hi Taemin, this is my number. Well I texted you already so you won’t feel lonely now kekekeke.”

Soon her phone beeped again.

“Hehehehehe..yes seonsaengnim, thanks for texting me.”

Since that day, they texted every day. One day the text message from him was a bit intimate. Eunsook fidgeted whether she should respond or not. She knew that they were not supposed to get involved in any romantic or intimate relationship. She was his teacher. But then her phone beeping again

“Noona… why did you keep quiet? Sorry if my message was too rude”

In the end Eunsook responded to the intimate message. Day by day, their texting began to get more and more intimate. They couldn’t control themselves.

Time flew by. Without their realizing, it was December already. The school was having winter break. Like usual, Eunsook texted Taemin.

“Hi Taeminnie, what are you doing now?”

Eunsook eagerly waited for his reply, so when her phone beeped she quickly opened it. But what he wrote made her heart shatter in pieces.

“Noona, we are not supposed to be like this. Remember we are teacher and student. So let’s stop all of this.”

Her hands shook badly and tears flowed on her cheeks. She felt like an idiot for having high hopes from him. She suppressed all her feelings and stopped before it got too deep.

“Oh..um..yeah, we should stop Taemin. Yeah, let’s stop now. We’re just teacher and student, no more than that.”

“Sorry noona, but I do feel what we did was wrong. Well, we can still be friend right?”

“Eumm yeah. We’re FRIENDS. So errm…have a nice holiday Taeminnie. See you in January.”

She couldn’t help but feel stupid. Her heart hurt so much, after all the closeness and the intimacy they shared through text messages, he just asked to stop everything all of a sudden. She screamed in despair.

January came too soon for Eunsook. She felt she wasn’t ready to see Taemin again, and the worst thing was Taemin joined her class, which meant they would meet eventually.

For three weeks she managed to be professional and put aside all her feeling towards Taemin in the back of her mind. She didn’t even text him. She turned to ice princess in front of him.

The first week of Febuary suddenly she got a message from Taemin.

“Sookie noona how are you?…I miss you so much.”

Eyes widened in shock after reading his message, Eunsook didn’t want to repeat the same mistake she did before. She replied shortly,“I’m fine Taemin.”

“Sookie noona, are you mad at me? I miss you so much. You act so cold to me at school and it makes me sad :’( ”

“Sorry for that Taemin.”

Why should the boy act like this again with her? How could he want to suddenly get close to her after what he said two months ago? Eunsook decided not to change her behavior towards Taemin. She was afraid she might fall for him again if she didn’t set the boundaries between them.

For the whole month, Taemin assailed her phone with romantic messages and that made Eunsook’s feelings grow again. She groaned when he came to her office one day, “Yes Taemin? Is there something I can help you with?”

Unfortunately, Eunsook’s coordinator always went home before noon so she had the office to herself.

“Noona, please don’t act so cold to me. I was testing you that time. Sorry noona, I know I can’t get far from you. Please don’t act cold to me.”

Eunsook sighed in defeat. She smacked his head in anger “Pabo! What do you want now?” She didn’t mean to sound so angry but her voice come out a bit harsh.

“I want to have extra class with you.”

“Are you kidding me Taemin? You’re doing well in class.”

Taemin looked at her with pleading eyes, “I know noona, but there are some parts that I don’t understand.”

“Fine, tomorrow after school come and see me in the music room.”

“Thank you, noona.” Before he left, Taemin pecked her cheek and it made Eunsook’s heart palpitate wildly again.

“Sookie, please be strong. Don’t fall again.” She muttered to herself.

The next day, she almost screamed in shock when she found Taemin stupidly grinning in the music room, “I’ve been waiting for you noona.”

She quickly calmed herself, “OK, now which are the parts that you don’t understand?” With that they started the extra lesson.

After 20 minutes, Taemin stood up and asked Eunsook, “Noona, I tried hard to memorize the piano key but there is one key that I have difficulty remembering.”

“Oh! Which one?”

Taemin stood behind Eunsook, held her hand and directed it to the piano key, “This one noona.” His voice turned from cheerful to husky and y. It made Eunsook shiver. She blushed red.

Suddenly he hugged Eunsook tightly, “Noona, I do missed you so much. Have I told you that you smell so good?” He kissed her neck and it made Eunsook tremble.

“Taemin, I smell bad. I … I was sweating so much before.”

Once again Taemin kissed her neck, “No, you still smell so good.” Then he spun Eunsook around and cupped her cheeks. Slowly but surely Taemin closed the gap between their lips. Soon they engaged in a deep kiss. After a minute, Taemin released her and nervously said, “Eum, Noona, I guess I have to go home. I … I … my driver is here. Eumm, see you tomorrow noona.” Eunsook could only nod her head.

At home, Eunsook still remembered what happened earlier, the way Taemin’s lips felt. She grinned and touched her lips. Then her phone beeped and made her jump on her seat. It was a text message from Taemin.

“Noona..sorry, I couldn’t control myself earlier. But noona, your lips are so soft and I like it.”

“Ah…um…I… well… I couldn’t control myself either. Euhm..”

“Do you know noona, when I reached home I could only sit on the sofa and grin like crazy, remembering our kiss. Really noona you smell good and your lips taste good.”

With that simple action their feeling started to grow again. They started to get close again. Then one day in May, they were having extra class again after school.

“Taeminnie, don’t your friends feel curious about where you go after school?” Eunsook asked Taemin who was back-hugging her again.

“No noona.”

He then started to kiss upward on Eunsook’s neck and was soon kissing her deeply again. This time their lust took over their actions. He started to touch Eunsook, ed her blouse and touched her s. Eunsook tried hard to suppress her moans. Taemin started to move down from her lips, , her neck and ended on her s. He her s and them hard by turn, making Eunsook feel weak in her legs.

Suddenly Eunsook heard footsteps. She stopped Taemin and fixed her clothes. They pretended that they were having a lesson in reading notes when the person came inside the music room.

“Ah Eunsook, there you are. Siwon-ssi is looking for you.”

“Thank you Sunny, I’ll be there soon. So Taemin, please practice it at home again, ok?” Taemin nodded his head, bowed down to both teachers and left.

Eunsook felt that it was wrong. She didn’t want to have or any make out session in school. She didn’t want to get caught red handed doing it with a student. Since that day they tried hard not to indulge in more than just kissing.