"Stop it!" Logan pushes himself between the girls, barely separating them. Rushing down, he takes hold of Seok Kuyn and pulls her back from Rona, who's pushed on the floor trembling, orange juice dripping from her hair. "Both of you, my office", he barks. He looks around to the other students who are gaping at the scene without intervening. There’s more than one phone out, capturing the fight, the people’s spectacle. "And you all are explaining yourselves after", he aims at them. 

 

"I didn't do anything. Let go of me'' Seok Hyun yanks her hand away and fixes him a manic stare. 

 

He doesn't. Furious, -the blood thumps in his ears as if he was the one battered and humiliated- he brings her hand in front of her face, forcing her to look at Rona's hair still between her fingers. 

 

"Now". 

 

___

 

It's been three months since he started teaching physical education at the Cheon Academy, but it's not the first time he had to deal with this incident. The kids hail from the elite families of Seoul and navigate the world as if it's their playground. All fun, no rules, no consequences. 

 

He's seen horrific bullying and teachers pushing it under the rug and he can't stand it. For Seol Ah, he won't. 

 

___

 

 

He's dealt with Seok Kyun's father enough to make him dread the call. An arrogant man who controls half of Seoul's real estate market, who’s rumored to have threatened his way to success, with connections always keeping him out of trouble. He and his wife apply the same philosophy to his daughter's transgressions, denial and blaming everyone else. She'll never learn that way, only cover her actions better, and he fumes that it’s all for a girl who wants attention from her parents. 

 

His office door bursts open and he's ready to raise hell. Instead of the thumping footsteps of a self-important man, the clank of stiletto heels announces no other than Shim Su Ryeon. She bypasses the girls on the sofa and strides to his desk, puts her five-figure handbag on his neatly tied papers and looks down on him. 

 

"Who's responsible for this?" 

 

For a moment he’s speechless. She’s towering over him, arms crossed, exuding the protectiveness of a wolf mother who’s ready to fight for her little one. They've met a few times in school functions, she’s very involved despite her painting work. But she’s always polite and greets everyone with a smile. The woman before him is fuming. His ire awakens. 

 

"Your daughter". 

 

She bites a grimace and stares at him, willing him to back down. 

 

He's dealt with parents and she's taking it like they all do, unapologetically. 

 

"Seok Hyun pulled Rona’s hair, pushed her to the ground and doused her with orange juice. In front of the whole class”. 

 

Ignoring him, she touches her daughter on the shoulder. 

 

"What's wrong honey? Why are you behaving this way?”

 

Seok Kyun flinches and she drops her hand.

 

"Rona has sustained a wrist injury" he adds. “When I'm done questioning the bystanders, I am pushing for disciplinary action”. 

 

Seok Kyun looks at her phone, as if this doesn’t concern her at all. 

 

“After-school cleaning”, he says to get a reaction from them both. These people think carrying a broom is more humiliating than death. 

 

"Not a chance. I'll discipline my kids however I see fit", Su Ryeon objects.  

 

He bears his teeth. 

 

"Will you?" 

 

She aims the fiery gaze at him, with the precision of a military laser beam. Turning to fully face him, she makes herself taller. 

 

"As their new teacher", she emphasizes the word to harp on his inexperience, "what would you suggest?"

 

She would intimidate many, he's sure. But he's not a mom from her PTA. 

 

He pushes down a smile of vicious satisfaction. He's got her now. 

 

"As her mother, you do her punishment. Or else she’ll be kicked out of the Academy". 

 

___

 

 

"Do you know who she is? How dare you make her, what, clean toilets?" 

 

The headmaster starts without preamble, not giving Logan time to sit opposite him. He should have run it by him before springing this on her, but he couldn't lose the chance. Sometimes one doesn’t ask permission. Seol Ah’s bullies didn’t. 

 

"Fitting punishment, don't you think? If she doesn’t do it, I offered suspension". 

 

"You don’t have the authority to do that! I know you just started here but I will fire you without a second thought if parents oppose this.” Logan doubts that. Firing a new teacher who comes glowingly recommended would raise some eyebrows. Then again, he doesn’t expect loyalty from the man before him. “Have you considered who Mrs Shim is? She's married to our biggest donor. We can't make her do" he winces "manual labor. They'll pull out the donation, the one that paid for your state-of-the-art gym". Said gym remains empty, the pristine bodytrain equipment the kids never use, choosing football or running. The kids don’t care about luxury equipment, the donation was purely to show off. As is everything with these families.  

 

"And you don't find any fault in this logic?" his outburst startles the older man. "They think they own the school. I'm showing her she doesn't".

 

The headmaster squints at him. One would think the topic of corruption in education has never once crossed his mind. 

 

"Keep her for one week.” he raises a finger. “And go easy on her". 

 

"Copy, boss" he lies shamelessly. 

 

—

 

“Clean it all up”. 

 

Su Ryeon gasps faced what she can only describe as a monstrous pile of trash towering before her. 

 

“Here you go” That rude teacher, Mr Lee, says as he gives her a pair of thick rubber gloves and trash bags. She agreed to after-school volunteer work to show her daughter the meaning of her actions. Gathering trash in her Atelier Versace ‘21 wrap dress is not what she signed up for. 

 

Then again, this is why he’s doing it. He doesn’t bother to hide the smirk from his face as he struts to the back, leaving her wondering if it’s too late to back out. 

 

But no, that’s exactly what he wants. 

 

In the few occasions she’s been in the presence of Mr Lee -Logan, he’s younger than her- one thing is clear: he doesn’t belong. He may look the part, always dressed like a tennis pro booked for a luxury brand endorsement. (He was the talk of the town in that PTA meeting, a young teacher who looks straight off the Ralph Lauren catalog is catnip for bored housewives). But his scowl, the permanent lines of anger framing his eyes and his bluntness to the face of her circle set him apart from… everyone else she knows. He doesn’t handle parents with the polite expression -the off face- the other teachers do. None of the smiles and compliments many men offer her. She doesn’t know why, but he looks at her like she’s the enemy. Only she doesn’t remember firing the first shot. 

 

As if he senses her angry thoughts, he turns back “Don’t even think of skipping out your work, Mrs Shim. I'll be watching you”. 

 

“Great, let’s both waste our time”, she mutters.  

 

She gathers up her skirt in a knot, trying to avoid it being ruined by the whims of a man in yet another pair of pristine Nikes. Does he collect them or is punishing parents his only hobby? She dons the gloves, grabs the bags and sorts through the mountain of trash. 

 

A repulsive odor hits her nostrils and she gags. The trash is overflowing with rotten leftovers, and they’re kept in the sun, leaking. Sensing Logan's eyes on her -true to his word, unfortunately- she picks up various disgusting pieces and sorts them. She winces again at the sight of a banana peel so molded, it’s the color of fresh vomit. When she squeezes without thinking, a dirty liquid oozes from it. There’s even broken glass and pieces of furniture, dust, and an ungodly amount of dirt. 

 

Having enough money for three cleaners, she’s never faced with the filth hiding in her own home. It’s kept orderly, everything in its place and shining, garnering compliments from the guests, which she accepts falsely. If she searched for it, she’d encounter the dirt beneath. She dissociates, lets her body do the work and free her mind to a better, cleaner place. Her home, smelling of fresh-cut flowers, her garden with the swing, where she took turns rocking the twins to sleep on warm summer nights. 

 

Seok Kyun.

 

Her little princess who grew up to be a monster. 

 

She shuts her eyes and wills this realization away. If she admits what her daughter did, what her daughter is, her whole life will fall into pieces. 

 

“Are you stopping?” Logan asks from behind her, annoyance evident in his tone. She's picking trash and he’s annoyed? 

 

“Don’t worry, I will accomplish the task you so thoughtfully bestowed on me” she says in her saccharine voice, like with all the men who doubted her. And because he’s enjoying seeing her like this, she counters. “Is this what you make students do too? There must be a better, more professional way, Mr Sports Teacher”. 

 

The man has the audacity to smirk. 

 

“What do you know about teaching, Mrs Shim? If i can judge from your daughter’s actions you-”

 

“And you think if you humiliate me, she’s going to start acting nice?” she approaches him and growls. “What do you know about parenting?”

 

As his smile falters, she knows it’s an unfair hit. Having kids doesn’t make one a good parent. But she wants him to feel the same tinge of pain. 

 

“I know how to deal with bullies. Seok Hyun wasn’t born like that. Kids adopt what behaviors they see at home". 

 

If only he knew what she sees at home. 

 

“Me” it’s not a question, but he nods. He thinks she’s the bully in their home. It’s so ridiculous she almost laughs, but the hurt wins. She stares deep into his eyes -dark brown, immense overpowering the white- and whispers. “You think I'm like that?”

 

He opens his mouth, but something stops him. His eyes fall down and back at her face.

 

“Prove me wrong” but instead of a challenge, he holds her eyes pleadingly. 

 

He fell for her puppy eyes, so she launches into attack. 

 

“I have nothing to prove to you. You’ve already made up your mind about me. That's why I'm covered in slime and dirt.” She brandishes the slime covered gloves. “And I don’t make a habit of explaining what I do at home with my kids to a vindictive, small man who doesn’t have the guts to go for my husband, so punishes me instead. I'm not the easy target, Logan.” he flinches. “When I finish with you I’m going home to my family and you’ll go to bed alone with a hole in your heart you tried to fill with punishing others.”

 

–

 

The gym is spotless. Logan inspects every corner with the compulsion of a health inspector, but she’s scraped it to shine. He spots his reflection on the sparkling glass and he doesn’t like the bitter, tight-jaw man he sees. He wanted for her to fail, to give up, to throw the mop on his face and give him a reason to hate her even more. To validate the image of her he has, the witch in the ivory tower. 

 

You think I'm like that?

 

She wasn’t a witch at that moment, her soft whisper doing something to his heart. Before ripping it out of his chest and forcing him to eat it.

 

He hoped she’d give up but she doesn’t allow him this erse satisfaction. She comes to the school, takes whatever cleaning materials he points at and starts working. 

 

There's no mistake she’s dreading it every time, her eyes forming thin lines as she bites her lip to hold herself back. Yet, she persists, and he can’t snipe at her without sounding like the bad guy. 

 

“What fresh hell do you have for me today?” he turns to her voice and almost smiles at her phrasing. He’s caught by her look. There’s no flowing dress draped on her lithe body and sets of matching shiny jewelry today. She has black leggings and a simple t-shirt on, her hair in a high ponytail with a few strands escaping on her forehead. And sneakers. She mistakes his silence as ignoring. “What? No toilets to clean, no attic dusty enough to throw me into?”

 

She was the picture of curated elegance to others, but he sees this raw person who says exactly what she’s thinking, like last time, to his face. 

 

He’s saved from answering when a small girl collides with him. 

 

“Sem” she calls him distressed, hugging his leg. The school day for primary kids like Sung Ah has long been over and worry fills him at the sight of her here. He crouches down and asks her what’s wrong. 

 

“Dada isn’t here” he knows the man. Her “dada” is an ultra rich real estate developer who gained custody of his daughter after the divorce, only for him to neglect her and park her with nannies and chauffeurs. Absent parents hit a little too close to home.

 

Logan pushes her now messy hair off her face to reveal two teary eyes and wombly lips. instinctively he opens his arms and hugs the girl, until her sobs subside. 

 

“It’s alright honey, you can stay with us until he comes. I’m sure he didn’t forget you” or rather, he’ll make sure he doesn’t forget to pick her ever again. 

 

Handing her a tissue, he crouches down and asks about the unicorn stickers on her shows and nag. Distraction accomplished. 

 

“Can we play Tigerball?” for the first time she notices Su Ryeon. “Will you play with us?”

 

She’s looking at the girl intently, almost wistfully, with a sadness he can’t place. A few suspended moments pass and she breaks into a beautiful smile. 

 

“Only if you show me”. 

 

—

 

Tigerball, Logan explains, is a game he made up where each player throws the ball and if it hits the center target, all players need to hop on a mark immediately, otherwise they lose the point. It seems unfair to play against a child, but what she lacks in step size she makes up for in sheer energy. 

 

Sadness forgotten, she’s an AA battery. 

 

“My turn, munchkin!” Logan takes the ball from her and purposefully misses the target, to help Sung Ah. She doesn’t want to think about how warm he is with the child. Worried for her, spending his free time playing until she’s not sad, making her laugh at every turn. She tries to picture Dan Tae playing with a little Seok Kyun after work and can’t even conjure the image. 

 

When they’re on the spots next to each other, she asks about this game.

 

“They’re too young for regular sports”, he explains while she throws. “I make up games so they’ll work with each other and have fun. That’s how they become friends”. And not bullies, she adds on her mind. 

 

He gestures with the passion of a man who has found his purpose and shares it. A flame of guilt across the lining of her stomach remembering what she told him the other day. 

 

You sleep alone, bitter and unloved. 

 

“She loves playing with you”. She settles for an olive branch.

 

He looks bashful.

 

“I’m the teacher who lets them run around and play, of course she does”, he deflects the compliment. Was she complimenting him?

 

“So much they make you friendship bracelets?” She picks his sleeve up -careful not to touch him- and shows the macaroni art on his wrist. 

 

He plays with its clasp fondly. 

 

“It’s too precious not to wear”. 

 

“Seok Kyun made one for me when she was in preschool” she touches her empty wrist wistfully.

 

“She’s too old for that now”. It’s a kind thing for him to say. But she doesn’t deserve it. 

 

“Or she doesn’t love me anymore”. She bites her lips hard.  

 

She shouldn’t have given him an opening, after what she said the other day. He could hit her where it hurts. She runs to Sung Ah’s side, partly to score the point, partly to avoid his reaction. 

 

He stretches his arm and swiftly intercepts the ball, passing it to the girl. 

 

“If she didn’t love you, she wouldn’t act out to get your attention”. 

 

–

 

The game is in full swing. He has an ease with children. 

 

“Do you have nieces and nephews?” 

 

“No, my brother’s too wild for that.” his smile doesn’t warn her for what comes next “I had a little sister once”. 

 

The ball falls from her hands. 

 

“What happened to her?”

 

“She’s gone” and with that he passes to Sung Ah and she fling the ball towards her point and they scramble to reach their new marks. Thankful for her trainers -and her choosing athletic wear- Su Ryeon sprints to the spot but Logan steps on it in the nick of time. But she can’t stop her moving body, whose full force collides with Logan's torso and knocks the breath out of his lungs. He groans at the impact, and she braces for the inevitable fall, but just as she’s about to slide to the ground, his arms come around her. 

 

For a second she’s engulfed in him and there’s stillness. He holds her head to his chest and she could hide here forever. His shirt smells fresh, even after all the running and jumping. Below her cheek there’s solid muscle. Close to her ear, the thump of a heart. 

 

Only when he softly lifts her chin she realizes she’s clinging to his chest and she tries to take a step back. He holds her in place, no doubt the concerned teacher part of him taking the reins. 

 

“What's going on here?” A tall figure in a long gray coat strides to them. 

 

“Dada!” Sung Ah runs to him. He doesn’t move to pick her up. 

 

“Is this how you’re supervising my daughter?” he gestures between them, still very close. Logan tenses beside her and whatever she saw when he was looking at her a second ago transforms into hot rage. He marches towards him and she takes Sung Ah behind. 

 

“You didn’t show up”, he barks. “Your daughter was alone and crying, long after school was over, and we kept her company. All because of you”.

 

“I was busy. Some of us have important jobs”. 

 

The way he shrugs off responsibility hits painfully familiar. This isn't far from her own reaction, when confronted with her daughter’s misdeeds. She came high and mighty, bulldozing Logan. Is she like this? So stuck in her privilege she discarded his teachings? She’s not a monster, but in Logan’s eyes, how different is she from this man?

 

“Isn’t teaching your daughter important? Because that’s what he’s trying to do”, she steps in. 

 

He turns to Su Ryeon, glaring. 

 

“I'm sorry, teacher’s girlfriend, did I ask for your input?”  

 

She enjoys the last moments before she introduces herself. “Shim Su Ryeon”.

 

He looks her up and down until his eyes bulge, fighting a mortified expression.

 

“My apologies. I didn’t know you were Ju Dan Tae’s wife". 

 

Dan Tae’s wife. That's all she is in people’s eyes. A powerful man’s wife. No name, profession, personality. Someone’s girlfriend to someone’s wife to someone’s mother. What a life. 

 

“It’s him you should apologize to”, she points at Logan. 

 

She stands her ground, willing him to fix at least this. He comes closer to her, grabs Sung Ah’s hand and leaves. 

 

“He can’t talk to you like that”. 

 

Logan tilts his head. 

 

“Not my first time arguing with rich parents”. His hint is not so subtle. 

 

“I'm sorry for-”, she runs a hand through her hair, messing up her ponytail, “being like that.”

 

He squints at her, searching. Whatever it is, he finds it and his tone softens. 

 

“You’re not. He's absent, you’re protective”.

 

“To a fault”. 

 

He nods. 

 

There’s more she wants to say, to apologize for every parent who blames teachers for their kid’s behavior. He teaches the kids all day and after hours he’s dealing with entitled parents. But words won’t get her out this time. 

 

“I’ll go back to cleaning”, she says and grabs a soapy sponge.

 

As she is crouched down scrubbing the court seats, Logan wordlessly picks up another sponge and starts cleaning beside her.

 

_

 

He does it a lot from then on. Like they have some unspoken agreement, he does the chores with her. 

 

When she asks he brushes it off, saying he wants to go home faster. 

 

Once, when they're cleaning his office, she stops at the wall of drawings gifted by his students. He's always with a cap and a ball and depending on the child's level, in various athletic situations. All are bright and warm, though. The kids must adore him. 

 

And there’s the time where he tossed the sponge so fast in the bucket, soapy water splattered everywhere. She waited for the panic to hit her as the dirty water soaked through her brown slacks, but she burst out laughing and he couldn’t help but join in. Even when she flung foam at his hair and almost slipped off the wet floor, she couldn’t contain her giggling. In there she was far from a perfect lady, she could let go. 

 

–

 

She locks her car in the school parking lot, ready to meet Logan, when cries stop her. She peers around, spotting Seok Kyun pushing another girl. She races through the cars, just when the girl stumbles to the ground. 

 

“What's happening here?” She stands blocking her daughter’s attack. “Are you alright?” She addresses the girl, who she expected to be Rona but isn’t. It’s Eun Byeol.   

 

“Stay out of this, Su Ryeon”, Dan Tae grabs her wrist and drags her towards the car. 

 

“You’re hurting me” she says through gritted teeth, struggling to stand her ground. 

 

“You’re hurting yourself”. 

 

Seok Kyun takes the opportunity to squeeze Eun Byeol’s fingers to the pavement with her shoe, provoking an ungodly scream. 

 

Su Ryeon escapes Dan Tae’s hold and rushes to her side. When she touches the girl, she flinches. 

 

“Don’t act innocent, you ”.

 

“Seok Kyun!”

 

“What? She started it! Now my mom is doing community service, all these lowlifes think I’m fair game. It’s your fault”. 

 

“I shouldn’t have permitted you to clean the school, it sets a bad precedent for our family.” Dan Tae adds.

 

“Everyone’s laughing at me at school”. 

 

“I managed to get Rona suspended, that would quiet the gossip for now. But you can’t keep coming here, you’re ruining her reputation”, he smirks. 

 

is too tight to make words. Her daughter, who she showered with love from the crib, likes to hurt people. It’s a chilling realization, her manic eyes don’t show any regret. Dan Tae taught her to use people, so she does. She thought she could mitigate his bad influence by being more loving and forgiving her every time, but she’s left the door open for him to shape her in his image. 

 

Unable to process the wave of sorrow sitting on her lungs, she takes Seok Kyun’s hand and gives Eun Byeol the chance to leave. 

 

“Stop acting like you care, mom,” she sputters. “It's embarrassing to be with you right now”. 

 

She stops. 

 

“When did I teach you to judge people based on their money? You think it’s okay to terrorize poor people? For what?”

 

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you, mom. Isn’t money all you have? If you wanna give me a moral lesson, don’t do it in Louboutins”. 

 

“These are just shoes! They don’t give us our worth”.

 

“Then what gives you worth, mom? Your beauty? It’s bought. Your dreams? You abandoned them. If there wasn’t me and dad and the penthouse, who exactly would you be?”

 

 

“I don’t know!”

 

“That’s the ing problem! And until you have an answer, don’t ever talk to me again about privilege, cause that’s all I got from you”. 

 

Dan Tae watches them with a satisfied expression. 

 

“It would be hypocritical, wife”, he says as if there’s nothing wrong in this situation. like it’s something he would have done. Only it is.  

 

“You encourage this. I can’t even look at you right now” she says with disgust. 

 

“Dad fought for me! You didn’t. You took the broom and did what they told you to do. You’re so weak, but I thought it was dad you couldn’t stand up to. Turns out it’s everyone”. 

 

Speechless once again, this is how her daughter sees her after giving up her painting career, her passion and identity, to be with her.

 

“Why didn’t you tell them it wasn't my fault?" Seok Kyun cries. 

 

“-but it was-”, 

 

“Dad says it wasn’t. He told the headmaster and he suspended Rona. So stop being a cleaning lady and be a mom I can be proud of!”

 

Seok Kyun gets in the car clanging the passenger seat -Dan Tae lets the twins sit in the front despite her not allowing it- and the silver sedan screeches. 

 

Su Ryeon lets the tears fall and crouches to her knees, as a pair of eyes watches the whole scene. 

 

—

 

When he runs after her, she’s gone. Pacing around the second floor of the parking garage, he tries calling but her phone is off. He witnessed the scene, saw her being devastated by her husband and daughter, and before he could reach her, she disappeared. 

 

Even if he caught her, what would he say? That first time, he made her believe she was a bad mother, that she wasn’t teaching her child well. She came to offer her time and he was so blinded by his anger, he didn’t consider if she was truly worth punishing.

 

He bites his lower lip until it hurts. The pain centers him, while regret floods his chest. His cruel words echo in his mind and he can still see her face. 

 

Is that how you see me?

 

He pushed her, instead of helping her. 

 

He judged without knowing her life. 

 

The second he peeked through her immaculate mask, hate wasn’t what propelled him to spend time with her. He saw something, in the way she was looking at Sung Ah, to her defending him, to the regret in her voice when talking about her daughter.  

 

He stops abruptly. All this time she’s been doing chores as a penance. He breaks into running, breathless when he reaches the gym. 

 

She’s not cleaning the floor or sorting the trash. He wills his breathing to return to normal and that’s when he hears it. Running water. 

 

He sprints to the facilities when the sound gets louder and angrier. It haunts him at every step. 

 

What he comes across makes his blood run cold.

 

The wall of the old bathrooms is vast and mold covers the porcelain tiles, as rusty shower heads in various stages of decomposition interspersed along the abandoned surface. Su Ryeon, scrubbing the slime off the once white surface while she uses the water pressure to make it spotless. she’s trembling, pushing herself to move with such force the paint will rub off. She moves to the next spot and repeats, not losing any steam, giving herself fervently to this sisyphean task.  

 

“Hey.” he says softly, careful not to startle her. As he approaches, he notices the edges of her dress are dirty, she doesn’t care. “You don’t have to do that”. 

 

Her grip on the bar tightens. 

 

“I said I'd do this for my daughter, leave me alone”. The rod makes a metallic sound when she pushes, frustrated. 

 

“I saw you”. Her hand pauses. 

 

She finally turns to him, her eyes bloodshot and cold. 

 

“Perfect,” she says, “now you know you were right. I am a bad mother. Go ahead, gloat”. 

 

“Look at me”. 

 

She doesn’t. 

 

He sits on his knees next to her, his back to the wall, intercepting her line of sight. 

 

“You’re not who I thought you were. I'm sorry I took it out on you". 

 

She scrubs harder, fighting tears. "Stop". 

 

"I wanted someone to be punished. And you bursted into my office and I saw red. But you kept coming and trying-" 

 

"Stop it!".

 

"-I was wrong. Your husband is the bully”. 

 

“And what does it make me?” Her cry pierces the air, echoed by the bare walls. She scrubs so hard, the valve cracks and breaks with a thud and freezing water falls on her, plastering the hair on her face and seeping in her dress. 

 

She doesn't move to escape, only murmurs.

 

“I am weak. And she sees. That’s why she’s choosing to be like her father”.

 

Her teeth clatter, she is shaking from the cold, pushing her nails in her flesh. Without thinking, he pulls her in his arms. The stream of icy water hits his back, a chill rises, but he nestles her head on his chest, away from the water. He her back, the wet material sticking to her fragile body. Wailing, she sags into him. 

 

“You’re not weak. You’re teaching her to take responsibility for her actions. You could have had me fired and be done with it. But you came here every day hoping she’d see her error."

 

She lifts up her head just in time for his next words. 

 

“That’s not the action of a weak person”. 

 

Her bangs are like wet curtains, obscuring her eyes. His thumb brushes the space between her brows, revealing a sliver of pale skin. She shudders. 

 

“I shouldn't have been this lax with her. I thought it was for the best. My parents were so strict, I couldn’t breathe at home. They controlled what I ate, what I wore and who I would be. I wanted to raise my children with love and freedom, so they would be exactly who they wanted. I got my wish”, she says bitterly. 

 

He pulls her closer, burying her head on his neck. His voice is coarse. 

 

“I had a sister. I told you she’s gone. I didn’t tell you she was bullied mercilessly” Su Ryeon tenses in his arms. “Everyone knew, from teachers to students. She told the headmaster and he had her suspended. When the bullies found out, all four of them dragged her to an abandoned parking lot and locked her in the trunk of a scrappy car.” He shallows the bile rising up his throat. “They hit it with bats for hours. They said they only wanted to scare her, but the car caught fire and they left her there. She was burned alive.” He battles with the images of her mauled body, unrecognizable on the table. 

 

“Logan, I’m so sorry”, she says and the genuine sadness of her tone does more to him than all the condolences he got then. 

 

“And you know what the parents said? That it was an accident. They sent their kids to colleges abroad for a year and now they have the bright future they were promised, not a care in the world.” As if they didn’t break his world in half, as if she didn’t matter. “This is what weak parents do, and you’re not like that. You tried”. 

 

She smiles bitterly and burrows back to him. 

 

“I'm sorry I said you’re vindictive. You care, more than anyone else”. 

 

“I am vindictive,” he admits. “But I don’t know what else to do. I saw what ignoring bullying leads to and I can’t-” he squeezes her. “I can’t let it go”. 

 

He is ready for another version of “move on”, but this is not what she says. 

 

Turning in his arms to face him fully, for the first time there’s a spark in her eyes and it’s not annoyance. She touches his shoulder and the heat beneath her fingers is electric. 

 

“Don’t. You must keep helping your kids”. 

 

She’s so certain, his path becomes clear. He will stay here, continuing to help families, one kid at a time. Ensure no one will end up like Seol Ah. Su Ryeon could help, approach the parents-

 

“What about you?” Serenity eases her face. 

 

“The same”. 

 

She twists her body until she’s hugging him. She wipes a droplet from his cheek. Just for this, cracking his heart open is worth it. 

 

 

-

 

 

With loud cheers, the kids' football practice finishes, and Logan whistles. The field smells of freshly cut grass and the cackling of children’s laughter fills the air. For the first time in a while, he has a good feeling. The school year is coming to an end and he’s more excited than the kids, albeit for a different reason. 

 

Said reason is walking towards him in a blush pink sundress and matching platform heels, her loose curls dancing as she moves. Now that he doesn’t force himself to hate her, he can admit it: she’s gorgeous.

 

He wills himself to finish up, helping each of the kids with the gear, bump fists goodbye and definitely not run towards her. Definitely some small talk before he asks her-

 

He must be grinning like a fool, because when she catches his eyes, she has a wistful smile.

 

After the last time, he wants to hug her. Is he expected to use a polite greeting, when he’s peered into her soul?

 

He’s saved from figuring it out, when she speaks. 

 

“I came to say goodbye”. 

 

The smile drops. 

 

“Why?” Panic bites his insides. He comes closer. “If I crossed a line the other day-”

 

It's his fault, with all the chores and the blaming, she must have had enough. She scrunches her brows. 

 

“If I did something to make you go, don’t. I’m sorry, I’ve been drowning in my trauma, and didn’t see anyone else hurting. But meeting you has-” he falters, because it's not about how she makes him feel. “Even picking trash with you is the best part of my day”. 

 

The only acknowledgement to his confession is a small intake of breath. He’d miss it if he wasn’t so focused on her lips. 

 

“We’re leaving the city”. 

 

He nods as she tells him she's taking Seok Hyun to a coastal town, her deceased mother's home, to give them a semblance of a normal life. Public school, neighbors, nature.“We need time to heal as a family”. 

 

He swallows at the last word. It's not about him at all, which is great, but also, the absolute worst. 

 

“And give her time to process the divorce”. 

 

His brain short-circuits. His heart does a little summersault it has no business doing but if she's leaving what difference does it make if she's free. He grunts. Finally, he lashes out. 

 

“So, send your very-soon-to-be-ex to the middle of nowhere town and you stay right here”. 

 

She laughs. The sun softens her eyelashes. 

 

“It's all because of you. You opened my eyes and forced me to face my life”. She touches his folded arms. 

 

“I am an idiot”. 

 

They both laugh, but there's a bitter finish. Did he open her eyes just to lose her?

 

“You have been an impossible nuisance”, she says but there’s no malice. “I may have plotted your demise on more than one occasion. But you saw the good in me, and I'll do the same with my daughter”. 

 

It is the best thing for her, but his heart doesn’t get the memo.  

 

His hand traces the soft skin of her forearm, ending in the small of her palm. She inches towards him and he wants to stop time and relive this moment, this touch. 

 

“I want to be selfish” he whispers, “I want to ask you to stay”. 

 

She closes her fingers around his.

 

“I want to be selfish and stay”. 

 

He brings their joint hands to his lips and presses a kiss, infused with all his longing and affection he’s left unexpressed. It’s a parting gift, a seal to their brief but painfully meaningful encounter. 

 

“Promise me you’ll be happy. Or else I can’t let you go”. 

 

She nods, her eyes glassy.

 

The sun still shines as he watches her leave. 

 

-

 

Six months later

 

She pushes down the thick straps of her overalls, revealing a plain white tee with yellow paint stains. A year ago, it would be a sign of failing her housewife duties. Today, it reminds her she’s following her passion. 

 

Seok Kyun and she have moved to the sleepy town of Yumiko. Her mother’s past echoing through the alleys of the sleepy little town. It is both heavy with memories and new. She started painting again, renting a spacious studio with a view of the sea. In this town, she's not known as a wife, but as a painter. And a mother, and a council member. The kids are free, roaming around the neighborhood, choosing their own classes, and making friends. Now that Dan Tae and the pressures of high society don’t stiffen her, their little family unit is tight and happy.

 

It has been a long journey to win back her daughter, but living an authentic life is what brings them close. 

 

She puts the finishing touches on the painting, a family collecting seashells on the beach, smiling at the makeshift bracelet adorning her wrist. Seok Kyun left it on her dresser one day and she’s never taken it off since. She wipes her hands. The bell of the studio entrance rings, and she hastily fixes her paint stained denim to greet the customer. 

 

“Hello”, she greets. The man is browsing the art, the canvases obscuring his face. “Are you looking for something special?”

 

“No”. The voice sends a spark to her heart and he faces her. “I’ve already found it”. 

 

She can’t breathe, if she moves it may all be a dream. She takes him in, his athletic stature covered in white linen, his usual sneakers, hair in disarray from the journey here. But it’s his dazzling smile that tugs at her heart. 

 

“How?”, she mouths. 

 

His eyes turn impossibly sweeter. He sidesteps the artwork, careful. 

 

“I always planned to come to you. And Seok Kyun called”. 

 

Her daughter was worried about her, choosing to give her a chance at love. She touches the friendship bracelet, they have come a long way. 

 

The calmness of his voice doesn’t relax her beating heart.  

 

“I got a job at the high school, I’m here to stay. You don’t owe me anything, hell, this time I'll be mopping your studio if it means spending time with you”. 

 

The words aren’t out of his mouth when she crosses the space between them, jumping into his arms. 

 

He lifts her off the ground and she lets out a giggle, happiness spilling from her body. 

 

“Clean up your schedule, you’ll be here every day after school”, she murmurs and he looks delighted to be given work in his free time. She wants to paint that smile with bright colors, bring it in her life and her art. She kisses it, tasting pure joy and when his lips move under hers, she feels it. 

 

Her feet touch the ground but he doesn’t let go. He presses her forehead against hers, kissing the tip of her nose and the corner of her lips. 

 

“I can’t wait”.