Title : Regretful Love

Min Woo’s P.O.V

I was 25 years old when I started teaching in high school. I was teaching modern dance. It was my first year teaching in high school and I was very nervous. More nervous than entering the dance competitions back in those days. When I first applied for the job, they told that even if I swept all those awards back during those college years, I am too young or inexperience in teaching dance to the students. However, since they are short of teachers for that subject, they hired me.

On the first day, a group of boys walked into the classroom, laughing loudly, cursing at each other and seems not to aware that I’m in the classroom. I told them a couple of times to take their seats, but they ignored me. I guess kids these days are different from the past. As I repeated myself for the third time, one of the boys stared intensely at me. He told the boys to take their seats.

Later, I soon found out his name was Choong Jae. But everyone called him Jun Jin. I have no idea why they would call him ‘moving forward’. Some of the students told me that he dislike his birth name. But why must Jun Jin? I thought to myself. Jun Jin was the senior required to take modern dance in order to be accept in arts and dance college, which only takes in selected students from various high school around Seoul.

Jun Jin was the head of the boys’ basketball team and was very handsome. He had girls swooning all over him. He somehow reminded me of Jung Hyuk, one of my college friend who has the exact same personality as Jun Jin. Even though, the girls in class were all over him, he did not pay any attention to them and was serious in class, which surprised me.

Time passed quickly and soon, I had done about five months of teaching. One day, he was absent for the test and had to go for a make up test the following day. He sat down quietly and worked on it for about ten minutes before he stopped and stared at me. I asked him what wrong and his answer gave me a shock.

“ What makes you decided to teach in here? There are schools that have higher standards than here. I knew your past and aren’t you supposed to own a dance academy? “ For a minute, I couldn’t find an answer. Then I said,

“ How do you know about my past? “ and he said,

“ Thanks to my older brother, Jung Hyuk. “

So that’s how he got the same personality as Jung Hyuk. Jung Hyuk was the captain of the school’s basketball team and everyone was in love with him, thanks to his good looks. Both of us were envious of each other and we would argue over small matters.

We continued to talk for some time until I remembered he was suppose to complete the test and I said, “ Finish your test, it’s getting late. “

Jun Jin just smiled and said, “ I’m done. “

“ Really? “ I asked in surprised and took his paper away from him. I shouldn’t be worried as he got full marks for it.

After that day, he started staying back after school for additional help, claiming he need some guidance for the final practical which will be starting the following week. I would show him some of my dance moves that make me swept most of the trophies when I was still in my college years. He would imitate me and would talk about my past in the dance room. We would often leave together to the parking lot and some of the days, I would bring him out for dinner. We often joke around.

Some time passed and I received a call from the office. They told me there is something for me and asked if I could send one student to pick it up. The student came back minutes, smiling and told me to close my eyes. I protested for some minutes before giving in. When I opened my eyes, there was a birthday cake, which have a huge ‘M’ at the surface of the cake. The student also handed me a envelope and when I opened it, I recognized Jun Jin’s handwriting.

Mr. Lee Min Woo. Or should I say M hyung. Happy 26^th birthday. Thanks for all those support you had given me and I really appreciate it. Once again, happy birthday hyung.

I looked at him, he was smiling and he winked at me.

He stayed back after class just to sing for me a birthday song, as he light up the cake with his lighter.

I blushed and said, “ Why did you do it? “

“ Because it was your birthday. “

He started to walk out to the door and I asked, “ Why to school? “

He turned around and I saw a smirk on his face and he said, “ I wanted to sent it to your apartment but sadly, I don’t know where you live. I asked Jung Hyuk hyung about it, and he doesn’t know about it. “

Following that, he left the room.

Time passed and he would come to me after classes and we would hang out together. I knew it was wrong, but I just could not stop myself. When I told him to stop coming because he doesn’t need any additional help, he said.

“ But I need you. “

Somehow, he managed to get hold of my cellphone number and start texting me. He would text me in class when there are other students. Once, I burst into laughter when he texted me something funny.

Soon, he asked me out for a date. We went out of town for ice-skating, which I knew the owner, as he is one of my best friends in college, Kim Dong Wan. However, all those fun were just temporary.

Before long, the students started gossiping about us and more rumors starting to fly around the campus. We had a hard time and I was dragged to the principle office.

I told her everything and she once answered me, “ That’s what I feared of right from the start. I didn’t want to hire you not because you are inexperience but you are young. “

She followed up by saying that there is a way to solve this matter.

Jun Jin got switched out from my class. The entire school and his friends started to look at me funnily. He tried to talk to me during lunch but it ended up creating more rumors. I didn’t know what to do. A school board meeting was held and before the board told me to quit, I said it myself within five minutes of the meeting. I told them that I will quit and even though it is not good to leave the school without an immediate replacement, it would be a good choice. They were relieved and told me that they would find someone else as replacement and I expected that kind of answer. Some of my colleagues had tears in their eyes and I feel like crying. I left the school right away.

Within three weeks, I moved out. Jun Jin tried contacting me. He left messages and I felt like dying as I deleted them. I changed my cellphone number to start afresh. A few years had passed and I was invited for a college reunion. I met Jung Hyuk as he gave me a letter, written by Jun Jin. He wrote that he loves me and he will never love another person as much as he loves me. He apologized for creating trouble for me. With the letter, he also sent a picture we once took at the ski resort.

I asked Jung Hyuk what happened to Jun Jin and he surprised me. He told me that after he got switched out from my class, he was distress and couldn’t concentrate in class. One day, his friends started talking badly about me and he got onto a huge fight. He was kicked out from the basketball team. He started working part-time as a waiter in our neighborhood. He became the cold man and would always find trouble with his boss. He became a total playboy and would party all night long. Drinking and smoking. Half year ago, he got fired as he beaten up one of the customers. He got into fights and was killed.

Jung Hyuk was crying when he finished the story. Tears rolled down my cheeks uncontrollably. I cried for weeks and was depressed. Because of that, I had to quit my current job, as I was always late for work.

Two years had passed since I’ve met Jung Hyuk. I am sitting alone right now with the letter he had written to me for my birthday and the last letter he had sent to me with the picture of the both of us. I have many regrets right now for not fighting for my love, not protecting it like Jun Jin did. I simply just gave up on him and our love. I just realized how much I love him.

I love you Choong Jae.