What nonsense. It wasn’t me who needed to come to their senses but Woo Tae-seon.
“…Fine.”
“Teacher?”
“You think I’m a joke.”
“Hmm.”
It would have been unpleasant if he had answered immediately, but his contemplation of an answer was even more annoying.
“I think it’s fun. Being with you, teacher.”
I had avoided him out of fear, but I seemed to know the ending of this story. That Woo Tae-seon wouldn’t simply let me go. Even if I begged, even if I prostrated myself completely, even if I obeyed his every word, he would do everything he wanted until the very end. He would accomplish it.
Yes, do as you please. That was what I wanted to say both to Woo Tae-seon and to myself.
“…Go to the faculty room or the principal’s office, do whatever you want.”
“Even though I like people watching, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
“I’m not doing this anymore!”
“Everyone will see.”
“Say whatever you want to say in the principal’s office, post a statement on the school gate, report it to the education office, do whatever the fuck you want. I don’t care about your threats anymore. No, I won’t care!”
“Threats?”
I tried hard not to show it, but I was actually startled. It was the first time I’d heard this voice. Woo Tae-seon’s question, his voice, his complexion were all dripping with displeasure.
“Y-yes, threats! Now, now your petty threats, they don’t work anymore. So, tell the school or not, do whatever you want!”
I lashed out with all my might. I spilled everything out. Even though I had just stood still and thrown a few words, it felt like I had just sprinted. I hid my hands behind my back, which had begun to tremble mercilessly despite having spoken with a confident voice.
I waited for Woo Tae-seon’s response while catching my breath in sync with slowly counting numbers in my mind. It’s okay. It will be okay. Repeating this endlessly to myself.
“Ahh.”
Woo Tae-seon nodded as if he now understood. It was rather I who was confused by his lukewarm reaction. I had expected him to try to oppress me more and threaten me.
After pondering for a long time, Woo Tae-seon tilted his head as if something had occurred to him.
“Then is the other person Teacher Lee?”
“…What?”
“The name you called out while holding your dick and fingering your ass was Lee Jin-woo.”
It felt like a sharp ringing in my ears. I froze like a statue with ivory ears shattered by someone’s hammering. Even as I barely managed to blink, what was spread before me remained the same.
So was what I heard correct? Had I heard correctly?
“Am I trash? Go tell the school.”
His voice sounded quite hurt, but I had no time to blame him. My heart was pounding as if it might burst. I was sure I had only thought it to myself. But was that not the case? No, I didn’t say it out loud. No.
Just the mention of my senior made me lose my judgment, and my composure declined rapidly. I must have looked like someone standing on a completely cracked ice lake, unable to move in any direction, just trembling on weakened legs.
“But what the teacher did is stalking and sexual harassment. The person involved needs to know.”
What happened in the nurse’s office wasn’t just becoming known throughout the school. The fact that the owner of the gym clothes was a senior meant that everything would be revealed—what I had done with those gym clothes, and how I had been looking at my senior all this time.
I had been wrong. I had been careless, believing only what I could see. It was my fault for not anticipating things would turn out this way. Everything went dark before my eyes.
“Our Teacher Song Jae-yun, I wonder when you’ve slept with Lee Jin-woo?”
“……”
“Did you screw that bastard here too? You told me I was your first, but you lied.”
“Se-Senior doesn’t know. No, it has nothing to do with Senior…”
In an instant, we returned to how things always were—Woo Tae-seon, always relaxed and taking everything for granted, and me, desperately clinging to him without any pride to preserve.
“Looking back, it was strange how you swallowed it all so easily from the beginning. I was naive.”
What should I, what should I do? As I fidgeted anxiously, not knowing what to do, I took a step forward, and Woo Tae-seon took a step back in response. I stopped in my tracks, feeling as though he was telling me not to come any closer.
“I told you Senior has nothing to do with it. It was just me. I…”
“Just you, Teacher? Lee Jin-woo just lay there while you climbed on top and rode him?”
“…Woo Tae-seon.”
“The Chairman would be so pleased to know that two men have been sleeping together.”
I had prepared myself for all my wrongdoings to be revealed and even for my senior to find out, but I never imagined causing him harm. That couldn’t happen. I hated the thought more than death itself.
In truth, though I said I was prepared, I didn’t want my senior to know I was gay. I really hated the idea. Just imagining him looking at me with cold eyes made my heart feel like it was shattering. And now, not only would his name be mentioned in this matter, but he would be implicated too…
“…If you touch my senior, I won’t let it go.”
“How? Oh, by getting on top? Wouldn’t that be difficult? You’re terrible at thrusting, Teacher.”
I felt beyond pathetic—I felt cursed. I didn’t mind him playing with me, but my senior was off-limits. Above all, my senior had nothing to do with me. This was all my fault.
Where did it all go wrong? Even though this started with my mistake, I wanted to blame someone else for all of this. I just wanted to escape this situation. If only Woo Tae-seon wasn’t here. If only that bastard wasn’t here…
…Right, Woo Tae-seon was at fault too. The current situation wasn’t created by me alone.
“Th-the one who slept with another man isn’t my senior, it’s you.”
“Me?”
“…Yes, you.”
The brief silence stretched even a second like taffy. After what felt like an eternity had passed, Woo Tae-seon nodded. Quite readily.
“Yes. That’s right.”
And then a small laugh followed.
“And you too, Teacher.”
“……”
“Should I say that I slept with you too, Teacher? Would that make it more believable?”
I felt like I was going to cry. Why was I here like this? Why did I have to listen to this? What had I done so wrong? No, tears were already streaming down my face. My vision, already filled with despair, was becoming blurry.
“…Why are you doing this? Why are you treating me like this?”
I no longer had the strength to shout. I muttered helplessly. When I tightly closed my eyelids, tears fell heavily. In my cleared vision stood Woo Tae-seon.
“You’re the one who suddenly changed your words, Teacher.”
“Hic, huu, wh-what?”
“You don’t see that I’m hurt?”
Hurt? You’re saying you’re hurt? It wasn’t even funny.
“Fine. I’ll do as I please.”
“…What, what do you mean?”
“You said so yourself, Teacher. That I could expose you or not, as I please.”
Only then did I snap back to reality. This wasn’t the time to be leisurely condemning Woo Tae-seon. Beyond his broad back, which had turned away without mercy, I could see the lounge door that I hadn’t been able to lock. A door that could be easily pushed open to leave this place.
“W-wait…”
Woo Tae-seon didn’t look back, nor did he stop walking. There was no response to my urgent voice.
I felt that once he crossed that door, there would be no turning back. So I simply grabbed his waist in a tight embrace. I tried to stand my ground, but I ended up having to cling to Woo Tae-seon as if being dragged along. Of course, this didn’t stop him.
“Wait. Tae-seon, just wait…”
When I was slipping down and ended up clinging to one of Woo Tae-seon’s legs, his previously relentless steps came to an abrupt halt. I’m not sure if he stopped for me, or if his pace slowed because I was clinging to him.
“I… I’m sorry.”
I hastily apologized, but there was still no answer. That made me feel even more desperate. I realized too late that Woo Tae-seon’s final words, “I’ll do as I please,” meant he wouldn’t engage in further conversation.
“I was wrong. Won’t you forgive me?”
“……”
“…P-please.”
The silence descended like volcanic ash, suffocating and paralyzing. Woo Tae-seon, myself, even the smallest sounds seemed frozen.
“Then you should make me want to blackmail you.”
“Huh?”
“You told me to do as I please. But then said what I’ve been doing is blackmail.”
I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I blinked repeatedly as I looked up at Woo Tae-seon.
