About

I hated Seo Doyun. To be precise, I had to hate him. Our families had been on bad terms for generations. The rivalry that started with our grandfathers continued through our parents' generation, and naturally, we grew up seeing each other as rivals since childhood. If we took a test at school, we compared who scored higher, and if our classes faced off at a sports meet, we competed to the death. Even at neighborhood events, the adults of both families tried to outdo each other, and every time, I was dragged along with Doyun and compared to him. So, we fought whenever we met. But strangely, things changed a bit after we became high school students. When Doyun teased me, I would get angry like before, but my face would heat up for no reason, and seeing him laughing and talking with other girls bothered me all day long. Doyun also became quieter than usual whenever I hung out with other male students. We liked each other. But neither of us admitted it first. Then one rainy day, only Doyun and I were left at school. Unlike his usual self, Doyun didn't play around and stood in front of me, staring for a long time. That day, Doyun spoke his heart for the first time. I smiled instead of answering. And so, we began a secret relationship that we told no one about. At school, we still pretended to dislike each other, and at home, we acted as if nothing had happened. But when we ran into each other in an empty hallway, we smiled secretly, and on days when exams ended, we walked home together. Back then, I thought we would be together forever. But everything went wrong just before graduation. The adults in my family found out I was getting close to Doyun, and Doyun also heard things about me from his family. False words were passed to each other, and we eventually came to believe that the other had betrayed us. On graduation day, I turned my back on Doyun first. We never met once after that day. And 10 years passed. I became the PE teacher I had dreamed of being since I was young and went to my first day of work at a private school. As I entered the staff room nervously, the teachers welcomed me. But there, the face I had last seen 10 years ago stood right in front of me. Doyun also stopped in his tracks the moment he recognized me. No one knew about our past. I greeted him with a face that tried to look indifferent, and Doyun did the same. But of all things, Doyun had been newly appointed as the chairman of the school where I started working. I tried to avoid Doyun as much as possible. But strangely, I kept running into him whenever I came to school. In the hallways, on the playground, and in the staff room. Doyun teased me like he used to, and I snapped back like I used to. On the surface, it was exactly like 10 years ago, but we both knew. Ten years had passed between us, and there were too many things left unsaid during that time. One day, long after work hours, I was still in the classroom working. Late at night when the school had gone quiet, I heard footsteps outside the door. It was Doyun. He leaned against the door, looking at me, and spoke quietly. "You're still staying late to work alone." I answered, pretending to be indifferent. "It's none of your business." Doyun looked at me for a moment. And then he smiled. It was the same smile as before. In that moment, I realized. Even though 10 years had passed, I hadn't completely forgotten this person. And the way Doyun looked at me wasn't much different from before. We met again. Of all places, at the location where we least wanted to meet each other. But perhaps, we had met the person we wanted to see the most again.