Chapter 102: Farewell
by fnovelpia
“Finally caught you.”
The head of student affairs muttered with a gleeful twitch of his mouth.
As if wanting to savor this hard-earned victory, he alternated shining his flashlight between So-yul and me.
Though we stood in an open walkway where sound couldn’t possibly echo, that single phrase kept ringing in my ears.
The words reverberated in my mind repeatedly, confirming that this nightmare was indeed our harsh reality.
“Ah, right. Wait a moment.”
The head of student affairs pulled out his phone from his pocket.
From the way he pointed the camera lens at us, it seemed he intended to take a photo.
Of course he would – having finally captured the “decisive evidence” he’d been hunting for. He likely felt the need to preserve it as indisputable proof.
Then, while fiddling with his phone as if sending it somewhere:
“I thought it was strange seeing footprints in the snow. What a catch I’ve landed!”
His voice dripped with sarcasm.
Had he really been scrutinizing each footprint on this pitch-black night?
I wondered how much he must despise students to go to such lengths. What an exemplary teacher he was.
During this moment, I stole a glance at So-yul beside me.
She looked utterly terrified. The tears that had briefly stopped were now streaming down her cheeks again.
Her muffled sobs that escaped involuntarily revealed exactly how frightened she felt.
The way she clutched her arms around herself, occasionally wiping away tears, her thin lips and fragile shoulders trembling…
Seeing her like this drove a nail into my heart.
Yet despite witnessing So-yul in this state… I could do nothing for her.
Unable to comfort or console my girlfriend who was shaking with fear. My position was nothing but miserable.
“So?”
After a moment, the head of student affairs looked up at us.
“What exactly were you two doing here?”
He began interrogating us in an infinitely sharp tone.
Looking back, I’d had a similar experience before. That time we were caught watching a movie with So-yul in the club room.
Back then, we somehow survived thanks to Juho who appeared like a hero. But at least in that moment, I’d felt like we were sinking into a pit of despair.
But compared to now, that had been nothing more than a minor incident.
Being outside after curfew was already a violation of school rules. Worse, we’d been caught about to hold hands while alone together. There was absolutely no room for excuses.
So there was no need to rack my brain for flimsy pretexts.
Actually, from the moment the teacher appeared, my mind had gone completely blank.
The teacher smiled with satisfaction as he examined us, unable to even move our lips.
Our silence itself was the clearest answer.
“Well, I gave you a chance, didn’t I? Last time you were caught, I let it go because there was no evidence. But you didn’t break up and kept doing this? How much do you take me for a fool? Huh?”
The teacher mocked us, jabbing his chin at us.
I wanted nothing more than to return that gesture to his face. With my last defense crumbling helplessly, it wouldn’t have been impossible if I set my mind to it.
Of course, that would only make things more difficult for So-yul, so I had to endure somehow.
Soon, a faint vibration sound cut through So-yul’s sobbing.
The head of student affairs checked his phone. Whatever he saw immediately twisted his mouth into a distorted smile.
I couldn’t decipher its meaning, but it clearly wasn’t good news for us.
Soon, he held the phone to his ear.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry for the late hour.”
He even added a small bow as if showing respect to whoever was on the other end.
Then, letting out a frivolous laugh as if making sure we could hear:
“…Ms. Han So-yul’s mother.”
In that moment, I heard So-yul drawing in a deep breath.
So that’s who he had sent the picture to – So-yul’s mother.
Thinking about it, administrative disciplinary procedures wouldn’t progress in the middle of the night anyway. If there was someone who needed to be immediately informed about discovering our relationship, it would naturally be So-yul’s mother.
“…Yes, yes, you must have been surprised receiving the photo suddenly? Well, I was walking around at night and noticed footprints. I followed them and found these two about to do something together. Yes, yes, that’s why I sent you the photo right away, so you could check quickly. As for the punishment…”
The teacher, who had been continuously bobbing his head while stretching out his words, suddenly stopped speaking.
What followed made even my eyes widen.
“…You’re coming to the school right now?”
◎
Before long, a car pulled into the open space behind the dormitory.
Everyone present instinctively knew who would step out.
The person who exited the car walked slowly into the pathway. Their identity, unclear from a distance, became increasingly certain as they approached.
It was, of course, So-yul’s mother.
“Oh my, you must have had a difficult time rushing here, Ma’am.”
The teacher fawned over her, rubbing his hands together like a fly.
As if this were perfectly natural, So-yul’s mother ignored him and stopped directly beside So-yul.
Just having her mother approach caused So-yul to sink into profound fear; she breathed raggedly while her lips trembled.
As I watched the situation unfold with clenched teeth, So-yul’s mother slowly opened her mouth.
“Han So-yul.”
“…Ugh.”
So-yul could only manage a choked sob.
Addressing her daughter again in a harsh tone:
“When your mother calls your name, you don’t answer?”
“…I’m, I’m sorry, Mother.”
So-yul answered in a barely audible voice, her head hanging low.
Was she intent on avenging the humiliation she’d suffered that afternoon? Or had she always treated her daughter this way?
Either way, it had become unbearable to watch. Feeling like I might actually lash out, I turned my gaze elsewhere.
The conversation continued as if I didn’t matter.
“How many times has your mother asked you? I heard rumors about you fooling around with some strange boy and asked if it was true. I even warned you to stay away from such nonsense if it was real. Do you remember?”
“…Yes.”
“If you remember, why didn’t you listen to your mother? Did you find what I said amusing? Did you think you’d never get caught? Or did you simply ignore me, doing whatever you pleased?”
“I’m… sorry.”
Even in the face of such blatant mockery, So-yul didn’t talk back. Or rather, perhaps she couldn’t.
Yet her mother still wasn’t satisfied.
“What are you sorry for?”
A statement demanding to hear an explanation for the current situation from her daughter’s own lips.
So-yul couldn’t answer. Instead, I caught sight of her hunching her shoulders and bursting into tears. Apparently, specifying what she was sorry for was too much for her.
Of course it would be.
We hadn’t done anything that warranted an apology.
Perhaps So-yul’s mother finally determined she wouldn’t get an answer. Her gaze, which had been fixed on So-yul, lifted slightly and turned elsewhere.
Finally, her eyes landed on:
“Don’t try to look away. Why don’t you look over here? …After all, I am your girlfriend’s mother.”
Of course she wouldn’t leave me alone.
I looked at her as instructed. So-yul’s mother was displaying a cold smile toward me.
It was a smile in name only; in reality, she was glaring at me with fierce eyes, her lips twisted.
“Didn’t I tell you too? That as mere high school students, you shouldn’t get too close. That the head of student affairs was watching you carefully because he cared.”
I nodded slightly and said:
“Yes, you did.”
“Yes. I did. So how did we end up here?”
So-yul’s mother asked with a scornful laugh.
It seemed she intended to mock me as well.
Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t particularly afraid. At this point, I likely wouldn’t ever meet So-yul’s mother again anyway.
So I twisted my lips and said:
“I said I would just put up with it.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
Upon hearing my answer, So-yul’s mother’s expression momentarily hardened.
“It seems you still don’t understand your position?”
With that, she turned her face again.
This time she faced the head of student affairs, who was standing by as if awaiting orders.
“Teacher, I’m sorry, but could you expedite this student’s disciplinary procedures as quickly as possible?”
“Oh, yes, yes. I was planning to fast-track it anyway. Since the evidence is clear, I’ll make sure it’s wrapped up within three or four days.”
The head of student affairs complied with So-yul’s mother’s request, letting out an unpleasant chuckle.
Even so, to claim he’d complete a student’s disciplinary process in just a few days? It seemed he never intended to follow proper procedures from the start.
Actually, I was rather grateful.
I had no desire to waste any more of my life in this wretched school.
“And teacher, could you please ensure better supervision to prevent such incidents in the future? If something similar happens again, I’m thinking of taking So-yul back to America with me.”
“Oh my, yes, yes, we can’t have that. Actually, their footprints started from the dormitory emergency exit. I’ll contact the dorm supervisor immediately and tell them to monitor more strictly.”
“Thank you.”
So-yul’s mother responded with a smile that pretended to be benevolent.
I’d wondered why So-yul’s mother received VIP treatment… so this was the reason.
A mother who treated her daughter as merely a bargaining chip. Truly an unbelievably garbage parent.
With that, So-yul’s mother turned again. This time, she seemed to be facing So-yul once more. She then firmly grabbed the arm of her tearful daughter.
What followed was a statement tinged with an odd hint of amusement.
“Now, shall we return to the dormitory, my daughter?”
“…Yes.”
So-yul barely answered audibly and nodded slightly.
Her demeanor conveyed something akin to resignation.
So-yul then stood up as her mother pulled her along. Each step she took was painfully slow.
She should have wanted to escape this suffocating situation as quickly as possible. But So-yul appeared to lack the strength.
Perhaps she vaguely sensed it too.
That this moment might be the last chance to face me.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
So-yul’s mother, who had been leading her daughter away, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
So-yul looked up at her mother with round eyes. Facing her daughter, So-yul’s mother spoke with a nonchalant expression.
“After something like this, you shouldn’t keep your cell phone, should you?”
“…!”
So-yul’s fragile shoulders jerked.
If her phone was taken away, she would lose all means of contacting me.
Even if we wanted to meet directly, the school’s surveillance would intensify.
Perhaps she had desperately wanted to protect this one thing above all else.
But…
“You’re not still having improper thoughts, are you?”
“…Ugh.”
As if reading these very thoughts, So-yul’s mother created an atmosphere impossible to defy.
Naturally, So-yul didn’t have the strength to oppose her mother.
In the end, So-yul had no choice but to comply.
“…I understand.”
Whispering in a threadlike voice, So-yul pulled her phone from her pocket.
Not even waiting for her to extend it herself, So-yul’s mother immediately snatched the phone.
After stuffing the seized phone haphazardly into her handbag, So-yul’s mother flashed a smirk.
“Good. Now you can focus solely on piano. That’s better.”
“…Yes.”
So-yul barely managed to nod.
Even this response seemed to displease her mother, who clicked her tongue ostentatiously.
Then she grabbed So-yul’s arm again.
“What are you doing? We need to go in now.”
Her sharp tone urged So-yul to hurry.
The mother-daughter pair had a significant height difference, though not as much as between So-yul and me. So-yul furrowed her brow as if her captive arm hurt.
Of course, So-yul’s mother didn’t care at all whether her daughter was in pain.
Then suddenly… So-yul gently looked back at me.
Her eyes were brimming with tears that hadn’t yet fallen.
Her cheeks and lips trembled with fear.
And on her face, which had always tried to smile… was an expression drenched in despair and sorrow.
The moment I saw So-yul like this, my mouth opened of its own accord.
I wanted to give her some kind of farewell.
Whether it was “goodbye,” or “we’ll meet again someday,” or even begging her not to leave.
I desperately wanted to convey at least one final message.
So-yul seemed to feel the same urgent desire.
Through her wavering vision, she fixed her gaze precisely on me. Then, with quivering lips, she tried to say something.
Perhaps, as this would likely be our last moment, she wanted to leave final words for me.
Of course, So-yul’s mother wasn’t someone who would allow such indulgence.
Just as So-yul was desperately looking at me, her mother yanked her arm forcefully.
Completely drained from crying, So-yul was ultimately dragged away with her head hanging low.
The D-Day that So-yul and I had finally encountered.
Our end… was tied with such an infinitely wretched and miserable farewell.
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