Being able to meet a good teacher was an extraordinary thing.
A teacher who would come out and comfort you even if you called in tears at dawn, who was kind enough to buy his students pizza with his own money, and who would patiently explain anything you were curious about whenever you came to ask.
A teacher who habitually said that he hoped you would grow into happy adults.
“……”
Being able to meet someone like that had been an extraordinary stroke of fortune….
“Eunhye.”
“……”
Her breath caught.
“…Teacher.”
Every filthy emotion imaginable rushed in to fill the vacancy left by that tremendous fortune. Misery and despair filled that immense space.
Yet she had lived proudly, telling herself that this, too, was something they had built with their own hands. That it was a proper staircase and an honor… But the nightmare continued to clutch at her ankles.
The nightmare asked,
“Did you come for a snack?”
“…Yes, I just….”
Pitch-black hair and eyes even blacker than that. Pale skin and deep-set eyes.
His eyebrows were slightly thick, his lips red, and the serene gaze reminiscent of a dawn blanketed in winter snow was striking. He was conspicuous enough that anyone who saw him once would find him difficult to forget.
And it was also a damned familiar face.
“…Could you give me just one macaron?”
He gave a slight nod at the absurd request.
“You said you were managing your diet. Are you planning to exercise more?”
“I don’t… need to manage my diet anymore.”
“Then you…