“Sudden Meet”

Everyone rushed inside the hospital room, their hearts heavy with fear and sorrow.

Seo Jin sat beside his grandfather, gently holding his frail hand. His usual composed expression wavered as he watched his grandfather struggle to breathe.

Ah Rin couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer—tears streamed down her face as she sobbed quietly.

Jieun stood nearby, feeling an overwhelming wave of sadness. She wasn’t sure what to do or how to react. Her heart ached at the sight of the grieving family, but she couldn’t bring herself to cry. She had never been good at expressing her emotions.

Instead, she gently placed a comforting hand on Ah Rin’s back, whispering, “It’s okay… Grandpa is strong.”

Grandpa, struggling to keep his eyes open, turned to Seo Jin and spoke in a weak voice, “Seo Jin, my child… Marry Jieun.”

Seo Jin stiffened, gripping his grandfather’s hand tighter.

Jieun’s eyes widened as she turned to look at Grandpa.

Then, Grandpa looked at Jieun and signaled for her to come closer.

Jieun hesitated but eventually stepped forward. Grandpa took her hand in his weak grip and whispered, “My dear, will you marry my grandson?”

Jieun didn’t know what to say. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

Grandpa’s tired eyes softened. “It was your grandfather’s and my dream to see you two married… so that even after we are gone, our families will remain connected.”

Jieun felt her chest tighten. She had always believed she would marry the person her grandfather chose. But hearing Grandpa’s words now, in such a critical moment, made everything feel much heavier than she had imagined.

Seo Jin, who had been silent, finally spoke. His voice was steady and firm.

“I will marry Jieun.”

The room fell into complete silence. Everyone looked at him in shock.

Seo Jin’s mother and father exchanged surprised glances. Ah Rin, who had been crying, stopped for a moment, unable to process his words.

Even Jieun, who had been standing in confusion, turned to look at him with wide eyes.

She frowned. “Marriage isn’t a game, Seo Jin.”

Seo Jin didn’t look at her. Instead, he turned to his grandfather, still holding his weak hand.

“Grandpa, I will marry Jieun,” he repeated, his tone unwavering.

A faint smile appeared on Grandpa’s face. His tired eyes shone with relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.

Jieun, however, still couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

A month had passed since Grandpa’s death. The house, once filled with his presence, now felt empty. The pain of losing him still lingered in everyone’s hearts.

Seo Jin had buried himself in work, spending long hours at the hospital. His mind had no space for anything else.

Jieun, on the other hand, was busy with her own work as a teacher. But even as she sat in her office, reviewing lesson plans, her thoughts kept drifting elsewhere.

One month… One whole month has passed…

She sighed, tapping her pen against her desk. Seo Jin said he would marry me, but he hasn’t called even once but he don’t have my number.… but still… even his mom hasn’t contacted me. Hah, Jieun, why are you even thinking about this?

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Stop overthinking. If this marriage was meant to happen, it would’ve happened by now…

Jieun was still lost in her thoughts when a fellow teacher rushed into her office, looking worried.

“Jieun! One of your students just fainted in class! We need to take them to the hospital quickly!”

Jieun’s heart skipped a beat. Without wasting a second, she stood up and hurried towards the classroom.

She saw one of her students lying unconscious on the floor, surrounded by panicked classmates. Her heart clenched in worry.

“Let’s not waste time! We need to get them to the hospital now!” she said urgently.

One of the male teachers quickly offered his car, and Jieun, along with a few staff members, carefully carried the student and rushed to the hospital.

As the car sped towards the hospital, Jieun held the child’s hand tightly, whispering, “You’re going to be okay. Just hold on a little longer.”

Jieun and the other teachers rushed the unconscious child into the hospital. As soon as they arrived, Jieun quickly called the child’s parents. The principal had also come, looking concerned.

The principal turned to Jieun. “How did this happen?”

Before Jieun could respond, another teacher spoke up. “The children were playing outside in the sun for too long. Jieun Ma’am let them stay out for a while, so maybe the heat caused this.”

Jieun felt a sting in her heart at the accusation, but she stayed silent. She knew defending herself now wouldn’t help.

Meanwhile, in the same hospital, Seo Jin was busy with his work. He had no idea Jieun was there.

As he walked past the emergency area, he saw Jieun from a distance. Something about her felt familiar, but he couldn’t recognize her immediately. Curious, he asked a nurse, “Who are they?”

The nurse replied, “A schoolteacher brought in a student who fainted in class.”

Seo Jin nodded and was about to walk away when a commotion broke out.

The child’s parents had arrived, panic and anger written all over their faces. “My child was fine this morning! How did this happen?” the mother demanded.

A teacher quickly responded, “Maybe it was because of too much playing. We’re sorry—we take full responsibility.”

The mother’s eyes darkened. “Who was responsible for my child?”

Jieun hesitated before stepping forward. “I was.”

Before she could say anything else, the child’s mother suddenly raised her hand and slapped Jieun across the face.

A shocked silence fell over the room.

Seo Jin, who had been watching from a distance, immediately stepped forward. His voice was sharp. “What’s going on here? Why is there a scene in the hospital?”

Jieun turned in shock. She hadn’t expected to see Seo Jin here, of all places.

The child’s parents turned to him, still furious. “My child fainted because of this teacher!” the mother accused.

Seo Jin frowned. “Let’s check the facts before blaming anyone. Nurse, bring me the test results.”

The nurse handed him the report, and he quickly scanned through it.

After a moment, he looked up and said firmly, “The teacher is not at fault.”

The room fell silent.

Seo Jin continued, “The report shows that your child is weak due to a lack of proper nutrients and low blood levels. This didn’t happen because of playing in the sun. This happened because your child hasn’t been eating properly.”

The mother’s face paled. She suddenly remembered that her child had been eating very little for the past few days.

Seo Jin crossed his arms. “Instead of blaming the teacher, you should be asking yourself—have you been giving your child proper meals?”

The mother looked down, embarrassed. She hesitated before mumbling, “I… I didn’t know…”

Seo Jin’s voice softened just a little. “Now that you do, you should apologize to the teacher.”

Jieun stood there, still processing everything. She hadn’t expected Seo Jin to step in like this.

The mother finally turned to Jieun and whispered, “I’m… I’m sorry.”

Jieun simply nodded, not sure how to respond.

Seo Jin glanced at Jieun, his expression unreadable. “Are you okay?”

Jieun met his gaze and nodded slowly. “I’m fine…”

But deep down, her heart was racing—not just because of the situation, but because of Seo Jin’s unexpected presence in her life once again.

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