Remember 1999

Chapter 4 - The Clubs

Hyun Bin watched as Son Ye Jin demonstrated to her students how to kick the soccer ball properly. She had always been good at that sport. She stood on the center and kicked the ball right in the direction of the net.

"Goal!"

Startled by the yell, he glanced at his side immediately. He was alarmed for a moment, as if he was caught doing something bad. He saw a young man smiling, staring at the field too. The round eyeglass he wore made him look geeky.

"Oh! Sorry to surprise you. I am Lee Si Wan, a new Mathematics teacher here."

He offered his hand for a handshake and Bin accepted.

"Miss Oh told me to tell you about the gathering after class. She wants to make sure that you'll come."

Even though Bin wanted to refuse, he couldn't find a reason to turn down the invitation. They gathered at a barbecue restaurant after classes. He and Si Wan were the first to arrive, then other teachers followed after several minutes. Most of them started to dig in even though the gathering had not yet started.

"Aren't you hungry yet?"

Bin was busy checking the faces of those who had just arrived when Si Wan whispered next to him. Ye Seul, who was in front of him, also checked on his undisturbed plate.

He did not answer.

"Oh! I think we're already complete. Let's open the wine now," Miss Oh said. She gladly opened the wine which made a sizzling sound and one by one the teacher lifted their cups for their ample share.

On the other hand, Bin was wondering why she said that they were already complete.

"Excuse me, but Son Ye Jin-ssi is not here yet."

Everyone stopped and stared at Bin. Si Wan shushed him and whispered to him.

"Ye Jin-ssi doesn't attend faculty gatherings."

Bin looked at him inquisitively and he just gave him a shrug. They were surprised when Miss Oh pounded the bottle of wine on the table.

"That proud lady! Since she's a shareholder in the school, she looks at us in a very demeaning way."

"What? She's a shareholder?" Si Wan asked surprisingly, others were surprised as well. Miss Oh slapped her mouth from slipping a secret she had held with insecurity. While everyone was taken aback, Ye Seul spoke:

"I guess that's why she's too full of herself. Being a shareholder doesn't make her different from us. Even though it makes her... a pa-part owner... of the school," she mumbled.

Only Bin wasn't surprised at all.

"But, I wonder if someone invited her for today's gathering," someone said.

Everyone looked at each other.

"We didn't mind asking her because she had always turned down before, right?" A Values teacher beside Ye Seul said and everyone agreed.

"Ah! Let's forget about her and be happy tonight," said one teacher and they all lifted their glasses again.

They call it a night when Miss Oh left around nine.

"Wah! I didn't know Teacher Ye Jin is a shareholder of the school. I shouldn't have listened to them when they said not to bother inviting her," Si Wan said to Bin.

They were on their way home. When Si Wan found out that their residences were close, he insisted on walking together. Now, he was pouring out his regrets over not knowing Ye Jin.

"But actually, I've been really nice to her since I came here. Even though she's a little snob and snotty, she has been helpful to me. She is just someone who is very hard to approach."