A/N: Welcome to a new week, everyone! I had a lot of fun with this chapter and I hope it shows. I don't know how many of you guys laugh while reading my story, but I think I'm hilarious. On another note, if I was going to do a re-write for this story, I'd definitely introduce that Yeong In is an English teacher early on and have her say a few English phrases. Oh well. This is why published books go through SO MANY rewrites. Also, does anyone care if I use timely pop culture? What I mean is: I've spent a LOT of time making sure my references are only to things that existed during or before 2012 and early 2013 because that's when this drama aired... that being said, I've already made a lot of changes to the timeline in a way that almost de-canonizes it... So, can I use current movies and music? It's gotten to the point where I have 3 wiki discography tabs open and one "when what movies aired in South Korea" tab. Idk. We'll see. Lastly, sorry if Young Do seems a little... I've been playing a few otome games because I've realized I'm terrible at actually writing romance stories. Considering we're on chapter 35 and there hasn't been a whole lot of it... I promise to try to change that.

Chapter 35

Yeong In jumped from her seat. "What are you saying? I was under the impression you requested me for this interview!"

Principal Yang sat back in her seat, her fingers interlocked in front of her. "That would be our director's doing. He has given strict instructions to hire you at all cost, so you see the bind I'm in. I have no intention of hiring you and if you don't decline our 'offer', I will fire you over any technicality I can find. Please, stop wasting my time and submit a formal rejection letter."

Yeong In glowered at the woman for a moment, her insides on fire with anger at her accusations, but also with guilt because, no matter how she looked at it, she really had sin against teachers by falling in love with a student. Principal Yang met her gaze briefly, but turned her attention to a pile of papers on her desk. A thought occurred to Yeong In. "Thank you, for being honest with me," she said, sitting back down in her chair and smoothing her skirt. Principal Yang looked up at her with raised eyebrows. "I have been sick with worry that I'll have to suffer through schmoozers just because of my name and background - one that I've only just acquired. I'm not used to this burden. It's been almost a year since I've graduated and I've only been able to substitute teach a handful of times; one of which was only for a few days where I met my husband and for whom I did not develop romantic feelings for until well after I had left the school." Principal Yang opened her mouth, but Yeong In continued, "However, I will admit that it was still not appropriate, but I can assure you that even if you followed me around with a magnifying glass, you would not find any transgressions of that nature while I teach at your school."

"Are you saying you refuse to reject our offer?" She stared at Yeong In with pursed lips.

Yeong In smiled nervously, but a growing confidence ascended from with her. "Yes, Principal Yang, that's exactly what I'm saying. Now, it is my understanding that you need an English teacher for the summer make-up classes."

"Yes."

"I would like to take a look at that curriculum as soon as possible, but I can begin work as soon as tomorrow."

Yeong In stood from her chair again, but with more grace this time. Principal Yang sat, temporarily stunned, but hastily stood as well. "Why are you accepting? You must know I won't make things easy for you simply because you have guts or arrogance - I can't tell which."

She smiled. "I'm going to count on it . . . because I want the chance to prove that I am more than just my name."

OooO

"You said that?" Young Do exclaimed, choking slightly on his rice omelet. He hadn't expected her to adjust to the attention - good and bad - so quickly, but it looked like he'd worried for nothing.

"I did. And then I told her it was because I wanted to prove I'm more than my name." Yeong In mumbled, blushing lightly.

"Aigoo! Look at the teacher taking advice from the student!" He reached across the coffee table where they were dining to punch her cheek.

She lightly pushed his hand away. "Don't call us that! I feel bad enough about it as it is."

Young Do took another bite. "Why, it's not like we hooked up between classes or anything."

"We didn't 'hook up' at all."

Young Do dropped his spoon. "Horl. I'm married, but I still can't sleep with anyone." Yeong In's surprised face reddened to the shade Young Do thought his own face probably had. He really hadn't meant to say that outloud . . . he hadn't really thought about it until just then.

"Did you just realize that? I think I made that very clear when you first brought up this whole mess." Yeong In stared at him intently and he schooled his expression.

"Of course I knew, I just didn't realize what it actually meant until just now." He forced a playful inflection and quickly stuffed his mouth with rice.

Yeong In moved her food around on her plate, but was silent for several long, awkward moments. "Well," she mumbled, "It's only for two years, but I suppose if you happened to find someone you really loved in that time we could talk abou-"

"No." He interrupted. "We may not have married for love, but I will not treat you like my Abonim. We made a commitment and I consider it to be just as important as if we had sworn our love." And he did. He didn't quite know what he felt for Yeong In, but the thought of being with someone else while he called her his wife made him gag.

"Okay." Yeong In said softly, turning her head to hide her swiping at her eyes. He pretended not to know and tried to enjoy the rest of his now tasteless dinner. She sniffed and turned back to him. "So, I've told you about my day. What about yours? What exciting ventures is the management team in charge of?"

"Exciting, perhaps to some." He told her about his first day at the office. Or, how his first day could have been. He didn't tell her that his team leader tiptoed around him all day or that he'd been sentenced to an office chair for half the day until he demanded to have some more important jobs. Instead he told her he'd been able to bring up the acquisitions paperwork he'd brushed up on the night before or all the overtime being recorded for some of the entry-level staff.

After a while, Yeong In sighed and sat back against the couch. "I'm so glad that wasn't soup. If I never eat soup again, it'll be too soon."

Young Do chuckled. "Now that you have something in your stomach, want to try eating my last piece of kimchi?"

She sat up immediately and leaned forward toward the piece Young Do held out to her, snatching up like a great sea creature. She sat back and chewed slowly, her face beaming with agonizing pleasure. He laughed, but worried just the same. "I hope that doesn't hurt your stomach."

She shooed him off with her hand. "Shh, I'm enjoying. I'll think later."

"Alright." He picked up both their empty dishes and left the warm safety of their room to put them in the kitchen. When he returned, Yeong In had wasted no time in covering the coffee table he'd just cleared with binders and stacks of paperwork. She was pulling out her old laptop when he lounged on the couch behind her. "Would you like a better one?"

She turned back to him. "What's wrong with this one?"

"Well, it takes forever to turn on and the battery is terrible." As if to prove him right, as soon as it finally loaded the screen, a low-battery warning window popped up.

She sighed. "I would say yes, but I know you'll actually get me one, but I've seen some of the newer models and they confuse me. I like this one; I know how to use it and I know how to work around all its inadequacies." She pulled the charging cable from her bag and crammed it under the couch toward the outlet. He watched her expressive face as she reached, grateful his device hid his smile. He chuckled at her look of triumph as she extracted her arm from the couch and untangled the cord only to have her computer shut off right before she could plug it in.

"What?" she asked a little bitterly. He simply shook his head, frowning in an effort to stop his smile, and went back to reading through the complaint emails for May - the task he'd been assigned once he'd complained. At first he was upset at it obviously being busy-work, but after reading a few, he realized it was an excellent place to begin if he wanted to make Zeus Hotel Group function better.

At some point, he must have fallen asleep because he woke to a dark room, a blanket over him, and his tablet on the cleared coffee table. He got up, stretched, rubbed at his sore muscles, and wandered over to the bed. Yeong In was already asleep and there was a large body-pillow between her and his side of the bed. He couldn't recall asking Driver Yoon for one, but he pulled out his phone and typed out a reminder to hire a secretary and give Driver Yoon a raise. He'd been everything his father had promised and more.

He changed clothes and climbed wearily into bed. He rolled and twisted up in his blanket, getting comfortable and happened to see over the pillow separating them that Yeong In was dead asleep. He wiggled some more, bouncing on the mattress. Not even a flinch. A stray piece of hair fell into her face and he waited, thinking that surely she would move to brush it out of her face.

She didn't. He waited. Finally, his eyes began to droop and he reached over to push her hair back into place. He didn't expect her skin to be so soft and warm. Or her face, which had been so expressive earlier, to be so peaceful in sleep. He pulled away when he realized his fingers had lingered too long. He shook his head and rubbed the blush from his face. He was only reacting this way because they'd been with each other so much lately. It was as simple as that. The only crush he'd ever had was Cha Eun Sang, and he felt differently this time. There wasn't nearly enough anxiety or fear that she wouldn't be friends with him or pick up his phone calls.

Not that he really texted her all that often . . . but they'd only been apart one day. He rolled over and fluffed his pillow, hoping to turn his thoughts over to sleep as well. There was movement next to him and he stilled. Of all the times he'd tried to disturb her, why was it only when he'd decided to go to sleep. He craned his neck slightly to see if she'd woken up, but there was a tangled mess of brown hair where her face had been. She groaned and shifted again and he briefly wondered if her abdomen still hurt. A the soft, squeaky toot peeped through the blankets and then all was still.

Involuntarily, giggles bubbled up inside him and he tried his best to contain them with his hands over his face, but his body shook with the effort and a snort escaped through his fingers and Yeong In roused with a blurry, "What?"

Her stench wafted toward him and he retreated into the safety of his own blanket. "You farted and it smells awful! What did you eat?"

"I don't know. Next time you have your digestive system hacked to pieces and we'll see how well it works," she snapped.

"I have excellent bowels," he quipped, suddenly full of energy.

She yawned. "Really? Shall I ask Ajumma for some tomatoes tomorrow?" He was grateful she still faced away from him as his mind reeled for a reply. Before he could, however, he heard her breathing slow into a solid rhythm.

But he was still awake. With no one to tease. Well . . . that wasn't quite true. He slipped out of bed and dropped into the couch, pulling her laptop out of her bag.

Password.

The hint read "Soo In Ho." He rolled his eyes. Surely it wasn't that simple. Tomorrow he'd have to talk to her about password safety. She was going to be a teacher for crafty little urchins; she needed more security in general. He typed the first names to the children in her family and her desktop came into view. It was completely covered with icons in no discernible order or pattern and her wallpaper was of an idol group with the name Infinite across the bottom. It sounded familiar, but he didn't pay too much attention to the names of bands very often. He mostly knew the ones Myung Soo talked about.

After he was done with her computer, he crept into the bathroom to retrieve his shaving cream and a couple squares of toilet paper.