The Secret Curse
Evidently, Hana Yoon was a typical traditionalist since she had always been an organized person. She led a well-orderly life, right from her personal morning jogging to her quiet sipping of chamomile tea at night. They ate their meals mechanically, carried out their assignments at precise times of the day, and knew one schedule was all she treasured. Before the events of the story, Hana is a responsible English teacher teaching at a certain high school. Introducing a single aspect that she never planned on sharing with anyone else poses the threat of overturning everything she has come to know.
She was cursed.
It wasn’t in the literal sense of the word—no witches, no casting a spell with a black cat at midnight. But it was something far different, something that had been passed down through all the women in her family. The curse was simple yet baffling: HSV: if Hana ever got intimate with anyone, the level of a kiss on the lips would transform her into a dog.
No, of course, not forever, but for 24 hours and counting. The change was always the same; she turned into a white Samoyed that had bright, shining eyes and a wagging white tail. But as cute as that sounds, it was rather hellish for a person like Hana, who hated to let go of such structure and order that she pined for often.
In a bid not to end up like this, Hana purposefully avoided any chances of having romantic relationships. She knew how to avoid dates and reject confessions fluently without hurting the feelings of a man. However, it was isolation, and despite all her loathing for it, she had a craving for something or someone she could not obtain.
As usual, today was just a typical working day. It was such a bright day, and all the cherry blossoms on the trees were out, and Hana was going to school with many ideas on what she wanted to teach her learners today. But the moment she crossed the school gate, she saw something she had not seen before. The students were in small groups of three and four and whispering to one another, looking in the direction of the parking lot.
Wonders filled, Hana turned her sight in the direction they were looking, and she was able to see a shiny black car parking in the lot. Out came a man from the car, as if he had just come off the pages of a fashion magazine. He was inconspicuously a dashingly handsome man, notwithstanding his height; the cuts on his face, such as the jaw line, were perfectly done’.
Hana recognized him instantly. It was Jin Seon-woo, their new math teacher, who transferred to their school a few weeks prior at the beginning of the semester. It was said that he had graduated from Seoul National University as class number one; he is intelligent, and besides, within a short span of time, he came to be noted for speaking in English, even for his looks as well.
Seon-woo looked around, his face, as always, inscrutable. He then started walking towards the main construction. He glanced at Hana and their eyes locked for a second. He had understood and nodded, to which Hana smiled and nodded back as well.
She had listened to the students’ gossip about him and how he was cold and difficult to talk to but Hana had always paid no attention to the gossip. On the other hand, there was something in him which, against all odds, called her attention. He was a mystery and a mystery to someone like Hana, who required organization and order, was always both fascinating and unsettling.
All day, Hana realised that she was thinking about Seon-woo far too much for her liking. She scolded herself for getting side-tracked; she had other issues to deal with than engage in school rumors. But the more this woman tried to expel this man from her thoughts, the more he stuck around.
That evening, once all the pupils have left the school premises, Hana was left in the teachers’ lounge to grade papers. She was just about done with her previous task when she heard the door open and saw Seon-woo carting a pile of textbooks into the room.
“Good evening” was his only reply, and he had a composed, deep tone to his voice.
“Hello,” Hana answered, forcing herself to sound more polite than annoyed.
Seon-woo placed the books down on the table and looked at the papers arranged in front of her. "Oh, still working? how hardworking you are. ”
Hana just smiled and shrugged her shoulders, ‘I didn’t say anything,’ she said. "Oh, just attempting to keep up. ”
For a moment, no words pierced the air and Hana was able to sense Seon-woo’s stare as if he were sizing her up. It made her feel rather embarrassed, and this was not something that she was familiar with.
“You are Ms. Yoon, the English teacher, aren’t you?” he came up with a question that brought silence to an end.
'Well, that is correct,’ Hana looking up at him, said. “And this is Mr. Jin, our new math teacher. ”
Seon-woo nodded his head, implying to her that all was well and he was pleased, although his face was still rather stern. “I have heard a lot about you; the students believe a lot in you, that is why they like you. ”
Hana laughed softly. “They are a pleasant team, especially because while they are very productive, they can be hyper active at times. ”
Seon-woo smiled—a real pleasure, almost a delight, which totally toned down his severity. “It is my first time here and maybe that is why I’m finding it hard to grasp what you are saying but I guess now I’m getting the hang of it. ”
They stayed on talking for a while and much to Hana’s surprise, the conversation was smoother than it was with Eitan. But getting to know Seon-woo, he was nothing like she had expected him to be and there was a certain tenderness to him despite his chilling demeanor.
During this conversation, Hana could not understand why she did not get a feeling of meeting a stranger for the first time, as, in fact, she met him only one day ago. A concept she did not encounter for quite some time was the feeling that hit her rather unawarely.
However, by evening, when they had to leave each other’s company, Hana remembered the curse that traditionally and genetically placed her. Though the woman could now feel familiar with Seon-woo , she could not allow herself to be too relaxed all the time. No, not with him nor indeed with any other person.
Because for Hana Yoon, a single kiss meant that a good day turned into a dog’s day, as it is mentioned in the text. And that was something she could not afford to do.
Thus, with the smell of flowers in bloom carried by the wind and walking home in the light of the streetlights, Hana could not escape the feeling that her orchestrated life was about to suddenly change. She just didn’t know how or when.
And with Jin Seon-woo now in the picture, it seemed almost anything was possible.
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