WARNING: this chapter covers sexual harassment. It is mostly kept implied and undetailed. It is quite safe to read (really, don't forget I'm a big Teddy bear girl), but I wanted to be careful.

PS: Which novel would you recommend me to read? (out of ff)

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Rosé's POV:

  Weeks passed quickly without me noticing. Jisoo and I had kept texting each other regularly, building together a comfortable friendship. At her request, I did not try anything with her (even though I sometimes had to fight myself to not kiss her).

"Miss Park?"

  I lifted my head up at the call, all of my students also staring at the door. The director was standing right there, arms crossed on his chest, and his mouth twisted in a horrible smile. It sent a shiver down my spine, as I was never comfortable with the man.

"I need to talk to you for a minute," He continued.

  Jiwon, to whom I was explaining an exercise before being interrupted, looked at me with curiosity.

"Keep studying, I will be back in a few. Yoona, you are in charge of the class," I said before walking out of the room.

  Mr Yin closed the door behind me and I felt uneasy, almost cornered.

"What did you want to talk about, sir?"

"Mmm... actually, it is about several things. I was going through the employees' files, today. And I found out that you didn't put any emergency contact, in case something happened."

  I tried to look anywhere but at the director, feeling his filthy breath on my cheek. He was way too close, invading my personal space. Why did he check my file? I knew for sure it was not his duty, but miss Kang's.

"I will go and fix that matter with the administration as soon as the classes end, thanks for telling me," I bowed.

"You know, it's fine if a foreign woman like you doesn't have any relatives yet. You can as well put my number; I support my employees. And about that other thing, I wanted to warn you about..."

  He got closer and I took a step back, feeling oppressed.

"Teachers, here, should be decently dressed. Watch over your skirt's length, as some men cannot control themselves."

  I nodded, absolutely frightened.

  Mr Yin left, a smirk plastered on his face as if he was satisfied by our dialogue. Uneasy, my mind blank, I reached for the class's door and pulled it open, making my way inside.

'What just happened?' I questioned myself.

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Jisoo's POV:

"Now that you earn your own money, I want to stop paying pensions to your kids," Seung-Chul said boringly.

"No. You can't just walk away from your obligations as their father. Our children deserve better."

"I don't recognize them as mine," my ex-husband spat angrily. "In fact, they don't even look like me. I should ask for a DNA test."

  Annoyed, I got up and slammed my hands on the table.

"You are the one who had an affair, Seung-Chul! Don't even try to accuse me of such a thing."

  My lawyer pulled me back on my seat, soothing me with a tap on the shoulder.

"If you renounce to your rights on them, we will accept your demand. Anyway, as you clearly stated it, you are not willing to be their father."

"Where do I need to sign?" He laughed exaggeratedly.

  Furious, I witnessed him signing the papers that would cut all strings between us. When he had to fill the spaces with our children's names, his pen stopped in the air, hesitating.I spelt Jiwon's and Eojin's names for him, tears of anger brimming from my eyes. It was unreal how little he knew about them.

  Once the papers were done, I stood up and stormed out of the office, not even waiting for my lawyer. Seung-Chul's behaviour was indecent; my babies deserved better than rejection and hatred, and the only fact that they might suffer from this situation (especially Jiwon) made me tear up.

'At least, now, he is definitely out of our lives...' I thought.

  I dialled my sister's number, and the latter answered after a few rings.

"How did it go?" Jennie asked, going straight to the point.

"It depends on the point of view. Seung-Chul gave up on his parental rights."

"It's good news. Don't let yourself be blinded by your anger. I know that you feel like your children deserve more respect, but they also deserve a fresh start in their lives."

"Jiwon will have a hard time, again. She already had low self-esteem since her father left. Now that she doesn't have any, I fear the worst."

"How is she doing at school? Is your crush making any progress with her?"

  Quietly smiling at the mere thought of Rosé, I walked to my car and opened the door before replying:

"Jiwon's grades have improved, as well as her moods. Her previous teacher used to put her on the back burner, thinking she was a bad student, but Rosé is completely different."

"I should definitely meet her. Can I pick up Jiwon, today? I would like to spend some quality time with my niece, and maybe see this sexy Aussie."

  I took a look at my watch.

"Okay, but hurry."

  Jennie hung up, and I buckled my seatbelt before starting the car. Maybe I could use this free time to do some groceries.

  I always hated shopping (except for books), so it was no surprise that as soon as I stepped inside the nearest supermarket, I wanted to go back outside. My phone vibrated inside my pocket and I checked my notifications, feeling all sorts of thrills and bubbles inside me when Rosé's name appeared on the screen. Surprisingly, my baby sis also texted me.

Rosé: A woman says she is here to pick up Jiwon. I just wanted your confirmation.

Jendeukie: Date her already.

  Chuckling, I sent a laughing emoji to my sister, before assuring Chaeyoung that everything was okay.

  The Aussie was thoughtful and patient, no wonder she made a great teacher.

Jendeukie: The director interrupted us, and I had to leave them alone to discuss. See you tonight.

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Rosé's POV:

  I woke up suddenly, sweating and shaking in fear. My trembling hand grabbed a box of medicine I kept on my bedside table, and I engulfed a pill without water.

  I felt the little capsule slide down my throat in an irritating manner and stood up, my weak legs hardly supporting my weight. The last few weeks have been exhausting and stressful; Lisa was on a mission for the UN thousands of miles away, and I could barely contact her to talk to her about my worries.

  M. Yin was pushing me to my limits. I was alone, vulnerable in a country I did not know enough, and he knew it. Each day began with the apprehension of the evening when my students left, and he would corner me inside my class.

  And...

  Taking a big gulp of water, I tried to erase him from my thoughts, without success.

  I almost filed a complaint, but he silenced me without any difficulty. He was a powerful man; powerful enough to destroy my life, apparently. I had no proof of his harassment, and couldn't get any either.

  Each passing day, I became weaker and more enslaved. I hated myself for that. Nightmares, insomnia... my mind became both a trap and a refuge from his touching, from...

  Shaken off my thoughts by the ringing sound of my alarm clock, I tiredly hit its button and sighed deeply. Having knots in my stomach at the prospect of seeing my boss, I did not feel like eating and directly headed to the bathroom.

  Once I stepped inside the bathtub, I let the warm water relax my muscles and wash away my sweat, trying to come up with a way of getting ride of M. Yin. Would my family help me, even after everything that happened..?

  As soon as I was ready for the day, I went to work by bus. My head was spinning, and my skin livid because of the lack of sleep. People glared at me sideways in the street; surely I looked awful.

  Minutes later, I was in my class preparing activities for the day when Irene surprised me. She withdrew her hand from my arm, frowning.

"I was calling you. Didn't you hear me?"

"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts," I said, bowing. "Did you need anything?"

"Just wanted to tell you that... Wait, are you okay? You seem... exhausted!" She asked in worry.

"Good morning Miss Park!" A little voice exclaimed from the door.

  Jiwon entered the class, smiling.

"Good morning," I greeted her and glanced at the door, hoping to see Jisoo.

  But instead of the latter, an elderly woman waved in my direction before leaving. My chest felt heavier, suddenly. Irene went back to her occupations and students started filling my class slowly. Tired, barely standing, I watched the children study diligently.

"Miss Park?"

My body ached, my eyes were barely open.

"Miss Park!"

I should have stayed at home and called sick for the day. But those nightmares, again...

"MISS PARK!!!" a few voices screamed before everything went black.

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Jisoo's POV:

"How was your day, sweetie?" I asked Jiwon when she and my mom passed the door.

  The little girl didn't respond and ran off to her room. Worried, I cast a look at my mother and watched her shake her head.

"She didn't say a word since I fetched her."

"Did you ask Miss Park if something happened at school?"

"Jiwon was already waiting in the hall, so I didn't have the occasion."

  Nodding, I kissed her goodbye and turned off the stove in the kitchen, before heading to the children's bedroom. I knocked softly at the door, not wanting to startle Jiwon or Eojin, who was napping.

"Honey, dinner is ready. Come out, please."

  Since she didn't answer, I entered the room and saw the little girl sat beside her brother's bed, playing with his hands.

"Are you okay?"

  Jiwon lifted her head up but said nothing, her tender eyes shining in the half-light. Standing up, she just quietly followed me to the kitchen and washed her hands, before settling on a chair. I filled her plate with rice and vegetables, carefully watching her every expression.

  The TV was playing in the background, but I did not pay attention to the news, entirely focused on my daughter.

"Did you have a bad grade or get scolded?" I asked caressing her hair.

  She shook her head negatively.

"Did a classmate bother you?"

  The answer was no, again. After a while Jiwon shrugged, looking straight ahead of her.

"Miss Park fainted, today."

* * *

"Answer, answer, answer," I muttered, my leg bouncing up and down.

  But again, Rosé's voicemail played and I hung up. Jiwon was in her pyjamas, cuddled against me on the couch. She was hugging a Teddy bear: a Christmas gift from Jennie.

  Desperate, I went on the Internet and looked for different hospitals. Picking the facility situated the closest to Jiwon's school, I typed their phone number, wondering if they sent Rosé home or kept her in observations.

"Seoul 장미색 clinic, what can I do for you?"

"One of my friends fainted today, and I wanted to know if she was sent at your hospital. Her name is Park Chaeyoung, 27 years old, a teacher at 일출 school."

"Wait a minute, please. Yes, she was admitted today. We tried to reach her emergency contact without success."

"It must be Lalisa Manoban, but she is abroad, right now. Is Chaeyoung out already?"

"An ambulance man drove her home already since nobody came to fetch her."

"Okay, thank you so much," I said then hung up.

  At this very moment, Jennie walked inside my apartment, holding an overnight bag. I thanked her for coming then started dressing up.

"Eomma, where are you going?" Jiwon asked hugging my leg.

"I'm going to see if Miss Park is okay. It's late, so you go to sleep now and auntie will take care of you, okay?"

"Okay. Drive safely," She said cutely.

  I kissed the top of her head then hugged my sister.

"Thank you for coming, even if it's late."

"It's 8 pm, how can you call that 'late'?"

  I chuckled and grabbed my keys, rushing out of the apartment. Since Jiwon told me everything that happened, I couldn't help but think about how the Aussie was feeling, and if she had at least someone to take care of her.

  It did not take me more than a quarter of an hour to get to her apartment. I had memorized her address when I had driven her home the week before when a strike action blocked public transports.

  Not knowing the password to access the lobby, I looked through the series of names on the wall. Once I spotted Rose's best friend's, Manoban, I pressed the bell button several times but nobody answered.

  Thankfully, a resident was walking out of the building, and I took the opportunity to sneak inside. It was less modest than I had imagined, but Rosé had already explained to me that Lisa made a good living as a photographer.

  An envelope was partly out of their mailbox, so I used it to get the apartment's number and directly used the elevator. Once facing the right door, I knocked loud enough and waited, alarmed by the quietness of the place.

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Rosé's POV:

  Shaken off my thoughts by the incessant pounding of someone's fist on my door, I stood up and opened the latter, surprised to see Jisoo standing in the corridor.

"What are you doing here?" I wanted to say, but my throat tried to close and my voice broke.

  The Raven made her way inside my apartment, and I felt vulnerable under her worried look. She gazed at me before pulling me into her warm embrace, her face hiding in the crook of my neck. My arms fell on her thin waist, and I let myself be overwhelmed by the wave of sensations that her touch brought me.

  I did not get the chance to hold her against me for ages, so I did not move even a bit. Burying my nose in her silky hair, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. After a few moments, Jisoo parted away and cradled my face between her hands.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

  Before I could answer her, my legs gave way under my weight and Jisoo caught me in extremis. With my muttered indication, she helped me get back to bed, then checked my temperature by putting her hand on my forehead.

"You look extremely pale. Did you eat something since this morning?"

  I shook my head negatively and focused on her eyes, trying to stay awake. She noticed it and gently laid me on the bed. Alas, fatigue being stronger than me, I dozed off to finally wake up at Jisoo's touch.

   Her soft fingertips grazed on my cheek, slowly tearing me off my slumber.

"I brought you soup and sandwiches. Do you need to change your bandage or take medicine?" She glanced at the compress on my forehead.

  When I fainted, my head hit the ground pretty hard, but it was nothing serious.

"Do you mind telling me what happened?" Jisoo asked while I was eating.

"Not enough sleep," I summarized with a hoarse voice. "Thank you for the meal, it is delicious. You are a great cook!"

"You think that everything is delicious."

"Except avocados."

  She chuckled and took my hand in hers.

"Jiwon was genuinely concerned about you."

"Your daughter is the sweetest, and she reminds me so much of you. I wonder why I did not notice right away the resemblance; you look so much alike, especially your facial expressions."

"What facial expressions?" She frowned.

"This one, for example," I chuckled and eased her eyebrows with my thumbs.

  Jisoo turned red, and I kept my palms on her cheeks. We stared at each other for a moment until the bell of my apartment broke the silence.

"Who can it be?"

"I will go, stay in bed."

  The Raven then stood up and walked out of my bedroom. It was incredible how such a short amount of time with her made me forget all my problems. Sadly, those were never far away.

"Can I help you?" I heard Jisoo's voice.

"Hum, I think I am at the wrong place."

  My eyes widened, and with a sudden movement, I rejected my covers and somehow rushed towards the entry. Out of breath and my head already spinning, I watched as M. Yin was standing in the hallway.

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(A/N): I am against violence...

...but if you want, we can beat him with a broom, a ladle, or any object with a stick shape.