Chapter 091: Aftermath

Yumi looked at her own hands and then sat on the bed in a daze.

The situation was getting worse and worse.

Just when her relationship with Jihoon had started to improve, it had unexpectedly regressed to square one—and it seemed even more severe than before.

This was the first time Yumi had hit Jihoon, and she had hit him quite hard.

After thinking for a while, Yumi slowly got out of bed and walked toward Jihoon’s bedroom.

She hesitated for a moment outside his door, then took a few deep breaths and prepared to open it.

After all, Jihoon was still a child, and that slap must have caused him significant physical and emotional harm.

Click…

Yumi pressed down on Jihoon’s door handle, but the door didn’t open.

Jihoon had actually locked himself in.

It was important to note that Jihoon had never had the habit of locking his door before when he slept.

Yumi stood outside the door, momentarily stunned—this was a situation she hadn’t anticipated.

Knock, knock, knock…

Yumi rapped on the door, but there was no response from inside.

Knock, knock, knock…

She knocked a few more times, but still, there was no answer.

On the surveillance feed, I could see Jihoon burying his head under the blankets, unwilling to hear the noise outside.

I couldn’t see his expression, but I could see the blankets trembling slightly.

It seemed Jihoon might be crying. After all, he was still just a child.

After knocking a few times with no response, Yumi realized Jihoon probably needed some time to cool off.

She turned and went back to her own bedroom.

Lying in bed, Yumi tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She lay there with her eyes open one moment and closed the next, sighing heavily, consumed by worry and bitterness.

The current situation had truly left her at a loss.

On the other side, Jihoon, finally hearing that the knocking had stopped, emerged from under the covers to breathe some fresh air.

I could see tears glistening on his face—he had really been crying, crying bitterly.

Perhaps if someone else had hit him, he would only have felt anger, but being struck by Yumi made him utterly heartbroken, as if he had been abandoned by the person he loved most.

The sting on his face was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

The night felt endlessly long.

Neither Yumi nor Jihoon got much sleep.

By morning, Yumi got up with dark circles under her eyes and began preparing breakfast.

After finishing, she glanced at the time and realized it was already past Jihoon’s usual waking hour.

She placed the breakfast on the table, walked to Jihoon’s door, and let out a sigh.

Knock, knock, knock…

Yumi knocked on the door again.

At this moment, Jihoon was lying on his bed, awake but not yet up.

Hearing the knocking, he glanced indifferently at the door before turning back to stare at the ceiling, lost in thought.

“Jihoon, get up. You’ll be late for school…”

After knocking several times, Yumi finally spoke through the door.

Yumi was a very punctual person—she always planned ahead and was never late for anything.

Seeing the time slipping away, she grew increasingly anxious, which was why she finally broke her silence and spoke to Jihoon while knocking.

But even after she spoke, there was no response from inside the room.

“Jihoon, did you hear me? What are you doing? Come out and eat now…you need to go to school!”

Yumi’s voice was now filled with urgency and a hint of anger. Jihoon’s behavior was infuriating her.

Didn’t he realize what time it was? He was going to be late for school.

“Jihoon, you…”

Yumi’s anxiety was now mixed with fear.

Could it be that Jihoon, in his distress, had done something drastic in his room?

He was still young, his mind not yet fully mature. If he couldn’t see past his grievances, it wasn’t impossible for him to harm himself.

Knock, knock, knock…

“Jihoon, are you even in there? Say something!”

Yumi’s knocking grew louder, and her voice rose, trembling with emotion.

The door shook under her forceful knocking, a clear reflection of her panic and desperation.

“I’m not going to school… Stop bothering me…”

Just then, Jihoon, likely irritated by Yumi’s persistent knocking—he could even feel the vibrations through his bed—shouted back impatiently.

“Why aren’t you going to school? Are you trying to drive me crazy? Get out here now! Did you hear me?”

Hearing that Jihoon was okay, Yumi felt a wave of relief, but her fear was quickly replaced by anger…even fiercer anger than before.

Yumi was on the verge of losing her mind.

It was already past time to leave, and if they didn’t go now, they would definitely be late.

It was worth noting that Yumi had never been negligent in her work, let alone been late.

Now, standing outside Jihoon’s door, she stomped her foot in frustration.

But with the door still locked, there was nothing she could do.

This was partly because Yumi didn’t know how to handle it.

If I were home, I could have used a flathead screwdriver to unlock the door from the outside.

Doors are designed with either a keyhole or an external screw cap for emergencies, allowing them to be opened from the outside without damaging the door or lock.

But Yumi was unaware of this.

“I’m only going to say this one more time… get out here now!”

Finally, Yumi could take no more.

She tossed her hair back and spoke through gritted teeth, her voice sharp and commanding.

Jihoon had initially felt a softening in his heart and was about to get up, but upon hearing her words, his stubbornness flared up again.

He lay back down, pulled the covers over his head, and retreated into his own world.

For the next while, no matter how much Yumi pleaded or argued, Jihoon remained unmoved.

In the end, Yumi had no choice but to give up… it was already too late, and they were officially late.

Reluctantly, she called the school administration to ask for leave, explaining that her child was sick and needed to go to the hospital for a check-up.

Then she called a fellow teacher to ask them to cover her classes for the day.

After making the calls, Yumi stormed over to the dining table and sat down.