Forbidden Love

Gossip Girl

"How farther are we going to climb up?" Everyone complained for the nth time for the day.

"Just five more steps to go!" Jihyo enthusiastically says.

"But that's what you said earlier!" One complained more.

"Why wasn't there any warning that this was a strenuous activity? What if there was somebody who has asthma?" Krystal butted in, huffing.

"But there isn't, so, that's not our problem. Am I right Jung-yang?" Jihyo retorts, laughing in the inside when the female student didn't have a witty comeback.

After three more minutes of walking, they've arrived on top of the mountain where a peaceful looking shrine was located.

"Welcome to Joldeusan Martyrs' Shrine! We'll be staying here for the rest of the trip." She happily announces as they stepped inside.

Everybody started complaining again and some were just too tired to even say anything.

"What in the world?" Krystal whined, "why should we stay in a shrine? I thought we were here for a five-star hotel or something!"

"Excuse me Jung-yang, can't you see the famous fashion alley that's a huge thing for you fashion designers below? And for the ones in my photography class, up here is a ridiculously picturesque view that is to die for. And in the middle of all the havens for each class, is this peaceful shrine. What's more to ask?"

Everybody went silent, which made Jihyo continue, "and if anybody was wondering, yes, I planned the itinerary. If you don't want to be here, go ahead and start heading back home."

Nobody complained after her speech, and the head of the shrine came in a traditional dress. "Annyeonghaseyo." He greets with a bow.

Everybody from Seoul gave respect back by giving huge ninety degree bows, making the head give a small smile. "Shall we get started?"

-

Every person that came from Seoul only hours later, are now dressed in Miko attire. All of them confused on why they were dressed like that and standing on the entrance of the shrine instead of actually being inside and relaxing.

Students got surprised as their Jihyo-seosaengnim and Jongsuk-ulsanim was walking with the shrine's head, wearing Hanboks.

Some of her students suddenly saw her in a different light, liking this traditional look on her. Her hair was even styled to match the old-fashion feel.

She was laughing freely with the head and Jongsuk, before the head faced the students. "Thank you for volunteering in helping out our shrine, and thank you for Song Jihyo-yang for bringing such a lively crowd."

All of them looked at each other, wide and confused eyes which made Jihyo make another evil laugh in her head.

"There are 127 students here now, so I think that forty seven should be in the cleaning group, forty in the kitchen group and forty for the group who are going to assist the children in their mantras later on." He says, clapping as the start.

They couldn't complain any more after what their seosaengnim said earlier and was forced to do their part, nothing was free.

Jongsuk was so into talking to the shrine's head, that Jihyo didn't know how to include herself in the men's conversation. So instead of being a third wheel, she went ahead and sat down in the front where she can watch some of the cleaning people sweeping the front yard.

She was so refreshed to be back, she would be every year.

A breeze passed by and made her shiver, and then somebody suddenly pops up in front of her out of nowhere.

"Annyeong seosaengnim." Sulli, her fifth period student, greets, a broom in one of her hands and her phone on the other.

She gived out a little wave to her student.

"Is this how you get your volunteers for the shrine Jihyo-yang?" Sulli curiously asked.

"This was my first time doing it." She answers truthfully.

Sulli laughs, "I can't believe what you can do to Jongin-ssi."

Jihyo's face contorted, "what do you mean?"

And then Sulli stops sweeping to show her seosaengnim her phone, which greeted Jihyo with the same website - Gossip Girl.

It was a video of her and Jongin yesterday,

'You're going to be with us, right, seosaengnim?' She hears with his cutesy voice.

"Yaa! What is this gossip girl?!" She exclaims.

"It's hot topics by an anonimous blogger inside the school, why seosaengnim? You don't like that you're popular?" Sulli giggles.

"Pfft! Popular my ass, that's stupid! Whoever she or he is, they need to stop." She replies.

"Be careful with what you do though, you're secrets are not safe when this blogger knows who you are." Sulli warns, cringing as she remembers somebody from the past.

-

At dinner time, Kim Jongin with an injured arm sat beside his seosaengnim Jihyo which everybody was staring at.

Jongin was currently blaming Jihyo for his aching arm. He was assigned to be a mentor for the kids, and the kids were only around three to six years old. The little ones were so curious and kept poking on his arm.

It was the ordinary plain white rice and steamed fish kind of meal, which annoyed the rich students.

"Why are we being fed with such tasteless food?" Krystal's voice can be heard again, she was on the other side of Jongin.

"Here ine this shrine, one comes to reconnect with ones self, and eating said tasteless food is one way." The head calmly explained.

"That's bullsh-"

"Jebal, this is a secred place. Respect it." The head said in a more firm voice.

"Okay, if you want respect, why doesn't she do anything and we do all this... these slave chores!" She huffed, pointing to Jihyo, "huh? How can we respect you if you show such favoritism? When she gets to be a princess while we do all the hard work!"

"Miss, you might have not known Song Jihyo for too long, because if you do, you would know that she is my student." He started.

"Seosaengnim, don't do it." Jihyo tried to stop him without sounding rude.

"Aniya, with that being said, she comes from Pohang to this shrine once a year ever since she was six. When she turned thirteen, she would stay for months to do all the cleaning, cooking and mentoring by herself. A hundred twenty of you is nothing, and already finished all the work in one day. So please, even if it was just for once, treat Song Jihyo-ssi as a princess." He finishes.

All of Jihyo's students stare at her in awe, their excuses of this is being too hard of a work for them vanishes.

'Uwaaa, Song-seosaengnim is daebbak!'

'I want to be her student too!'

'Be my wife someday seosaengnim!'

Their seosaengnim's face turned bright red due to embarrassment. Jongin got irritated with all the attentions she got, so he got close enough to her ear and whispered, "you look so ugly right now."

And most of the girls in fashion design class shrieked, "Oh my gaahd! Kai-oppaaa. Get away from her!"

Another person's face turned red as well, yes, Krystal's face did due to anger. She stood up, stomped her feet and walked out without eating dinner.