Chapter 7: Aunt
My first impression of Aunt, and Aunt's first impression of me, was terrible.
The first time Aunt walked into class, I whispered to Duyên (at least, I thought it was a whisper, but apparently, it wasn't so quiet at all—only now do I truly understand the saying, "A loose tongue may cause trouble"):
"Why is the teacher so young? I wonder if he can even teach properly."
And just like that, Aunt kicked me out of the classroom.
Humiliated, I walked around with my head down, avoiding eye contact with friends and especially with Aunt. In fact, I feared Aunt so much that I actually paid attention to his subject in class and even studied diligently at home.
I have thin skin—I absolutely hate being publicly embarrassed. The thought of Aunt making me stand in the corner or grilling me with questions in front of everyone made me work even harder on his subject. And I wasn't bad at it, either. At times, even Duyên had to ask me for help with lessons. That felt so satisfying.
I never expected Aunt's annoying, condescending face to be the thing that pushed me to uncover my own potential. But… do I really have potential? Only God knows.
Eventually, I built enough confidence to face Aunt—and to prank him whenever I got the chance.
Aunt's Class.
Aunt walked into the room, placed his laptop on the lectern, then slowly stepped down from the podium, scanning the class for his next victim to test. Since he had high expectations, whoever got chosen always trembled a little.
He stopped near my desk.
I acted as if I didn't see him and kept flipping through my boys' love manga. I even deliberately turned to a page where the two male leads were about to get… intimate. Peeking at Aunt's face, I saw his otherwise calm expression twitch ever so slightly.
Aunt quickly walked back up to the podium, regained his composure, and called me up by name. I confidently stood and answered his questions without fail.
Aunt seemed a little frustrated that he couldn't catch me off guard. Meanwhile, I felt immensely satisfied.
Aunt was my programming instructor. His full name? Hoàng Kim Chung. A very grand-sounding name.
He was young. Fresh out of university. He had originally been chosen to study abroad but declined due to family matters. Instead, he stayed to teach and pursue his master's degree.
But I never called him teacher or even older-brother teacher, because he always seemed to have his eyes on me—always watching, always scrutinizing. I was mischievous by nature, so I dreaded both Aunt and Ms. Tú, the school's discipline officer. Ms. Tú being strict made sense—she was in charge of student conduct. But Aunt? A male teacher acting like that? It was suspicious.
Once, during a physics exam, I had scribbled some complicated formulas onto my arm to help me remember them. Aunt was supervising my exam room.
Noticing me shifting around in my seat, he walked over and stood right beside me for the entire exam. I couldn't move a muscle.
Thankfully, I barely managed to pass. Otherwise, I would have held a grudge against Aunt forever and found a way to get back at him.
Another time, I climbed a tree to retrieve a stuck shuttlecock. I spotted Aunt nearby and thought he might be a gentleman and offer to help.
Instead, he just stared at me and said:
"Are you even a girl?"
I was offended. If he was a real man, he would have either climbed up to get it for me or at least knocked it down.
Heartless robot.
I smiled sweetly and replied:
"Well, since my class doesn't have any men, I have to do men's work myself."
Aunt knew I was teasing him, but he didn't respond. He simply turned and walked away.
Today's Class.
I absentmindedly stared out the window. Strange. Aunt was always on time, his schedule as precise as a programmed machine.
Was he sick?
Fifteen minutes later, a different instructor walked in.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Mai. From today onward, I'll be taking over Mr. Chung's classes. I hope you all will study diligently."
The other students let out a collective sigh of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted.
But me?
I felt… off. Like something was pressing on my chest.
Was it… a sense of loss? A feeling of longing? Or something else?
After class, Duyên and I sat in the schoolyard. I took out a carton of milk and started drinking. Eating was the only thing that could help me feel better.
But it wasn't just me who seemed troubled—Duyên looked even more distressed than I did.
"Chung is being sued, so he's temporarily suspended," she said.
I nearly choked.
Duyên always called him Anh Chung, but at that moment, I couldn't believe she was talking about Aunt.
Aunt, the one who always acted like the epitome of discipline, integrity, and moral righteousness?
No way.
"Which Chung?" I asked, eyes wide.
"Aunt Chung."
I couldn't believe my ears.
But Duyên wouldn't joke about something like this.
I listened as she explained, struggling to keep my expression neutral.
"He took a tutoring job to earn extra money. Turns out, his student was gay and tried to take advantage of him. When he refused, a fight broke out. The student's family sued him, claiming he had gone to their house to threaten and assault their son."
I smirked.
"Wouldn't surprise me if Aunt is a little feminine, considering how nosy he is."
Normally, Duyên would have scolded me for thinking poorly of Aunt.
But this time, she just stared down at her programming textbook, silent.
"No," she finally said. "He's a good person. He's ambitious. This could ruin his career. The compensation they're demanding isn't small, either."