Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Hong Jong-chan, ‘Teach You a Lesson,’ or ‘Chamgyoyuk,’ tells the tale of the Educational Rights Protection Bureau, an experimental government body that is tasked with sweeping through the country’s most infamous educational institutions and restoring discipline by any means necessary. In this world, bullying, abuse, sexual harassment, and exam fraud are among the many things that are slowly snuffing the life and joy out of the school system, and Na Hwa-jin, the spearhead of the ERPB, doesn’t seem to shy away from the most ruthless forms of punishment, whatever the consequences. Behind this unprecedented turn of events, however, lies a deeply tragic past, one centered around the death of Hwa-jin’s fiancée and a teacher, Choi Ga-yun.
Choi Ga-yun is Killed by One of Her Own Students, Cho Gyu-cheol
In ‘Teach You a Lesson,’ Choi Ga-yun is brutally killed by Cho Gyu-cheol after she tries to put a stop to his drug racket. While we are made aware of her murderer early on in the series, the main mystery lies in the full extent of his motives and exactly how he felt about the act. While Gyu-cheol was found guilty in court, the fact that he is a minor resulted in a lighter sentence of four years. Despite that, Gyu-cheol ultimately manages to get out in less than half that time, all because of a series of events he personally orchestrated to continue his future in organized crime. What he doesn’t expect throughout any of this, however, is the introduction of Ga-yun’s fiancée, Na Hwa-jin, into his life.
In the final episode of the season, we get a deeper glimpse into how Choi Ga-yun and Cho Gyu-cheol’s dynamic was two years ago, when they were both in the same high school as teacher and student, respectively. Shortly after Gyul-cheol started his drug business, he stopped attending school, leading Ga-yun to worry on his behalf. It is implied that Gyu-cheol also experienced some form of abuse in school, which indicates that it is a systemic failure that often gives way to cycles of violence. Nonetheless, sometime later, Gyu-cheol’s racket fully began to take shape, and he decided to employ and sell to students. To make that happen, he even returned to school, making an ever-so-oblivious Ga-yun happy. However, that changed when she found drugs in his school bag not long after, and swapped them with a note telling him that he can do better than this.
A lot of Choi Ga-yun’s time at school was spent wondering if she could forgive Gyu-cheol, or whether she must report him to the authorities. In the end, however, she chose to reach out to him honestly about the drugs, hoping to make a change. However, Gyu-cheol, upon learning that she hadn’t told anyone, stabbed her in the stomach numerous times, boasting that he would only get juvenile detention for a small while, and in return, he would get to lord over the drug business after coming back. While it may look like this was strategic murder on Gyu-cheol’s part, there is also an emotional, impulsive element to it.
Cho Gyu-cheol Claims to Possess a Twisted Form of Love For Choi Ga-yun
Over the course of the show, we learn that Cho Gyu-cheol was in love with Choi Ga-yun, and a part of him couldn’t stand the fact that she was always supportive of him, despite seeing his worst. The fact that this dynamic never broke any actual boundaries likely frustrated Ga-yun further, bringing him to the rash decision of ending his teacher’s life. Though he claims to regret the act throughout the series, we know that he can also be a cold-blooded murderer at other points. Instead, it’s likely that he has mixed feelings regarding Ga-yun, at once feeling love towards her, while also feeling power in taking her life. However, that sense of power is stripped in the end, with Na Hwa-jin and the ERPB bringing him down for good.
An elite soldier by profession, Hwa-jin’s only source of light in life was Ga-yun, which is why her tragic death isn’t something he can simply move on from. In his darkest moments, he even attempts to kill Gyu-cheol with his car, but is stopped just in time by Ga-yun’s father, Minister Choi Gang-seok. However, in the long run, Hwa-jin’s rage manifests in the form of a larger desire for justice, both for teachers, students, and parents who have been hurt by the existing education system. Bringing down Gyu-cheol’s bubbling drug empire is a large step in that direction, and while there is an undeniable personal angle to it, Hwa-jin proves by the end of the series that he is also embodying and extending the values Ga-yun left behind, which were about changing the system rather than just fighting it blindly.
Read More: Teach You a Lesson Ending Explained: Will Cho Gyu-cheol Go to Jail?
