The First Day of School
I didn’t have a dad either, but preparing for school wasn’t all that difficult. After poking around and asking the orphanage director a few questions, I managed to find out which school I’d be attending. Finally, March 2nd arrived. Carrying a massive backpack and my indoor shoes bag, I dragged my heavy feet toward the school building. Going back to school at this age… Maybe I should’ve just taken the qualification exam instead…
I hadn’t been a stellar student in high school, but I’d always maintained a solid third-place ranking. I figured I could probably pass the middle school equivalency exam… but the registration period had already ended. It must have closed sometime in mid-February. The bus had left, so I had no choice but to attend school quietly. There’ll probably be another registration window in June for the second half of the year. I’ll think about it then. If possible, I really just wanted to take the middle school exam and be done with it.
It wasn’t that I hated school classes. They were boring, sure, but I liked the quiet space where everyone studied. The only problem was…
“Ah, shit. Looks like I’m stuck in the same class as that bitch again this year.”
“At least she’s smart, so we don’t have to worry about homework.”
“We can even borrow her gym clothes~”
“Kekeke, crazy bitch.”
Because no matter where you go, there are always kids like that. The difference from before was that while I’d only been bullied at school as a guy, as a girl I was bullied even at the orphanage. Some of the kids whispering behind me were the same ones who used to torment me along with Seo Yebin back at the orphanage.
Sigh. I let out a long breath and quietly took a seat at the very front of the classroom, resting my chin on my hand. While I was ignoring the kids’ gossip (well, it was more like front-row gossip), the bell rang at 8:30 and the homeroom teacher walked in. He was an older man with plenty of wrinkles on his face. The teacher, who had been quietly watching the students slowly settle into their seats, cleared his throat and greeted us.
“Ahem. I’ll be your homeroom teacher for sixth-grade Class 1 from now on. My name is Song Gideok. I look pretty old, don’t I? I’m friends with the principal—friends, hehe.”
The students, who had been bracing themselves for a strict teacher, relaxed at his kind smile.
“I’d like to make some fun memories with all of you over the next year. Next year you’ll all be middle schoolers and start studying in earnest, so I want this year to be an enjoyable one. Sounds good?”
“““Yes!!!”””
The children all responded loudly in unison. Many teachers tended to be strict with sixth graders, emphasizing that they’d soon be middle schoolers. But when a teacher openly suggested they have fun, this reaction was only natural.
“Alright, I’ve finished introducing myself. Now, how about you all introduce yourselves to me? Let’s start from the front row by the window and go around. Stand up one by one and introduce yourselves.”
This kind of thing was most important at the very beginning. If the first person hesitated or looked reluctant, the other kids—who were at a sensitive age—would become even more unwilling. Whether by the teacher’s judgment or pure coincidence, the first student to stand up spoke in a bright, cheerful voice, showing the lively energy typical of his age.
“Hello! My name is Heo Jintae, and I just turned thirteen! I like soccer and baseball, and I also enjoy reading comics and playing games! I like singing and dancing too… Oh, and my dream is to become an idol! The person I respect most is my dad! A lot of my friends from fifth grade got scattered, so I hope I can make lots of new friends here too!”
Clap clap clap clap— The teacher and students applauded, welcoming the boy’s greeting. Then came the next introductions. One by one, students stood up and sat back down as the order gradually approached me. I guess I should just say my name, what I like, and who I respect. When you don’t want to do something, copying the most successful person’s routine gets you halfway there. Doing something different or hesitating would only draw attention.
“Alright, shall we have the next introduction?”
Finally, my turn came. I pushed back my chair and stood up.
“Hello. My name is Seo Sua. I like watching YouTube and internet broadcasts, and I also enjoy comics a little. I don’t have a dream job yet. The person I respect… is my uncle.”
Since the only person who came to mind was the man, I went with that. Saying his actual name would’ve been too random and might’ve drawn attention, so I stuck with the “uncle” story we’d agreed on before. But trying to keep things ordinary to avoid attention had the opposite effect.
“Teacher, she lied!”
“Yeah! What uncle? She doesn’t even have parents, so she lied and said she doesn’t!”
“It’s weird to respect someone who doesn’t exist!”
It was a boy whose name I didn’t know. Since he wasn’t one of the orphanage girls, he was probably one of the kids who bullied me at school. I could see the girls nearby giggling. The atmosphere in the class shifted in an instant. About half the students already knew about my situation. The eyes of those who didn’t turned toward me.
This is why I hated school. The childish yet cruel gazes of children. The bullying disguised as jokes. The neglect disguised as discipline. School was a miniature society, and society was like the wild. The weak, with nothing to protect them, were simply devoured.
Still, this time I had the mind of a twenty-three-year-old who could endure their harassment. I let out a quiet sigh and tried to ignore their stares. That was when it happened.
“I don’t have a dad either, you know?”
The boy sitting at the very front by the window spoke bluntly. The giggling immediately stopped, and all eyes turned to him. His name was… Heo Jintae, right?
“My mom left home when I was born, and my dad passed away when I was six. So does that mean I’m not allowed to respect my dad?”
“N-no, that’s not what I…”
The boy who had been giggling just moments ago couldn’t say a word in response to Heo Jintae’s confused question. Judging by how wide everyone’s eyes were, it seemed like this was news to them. Even the kids who looked close to Heo Jintae appeared shocked. Just as the atmosphere in the class was turning awkward, clap! The teacher clapped his hands.
“There’s nothing strange about respecting someone who’s no longer with us. I respect my own father, even though he passed away a long time ago. You shouldn’t tease your friends over something like that. You’re all grown up now, aren’t you? So I hope you’ll leave that kind of behavior in your childhood and become a little more mature.”
The teacher instantly changed the mood. While his words weren’t exactly the same as what the kids had pointed out about me, he’d still managed to prick their pride. At the age of sixth grade, kids didn’t want to be seen as children. Being the highest grade in elementary school and knowing they’d be middle schoolers next year made them think, We’re basically teenagers now. The most effective way to discipline kids like that was to make them feel that misbehaving was something only little kids did. The teacher smiled kindly and moved on to the next student’s introduction. With a slightly awkward air lingering, the next student stood up and began.
When the school year started, there was always one thing that happened on the first day. Besides assigning duties and other tasks, the most important thing was receiving textbooks for the year’s studies. While most kids probably kept their textbooks in their lockers or desk drawers, I had developed the habit of taking all my textbooks home and only bringing the ones needed for that day’s classes. If I left them at school, they’d eventually disappear or end up covered in milk. So I stuffed all the textbooks I’d received that day into my bag and hoisted it onto my back. For a moment I nearly toppled backward, but the walks and exercise I’d been doing hadn’t been for nothing—I managed to keep my balance and take one step at a time.
The books alone probably weigh half as much as I do… At this rate, my already small height might shrink even more. As I trudged along, exhausted by the heavy steps and lost in such strange thoughts, my vision suddenly rose. Whoosh.
“Kiddo, carrying something this heavy will make you even shorter, you know?”
“…That hurts my pride.”
The one who had lifted me up was none other than the man. He was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask to avoid being recognized. Even with the bag included, I had to weigh over forty kilograms, yet he lifted me effortlessly with both hands. To think he had the same thought as me.
“Did you come to pick me up?”
“Yeah. The team kids said they wanted to see you after so long. I figured I’d take you through the drive-thru on the way.”
“I’m not fast food.”
“You’ve got no meat on you either, so there’s nothing to eat.”
“You do realize that’s sexual harassment, right?”
“Am I getting arrested?”
We looked at each other and chuckled. I leaned against his shoulder as he carried me toward where his car was parked. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him since the new employee welcome party last time. If I went, I’d probably just get poked and prodded again. Maybe I should just head straight to the editing room…? I genuinely considered it, but I didn’t have the confidence to carry that heavy bag all the way home by myself. Just as I let out a small sigh and resigned myself to reality, I heard the sound of someone running toward us from the alley we’d entered. And then I saw him—the boy from the window seat in class, panting as he shouted.
“S-Sua!”
“Huh?”
“Put Sua down!”
He had a flushed face and was yelling at the top of his lungs. His name was… Ah, Heo Jintae.
“If you don’t put her down, I’m calling the police!”
“Uhh?”
The man looked extremely flustered, and so did I—but somehow I understood the situation. A small child struggling to walk. A large man suddenly picking her up and taking her to a car. And on top of that, he was wearing a suspicious black hat, sunglasses, and a mask. Heo Jintae had clearly misunderstood everything on his own.
“Kid, listen, it’s not what you think—”
“Put her down right now!!!”
Still, I didn’t bother opening my mouth. I was tired from carrying the heavy load, and I also didn’t want to get involved in this troublesome situation. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the man this flustered. It was kind of entertaining, actually.
. . . . . .
“I’m sorry…”
“No, it’s that kid’s fault for not explaining…”
“What did I do?”
After the commotion finally died down, the two of them cleared up the misunderstanding. From Heo Jintae’s perspective, I had been so quiet while supposedly being kidnapped that something felt off. Once we started talking, the whole incident ended anticlimactically.
“I was watching because something at school was bothering me a little, and then I saw you suddenly pick her up and carry her away, so I misunderstood…”
“Something bothering you?”
“Ah, well…”
Heo Jintae glanced at me and hesitated. I decided to explain what had happened at school in his place.
“Ahh, so that’s what happened. You should’ve cursed them out like last time.”
“They’re still just kids. What if they get traumatized? Plus, it was during class.”
“Look at you, worrying about kids when you’re a kid yourself.”
Still, sixth graders were kids. You couldn’t exactly swear at them. Once the full story was explained, Heo Jintae bowed his head with an apologetic expression.
“Then I’ll be going now. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
“Yeah.”
Just as Heo Jintae turned to leave, I called out to him.
“Ah, wait a moment.”
“Yeah?”
“You said your dream was to become a singer, right?”
“Oh, yeah. I want to be an idol.”
“Hmm…”
A good idea had just occurred to me.
“If you have time later, would you like to come to the broadcasting station?”
“The broadcasting station?”
“Uncle, is it okay if I bring him along?”
“I don’t mind.”
“He says it’s fine.”
“W-wait, what do you mean, the broadcasting station?”
Maybe because he wanted to be an idol, there was something boyish yet still cute about him. His voice was still soft, probably because he hadn’t gone through puberty yet. He was exactly the type adults would find adorable. I’ll throw this kid into the poking-and-prodding crowd and make my escape. Repeating my excellent plan in my head, I smiled brightly and removed the man’s mask and sunglasses.
“This is PD Lee Seongbeom.”
“I’m in!”
The man’s effect really was impressive.