TBF 08

Chapter: 08

“Good job, Saebyeok.”

A drink can suddenly popped up in front of her.

“Honestly, when I heard the vice-principal’s question, I thought, ‘Ah, this is over.’ But… how did you know? Saebyeok, you’re not carrying around some sort of answer sheet for life, are you?”

“I wish that were true… I really do…”

She blankly tried to open the can, but her fingers kept slipping.

Dongbaek, who had grabbed another drink, opened the can and handed it to her.

“Since we got permission from the vice-principal, there shouldn’t be any issues going forward. The rumor that you were sent by the foundation will spread soon, but… well, it’s all illegal hiring through parachute appointments anyway. Even if they feel guilty, they won’t say a thing.”

Saebyeok drank the beverage, looking at Dongbaek’s cynical smile.

Ah, this is my favorite—Lemon Pangpang.

“Anyway, Saebyeok, you should be going to see the head of the academic affairs office now, right?”

“Yes. I should introduce myself as well.”

“Shall we part ways here for now? Will you be able to find your way?”

“I’m not Haram… Are you going back to headquarters again?”

“No. I need to settle into my position too.”

Now that she thought about it, Saebyeok hadn’t asked where Dongbaek was assigned.

Curious, she asked, but he only responded like this:

“Oh, that?”

With a light wink.

“Secret.”

A school is essentially a small society.

The systems and rules established through long experience were applied even in private schools with relatively little state interference.

In any case, on the surface, Beodeul School wasn’t any different.

“Oh, you’re the new teacher who just joined?”

The hierarchy of school staff stretches from the principal to the vice-principal to the head of academic affairs.

Where there’s no principal, the vice-principal reigns; where there’s no vice-principal, the head of academic affairs is in charge.

Saebyeok quickly greeted them. After all, it’s best not to make a bad impression on superiors.

“Hello. I’m Ham Saebyeok.”

“Welcome. If it weren’t for Teacher Ham, we’d have been in trouble. The previous teacher suddenly left without notice. The vice-principal was running around trying to find a replacement, and somehow the foundation knew and sent such a talented person.”

Hmm. So, they really do say “parachute appointment” so openly here.

Feeling the eyes of everyone around her, Saebyeok smiled politely.

“It’s an honor to work with good people in a good place. Were you checking textbooks?”

“Yes, well… we do what we need to do, like checking the quantity.”

At first glance, they seemed like the standard textbooks distributed by the education office.

Saebyeok tried to find the first-grade textbooks discreetly, but the yawning head of academic affairs stopped her.

“So, new teacher, you’re taking first grade?”

“Yes. That’s what I heard.”

“You know our school has so few students that each grade only has one class, right?”

“Of course.”

“So the son of the new teacher enrolling this time will have class with his mother?”

Just when she thought the scrutiny had eased, the sharp gaze returned.

She knew exactly how ridiculous that was. It’s one thing for a child to be at the same school as their parent, but a parent being assigned as the homeroom teacher? Unheard of.

“Oh, yes! That’s what I heard.”

But here, that was acceptable.

A kind of extraterritorial privilege, a school unheard of elsewhere!

Ah, if you have complaints, take them to the foundation. Even if that foundation is the one that put me here!

“Huh… the new teacher is really… cheerful. I heard you graduated from Korea National University of Education. Why would you leave a good position to come here?”

“You know what they say: youth is for hardship. And my child can get education in a place that suits them.”

“Well… if you think that way. Still, it must have been hard to move the family. Did your husband pull some strings at the foundation?”

Thinking the mockery was praise, Saebyeok just smiled awkwardly.

This would be her survival strategy: leave everything to her husband and pretend she knows nothing—keeping her mind like a flower garden!

After all, Saebyeok knew little about the foundation or the magical society.

Better to seem like her husband’s puppet than risk suspicion by pretending to know. She had already agreed on this with Dongbaek.

“Even if I vaguely hand it off, Dongbaek will handle it well.”

Trusting his competence, Saebyeok deflected the head of academic affairs’ lecturing.

By then, the textbook quantity check was done, and it was lunchtime.

“Let’s eat first and then work. The cafeteria won’t be serving today, so it’ll be cup noodles again, huh?”

Leading the way, the head of academic affairs, along with the other teachers, sauntered down the hallway.

As she was about to turn off the lights, Saebyeok noticed something odd and asked:

“Uh, what about the second-grade textbooks? I don’t think anyone’s checked them.”

“Leave them. The second-grade teacher will check later.”

Scratching his back with a back-scratcher, the head of academic affairs couldn’t resist lecturing again.

“I just don’t get this MZ generation. The school’s far away, but wouldn’t it be better to start work early? Why so late? They say arriving by 11:59 PM is enough… what kind of logic is that?”

“Oh my, you seem busy.”

“Busy or just pretending… Anyway, the teacher for second grade is Yang Mirae. You’ll meet tomorrow; ask her whatever you need. She’s about the same age, should get along well.”

Ah. So he’s passing it off to someone else.

“Teacher, since tomorrow is the entrance ceremony, I think it’ll be chaotic. Is there anything I should be particularly careful about?”

“Oh, no. You’ve read the school rules, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have, but…”

“Just follow them. If it’s hard, have your husband help.”

The head of academic affairs, giving her a scrutinizing glance, chuckled.

Saebyeok quietly smiled back, then asked:

“Teacher, you often wear modernized hanbok when you’re off duty, right?”

“…? How did you know?”

“I just had a feeling.”

Until the school opened, Saebyeok was endlessly busy.

During vacation, she cleaned dust-filled classrooms, moved empty desks, and adjusted irregular-height desks to suit first-grade students.

Decorating the empty classroom with colorful paper and stickers was also the homeroom teacher’s responsibility.

Traditionally, Beodeul Elementary’s first-grade class is nicknamed the “Sun Class,” so Saebyeok decorated it with a sunny theme.

Though no one helped… she scoured the teacher resource site Dongbaek had shared and managed it all herself…

Days spent arranging the classroom, nights spent buried in paperwork, turning into a zombie—but tomorrow, the sun would rise.

Finally, the long-awaited school opening day arrived.

“Oh? Haram?”

Saebyeok, rushing with her bag, widened her eyes.

“Where’s your tie? Didn’t I just help you put it on?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Don’t play dumb. You just took it off somewhere out of frustration, didn’t you? Dong Haram, go get your tie. Now.”

“Eeek…! Don’t attach weird titles to my name!”

Grumbling, Haram went into the room to fetch his tie.

Dongbaek, already shaking his head at puberty hitting so early, subtly tilted toward Saebyeok.

“How do you feel? It’s the long-awaited first day, your heart must be racing, right?”

“My heart… it’s always racing…”

“Excited? Soon little chicks will come in saying ‘Teacher, teacher.’”

Hmm… that might actually be exciting.

Blushing slightly, Saebyeok lightly covered her mouth with her fist.

She truly wanted to be a teacher.

A dream almost abandoned due to that cursed mystery was now blooming through sheer chance.

“Well… it won’t be especially difficult.”

“Do whatever feels right. If you want to do something, do it; if not, don’t. If it’s right in your heart, go for it.”

“…”

“I’ll always be behind you.”

Dongbaek’s confident smile made it easy to believe in him.

Saebyeok silently smiled back, feeling the rare reassurance of someone supporting her.

The teachers were already gathered in the faculty room.

Even for the entrance ceremony, the head of academic affairs, in his suit jacket, waved a back-scratcher.

As Saebyeok bowed to each teacher, she noticed a new face across the room.

A woman around her age, exuding an urban vibe.

When their eyes met, Saebyeok immediately bowed, but the woman had already looked away.

Hmm, the feeling of being ignored without reason. Familiar.

Saebyeok stole a glance at the woman’s striking purple eyeshadow while following the teachers to the auditorium.

This must be the second-grade teacher the head of academic affairs mentioned.

Her name… Yang Mirae, wasn’t it?

“New teacher.”

She heard the voice of the head of academic affairs.

Turning, she saw him pointing with the back-scratcher, gesturing for her to move quickly.

Her body moved first.

Even without asking where or what to do, she instinctively knew.

Thump-thump.

Thump-thump…

“Hello, everyone.”

Her practiced voice didn’t sound as gentle as she intended.

Still, Saebyeok smiled brightly, keeping her eyes soft.

“I’ll be your homeroom teacher for the year. Everyone here is entering Beodeul School as first graders, right?”

The children—some shy, some noisy, some absorbed in their phones—looked up at her all at once.

Those deep, dark eyes.

Saebyeok couldn’t tell if the racing in her chest came from nerves or exhilaration.

At that moment, Haram quietly nodded from among the children.

The weight pressing on Saebyeok’s whole body lifted like magic.

“…Shall we move to our seats now?”

Sometimes, just a small encouragement gives the courage to overcome obstacles.

Until now, Saebyeok had no one like that.

“First-grade Sun Class, follow your teacher.”

But now, she had someone.