Junsu and Eorin-i reached out their hands, but several hands stretched out at once from the side. The kids who remained in the classroom had come over to the side at some point and were peeking around coveting the candy. I smiled and handed out candy. It was like looking at younger siblings coming to get snacks.
“Isn’t Woojin eating any?”
“Woojin already has three in his mouth.”
Woojin nodded his head. Junsu made an exasperated face and unwrapped a grape-flavored candy and tossed it right into his mouth.
“But why the candy?”
“When I went to deliver the meeting minutes, the teacher gave them to me. There was this much stuffed in the drawer.”
“To give to ush ishn’t it.”
“I’m getting drool. Finish eating and talk. You’re asking if he prepared it to give to us, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I told you to finish eating and talk. Anyway, our teacher is really a good person.”
“Should we do something for Teacher’s Day?”
Eorin-i said. I was secretly thinking of preparing even a small gift, so I immediately nodded.
“Let’s all buy a gift together.”
“If we pool money, we can buy something nice, can’t we?”
“Let’s tell the other kids too.”
Thinking it would be good to tell Yeongjin, we proposed a Teacher’s Day event to Yeongjin. Yeongjin said now that he thought about it, he forgot to mention it during the meeting earlier, took a candy from me, put it in his mouth, and immediately held an impromptu meeting. He called in all the kids who had gone to the school store too.
“A cake, a rolling paper, and one gift would be perfect.”
“Isn’t Korean class 5th period on Teacher’s Day? If we prepare right after lunch, wouldn’t that be just right?”
“We can’t let word get out, so we can prepare with the curtains drawn on the windows.”
“What should we do for the gift?”
“How much should we collect from each person?”
“I think we should look at the price after deciding on the gift and then collect.”
The teacher was someone who really adored us. I had really received a lot too. A grateful person who looked after each and every one of us. Maybe because the kids all knew that too, the meeting proceeded secretly but passionately. We were discussing the gift, classroom decorations, and even the type of cake when homeroom time seemed to be approaching, and the front door opened and the teacher came in.
“Let’s do homeroom. Sit down—.”
“Yes!”
The startled kids couldn’t even show they were surprised and tried hard to act natural as they sat down. I was closing my mouth and almost bit my tongue. We turned our heads toward each other, met eyes, and giggled. Seeing us giggling, the teacher was about to scold us but suddenly smirked and said.
“Yeah, it’s about time you all became close. Two months have passed. Right?”
“Yes?”
“While we’re at it, I’m thinking of changing seats. Originally I was going to do it tomorrow morning, but now that it’s come up, let’s change now.”
“Huh? Eh?”
The teacher turned on the classroom TV and took out the pad he liked to use during class and synced it with the TV. Then it seemed like he pressed something, and a seating chart appeared on the TV screen. The chart had names written according to where we were sitting now.
“Now, you guys decide. How many times should I shuffle?”
“…”
“If you don’t speak up, I’ll shuffle as I please~.”
“Three, no, fo-four times!”
Yeongjin shouted urgently. The teacher smirked and nodded.
“Okay, shuffling.”
While we were stunned by the sudden situation, the teacher pressed the random button four times without hesitation. A clicking BGM flowed from the TV, and with a fanfare sound, the seating arrangement was revealed.
“…Ah.”
The kids busily searched for their names. It felt like you could hear their eyes spinning. The current seat was by the window and close to Woojin so I quite liked it, but this time it was the very front seat in section 3. My seat partner was a kid named Roh Jinho, and when I glanced over, he was wailing about being in the front seat and hugging his seat partner while crying.
It’s not that he doesn’t like being paired with me, right…? I moved my lips. I had never properly talked with Roh Jinho.
When I looked for where Eorin-i’s seat was, it was the very front seat in section 1. End to end. I hurriedly looked for Junsu and Woojin too. Woojin moved one seat forward from his current seat, so he’d be sitting in my current seat, and Junsu was in a back seat in section 2. Could we be separated like this? I became a bit gloomy.
“Teacher, I can’t see behind Woojin.”
“Teacher, I can’t see well so please move me to a front seat.”
“Wait, wait, speak one at a time.”
As soon as they checked their seats, modification requests came in from all over. The teacher clicked on the screen and started modifying them one by one.
“Woojin, I’m sorry but it would be better to move you to the very back. Would that be okay?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Good. I won’t need to move seats. When I looked at him with that expression, Woojin smirked.
“And people who want to move to the front because of vision?”
About two people raised their hands.
“Among those sitting in front seats, anyone okay with going to the back?”
Roh Jinho raised his hand right away. I hesitated, then seeing that the kid in the seat behind Junsu wanted to go to the front, I raised my hand just in case. When I glanced, Eorin-i was also raising his hand.
“Three people. Do you three want to play rock-paper-scissors?”
“Teacher, my eyes are also bad so I want to go to the front.”
“Ah, then let’s change all three. Anyone want to sit in Eorin-i’s seat?”
“Me—.”
“Anyone want to sit in Chiwon’s seat?”
“Me.”
“Hmm, you’ll be paired with Jinho anyway. Then Jeongmin and Gyuhong come here. Chiwon will go to Jeongmin’s seat, and Jinho will go to Gyuhong’s seat. Okay?”
Anyone else have something to say—. At the teacher’s words, no one raised their hands.
“Good. Then I’ll explain the guidance, and after homeroom ends, move your desks.”
“Yees.”
My changed seat was the seat behind Junsu. When I looked at Junsu, Junsu smirked and waved his hand. I also smiled brightly. Eorin-i was in the back of section 4, and Eorin-i, whose eyes met mine, drooped his eyebrows and made a sulky expression. Woojin, me, and Junsu were relatively close together. While smiling, I mouthed, I’ll come visit often. It was also funny to be like this over just one seat when the class wasn’t even divided, but at least for me it was an important issue. Anyway, Eorin-i was close with everyone in the class so he wouldn’t be lonely. Actually, if Eorin-i didn’t come over, the one who would be lonely was rather me.
Buried in the seat-changing commotion, the teacher seemed uninterested in what subject we had been huddled together discussing. It was fortunate for us.
Two days later, guidance about the training camp came out. It had the location, cost, and schedule, and below the perforation line was a participation intention box. I took it to the Director. It was the rule to discuss school events with the Director. Until now I hadn’t attended training camps, but this time was different.
“You’re going, right, Chiwon-ah?”
“Yes. I want to go.”
At my words, the teacher smiled, circled the participation box, and signed in the guardian signature section. It was the first time I was looking forward to going to training camp, so just holding the training camp guidance made me feel very good.
“Did you know that Chanhyeong has been working hard at taking care of the younger kids these days?”
“Ah, yes. Chanhyeong…”
“He’s very different from you, but in Chanhyeong’s own way, he’s a really good older brother and oppa.”
“He’s a good kid. Really.”
Knowing it was because of the recent incident, I smiled. Chanhyeong was a kid who, when the children played pranks on him, didn’t dislike it and played with them with all his might. Already Chanhyeong was a middle schooler. I thought anew that he’d grown a lot.
“These days, your face looks the best I’ve ever seen it.”
“Hehe. Ah, Teacher. Can I go out to play with my friends tomorrow?”
“Of course. Go and come back. Do you need more allowance?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Tomorrow was Buddha’s Birthday so school was closed. Because Woojin was preparing for a piano competition and had less and less time, it was the first time going out to play since my birthday. So I still had plenty of the allowance I received on my last birthday. I shook my head.
Coming out of the Director’s office, I sent a message to the kids.
[I got permission to go out]
Immediately, a dancing emoticon appeared. It was Junsu. I giggled.
[Where should we go!!!!]
[PC bang would be a bit much since Chiwon doesn’t game, right?]
[I don’t game much either]
[Want to go see a movie?]
[What’s out these days?]
Messages poured in. Except for once when I went together with everyone from the orphanage, I’d never seen a movie at a theater. While writing in my diary today, I kept glancing at my phone screen. In the end, we concluded we’d go see a movie and then go eat meat for dinner.
The next day, I opened my eyes even without an alarm. I usually wake up at dawn anyway, but that day it wasn’t that—it was because Dahui and Dohyeong came into my room and plopped on top of me.
“Hyung-ahhh.”
“Waaaah.”
“Dahui-ya… Dohyeong-ah… why are you crying…”
Half asleep, when I asked without even being able to open my eyes, Dahui, who had been crying, spoke. Dahui and Dohyeong had a seven-month age difference, but Dahui talked very fast so the two had similar language abilities.
“Hyung-ah. Today play with Dahui.”
“Play with Dohyeong-ahhh.”
“Ah…”
“Don’t go. Okay?”
It seemed they’d heard from the teacher that I was going out to play today. Relieved for now, knowing it wasn’t a big problem, I collapsed back onto the pillow.
“Ah! Hyung-ah, don’t die!”
“Hyung-ahhhhwahhh.”
“What are you two doing in here? Come out quickly so Chiwon can sleep!”
A teacher who came in at the crying sounds from the room saw the two plopped on top of me and spoke. Taking that opportunity to glance at the clock, it was six-thirty in the morning. Wake-up time was still far off, but little children woke up early. Then once they entered elementary school, strangely without exception they all became late sleepers.
“Hyung-ahhhhhh.”
The two tucked under the teacher’s sides dangled as they were carried away from my room. I sighed. I felt like I’d been struck by lightning out of nowhere since morning. It was cute and funny but also a bit tiring. Even trying to sleep again, there was no way the sleep that had already fled would come back. After struggling and groaning for a while trying to sleep, I eventually got up and left my room, partly to comfort the kids.
“Wait, you’re not sleeping more? It’s a day off, sleep a bit more.”
“Teacher, good morning. You woke up early too.”
“I slept with the little ones last night. The little ones wake up a bit early, you see.”
“Where are the kids?”
“Sleeping again. In the room.”
“Ah…”
