Kids can’t lie. Unlike adults who are weathered by the storms of life, children still have that untouched innocence left in them.
Well, there’s even a saying about pure evil, right? Kids have clear likes and dislikes, and they express their feelings without hesitation. They don’t have the concept of considering others; in fact, they often don’t even realize that their words can hurt someone.
If something tastes good, they say it’s delicious; if it’s bad, it’s bad; if it’s ugly, it’s ugly. There’s no need for a lie detector when the truth just flows out.
So, when I arrived at the elementary school classroom where Si Hyun was attending, I felt the piercing stares starting to make my face warm.
I wasn’t a parent there to observe like someone else nor a teacher giving a lesson at the podium.
They were just as surprised by my presence, but it didn’t take long for them to dive back into what they were supposed to be doing.
The problem was the kids.
“Whoa, whoa, she’s prettier than those older sisters I saw on TV!”
“Who’s mom is she? Which mom?”
“What older sister, Jang Jun Hyuk? You only have a brother, don’t lie.”
Even without the need for Camilla’s supernatural hearing, their words were sticking right in my ears.
And at the same time, the eyes staring at me were so blatant. Even when our eyes met, they didn’t look away, rather their curious gazes followed me.
Unlike adults who would feel awkward and sneakily glance away if they made eye contact or stared too hard, kids haven’t got such social conventions in their heads and don’t seem to even think about looking away.
In the end, I was the one to look away first. Losing a staring contest like this is just so sad.
But my intended gaze was on someone else. There was a girl, focused on her teacher like a model student, but somehow seemed to be pricking her ears up.
That was our precious Si Hyun. Every time the kids whispered, Si Hyun flinched. Anyone could see that she wanted to look back, and a small laugh escaped me.
At the same time, I admired Si Hyun’s patience in trying to concentrate on her class. That level of self-control is nothing a kid her age typically has; Ji Jae-jun wasn’t just being overly sentimental thinking she had matured early.
But no matter how great her self-control was, she was still a kid, and in the end, Si Hyun did look back.
“…?”
Her eyes widened as they met mine.
*
“Why are you here, older sister?”
A short break after the observation class.
Si Hyun walked over, bouncing a bit, and asked. Behind her, the kids were still whispering. Every child, whether with their parents or not, glanced at us once.
“Why are you here? You know I came to observe the class, right? Si Hyun, you were listening to the class so well! Total model student.”
“That’s not what I asked…”
As I joked around, she rolled her eyes slightly, looking annoyed. Jae-jun, who was beside me, chimed in.
“Uncle said he was bored alone, so I came along.”
“Uncle? But how did Uncle know you were observing? I didn’t say a word.”
“Uncle knows everything.”
Si Hyun didn’t let on that she intentionally kept it a secret, but she didn’t seem upset at all. If anything, she seemed pleased. How cheeky of her! Even if she pretended otherwise, her shoulders went up every time her friends glanced over here.
Just then, someone timidly approached from the side.
It was a little girl. Smaller in height and build than Si Hyun, she looked a bit timid.
The girl glanced between Si Hyun, Jae-jun, and me, then suddenly started introducing herself.
“Um, um… I’m Hye Ji, Si Hyun’s classmate…”
Nervous, she swallowed hard as she spoke. There was no need to be so jittery just to say hi.
With the girl bravely introducing herself, there was no way I could just say I didn’t ask or stand there blankly. Only the malicious viewers in our room would do that.
I was a bit taken aback, but smiled and replied, “Oh, right! So you’re Si Hyun’s classmate, Hye Ji!” Her face lit up with a bright smile, and she started chattering away. Her parents were busy today, so they couldn’t come, and she said that Si Hyun wouldn’t have anyone either, but that was a lie, she rambled…
Forget about her seeming timid. The girl could talk a lot…
It’s said that a dog, full of energy, would still respect an elementary school kid. That must be true. Just listening to her made me feel drained.
But Hye Ji’s storytelling wasn’t the end of it. Just as she finished saying a bit, another new kid showed up.
“Hello! I’m Kim Han Byeol, and I live in apartment 102, unit 1303 right over there!”
He made a grand bow while publicly announcing his address. Behind him, a middle-aged man who looked like his father smiled helplessly, as if to say, “What can you do?”
A middle-aged man, looking like he couldn’t say a word, was smiling broadly.
What followed was a repetition of similar events as before. He talked about what he was good at and about what Si Hyun and he had done in class and so on…
“Si Hyun was quite the socialite.”
“Right? Haha…”
Kim Jae-jun forced an awkward smile. He seemed to be as drained as I was. He had always heard about Si Hyun from others but this was his first time seeing her in person. I realized that Si Hyun’s friendships were sound, and that’s a good thing.
But Si Hyun scoffed softly, as if to disagree.
“We’re not that close; everyone just came to see my older sister.”
“Huh?”
“The kids, I mean. Usually, they only hang out with Hye Ji. They are just pretending to be friendly because they want to see my sister.”
So that’s why they introduced themselves to me.
Just as I was gently patting Si Hyun’s head while she turned away with a huff, the teacher who was conducting the class came over to introduce themselves.
“Hello, I’m Si Hyun’s homeroom teacher.”
“Wait, you too, teacher?”
“Huh?”
“Oh, that was just me talking to myself.”
Still, the teacher, acting like an adult, didn’t share too much unnecessary information and said just what was needed.
“Si Hyun is a model student. She listens well in class and has leadership qualities, so the kids follow her closely…”
It must have been a side effect of hearing her praise right in front of her, as Si Hyun’s ears turned red in real-time.
It could be just nice words in front of parents, but judging by the teacher’s reaction, it didn’t seem like a lie.
We exchanged small talk with the teacher, mostly about Si Hyun’s school life.
“I met your uncle the other time… and this one is…?”
The teacher turned their gaze toward me and asked gently. I momentarily pondered what to say.
In terms of status, I’m just a neighborhood acquaintance, so I wondered if that was a good enough reason to attend a student observation class.
As I hesitated, the teacher seemed to realize something and raised their voice.
“Oh, you’re his girlfriend! That’s why you both came to see your niece!”
“What?”
Maybe because the teacher’s voice was so loud, the previously dispersed gazes returned towards us. Girlfriend? The guy must be good at something; I’m envious, and now the whispers among the parents were louder than those from the kids.
“Oh, no. That’s not right. She’s my acquaintance….”
“Oh dear, I’m the one being silly. I’m sorry!”
Rewind time, and Jae-jun finally steps in to clean up the mess while the teacher admits her mistake and apologizes.
Meanwhile, Si Hyun, with her serious expression and crossed arms, mutters, “You never know how things will go between men and women…”
“What was that, Si Hyun?”
When I ask, she nods and replies.
“Sis, I’m in favor.”
In favor of what, exactly?
Even when I ask, all Si Hyun does is chuckle without giving me an answer.
*
[So that’s the reason for the break?]
[The editor’s niece attending the class is the break reason, LOL.]
[Employee benefits are top-notch.]
<ㅇㅇ donated 1000!>
-Someone mentioned they saw Kayak during the class visit.
“Did something get posted?”
Following the viewers’ guidance, I slowly read the post.
It was just your typical embarrassing praise about me entering the room and how the person there froze up in embarrassment.
[I wanna see the real-life Galju, ㅇㅇ.]
[But they didn’t reveal which elementary school, huh?]
[Be careful about revealing personal info.]
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1UThMUlA5Qzc3RS9NRU1DZjBrNW4zbzNsZ1FMc1ZRbVZUMmRIaE5OOWVQMQ
[If it’s like this on camera, I’m really curious about the real thing.]
[If you’re going to do this, just film a vlog already.]
“Vlog… I’ll think about it, sure.”
Since Yusia already revealed her face, doing something like a vlog didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Seeing it pop up in the live broadcast shows there’s enough demand, so I should ponder it a bit more before making a decision.
Thinking it might not have much content, I slowly scrolled down through the eyewitness accounts.
-But then the homeroom teacher said something strange, asking if Kayak’s companion was his girlfriend?-
“Cough, cough, hack!”
Suddenly, I choked. A minefield—there was a minefield hidden away.
It was obvious what the chat reactions would be.
[Girlfriend? Girlfriend? Girlfriend? Girlfriend? Girlfriend? Girlfriend?]
[KayakTube, you punk!!!!!]
[Clear it up.]
[It’s too much, too much, too much, too much!]
[You said it was just us! You said we were boyfriends!]
[KayakTube’s editor was originally two people…]
“Calm down, everyone. It’s all slander…”
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