After finishing lunch, we sat on the school’s 1st floor entrance stairs, blankly watching the rain to pass the time until the 5th period.
The damp and refreshing smell of the soil allowed us to feel the rural atmosphere even in the middle of the city.
I didn’t bother explaining that the source of the odor comes from geosmin, an organic compound produced by the decomposition activity of actinobacteria in the soil, and the aerosols generated when it rains.
[Just please enjoy quietly.]
Adella’s advice proved effective.
Just noticing that the sound of raindrops hitting the garden and asphalt differed was enough to make the kids look genuinely happy.
Cutting through the rhythmic sounds of nature came the artificial noise of an engine.
It was a sports car that looked distinctly flat compared to other cars.
With its aggressive hood and bumper preserving the beauty of its oval and curves, and its alluring black paint, it caught the children’s attention instantly. The enjoyment of the rain sounds was long forgotten.
The driver parked the car in a corner, opened the door, and stomped his shoes on the ground.
His striking white hair contrasted sharply with the black paint of the car.
The owner of this ‘Bugatti Hamilton,’ of which only thirty exist in the country, was someone I had briefly met that morning.
“Hello, Principal!”
I nodded in agreement with my friends’ enthusiastic greetings.
“Hello, did you enjoy lunch?”
“Yes, it was delicious today!”
“We had pork pilaf for lunch!”
Despite appearing to be decades older, the polite woman responding in honorifics was none other than the principal of Sephiron Academy, Gu On-yu.
She probably had lunch outside. I wasn’t a big fan of pork pilaf, though.
Even in the torrential rain, she made no effort to pull out an umbrella.
“Isn’t the sound of the rain lovely?”
“Yes!”
“If you’re too excited and play in the rain, you’ll catch a cold, so you always need to be careful, okay?”
“Yes, Principal!”
When we reached the entrance, not a single drop of water was on her voluminous hair.
Instead, I noticed a very thin hydrophobic aura surrounding her body.
After a brief greeting with the principal, I confirmed that the clicking sound of her shoes was gradually fading away, and Lee Ha-ru was the first to speak up.
“Isn’t Principal a really unique person?”
Unique? She’s probably the top in the country for that.
Who else brings a sports car to an elementary school as a principal?
Without a doubt, you’d be hard-pressed to find another in Korea.
“Yeah, she’s kind of eccentric…? I guess?”
Ji-hye quietly offered her opinion. The other kids nodded in agreement.
“I heard there are comic books in the principal’s office? Like Naruto or One Piece…”
“Comic books? Seori, how do you know about that?”
“I just heard it as a rumor. Right, Na-me? You went to the principal’s office during the first period, didn’t you? Is it true there are comic books filling the shelves in her room?”
All eyes turned back to me, including Han Seori and the others.
“Well… there were some.”
“Wow, that’s so cool!”
“How was she? What did you talk about?”
“Is she really a weirdo like the rumors say? Would she make you do weird things?”
A little interrogation began, and I crossed my arms, deep in thought.
“How was the principal? Hmm…”
During the first period performance assessment, Director Kim Yong-seong quietly called for me through the window and told me the principal was looking for me.
I couldn’t help but feel it was peculiar that someone who should be in the foundation’s administration office would frequently be encountered in the elementary division building, but that wasn’t my concern.
Anyway, my assessment of Gu On-yu was this.
“She felt more like a fake than a weirdo. That’s exactly how I felt.”
*
The organizational structure of Sephiron Academy is complex. To understand it properly, we need to touch upon the nature of the foundation.
It acts as a think tank that leads national politics and media, and the advanced concept from there is the foundation itself.
True to the Western tendency to assign meaning, there’s a long acronym following ‘Functional Organization under,’ but it leaned heavily towards being a foundation.
The foundation is funded by global corporations and wealthy individuals, usually holds a bipartisan nature, and exerts influence to draft policies and monopolize technologies around the world.
Their biggest expenditures are undoubtedly research and education costs, with the former flowing to research institutes and the latter to academies.
Operating academies differs from country to country, but in Korea, where government pressure is strong, the autonomy of the academy is generally guaranteed.
However, a minimal auditing body was set up in the Korean branch, and Kim Yong-seong is also an auditor appointed by the foundation headquarters.
Principals are appointed by regional education superintendents under the president’s delegation, just like other schools.
However, this is merely a facade, and in reality, it’s possible to view it as operating under a completely separate system, as it is not influenced by the implementation regulations of elementary and secondary education laws.
As long as nothing foolish happens, the foundation will overlook most issues, and the education office will not intervene much, so the position of ‘academy principal’ can wield enormous power within this premises.
“So, is this how you decorated the principal’s office? You must have brought everything from home?”
“Even principals have days when they don’t want to work. Sneaking in some reading during work is the most rewarding, right? If you find any comic book you like, you’re welcome to borrow it.”
“I’m not really into this stuff.”
I sipped the Earl Grey tea personally delivered by the principal and glanced around cautiously.
That beaming smile was not the most comforting sight.
I couldn’t read what thoughts were hidden behind that face.
“I thought the Na-me student would definitely like animation or sports cars,” added Gu On-yu, “but maybe I misunderstood.”
In her display cabinet were beautifully arranged anime figures and toy sports cars.
“Why did you think that?”
“Because geniuses often tend to be eccentrics?”
“Do you think of yourself as a genius?”
“Eh, genius! I just like it as a hobby! Especially cars, they’re magnificent, aren’t they? Anyway, it’s great to meet you!”
Once again, the principal extended her hand for a shake.
I hadn’t realized it when just looking at her face, but her hand definitely had many wrinkles and calluses.
In that brief moment, I could certainly feel the external manifestation of the aura.
It made me realize that being an academy principal was no ordinary task.
The principal kept asking me trivial questions about whether I liked the academy and if I was getting along well with my friends, while time crawled annoyingly slow.
Drrrrring!
Thud!
It’s not my first time making the loud ringing phone disappear naturally.
“Do you know thanks to you, the principal has become incredibly popular?”
“Oh, I can see that obvious.”
“I think today, she might be the most popular person in the world, constantly receiving calls. Every single one gets blocked, and I’m even considering changing my number.”
“Principal, pardon me, but can we get to the main point soon?”
“Right! My mind’s wandering again! Here’s a document sent from the foundation… want to look at it together?”
From the Sephiron Foundation?
The plain stack of papers that came from a brown envelope didn’t seem special at all.
“It seems they really want to see you, Na-me student. It’s an invitation to come to the United States. If there’s any unfamiliar words, I’ll explain more.”
I slowly read the document, which continued for seven pages.
It explicitly stated that they wanted me to verify the credentials I had provided in person.
In addition to the living support plan, transportation means, and passport issues, they had laid out detailed plans for when I made a decision, but I handed the paper back to her.
“I’m not really thinking about that yet—”
“I knew you’d say that!”
“…?”
Before I could finish my sentence, she took the document and tore it in half.
Not just in half, but completely shredded it and threw it all in the trash can.
“If they want to see me, they should come to Korea. That’s what I think, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Anyway, they’re strange people. And lastly, Na-me student, do you have any inconveniences or requests regarding the academy today?”
“Well, there are quite a few reporters at the academy. I think the academy grounds extended about 100m outside the main gate.”
“Mm-hmm, and?”
“I don’t think I have any requests. You’re already doing well enough.”
In fact, Sephiron Academy had kept my personal information thoroughly hidden for the past week.
I expressed my gratitude for that; in fact, it had become somewhat burdensome.
“But why is A class separated from others within the same grade?”
“That’s the foundation’s policy, Na-me student.”
“It’s not something that can be decided autonomously?”
“Unfortunately.”
After that, there really wasn’t much else to discuss.
Principal Gu On-yu had called me over to hand me an official document from the headquarters of the Sephiron Foundation.
She promised to take sufficient measures against those who disrupt the learning environment.
“But you actually like them as a hobby, right?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“No, the car was nice. Anyway, I’ll head back to class.”
As I left the principal’s office, I once again scanned the display cabinet with my eyes.
Just as I thought. For comic books that she claimed to have collected for decades, they looked too pristine.
Though dust had gathered, there were no signs of human handling.
Not just one, but all of them.
She hadn’t read a single book among those here.
*
“Isn’t it for collecting?”
Ha-ru interjected in between.
“For collecting?”
“Yeah. My sister buys multiple cat goods at once. One to use, one as a backup, and one for display.”
“Thinking about it, that might be true.”
The mindset of the wealthy really is a different world.
I agreed with Lee Ha-ru’s opinion.
“Na-me, when are you going to invite us to your birthday party?”
Seori, poking a pill bug with a twig, asked me.
“Birthday party?”
“I think she means birthday party…!”
“Oh.”
“Are you saying we’re not even friends? Wow, if that’s true, I’m really disappointed, Na-me!”
Seori exaggeratedly stood up, placing her hands on her hips.
“Is your birthday coming up soon…?”
“Whoa, Seo Yu-na, you didn’t know? That won’t do, let’s exclude Yuna from this!”
“No! No way! I’m Na-me’s best friend! Why didn’t you invite me, Na-me? Huh?”
After calming Seori down, Han Seori again triggered Yu-na’s tear ducts.
“Do we have to do that birthday party?”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t a birthday just a birthday? Just getting congratulated with words is enough for me.”
“But it’s Sunday, so you won’t be at the academy!”
Wait, how do you know my birthday so accurately?
I’m sure there’s a spy in our class.
I should suspect Teacher Jacqueline as the main suspect.
“Alright then, if you want to come over, come anytime. But don’t bring gifts. If you bring one, I won’t let you into the house.”
“Why! It’s your birthday, so you should definitely get gifts!”
Ha-ru shouted, but this time I wasn’t planning to bend my stance.
“If you don’t like that, then don’t come.”
“Fine, okay…”
“Hey, Lee Ha-ru, cheer up from this!”
Seori lightly poked Ha-ru on the shoulder from behind.
“Huh? What’s that? Aaaah!”
Pill bug, hehehe.
“Get that away from me, Han Seori! Aah, don’t say that I’m scared…!”
“Hehehe.”
Oh boy, it’s chaotic.
*
If Principal Gu On-yu was greatly mistaken about something, it was that there was another person getting overwhelmed with calls.
“Aaaaaah, I’m going to get neurosis! Why! Why, why, why? Why!!”
A man was experiencing hair loss at 10 times the speed due to incessant ringing from every direction.
Delete, the overall manager of both the Takeaway and Collapse operations and a founding member of the Letterbox.
“Why is it that nothing ever goes by quietly without incidents?!”
He was still in his 30s, and his thinning hair was precious. He had entered the stage of resignation.
“I can’t do this anymore. Just release the video…”
“Huh?”
“Release the interview video from yesterday on V-tube. Haaah… If they’re asking for it, we should give it to them.”
“But the editing isn’t complete yet.”
“Please, Ji-eun!”
Delete’s complexion had turned pale near bloodless.
“Just cut that part and upload it! Why are you so incompetent at your job!”
“Oh! Is it the part where NoName appears?”
“Yeah! I feel like I might cry every time Ji-eun acts like this, seriously…!”
While the man slumped into his office chair, a female employee handed him a tissue.
“Sigh, just don’t cry.”
Delete’s expression, staring at such a worker in disbelief, was simply priceless.
“Fine!”
“So, are we really uploading it? Uploading? Confirming upload?”
“Don’t chatter, just hurry and upload!”
“Eek!”
[(Letterbox) Total MVP Interview: NoName | 2051 Season 1 Takeaway & Collapse]
