Chapter 28
After using the charisma of an L-class child to drive away the troublemakers, Chae-ri focused on Kang Se-hyun.
‘His body is trembling.’
He was still a very small child.
She stroked Kang Se-hyun’s head.
There wasn’t much comfort she could offer in a child’s body.
This was Chae-ri’s best.
‘It’s like he’s crying.’
No one had looked into the heart of the five-year-old who had experienced a fire and a kidnapping.
There probably hadn’t been anyone to look, either.
His mother had left home long ago, and his father had no interest except for conquering the Tower. A true Tower-obsessed bastard.
If he said, “Dad, I had a really tough day,” the person who would reply, “It’s always tough! Let’s overcome it! Son!”
There probably wasn’t a single person around who could read the heart of a five-year-old who had gone through a fire and kidnapping.
‘I don’t know what to say!’
She wanted to offer fantastic comfort, but nothing came out.
So, she just…
Quietly held Kang Se-hyun’s hand.
Like David, like Kim Myung-ja.
She decided to just convey warmth.
And why are his hands so cold? How upsetting.
When Kim Myung-ja came running over, Kang Se-hyun hurriedly bowed his head again.
“You don’t have to bow your head.”
There were baseless rumors like ‘Magictic is contagious,’ but Kim Myung-ja didn’t care.
“That’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not your fault. It’s just a little uncomfortable.”
Kim Myung-ja patted Se-hyun’s back and stroked his head.
Surprisingly, the Magictic all subsided.
Chae-ri was impressed.
“Whoa, as expected!”
Kim Myung-ja’s hands were healing hands.
* * *
Shin Seo-ah’s first love.
The five-year-old who believes himself to be the boss of Sullivan Kindergarten, Kim Woo-joo, is feeling a bit displeased right now.
“Annoying.”
Actually, he wanted to become friends with Chae-ri.
Out of all the kids Kim Woo-joo had seen, Chae-ri was by far the prettiest.
So, he tried his signature ‘Side Roll’ move.
But the reaction was nothing.
Even his stellar performance, staking the pride of a ‘Red Light, Green Light’ champion, got no reaction.
And more than anything, what made him feel the worst was that Chae-ri always hung around with the Magic Stick Man.
“Hey, Kang Se-hyun.”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you always bothering Lee Chae-ri?”
Kang Se-hyun tilted his head.
“I haven’t been bothering her.”
Kim Woo-joo paused for a moment.
This punk. Before, he used to run away if you just talked to him?
Now he’s looking straight at me and answering.
To Kim Woo-joo, that felt like a ‘challenge’.
“Why are you acting up?”
“When did I?”
A short standoff. A strange tension.
Kim Woo-joo made a decision.
‘Let me show him what’s what!’
He saw Chae-ri walking towards them.
Now was the time.
Now was the timing to prove he was a cool guy.
Kim Woo-joo, who was bigger and stronger than his peers, pushed Se-hyun.
Se-hyun fell powerlessly and landed hard on his bottom.
“Stop acting up.”
Is he going to cry? He’ll probably start crying soon, right?
Kim Woo-joo even thought he looked kinda cool himself.
But the situation unfolded differently.
“You pushed first?”
Se-hyun sprang up and grabbed Kim Woo-joo by the scruff of the neck.
Soon after, a scuffle broke out.
The fight between the five-year-olds was surprisingly quite fierce, and just as Chae-ri rushed over to break it up…
Kim Myung-ja appeared like the wind and separated the two.
Then, she took both kids to a quiet classroom.
It was a moment that called for proper discipline.
* * *
For some, it’s discipline for the child, but for others, it’s an unpleasant intervention.
Kim Woo-joo’s mother was the latter.
“Excuse me, Teacher.”
Kim Woo-joo’s mother, who had requested a meeting with Kim Myung-ja, was very angry.
“Did you read my child’s feelings?”
Kim Myung-ja calmly and by-the-book explained what had happened that day.
She explained in the child’s language why violence is wrong, and also talked about how to express emotions.
Both Se-hyun and Woo-joo even promised on their own ‘not to use violence’.
Just in case, she had even recorded it.
In the recording, Kim Myung-ja’s voice was calm and low.
It was closer to a conversation than a lecture.
But.
“Why are you forcing a promise out of the child?”
“Mother. I didn’t force it……”
“This is child abuse.”
“……”
She irritably got up from her seat.
“You’ll have to pay for this, Teacher.”
* * *
The principal of Sullivan Kindergarten also called Kim Myung-ja in separately.
“Please, don’t cause discord.”
“But, Principal.”
“‘But’ is not what I want to hear.”
The principal cut Kim Myung-ja off.
“This is just a daycare. A playground. A place to play, understand? It’s not a place for teaching. Do you understand?”
“……”
“Act like the parachute appointment you are. Understood?”
Kim Myung-ja let out a sigh and left the principal’s office.
“What are you doing, Lee Chae-ri?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Chae-ri, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation with her ear pressed against the principal’s office door, jumped, startled.
She pretended she wasn’t doing anything and played innocent.
“Teacher Kim Myung-ja. Did you get scolded by the principal?”
“You should say Principal.”
“Did you get scolded by the principal?”
Kim Myung-ja stroked Chae-ri’s head, changing the subject.
“Chae-ri. They say we’re having pork cutlet for lunch today.”
But Chae-ri wasn’t so easily fooled by the pork cutlet tactic.
She maximized her concentration and emotions and continued the conversation.
“Kim Woo-joo was the one who did wrong, so why is Kim Myung-ja getting scolded? Lee Chae-ri will hit Kim Woo-joo for you.”
“Lee Chae-ri.”
A soft but firm gaze.
In response, Chae-ri averted her eyes slightly.
“I’m sowwy. I won’t use violent language anymore.”
* * *
‘That’s right. Kim Woo-joo’s family were villains in the original too.’
They weren’t major antagonists.
They were just minor villains who periodically provided headaches.
Supporting characters who quietly made the original Chae-ri’s life tiresome.
They caused small troubles, painting Chae-ri as a ‘troublesome child’.
‘Lee Chae-ri. Didn’t Mom tell you to get along with your friends? Why are you being so difficult? Do you want to go back to the orphanage?’
They were the reason she had to hear things like that.
In truth, Chae-ri hadn’t done much wrong, but that wasn’t important to the adults.
‘But the dad was worse than the mom, wasn’t he?’
A terrible son-obsessed father.
Since it was a 15+ rating, it wasn’t described in detail, but he was portrayed as a shameless scoundrel who increased his wealth through illegal means.
He had even caused a few disturbances at the kindergarten.
‘Is he really going to show up again?’
But then, for real.
He came. A large, menacing physique. His arms and legs were covered in tattoos.
His voice boomed as if it could collapse the building.
“Kim Myung-ja! Who is Kim Myung-ja!”
It was out of the blue.
His attitude was bad from the start, and his demeanor was aggressive.
Chae-ri felt her chest tighten, but she soon clenched her fists and ran over.
She could stand insults aimed at her, but she couldn’t stand rudeness directed at Kim Myung-ja.
“Kim Myung-ja! Get out here!”
Chae-ri took a deep breath.
Last time, she was Kang Se-hyun’s guard. This time, she’s Kim Myung-ja’s guard.
Chae-ri blocked the man’s path.
“Is Kim Myungja your friend, Mister?”
“Who are you?”
“Lee Chae-ri gets scolded by the principal teacher if she doesn’t call him Principal! Do you want to get scolded too?”
The man was momentarily speechless at the four-year-old’s straightforward attack.
“Move. Mister is busy right now.”
“I won’t move.”
Chae-ri spread her arms wide, blocking the path.
The man scowled and showed his irritation.
“Haa… The education here is a real mess.”
He was holding back because he was in the position of raising a son himself; if it were the old days, he would have acted more roughly.
And then.
From behind the man, an even larger silhouette revealed itself.
A boulder of a man dressed in a white suit.
Choi Deok-gyu, the dedicated driver of the yellow Bongo truck, had appeared.
“Lee Chae-ri heard everyfing.”
The instigation and tattling of an L-class child was very swift.
“He said he was going to teach Kim Myungja that she’s a mess, aaghh!”
