SYJ x HB : The Stories Behind (Book Two)

Homeroom

‘Sorry?’ he asked, wanting to know why. Eon Jin looked at him instead and shook her head, then shifted back to what the teacher was saying.

‘Hello, my name is Teacher Anne and I am the homeroom adviser for the students of this section,’ she said as she bent down to take a bow in front of everyone. ‘As you all know, today is the first meeting for the year and it is proper for us to get to know each other. May I ask all of you to please introduce your name to everyone here.’

Teacher Anne may be a sweet teacher to the kids, but to the parents, she definitely knows what she is doing. She knows how to put them in their places, especially in the classroom where she is the leader and moderator.

As the man earlier prepared to get up and introduce himself, Teacher Anne suddenly spoke up.

‘Why don’t we start with those parents at the back? Mr. Hyun, if you may.’

Mr. Hyun was taken aback at the remark and when he realized that he was the last person sitting, he stood up. But not without holding his wife’s hand first. He knew well that there was something that went on the last time, since Mrs. Hyun offered to bring their daughter, Joo Joo, to school last year. He wondered if his intuition was right, and stood by that choice since then.

‘Good afternoon. My name is Hyun Bin,’ he said, which earned a lot of heads turning his way. He quickly followed up. ‘I am not the actor though.’

Laughter eased up the growing tension inside the room. Mrs. Hyun then came up next, and Eon Jin’s turn came. She took off her classic Ray Ban aviator sunglasses and held them carefully.

‘Hello everyone, I am Son Eon Jin. Nice to meet you,’ she said as she gave a curtly nod to everyone in the room. She remembered once more about how she introduced herself to her first class in the university and gave out a shy smile. 

‘Hello, my name is Kim Tae Pyung,’ came the ringing baritone voice of her husband who stood right after she finished her introduction. He took off his Tom Ford shades after and gave a 90-degree bow. They sat back down and it seemed like the time froze, except for the four of them at the back.

Silence filled the entire room, as heads were locked in place looking at the people who stayed in the last row. It seemed that the affluent parents gathered in that small room had turned to be ordinary people in the presence of the four persons. Teacher Anne, who momentarily stopped upon hearing their introductions, quickly snapped back to continue her role as the moderator for this meeting.

‘Omo, are they real?’ she thought, even when she knew that one of her students was the child of the power couple. Judging by how they were seated, she knew immediately who it was, since it was confidential information prior to their first official school meeting. Almost everyone had introduced themselves, and it was the man’s turn to speak.

‘Hello. My name is Lee Dong Gun and it is my intention to run for the seat as president of this Parents Association,’ he said in rapid succession which had the teacher shift her gaze at him. He gave a sly smile before the woman took over the floor once again.

‘Thank you everyone for your cooperation,’ she said as she laid out the agenda for the meeting. She discussed the annual activities scheduled for the kids and the successive meetings that they will be having. Then came the moment that most parents have waited for, the election. Apparently, half of the population wanted to get elected to a position and was actually getting noisier.

‘Must they always be like this, Yej?’ Eon Jin asked her friend. 

‘Well, yes. They always do that. Bin and I have been dodging that since last year when Joo Joo was here,’ the other lady replied. The husbands were silently looking at the crowd in front of them like watching a baseball game. Observing.