NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
“Do-hee, hurry up and get dressed! We have to eat and go~”
“Ah~ Just a minute.”
Today is the day of the entrance ceremony.
It’s been 2 years and 3 months since Do-ah was born, and I’ve turned 8, meaning it’s time for me to go to elementary school.
Sigh, I can’t believe I have to go to elementary school for 6 years.
When I stepped out of my room and into the kitchen, I saw Mom feeding Do-ah in a high chair.
“Oh my, our Do-ah eats so well.”
I sat down at the table, picked up a spoon, and said,
“Is Do-ah coming too?”
Do-ah, who was eating, looked up at me when she heard her name mentioned.
“Of course! What if you wake up at home all alone?”
“Do-ah will be sleepy anyway. You really don’t have to come to the entrance ceremony. I can go by myself.”
“What are you talking about? What kind of mom doesn’t go to her daughter’s elementary school entrance ceremony?”
“I’m really fine with it, but do as you like.”
The cute Do-ah stared at me and asked,
“Sis, where are you going?”
“Yeah~ Starting from today, I have to go to elementary school every morning. Give me a kiss to cheer me on.”
I leaned my cheek toward Do-ah and pointed at it with my finger.
“Muah~. Can’t you not go? I want to stay with you.”
“Oh, you’re so cute. I want to be with you too, but Mom won’t let me, boohoo. You should scold Mom for me.”
Do-ah seemed to struggle internally when I asked her to scold Mom, looking back and forth between me and Mom.
She’s my little sister, but she’s just too adorable.
Mom pinched Do-ah’s cheek and said to me,
“Anyway, you have to go to elementary school because it’s the law~”
“Who doesn’t know that? It’s just the way it is.”
“Make a lot of friends at school, okay?”
“I don’t know, I’ll see when I get there.”
“Listen well to the teacher.”
“I’ll find out about that too.”
If I keep teasing Mom like this, she’ll definitely try to give me a light slap on the head.
As predicted, at that moment, Mom’s fist was flying toward my head.
But I easily dodged it.
After all the training, I can avoid it now.
“Oops.”
“Sigh… Anyway, just do well.”
“Okay.”
After finishing our meal, Mom carried Do-ah as we left the house together.
When we arrived at school, the playground was packed with people.
In the front row of the crowd, the teachers for each class were standing with signs showing their class names.
“Mom, was I in Class 1?”
“Yep, the Class 1 teacher is right over there.”
We walked up to the teacher holding the Class 1 sign.
“Hello, Miss, I’m Do-hee’s mom; she’s starting today.”
“Hello, Mrs.!”
“Hello, teacher.”
“Well, hello, Do-hee! Nice to meet you.”
The teacher rummaged through the name tags she was holding and found one with my name and handed it to me.
“Do-hee, make sure to wear this name tag and wait, okay?”
“Do-hee, are you waiting with the name tag the teacher gave you around your neck?”
“Yes.”
The teacher, busy handing me the name tag, rushed off to distribute them as another parent arrived.
Being an elementary school teacher is not an easy job.
As time passed and all the students gathered, the principal stepped up to the podium.
“Hello, parents and incoming students. I am Principal Jang Bu-young.”
Ah. I can’t believe I’m stuck listening to this boring principal speech again.
After what felt like an eternity filled with all sorts of flowery speeches, the bonanza wrapped up after 30 minutes.
Principals really know how to drag things out.
Once the principal wrapped up, another teacher grabbed the mic for an announcement.
“Now, parents and incoming students, please follow your homeroom teacher to your classroom.”
“Alright, all the parents of Class 1, please line up with your kids~”
Parents and students, including us, followed the teacher’s lead into the classroom.
After that, the homeroom teacher called attendance to make sure everyone was present.
“Looks like everyone’s here, so hello! I’m Yoo Ji-young, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher for the year.”
-Clap, clap, clap, clap-
“I’ll have the students sitting in front introduce themselves. ‘I’m from Class 1, Grade 1, and my name is…’ Got it?”
Ha-ah… this is already annoying.
If it weren’t for the law, I wouldn’t even be in elementary school.
“I’m Seo Min-beom from Class 1, Grade 1.”
“I’m Park So-eun from Class 1, Grade 1.”
“I’m Cheon Ha-jun from Class 1, Grade 1.”
Min-hyuk.
Soo-bin.
Chae-yoon.
Yoon-jin.
Soo-ho.
Jin-hee.
Listening to them is driving me crazy.
Before I knew it, it was my turn for self-introduction.
“Yes, hello. I’m Lee Do-hee from Class 1, Grade 1.”
I could hear some parents whispering at the back, recognizing me.
Well, Mom should have thought twice before posting my pictures online.
After gaining a significant increase in followers, Mom has turned me into an SNS star.
All of her posts included my photos, like for example:
Kwon Joo-hee
April 21, 2013, 7:49 PM
“Do-hee won first place again in her second competition! Our daughter is such a genius, hehe.”
(With a picture of me receiving the award)
Kwon Joo-hee
July 13, 2013, 3:40 AM
“This summer’s vacation is in Gangneung~”
(With a picture of me buried in sand on the beach)
(And another one of me in a swimsuit)
Kwon Joo-hee
October 7, 2014, 11:40 AM
“Do-hee giving Do-ah a kiss~
Dad is jealous of Do-ah!”
(With a picture of me kissing)
Studying me.
Me with a face mask.
Receiving first place, second place, and third place awards in competitions.
The examples could go on forever; Mom endlessly posted my photos for two years.
Now that I’m starting elementary school, I’m relieved that she plans to stop posting so much, fearing I might get hurt by my newfound fame.
I’m glad I decided to stop posting for fear of becoming famous; at least that’s a relief.
After the self-introduction time ended, the teacher started a simple class.
This so-called simple class was,
“Okay, everyone, when I call Class 1, you give three claps, got it?”
“Yes~”
Ha-ah… How do they even attend elementary school?
What am I supposed to do?
“Class 1?”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
I must have caught the teacher’s eye for not clapping.
“Do-hee, you need to do it too, right?”
“Yes…”
“Okay, let’s do it again, Class 1?”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
Save me.
After the class ended and I received a few simple announcements from the teacher, we left the school.
“Mom, I can’t go to school anymore.”
“Uh-huh, no way.”
“Why is elementary school mandatory…?”
“Thank goodness it is mandatory.”
Ha-ah…
On my way home, I searched for the elementary school equivalency test online.
Please let me graduate early.
Elementary school equivalency tests state that children under the age of 12 are not allowed to take the test regardless of whether they are attending elementary school or not.
Ah.
What am I supposed to do?
Feeling deflated, I went to Do-ah, who was playing with her doll, and hugged her.
“Huh?”
“I only have Do-ah.”
“Huh?”
“Actually, I have a piano teacher too.”
“Huh?”
I need some healing…
Today, I don’t want to study piano, do my homework, or exercise…
.
.
.
After attending school for a month somehow, strangely enough, I became popular.
“Do-hee, let’s play together~”
“I’m busy.”
“Do-hee, you’re going to play with me!”
“No, I said I’m busy.”
“You’re like an older sister.”
“You all feel like annoying little siblings.”
“Do-hee, Mom said you’re really famous online.”
“Tell her to forget about it.”
“Do-hee, let’s play princess!”
“I’m busy.”
As soon as recess started, the girls swarm around me.
I didn’t ask for this popularity.
Please.
On the other hand, the boys are,
“Lee Do-hee is a fool~”
“…? Oh right, you guys seem pretty foolish too.”
“I’m the treasure of the sea, you know?”
“Ha-ha… Ah!”
A boy who, while teasing me, pulls at his hair and runs away.
Sigh… I should really keep my mouth shut.
“Ah!”
Now, since I’m not responding, they start pinching me and running away.
Is this what boys do when they like a girl?
Is that what boys do? Mess with girls?
Hah… I miss my mom and dad… Do-ah, I really miss you…
And I miss my piano teacher’s chest… the most…
As I think of all the things I miss, the teacher approaches me.
“Do-hee is popular, huh?”
“Does this look good…?”
“Haha, Do-hee blushing is too cute.”
“I’m being serious…”
“It looks like everyone likes Do-hee because she’s so pretty. Should we get closer?”
“Me…?”
“Yeah, you.”
“Why…? Ah!”
While I’m talking to the teacher, that pesky kid comes back and pinches me again.
I make a sad face at the teacher, but she laughs it off, saying it’s just a sign of affection.
It’s driving me crazy.
I can’t even hit him.
But the revenge time came faster than expected.
During our fun lesson, we had physical activities.
Sadly, it’s dodgeball for the girls and soccer for the boys.
“Teacher, I want to play soccer too.”
“Can you keep up with the boys?”
“Yep!”
I got assigned to the opposing team of the brat who keeps bothering me.
The game starts, and our team of boys passes the ball among themselves.
If they won’t pass it to me, I’ll just have to steal it.
Just then, the troublemaker who’s been bullying me got the ball.
I ran over and tackled him.
As soon as I stole the ball, the boy fell down.
Serves him right, haha.
I dashed with the ball, casually dribbling past two defenses and scored a goal.
I was a striker in the military league, you know.
Elementary kids are a joke.
The match resumes from the half-line.
The ball goes back and forth until it comes to me.
As I dribble forward, the kid who fell earlier seems to want to tackle me.
‘Look at him, where did this elementary kid learn to be so dirty?’
Must’ve learned it from me.
What can I say?
I lifted the ball and avoided the tackle.
Meanwhile, the kid trying to tackle tripped over his own feet and fell.
Thanks to that, my attack got interrupted for a moment.
Phew…
“Hey, get up.”
But the kid is crying on the ground, saying he can’t get up.
“Huaaaang.”
His crying voice is honestly ugly.
As if he wasn’t annoying enough, now he’s crying and ruining the game.
“Huaaaang, Lee Do-hee! You ugly!”
I couldn’t hold back anymore and kicked the ball right at the little brat’s back.
“Uwaaaaang!”
His ugly cry got even louder.
If he can’t get up, someone should help him.
This is bed soccer—alarm clock soccer.
Damn! Long live South Korea!
Due to supposedly assaulting a friend, I inevitably had to attend a parent-teacher meeting.