Chapter 16: Yes? Me? Me? – (1)

“……..”

I was blankly waiting in the break room.

I had left all my things next to the office storage room.

The cool air conditioning and the sound of the TV from the staff break room next to the dormitory management office filled the space. Occasionally, I could hear some footsteps, but the teacher in charge of admissions still hadn’t arrived.

Why hasn’t she come yet…?

It had already been over an hour since my uncle left, but there was still no news.

I guess it takes a while to find your way around a big school.

Well, the Hanul Comprehensive Arts School was a huge campus, bigger than most university campuses, with thousands of students from various fields of study. They couldn’t possibly focus all their attention on a single kid.

Besides, it was a busy time, with preparations for the upcoming second semester underway.

I could understand that.

When you’re a new student, it’s normal to be left alone for a while so you can adjust.

Rustling  

Crunch

I casually munched on the chocolate chip cookies in my hand. There were plenty of cookies prepared, so I didn’t hesitate to eat as much as I wanted.

But seriously, the cookies seem bigger than they were 20 years ago……

 Rustling  

 Crunch

The sound of me eating the cookies echoed in the break room.

By the way, the endless cookies coming out of my pocket were all taken from the office next door.

– “Oh my, such a young kid comes here?”  

– “She must be a genius or something.”  

– “Hey, have some of this.”  

– “Look at those chubby cheeks! How can she be this cute?”  

– “I’d want to take her home as my daughter-in-law, haha.”  

– “Are there any cookies in the pantry? No, let’s just bring everything.”  

– “Does this TV show kids’ channels? Should I change it to the Go game channel for her?”  

– “Team leader, what are you talking about, Go games for a kid?”  

– “Did your dad bring you here?”

As the security guard finished speaking, a female staff member next to him nudged him, whispering in his ear. He hurriedly apologized and ran off to bring the cookies.

“I-I’m sorry. You can eat all of this.”  

Seeing me standing there waiting, the aunties who had come to do the big dormitory cleaning personally opened the break room door and took care of me.

‘The staff at the management office are all so polite and well-dressed… You can really tell this is a prestigious school.’

Rustling  

Crunch

I continued eating my cookies while looking around the break room. It’s really clean

The break room for the school staff was equipped with air conditioning, and the pantry was fully stocked… Considering the times, it was very modern.

Some workplaces don’t even have a place for meals. Is this why people say you should work in a noble house?

The TV in the management office was playing the morning news about the ongoing Athens Olympics.

 “As the Athens Olympics is nearing its end, the gymnastics event has been hit with the worst judgment error in history, causing criticism in the global gymnastics community…”

Was there such an incident?

Honestly, when I was a kid, I only cheered when I heard “Our country won!” at the Olympics or World Cup, but I wasn’t particularly interested. So, the news was surprisingly interesting.

As I was focusing on the news, I heard the sound of a door opening from behind. A woman called my name.

“Go Hana, student?”

“……”

“Sorry, have you been waiting long?”

I turned around at the sound of her voice.

There stood a middle-aged woman dressed in loose clothing, smiling brightly. She was holding a small handbag in one hand. I could see the staff around her bowing and greeting her.

– “Miss Kim herself came.”  

– “She must really be a genius……”  

I could tell immediately. This person was at least a team leader here.

‘Is she one of the higher-ups in charge of admissions?’

I quickly shoved the cookies I had been eating into my uniform pocket and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“Teacher, hello. I’m Go Hana, the student who just enrolled. Please take care of me…….”

“Wow, kids these days are so mature? I heard you’re the youngest student to be admitted at such a young age, but you’re so composed!”

“Thank you.”

She smiled warmly and introduced herself.

“I’m Kim Youngmi, the head of admissions at Hanul Comprehensive Arts School. Well… how should I put it? I’m the teacher who helps students like you who are starting here. You could think of me as the one who assists with your entry process.”

In short, she was the big boss.

“Yes, thank you, teacher Kim Youngmi.”

“Well, the fact that I’m here personally means I should apologize for the delay. We’ve had some visitors wanting to meet you… So, let’s finish up the admission process and get your dormitory assignment settled.”

“No, it’s fine. The fact that the head of admissions came here to personally greet me is more than enough. I understand the school’s been busy with special entry procedures, so I’m grateful for your consideration.”

Kim Youngmi paused for a moment, looking as if she was slightly taken aback by my words.

“Your speech… it’s definitely different for a special-entry student… Are you really in 4th grade? 11 years old? 10 years old?”

“I should’ve been in 4th grade, yes. I’m 11 years old.”

“Wow, really?”

Kim Youngmi looked at my documents and shook her head in amazement. But there was something else that caught her attention.

‘Who are these visitors?’

I was confused, but Kim Youngmi… the teacher, got me in the car, and we headed toward the main building of Hanul Arts School. As we passed through a garden that reminded me of a European-style landscape, the main building with its classic exterior came into view.

‘I can’t believe I’m driving around this huge school in a car.’

A few days ago, I had been here with my uncle to submit my enrollment papers, but I still couldn’t believe that such a vast school was attended by middle and high school students.

We got out of the car in front of the main building, and I followed Kim Youngmi into the admissions office. As we passed by, I could see the staff staring at me in surprise.

– “Is that… her?”  

– “She’s so young…”  

– “Special entry…?”  

‘What’s going on?’

Before I could ask, we entered the admissions office.

Kim Youngmi had me sit in the office and began explaining various procedures. Most of the paperwork for my admission had already been completed, so she mostly went over the “special adaptation period” I would undergo.

To summarize, it was as follows:

1. For the upcoming semester (which for me meant this year’s second semester), I would attend some basic classes with middle school students to adapt to the school’s atmosphere.  

2. Once a week, I would participate in special classes held by the heads of the major departments.  

3. I would attend regular classes like Korean, English, and math with the students who would be entering next year.

In short, it was like a tutorial for school life.

Kim Youngmi smiled brightly as she summarized.

“Basically, it’s like a warm-up before you start your first year with the regular class.”

“Got it…” 

“You seem very mature, so I think you’ll adjust quickly.”

I cautiously spoke up.

“You can feel free to talk to me casually. Since you’re a teacher, I’m going to have to speak to you formally, though.”

“Ah, really? I was feeling a bit awkward too. I guess this is all a first-time experience… hehe.”

“Has there never been a special-entry student before?”

“Right, this is the first time, actually. It was such a big deal when we got your documents… The office was in chaos.”

Kim Youngmi smiled more comfortably now.

“Honestly, I’m just really happy. You’re clearly capable, and I’m glad you’re here.”

“Thank you.”

She took out a map of the campus from her desk drawer. It showed the layout of the buildings.

‘It looks like a game map.’

Each dormitory was numbered. 

1. The middle and high school boys lived in dormitories numbered 1 and 2.  

2. High school girls lived in dormitory 3-4.  

3. Middle school girls lived in dormitories 5-7. 

Dormitories 1 and the others were separated by more than 100 meters. They were surrounded by fences, staff quarters, and various facilities like warehouses and offices. 

The security was so tight, it made me smile.

‘Dormitory 7 is especially far off.’

Kim Youngmi pointed to the corner of the dormitory area on the map.

“You’ll be staying in dormitory 7… It’s a place where students who travel abroad frequently stay, so it’s often empty. It’s technically a middle school dormitory, but high school students also stay there.”

“Will I have a roommate?”

I was honestly concerned about this part.

“No matter how much she’s a girl now, living with kids around my age… something about it… it feels like I need to mentally prepare for it…”

But those worries were quickly swept away.

Teacher Kim Youngmi smiled brightly and said,  

“No, she’ll be alone in that room. Originally, it’s a two-person room, but the students who moved abroad recently left that room empty.”  

“Is that so?”  

“The dormitory, Room 7, where Hana will be staying, is a bit far from the dorms where other students usually stay. Except for the student dining hall where everyone gathers, she probably won’t run into the older girls often.”

I felt a bit relieved.  

‘Even though I look like this, I’m about to hit puberty… I might embarrass myself living with someone else.’  

Of course, I still had a perfectly flat and smooth body. But someday, with natural growth, these things would happen.  

The natural process of human growth.  

“Oh, right… Damn it, menstruation.”  

“Menstruation, seriously.”  

‘If anyone sees, it’s gonna be so embarrassing.’  

Well, it’s not like I did anything wrong, and no one would be mentally unstable enough to make fun of me for it.  

“Honestly, though…?  I’m still… not quite there yet in terms of my feminine development. And having to live with a girl in her early teens… that made me uneasy.”  

“I never noticed it until now, but as time goes on, more unknowns will come up.”  

Anyway, for now, I could breathe a sigh of relief.  

I decided to worry about the rest next year.  

I listened carefully to Teacher Kim Youngmi’s explanation and headed back to the dorm building to unpack my things.  

After I finished unpacking, Teacher Kim told me to contact her via the internal phone, asking her to visit any guests who had arrived.  

‘Guests? Who could that be?’  

Surely, my uncle wouldn’t come back just because he missed me.  

Thinking that, I walked to Dorm 7.  

‘The luggage should already be in the room, so I’ll see it soon.’  

Kindly, the staff had already taken my luggage to the assigned room. I thanked them before leaving the office.  

Even the walk to the dorm felt like a stroll through a park, but something felt off—it was noisy. The air was buzzing with the overwhelming energy of high school and middle school girls.  

Chatter, chatter  

‘What’s going on…? Did a celebrity come by or something?’  

Even though it was vacation, there were still students in the dorm (mostly those whose families lived abroad), and the high school and middle school girls gathered in front of Dorm 7, gossiping.  

Chatter, chatter  

I approached them, intending to pass through the front door.  

“Excuse me… I’m just passing through.”  

The girls looked up at me all at once.  

“.……?”  

And then, chaos began.  

– “Kyaaaaaaaaaa!!!”  

– “So cuteee!!!”  

– “OH MY GOD!!”  

– “Wow! She’s the real deal!!”  

– “Look at her chubby cheeks!!”  

The terrifying high school and middle school girls suddenly lifted me off the ground.  

“Ughhhh…”  

“They say she’s a special admission student!”  

The students around me let out a shrill, excited sound—  

“So cuuuuteee!!!”  

What… is going on?  

What is this situation even?