“The final topic is… well… about art and the special-entry student, Go Hana.”
End-of-year teacher’s meeting.
The head of the academic affairs department introduced the final topic of the meeting.
“Is she adjusting well? I would like to hear the opinions of the art department teachers.
After all, Go Hana is the first special-entry student since the early admission system was established, so we need to approach this cautiously.
I just want to confirm, one last time, whether Go Hana is facing any difficulties in adjusting to the curriculum or school life.”
“….!”
“….!”
“….!”
At the same time, most of the teachers from the art department, who were sitting, smiled, big and small.
Ah, Go Hana.
Our hope.
The teachers gathered for the end-of-year meeting of the Hanul Middle and High School. Everyone seemed to have something to say. Even the teacher in charge of the dormitory management was on the verge of speaking.
But they couldn’t quite bring themselves to say anything.
‘What if I seem too proud?’
“….”
“….”
“….”
For a moment, there was a silent battle of glances.
Eventually, the first to speak was Ahn Sooyoung, who was in charge of the overseas study curriculum in the art department.
“To be honest, if it were up to me, I would almost prefer to just enroll Go Hana directly into the middle school department.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
The head of the academic affairs department was taken aback by this unexpected answer.
“Is Go Hana not adjusting well?”
“No, it’s the complete opposite.”
Ahn Sooyoung smiled wryly.
“She’s adjusted so well that I’m starting to wonder if the middle school curriculum is even necessary for her.”
“Huh…”
The head of the academic affairs department let out a low exclamation, and Ahn Sooyoung continued.
“Her basic drawing skills… well, her ability to grasp form and express herself is already on a level that surpasses her peers.
When it comes to materials and preparation for work, Go Hana is so interested that she learns quickly on her own.
Even the students’ biggest challenge, humanities courses, she’s keeping up with just fine. Honestly… if we can just improve her language skills and test scores a bit, she’s already at a level where she could get into any university without issue.”
“Really?”
“To be honest, the entrance exams aren’t the issue for Go Hana.”
“Then…?”
“It’s about how we cultivate her talent—someone with that level of potential, who may never come around again in Korea—who and how will she be nurtured? That’s the real question.”
In other words,
A genius who transcends the level of a typical student has arrived.
That’s what they were saying.
As soon as Ahn Sooyoung finished speaking,
The teachers from the art department also nodded their heads.
They revealed their true feelings that they had been hiding.
“Most of the kids are talented… but there has never been anyone who was truly ‘complete’ from the start. Our job was to help nurture them, but Go Hana… how should we put it? She’s really come in as the ‘finished product.’ It’s amazing, especially at her age.”
“Even when we had her do some presentations, she was confident and clear in expressing herself. And she wasn’t self-centered, either…”
“Usually, with that kind of maturity at that age, they’d be full of themselves, but Go Hana gets along well with her older peers and is respectful toward adults. It just removes any bad thoughts you might have.”
“I guess I really am just a typical Korean person.”
They were all teachers with a keen eye for talent.
Even veteran artists and visiting professors continued to praise Go Hana.
“I honestly thought I was talking to a thoughtful young artist, not an elementary school kid. Before I knew it, we were having a debate about postmodernism. If she were 20 years older, I’d have invited her out for a drink with other local artists. It’s a shame. Ha ha ha!”
“Go Hana may just draw because she likes it, but her worldview is so broad, and she knows how to communicate her thoughts to others.”
Finally, the dormitory supervisor added their testimony.
“Such a small girl, but she’s so diligent in the dorm. Even the top students of her grade came to study with her. Eugene, especially, treats her like a younger sister.”
“Go Hana is so charming and cute that everyone can’t help but watch her and get drawn in.”
The teachers who had interacted with Go Hana were all enthusiastic.
– A student who learns everything without needing to be taught…?!
– And she’s only in fifth grade…?!
– If we nurture her, she’ll definitely be a big deal…!
To them, this child was a treasure.
“She’s kind, diligent, and polite… and so thoughtful for such a small girl that she completely captivated the other dorm students.”
“She’s like a legendary, noble beast… but Go Hana, she’s… what should I say… a fairy? I honestly think she’s like a fairy from a lake.”
“That might sound like a fairy tale, but it’s strangely fitting.”
As the teachers continued discussing Go Hana, they turned to Jeong Jeonjin, who was sitting in the corner. He was one of the more cold and detached teachers at Hanul, and they wanted to hear his opinion.
“Professor Jeong, do you have any thoughts?”
Jung Jeonjin spoke in his usual blunt manner.
“…I agree. There’s no issue with moving her up to the middle school department.”
Although he responded cynically, the teachers, already charmed by the polite genius girl, subtly pressed him further.
“Professor Jeong, you’ve had a few lessons with Go Hana, right? Did you see anything special in her?”
“Everything you’ve observed is the same as what I’ve seen.”
“Is there anything particularly extraordinary, or anything special about her?”
“You, as experts in teaching young students, probably saw everything there is to see. I wouldn’t have noticed anything different.”
“….”
In the end, the German-made compliment dispenser didn’t work.
As the teachers enjoyed their dopamine rush, they muttered quietly.
“Goodness, what a dull person.”
“….”
Ahn Sooyoung wrapped up the praise session, speaking.
“Mm, yeah. She’s truly a mature child, in every sense. Her skills, her attitude… even more than the older students in the high school department.”
“Huh…”
The head of the academic affairs department, who had only known about Go Hana as the first special-entry student for the art department, was now stunned.
The teachers at the school were no longer thinking about university entrance exams. Instead, they were discussing how far this genius could grow. After all, it was already a given that she would secure a spot in an overseas prestigious university.
‘She’s that exceptional…’
*
Last week of the preparatory semester
I received a call from the Admissions Office, so I went to the main building.
– Murmur, murmur
When I arrived at the Admissions Office, it was bustling.
Though it was the end of the semester, it seemed quite busy.
Everyone, whether staff or teachers, was occupied.
Well…
I could roughly guess why.
‘The entrance exam was just finished recently, so it must be because of next year’s incoming students.’
Next year’s students.
In other words, my peers.
Of course, they’re two years older than me.
Still, having made a lot of connections with the 1st-year middle school seniors during the preparatory semester, I wasn’t particularly excited or looking forward to hearing about the new students.
I just thought, “Well, that’s how it is.”
‘I’ve already become fairly close with Juri, who’s definitely passed, and Mari will be attending with me as well…’
I quickly made friends. Plus, they’re really great people, almost too good for me.
Now, I wasn’t really interested in making more friends.
It’s fine if we’re close, but if not, that’s okay too. Having one or two good friends is enough for me.
‘That said, I shouldn’t be rude to the newcomers.’
I thought about it and entered the innermost part of the office.
At the far end of the office, a familiar spot caught my eye.
As soon as I entered, Admissions Officer Kim Youngmi immediately got to the point, as if there was nothing unusual.
“Ah, Hana. Your acceptance to the middle school has been decided, congratulations.”
“…Huh?”
“Yes, it was decided in the meeting. It was expected, but since it wasn’t confirmed, we were cautious in giving a definitive answer. Let’s get along well next year.”
“…..”
Special entrance success
From now on, I am officially a student.
“…..”
‘So that’s it.’
I wasn’t exactly expecting to fail, but still…
‘It feels kind of empty.’
After all, it’s Hanul.
The school where elite students in sports and the arts from all over Korea go.
I thought there would be some kind of final exam.
“Ugh… Is this really okay?”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t really do anything during the preparatory semester…”
“Well, a 4th grader following the curriculum of Korea’s top gifted school without any problems… or rather, doing well, and getting along with much older students should be enough, right?”
“Is that so?”
“Usually, adults call kids like you ‘gifted.’ And you meet that standard.”
“Hmm…”
I’m not exactly gifted.
More like I’m an adult with a cheat code for time.
‘It’s a bit ticklish…’
But there was no way to explain that.
Despite my thoughts,
Kim Youngmi continued.
“Anyway, that’s a relief.”
“Yes?”
“If you say you didn’t do much during the preparatory semester, it means you’ve comfortably adapted. I was worried you might have been pushed into a higher school because of adults’ greed.”
“That’s not the case.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard enough to know.”
“Really?”
“Heh, Hana, you’ve come up in a lot of conversations among the teachers.”
“…..”
Well, it’s understandable.
When an elementary school student is suddenly among middle and high school students,
it’s hard not to talk about them.
‘If a rabbit is sitting in a pack of wolves and tigers, it would be quite the spectacle.’
Anyway, I decided to just honestly be happy about it.
“That’s great.”
“Yeah, it is. By the way, you’re not moving out of the dorm, are you? You’ll stay there during the break, right?”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go…”
“…I see.”
Feeling awkward, Kim Youngmi asked,
“By any chance, can I keep using the same room for next year?”
“If there’s no problem with the room, you can keep it. Usually, students who move up to middle or high school continue using their first room.”
Oh, That’s great. I’ve already arranged my things neatly in my room.
The thought of moving to another room now…
felt like a hassle, so I asked about it.
Fortunately, I got permission to stay in the dorm.
“That’s a relief… I’ve kind of grown attached to Dorm 7.”
“Heh, it seems like you’ve really settled into school life.”
“Everyone’s been really nice.”
*
The semester had ended, and each dormitory was now in the eviction period. Kang Jina, Na Aeri, and Oh Yujin, each carrying travel bags, said to me,
“Well, I guess I’ll head out now.”
“Are you not going to cry since your sisters aren’t here?”
“Juri really wants to see you. Come visit Jeju sometime~”
“Am I supposed to cry over something like that… Yeah, I do want to see Juri too.”
As the students from the 7th dormitory often traveled abroad or had lived overseas, it wasn’t long before the dormitory evacuation period arrived, and they quickly started leaving.
A few hours passed.
In the 7th dormitory of Hanul, all the students, except for a few staff members and students, had left.
‘It’s so quiet…’
I was passing the time by drawing in the silence. But suddenly, there was a noise that broke the peaceful stillness.
– Hahaha…!
“…?”
– Hahaha…!
“…??”
It was the sound of laughter.
A very thin, clear, girl’s laugh.
The kind you’d hear in a cartoon.
‘What kind of crazy person…?’
I opened the window.
And there, in the distance, I could see a girl laughing wildly while facing the dormitory building.
With her long blonde hair fluttering in the wind and her blue eyes gleaming, she was striking an odd pose with her chest thrust out, laughing like crazy.
“Hanul!! The greatest genius in history has arrived!! My future alma mater!! This body!! Has descended here-!!”
“….”
Is she crazy…?