Chapter 2 - Getting into It

During my interviews, I thought the descriptions of the students being "so smart" and "already fluent in English" were just exaggerations. I mean, how mature can these kids really be?

Within 30 seconds of my first day, as I stood at the door greeting my first class, it hit me. Those students walked in, bright-eyed, eager, and pronouncing my last name better than the high school students I taught during my grad program.

Now, I couldn't decide if that made my job easier or harder. It's definitely something, though. But it wasn't the kids' intellect that left me dumbfounded on my first day; it was the kind of question I received from one of my students – the kind of question that no amount of education or frantic Googling could prepare me for.

So, here I am on my second day, desperately chugging down coffee as my students march in, trying to greet each one by name between hurried sips. I had stayed up late the night before, poring over the seating chart I made, with names attached, to ensure I memorized them all. Well, I also got lost on my way here. Navigating the local transportation system without speaking the language is quite an adventure, to say the least.

"Ms. Meyer," Seo-yeon said, tears streaming down her face as she walked through the door, "Do dogs go to heaven when they die?"

And there it was—the question I was completely and utterly unprepared for. I like to think I handled it well.

"Seo-yeon," I said cautiously, "Is it okay if I give you a hug?"

She nodded vigorously, tears and snot flying everywhere. Seo-yeon continued to cling to me as other grade students walked in, their parents waving at me as they dropped them off for the day. Well, at least when you're teaching six-year-olds, it's not that odd to have a crying kid clinging to your leg.

Before I knew it, Friday had arrived, and I was packing up, scanning through the menu of the restaurant on my phone and mentally preparing to have to drag a drunk Lucy home later. But just as I was about to leave, I received a call from Director Ha.

"Ms. Meyer," he said, knocking on my open door and walking in, "Do you have a moment before you head out? Seo-yeon's parents are here and would like to speak with you."

"Of course, Director Ha!" I replied, trying to mask the panic rising within me.

As a brand new teacher, I hadn't yet experienced any parent conferences, so this news sent me spiraling through worst-case scenarios in my head. What could possibly have gone wrong with Seo-yeon, starting from her crying on the second day? She had been quiet in class but always responsive, completed her homework on time, and was generally an incredibly good student.

Taking a deep breath, I paused before knocking on the door.

"Apologies for the intrusion..." I trailed off.

The sight that greeted me would have stopped anyone in their tracks. As I mentioned before, my preparation for Korea mostly consisted of the K-dramas recommended by Mrs. Park and the webcomics Lucy suggested. One thing you quickly learn from reading webcomics is that the impossibly attractive characters are always surrounded by flowers, sparkles, or some ethereal glow, signifying their otherworldly beauty. And at that moment, if Seo-yeon's parents could have been surrounded by flowers or sparkles or rays of light in real life, they would've been. They were so beautiful that you could hallucinate that effect.

Director Ha cleared his throat and introduced me.

"This is Ilse Meyer, Seo-yeon's teacher. She's a new teacher who started with us this week from the US."

"Hello," I said, turning to Seo-yeon's parents and bowing slightly. "Sorry for not finishing my greeting earlier, it's just... you both look so young and beautiful."

I couldn't stop my flustered gushing at that moment. I didn't know who these two people were, but there was no way they couldn't have been famous. They were that stunning, and I was immediately starstruck. Back in college, I once ended up behind Gigi Hadid in line at Chelsea Market, and while my friends were completely starstruck, I was rather unfazed. All I cared about was the potential delay in getting my food. They made fun of me, claiming I would never be affected by beautiful faces. But this time, it was different. It was the unexpected beauty of seeing such gorgeous people in unexpected places that caught me off guard, just like Seo-yeon's parents did.

They let out a polite laugh, shook my hand, and introduced themselves.

"Hi, I am Dae Min-ji, and this is my husband, Dae Jun-ho. Seo-yeon is normally such a shy child, but every day this week, she's been coming home and telling us about how great Ms. Meyer is! Normally she has such a hard time warming up to people that my husband and I truly consider this a sign. You see," she said, exchanging glances with her husband.

"My wife and I are incredibly busy people," Dae Jun-ho said, taking over from his wife.

"We both work in the entertainment industry and have odd hours as a result. We've been trying to find a nanny, just part-time, to help out with Seo-yeon, but no one has worked out so far."

"We were wondering if you had any interest in working for us part-time as a nanny for Seo-yeon," Dae Min-ji jutted in excitedly.

"We've already discussed it with Director Ha here," she continued, Director Ha nodding approvingly,

"And he is comfortable with you taking on this additional work. It would be as needed on weekends, depending on our schedules, and weekday mornings to help Seo-yeon get to day school. We would pay you, of course!"

"Very well," Dae Jun-ho added with a wink that could bring world peace.

And then silence blanketed the room as everyone looked at me expectantly.

"Uhhh," I began, glancing over at Director Ha, who was giving me an aggressive thumbs up and mouthing "Say yes."

"I'll do it?" I responded hesitantly.

"Great!" Dae Min-ji responded.

"I know you all have a welcome dinner this evening, so we don't want to get in the way of that. Let's meet tomorrow morning to discuss the details. Director Ha already gave me your phone number, so I'll text you! Our driver will pick you up tomorrow at 10:00 am. Oh! Don't worry," she said, noticing me about to say something, "Director Ha already gave us your address."

I whipped my head to glare at Director Ha, but his eyes were already glued to the ceiling.

"It was lovely meeting you," Dae Jun-ho said, shaking my hand.

"Americans like PDA, right? I'll give you a hug then!" Dae Min-ji said, sweeping me up into a Chanel-scented hug before I could get the chance to protest.

30-minutes later I was sitting in a crowded restaurant with my coworkers already 3 beers deep and mid existential crisis.

"Why did I say yes?" I sobbed, one of my coworkers attempting to tug my beer glass out of my hands.

"No one stop her!" Lucy shouted.

"In my 5 years and countless tequila shots of knowing this woman, I have never seen her drunk ONCE. She is a tank! Don't steal this opportunity from me!" She finished, cackling maniacally.

Despite Lucy's best efforts, a familiar scene unfolded as we headed home.

"Why am I still dragging your sorry ass home?" I grumbled as I adjusted Lucy's arm slung across my shoulder.

"Hey," she slurred, "What if I shit my pants? I think I might."

"If you shit your pants I swear to God I will DM that one guy from that one band you like that picture of you dressed as Guy Fieri posing drunk next to a Nativity scene," I said.

"Nooooo, not Jaehyun," she wailed, sobering up almost immediately.

"I'll take the floor!" I called to Lucy from the bathroom.

"Why can't I just sleep at mine? I only live a few doors down," Lucy pouted.

"Because you'll run off somewhere," I responded.

The school put all of its teachers up in studio apartments in the same building near the campus. However, just being in the same building isn't enough to keep an eye on Lucy when she drinks. She's a "runner" aka someone who wanders off when they're drunk. I've kept her under lock and key when she drinks after the time she wandered off while drunk and ended up on a bus, traveling to New Jersey to try and get back together with her cheating ex. 10/10 would not recommend trying to intercept a Greyhound bus hurtling down 495 at 3:00 am in an Uber.

"Turning off the lights now," I said.

"You know," Lucy yawned from her bed, "I've always wondered what life would be like if I took more risks. Like that time at the mall when that sketchy guy told me I should be a hand model. I wish I had a friend like you back then, encouraging me to embrace the possibility of getting rich off my hands. Sure, I might have ended up dead in a back alley somewhere, but I also could've been hand-modeling my way to fame!"

"Just make sure you buy me something nice with all that extra money. I'm thinking the Dior Saddle Bag in...Fuck! What was that for?!" Lucy shrieked.

"You deserved a pillow to the face for that, my dude," I laughed, lobbing a cushion in her general direction. "No apologies."

As we settled into sleep, I couldn't help but reflect on the absurdity of it all. Teaching, nannying, and dealing with the drunken wanderlust of Lucy. But hey, just like my teaching gig, this whole nanny job was bound to turn out fine. At least, that's what I hoped.