Play Dates

Four

"Grab your pencils... and go!"

Hwanwoong watches fondly as his class starts colouring their sheets of paper, most of them trying to fit right inside the lines. He has handed out a colouring picture fragmented in small squares that must be filled with a different colour, according to the result of a simple calculation the children must resolve.

He slowly walks about the room, helping a pupil here and there when they need it. He also stops a young girl from eating her rubber — that is a major part of his job, which he had not anticipated before becoming a teacher.

He stays for a few minutes with a boy who struggles with a calculation, trying to explain to him again how substractions work by showing him on his hands. The boy finally gets the answer and takes his pink pencil — the colour which corresponds to the number eight. "Hwanwoong-ssi," the boy says with a smile, "this square is the colour of your hair!"

"Then it's the most beautiful square, isn't it?"

The boy lifts his hand and Hwanwoong lets him touch his dyed hair. "I asked mom if I could get hair like you. She said when I'm old as you I can. But it's going to take ages, Hwanwoong-ssi is so old."

His teacher laughs heartily, pets the boy's head, and continues to roam around the room. He spots Son Sunyul among the other six-year-old children. The boy is at his usual seat, far back in the room, his legs crossed and resting on the chair. He is absorbed by his task, oblivious at everything happening around him, like some other pupils chatting next to him or his teacher staring at him pensively.

Sunyul is more often than not alone, as Hwanwoong has noted. He does not play with other children at recess; he remains on a bench, daydreaming, and does not run around or screech. Then again, the other pupils do not invite him to play and leave him in his little bubble. 

Hwanwoong does not think Sunyul minds. He is a solitary child — and he cannot help but think he may be taking after his father, that is Mr. Kim. And all the problems he must be facing with his separated parents do not help. If Hwanwoong were to decipher the situation, he would say the boy is not quite happy.

He can see Sunyul's anguish on his face when anything happens with one of his fathers after school; the day when Mr. Kim was late has terrorised him, but Mr. Son's scene has distressed him even more, as the teacher has gathered.

"Give it back," Hwanwoong hears a child's sharp voice order. This brings him back down on earth and he sees Sunyul frown at the little girl who is sitting in front of him. "I said, give it back!"

Sunyul is reaching out to Minbyeol, a usually calm yet bubbly pupil, who is turned towards the boy, holding a yellow pencil in her hand. She seems surprised at Sunyul's tone. "It's just for one minute," she explains. "I don't have that colour."

But Sunyul starts panicking, wriggling his fingers to try to take the pencil, and shrieks, "It's mine, all mine! Give it back, you stupid, irresponsible twerp!"

Hwanwoong, quite shocked by the child's bold language, finally reaches their corner of the room and interrupts them softly, "Hey, hey, what's going on here? Stop this."

Sunyul looks up at him with teary eyes and points an accusatory finger at the girl, "It's her fault! She took my pencils. I didn't give no parmission!"

Hwanwoong gestures for Minbyeol to give him the yellow pencil which she obediently does. "Now, Sunnie, is this a reason to be mean? What you said to Minbyeol-ah was very bad, do you know that?"

Sunyul's gaze stays fixed on Hwanwoong's hand, which holds the pencil, and he sniffles loudly before shrugging. "I don't want to hear you say those things to anyone, understood?"