LISA
"So, you're telling me you're from the board of directors with the teacher's association?"
The man behind the desk held his hands flat against the wood, eyeing me like I was a criminal. I couldn't blame him entirely. I was a stranger who had invaded his school unannounced and uninvited.
As far as a criminal goes, that was only as a teenager. I grew out of that stage a long time ago. A few stolen cars had gotten me into some trouble, but I left that in the past. Money and the wrong people had power over my life at one point, and I definitely wasn't going to go down that road again.
I controlled my life now.
But he didn't need to know any of that, not if I could play my cards right. I knew if I wanted to get in, I had to be convincing. Which was one thing I was very good at.
"Yes, Sir. Mr. . ." Tilting up his name plaque, I said, "Mr. Hyun suk, it's vital that you let me do my observations as required by the state of Seoul. You certainly wouldn't want this to come back and bite you in the ass, excuse my language, would you?"
Tilting his head a hair, his brows quirked. "How come no one informed me of this pop in today? Why wasn't I made aware you would be here?" Folding his hands together, he brought his chest closer to the ledge of the old, withered desk.
There was intimidation in his demeanor, he was a powerful man, set in charge of a world within itself; Mr. Hyun suk had an ego that went well beyond his name plaque.
And he wanted me to know it.
Even with me biting my tongue to stay calm and neutral, I wanted to knock him off his golden stallion. Intimidation... That shit didn't work on me.
I was the intimidation.
"Sir, does the health inspector announce to restaurants that they're coming in?" Holding up my hand, I stopped him before he could even try to answer. "No, they don't, because that gives them too much time to clean up any messes. What I'm doing is the same." Grabbing the folder I brought, I flipped through blank pages of nothingness, staring at imaginary words. "If you want me to leave, I will. I'll just place a check mark here in the refusal to cooperate box. The board will discuss further action with you at another date."
Is he going for it? I wondered, eyeing him under hooded lids.
The principal of Seoul Itaewon Elementary School shifted in his seat, his beady little eyes trying to read mine as they darted back and forth. "What did you say your name was?"
"Manoban, Sir. Lisa Manoban."
"Ms. Manoban, I don't want to cause any issues with the board, I just would've expected some notification of this, that's all." Leaning back, his fingers danced across his bottom lip. "How long is this inspection and how many teachers are you observing today?"
"Just one to start, we don't want to overload the teachers or the children." Lifting a finger, I bounced it in the air. "And we've realized that by doing it this way, teachers increase their attentiveness to the classroom by a margin of thirty percent."
Am I good on my toes or what?
Pressing his fingertips against his jaw, the balding man drew in a slow breath. "Really? Thirty percent?" Shaking my head sternly, I closed the folder. Mr. Hyun suk held his hand as a tight smirk raised across his lips. "Ms. Manoban, welcome to Seoul Itaewon Elementary, I hope you enjoy your experience today. I believe you'll find that Ms. Kim is one of the top kindergarten teachers in the state, and we are proud to have her as one of our own."
Gripping his hand with firm fingers, my lips formed an excited smile. "I'm sure I will, Sir. The board appreciates your cooperation."
I knew he'd fall for it.
Maybe I should've gone into acting?
"Please, follow me, I'll lead you to her class." Principal Hyun Suk stood up, to my surprise, he was much shorter than I'd expected. By the way he sat in his chair, and puffed up his chest, I thought he was at least eye level with me. But he wasn't even close, he lacked four inches, maybe more, reaching five foot six—tops.
Looking down on the top of his head, I hadn't noticed before how intense his comb-over truly was. The thin patch of hair was stretched to its limits, tugged as tightly as it could be across his scalp. The suit dressing his oddly shaped body looked like it came off an already buried corpse, made from cheap fabric with cracked leather patches stitched around the elbows.
I knew the school departments were strapped for cash, but that didn't excuse his horrible taste in representing his position. Even a twenty dollar suit from Sal's would emit a stronger persona than the garb he wore.
A piece of me wanted to take him under my wing. The man needed help, and normally I would offer up my services to a guy like him. But not today; today I was already working, and I was here for only one reason. . .
Jennie Kim.
She had no clue I was about to show up at her door. But this was all part of my plan, getting to know my client in every aspect of their life. I had to see her in every angle; work, home, family.
It all mattered when it came to helping her find someone that would fit her perfectly. It was also extremely important for me to see her interacting with others, and how she held herself, her confidence, her people skills.
From what her friends had filled me in on, Jennie was a bit. . . Awkward. Not my word, theirs, but if that was the truth, I might be able to help her with that too.
So here I was, ready for day one.
I hope she's ready for me.
No one's ever ready for me. When I get involved, I change people's lives.
The hard soles of our shoes echoed in the barren and quiet halls. Following the overly round man, he continued with his tour speech. "We tell all the kids when they get here, to think of this school as a baseball field. My office is home plate, and our kindergarten rooms are set in the outfield."
Nodding with fake interest, I pretended to jot down notes in my file. What he didn't realize was my file wasn't for his school, it was for Jennie. My notes on the women—and men— I've helped, were my lifeline. The smallest detail to some, could potentially make the greatest difference in finding them what they're looking for.
And I wanted it all.
From their most obscure tick, to their favorite food, their craziest secret. It was all important, far more meaningful than most could ever understand. That's why I was so damn good at what I did, I paid attention to the details.
You couldn't get the personal touch I gave from one of those online dating sites. They tried to stuff who you were into a ten page form you had answer for yourself.
Fucking waste of time, in my opinion.
Computer programs can do a lot of great things, but they're not human. Only a living, breathing, thought-filled person could understand emotions, histories, likes and dislikes. That wasn't something you could cram into an endless list of questions, and leave to the device of a data-simulated connection.
Although, this time it felt different. Most of the people I had come across were nothing like Jennie, I already knew that from the first second I saw her.
She was beautiful, truly beautiful in the most meaningful form of the word.
I didn't expect that.
For the first time ever in my life, I had been completely blown away.
Her eyes glistened with a reflective softness, beautiful cat like eye, and when I met her gaze, a shiver of gold lightening raced down my spine. The feel of her skin was as delicate as summer rain on a petal; warm and sweet.
I had to reel myself in, remind myself of why I was there. It was a job, that was it. I felt it and I forced it away.
But the feeling that raked my spine was dangerous; far too dangerous to indulge.
"Here we are, Ms. Manoban." Holding out his arm, the principal folded his lips in a forced smile. "Ms. Kim is probably in the middle of art class right now according to her lesson plan." Raising a fist, he knocked briefly, and popped the door open.
Both of us stood motionless, eyes trying to read the sight before us. From the look on her face, sheer horror had stiffened her muscles to rigid bark. Mr. Hyun suk and I both tilted our heads in unison, blankly staring into her classroom.
What the hell is that?
Is that what I think it is?
