20. Business Meeting
Mia and Raon
Mia wasn't prone to nervousness, but her morning wait in front of Kim Raon's office was full of it.
I hope it'll work out.
She checked the time on her phone and smiled to herself, feeling on top of the world.
She was so proud of how she had managed to smooth the edges between her two new friends.
It'll help others to be happy too.
Mia just loved to make friends—to make connections. To be recognized. She cherished the skill of making everybody like her. Even this Somin girl, Mia couldn't judge. She didn't put other types of people in their respective folders. Nerd, popular, shy, extroverted. She didn't care, she simply wished for everybody to love her and it was working out just fine so far.
The friendly girl managed to widen her social circle within the span of a few days. Mainly because she'd gone to all the afterschool pubs with her peers, but her irresistible, cheerful personality helped. The first week of school wasn't that full with assignments so she grabbed the opportunity by the scruff of the neck.
So far, so good.
...
The office door opened and a strawberry blond boy came out. Head high, he nodded to Mia, then strutted away, a flowery scent hanging like a scarf behind him.
She coughed, suffocated by the intensity.
"Ms. Kang?" a strict voice called.
"Yes, that would be me," Mia showed her teeth and accepted the big palm of the man standing in the doorframe.
Brown, straight hair accentuated an even more polarizing stare, but when he smiled, cute dimples showed.
"Kim Raon, come in," he squeezed her hand a little too tightly and made a space for her to pass.
He gestured for her to sit down on a big leather chair. It was hard to comprehend that this boy was studying while dealing with all kinds of other responsibilities for the school on top of it.
Mia was a bit stunned, not knowing how to behave.
Should I be informal? Are we peers?
"I was going through your email again Ms. Kang," he started and took a sip from a coffee he had on the desk.
Formal it is.
"We'll have a spot to offer you for your after-school activities," he glided a paper her way.
The desk was clean but filled with work to be done, papers to be sorted and looked through.
"These are the guidelines in which you need to be adhering."
Mia looked at the paper, nothing out of the ordinary. She assessed it for herself. No illegal activities, no inappropriate behavior, no drugs.
"I'll keep that in mind," she smiled warmly and tried to return the paper, her black dress rustling with her movements. She bared her swan-like neck as she leaned forward across the table.
"Keep it Ms. Kang." Raon sat straight and the printer behind him hummed. "You need to sign these, look through them and tell me if you agree."
It was all information she expected; the salary of the teaching job, what would be shaved down as cost for rental of the classroom after hours etc. Mia took a pen from his hand and signed it.
She handed him the paper and paused to take in the office space His brown, professor-like jacket hung nearby on a coat stand and the smell of the wooden polish attacked her nostrils.
How can he be just a few years older than I am? She marveled at his position.
I want to be important too.
It all circled back to needing to be needed, loved and respected.
"Are you alright with Thursday around four?" the boy asked and straightened his white shirt.
"Thursday is fine, but could we possibly start around six?" she asked, "I think there's a better chance that way to get more people in the class."
"Sure," he changed the note in the school schedule system.
"Your classes are booked, you're starting next week," Raon showed his cute dimples again and got up. He reached his hands to her as a farewell sign.
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😳 Author's corner 😊
👩 🏫 Have you ever hosted an after-school activity as a lector? 👩 🏫
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🎨Illustrations of each chapter are available on my Wattpad acc, AO3 acc -klubickoArt🎨
