Chapter Text
Jisoo took a deep breath and adjusted the collar of his buttoned shirt. He straightened up from his seat and attempted to calm himself by running a hand to smoothen down his pants, feeling his palms beginning to moisten due to nervousness. The beads of sweat running on his temples were threatening to make a comeback even when he had been dabbing them for a couple of times. Despite his growing discomfort, he did not make any signs of showing it and fought hard to maintain his serene disposition outside.
His eyes glanced on both ends of the empty corridor, hoping to find a good distraction away from his anxiety. There was none. The hall was so quiet that he could hear his own breathing and the rustling of his clothes at the slightest movement.
He received a call yesterday from one of the staff in the school that he applied to as a daycare teacher. Jisoo had just luckily gotten out of his part time job at the coffee shop when it happened, asking for him to come the following day for an interview. He could barely contain the joy in his voice as he confirmed the appointment from the caller, and it took even greater self control not to dance right there in the middle of the streets once their conversation ended. Finally, he was about to achieve his dream!
Jisoo knew that he wanted to be a daycare teacher ever since he was young. His past experiences in life made him develop a love for children and to teach them valuable life lessons. People often told him that his views were too idealistic, that kids were not all good and angelic and that his perception would soon change once he got actual experience on the field. Contrary to their expectations, Jisoo's love for the profession grew even more when he did.
Please, god. He mentally prayed. Please, let me get this job.
He was in that moment of repeating the words like a mantra in his mind when the door of the office swung open, revealing a woman with brown, shoulder length hair wearing a business casual attire. She scanned the hall for a second and when her eyes landed on him, her lips curved into a smile.
"Mr. Hong Jisoo?" The woman addressed him in a light, kindly tone.
"Yes, ma'am." He stood up and bowed politely at her.
"You may come in for your interview." She said before widening the opening of the portal, allowing him to step into the room.
Jisoo followed inside and found himself standing in front of another woman who was working behind a mahogany desk. The person sensed their presence and glanced up from the notepad that she was writing on, a stack of papers pressed beneath her other hand. She ran a quick inspection on the male before reverting her gaze to the light haired woman.
"Jiyoung, this is our applicant, Hong Jisoo." She said to the sitting female.
"Thank you, Jungah." The one named Jiyoung nodded in confirmation. "I will take it from here."
And with that Jungah left the office, but not without mouthing a quick 'good luck' to Jisoo who managed to flash a quick bow of the head to the other.
Once they were left alone, Jiyoung motioned for him to sit down on the chair across from her. "You may take a seat."
He did as he was told and took the space on the furniture, back straight and hands folded neatly on top of his lap. Jisoo kept his expression open and relaxed even when his potential employee had been studying him so intensely for the last minute without a word. Her eyes were slightly narrowed and her lips pursed tightly, darling dimples showing on both cheeks from the gesture. With the way the woman was staring at him, it felt like being examined under the microscope.
Just relax, Jisoo. He told himself. Don't get intimidated by her. You can do this.
"You are Mr. Hong Jisoo, correct?" She finally spoke.
"Yes, ma'am." Jisoo was relieved that his voice managed to let out smoothly despite his tension.
"We will make this interview brief. My name is Park Jiyoung. I am the chairwoman of this school and oversees its entire operations. We are currently looking for a new teacher for our daycare class. I have already seen the application form that you have submitted, and I think you have the right qualifications for the job."
It was a huge relief for Jisoo to hear that his background fit to the school's requirements. With so many competition around, it was already a miracle to have been selected among all those qualified people and get chosen for a personal interview with the chairwoman. He was almost there. He just needed to do his best and let them know that he could do the job well.
"How much experience do you have with handling children?" The woman began.
"Aside from my experience working with young children for my university degree, I have also been volunteering in an orphanage for many years. I was in charge of teaching and taking care of kids of different ages. It was probably because of them that I wanted to become a teacher." He let out a small smile at the memory of those children smiling and rushing over to him whenever he came to help.
Jiyoung nodded in understanding, seemingly convinced by his explanation. She glanced down on her notepad and read a few words that were scribbled there. "It says in your application that you were born and raised in the US. Our school is dedicated to help young learners become adept in using the language. Do you think you will be able to guide them well?" She asked the last sentence in English.
"I am confident that I can help them to develop skills in that aspect." He replied, his tone smooth and mellifluous from using the same language that he had learned ever since he was young. If there was one thing he was certain that could be his advantage, it was his ability to speak like a native speaker. Employers in Korea put high value on English speaking skills and Jisoo was actually hoping that this would be considered in his application for additional leverage.
Again, this was met with a nod by the woman. She let go of the papers on the desk and clasped her hands together on top of the table, leaning forward slightly as she focused her full attention on the man across from her. "Actually, there are some other things that I want to ask before hiring you. You see, Mr. Hong, we are in need of someone who will take over a class from one of our teachers. This matter is a little sensitive to us and if you think you cannot agree to our terms, you are free to turn down our offer."
Jisoo swallowed nervously at that, feeling uncomfortable from the increased attention and the woman's words. He was the one looking for a job. What could she be asking from him that he might consider rejecting them?
"I-I understand." He managed to reply. "Please tell me the conditions."
"First of all, we selected you for two reasons: one, because of your good background and two, because you are a male." Jiyoung explained. "In fact, your gender was the biggest factor for getting chosen. The rest of our potential applicants were all females."
This caused a question mark to appear in Jisoo's head. Why was the school specifically looking for a male teacher? But he did not voice out this curiosity and simply kept listening.
The chairwoman must had still sensed his thoughts, however. "The class charge cannot be handled by a female teacher, especially single ones. Their outgoing teacher, Lee Jooyeon, is getting married soon and will not be able to work on the schedule afterwards. That is why we need to find her replacement as soon as possible."
Seeing him nod, she continued. "The job will require you to work beyond the regular work-hour shift. You have to come early to take the children as their parents drop them off. Is that okay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"However, the class that you will take over has students who stay in this facility until evening. Some of them even get picked up at around seven, sometimes even eight or nine. Your overtime hours are compensated, of course, but will you be fine having your work extended untill then?"
"I am okay with that." Jisoo answered. The time did not matter to him; he had part-time jobs that required him to work at erratic times with no fixed duration so having that schedule would be no problem.
"Good." Jiyoung finally leaned back on her seat and heaved a sigh. Gone was her stern expression as her lips curled into a smile. "You're hired."
Jisoo's eyes widened at that. Was it real? Did he really get the job?!
The look of disbelief must be evident on his face that the chairwoman spoke again. "You will be briefed by Jungah about your classes, as well as the things that you need to prepare on your first day. Our teacher, Jooyeon, still has two weeks left so she will guide you on everything that involved your students. You will report back first thing on Monday."
He stood up from his seat and gave a deep bow to the woman. "Thank you so much for the opportunity. I will work hard to give good education to the children."
Jiyoung nodded back in return, watching as he made his way out of her office. "We're counting on you, Hong Jisoo."