novelraw Chapter 162: Company Daycare (2)
Chapter 162: Company Daycare (2)
“I…”
No words came easily.
I didn’t want to get a penalty, but I also couldn’t pretend my sister—the one who had put my life back on track—never existed.
But with such a long way to go, if I mentioned having a sister and ended up with another nosebleed, I might actually end up getting an MRI this time.
Even if I wanted to say I had a sister, my voice wouldn’t come out.
It seemed the system had some kind of enforcement mechanism to maintain confidentiality.
As I opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish, the two of them watched my expression.
Perhaps sensing they’d touched a sensitive nerve, they quickly changed the subject. Thank goodness they were quick on the uptake.
‘My sister… was pretty good to me.’
My sister and I grew up without ever really fighting. It was partly because we both had easygoing personalities, and also because of the significant age gap; she always looked out for me.Not all siblings with an age gap turned out that way, though—take Choi Jeho’s household, for example.
My sister tried her best at home too. Even with that kind of family, she tried to fulfill her filial duties.
She always nagged me to stay out of grown-up affairs, yet she consistently checked in on our family.
‘Can’t you just ignore them? They don’t care about us either.’
‘It’s not that easy for the eldest.’
Her self-deprecating expression was vivid in my memory.
Jeong Seongbin pulled me back to reality.
“Should we unwrap the cheese in advance, hyung?”
“Let’s just open the packages a little. Using their hands a lot is supposed to be good for developing fine motor skills.”
“Teachers, are the ingredients almost ready?”
From a distance, Kang Kiyeon, who was now deeply engaged in a conversation about Ttabot, called out.
His face was bright. It was rare to see him with such a lively expression. As expected, he thrives with cartoon friends.
“Yes, we’ll be right there!”
I inadvertently responded in the tone I used when I worked as a server.
It hadn’t even been half a day, yet I was already adapting to this. Unbelievable.
* * *
Objectively, the members of Spark were in good shape.
Choi Jeho and Kang Kiyeon, whose daily lives revolved around dancing, were in a league of their own. And apart from Park Joowoo, Jeong Seongbin and Lee Cheonghyeon also had considerable strength thanks to practice and working out.
‘If it weren’t for the injury, I would’ve maintained my first-place ranking.’
Although I’d temporarily fallen out of the rankings, I believed I could reclaim my spot soon. I had turned off the total fatigue feature and focused on exercise, so I figured I’d be back in perfect condition soon.
Surprisingly, there existed a new breed of humans who effortlessly surpassed young men who danced, sang, and exercised daily.
Children—owners of infinite, inexhaustible energy.
“Teacher, I can’t do this~”
“Why do we have to put cucumbers in? I hate cucumbers.”
“Teacher, I dropped mine!”
“My clothes are wet~. I want to change~.”
Children’s energy knew no bounds. Everyone was determined to stack their sandwiches as high as possible, up to eight layers. Bread crumbs scattered like snowflakes.
Some children meticulously sliced bread with child-safe knives, determined to create star-shaped sandwiches.
As a result, Park Joowoo, the kitchen assistant(?), also had to do his best to cut the cheese and ham into star shapes.
“Kim Iwol, hand me some bananas.”
“I will, but what’s that jam on your face?”
“…? When did that get there?”
A child took a cloth and vigorously wiped Choi Jeho’s face clean. His cleanliness level slightly increased.
I busily supplied ingredients for the members who were covered in clinging children.
As I was making my third bowl of egg mayo, someone approached.
It was a child in a gray T-shirt, who rarely spoke to the other teachers or children.
“…Teacher, where’s your bread?”
“Mine?”
Looking around, everyone now had a sandwich.
The Spark members were also sharing homemade sandwiches with the kids. Choi Jeho even held one in each hand.
Since feeding the children was the priority, they seemed to have barely taken a few bites themselves, but at least they each had their own. It looked like they’d also made one for each of the camera directors around them.
I double-checked to see if anyone was empty-handed before answering.
“I was just about to make mine!”
Then the child, whose name tag read ‘Jaeyoon’, became lost in thought.
He then firmly grasped a slice of bread in each hand.
Jaeyoon made a sandwich all by himself.
It contained no vegetables, but had two slices each of ham and cheese, making it quite thick.
He’d added so much egg mayo and strawberry jam that his plastic gloves were stained yellow and red.
Jaeyoon offered me the sandwich, overflowing with so much filling that it was practically bursting, and said,
“Here.”
“Are you giving this to me?”
“Yes.”
I took the bread, dumbfounded. Only after watching me take a few bites did Jaeyoon finally start eating his own.
* * *
Spark’s appearance caused some changes to the daycare’s schedule.
Instead of the regular English story time—which Lee Cheonghyeon probably could have managed—free play time was implemented.
The children, legally allowed to play freely, ran wild as if their reins had been loosened.
“Teacher! Lift me up to the slide, too!”
“You can climb up there yourself.”
“My legs can’t reach!”
“I’ll hold you up, so give it a try.”
Choi Jeho transitioned into an amusement park safety attendant.
“Mini Pang is stronger, right, Teacher? If they use Majesty Power, no one can win!”
“If Ttabot evolves to level 15, Mini Pang will be defeated in one hit! Level 15 evolution is combining fifteen Ttabots!”
“Hmm… This requires serious consideration.”
Kang Kiyeon had become a Supreme Court Justice, deciding whether Mini Pang or Ttabot was stronger.
“Teacher, of course, Enraged Bitter Pang is the strongest, right?”
“Well, I’m not sure…”
“Teacher, look here. I’ll put a sticker on you.”
And Park Joowoo… well, he’d become something like a fully realized MiniMiniPangPang from Mini Pang Land.
The numerous hairpins stuck in his hair, the sheer shawl draped over his shoulders, and the magic wand in his hand testified to Park Joowoo’s newfound power. At least he desperately defended his face from being covered in stickers.
Fortunately, Jeong Seongbin’s characteristic gentleness successfully influenced the children.
He played the role of a conduit, amazingly figuring out the melodies of the children’s songs and relaying them to Lee Cheonghyeon.
Thanks to this, piano accompaniment finally filled the Flower Bud classroom.
And I was still alone.
“I’ve never felt so ostracized by humanity before.”
The writers stifled their laughter at my murmur.
While actively approaching the children would be good on camera, I didn’t want to make them uncomfortable just to improve the quality of the filming.
Instead of joining the group, I changed course and headed towards the scattered toys. I started picking them up and putting them away one by one.
As I was filling a basket with blocks, I noticed blocks being added from the other side.
Jaeyoon was helping me pick up the blocks with his tiny hands.
“Jaeyoon?”
Even when I called his name in surprise, he calmly continued tidying up the toys.
How kind. But at his age, he should just be playing. It was both endearing and heartbreaking.
Jaeyoon stayed with me and helped clean up the blocks until the end. Tidying up wasn’t lonely.
* * *
“Everyone, get ready for nap time!”
“No!”
“Yes, it’s nap time!”
The children protested loudly. But the teacher was firm.
We, cowardly hiding behind the teacher, silently cheered. Dark circles had fallen like curtains over Spark’s handsome faces.
“Let’s divide into teams of three people. Three of you clean up the floor, and the other three lay out the blankets.”
“Okay…”
Park Joowoo nodded. The jeweled earrings dangling from his ears swayed.
“I don’t want to sleep.”
“Really? Well, I’m going to sleep because I want to grow taller.”
“Do you grow taller if you sleep?”
“Of course. Look at those teachers.”
Choi Jeho, talking to a whining child, pointed at us. Looking at the five lanky figures, the child obediently lay down and covered himself with a blanket.
“How long do I have to sleep to become as tall as you, Teacher?”
“You have to go to sleep whenever your mom tells you to.”
“Then can I grow as tall as the ceiling?”
“Yes. But if you secretly play games instead of sleeping, you’ll get dark circles under your eyes like that teacher over there.”
Choi Jeho then pointed at me. The child immediately placed both hands over their eyes. Did he just compare me to a panda?
Kang Kiyeon, meanwhile, was flooded with love calls before he even had a chance to lay down his blanket. Every child dragged their blanket next to his. His exciting tales of Mini Pang and Ttabot’s adventures must have been quite entertaining.
As Jeong Seongbin and I closed the blinds and turned off the lights, the room quickly fell silent.
“What should we do now?”
“Just watch the children sleep!”
The teacher quietly explained the daycare’s next schedule. She told us someone needed to keep an eye on the children even while they slept, in case anything happened, and that we needed to prepare afternoon snacks.
Looking at the children sleeping in two neat rows, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I didn’t even have to look far—right beside me, there was already an adult dozing off.
“Joowoo, are you sleepy? Do you want to go lie down?”
“No, I’m fine…”
“Go sleep on the slide or something. Choi Jeho is already out cold.”
Choi Jeho was already sleeping soundly at the end of the slide. I had no idea why he always slept like that.
After tucking Park Joowoo onto the slide and settling Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon into the ball pit, I finally had a moment to breathe.
“Cheonghyeon, aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I have to memorize the music.”
The songbook the teacher gave him trembled in Lee Cheonghyeon’s hands. He seemed a bit offended that there were songs he didn’t know.
‘What should I do now…’
As I tiptoed around, I noticed a few children had kicked off their blankets.
They say kids have higher body temperatures—maybe they were feeling too warm.
I carefully crouched down at the foot of each child’s blanket.
After gently feeling their foreheads to check for sweat, I carefully tucked them back in. It was a peaceful afternoon.