Lee Minho

When Jisung started working at the school, he was immediately warned about the history teacher, Lee Minho. His colleagues spoke in hushed tones and with identical smiles. "Don't be offended if he says anything to you; he's not mean, just frank." Jisung simply chuckled, thinking they were just trying to scare him as a joke. In his mind, school was a calm and slightly sleepy place, where people had long since gotten used to each other and didn't look for reasons to conflict.

On his first day on the job, he was as nervous as if he were about to take an exam. He was carrying a heavy stack of English notebooks, his heart was pounding too loudly, and his thoughts were racing. He pushed open the door to the teachers' lounge and immediately felt a dozen eyes on him. The air smelled of coffee and chalk; some were laughing, others were leafing through magazines.

"Hello everyone, I'm Han Jisung, the new English teacher ," he said a little louder than he planned and smiled awkwardly.

Greetings and nods echoed in response. Only one person didn't react immediately. He was sitting by the window, leaning back in his chair, and staring intently at Jisung, as if trying to read his mind. After a few seconds, the man stood up and came closer.

"You're too energetic for this place," he said calmly. "In a month, you'll either quiet down or run away."

There was a moment of silence in the staff room, and then someone chuckled softly. Jisung felt his ears burn, but he gathered his courage and answered.

"We'll see. I'm not a good runner anyway."