CH 10

Words : 2354 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

C10: Disguised Employment (2) Chapter 3/3 for the week. The man was like a calm lake with a mist of water at dawn, cold, and still. Like a peaceful, unshakable sleep, every action is restrained, quiet, and clutter-free. Even when the classroom door closes, when the footsteps of the shoes go up the pulpit, and when he puts documents on the desk, there is no sound. That silence engulfed the entire classroom like ripples on the water. “Huh……” Even the aristocratic students who continued to talk were swept away by the atmosphere and kept their mouths shut. The students, who had been quiet, turned their eyes to the main character standing on the podium, their eyes shining with curiosity. The suit commensurate with his stature did not have any wrinkles. On top of that, a black frock coat that fits snugly on the body is added. A stylish, yet not overdone attire. As the man took off the hat on his head and threw it lightly, it flew gently toward the hanger in the corner of the class and landed. In the midst of a series of movements that were so natural, his appearance hidden behind a hat was revealed. A sharp jawline, straight nose and unshakable eyes. His strong, yet charismatic eyes were sharpened to the point that he could hardly be seen as a new teacher. His long hair for a man was tied neatly around the nape of his neck. “Gulp.” Some aristocratic students who were secretly gossiping were crushed by the momentum and swallowed their saliva without realizing it. “Nice to meet you. My name is Rudger Chelici, and I’m your new teacher.” The moment he opened his mouth and made a sound was as if water was poured on watercolors scattered dreamily. The atmosphere of the classroom, which had been immersed in stillness, returned to reality. * * * “It’s the first day of class, so I won’t start teaching right away.” I slowly hung the frock coat I had taken off on the hanger. It wasn’t difficult to keep the conversation going. It was enough to just recite the words that came to mind in advance at the right time. This is a kind of play. I am the actor on the stage, and the students are the audience. I just have to keep the monologue naturally in line with the breath, following the flow. Because the script is all in my head. “My class is theory of the manifestation but there will be no teaching purely on the manifestation system. Rather than that, we will focus on applying the principles to real life beyond the practical ones.” Taking a quick glance at the crowd, I saw a few people shrugging their shoulders. That’s a good response. Since Rudger was a soldier there was no student who looked strangely at me, even though I maintained such a tone and intense eyes. “It is possible to apply for my class not only in the second year, but also in the first year. In other words, it can be viewed as a joint class for the first and second graders.” All the students gathered now were in their second year, so it was just embarrassing. However, there is no school rule stating that classes should be unconditionally divided by grade level, so it was not impossible. The moment the noise gradually subsided, I opened my mouth at the most appropriate time. “Stop.” In an instant, the noise inside the classroom disappeared. Everyone’s eyes turn in this direction again. “It is natural to feel dissatisfied with the fact that as second year students you’ll have to attend the same classes as the first year students but don’t worry. Considering the first graders, I will not teach the obvious things that even beginners can learn.” A response filled with relief flows from all over the place. Theon Academy’s teaching method is more like a university than a high school in terms of earth. However, since it is not completely a university, it can be seen that the mixture is a little vague. Theon students choose the lectures they want to take according to their specialties, and receive credits by completing the subjects. ‘There’s no big difference between the first and second year students.’ With that in mind, I decided to conduct a joint class between the first and second graders. Why? When only second graders get together, inevitably, the story of the teacher comes up. The curiosity and main target of second-year students who have known each other enough for a year will be the new teacher, not a classmate in the same grade. But what if a freshman is in the same classroom? The attention of the second graders is dispersed to the juniors in the first grade. Then there will be significantly fewer cases of people talking about me. The existence of the first-year students is a kind of smoke screen that keeps the second graders from doubting my qualifications as a teacher. “Why do you let first-year students attend classes?” Someone raised a hand and said, When I looked, it was a girl with wavy blonde hair that reached her waist. Her unshakable eyes that are facing this way have a strong sense of certainty. Her face is familiar….Where have I seen that face before? ‘The kind of person who is reluctant to think of something…….’ Once the question was asked, I decided to answer it. “Because I thought they needed a chance too.” “What do you mean by chance?” “I think it is very unfortunate that I have to take my classes only for a certain grade, that’s absolutely the wrong attitude as an educator. To provide equal teaching to all regardless of grade level, that is my opinion.” Well, they’re going to ask me why I didn’t mention the 3rd graders. Of course, they can also take my classes if they want. However, it will be difficult for 3rd graders to digest the essential subjects they are learning right now. In fact, it would be up to 2nd year if I could afford it. “Of course, that means that the classes I teach do not depend on the grade level.” Well, it’s not like I’m just saying things without thinking because I made sure I was prepared for class. “It’s hard to understand if you don’t explain exactly what the class is.” “If you are curious, you can come to my class. It’s not fun to tell in advance.” A small wrinkle appeared on the forehead of the blonde girl. I’m sorry, but I have no intention of telling you what I will teach right now. Rather, it was meant to make you more anxious and curious. There is nothing that students attending the academy are wary of as much as an unknown class. “Just one warning. If there is someone who wants to take my class with the stupid idea that I am a new teacher and that they can easily get credits.” After deliberately adjusting my breathing and inhaling I spit out the last words strongly. “At that time, I will carve into their bones what real education is.” The last sentence means ‘please don’t come to my class.’ If they had to take a class with the first years, their pride would be quite hurt. I even warned them that the class will not be easy. There was a great chance that the students would not attend. If a landmine was thrown openly like this, and it explodes after being stepped on, it is the fault of the person who stepped on it. ‘Everything is there for a reason. You’ll find out when you go to class.’ “Any questions?” I asked the students. * * * The classroom was quiet. When Rudger asked if they had any questions, none of the students raised their hands. It’s not that there aren’t any questions. I also liked the trivial questions about how the assignments were going to be done, what the exact curriculum was for the class, or what was taught before but no one said anything. Everyone was overwhelmed by the spirit of Rudger Chelici. ‘Is that the new teacher?’ ‘I heard that he came from the military, so the atmosphere is not a joke.’ ‘There was a saying that he was at least a fourth rank. Is it true?’ Even the noble students who ignored their opponents as the fallen nobles avoided Rudger’s gaze and swallowed only dry saliva. The upper class, however, couldn’t possibly have the other students dare to step forward. Everyone felt it implicitly as they listened to Rudger’s words. That man never uttered everything in vain. Unless a person is genuinely proud of their class, they can never show such a reaction. What the hell are you trying to teach? If it is not bound by theory, is it practical? If so, how is it in practice? In everyone’s head, only those complicated thoughts popped up and disappeared like bubbles over and over again. But one thing is certain, the class led by the teacher named Rudger Chelici is never going to be easy. “Any questions?” His voice asked again. It was like that of a person who wanted to ask a question, but the students were not deceived. The moment you raise his hand here and open your mouth, you will immediately be caught by Rudger. Looking at those staring eyes that seem to eat them the will to never allow questions is conveyed. The blonde girl who first raised her hand was now still. “No. Then the opening ceremony will end with this.” The breathtaking orientation ended just like that. * * * When the orientation was over, the students got up one by one and left the classroom. I watched the scene carefully from the platform. Once I said everything I wanted to say, I guess they understood everything, right? But honestly, I was shocked that no one raised their hand when I asked them if they had questions. Up until the night before right now, I was prepared to receive all kinds of questions and prepared answers for them, but all of them are useless. Aren’t academies like this usually all about children with strong egos? I thought they would make fun of me and pour out questions, did I overthink it? ‘No. Wait a minute.’ It could be the other way around. What if they were intentionally chewing on my words? Isn’t that often the case in 21st century Korea? When a new teacher arrives, the students deliberately ignore him without paying any attention. This is especially the case with female teachers. ‘Well.’ I said it as seriously as I could on purpose to be scary, but did that have the opposite effect? Perhaps these coercive tones and actions touched the self-esteem of students who considered themselves geniuses. ‘Then it’s a bit of a big deal.’ In the military, the successor is the senior, in the workplace the lieutenant is the gunner, in the school the student ignores the teacher. It is self-evident that if I lose control of the atmosphere at the beginning, it will cause setbacks for future classes. If so, should I treat the students with a friendlier attitude? ‘No, if I suddenly change now things will become strange. I just have to push through to the end.’ Being friendly and smiling for nothing is actually not my temperament, it’s my nature, and most of the roles I’ve been acting with have been like this. Besides, it’s been three weeks since I’ve been here and everyone already knows who Rudger is. Meanwhile, the remaining students in the classroom did not come to me. It’s not that they’re not interested, because I clearly felt their gaze. Still, I thought they would ask me some cliché questions like how old you are or if you have a girlfriend, but I didn’t know that they wouldn’t open their mouths. Kids these days are scary. * * * “Thump. Thump.” I left the classroom at a leisurely pace and walked slowly down the hallway. It was the first day of school anyway, so this was the end of today’s work. Since the course registration correction period is not over yet, the students still have time to decide the classes they want to attend. The first class in earnest is 3 days later. Until then, let’s think seriously about how I can take the lead in the class from the students. At least I should avoid being told that I’m not qualified as a teacher. Thinking like that, I checked the front, and saw all the students walking down the hallway looking at me and clearing the way. Boys and girls alike, when they see me walking, they are startled and stick to the wall or window. ‘What. Why?’ Could it be that the rumors of a new teacher, who seem bubbly, have already spread throughout the academy? I heard that there is a community like the university community ‘Everytime’ where the students can exchange opinions with each other inside the academy, is that because of that? Just when I thought that the next class would be quite difficult, someone spoke to me. “Hello.” I stopped and stared at the woman speaking and smiling towards me. “You are the new teacher Mr. Rudger Chelici?” “Yes.” She was a charming pink haired woman with slightly wavy ends and a warm smile like a sheep. She’s not wearing a uniform, so I don’t think she’s a student. Perhaps? Before I could say anything, she spoke again. “Nice to meet you. My name is Selina, I’m also a new teacher at Theon Academy just like Mr. Rudger.” “Okay. Nice to meet you.” When I glanced at her as to what she had come for, Selina looked into my eyes, a little perplexed, she spoke quietly in a crawling voice. “That……Have you eaten?”

CH 10

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