Ch.31Chapter 31. Bribe

“What’s this now?”

I received a call not long after starting the car.

It was an unknown number.

I quickly put a wireless earbud in one ear and answered the phone.

“Would this be Cuss’s father…?”

A voice that sounded somewhat familiar came through.

Who is this?

“Yes, that’s me.”

“This is Cuss’s homeroom teacher.”

“Ah.”

Right. That young teacher.

The female teacher who was sweating buckets and watching nervously between Juliane and Snyder.

“If you have time, could you come to the school around dismissal time? Or we could meet somewhere else if that works better.”

“Excuse me?”

What’s this about?

Is she trying to hit on me?

Juliane just declared in front of everyone that she’s my partner.

Wow. This woman is something else.

She looks so innocent but she’s actually quite bold, isn’t she?

“I have something to discuss about Cuss.”

“Ah.”

That makes more sense.

I was reminded that not everyone in the world is a prostitute.

When you spend too long in a labor camp, you start thinking that’s the whole world. Sigh.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. Just call me when school lets out.”

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“No, it’s fine. I just left, so rather than going all the way home and coming back, I’ll just hang around nearby for a couple hours. Not a bad way to spend my rare day off.”

“I’m really, really sorry, sir… But it’s quite an important matter…”

“Yes, yes. I’m sure it is.”

As soon as the call ended, I sharply turned the wheel and made a U-turn.

Where should I kill time?

That Starbucks cafe over there looks quiet and nice.

I parked the car in the lot, grabbed a couple of books from a box in the trunk, and entered the cafe.

Do they still check if you have Apple products in cafes these days?

I heard they used to kick you out if you brought non-Apple products.

Well, they can’t exactly check under your ears.

“Zi-jjang-jjang-ssen…? Sir, your Americano with two extra shots is ready.”

I took my coffee and found a seat by the window.

I put on my horn-rimmed glasses, took a deep breath, and opened the book to where the bookmark was placed.

-Combustion Characteristics of Hybrid Rocket Motor considering Eccentric Effect and Integrated Mixing Chamber…

“Hmm.”

This is making me sleepy.

That’s why I need coffee.

When I’m working, I pray for time to study, but on days off like this, I really can’t focus on the book content.

I wish school dismissal time would come quickly.

I wonder what that teacher wants to talk about.

This better be important. Seriously.

.

.

.

“Mr. Cuss, about that mark on the back of your child’s neck…”

“…”

It was important.

Extremely important.

“It’s mostly hidden by her hair, but I happened to notice it?”

“Yes.”

“Well… you see…”

The teacher glanced toward where Cuss was and leaned closer to me.

Cuss was surrounded by little kids in the kids’ cafe play area, looking overwhelmed.

“It looks… very much like a hickey…”

I closed my eyes tightly.

Oh for fuck’s sake.

Is it from when I bit her hard last time?

It must have faded a bit, making it look even more suggestive.

“I bit her.”

“Aaah! So you knew? I was worried Cuss might be in a dangerous environment… Ahaha… Wait, what did you say?”

“I said I bit her.”

“Why on earth would you bite a child’s neck…?”

The teacher’s expression turned strange.

What? What’s the problem?

Is biting not allowed?

“You know that saying about something being so cute you want to bite it to death?”

“I’ve never heard that.”

“Well… when you’re playing with your daughter, these things can happen.”

Cuss bites my wrist too.

I’m just paying her back in kind.

“Haa. Well, I’m relieved it’s not sexual abuse. Still, please be careful. If other parents hear about this through their children, it could cause a big commotion.”

“Yes… I’m sorry…”

“You don’t need to apologize to me. Just be more careful in the future.”

“Yes.”

As I was bowing apologetically, a question occurred to me.

Was this conversation really necessary to have in person?

This could have been handled over the phone or text.

So if she wanted to meet in person, there must be something else…

My sharp mind worked quickly…

“Ah.”

And came up with an answer.

“I’m sorry.”

“I said there’s no need to apologize…”

“No, not about that. I should have prepared something for you earlier.”

“Huh? Whaaat?!”

Since I haven’t raised a child before, I completely forgot.

I should give the homeroom teacher an envelope of cash.

I hurriedly took out my wallet and pulled out all the cash I had.

About 200 dollars in my hand.

“Here. It’s modest, but please take good care of our Cuss…”

“No, no, no! What are you doing?!”

“Oh.”

Is this not enough?!

Is she saying I should bring more since I’m late?

“I’m sorry. This is all the cash I have right now. By tomorrow, I can prepare more…”

“I could get fired for accepting this!”

“Come on. As long as we both keep our mouths shut…”

“No! I can’t! I won’t accept it!”

The teacher pushed my hand away, looking horrified.

Surely she’s not just refusing out of politeness…?

“Are you really okay? Nothing’s wrong with you?”

“You’re a very honest teacher.”

“This is just normal! The vice principal said you were unusual, but I should have realized…”

“Hahaha.”

“You absolutely must not show this side to other parents. It could give them ammunition against you. The parents at this school will use any means to remove a parent or child they decide doesn’t fit in.”

“Like at the school earlier?”

“Yes. You really should be careful.”

“Thank you for the advice, Joanne… teacher?”

“Jane. Jane Clarke.”

“Haha. Teacher Jane.”

Jane still looked displeased.

Does she also think Cuss and I don’t belong at this school?

No, if she thought that, she wouldn’t give me this advice.

She seems to be giving us the benefit of the doubt.

If we don’t live up to her expectations, we won’t get her help anymore.

“Cuss, let’s go now.”

“Okay, Jinsoo.”

“…?”

When I went to the playground to get Cuss, I witnessed a strange scene.

All the little kids were spinning around in circles, bumping into each other.

Cuss was sitting leisurely on a bench, drinking cola.

“Where did you get that?”

“Some kid gave it to me when I asked.”

“…”

Look at this girl.

Now she’s extorting kids.

“You didn’t hit anyone, did you?”

“I only used words.”

“Good job.”

Hmm. If she only used words, that’s not extortion, it’s just asking.

Good job, kid.

“Anyway, what’s going on over there?”

“They were playing with something called tops. Then I thought it would be interesting to make those kids spin like tops. They called me big sis and followed my orders well.”

“…”

So that’s a human top battle royale…

Now that I look closer, some kids are falling down after collisions, and it looks quite intense.

I could already imagine someone getting hurt, a kid crying, and me walking around the place apologizing with Cuss in tow.

So I quickly grabbed Cuss’s hand and left.

“It was a pleasant conversation.”

“Yes. I hope it was helpful. I’d hate to see any student expelled from my class.”

“Aha… Yes. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

I guess there are consequences for teachers if troublemakers emerge in their class.

Otherwise, why would she give free advice without accepting money?

I politely said goodbye to Jane and put Cuss in the car.

Now I can finally go home and rest.

“Those little kids. They were cute. I felt like a god of the new world…!”

“Where did you learn to talk like that?”

This girl made me waste more than half of my day off.

I only stepped on the accelerator after confirming that Cuss had fastened her seatbelt herself.

*

Click

As the electronic sound rang out, a man in black clothes raised the car window.

As he tossed the camera onto the passenger seat, the car’s dashboard was printing out the photo he had just taken.

He picked up the photo, habitually flapped it a few times, and examined it.

“Came out well.”

The photo clearly showed Jane Clarke and Jinsoo Kim parting ways in front of the cafe.

Of course, he had already taken photos of them meeting and going inside.

A parent and teacher meeting privately, outside of regular parent-teacher conferences…

He didn’t know if this was serious enough to require evidence.

But the client wanted it, so he silently took the photos.

***

“Was school fun?”

“Yeah.”

“Did they feed you?”

“Yeah.”

“Was it good?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you make any friends?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s their name?”

“Yeah.”

This little…

She’s just answering mindlessly.

“Answer me properly, will you?”

“Yeaaah…!”

When I roughly ruffled her hair, Cuss resisted fiercely.

She’s watching her favorite program right now.

Should I teach her that she might never get to watch it again if she doesn’t answer my questions sincerely?

“I asked what their name is.”

“Alice… Alice something.”

Fortunately, such an unpleasant situation didn’t occur.

Alice, huh?

Isn’t that the girl Cuss knocked down yesterday?

The one who saw the tentacle…

“You became friends with her? How?”

“Friends…? I’m not sure about that. But I talked with Alice the most.”

“What did you talk about?”

“It’s hard to remember. It was trivial conversation.”

From the way she’s talking, it seems like they really did become friends.

When you talk intensely with a new friend, you often forget what you talked about.

I was worried because she said she showed her tentacle, but it seems the secret is being kept well.

I wonder if I can relax about this.

But Alice’s parents are the problem.

Those parents openly showed their dislike for Cuss and me on the first day of school.

If they hear that Alice is becoming friends with Cuss, won’t they go ballistic and try to separate them?

“Are you sleepy? Brush your teeth and go to bed now.”

“Mmm…”

When I came to my senses, Cuss was nodding off on the sofa.

I pushed the half-asleep Cuss into the bathroom and then sat down comfortably in the kitchen.

“Ahh…”

I opened a can of beer, and even without any snacks, it tasted incredibly good.

There was even a sense of catharsis in the thought that this was a reward for completing the day’s work.

One sip. Two sips. And around the third sip…

I wondered why Cuss still hadn’t come out.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Ubeee…?”

When I opened the bathroom door, Cuss was swaying with a toothbrush in her mouth.

This is driving me crazy.

“Brush properly. Properly.”

“Ugegegeeeeegep.”

I took the toothbrush from her to demonstrate and brushed her teeth for her.

I held her forehead and made her lift her head to see in the mirror and learn.

“All the way to the inside of your molars. Thoroughly. Got it?”

“Uweee…”

“If you don’t do it right, you’ll get cavities. Do you know what cavities are?”

“Uh?”

“They’re bugs that eat away at your teeth.”

“Hiccup…!”

Only then did Cuss’s half-closed eyes open wide.

Now she finally has the attitude to learn.