“I took them to the nurse’s office because you told us that’s where we should go if someone is sick.”

When asked about the ‘situation,’ the child who had carried Kyeongeun and Hyeongo through the corridors provided a perfectly calm response, leaving the vice principal impressed enough to probe further.

“I wasn’t scared, just worried. I thought they needed to be taken to the nurse’s office quickly for treatment.”

“I didn’t think about the danger. I believed I could carry Hyeongo and Kyeongeun.”

“No, Hyeongo seemed unable to breathe, so I thought he should be taken first.”

“At that time, I thought there was no one else around who could take Kyeongeun faster than me.”

The child’s crisp responses to the subsequent questions likely made him seem extraordinary not only to the vice principal.

Shortly after, the child bowed politely and left the counseling office. The vice principal watched him go and then turned to look at Heeyeon, a third-year teacher sitting with her head bowed. Perhaps it had been a mistake to entrust a first-year class to a third-year teacher. The vice principal inwardly criticized the two teachers who had taken maternity leave.

“Ms. Kim, just focus on preparing for tomorrow’s end-of-term ceremony for now. The disciplinary committee will meet during the vacation, so please submit your report before then.”
“…I’m sorry, teacher.”
“Fortunately, it wasn’t worse. Hyeongo’s parents were understanding, and Kyeongeun’s parents… let’s solve it slowly.”

Heeyeon had no words to say, even if she had a hundred mouths.

“Hyeongo will rest at home until the end of the vacation, so he won’t be at school. We’ll need to elect a new class president for the next semester, so it’s fine if Hyeongo’s mother doesn’t come tomorrow, right?”

At the beginning of the semester, Hyeongo’s mother had been chosen as ‘class president’s mom’ at a parent meeting, making it a natural time for her to step down. However, Heeyeon could not predict what would be discussed at the emergency parent meeting following the end-of-term ceremony. There was already a flurry of comments on social media. Sweat trickled down her forehead and dripped onto the desk.

After leaving the counseling office, the child went straight to the library. School was over, and most children had gone home. With after-school classes postponed until after the vacation, the child decided to stay in the library and read until the older students finished their classes. Had today’s events not occurred, Minsu would have likely persuaded him to play in the playground, but because he was called into the office, he could head to the library undisturbed.

“Hello, teacher.”

The librarian greeted him warmly with a smile, acknowledging his presence.

“Did you come? I heard you did a great job today. Smart kids really are different, aren’t they?”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“How can you answer so neatly?”

Normally, the librarian might have felt bored with the routine tasks aside from teaching reading, but hearing about the elementary student’s adventurous day had brightened her mood. Regardless, the child bowed slightly and headed straight to the non-fiction section to start browsing books. His primary concern was to understand why Hyeongo had exhibited those symptoms. The atmosphere was too tense to ask other teachers, and while the best option would have been to ask the school nurse, unfortunately, she had not yet returned from the hospital with Hyeongo and Kyeongeun. Until she returned, the child planned to use the library to research the symptoms.

The bookshelf tempted him with titles like ‘Solo Traveling’, ‘New Life Education’, ‘Leadership…’ He wanted to read them all if time allowed, but he remembered the first principle his father had taught him: Do not rush.

Rushing in the forest could make you lose your way.
Rushing in a hunt could get you hurt.
Rushing words to someone could miscommunicate your intentions, lead to misunderstandings, and cause conflicts.
So, do not rush.

The child pulled all the books labeled ‘Medicine’ to a reading stand and began reading.

“The common cold is not caused by cold weather but by around 200 types of viruses…”

“A virus so dangerous it has killed over 500 million people, capable of destroying civilizations…”

While he didn’t fully understand what viruses were, the child grasped that they were the cause of illnesses from the context. He also read that the earliest Western record of a doctor was from Homer’s ‘Iliad’, where a physician is valued because he cuts arrows and applies pain relief, but that wasn’t what he was searching for. Other people might know these basic facts, but he realized the depth of knowledge he needed to acquire was vast.

After reading several books, he noticed that the contents were almost identical, mainly about physical structures or functions, with no specific information on diseases, their symptoms, or treatments.

When he asked the librarian about this, she cheerfully replied, “We don’t have such books here, and you might not be ready to understand that content yet.”

On where he could find such books, she suggested, “Try the city’s main library.”

The librarian looked thrilled, as if she’d heard exciting music, her eyes sparkling.

Seeing her demeanor, the child felt she would be responsive to more questions, so instead of visiting another library, he decided to ask her more.

“Our class president suddenly couldn’t breathe and was shaking. Why did that happen? It wasn’t like someone covered his mouth or hit him. Can you suddenly get sick like that?”

The librarian realized the child’s unique insight and ability to connect symptoms with illnesses and seek out the underlying processes. Explaining complex medical issues to a peer is not easy.

“It’s not that the class president suddenly got sick. Sometimes people have phobias—like fear of needles or dark indoor spaces—and when they face these fears, their bodies start to act up.”

She continued to explain how breathing works, which the child had just read about. The child eagerly absorbed the information about ‘Phobia’ and learned about the ‘symptoms’ and ‘disease’ that Hyeong had shown.

The child learned that not all illnesses stem from physical defects or external factors and that mental wounds can also cause diseases. The fact that there were more books to read at the city’s large library was an added bonus.

Despite the day’s events, the child felt a sense of accomplishment as he rode the van back to the orphanage, hardly annoyed by Minsu’s whining.

Meanwhile, for Heeyeon, the day had been more hellish than any other. Harassed by superiors all day, she was too tired to check the constant notifications on her phone and just threw it in her desk drawer, expecting nothing but trivial messages from parents gossiping.

“Heeyeon, let’s go. Let’s have a drink.”

A colleague who taught fifth grade suggested they have a comforting drink.

“Yes, let’s. On a day like today, I need it.”

Heeyeon tapped her desk lightly and got up. Tomorrow was the end-of-term ceremony, but drinking enough to quench her thirst seemed fine.

Her dull brown flats carried her out of the school gates.