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Chapter 488: Educating (3)

“That\'s the end of the class, everyone. Good work!”

“Thank you for your hard work, Mister Min!” The students of his class enthusiastically cried out.

Their teacher, Min Hong-Gi, smartly bowed a little. “Today\'s lessons were important, so make sure to revisit them at home later, okay?”

“Yes, Mister Min!”

Min Hong-Gi airily stepped outside the room while receiving an energetic farewell from his students. A warm smile formed on his lips as he walked down the corridor.

\'It all feels easy, doesn\'t it?\'

Maybe this was what it meant to be in one\'s prime? It felt like everything he did lately worked out rather wonderfully. He had to think long and hard before transferring to another cram school... And his reward was an even higher number of students and greater prestige.

So, he seized this chance with both hands during the contract renegotiation and demanded much more impactful benefits for himself. And now, watching his bank balance climb up toward the heavens was like shots of genuine bliss injected directly into his bloodstream.

\'Except for this one thing... I only need one trigger...! One catalyst!\'

Min Hong-Gi was aware of something crucial. Although one\'s ability counted the most in this profession, something else was also needed. Simply put, it\'d be like his public image.

If one needed to spend the money anyway, they would be more inclined to do so where they \'felt\' better about it. People often discussed who ranked number one among teachers, but Min Hong-Gi thought that pretty much everyone in this profession boasted a similar level of capabilities.

So, the real competition was about who could advertise their unique qualities better to prospective customers.

That was why some teachers started doing weird things such as throwing chalk around like lunatics, walking around in full cosplay costumes, or entering classrooms while wielding various \'tools\' of the trade.

What Min Hong-Gi lacked was this. Something that separated him from the rest! He might get good evaluations on his teaching performance, but that was about it. He didn\'t have that unique \'appeal\' like other special-grade teachers.

\'However, going overboard is worse than not doing anything.\'

It\'d be great if Min Hong-Gi could somehow accentuate his unique aspect, but a sloppy attempt at advertising himself could backfire instead. Existing customers might find his shtick a bit too much to handle, for instance. Not only that but there was the danger of prospective customers joining his classes while thinking, \'Wow, that teacher seems like a good time.\' Once they realized he wasn\'t as unique as they thought? Obviously, they would flood out of his classes. And that would be a death knell for a teacher like him.

\'Reaching the number one spot won\'t be out of the question if I handle this juuuust right...\'

Indeed, Min Hong-Gi might be standing at the crucial crossroad in his life right now.

\'...Let\'s not hang around and get out of here for tonight.\'

Min Hong-Gi suddenly hankered for a mug of cold beer. Since he had already finished all the preparations for tomorrow\'s classes, he might as well set aside some time for himself tonight.

Just before he could finish his train of thought, however...!

“Excuse me, are you Mister Min Hong-Gi, a teacher in this institution?”

Someone called out to Min Hong-Gi, so he stopped walking and looked behind him. He found a man in a sleek black business suit standing there.

\'Huh? Isn\'t he getting roasted under that thing?\'

The weather had been stiflingly warm lately, after all! However, the man didn\'t seem affected by the temperature as his regent hairstyle remained impeccably groomed. The way he maintained his looks was worthy of all men\'s respect.

“Yes, that is me. May I help you with something?” Min Hong-Gi cautiously asked.

“Yes, you certainly can. It\'s a pleasure to meet you.” The man politely bowed as his greeting, forcing Min Hong-Gi to reflexively bow in return as well. This black-suited man oozed a certain level of undeniable class.

Without uttering a word, his atmosphere alone was enough to declare to the world that he was a \'Big Shot\'.

“This is who I am,” said the black-suited man as he presented his business card.

Min Hong-Gi accepted it, then his eyes opened super-wide until they couldn\'t open any wider even if they tried. “Y-you are from Jaegyeong?”

The black-suited man with the impeccable regent hairstyle smiled gently when Min Hong-Gi\'s stunned gaze landed on him. “Can I have a minute of your time, please?”

And so, the net had been cast.

***

“...You want me to give special lessons?” Min Hong-Gi could barely hide his flabbergast as he stared at the man from Jaegyeong.

He introduced himself as Jo Gyu-Min. To think someone as young as him was already a Chief Secretary in Jaegyeong...!

Min Hong-Gi would\'ve immediately suspected forgery or a con man at work if someone else presented this business card to him. However, he couldn\'t do that with Jo Gyu-Min. Even without the business card, Min Hong-Gi instinctively knew he was dealing with a big fish.

After all, Min Hong-Gi was a teacher. And a teacher dealt with many, many students day in, day out. It\'d be disastrous later if a teacher like him couldn\'t instantly evaluate a student through their outer appearance and the atmosphere they oozed.

As far as the talent of reading people was concerned, Min Hong-Gi was proud of being better than practically everyone he knew. And his senses were telling him that Jo Gyu-Min was the real deal.

“Yes, that\'s exactly it,” said Jo Gyu-Min.

Min Hong-Gi felt his mouth drying up rapidly. He swore inwardly not to touch his mug of ice-cold beer during this meeting if he could help it, but his hand still reached toward it nonetheless. He picked up the dew-covered mug and gulped down the refreshing beer before finally letting out his clogged breathing.

\'Holy cow... Maybe someone upstairs is looking out for me?\'

A perfect offer landed on his lap at the perfect timing. Min Hong-Gi sensed his time had come as he listened to the final part of the offer. However, that made him even more cautious.

He had to crawl from the very bottom of this profession to reach where he was. Min Hong-Gi was now a firm believer in the simple truths about life never being this easy... and no such thing as free lunch existing in this world!

There was simply no way that Jaegyeong would suddenly give him an opportunity like this without a reason.

“If you allow me to organize everything you\'ve said...” Min Hong-Gi sucked in a deep breath while putting the beer mug down. “My job will be to teach a... handful of teens. Am I right?”

“Yes, that is the role we will demand from you. However, we will obviously demand another type of result from you as well.”

“I\'m guessing it\'s about the children\'s grades?”

“Of course. We expect nothing less than the best grades possible.” Jo Gyu-Min weightily nodded.

“Of course, I give you my word that will be what you get... If I agree to take on this matter, that is. That is a part of my job, after all. And my pride will be on the line, too. However…” Min Hong-Gi calmly organized his thoughts and narrowed his eyes. “Realistically speaking, this is unfeasible.”

“May I ask why?”

“First of all, I\'m under contract to my cram school. And teaching private classes on my own time is a breach of contract. Of course, teaching a small number can be done without anyone else finding it out. But I am not willing to risk it. And it\'s also a matter of principle. I won\'t say my life has been as straight as an arrow and just as righteous. However, at the very least, I know I haven\'t willfully harmed others around me.”

“I think you\'re misunderstanding something, Mister Min.”

“I\'m sorry?”

Jo Gyu-Min flashed his easy-going smile. “We at Jaegyeong do not handle things that way. I\'ve already spoken to your cram school\'s director before seeking you out, Mister Min. If you agree to take this job, the cram school won\'t interfere with you. They will even adjust their scheduling to accommodate you, too.”

“B-but...” Min Hong-Gi was about to ask how such a thing was even possible, but his mouth suddenly clamped shut.

Why was he shocked when they were talking about Jaegyeong here? Even if the cram school\'s director was a wealthy individual, he\'d still be nothing more than a corner store owner compared to the might of Jaegyeong.

The director wouldn\'t have a choice but to go along with whatever the Chief Secretary of Jaegyeong wanted from him. Especially when said Chief Secretary was freely using the might of Jaegyeong as he saw fit! Whether that was in the form of a stick or a carrot didn\'t even matter at the end of the day.

Besides, Jaegyeong wasn\'t asking for the cram school itself. No, it only wanted one of the teachers, who wasn\'t even the top-ranked in the school, for a brief gig outside the school premises. Something like that wouldn\'t negatively affect the school, anyway.

Jo Gyu-Min chuckled gently. “Your director is a reasonable businessman.”

“I\'m sorry?”

“A simple explanation on all the potential benefits was enough to resolve everything, you see. It was easy to talk to your director since... Shall we say he\'s economically minded?”

Min Hong-Gi was having a bit of difficulty understanding what this Chief Secretary was talking about. Min Hong-Gi enjoying the benefits was one thing, but how would him taking on this assignment benefit the cram school?

“There is no need to deeply ponder this, Mister Min,” said Jo Gyu-Min.

“I\'m sorry?”

“You should focus on whether this job will benefit you or not. That\'s it. Our side will handle all external relations, so there\'s no need to stress about that. Which means it should be relatively easy to make up your mind now, isn\'t it?”

Min Hong-Gi slowly nodded. Jo Gyu-Min sounded rather reasonable just then. “T-then, I\'d like to summarize the offer one more time, if you don\'t mind...?”

“Of course. Please go ahead.”

“You said that I only have to teach around twenty or so teenagers?”

“Yes, it\'s as simple as that. However, the academic records of said teenagers will differ greatly. And their school years vary, as well. Your current teaching method might not be sufficient to get this job done.”

“I see. But you\'ll add separate tutoring fees on top, and...”

“Yes, and we\'ll also compensate you for loss of time due to traveling longer distances. You really don\'t have to worry about the financial side of things. I assure you, your reward will be a lot more than you can imagine.”

“I-I\'m sure that will be the case. But, uh... You\'ll also reveal to the public that I taught the teens without getting paid?”

“Yes. That\'s correct. That will be the crux of this operation,” said Jo Gyu-Min as he smirked insidiously. “Of course, we won\'t do that right away. Revealing that so soon will place an undue burden on the class, after all. No, we\'ll reveal how you\'ve been selflessly teaching the orphans without any compensation at a suitable stage. And we\'ll add that you did such a selfless act after your shift ended and also mention how you had to travel such a distance away despite your fatigue... Surely, such a revelation will do wonders for your public image, wouldn\'t you say?”

“...My public image?”

“Yes, Mister Min. We are living in an era of perceived image. We can\'t see what\'s really inside people\'s hearts. The best we can do is look at their appearance. The public will have no way of knowing what kind of a person you really are, Mister Min. So, they will focus on the fact that you taught orphans for free. If the good grades of the orphans are combined with your good public image…” Jo Gyu-Min theatrically spread his arms open. “It will be the proverbial... jackpot.”

Min Hong-Gi urgently nodded. This was it.

This had to be it! The best public image he could build for himself without placing unnecessary strain! And, and! If he timed it right and donated something to a good cause, then...! The synergy should go through the roof. This...

This opportunity must be grabbed with both hands!

However, there was still a problem here. And that would be...

Min Hong-Gi coughed to clear his throat, then cautiously asked. “Why me?”

“I don\'t follow?”

“Why did you choose me out of all the potential candidates?”

Jo Gyu-Min subtly smirked at that question. “Oh, my. That is a rather alarming question. Isn\'t it plainly obvious to you?”

“How is it obvious?”

“We chose you for an exceedingly simple and obvious reason, Mister Min. We\'ve determined that you are best suited among currently available cram school educators for the purpose we have in mind.”

“Huh? But I\'m not even the top preferred teacher?”

“I told you this already. People focus on what\'s on the surface instead of the hidden truth. Being the top preferred teacher doesn\'t necessarily mean you are the best teacher available. We independently analyzed class performances and selected teachers deemed most qualified for our children. That is all.”

Those were some nice words to hear. However, Min Hong-Gi couldn\'t just smile in happiness at that. Jo Gyu-Min just implied that a considerable number of people had been mobilized to assess the teaching performance of various teachers. In that case, how could Min Hong-Gi sit here and grin like an idiot?

“Chief Jo, do you mind if I ask another question?”

“Of course not. Please go ahead.”

“These teenagers I\'m supposed to teach... Are they actually from incredible backgrounds? Such as, scions from famous households, or...”

Suspecting such a thing was only natural. Without a motivation of such magnitude, why would Jaegyeong\'s Chief Secretary personally step up to assemble a team of crack educators and start an education course? To Min Hong-Gi\'s surprise, however...

Jo Gyu-Min shook his head with a warm smile. “No, it\'s nothing like that. You\'ll be teaching actual orphans.”

“In that case, why?”

“I\'m not at liberty to reveal anything. All you need to understand is that someone important wishes to see the school grades of these children improve.”

“Oh. Uh...”

“I would\'ve normally given you some time to mull over this offer, but... Unfortunately, I have other candidates to speak to and a mountain of work to go through. And this matter requires speedy progress as well. If you don\'t mind, can you give me your answer now, please?”

This was happening way too suddenly. Even so, Min Hong-Gi instinctively understood it.

Opportunities never came in a slow, steady gait. It might seem to sneak closer, but miss that blink-and-miss moment, and an opportunity like this would already have flown away from his grasp.

In that case... Min Hong-Gi knew he had to grab it with both hands. There were no such things as opportunities without risks. One had to be willing to take the risk, otherwise they would never achieve anything meaningful.

Min Hong-Gi finally made up his mind and stared straight at Jo Gyu-Min. “Please tell me what I need to do and when I must start. And please give me your word that all external matters will be taken care of, just as you mentioned earlier.”

Jo Gyu-Min smiled brightly. “Of course, Mister Min. It shall be done. Well, then. I\'ll leave our children in your capable hands.”

When Jo Gyu-Min reached across the table, Min Hong-Gi fearlessly grabbed the offered hand and shook it.

Just like that, the cast net caught its fish. Rather painlessly, too.