Ten minutes after entering the classroom,
Hayul wanted to cry.
The fluorescent lights on the ceiling buzzed incessantly as they flickered, and the sound of children laughing and playing dug sharply into his ears.
The unfamiliar stimuli of noise and light scratched fiercely at Hayul's sensitive senses.
He wanted to go home.
But the thought of his uncles looking disappointed stopped him.
"Hayul can do it."
Hayul clutched his blocks tightly and looked around desperately.
Then, a box of blocks caught his eye.
It was the exact same kind he had brought today.
"Hayul is good at lots of things."
Hayul muttered, walking up to the box of blocks.
Maybe the fear would go away if he built with blocks.
Hayul took out the blocks and began stacking them.
Just then, Taepyeong and Doyun, known as troublemakers in the Sunbeam Class, spotted Hayul.
"What's with him, he's wearing earplugs?"
"Look at that, he's making something. Hey, what are you doing?"
Taepyeong was the first to snatch the block from Hayul's hand.
Startled, Hayul reached out to get it back. In doing so, the box of blocks tipped over, and the blocks came crashing out.
Doyun crept up from behind and yanked out Hayul's earplugs.
Hayul let out a scream in panic.
"No, no, no!"
Hayul covered his ears and crouched on the floor.
Their homeroom teacher, Kim Seo-yeong, noticed the situation and rushed over. She recalled Hayul's condition from their first consultation.
"Taepyeong, Doyun! You shouldn't do that. How could you just take a friend's things?"
Teacher Kim Seo-yeong scolded the two children.
Hayul was still trembling.
The eyes of every child in the classroom were fixed on Hayul.
"It's okay, Hayul. The blocks are right here. Nothing happened."
Even at the teacher's gentle voice, Hayul couldn't easily straighten up.
Teacher Kim Seo-yeong grew frantic.
For this to happen on the very first day.
She had expected it, but seeing it unfold before her eyes was disconcerting.
Teacher Kim Seo-yeong tried to soothe him, gently patting Hayul's back.
But at that very moment,
Hayul rose up on his own.
Teacher Kim Seo-yeong paused at the unexpected action and looked at the child.
Hayul desperately gathered the scattered block pieces from the classroom floor one by one.
Then, as if no one else were around, he moved his hands nimbly with a focused gaze.
The children watched Hayul's hands with curious eyes.
Had thirty seconds passed?
"Wow!"
"Amazing!"
Exclamations burst from the children's mouths.
A precisely shaped regular dodecahedron was completed in Hayul's hands.
Taepyeong and Doyun also approached Hayul with wide eyes, squatting down beside him.
"How did you make that?"
"Teach me too."
"Me too, me too."
Other children showed interest and crowded around.
For a moment, Hayul seemed flustered, his lips twitching. Then he soon nodded carefully.
"Okay. Got it."
"Hayul, sorry about before. Teach me too."
As Taepyeong scratched the back of his head and apologized, Doyun hurriedly apologized as well, not wanting to be outdone.
"Hayul, I won't do it again. I'm really sorry."
Hayul looked at the two troublemakers and nodded. The children soon put their heads together amicably and began building with blocks.
Teacher Kim Seo-yeong watched the scene and let out a relieved sigh.
***
Taeho came out to the hospital entrance during lunch and paced around.
It was almost time for Hayul to return from kindergarten.
Since it was the first day of kindergarten, he wouldn't be eating lunch there; they had decided he would only attend the morning classes.
He had been calm that morning, but he didn't think he could concentrate on his afternoon patients without seeing Hayul's face first.
Finally, he saw Seong Gihwan's car pulling into the parking lot.
He saw Hayul get out of the car and walk over holding Gihwan's hand.
His face somehow looked brighter.
Thank goodness.
A smile spread across Taeho's face as well.
"Hayul, how was kindergarten today?"
Taeho lowered himself to the child's eye level and asked kindly.
Hayul answered bravely.
"Hayul made friends."
At that single short sentence, Taeho's heart welled up with emotion.
"You made friends? You did so well. It must have been hard since it's your first day, but I'm so grateful and proud that Hayul was brave and did his best."
Taeho stroked Hayul's soft hair.
Suddenly, Hayul remembered something he had learned at kindergarten.
A greeting you say to the teacher.
Hayul wanted to say it to Uncle Taeho, whom he liked the most.
Hayul suddenly wrapped both arms around Taeho's neck.
"Uncle, I love you."
For a moment, Taeho forgot how to speak. It felt like something warm and soft was squirming up from deep inside his chest.
"I love you too, Hayul."
Taeho hugged Hayul tightly in his arms and murmured softly.
"Uh, Hayul. What about me? Uncle Gihwan?"
Seong Gihwan shouted from behind in a flustered voice.
Hayul giggled and hugged Uncle Gihwan tightly too.
"I love you, Uncle Gihwan."
"I love you too, Hayul. So, so much."
Gihwan seemed to choke up when Hayul hugged him, his eyes welling with tears once again. He had spent a more anxious day than Hayul, who had just gone to kindergarten for the first time.
He couldn't be prouder of Hayul coming back looking so bright.
It seemed the child had grown by leaps and bounds in a single day—no, in just a few hours.
***
At that same time, notifications were ringing incessantly in the kindergarten mothers' group chat.
-Jian's mom: I heard the new kid who came today is a bit special? I heard he has autism symptoms, is that true?
-Doyun's mom: That's right. My kid said his speech is slurred and his behavior is strange...... I'm worried if it'll be okay. T-T
What started as cautious concern quickly escalated.
-Taepyeong's mom: Honestly, I'm worried. Is it even possible for a child like that to fit in at a regular kindergarten? I wonder if he'll end up harming our kids for no reason.
-Eunseong's mom: Exactly. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if that kind of child went to a special school? T-T If he's put in a regular class, the kids get confused and the teachers have a hard time too.
Eventually, some of the mothers' words grew increasingly sharp.
-Minseo's mom: Honestly, if there's one of those kids in the class, the teacher has to focus on him and can't pay attention to the other children. Our kids are the ones who actually suffer.
-Taepyeong's mom: I need to check this out in person. I think I'll go tomorrow under the pretext of a consultation to see the situation for myself.
-Eunseong's mom: I agree. How can I send my child to school feeling this anxious? Who knows when that kid might suddenly snap and do something.
-Minseo's mom: Ugh. I'm disappointed the kindergarten even accepted a child like that. His parents are so selfish. Only thinking of themselves.
-Taepyeong's mom: Anyone going to the kindergarten tomorrow, raise your hand?
-Minseo's mom: Me!
-Doyun's mom: Me too!
-Eunseong's mom: I'll make time too.
***
The lunch menu was curry rice, kimchi, egg soup, and milk.
Hayul quietly stared at the tray placed in front of him.
He had never eaten curry rice before. The rice covered in curry sauce was completely unfamiliar.
After bringing it close to his nose to smell it once, Hayul carefully separated the ingredients with his spoon. The carrots and potatoes went to the top, the meat to the bottom, and after a brief hesitation, the onions were moved to the right.
When he looked up, everyone was eating deliciously.
Taepyeong, sitting beside him, spoke to him.
"Hayul, why aren't you eating? Don't you like curry?"
"No......."
"My mom makes this all the time. It's good. Try it."
Taepyeong scooped up a spoonful of curry rice, opened his mouth wide, and stuffed it in. His cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.
Hayul smiled a little.
At that sight, Taepyeong's eyes went wide as he chewed, making an exaggerated expression.
"I eat well, don't I?"
"Yeah."
Hayul scooped up a bit of the rice covered in curry and ate it.
Sure enough, the taste was strange.
Hayul tilted his head and set down his spoon.
Just then, a group of mothers flooded the kindergarten hallway.
"We came for child consultations."
"Us too. We contacted you in advance......."
Four mothers, including Taepyeong's mom, came looking for Teacher Kim Seo-yeong.
Teacher Kim Seo-yeong, who had just been about to eat lunch, couldn't take a single bite before getting up.
"I didn't receive any contact....... Anyway, please come inside the consultation room, mothers."
"Oh, we're not here to trouble you, teacher."
As they passed through the hallway, the mothers peeked into the classroom through the glass windows.
The children were in the middle of eating curry rice.
The mothers pressed themselves against the glass windows, each searching for her own child, not moving away.
Teacher Kim Seo-yeong was bewildered.
"The children are eating right now......."
"Is that the new kid?"
Minseo's mom pointed at Hayul with her finger.
A child clearly different from the others who were eating heartily.
The teacher nodded.
"Ah, you mean Hayul?"
"He really is strange."
As Eunseong's mom muttered, the other mothers looked at Hayul with sharp eyes.
Hayul was not eating, sitting still and staring intently at his food tray.
The mothers' expressions hardened.
"Why isn't he eating and just sitting like that?"
"Maybe he doesn't want to eat. But what if our kids see that and copy him?"
Doyun's mom put on a worried expression.
Minseo's mom added,
"Teacher, isn't that child disturbing the other children's meal? Look, all the kids are staring at him."
"That's because this is Hayul's first time eating at school since he enrolled today. He's probably not used to eating together yet."
Eunseong's mom said with a curl of her lips.
"Honestly, what worries us is whether you'll be unable to pay proper attention to the other children because of that kid."
"Hayul is a special child, but he would never harm the others. Rather......."
Just then, Hayul suddenly raised his head toward the teacher.
"Teacher."
"Huh? What is it, Hayul?"
"It smells bad."
The classroom fell silent in an instant. The children, and the mothers watching from behind, all looked at Hayul.
"Oh my, he's making excuses because he doesn't want to eat."
"The other kids will lose their appetites hearing that."
"What are we going to do with our children now."
Feeling cold sweat run down her back, the teacher quickly approached Hayul.
"Hayul, it's okay. Hurry up and eat."
"The meat smells."
"If you don't like the meat, just push it aside and eat."
"The color is weird."
Hayul pointed at the piece of meat he had separated.
Several of the children began examining the curry rice on their own trays closely.
"Ewww......."
Then Taeseong shouted,
"Teacher, my stomach hurts! Uurk!"
Taeseong clamped his hand over his mouth, but vomit still seeped through his fingers.
Jiu, sitting in the front row, retched the moment she saw it.
"Taeseong!"
The teacher turned to Taeseong in shock, but the situation was already spreading out of control.
"Mom! Mommy!"
Eunseong burst into tears, clutching her stomach and crouching on the floor. Her face had turned sallow.
"Aaaah! I need to poop!"
Minseo started running around the classroom crying. But she couldn't make it to the bathroom and ended up having an accident right there. Diarrhea trickled down her pants.
"Oh my, what is this! Minseo."
Minseo's mom shouted loudly and ran to her daughter. Minseo buried herself in her mother's arms, sobbing.
The watching mothers fell into a state of complete panic and rushed to their own children.
"I'll call 119!"
Taeseong's mom shouted, pulling out her phone.
"Teacher! Eunseong collapsed!"
When a child shouted, all eyes turned to one side of the classroom. Eunseong had already collapsed on the floor, her lips turning blue.
"Eunseong!"
Eunseong's mom screamed and ran to her.
Taeseong's mom's voice rang out loudly.
"Hello, is this 119? This is Geumsan Kindergarten. The children are vomiting and collapsing right now!"