XOXO, Miss Minnie || 001

*Note that English conversations are expressed using [], and Korean conversations are expressed using "".

[Episode 1]

The heavy revolving door slowly turned, alongside a cheerful morning greeting from the doorman. The warmth of the humid lobby that remained inside the revolving door evaporated instantly as it mixed with the outside breeze. The chilly winter air ran up his lungs and scattered as white smoke.

The morning scenery of the Upper East Side, a traditional rich village in Manhattan, seemed like a perfect painting.

Park Avenue, which ran vertically through Manhattan, was spacious and clean. Even the landscape was a stunning sight. There were no typical deli, coffee stores, or shops. Simple old-fashioned marble Freeway buildings lined up in a row, filled with school uniformed children walking down Carnegie Hill, where the private schools were held.

‘Were so many young children living in Manhattan?’

Tae-joon's stomach churned in displeasure. This was because his daily life, which he had never looked back on in the past, was so foreign to him that it almost seemed like he was staring at an alien landscape.

Rose's small hand gripping his index finger sent an unfamiliar sensation up to his neck. He walked slowly to match the child's petite steps and glanced at the clock.

Half past seven. He had to reach Rose's school, which was situated in the very middle of Carnegie Hill, by eight.

[TJ, do you know the name of my school?]

[Aster School.]

[How did you know? I go to Kindergarten. The Rainbow class teachers’ names are Miss Silverman, Miss Litter, and Miss Minnie. Miss Minnie looks like Snow White. My 12th-grade senior’s name is Kate, how old do you think she is? Don't be surprised. Kate… She’s 18 years old! She’s really old, right? I drew a rainbow in art class yesterday. You know there's a gold jar at the end of a rainbow, right?]

‘…Do six-year-old girls usually talk like this?’

Cold sweat flowed down Tae-joon's spine as he stood before the child’s unfamiliar communication methods. This kind of random data could not produce significant output.

Rose pulled Tae-joon’s finger, and continued, not bothering to hear his answer.

[Dad says TJ can take pictures with his eyes, right? Take a picture for me.]

Rose stopped in the middle of the road, pulled the corners of her lips upwards, and smiled a toothless smile.

‘Take a picture with my eyes? Does she mean my photographic memory?’

Tae-joon, speechless, slightly opened his mouth and blinked.

[Did you finish?]

[…Erm.]

[Let's hurry up and go to school! We’re gonna sing Wadley Wacha this morning.]

Waddle, what?

Before Tae-joon could respond, Rose grabbed his finger again and sang, ‘Wadley Wacha, Wadley Wacha.’ Her little hands were cold.

A scene that Tae-joon didn't recall for a brief moment flashed past his eyes.

On a cold winter morning in Korea, as Tae-joon and his mother were on their way to kindergarten, she placed fur gloves in his pocket and hugged him with a happy and pretty smile. The mother in his memory had a young face that was not much different from Tae-joon's now.

Rose's hands were red. Come to think of it, The child’s lips were also blue and trembling. When he focused, he could see that she was wearing a thin jacket that was much more suited for the fall.

‘Isn’t she cold?’

He didn't have a scarf or gloves to give her. He took off his coat and wrapped it around Rose. It seemed like she was covered in a large blanket.

[Gyah!]

Rose lifted herself and laughed as she put her small arms around Tae-joon’s neck. Her white breath scattered in front of his eyes. Rose smiled brightly.

With no need to fit Rose's strides, Tae-joon successfully arrived in front of Aster School in just over five minutes.

‘I should've just done this before.’

He settled Rose down in front of the dark green school gates and casually draped the coat over his arms. He could hear the children entering the school gate constantly chattering and saying “Happy Valentine’s Day”.

[Rose didn’t wear anything for Valentine’s Day.]

Today was Valentine's Day.

He looked around and saw the children were wearing red ribbons on their heads or socks with hearts on them.

Cold sweat flowed through Tae-joon's forehead.

* * *

Baek Tae-joon, a co-founder of TJH Capital, which contains a promising hedge fund of 3 trillion won on Wall Street, and a genius in quantitative investment, age 32. Single, unmarried.

With no time to take in the sudden death of his brother and sister-in-law, a mass of overflowing energy belonging to a six-year-old girl rolled into his quiet and boring life that was complementary to a black and white movie.

Tae-joon had never lost his composure when he lived alone and struggled to support himself at the age of 13, or when he volunteered for the U.S. military to confront Taliban guerrilla forces in Afghanistan. All of that great stuff about him, and two weeks after he became Rose's guardian, came his collapse.

For the first time in Tae-joon's life, he stood before a situation he could not overcome.

He needed help.

'A monster like me will end up making this kid unhappy. There's no way a man who shouldn't have been born can raise a child…’

Two days ago, Tae-joon received a call from Aster School. They asked to exchange personal information such as address and contact information, in addition to consulting about Rose's recent aggressive behavior due to the change in her legal guardians. After hearing what the ‘aggressive behavior’ was, Tae-joon's sense of defeat deepened.

‘Is it because of me?’

As soon as Rose was sent to her kindergarten classroom on the second floor, Tae-joon opened the door to conference room 301, slumped on a chair miserably, and wrapped his head with both hands. He felt a familiar headache. It was like a sharp blade was cutting his brain in two.

If Tae-joon had known that one day he would arrive at this school and have an interview with the principal, he would have deliberately left his head open as his brother and sister-in-law spoke about Rose’s school.

It was a defense mechanism that Tae-joon, a person with a photographic memory, learned on his own to prevent himself from going crazy.

Rose's school was a subject that often came up during dinnertime at his brother's house, at least once a month.

‘TJ, isn't the competition rate in Manhattan's top-tier private schools higher than the Ivy League college competition rate? Elementary school tuition is more expensive than a decent state university tuition. Honey, do you have to send her to a private school? There are many good public schools.’

‘What are you talking about now that you followed me on the school tour? *Uncle, while you're at it, please write me a letter of recommendation for Rose.’

*The original word was 삼촌, which can be used to address someone 20 years or older. I’ll be using uncle since it makes the most sense in this context.

‘Tae-joon, they're going to interview a 4-year-old. Isn't that ridiculous? Do I have to make Rose practice speaking to send her to a private school? Honey, let's just send her to a public school.’

‘It's like practicing singing. Rose should have tried Public Gifted school. But you and Uncle didn't give me the chance to move. I already missed the application date.’

‘Sister-in-law, I'll write you a letter of recommendation.’

‘Uncle! Thank you. When I write a recommendation letter, can I print it on the company paper with the title?’

Tae-joon's brother was dumbfounded by the process but faithfully followed his sister-in-law's wishes, and he was quite proud when Rose eventually passed the prestigious children’s private school, Aster School.

A few days ago, Tae-joon received a phone call from the principal during a meeting with Jun-hee, co-founder of TJH Capital. When the call was over, the quick-witted Jun-hee questioned what was going on.

Tae-joon hesitated before confessing to Jun-hee the whole story. Jun-hee, a graduate of a well-known private school in the West, advised him to make a large donation to the school.

[The school knows a million percent better than you do about parenting and education. So ask for help from the school. The good thing about private schools is that when things like this happen, they give you the utmost consideration for your personal circumstances. If a large donor asks for help, the school would never be able to refuse.]

It was unexpected for Tae-joon, who had to drop out of public schools in slums at the age of 13 and make money by posing as an adult. As soon as the meeting was over, Tae-joon, who called Aster School, expressed his desire to donate $1 million. The date of the meeting with the principal was set that day.

The door of conference room 301 opened and a man with a neat and gentle impression who appeared to be in his late thirties walked in. Tae-jook stood up from his seat, straightened his frown, and cleared his eyes. The man approached and asked for a handshake.

[Ben Anderson, principal of Aster School. Mr. Baek. First of all, I would like to express my condolences on behalf of all the faculty members. Thank you very much for your generous donation.]

Ben's eyes were mixed with a hint of sympathy and kindness as he faced Tae-joon.

[Since Rose came back to school, she has made poor movements, couldn't concentrate during class, and even bit her classmate's arm with her teeth. According to the kindergarten teachers, they suggested that Rose might show temporary regression due to the shock of losing her parents because it was an abnormal behavior she had never seen before.]

[…]

[Yesterday, an elementary school counselor spoke to Rose, and she said she sleeps past 12 and has scary dreams at night. She used to go to bed before 8 o'clock. There are several possible causes of Rose's current behavior. The absence of parents, not only that the caregiver has changed, but also lack of sleep or unfamiliar surroundings.]

[…I didn't know.]

Tae-joon's eyes, which had sunk like the deep sea, shook. Tae-joon's jaw, which is holding back a throbbing headache, was full of strength.

[It's natural not to be aware. I guess you were a bit flustered when having to take the role of a guardian to this child. Aster School is fully sympathetic to Rose's tragic situation and wants to help her as much as possible. Considering Rose's age and situation, this semester has been classified as a temporary 'special needs' period for her. So, with the consent of the guardian, the school would like to have a dedicated teacher assigned to her.]

Tae-joon nodded at Ben's cautious suggestion.

[...I understand.]

[Rose's teacher, Minhee Seol, is a kindergarten assistant teacher. I heard that Rose has followed her exceptionally well last semester. Children tend to unconsciously feel more comfortable with people who are similar to them in a way, so her being Korean might have helped. I have asked her to arrive here by 8:30 and greet Mr. Baek.]

[I see. Is Minhee Seol ‘Miss Mini’?]

Tae-joon, recalling the random data Rose poured out on their way to school, logically connected the two pieces of information.

[Ah! You know Minhee. She is a thoughtful and warm teacher that the children like. Minhee is pronounced ‘Miss Minnie’ instead of ‘Miss Seol.’]

Ben Anderson, explained the origin of ‘Miss Minnie,’ and smiled calmly with warm eyes.

[Ah, yes.]

[Mr. Baek. Aster School teaches kindergarten to 12th grade. I'm also a father who lost his wife and raised two children alone, so I know it is impossible to completely fill the gap between parents. But by the time she graduates after 13 years together, the Aster School students and teachers will become another family to Rose.]

Ben put his hands together on the table, tilted his upper body, made eye contact with Tae-joon, and continued in a confident voice.

[We will do our best to educate and take care of Rose until she graduates, so don't worry too much, and feel free to contact me if you need any help.]

Ben handed Tae-joon some prints and left the meeting room, asking for his understanding.

He was a good leader, both competent and unruly. A million-dollar donation was well worth it if it was for Rose's wellbeing.

‘At least I can relax while Rose is at school.’

The tension that stiffened his shoulders loosened a little.

The print in hand contained a list of recommendations for pediatric psychiatry, contact information for elementary school teachers and administrators, and a list of high school students who could volunteer to be part-time babysitters. He scanned the list and imprinted it into his head before throwing the paper into the trash bin.

It was exactly eight-thirty. The door burst open after a light knock. A student entered, pushing the door open using her waist as her hands were occupied with a pile of books and notes.

‘ A rainbow is a unicorn fart.’

Tae-joon smiled as he casually read the words on the student’s T-shirt. Alongside the T-shirt, she was dressed in a short pleated skirt and knee-length heart-patterned socks. The T-shirt had a picture of a unicorn farting in a rainbow. A pair of plastic hearts that rose like horns over her head hung loosely, flashing frantically every time they moved.

[I am sorry, but a meeting will be held here soon.]

At Tae-joon's voice, the student stared at him, a perplexed expression on her face.

[…Ah…]

[If you need space, I saw that the meeting room next door was empty.]

[Mr. Baek?]

Tae-joon's expressionless eyes suddenly shook. After the student straightened her sloppy posture, the door supported by her hips closed and the wind blew. As her fluttering black hair fell neatly, a woman with slightly flushed cheeks and a smile so pure appeared before him.

[Nice to meet you. My name is Seol Minhee.]

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Toc || Next

Hi everyone! A friend of mine spammed my messages with this novel and said it was great, and I thought it was too after checking it out, which is why I have decided to take it on. I thought the name Miss Minnie was kinda cute lmao