Kim Jungwoo didn’t quite know what to expect when he signed up to be a preschool assistant at Neo Preschool, but he was sure that it would be something along the lines of total chaos.
Luckily for him his predictions were rather off and instead he was greeted with a class full of curious and wide-eyed four and five-year-olds. The atmosphere was strange at first, the silence seeming out of place considering how colorful and overly decorated the space was. The little boys and girls were sitting on a rug over the carpeted floor, all staring up at him with apprehensive looks. The noona that had introduced him to this job introduced Jungwoo as a new assistant (or Handy Helper, as she put it), which made the classroom erupt in tiny voices shouting to be heard over each other. Mrs. Lee put her finger to lips wordlessly and the kids quieted down, raising their hands for questions.
“Yes, Ayeon.”
“What’s your name?” Everyone nodded as if the little girl’s question was just about the best thing they could ask, tugging a smile at Jungwoo’s lips.
“I’m Kim Jungwoo.”
“Hyung, what’s your favorite color?” One of the little boys had completely stood up to ask, his hand still shot up in the air with such an immense amount of force for such a tiny body.
“I like the color green-”
“Woah, you too? Hyung, we’re gonna be best friends.” The teacher gestured for everyone to settle down as she told them to pick out the book they wanted to hear today, causing a ruckus as everyone rushed off to the bookshelves. Mrs. Lee turned to apologize for how rowdy the child was, explaining that he was Oliver Wong and by far the most energetic child she had ever met. Jungwoo assured her that it was alright, and he would get used to it quickly, explaining the babysitting experience he had prior to this.
And he kept his promise, getting used to all the excitement in the room quicker than he expected. The children had taken a liking to his soft-spoken mannerisms and the cuteness he would use while playing with them, helping even the shyest kids come out of their shells a bit more by the end of the day. Mrs. Lee expressed so much gratitude that Jungwoo felt proud of himself by the end of his first week, picking up the tiny scraps of paper the kids had littered around the classroom while he had a break during their recess.
The classroom felt stationary when they were outside playing, low dividers between each learning space seeming even tinier without a comparison to the small children that usually run around. The favorite space seemed to be where all the science stuff was placed, along with the class rabbit that everyone was so fond of. Jungwoo crouched next to the cage to pet through the metal gently, hearing the sounds of screaming outside and closing his eyes for a moment. He was content with this job, surprisingly, and found himself growing keener of children as the time went. Jungwoo stood back up after playing with the rabbit a bit more, cleaning up the cluttered toys on the ground before everyone would make their way back inside.
If there was one time in the day that Jungwoo seemed to love the most, it fell right at eleven thirty in the morning when everyone would sit on the benches outside and eat their food, spilling drinks all over the wood and dropping their beloved desserts and bursting into tears. Despite how attentive he had to be to watch for any food fighting or other fighting, he appreciated the recharge in energy he got to continue through the other half of the day. Often times he would bring a packed lunch that was almost overfilled because he knew kids like Oliver would crowd around and ask if Jungwoo’s mommy packed his lunch for him, too. Then he would say he made it himself, and they would all ask to try it. By the time he was able to eat it himself, about half of it was left – not that he was complaining, because the little smiles he got were filling enough.