Higher than the sky .....

As soon as they arrived in the office, Do Yun went straight to his desk closing the door behind him. Amor checked with Henry what he has learned so far to make sure he can pass the test by Do Yun.

"What Hangul characters have you learned since last month Henry?"

"I've learned that each one of the Korean Alphabet consonants and vowels has names, ma."

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it? You're already well on your way toward learning the Korean Alphabet!"

"Thank you for teaching me, ma."

"I wanted to make things super easy for you so I printed out the charts so that you can study them and I've also created a downloadable Korean Alphabet lesson for you to continue the challenge toward learning how to read in Korean. It also contains some written activities so you can practice what you've learned and you'll be reading Hangul everywhere you go!"

"I hope ma so that I can better communicate with Chaewon in school soon."

Before she can ask Henry more questions Do Yun called them in and they hurriedly heeded his request.

When they entered his office, Do Yun is silently sitting on his chair beside the desk with his arms folded and his legs crossed. She slowly sat on one of the black swivel chairs while Henry sat on the other black swivel chair opposite her.

"What Hangul characters have you learned since last month Henry?" asked Do Yun.

"Oh..... I learned the names of the Korean letters Mr. Kim: giyeok, ssangiyeok, nieun, digeut, ssangdigeut, rieul, mieum, bieup, ssangbieup, siot, ssangsiot, ieung, jieut, ssangjieut, chieut, kieuk, tieut, pieup and hieut."

"Good."

"Uhm..... thank you, Mr. Kim."

"Can you now read the alphabet letter for vowels in this chart?"

Vowel/Name of Vowel Romanized Spelling

ㅏ a

ㅐ ae

ㅑ ya

ㅒ yae

ㅓ eo

ㅔ e

ㅕ yeo

ㅖ ye

ㅗ o

ㅘ wa

ㅙ wae

ㅚ oe

ㅛ yo

ㅜ u

ㅝ wo

ㅞ we

ㅟ wi

ㅠ yu

ㅡ eu

ㅢ ui

ㅣ i

"Congratulations! The names of the Korean alphabet letters are really useful when you want to spell out words, or if someone is explaining the spelling of a word. If you're not sure of the spelling, ask for the syllables to be read slowly, one by one. If you're not sure about the spelling of a syllable, say the characters in the syllable one by one and ask for confirmation."

"Ah..... okay, then Mr. Kim.

Do Yun gestured them to leave thus they got up immediately and closed the sliding door behind them.

Thinking of what she needs to accomplish within the month overwhelms her since she needs to go to the Admissions Office of the school Henry needs to enroll in. Even though he is already in the later years of elementary school, he can still be admitted regardless of his level of English language proficiency, provided his educational needs can be met by the school. The Admissions Office will go through all the applications and review the documentation with the Enrollment Committee. Admissions decisions, including the grade level placements, are made by the relevant Principal and presented to the Superintendent for approval. Once the enrollment is approved, the admissions office coordinates with the finance department to issue and send a Statement of Account (SOA) via email. Upon payment of the SOA, she will be notified of the official start day.

As soon as Amor arrived at the school she submitted the following requirements:

1. Completed Application for Enrollment Form with Henry's photo attached.

2. Authentic copy of school records with his latest ratings.

3. Recommendation from the immediate past school principal/guidance counsellor

4. Copy of birth certificate that is duly certified by the National Statistics Office/Philippine Statistics Authority

5. Health Registration Form with Immunization Record and Parent/Guardian Medication Authorization.

After submitting the necessary paperwork she then paid the non-refundable Application Fee of Php5,000; "This was my salary when I started working for the Kim's," she told herself. The Admissions Officer in coordination with the School Counsellor evaluated the application and the supporting documents she submitted. With the advice from the Admissions Office, she was then asked to pay the reservation fee of Php40,000; "This is more than my 2 months worth of salary," she thought. The reservation fee is non-refundable.

Henry then took the entrance assessment. All applicants for admission shall undergo an entrance assessment. This includes an academic proficiency test (for G2 and up applicants) by the school counsellor.

The principal conducted an interview with Amor and Henry. Admissions acceptance is recommended by the principal, and presented for approval to the Superintendent. The Admissions Officer conveyed to Amor the final action on the application. Since approved, the following information was given to Amor and Henry with an acceptance letter:

‣ Prescribed school uniform information

‣ Fee payment details

Upon notification of admissions acceptance, the accounting section of the finance department prepared the Statement of Accounts (SOA). The Entrance Fee is a one-time fee collected from the student only once through Henry's schooling at the international school. Amor then proceeded to the cashier to pay the school fees as indicated in the SOA and purchased the school uniforms.

Henry has now been invited to commence attendance on 6th of June 2023 Tuesday in order to give the teacher time to prepare for his arrival as a new student.

Driiiiin. Driiiiin. Driiiiin.

Amor missed the sound of the old alarm clock and a week from now Henry will attend his first day of class in his new school, "A bittersweet thought has crept in me, my eldest child will be starting class in an international school," she told herself. To look effortlessly chic she chose to wear a mustard floral sleeveless belted jumpsuit which features a no-fuss V-neck and a self-fabric belt and small gold hoops to complete the look.

Standing outside unit 1203, she straightened her belt and lightly knocked on the door thrice then David opened the door.

"Good..... good morning Mr. and Mrs. Kim," Amor stuttered but Do Yun only gave her a glance and stood up to enter his room.

"Ms. Amor, can I play with Henry later?" asked Chaewon.

"Oh..... if you wish young master yes you can."

"Thank you, Ms. Amor."

"You are welcome young master Chaewon."

Then she saw Mila sitting on the sofa thus she sat beside her.

Mila suddenly stood up but before Amor could give her greeting Ae Cha approached her. Wearing a black Ruched sleeve blazer over her midnight blue Catalina fit & flare cocktail dress, Amor can never equal her cuteness no matter what she wears. With Amor's head bowed down Ae Cha said something to her, "Eonje uli hoesa-e gisaengchungcheoleom haengdonghaji anhgessseubnikka? (When will you stop acting like a parasite to our company?)" but Amor is unsure whether to ask Ae Cha what she meant. Before Amor can ask Ae Cha what she meant Do Yun came out from their room and Ae Cha headed out to the door thus Mila hurriedly followed. Seeing how Do Yun looked at Ae Cha walking away she feels she is in the wrong place, "Is there something I should know or should I not know about it?" she thought. Looking at Do Yun wearing a green Darfield plaid olive suit Amor's morning could not be any better.

"Are you all set?" Do Yun asked.

"Uhm..... yes Mr. Kim I hope me and Henry as scholars will represent your company well," she smirked at Do Yun.

Do Yun then headed out to the door thus she hurriedly followed.

Looking at Do Yun from behind she can only hope his feelings for her has not gone away.