(Who Would Have Thought?)

"Hello, everyone! I'm so glad to meet you all. My name is 'ONiiK2G,' but you can call me 'ONii' for short. Some of you might already know me."

"Hello, teacher."

"Please don't call me 'teacher.' I'm just filling in for Miss P... who's not feeling well. You can just call me 'ONii.' I'll be your speaking practice trainer starting today."

"Teacher—oh, I mean, Mr. ONii, how old are you?"

"That's something I can't reveal due to privacy reasons. But you can take a guess."

"Student 1: '28.'"

"Student 2: '25.'"

"Student 3: '31.'"

"Hey, that's the guy from yesterday, right? We got it wrong."

"Yeah, that's the cocktail guy from last night."

"Oh no! I even mistook him for a janitor and said something!"

"And I asked him to grill some meat!"

"I also had him make cocktails!"

"Alright, alright, enough joking around. I'm in my early 30s. Does that sound reasonable to everyone? And let's forget about yesterday's mishap, okay?"

"Yes, sir—oh, I mean, Mr. ONii."

"*Sigh* Actually, I'm only 21. But I had to lie about my age because I was afraid they wouldn't respect me if they knew I was so young, especially since some of them are older than me."

"I didn't really want to become a teacher. One night, out of the blue, I got a call..."

"How are you, dear? It's me, Miss P..."

It was a call from my old teacher who used to teach me.

"I'm doing well, Miss. What happened? You don't sound too good."

"Yes, dear. I caught a cold and am feeling really unwell. I need a little favor from you."

"Sure, Miss. What do you need help with?"

"I'm not feeling well enough to teach, so I was hoping you could fill in for me at school for a month. Would that be alright?"

"Oh, sure. But I'm not sure if I'll be good at teaching, Miss."

"Don't worry, dear. I believe in your skills. The parts you'll be teaching aren't too difficult, and you'll just be assisting as an assistant teacher. It'll be fine."

"Okay, Miss. When should I start?"

"Would tomorrow work for you?"

"Um... Miss, could you give me just one day to prepare? I'll come to school the day after tomorrow."

"Alright, sorry for pushing you so quickly. But since the school is in session, we can't afford to fall behind on the lessons."

"Okay, Miss. I'll be at school early the day after tomorrow."

So I went to the school. Back when I was a student, I excelled in my studies, and the teachers had offered me a teaching position after graduation. But I was only 18 then, so I declined. Now that I'm 22 and it's been four years, I thought it might be interesting to gain new experiences and perspectives, so I accepted the offer.

The day I arrived at the school, there was a party. I didn't know about it, so I just walked right into it.

"Hey, hey! Long time no see, my friend!"

I heard a familiar voice and turned around. It was an old friend from school.

"Parker"

"Wow, it's been a while! How did you end up here?"

"Well, the school's founder contacted me when they returned from abroad and offered me the reception job. I've been working here for just over a month. When I heard a new trainer was coming, I wondered who it might be. And it's you! What a great surprise!"

"Yeah, I just got the call the other day and agreed to come. So, where's the founder?"

"Today, to welcome you and to say goodbye to some students, the founder arranged a 'Barbecue & Cocktail Party.'"

"Oh, that sounds great!"

"Not only that, but the party starts at 10 am. We've been tasked with grilling the meat and making the cocktails."

"Wait, are we supposed to do all that today? I just arrived!"

"Yeah, we better get to the market first."

So we bought everything we needed and returned to the school to start preparing. As time passed, it was past 9 am, and people started arriving.

I also met some of the female teachers for the first time while helping with the preparations. My friend and I had been working since 7 am, so we were sweaty and covered in barbecue smoke by then. Then, out of nowhere, I heard someone behind me ask:

"Excuse me, is this barbecue ready to eat?"

"Yes, it's ready. Please enjoy, but be careful; it's still hot."

"And what about the cocktails?"

"Those aren't ready yet. The founder wants to make a toast when he arrive. But the barbecue is ready."

STUDENTS : "Come on, just one drink won't hurt, right? We're just standing around."

By the way, who is this person? I haven't seen him before. A new student? No, that can't be right. Judging by his look, he must be one of the workers hired to help out.

We overheard this conversation, and while my friend burst into laughter, I couldn't help but smile too.

"Haha! Dude, I swear I'm not laughing at you. But we really do look like a mess, so I get why they think that. Luckily, they know me, but you just arrived today, so they have no idea you're a trainer. I can't wait to see their faces when they find out tomorrow! Hahaha!"

"Alright, alright. I can't even argue with that. We really do look the part. We're covered in barbecue smoke while everyone else is all fresh and clean."

"Relax, man. The party will be over soon. Just hang in there."

"Yeah, yeah. Let me just turn the meat over."

"Good, we're almost done."

Then, the founder finally arrived.

"Oh, Mr. ONii, you're here already? Welcome to my school. Just got here, and already hard at work? Hahaha, just kidding."

"Alright, everyone, let's give a round of applause to the special chefs who prepared today's food and drinks. Let's toast and start the party!"

"Cheers!"

So the party kicked off with everyone drinking cocktails and eating barbecue.

After a while...

"Who made this cocktail?"

Since I was the one who made it, I ran over and said, "That was me!"

And then...

"Your cocktail is amazing! I loved it so much I've already had five cups!"

"Omg, take it easy, okay? I don't want anyone passing out!"

"Don't worry, it's just the beginning. This party's drinks will be legendary because of you!"

"Alright, then. Drink up! I'll make more if we run out."

Pretty soon, the entire barrel was empty.

A little later, I heard the founder say, "Alright, it's time for karaoke! Let's start the singing!"

So we sang, drank, and partied until some people passed out and others got tipsy, and by then, it was already evening.

"Alright, everyone. Thank you so much for being here today. It's getting late, so let's wrap up this party. And special thanks to Mr. ONii for making those amazing cocktails. Bye-bye, everyone! See you tomorrow!"

"See you!" "Thank you, Mr. ONii!" "Bye-bye!"

And just like that, the party was over.

"Phew, it's finally over. Man, my back hurts. How are you holding up?"

When I asked, my poor friend was already half out of it.

"Ugh, I'm barely hanging on..."

As we cleaned up and most of the guests left,

I noticed...

A girl with long black hair,

dressed in all black,

sitting alone on a bench in front of the school. She was so pale that she looked like a vampire.

"Whoa, is there really someone this pale in real life?" I wondered as I headed inside the school building...

In truth, this little girl is …

The very essence of my life …

A lifeline … 🫀

Who would have thought …

That this little girl would be … 🫶