A merchant and money envelope

Looking down through the window of my paternal home, I could see a house with the persimmons tree. The house lives a decent man who has a white face as a music teacher. His wife is also a tall, an elegant woman, and is respected by the people of the neighborhood. I thought that I wish my father is a teacher, too.

A long time ago, my father once tried to become a mathematics teacher, but he gave up because he didn't fit in with his organizational life. He handed his credentials to a friend (sold?) and became a merchant. When I suddenly cried when I saw a bright world out of my mother's womb, my father may have been counting money. My father was a merchant by nature.

After graduating from college, I diligently sent my resume here and there, but there was no place to want me. I studied hard to take the Secondary Teachers' Exam fearing that I would be in business if I couldn't get a job.

"Father, I don't think the Seoul Secondary Teachers' Exam will be easy I think I'll take the Gyeonggi-do exam." "Everyone else will be there thinking the same way. In this case, you should take the Seoul exam. My father was right. The Gyeonggi-do competition rate was rather high. I was lucky enough to be in the high ranking and hired as a male middle school art teacher close to home.

"Teacher Lee, what is your father's name?" asked the gray-haired old man who is the chief of school affairs shortly after I was assigned. "Why?" "Don't you know me? The persimmon House!" It was only then that I remembered. I can't believe you are grown up to be a teacher! Just in case, I looked at your records."

Bribery attacks on me, who was not in charge of homeroom teacher, often caused me trouble. Other subjects are determined by examination, but art and music are scored at the discretion of the teacher. They say that even children who are good at studying can have lower average scores if they have lower scores on entertainment shows. When I refused the money envelope, the homeroom teachers brought a knit dress, a sapphire necklace and Lancôme cosmetics their parents gave them. Even if I refused to accept it, the teachers asked for their face.

Most of the students who bribed were good at studying, but they were also good at drawing and had to give high marks. The children seemed to know me who received the bribed, making it difficult to get close and teach them. It was also painful to give high scores. In the end, the bribe had only the adverse effect on the child. If I refuse to accept bribes, my relationships with the homeroom teachers will be difficult. If I accept bribes, I was afraid of the eyes of the children.

I who have a steady job, the only way left is to get married and live happily ever after. But I grew tired of going to school. In the end, I can't adjust to the organizational life like my father, and left school under the pretext of studying abroad.

When I visited Korea while studying abroad, I visited a persimmon tree house teacher. I was drinking tea with him and talking about the teachers we had together. A present seemed to have been delivered from parents. As a gift from the early '80s, micro ovens were popular. The teacher asked his wife, "I heard the teacher next to me received a microwave oven. Is there no microwave oven?" I quietly put down the teacup and told him there's a place to go and came out.

Looking up at the blue sky, which is seen between the persimmon trees hanging around, I remembered what my father used to say. "No matter what, a merchant makes the most conscientious money."