Unbinding Tradition

120. Jiminee's on crossroad 😥

Well; this chapter has two surprises for you. Read it and enjoy!

But yaaaahh!!!! Don't forget to vote and comment. I don't want you all to be just a passerby. It's a request from your cute, cute golu molu authornim. Will you fulfill my wish? 🥺👉👈🥺

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Three months fluttered by like pages of a well-loved storybook, the kind you never want to end.

Tae and Sumi had settled beautifully into their roles as teachers, and the school had started blooming like spring after a long, cold season.

Their presence brought warmth and structure-morning prayers, hearty meals, and playful afternoons. But above all, they brought love-a kind that seeped quietly into the hearts of the children who now ran across the school grounds with laughter on their lips and hope in their eyes.

Every morning began before dawn, while most of the Jeon residence still slept. A faint clinking of bangles, soft splashes of water, and the low hum of sacred chants drifted from the pooja room.

Tae and Sumi, draped in their modest sarees, moved like clockwork. They prepared the offerings, lit the diya, and bowed with folded hands as the first rays of sunlight kissed the earth.

From there began a silent race against time.

Sumi would often be seen chopping vegetables at lightning speed, while Tae rolled out chapatis like a professional, all the while listening to Jasoda Kaki's monologue about how she had managed six children and three cows back in her days without a sigh.

Jasoda- Back then, we didn't need alarm clocks. (she would mutter, squinting over her glasses) The rooster and your Kaka-sa's snoring were enough.

Sumi would giggle while Tae would hum in agreement, flipping the roti.

Once the breakfast was done and the men were fed and sent off with their steel lunchboxes, the two women would slip into their neatly ironed sarees, tie their hair in disciplined buns, tuck in a pen behind their ear like seasoned professionals, and march out like soldiers in crisp sandals-Mani and Hyunnie trailing behind with half-zipped school bags and still chewing the last bite of their paratha.

The school, once a silent structure of bricks and hope, now buzzed with the energy of fifty-odd students, their laughter echoing against the sandstone walls. The boys would often be found pretending to fight with invisible swords while the girls practiced their little poems in shy voices.

But it was the way the children waited by the gate each morning, peeking out for their beloved teachers, that really made Tae and Sumi's hearts swell.

"Teacher-ji! Today I brought a flower for you!" a girl would whisper shyly.

"And I made this with my amma!" another would chirp, handing Sumi a tiny garland made from garden flowers.

Afternoon meals were the quietest moments of joy. The children would sit in rows-girls on one side, boys on the other-as warm dal, rotis, and khichdi were served with care.

Tae- Eat slowly, Cheenu. (she would remind one boy stuffing his mouth with both hands) The food isn't running away.

"Teacher-ji, is there ghee in today's roti?" another would ask, peeking curiously at the shiny spot.

Sumi, gently wiping a girl's mouth, would whisper,

Sumi- Yes, because today's roti was made with some extra love.