By Monday, even the teachers at school had begun to take notice. In the staff room, they discussed how one student had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time. That student was King. Since starting his relationship with Ratel, he had transformed. He no longer slept in class like before. Because of that, his true genius was revealed.
His eyes were sharper, his mind more focused. He understood the lessons faster, asked questions, and even took notes. He also aimed to have at least half of her positive popularity. So he practiced basketball by himself every evening in his backyard and unknowingly developed into a strong player. He had not yet played against others, so he had no idea how much better he had become. Maybe one day he would play on a court and impress Ratel.
The first person to raise her voice at the teachers' gathering was Mrs. Lin, the strict and no-nonsense Asian teacher whose glasses always rested firmly beneath her neatly shaped eyebrows. Her tone was sharp and filled with disbelief as she looked around at the other faculty members. "Are we even talking about the same student?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "King, the one who always seemed half asleep and barely wrote anything in class? That same King is now answering questions and handing in assignments ahead of schedule. It's like he's been pretending all along, like we've been completely blind to his real potential."
Sitting near her, Mr.r Krebs leaned forward, folding his hands together thoughtfully. He was a calm, easygoing man, usually quiet during meetings, but today he had something to say. "No, I don't think he was pretending. When I taught my class today, I didn't just give correct answers. He gave me insights, things that challenged how I think about my subject. That's not something an average student does. He might be one of those hidden geniuses. Maybe, just maybe, he didn't take us seriously before because we weren't teaching at his level."
As the tension in the room slowly began to build, a sharp laugh cut through it like a whip. It came from the far side of the conference table, where Dr. DK sat, his thin body resting back confidently in his chair. He was a dark-skinned teacher with a proud, almost arrogant air about him. When he spoke, his words carried a mocking edge. "Come on now, are we having this conversation about that boy? A genius? King? Please. You're all reading too much into it. He probably just got lucky a few times and now you're all acting like he's some prodigy."
He leaned forward, smirking, and directed his next comment at Mrs. Lin. "Let me guess, this is the reason you called this meeting, isn't it? Because King got a few questions right and now the entire world has turned upside down? Relax. I can handle this little mystery. I'll show you exactly what kind of cheap tricks he's been using to fool you."
For a moment, the entire room went quiet. Every teacher at the table turned to look at Dr. DK. Their eyes were calm but filled with quiet doubt. The silence didn't scream at him, but it spoke volumes. It told him they didn't believe him. It told him that, perhaps for the first time, his words were falling flat. That look of skepticism from his fellow teachers stung him in a way he hadn't expected. He, who had always been the confident one, the loudest voice in the room, was suddenly being doubted. And it wasn't just his opinion that was in question. It was his competence.
Something shifted in that moment. A new feeling began to grow inside him. It started as a flicker of irritation, but very quickly it took root and began to bloom into something far more dangerous. A seed of resentment planted itself in his heart, and its target was clear. That boy. That student is named King. Somehow, he had disrupted everything. He had made his colleagues look at Dr. DK differently. He had stirred something in the room, something that made DK feel cornered and disrespected.
The more DK sat there, listening to their voices praise this student, the more he felt the need to prove himself. He could not allow this. He could not allow the name of one boy to shake his reputation among his peers. He clenched his jaw, his fingers tapping lightly against the table as his mind began to churn. He started piecing together a strategy, something that would expose King for what he believed the boy was. He would ask harder questions in class, create trick assignments, and watch carefully for any signs of copying or guessing. He would monitor the boy's reactions, study his behavior, and challenge him at every turn.
What drove him wasn't the desire to help the boy grow or to test his intelligence for educational purposes. No, this was something personal now. Dr. DK wanted to be right. He wanted to regain the respect he believed was slipping from him. And so, he began planning ways to trap King, to push him into a corner where he would eventually fail.
As the meeting wrapped up, and the teachers slowly got to their feet, most of them continued whispering about King. Their words were mixed, some expressing curiosity, others showing admiration. But for Dr. DK, the conversation had already ended. He had made up his mind. He was no longer interested in whether King was gifted or not. What mattered now was proving that he wasn't. He wanted to bring the boy down a peg, and he would not rest until he did.
What were DK's true motivations beneath his pride? Was it envy? A fear of being replaced? Perhaps a deeper insecurity he had never confronted. And most importantly, what would happen if he followed through with his plan? Would he succeed in bringing King down? Or would he end up becoming the very lesson he thought he was trying to teach?