Grand Central Library; a place that cannot get any bigger than it currently is.

A young lad is seen darting around, slickly avoiding the flock of people scurrying all over the place. The stair to the underground level is surprisingly hard to find, much to his dismay. To the left… Nope, to the right… You know what, I’ll just take the lift.

Once he finally arrives at the secluded underground, a place much quieter than the bustling upstairs, he swiftly grabs a chair and drags it toward the information desk.

“I’ve got a job for you.”, the young lad said as he sits down on the chair.

Without even looking up from his book, the librarian nonchalantly responds, “As you can see, I already have a job.”.

“Well, I’ve got a better job for you.”

“Not interested.”

“Come on! At least listen to my offer.”, the lad insisted.

With a sigh, the librarian finally looks up, “Listening.”.

“I want you to teach.”

Without saying anything, the librarian leans back on his chair; waiting for the lad to continue.

“In our school. As a beastmaster.”

The librarian smirks at the word ‘beastmaster’. “You know I’m just a librarian, right?”, he said as he casually returns to the book that he was reading.

“Yeah, right. You’re the only one experienced enough to handle all those monster books behind this desk.”, the lad argued, pointing at the racks of books behind the information desk.

But his remark went ignored.

“You know, there aren’t a lot of beastmasters that got enough experiences to teach and yet is still alive.”

Still ignored.

“Please...! We can discuss the salary; I just need to find someone to replace the current one.”

“What killed the previous one?”, the librarian asked, sounding curious and yet indifferent.

“Oh, no! She isn’t dead; she’s just moving away.”

“And you are?”, the librarian continued asking, finally looking up from his book again.

“Chanwoo. From the Academy. I’m sure you have heard of us before.”

“The Academy? That’s quite a prestigious school you got there.”, the librarian commented, closing the book that he was reading. “Are you a teacher or something?”, he continued.

“No. I’m a… coordinator? Security? I’m not quite sure, really. But my job involves securing the campus, taking care of the barn…”

“You have a barn?”

“Well, the school has one; we’re prestigious for a reason. That’s where we house all the magical beasts.”

“Does it have an accommodation?”

“Sorry?”

“Accommodation. That place is too far from my house.”

“Umm… Not officially. But there is an outhouse next to the barn; I pretty much live there during the semester, and I’m sure I can accommodate you on the upper floor. Besides, it’ll be easier to get friendly with all the beasts if you’re their neighbor.”

“You know that’s not how a bond works, right?”, the librarian asked rhetorically. He then glimpsed at the clock on the corner of his desk. “And how many classes that I have to teach?”

“Just two. Basic and advance beast mastery.”

The librarian sighs. He takes a thick book from a nearby rack behind him and displays it to Chanwoo. “It’s not ‘monster book’. They’re called ‘Bookworms’.”, he explained; the book starts shifting slightly, softening at the librarian’s touch. “A parasite that lives inside books; their nerves are located within the spine. They’re not exactly intelligent, but with proper training, they can be taught to cast a few sigils that are written on their pages.”

“See! You even have a penchant for explaining!”

The librarian takes another sigh. “Fine, I’ll take the offer. But…”

“But?”

“You’ll have to help me.”

“Eh?”

“I’m not teaching the class alone. I don’t know how the current beastmaster teaches, but with me, my students need to learn from direct experience. And I’m not going to lead them into a dragon lair without someone watching my back.”

Chanwoo stares at the librarian, looking somewhat confused. But in the end, he complies. “Sure, why not? That doesn’t sound too hard.”

“Great. I’ll pack my bags and move there by the end of this week. Meanwhile, send me the syllabus.”, the librarian said as he stands up and turns around to leave.

“Consider it done! And nice to meet you…”, Chanwoo pauses and quickly peeks at the name sign on the desk, “Junhoe!”.

“See you in one week.”, the librarian nonchalantly responded before walking away, leaving Chanwoo to stare at his back.