There are three fundamental truths to Monday’s school: no one actually cares if you wear your tie, the breakfast burritos are only worth showing up early for on Wednesdays, and everyone has a crush on Ms. Jeong. 

It doesn’t matter what kind of crush you have, but it's a fact that everyone has some sort of crush on Ms. Jeong, boys and girls and everyone in between. For some people, it’s something as simple as thinking she’s just really pretty or cool. For others, it’s something more like “I-want-my-future-spouse-to-be-like-her.” Regardless of where you fall on the crush spectrum, everyone can agree that anyone would be lucky to date Ms. Jeong.

This is why all hell breaks loose one afternoon during her class with her second year biology students. Ms. Jeong has been teaching them body systems, going through each one in depth. Today, she went over the reproductive system, even with everyone giggling through her lecture.

They make it through the class though, and Ms. Jeong only had to scold someone once. As everyone is packing up to go to their next class, Ms. Jeong tells them, “I know you’re probably all dying to talk to your friends about this now, but please refrain from interrupting your other classes with this. My wife gave me hell last year when our students wouldn’t stop talking about this during her class.”

Right after Ms. Jeong says this, there’s a brief pause before the entire class erupts into chaos, everyone asking Ms. Jeong questions. Her eyes go wide in surprise, and she wordlessly holds up her hand. The class recognizes the signal immediately and quiets down. Once the talking stops, Ms. Jeong laughs and turns her hand around. She wiggles the fingers of the hand she’s holding up. There, right on her fourth finger, is a sparkling diamond ring that somehow all of them have missed this entire school year.

To Monday’s left, Soeun asks with the confusion that everyone in the class is feeling, “You’re married?”

“Almost five years now,” Ms. Jeong answers proudly.

“And she’s a teacher?” Jiyoon asks. “Here?”

Now, Ms. Jeong looks really amused. She leans against her desk and folds her arm. She looks at them silently with a tilt of her head and a wide grin. “She is,” Ms. Jeong says finally.

While the class erupts into noise again as everyone starts asking questions again, Monday gestures Soeun and Jiyoon closer. “So, who do you think it is?” Monday asks quietly, glancing around to where all of their classmates are trying to ask more about Ms. Jeong’s wife. “It must be someone we’ve seen her around with before.”

“She has to be pretty too,” Soeun adds with a serious look that makes Monday grin.

Jiyoon points out, “We have a lot of pretty women on the staff though.”

Both Monday and Soeun sigh at that, knowing she’s right. If there was a fourth fundamental truth to their school, it would be that the staff are all unfairly pretty. Before they can discuss more, Ms. Jeong clears to get everyone’s attention again.

“I’m not telling you who,” Ms. Jeong tells them, much to the class’s disappointment. She grins. “Where’s the fun in that?” Then the bell rings, dismissing them to their next class, making it impossible to ask more questions.

“So, how are we gonna figure out who Ms. Jeong’s wife is?” Monday asks as they head to their next class.

“We could talk during class about the reproductive systems and see who gets mad,” Soeun suggests.

Jiyoon shakes her head and says, “No, all of the teachers will get mad at us for that. Ms. Jeong’s wife would only get mad at her and probably scold her in private.” She smiles brightly, the kind of smile Monday has come to associate with mild disaster. “We just have to investigate! Don’t we know the best people to wheedle information out of people?”

Knowing exactly who she’s talking about, Monday and Soeun share an excited grin.

This is why when lunch comes, the three of them sit across from the rest of their friends and explain to them their problem. “We need to know who her wife is!” Monday exclaims. “It’s killing me not knowing.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Soojin says without missing a beat as she takes a bite of her lunch.

“I know you’re curious too,” Monday pouts. She turns to the other three and smiles. “That’s why we need your help.”

“What can we do?” Zoa asks eagerly.

“We need help interrogating the teachers,” Jiyoon explains.

Soojin glares at them, “No interrogating the teachers, and no dragging the younger ones into it.”

“I wanna know too though!” Jihan protests. She turns back to Monday expectantly and asks, “Okay, what do we ask them?”

“Just be straight forward,” Soeun says. “We figure she won’t deny it if we ask. All we have to do is ask the other second year teachers, and lucky for us there’s only five other women. We’re gonna send you to Ms. Oh, Ms. Son, and Ms. Park to ask.”

Jaehee nods then pauses. She points at them accusingly and says, “Those are the scarier ones!”

“I heard Ms. Oh once sassed a student so bad he cried, and Ms. Son never smiles, and Ms. Park is just scary,” Jihan nods with wide eyes. “Why do we have to talk to them? Why can’t you?”

“You’re cuter,” Soeun insists. “They’re not gonna yell at a bunch of first years. Us? They’ll serve us detention without batting an eyelash, especially Ms. Park.”

“Ms. Park is not that bad,” Soojin says, throwing her napkin at the other girl. She folds her arms and leans on them on the table. She looks at the three of them with a raised eyebrow. “In fact, I’ll make a bet with you now that she’s Ms. Jeong’s wife.”

“Ms. Park?” Monday laughs. “They’re always arguing.” Ms. Park is possibly the only person in the entire world that doesn’t get along with Ms. Jeong. Sometimes, Ms. Park comes in during class, just to scold Ms. Jeong about something. Ms. Jeong always takes it good-naturedly because she’s Ms. Jeong, but Monday really doubts Ms. Jeong would marry someone so uptight. “Are you sure you wanna make that bet, Soojin?”

“We’ll take it,” Jiyoon quickly. “Snacks after school for the next two weeks.”

“Fine,” Soojin shrugs. “Everyone has to make bets on who you think it’ll be then. Whoever guesses right gets snacks from everyone else.”

“I bet Ms. Son,” Jaehee blurts out. When everyone looks at her, she smiles and explains, “She’s really pretty, and Ms. Jeong is so funny. I think she could make her laugh.”

“Oh, me too!” Jiyoon says. “I bet it’s Ms. Son too. I’ve seen her talking to Ms. Jeong before, and they seem close.”

“If we’re talking close, then I bet it’s Ms. Yoon,” Monday says.

Soeun nods with her and adds, “Ms. Yoon for me too. You can see them together all the time before and after school. They’re always laughing together too. Oh! Ms. Jeong is always putting an arm around Ms. Yoon too.”

“I think it could be Ms. Kim,” Jihan throws in with a grin. “She’s really cute and fun. I think her and Ms. Jeong would get along well. Plus, I heard Ms. Kim has dropped off lunch for Ms. Jeong before.”