I placed the peach on the plate in front of me and sighed. The clouds that were covering the sky were threatening Hanyang with heavy rain.

“Straighten up!”

As from nowhere, teacher Han’s voice traveled to me with the chant of the bees.

“What’s with that position when sitting?! What are you, a gisaeng?! Pull that leg under you now! There’s no way a young lady like you, coming from a noble family like yours, to sit like that! No wonder Jong Woon hasn’t even looked once at you!”

I pulled the right leg under me and I sighed as I arranged the blue dress around me, so that it formed a bluish circle. No more bright colors for me from now on! Only black, white and blue…maybe some silver, but that’s all.

“Have you seen anybody at Seonggyugwan wearing bright colors? You have to mingle with them if you want them to start respecting you! And that means that you have to start wearing their uniform from now on,”teacher Han took my measurements the next day when we met for the first lesson. 

“But teachers wear white…and black hats!”

“Yes, that’s true. But since you want to win your students and not the teachers, you need to show them that you’re modest enough to lower your head in front of them, that you’re prepared to talk to them like to an equal, even though you’re there to be their teacher. Only that way you’ll make them appreciate you for who you are.”

I sighed again as I looked at my new outfit. It was a simple sewn hanbok, fully blue, with tight, white, manly pants under it. The sleeves were like those from my dress, only the v-neck was strangely around my neck; one word for it:manly cut. The one word that could describe my outfit? Simple. Even the string that held my hair fixed in that simple, braided style, was just as simple as the outfit…blue with some silver sparks. But being simple…how was I going to get their attention if we all look alike?

“Miss, it’s time to go to classes,”the maid’s voice woke me up, making me imagine myself in the middle of the empty room once again.

“It’s ok, Sum Mi. I will go alone there. Thank you for coming to announce me anyway,”I smiled as I stood from my place. “Can you pass this note to my parents, please? Thank you!”

I know she was shocked. I never used that kind of tone with a servant before. Why? Why was I always the spoiled, little princess everyone was sreving around without saying a thing about the bad behavior? Was it normal for me at act almighty in front of everybody? Was it normal to have everything when others had nothing?

“All rise! The teacher is here!”the doorkeeper announced my arrival, giving me an apologetic look.

“It’s ok, Jonbal!”I smiled as I took off my shoes and stepped inside the quiet room. “Oh…”

“We salute you, teacher!”the three students that were sitting around a small, brownish table, got up and bowed in front of me, waiting for me to take my place in front of them.

“You may sit,”I took my place in front of them, placing my book on the table. I looked at them and they looked right back at me. The awkward silence was taking over us, but then…

“OH! I’m really sorry I’m late!” Jun Hyung threw himself on an empty pillow, next to one student that looked really shocked to see him there, sitting next to him.

“Oh! And