Chapter Text
Kim Yohan
Left, Left, Left.
“Am I suppose to grow old, single and withered? Urgh” Yohan exclaimed to himself.
He finally downloaded the new dating app that Wooseok recommended to him. That one app that apparently allow him to meet his ‘love of my life’. Utter nonsense.
Love is just a fad.
Yohan continues to swipe left a few more times and telling himself that the moment the clock turns 10.30pm he better be switching off his phone to get ready for bed.
“Just a few more swipes. There should be at least someone who’s at least looks decent here.”
And maybe luck was on his side, he stopped swiping when a profile caught his eyes. The said guy picture in the profile looks decent enough. And he’s profile doesn’t sound too cheesy. And they’re the same age. Hmm not bad.
Lee Hangyul, 24
Sup bruh
Ok, his description can do better but visually, Yohan is already somewhat attracted to him and his fingers seem to know better and he swiped right.
MATCH!
“WE MATCH? WE FUCKING MATCH HOLYYYYYYY!!!!” Yohan was shocked to find out that he matched with this guy.
It was not his first match but somehow, he felt ecstatic. He tried to calm down and not make it into a scene. Before Wooseok barge into his room, he better lower down his volume and play it cool. And so, he exits the app, not thinking much about it and throw the phone on his bed as he makes his way to the kitchen.
“So I heard your screaming just now. Were you on the app?” Wooseok asked him as he past by the said male who’s watching a movie in the living room.
“App what app? I was not on any app” Yohan tried to defend himself.
No way in hell is Wooseok knowing that he took up his advice to go on the dating app to have a ‘lively love life’ as he like to said.
“Bitch please, I’ve known you for over 10 years, just come clean. You were on the app right?”
“Fine, I was. No big deal. I just match with this guy. That’s all. Not like we are ever going to talk.” Yohan gave up trying to defend himself and just tell Wooseok the truth. But he put it out so blatantly.
“OMG YOU WILL FIND YOUR LOVE OF YOUR LIFE AND YOU CAN GO ON A DOUBLE DATE WITH ME AND YOUN AND LIFE WILL BE PERFECT!” Wooseok started shouting and jumping up and down excitedly.
Yohan ignored him and went straight to the kitchen to get a drink before heading to bed.
“Love of my life? Please” Yohan thought before falling asleep, clutching his favourite elephant plushy.
“Teacher Kim! Teacher Kim!” little Hyeongjun waving his hands around, calling for Yohan attention.
The whole class was seated down on the floor, right in front of Yohan. The book of the day “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” was wide open, and Yohan was still on page 5, and they started the book a good 15 minutes ago. Clearly his class have a lot that they would want to share, and Yohan being Yohan, he is soft when it comes to this special batch. Having follow them up from the year before, he tends to give in to them easily.
“Yes Hyeongjunnie?”
“Teacher Kim, you know what? I love to eat apples. Mummy say that if I eat apples, the doctor would not come and bite me!”
“Bite you? But doctors don’t bite you. They help to make you feel better. Right class?”
Ah, only then Yohan realised he made the mistake of asking the class a question. And now his book will be cast aside and the topic will be shifted. From caterpillars to doctors now. Great.
Even after close to 6 years of teaching, this was the only batch that was allowed to break the rules with him and he won’t mind much. Which leads to most of their lessons being shifted away from the main topic.
“Ah Hyeongjun ah! Doctors don’t bite! Dogs bite you. You know my daddy say dogs bite those children who are naughty. I think the dog will bite you Hyeongjun” Minhee exclaim.
Hyeongjun was shocked to hear what Minhee just said. His eyes became watery and Yohan noticed it. He knew within a matter of seconds, those tear-filled eyes will turn on to a full on wailing session.
“Alright! Who would like to help me and make a very long caterpillar in the classroom? Just like the caterpillar in the book?” Yohan shifted all the attention on him.
All the eyes were on him and all these tiny heads bobbed their heads up and down vigorously.
“Shall we make use of the blocks and legos in class? Why not each group choose their own materials to make the caterpillar, and when my bell rings, it’s time for you to show me your masterpiece? Shall we do that?”
“YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” their loud yesses filled the whole class before the scramble tot heir own corners and take the different things that were available in class.
Yohan knew this will result the classroom turning into a disaster area, but he have full faith in these children as he knew they will be able to clean up and place back everything at the correct place.
Yohan took the opportunity and approach Hyeongjun who was still on the floor. He sat cross legged in front of the curly hair boy and lifted him off the floor to put him on his lap.
“Jun-ah, are you feeling sad?” he ask the little one softly, while cradling him.
“Teacher, am I naughty? Minhee say the dog will bite me because I’m naughty. I don’t want the dog to bite me. I’m not naughty. I always help to put back the colour pencils inside the box back” Hyeongjun said out, while trying his best to hold on the tears.
“No, you’re not naughty. No one is in the class, and remember we don’t like to use that word. Minhee is just playing around. I will talk to him later alright?” Yohan reassured the boy on his lap while giving him a hug.
He knows he’s not supposed to have favourites but Hyeongjun was too adorable to not hug and his antics made Yohan soft.
The only part that Yohan dislikes is that Hyeongjun have the tendency to wipe his tears and mucus whenever he has his crying session on Yohan shirt.
Oh well, that’s what you get for being a preschool teacher. He’s used to it after 6 years taking the little ones.
He placed Hyeongjun back on the floor after seeing that he was calmer. He told him to walk to the sink area to wash his face before joining his groupmates to build the long caterpillar, which somehow leads Hyeongjun to giggling. Even up till now, Yohan never knew why these kids will giggle at random moments.
Yohan was about to stand up when Eunsang came up to him.
“Teacher Kim..”
“Yes, Eunsangie?”
Ah, Eunsang, Yohan knew where this will be going. Even before saying anything, the said boy climbed into his lap, his head on Yohan’s chest. Yohan can’t help but just smile and let him be. Eunsang have got to be one of the most random boy ever, doing things unexpecetedly, but at the same time, he is the more advanced student in class as compared to his peers.
“Teacher Kim, you know what? My uncle likes to eat apples too”, ah here comes the story.
Yohan isn’t even taken aback anymore about Eunsang story time. He will stop playing in the middle of the day just to come up to Yohan and tell him that he ate bread for breakfast or that his parents wore blue to work today. Yohan was unfazed of such situations already. This was his second year in a row taking this class, and he knew his students’ behaviour and antics at the back of his hand.
“Ah, he likes apples too I see.”
“Yeah and you know why he likes apples? Because it’s red.” And Eunsang giggled
“Oh but we have green apples and yellow apples too right?”
“I know that. But my uncle only eats red apples. He said that green apple tastes funny”
And with that Eunsang stood up and went back to his group.
Yohan just shakes his head, and have a laugh by himself.
Eunsang’s stories about his family are quite intriguing and at times whenever one of his parents came to fetch him, Yohan will share about the stories that Eunsang said and they’ll have a laugh together.
The day came to an end ever so quickly and it was time for the children to go home. He released the students who were taking the transport back home first, before calling out the children whose parents or guardians came to fetch them.
Once the last of the children, went home, he close the main gate and made his way back to the class to pack up his stuff to go home.
“Long day huh?” Seungwoo, the teacher from the class next door ask as he pass by Yohan class to go to the office.
“Tell me about it. My children endless chattering, and their energy are on a whole new level today” Yohan told Seungwoo.
“Yohan please, you give in to them just because they are your babies”, Seungwoo knew how much he loved this class and just had to teased him.
With that the both of them head over to the staff office to sign out before making their way out of the school.
While walking to the bus stop, Yohan felt his phone buzzing, but he didn’t bother to check it as he was telling Seungwoo about the whole doctor and dog biting conversation they had in class.
“I swear your kids comes up with interesting things on a daily basis. Like what in the world happen at home for all of these conversations to pop up?”
“I have no idea Seung. I swear at times, I suspect them to be high on something”
They laughed at Yohan last comment before Seungwoo noticed that his bus has reach. Saying their goodbyes, they parted ways and Yohan settled down on the bench, knowing that his bus will take time to reach.
He took out his phone to text Wooseok to pick up dinner as he was lazy to cook anything. Just as he was about to unlock his phone, he saw a notification.
A notification from that dating app. Weird.
He tapped on the notification and the dating app screen opens up.
Lee Hangyul sends you a message