𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ◇ ChanLix

Ch. 2

Chan POV

"Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad..." Daehyun followed me around as I drank my coffee looking for my keys.

"Yes?" I turned around to face him after about a minute of this.

"Hey, yeah, when are we leaving?" He asked. This kid has been following me around saying 'dad' like a mantra for the past minute and a half to ask that this?

I sighed. "In a minute here buddy. Just need to find my keys." I said as I actively looked around for them.

"Ok. Are you coming to bring a parent to school day?" He asked.

"Ah!" I picked up my keys from the coffee table. I swear I checked there. "Yeah of course I'll be there. Wednesday after lunch right?"

"Mhm." He nodded along with his hum of assurance.

"Alright." I patted his head and went to go get my coat on.

Dae danced around in place like a bobble head while he waited. I paused. "Hunny, did you take your medication?"

"Uhm... I can't remember." He placed his hand on his chin in thought. "Yeah I can't remember." He shrugged.

"Alrighty then." I sighed, "I guess we just have to hope you did or you're gonna be a whole ADHD infested mess today."

He nodded. "Right. Let's hope."

"Ok," I stood up from putting my shoes on. "Lets rock n' roll!" I opened the door and he sprung out like a pent up spring.

He sure had a lot of energy today. Maybe I could give him some of my coffee to calm him down.

(A/n- my adhd friends will get that one. For people with adhd caffeine works the opposite way.)

When we got in the car he started to talk all about what was happening in school today. I listened intently as he talking giving him all of my attention.

He was a handful at times, but that 11 year old was just what I needed in my life.

Then, for a moment after he finished he stopped talking and thought about something for a minute.

"Dad." He finally started up again.

"Yeah bud'?" I turned down another lane in the road. I was making my way to drop Dae off before going to the high-school I worked at.

"Do you think if mom was here, she would come to bring your parent to school day as well?" He asked with wide eyes.

Dae had been a result of a teen pregnancy when me and his mother were 15. Shortly after he was born she disappeared to let me raise him on my own.

I never once wanted to leave him though. I'm sure if she stuck around she could have made it work, but she didn't.

It hurt for a long while and it took me some time to get my life together, but I graduated high school, then college with a degree in teaching. I've taught high school ever since.

"Y'know what Hyun? I'm gonna he honest with you, I have no idea. I sure do know that whether she was here or not and didn't go, she would be missing out." I smiled at him.

He gave a small smile back. I knew sometimes he wished he had a mother too like all the other kids.

I felt bad that I couldn't bring one back into his life, but at the same time, I didn't want someone else to hurt him.

Dae was one of the only things in the world that I would give my life for.

Him, my mother, father and my grandma. I had them to thank that I was here right now. My parents agreed to take care of Dae for me while I finished school.

If it weren't for them I would probably be working multiple part times to keep up with things.

I've always been thankful that they didn't disown me when they found out I was gonna have a child at 15.

"Ok..." he said in response to me as we pulled into the school parking lot.

"Here buddy, I'll walk you in today. How does that sound?" I asked patting his head.

Most other parents walked into school with their kids in the morning, but a lot of the time I couldn't.

I had to get into my own class room in the high-school in the next thirty minutes so a lot of the time, every second counted.

Dae smiled. "Ok. I'd like that."

I opened my car door and so did he. "Make sure you have fun today alright? Listen to your teacher and participate- but not too much."

"I know I know. You tell me this all the time. I can rehearse it backwards in Japanese at this point." He told me as if he was oh so grown up.

"Could you now? Because the last time I checked, you weren't doing so well with your Japanese homework." I poked fun at him.

"Ok well no. I don't know how- but I could rehearse it backwards." He puffed out his chest and smiled even wider.

"I don't doubt that. You're super smart that way." I complimented. It was true. Daehyun was definitely smart.

As we entered the school I caught some looks of disapproval from the other moms. They knew very well that Dae was a teen pregnancy and they didn't like it.

All of these moms were in their 40's somewhere. I really hadn't met many of them, and quite frankly, I didn't want to.

Today though, someone else snagged my eye. There was another young man, around my age, talking to the homeroom teacher.

I sometimes saw him come in and drop off another kid, I believe his name was Min-Jun, but he never stayed for long. He looked like a busy man though. He had button up shirts on and rather formal attire on every day.

He had a work card on a retractable cable tucked into his shirt pocket where it was clipped.

Maybe he worked in an office. "Alright dad. I'll see you after school." Dae smiled and gave me a hug which I gladly returned.

"Ok buddy. See you at 4:30." Their school ended at 3:30, but the school I worked at ended at 4:00, meaning there was about a 45 minute gap.

There was an after school program that kids could go into to be taken care of for the parents though.

Sometimes it was outside time, a work period or even games.

"I love you." He said pulling away and going to leave for the classroom door.

"I love you too." I said after him. I really didn't want to leave him, but I'm sure he could handle himself.

1157 words

Hello hello hello. It's me again. I think this might actually be the book I finish. Who knows 🥲

Stay safe, wear a mask and I love you ♥️