arrested || jikook

one

one—

it's soon to be parents day at gunwick elementary. the one day that parents can come to school and spend quality time with their children. in honor of this very special day, the school is hosting a festival on the playground. activities such as playing games at the multiple booths and stations for prizes, jumping around on the bouncy houses or eating lunch with their parents.

it would be a good day jimin knew. he gently wrung a rag out over the sink, watching the water slide down into the drain and out of sight. but he had to prepare everything, being the only responsible teacher at this school who cared for his students education and childhood memories they would have at the school. no one else cared. not one other teacher not even the principal bat an eye at the experience the children should be having.

"jimin!" a voice chimed. he set the rag down, and turned around to face the person that the voice belonged to. his assistant teacher, kim soonbok, was shuffling over clumsily. she rounded a desk, bumping into it roughly and knocked over a neatly stacked pile of trays to the floor. jimin cringed at the sight.

the woman bent down to collect the trays but in the process she bumped into another desk, jostling a bucket of paintbrushes he had just finished cleaning. jimin lurched forward and stabilized the bucket before it could dump the un-filthy items onto the dusty school floor.

soonbok swept some of the trays into her arms and stood up straight, smiling idiotically at jimin when she saw him again.

"i came to tell you something," the woman said, not bothering to look at the other trays on the floor. she stepped backwards, suddenly slipping on the remaining items on the floor and fell backwards. she knocked over a few more stacks of newly cleaned trays and a bucket of clean, now drying rags to the floor. soonbok sat there on the floor, grumbling to herself.

jimin clenched his fists. he could never get used to how clumsy and he dare say it, useless, his assistant was. how she got a job as an art teachers assistant when she had no idea how to do any of the sort was beyond him. he had told her countless times to stay away from the supplies, never to touch the easels or even go near the closet of colors and chalks. but no matter how much he condemned her of anything, she always found a way to mess up everything at the worst time.

"oops." she said, giggling to herself. jimin had to take a deep breath to compose himself. in and out. he had put up with her nonsense all year, and thankfully since it was coming to an end, he had all summer to get her out of his classroom and into someone else's.

"soonbok, how many times have i told you not to come in when i'm cleaning up?" jimin asked, calmer than he expected. a stiff and completely forced smile was put onto his lips. "especially when it's so close to parents day?"

"s-sorry jimin." she said, attempting to get up.

"and how many times have i told you it's mr. park?" he breathed, getting agitated once again with her antics.

"yeah, sorry." she nodded, "i just wanted to tell you something."

jimin knelt down beside her and began collecting the trays that had fallen to the uncleanly floor, gently taking them into his arms and laying them in the sink. they would have to be cleaned again, and sadly he didn't have the time to do so.

"and what is that?" jimin sighed, ambling back over to grab the damp rags on the floor, stacking them neatly back on top of a desk temporarily until he found a way to get them clean and dry once again.

"rose is sick."

jimin froze.

rose was sick? he looked at soonbok and narrowed his eyes, curious as to why she knew this and not him.

rose was one of his favorite students. a sweet and gentle girl who always payed attention in class. she read in a corner during free time, watching the other kids play with a shy and nervous look on her face. she was quiet, but she would talk to him. he would rather call her a friend then a student being that they had grown so close. she was one of the few people he'd miss over summer when it came around.

"how do you know about this?" jimin asked, raising a brow.

"well, you sent me to the office to help them with calls instead of in here, and rose's father called in saying she wouldn't be here tomorrow because she had caught a cold." soonbok explained to him. he stared at the floor.

today was monday and rose hadn't been here so that also explained her absence. well, spring had just passed so it was possible that she caught something a little late or it was the pollen in the air. he nodded.

"i'll mark her absent." it was also disappointing. tuesday was parents day. rose would miss out on lots of fun. maybe he could give her something as a get well soon gift.

"and also i was wondering..." soonbok looked at her hands awkwardly, "if you wanted to get coffee with me when you're done?" jimin looked at her, a sarcastic smile spreading across his face. he would do anything besides go with her to get coffee.

"actually i think i'm fine. when i'm done i'll head to the store to get a gift for rose, and then go home and get to sleep early." he stood up, putting the last of the trays on the table. "maybe rose would like a bouquet of roses, wouldn't that be nice?" he chuckled to himself.

soonbok stared hard at the floor below her, and jimin glanced curiously at her.
"damn brat." he heard a murmur. he looked at her with wide eyes.

"what?"

"nothing, have a good afternoon." she stood up and left, not bumping into one desk or knocking over one stack of items.

jimin sighed in relief. when she was out of the room he felt at ease. and since she didn't mess up anything else, he was glad to have her gone and nothing else to do.

collecting his belongings, he pulled on his coat and exited the classroom. making sure to lock the door behind him, he left the school building for home.

//aye
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welcome to the long awaited book y'all