Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
UNLIKE HIS SON who bounced up and down with every step he took, the toys in his small Spider-Man back pack clanking against each other, Jeongguk was anything but excited for his first braiding lesson. As Kodi kept singing one of his original songs that he created himself ever since Jeongguk lifted his bed sheets off of his messy hair, "We're Going To Rinnie's House!" Jeongguk—even though he should've been annoyed by now, especially since he was getting headaches now—felt more nervous as Kodi kept repeating the tune over and over again. His feet felt heavy as his brain signaled them to move, but he couldn't stop now, especially since Rin's apartment building was only a few more minutes away, and Kodi would've thrown the biggest fit of his three year old existence.
Jeongguk didn't really like to bring up this side of him, but he was good at everything; the dream of golden raindrops falling his grandma had while his mother was pregnant proved itself true. As a little boy, he was always the best at drawing butterflies for his parent's to pin under a magnet and stick onto their refrigerator. His classmates, and even kids in higher grade levels, always wanted to be on his team during recess because he always wound up throwing the winning ball for dogeball or basketball. In his high school years, he was given the solos in choir, won several art awards, and always won the attention of girls around him. Everyone knew he was the best, especially his teachers. They sent in letters of recommendation to the colleges he was applying to, and always gave him a full bar of chocolate whenver he passed their test. He was just good at everything, and it couldn't be helped.
Braiding, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Jeongguk couldn't get it right no matter how many times he replayed tutorial videos or closely examined the person's hands and which hair strand they were twisting in or out. It got frustrating when he couldn't do it, and it frustrated him even more when Kodi got tired of sitting on the floor and watching cartoons, and he no longer had someone to practice on. Now that he was going to Rin's, he hoped he could pick it up fast so she wouldn't have to see his eyebrows furrow or hear the loud, exaggerated grunts he made. He wasn't going to lie, he actually wanted to impress Rin; just a little. Rin didn't get to see him in all his glory days, so Jeongguk figured he'd start here to show Rin that he's actually good at something, other than all the As she gawked at whenever Jeongguk showed her his work or test. "I studied hard, too. Why didn't I get an A?" She frowned once when they bumped into each other during lunch. He took the paper from her hand and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You'll do better next time. Besides, you got a B+! That's good so don't be down on yourself." That made her smile, and she asked him if he wanted to have lunch with her.
"Daddy, I'm so happy I'm seeing Rinnie's house!" Kodi jumped up and down once again, the black hair Jeongguk would be braiding soon shading his eyes. It was a windy day, more than usual, so Jeongguk pulled his son aside and bent down to reach into the pocket of Kodi's back pack, retrieving a hair tie. Jeongguk spun Kodi around and began to gather his hair. "Yeah? Too bad you'll be sitting down and won't be able to hide in her cabinets like you do at our place, mister." Kodi throws his head back to look at Jeongguk. "Don't get mad at me for that; they're the best hiding places! Daddy, when you're done braiding my hair, do you think she'd let me play over?" Jeongguk finishes tying off his hair and stands up to hold Kodi's hand. "I don't know, buddy. Rin might be busy and you know how Daddy's head has been hurting." "I'll ask her myself, then! You can leave if you don't want to be there." He huffs.
