Be My Teacher || K.SJ

S I X

I take in a deep breath as I stand outside Mr. Kims office, my fist raised, hovering over the door. I'm about to knock, until it swings open, and standing there before me is Mr. Kim. He towers above me as usual, and he stands to one side, gesturing for me to come in.

I walk inside and take the same seat as before, feeling a sense of deja vu. 

"Miss Collins, I want to discuss something with you." He begins, taking a seat behind his desk.

"Okay." I mumble, nervously fiddling with my fingers.

"Your short story; it's good." 

A wide smile appears on my face, I breathe in deeply, about to say thank you, but he raises his index finger, interrupting me.

"But... It can be better. I see a lot of potential in you, Miss Collins. You're rough around the edges, but you have talent. I'm impressed." 

"Thank you so much." I beam, unable to wipe the smile from my face.

"I still think you need a lot of work. That's why I have an offer for you." He says, leaning back in his chair.

"Tutoring." He adds, a blank expression on his face.

"Tutoring?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes. Firstly, you'll need after school tutoring for Korean languages. And I also believe tutoring on your writing skills would be beneficial."

"And this will help me pass the class?" I ask, biting the inside of my cheek.

"Not only that, it'll help you with grabbing the opportunity that comes with passing the class. You want the scholarship and publishing deal, don't you?"

"More than anything." I blurt out, sitting forward in my chair.

"Good. We will meet here in my office after school every day. I expect you to arrive on time. I don't appreciate tardiness."

"That sounds great, thank you." I smile.

"We'll start tomorrow, 5:30pm sharp." 

I look down at my lap, the memory of what happened earlier in the hallway begins replaying in my mind again. I don't realise that I've zoned out. I hear Mr. Kims voice echoing, drifting back into focus.

"Willow!" He yells, his body leaned across the desk. His fingers are in my face, snapping, trying to get me back down to Earth.

That's the first time I've heard him call me by my first name.

I blink rapidly and gulp, looking back at him. His brows are furrowed in concern, his head slightly tilted to one side, his plump lips parted. I can't help but to stare at him with his face close to mine. He's breathtakingly handsome, captivating...

I tear my eyes away from him. It's not weird just to admire his beauty, right?

"I- I'm sorry." I mumble, shaking my head.

"Are you alright?" He asks, his tone laced with worry.

I debate whether I should tell him. He is a teacher after all, maybe he could do something about it. I know Yoongi reassured me that the tall boy would keep his distance, but I don't know Yoongi that well, and I still have an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

"I- Can I be honest, Mr. Kim?" I stutter, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

"Of course."

"Today... something happened." I pause, squeezing my eyes shut as I recall the event in my head.

I hear movement in front of me. I open my eyes, and I see Mr. Kim in the chair next to me, his eyes soft and full of concern.

"A boy, he... he harassed me, and t-touched me inappropriately." I breathe out. My lip begins to quiver, a lump forming in my throat. 

"Who?" He asks. His voice is different, it's deep, husky and threatening.

"I don't know his name. He was tall, and he had short black hair. That's all I can give you." 

He lets out a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"I know who it is. Don't worry, I'll deal with it." He checks his watch, and turns to look at me.

"It's getting late, you should go home before it gets dark. I'll see you in class tomorrow." He says, standing from the chair. He walks to the door, and holds it open. His voice is softer than usual, more clam and relaxed. I like it.

I stand up from my chair and walk to the door, but I stop. I turn my head and look up at him, a small smile on my face.

"Thank you, Mr. Kim. I won't let you down." I say, my tone full of sincerity. 

I notice a tiny smile on his lips, before he clears his throat and nods, returning back to his strict persona. 

**

I sit at the dining table with my dad, eating Chinese takeout for dinner. I slowly eat my food, pushing it around on the plate.

"Everything okay?" I hear him ask, chewing on a dumpling.

"Mhm." I hum, nodding. I force a smile on my face as I look at him, letting out a subtle sigh.

"How was school today?" 

I flinch at his words. I'm trying to repress the memory, hoping it'll go away. But I'm terrified I'll see the boy in the halls again.

"It was good. My literature teacher offered me after school tutoring for Korean and to improve my writing." I chirp, trying to remain positive.

"Mr. Kim?" My dad asks, almost choking on his food. He stares at me with wide eyes, his mouth partially open.

"Yes?" I chuckle, knitting my brows in confusion.

"Like one on one tutoring?" He coughs, hitting his chest with his fist.

"Yes- What's the big deal?" I laugh.

"I did my research beforehand, Willow. The man is basically an emotionless brick. Nobody has ever heard of him offering one on one tutoring before."

"What?" I'm officially lost. It seems like I'm the only person in the world who doesn't know about Mr. Kim or his functionality as a teacher.

"He's been teaching literature in that high school for 4 years, and not one student has ever said they felt a personal bond to him. They say he's practically dead inside. And he's only 26 years old!" He rambles, staring at me wide eyed.

"You've always been a gossip, dad." I giggle, popping a dumpling in my mouth.

"I'm serious, Willow. This must mean he sees something great in you. This is a massive compliment!" He's pretty much yelling at this point.

"Okay, okay, calm down. It's not that big of a deal. I think it's more about learning Korean than anything else, being that I'm the only foreign student." I respond, scoffing.

"When do you start tutoring?" He asks.

"Tomorrow, 5:30pm." I respond plainly.

"Can you secretly record it? Hide it in your jacket?" He leans forward, smiling.

"What?! No!" I yell, furrowing my brows. 

He leans back in his chair laughing. I laugh along with him. I don't know what I'd do without my dad. He's always there to cheer me up.

I finish the rest of my food, grabbing the plate and placing it in the sink in the kitchen.

"I gotta go work on my assignment. Will you be okay by yourself?" I ask, peering round the corner into the dining room.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. Just make sure you tell me everything tomorrow, okay?" He smiles goofily at me. I laugh at him, and nod my head, turning to go upstairs and into my room.

I can't help but feel a sense of excitement about tomorrow. Everything is finally lining up, it's all coming together in my favour, and I'm beyond ready for it.