are you enjoying this story? ik it's really slow but i hope it's not boring 😭
UPDATE 17.06.2020
hiii i want to say thank u all so so much for being patient!! (✿◠‿◠)
i'm still in the process of editing but the chapters seem to be coming out alright.. so far i've made a few changes up to chapter 8 (adding new scenes, extending/slightly modifying already existing ones, etc) but overall everything is pretty much as it was! i was going to post the edited chapters earlier but unfortunately i had exams + lots of assignments + lots of shifts at work so i didn't really have the time to sit down and write w/o being disturbed every 10 mins (˘︹˘)
anywaaaay if u're still here then i want to say i love u soooo much and i really appreciate ur patience and support.. (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ ♥
stay safe, stay healthy, and take good care of yourselves!! ᕙ('▿')ᕗ
(these emoticons are adorable.. dont judge) (ㆆ_ㆆ)
Some days Taehyung wants to sleep forever because he's mentally and physically exhausted and other days he has the urge to do a million things at once. There are also those days where he's able to do a few things here and there even though he'd rather be asleep. There are days when he's down in the dumps, days when he's on cloud nine, and days when he's okay. Today is one of those 'okay' days but his usual 'okay' days are always 'I don't want to do this but I can still do it'. The days when he's feeling really low, it's 'I don't want to do this and I can't do it either'. There's that teeny-tiny difference. Today, specifically, is 'I don't want to do this and I can't do it either but I still have to do it'. Days like today are the most frequent.
Since today is an almost-okay day, Taehyung didn't lay around in bed for too long to the point that Mrs Khan and Mrs Nguyen had to call him to inform him that he's running late for something. He managed to get up, shower, eat a little, and get dressed. Now he's showing Jaemin around the school as per his schedule.
"This is the pool," Taehyung says, leading Jaemin to the outdoor swimming pool. "We have swimming classes after school hours and on weekends. If you want to join, you just have to register through your student account. It's free for our students."
Jaemin almost gasps because he's amazed. "Wow..." he breathes out. He loves that this school has a swimming pool and he loves it even more that they offer free swimming lessons for their students.
"Do you know how to swim?" Taehyung asks.
"Yep! My dad used to work as a pool lifeguard and swimming instructor so he trained us outside of the swimming lessons we had to do in primary school."
Taehyung's eyebrows arch upwards in surprise because he wouldn't have taken Jaemin's dad as the athletic or sporty type. "What's the highest stage you've completed?" he asks.
"Stage 11, I think."
Taehyung nods in response and leads Jaemin to the hair & makeup studio where the students who are enrolled in the hairdressing, beauty, and makeup specialist program have their classes. Jaemin's jaw almost drops to the floor because this place looks like an actual beauty salon. There are also pictures of the students' works on one of the walls. It shows the before and after images.
"The students in the hair & beauty specialist program do free trims during recess, lunch, and free periods. All you have to do is book an appointment through your account," Taehyung says.
Jaemin is really loving this school because it offers a lot of free facilities for the students. It's a reason why the fees are quite high but it's so worth it (for people who can afford it).
"My dad used to be a hairdresser," Jaemin says out of nowhere as he looks at the pictures. "He couldn't be bothered going to TAFE so he taught himself how to do basic trimming and shaving. My grandma knew someone who owned a barbershop so she helped him get a job there."
Two things that Taehyung has noticed is that Jaemin talks about his dad a lot and his dad has also worked various jobs in the past. In a way, he can relate to Jaemin. He used to talk about Baekhyun all the time with every single person he met. He remembers when some of his classmates made fun of him once because they thought Baekhyun was just an imaginary person.
"He said he wanted to try out makeup but the stuff is really expensive and it takes a lot of time, effort, patience, and practice," Jaemin says. He then turns around and walks over to Taehyung as a way to say he's ready to leave.
"What does your dad do now?" Taehyung asks, quite intrigued. He leads Jaemin out of the studio.
"He's a cook at a Korean restaurant," Jaemin says, following Taehyung out. "It's his longest job. He's been working there for over five years now. He makes the best food."
Five years is quite a long time but at the same time it's not. If that's Jaemin's dad's longest job then he either had commitment issues or worked multiple jobs at once. Whichever it is, that guy's resumé must be looking real good.
"Are you close with your dad?" Taehyung asks out of curiosity.
"Yep. He's really easy to talk to. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to my best friend when I'm telling him my problems. He always listens and he never invalidates my feelings. He's usually the first person I go to for advice," Jaemin says. He loves his dad so much that he always smiles just by thinking of him. "He's really understanding."
Just hearing the way Jaemin talks about his dad makes Taehyung miss Baekhyun even more (if that's even possible) because Baekhyun used to be Taehyung's best friend and shoulder to cry on. Taehyung always shared his feelings, thoughts, worries, secrets, ideas, and basically anything and everything with Baekhyun. If there's one person who knows Taehyung more than he knows himself, then it's Baekhyun.
"You've got a great dad, kid," Taehyung says, not knowing how else to respond.
Jaemin smiles, missing his dad already. "Yeah. He's the best."
It makes Taehyung happy to know his students have good families but it also makes him sad because he never had that experience. His father was a monster and his mother was a two-faced witch. He feels like he wouldn't have turned out the way he did if he had better parents. His parents were so bad to him that there was a point when he unintentionally started calling his own brother 'abeoji'.
Taehyung pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind and shows Jaemin around the school until Jaemin has seen everything. He then checks the time and notices that there are only about ten minutes left until the bell. He checks Jaemin's timetable and takes Jaemin to the first class. The teacher is already in the classroom so he introduces Jaemin and the teacher to each other. He leaves once he's sure that Jaemin is comfortable and in good hands.
-
Taehyung's typing away on his laptop in his bedroom as he responds to emails related to school matters. He has an almost empty glass of somewhat weak alcohol beside him and he refills it every time there's only a gulp's amount left. He has lost count of the amount of times he has had to refill this but he has a very high alcohol tolerance so he isn't experiencing any of the side effects (yet).
He decides to take a break as he heads downstairs and rummages the fridge for something to eat. He finds some leftovers from yesterday and he heats that up in the microwave. He's glad Kriti didn't make anymore soup because it makes him sick. She always makes soup when she's lazy to cook. When she's really lazy, she makes him a Continental's Cup-a-Soup.
Kriti isn't a bad person. She has always wanted the best for Taehyung and has been nothing but supportive of him. It's just that she irritates him often times than not because she's either too caring or too neglectful. Being overly caring is in her nature but it can be overwhelming for someone like Taehyung who prefers to keep people at a distance. Kriti eventually realised this and has been keeping her distance but that has only led to many arguments because Taehyung is very demanding. He expects Kriti to cook, clean, and fulfil other duties of a housewife (even though they're not married and even though Kriti works) but Kriti has her own life to live and she's not the kind of woman to let a man order her around. She does what she can because she still cares about Taehyung (despite his disrespectful treatment towards her) but she keeps it at a limit. She only tolerates him because she knows what he's going through.
Sometimes Taehyung wants to back out of this fake engagement but it's not easy because if Kriti's gone then he won't have anyone to cook for him. He could easily get takeaway and he can buy frozen meals from Coles or Woolworths (*Australian supermarkets/grocery stores) like he's been doing for the past couple of months, but can he really live on that junk? Most of the time he's too lazy to go through the menu and select his meals, and he definitely doesn't want to be eating packaged meals for the rest of his life. It's so much easier when there's food prepared by the time he gets home from work because he can eat it straight away and it's always fresh. There's no waiting and it tastes a hell of a lot better because it's homemade. However, in order for that to happen, someone needs to cook for him. Kriti does that... sometimes... but her cooking has been horrible the past few months. She hasn't been sticking to her part of the deal at all.
Taehyung will need to hire someone to work for him as his personal cook since Kriti is quite useless. Her cooking has gotten lazier and she's absent 90% of the time so he has to get rid of her sooner than later. Maybe he could even set Kriti up with the new cook? But... if they really do fall in love and decide to get married, he'll have to hire a new person to work for him. It's going to be a bit of a hassle, but... it's okay.
The only question is: Who is he going to hire? He's been thinking about this for a while now but he could never find the right person. Well... he never looked for anyone in the first place. If he's going to hire someone to cook for him then they need to know how to cook his favourite meals. His favourite meals are all Korean dishes so a Korean person is preferable and he hopes their cooking is just as good as Baekhyun's.
Alongside cooking, this person will also need to clean and do other domestic tasks. They'll be hired as a housekeeper and Taehyung will pay them a generous amount of money for their service because he's quite desperate at this point considering the fact that Kriti has become very neglectful. He doesn't know how long it will take until he finds someone but he's been living like this for quite some time so he can wait a little longer.
He sits on the couch and turns on the TV so that the house isn't completely silent while he's eating. Once he's finished his food, he turns off the TV and washes the dish. He then heads back to his room and refills his glass of alcohol before he sits behind his desk. He continues responding to emails from oldest to newest. It takes a few minutes but he's soon done and he's just about to shut his laptop but he receives a new email. He inhales deeply because he's annoyed but he still reads it. It's an email from Jaemin's dad requesting a meeting to discuss school fees. Any time is convenient.
Taehyung checks tomorrow's schedule and arranges a meeting at 2PM. He sends an email informing Jaemin's dad about the meeting time tomorrow and he receives an instant reply agreeing with his decision. He sets up a reminder on his phone before he turns off his laptop.
-
"Good afternoon, sir," Seokjin, Jaemin's dad, says as he enters Taehyung's office. He has a small piece of clothing in his hand but it's rolled up so Taehyung can't identify it.
"Afternoon, Mr Kim," Taehyung says. He gestures to the seat in front of his desk. "Please take a seat."
Seokjin murmurs a thank you and sits down on the chair.
Taehyung decides to get straight to the point because he feels awkward having a conversation about things that aren't related to work. "You said you'd like to discuss the fees?" he says, clasping his hands on his desk.
Seokjin feels nervous just thinking about the fees. "Y—Yes, sir. I would like to know if there are any available payment plans because it's a bit difficult for me to pay the fees upfront," he says, wanting to be honest.
"Yes, we have payment plans," Taehyung says. He takes out a plastic sleeve from his desk drawer and pulls out the payment plan form that's inside. He slides it over to Seokjin. "The fees can be paid in small amounts over a weekly or fortnightly period. The payment due date is Friday of week 6. Some students are also eligible for a 10% discount if they or their guardians have a valid concession card."
Seokjin looks slightly relieved but he's still quite nervous and worried because the fees aren't pretty. He has a valid concession card since he's a low income worker so he's eligible for the 10% discount; however, even if the discount is applied, the fees are still very expensive. It's cheaper compared to many other private schools but it's unaffordable for him because of his low income.
"May I ask why you are enquiring about the fees? The scholarship is valid throughout this entire academic year," Taehyung says, a little confused.
Seokjin is quite hesitant but he eventually answers. "I've been thinking about enrolling my other two sons," he says, fidgeting a little because he's nervous. "Jaemin loves this school already and I—I want my other two to have a good school experience, too."
Taehyung nods in understanding. "Your sons are more than welcome to study here and I can assure you that I will do my best to make sure they have an enjoyable learning experience."
Seokjin's more worried about settling the fees rather than how his other two sons will adapt to this school environment. Jaemin adapted easily so Seokjin has no doubt that Eunho and Taeyoung will adapt with the blink of an eye. The issue is just money.
Taehyung seems to figure this out as he provides a solution. "If your main concern is the fees then I'm happy to tell you that we have discounts for families. The discount increases by 20% each following child. So, it's 20% for the second child, 40% for the third, 60% for the fourth, and so on. I can provide you with a quotation if you'd like."
Seokjin is eligible for a generous discount but would he be able to afford it? It's still a lot and he'll need more than one term to settle the fees. "Yes, please," he says.
Taehyung nods and goes on his computer. He searches for the PDF file with the school fees and opens it up. "What grades are your sons in?" he asks.
"7 and 9, sir," Seokjin says.
Taehyung grabs his calculator out of the drawer and presses the buttons. "Are you a holder of a concession card?" he asks.
Seokjin takes out his concession card from his wallet and shows it to Taehyung. Taehyung nods and does one last calculation before he writes down the amount and hands the quotation to Seokjin. Seokjin looks at the amount and he feels like his head is spinning because, even with the multiple discounts, it's still a lot of money.
"If you plan on enrolling your sons this term then the latest they can start is next Monday because they can't start any later than the first day of week 3," Taehyung says. "That being said, I can apply a $400 reduction to the total because of the two weeks your sons will miss."
Seokjin looks at the quotation and does a mental calculation. Even with all these discounts and reductions, it's still a lot. He definitely won't be able to have the fees paid by Friday of week 6. He needs more time. "Sir, is it possible to extend the due date?" he asks, quite hesitantly if anything.
Taehyung purses his lips, quite conflicted. He can't extend the payment due date because he's done that before and it didn't work well for him nor for the parents and/or guardians. It's much easier for him to keep track of the fees when there is a fixed date, and it's easier for the parents because they won't be in debt when their kids graduate.
The thing is, he would offer free schooling for less fortunate families if he could but running this school itself is very costly. He has to pay teacher salaries/staff wages, utility bills, taxes, insurance, and all that other crap. He receives little to no funding from the government since this is a private school so he needs to make as much money as he can to ensure there will be no issues with the school's operation. Sure, he could assist a family or two in settling the school fees with his own money, but that would be unfair to every other family who's not receiving any benefits from him. That's the reason why he decided to add discounts a few months after establishing this school—so that all families can receive some kind of benefit if they're eligible for it.
"I'm really sorry, Mr Kim, but it's a fixed date," Taehyung says. He feels quite guilty because he doesn't fail to notice the despair that's evident on Seokjin's face but there's not much he can do.
A huge part of Seokjin regrets coming here to ask about the fees because he feels like he just humiliated himself. How could someone with an income as low as his afford to send their kids to such a prestigious school in the first place? The fees will only increase once Jaemin's scholarship ends and the 50% discount won't make it any less unaffordable.
This was a bad idea, and he still needs to figure out how the hell he's going to settle Jaemin's fees next year.
Yeah, this is by far the stupidest idea he's ever had.
"Thank you so much for your time, sir. I really appreciate it," Seokjin suddenly says as he slips the quotation in his wallet. "I hope you have a lovely day."
Taehyung is really confused because the meeting was dismissed so suddenly and he wasn't the one to dismiss it either. "Are you sure you don't have anymore questions or concerns, Mr Kim?" he asks.
"I'm very sure. Thank you again. Have a great day, sir," Seokjin says. He stands up, bows with respect, and walks towards the door.
Taehyung is sitting there with a blank expression because he's still trying to process what happened. All he knows is that this Seokjin guy is really strange. He's never met someone like this.
"You, too, have a great day, Mr Kim," Taehyung eventually says, feeling a little awkward.
The rolled-up piece of clothing slips out of Seokjin's hand as he grabs the door handle. He quickly bends down and picks it up. Taehyung notices that it's some kind of apron and it takes him a while to recall Jaemin telling him that Seokjin is a cook. Jaemin said that his dad is a cook at a Korean restaurant and—
Wait...
Hold on...
Cook. Korean restaurant.
Why would Taehyung need to wait for the perfect housekeeper when he was right here a few seconds ago? In exchange for Seokjin's cooking and housekeeping services, Taehyung can provide free schooling for all three of Seokjin's sons. Hopefully Seokjin and Kriti also fall in love so that Taehyung can get rid of Kriti for good. When the deal is over once Seokjin and Kriti get married, Taehyung will just hire someone new. This deal is temporary but it will be mutually beneficial while it lasts.
This is brilliant!
Taehyung quickly gets up from his seat and rushes towards the door. He walks out of his office and he opens his mouth to call for Seokjin but he closes his mouth again when he catches a glimpse of Seokjin walking away while crying. He purses his lips and remains as is, but he makes a mental note to himself to email Seokjin. He would get this over and done with now but the thought itself of approaching someone who's crying makes him feel awkward and uncomfortable. He'll just send the email now and hopefully Seokjin will reply when he's not crying anymore. They'll have to discuss this later.