#4
Hyeon-woo’s hand froze as he was entering information into the order form. He got stuck at the size entry field. As he felt his ring finger to estimate its circumference, he suddenly glanced towards Jerome’s room. Come to think of it, Tae-geon, who had gone in to put Jerome to bed, hadn’t come out for quite a while.
Hyeon-woo got up from his seat and approached Jerome’s room with curiosity, carefully opening the door. He saw Tae-geon asleep next to Jerome on the bed, illuminated by a soft mood light. A book was lying face-down on Tae-geon’s chest, as if he had fallen asleep while reading a fairy tale.
Hyeon-woo stood silently watching the two for a long time, his eyes becoming moist.
…What exactly was this emotion called? The feeling of his heart swelling with a warm, satisfying fullness as a tingling sensation ran through his chest.
Apart from his love for Tae-geon, Hyeon-woo often felt an indescribable, unfamiliar emotion welling up in his throat whenever he witnessed scenes like this between Jerome and Tae-geon.
It felt as if the fence surrounding the three of them was becoming more solid and tightly knit as time passed. A great sense of stability enveloped Hyeon-woo.
The past, when he had suffered from vague anxiety and fear about Jerome’s rapid growth, had now faded so much that he could barely remember it.
Carefully approaching the two so as not to wake them, he removed the fairy tale book from Tae-geon’s chest and placed it on the bedside table. After adjusting their postures to make them more comfortable, he gently pulled the blanket that Jerome had been hogging and covered Tae-geon with it. Then he crouched down in front of the bed and gazed at Tae-geon’s sleeping face for a long time.
The smooth forehead, sharp nose bridge, and the elegant eyelashes along the edges of his closed eyelids – Hyeon-woo knew that the cold, piercing eyes hidden behind them sparkled warmly only for him.
As Hyeon-woo stared at Tae-geon’s handsome face, which he never tired of looking at, he suddenly pinched his own cheek.
Ouch…! Swallowing a groan, Hyeon-woo rubbed his reddened cheek. It hurt. It wasn’t a dream. Yet sometimes it felt unreal. The fact that Tae-geon was his, and this scene of Jerome and Tae-geon sleeping side by side.
Was it because this relationship had been formed after going through a long and painful time? That’s why it felt more precious, and sometimes melancholic. He wanted to be as happy as the time they had hurt each other, as much as the painful times they had endured.
After tidying up the sleeping arrangements for Tae-geon and Jerome, Hyeon-woo was about to turn and leave when he suddenly remembered something. He rummaged through his pocket and turned back to Tae-geon.
Crouching down in front of the bed, he wrapped a long strip of paper he had brought around Tae-geon’s left ring finger. He then folded the end where it met to mark it, got up, and left Jerome’s room.
*
“Hello.”
“Welcome. I was waiting for you. Please, have a seat over here.”
The kindergarten teacher’s cheeks were flushed as she guided Tae-geon to his seat. She had been excited all day since receiving Tae-geon’s call this morning.
She had first seen Tae-geon a month ago during a parent observation class. As she had been in charge of Jerome’s class for two consecutive years, she naturally thought his father would come this year too. But on that day, a new guardian introduced as the uncle came in place of Jerome’s father, who had caught a cold, setting her heart aflutter.
She also vividly remembered Tae-geon coming to the spring family sports day, dropping off snacks for the children and leaving.
While secretly hoping to meet him again and eagerly awaiting the next parent participation event, Tae-geon’s call today had nearly made her heart burst.
“Would you like something to drink? We have green tea and coffee.”
“Green tea, please.”
“Certainly! Just a moment!”
As she brewed cold green tea in a mug, she stole glances at Tae-geon in his suit. The subtle sheen of the high-quality fabric flowed along his contours, elegantly revealing his sturdy physique.
His straight nose bridge, visible between slightly fallen strands of hair, and his dense eyelashes were exquisite. Even his sharp, sensitive-looking eyes seemed to exude a decadent charm. Could there be anyone else in the world who could pull off a suit so perfectly?
The teacher handed the mug to Tae-geon. Her gaze fell on his outstretched left hand. She inwardly felt relieved at the empty ring finger. There was no sign of a partner.
At first, she had suspected he might have a deep relationship with Jerome’s father, but Jerome’s blue eyes clearly disproved that notion.
“So, what kind of consultation did you want regarding Jerome…?”
The teacher’s voice trembled as she broached the subject with Tae-geon, who had come saying he had something to discuss about Jerome.
It was partly because of the presence of an alpha with ulterior motives, but as an educator who had been in charge of Jerome for two years, she was also needlessly afraid of being criticized for any issues.
“I was wondering if there were any problems with Jerome’s relationships with his friends.”
“Oh! You don’t need to worry about that at all!”
The teacher’s expression brightened.
“Jerome always wisely mediates when there are fights between friends. He’s thoughtful and very smart, unlike most children his age. Besides IQ, there’s also SQ, which is the ability to empathize well with others’ emotions, also known as social intelligence. Jerome is particularly excellent in this ability.”
She showered Jerome with praise.
“The ability to empathize and communicate is a uniquely human skill that’s difficult to replace with artificial intelligence, right? I’ve heard it’s an ability formed through strong attachment relationships with parents in early childhood. It’s clear to see how much Jerome’s father loves him.”
“…Is that so.”
The teacher’s heart raced wildly at Tae-geon’s handsome, gentle baritone response. Even though she knew it was inappropriate to have such feelings for a guardian of one of her charges, she couldn’t help her heart fluttering whenever she made eye contact with Tae-geon, who was the very embodiment of her ideal type.
“Are there any friends Jerome doesn’t get along well with?”
It was a meaningful question, but the teacher, trying to calm her trembling heart, failed to notice this and evaded.
“Well… Hmm. I don’t think there are any in particular.”
“……”
“Jerome isn’t the type to cause conflicts with friends…”
As the teacher trailed off, Tae-geon asked again.
“Do you remember the big fire accident Jerome had earlier this year, in winter?”
“Oh! Of course! I was so shocked at that time.”
The teacher made a gesture of calming her startled heart.
“It was such a relief that Jerome wasn’t seriously hurt…”
“Could you tell me about Jerome’s class activities on the day of the fire? It was a Thursday.”
“On Thursdays, we have creative activities like drawing pictures or…”
The teacher suddenly gasped as if remembering something.
“That day! Jerome had an argument with a friend!”
“……”
“Yes, that’s right! We had a class where children drew pictures of impressive places they’ve been to, and Jerome drew a large mountain lodge with a fireplace. He said it was a lodge in Neungra Mountain.”
The teacher’s eyes shone with certainty as she recalled the memory.
“Another child said there was no such thing in Neungra Mountain and called Jerome a liar, and the children fought over that. I remember it clearly because it was so unusual for Jerome to get excited and angry!”
“…So they called Jerome… a liar.”
“…Yes.”
“Can I see that picture?”
The teacher rummaged through the shelves and brought Jerome’s sketchbook. As Tae-geon flipped through the pages of the sketchbook, his hand stopped at one particular drawing.
A picture of a large fireplace with Santa socks hanging caught Tae-geon’s attention.
…This is what he was trying to bring. To prove he wasn’t a liar. But then the fire broke out at the lodge, and everything was destroyed.
“…So Jerome became a liar to everyone.”
“……”
The teacher fell silent, sensing the displeasure in Tae-geon’s voice, which had grasped the entire situation from just one picture.
She felt ashamed. After the fire, when Jerome returned to school, all his friends welcomed him, and there were no children who specifically called him a liar or bullied him, so she hadn’t paid much attention to it. Now that Tae-geon pointed it out, she realized she hadn’t closely examined how Jerome must have felt facing his friends again.
“…I think I didn’t pay proper attention.”
“……”
“I’m so sorry…”
Tae-geon gazed at the teacher intently. The responsibility for this incident didn’t lie with the teacher. Even he, as Jerome’s guardian, had only learned about this situation today. It was because Jerome had kept it a secret, probably to avoid causing trouble for his friend.
“It’s not your fault.”
“…Still…”
“I’ll contact you again soon. Can I take Jerome with me? It seems like it’s almost time to finish.”
“Oh, of course. Just a moment! They should be getting into the car for pick-up right now!”
Tae-geon followed the teacher as she headed outside the kindergarten.
Children were getting into a yellow van one by one, fidgeting in line. Jerome was visible at the end of the line.
“Jerome! Your uncle is here.”
At those words, Jerome turned around abruptly, spotted Tae-geon standing with the teacher, and came running breathlessly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
