Archive of Our Own ^beta

Donghyuck can feel his heart racing.

His leg bounces anxiously as he hunches over in his desk, thumb tapping the screen in his hands enthusiastically. Super Mario is not a joke. He’s prepared to make a jump, which will earn him multiple coins and finish his run when a tap on his shoulder makes him glance up. But all it takes is a second for Mario to go falling from the cliff, several feet below to an End Game flashing across the screen. Donghyuck pouts, looking up from his screen to narrow his eyes at the culprit. His second graders are supposed to be taking a spelling test, and they are, poking out their tongues in concentration and using their Elsa and Spiderman pencils with enthusiasm.

Except, of course, for the girl standing in front of Donghyuck’s desk with a mischievous smile that reveals a missing front tooth. Youngji’s dark hair is in two pigtails, her yellow dress is so bright that she reminds him of the sun standing in front of the class, and of course she’s the only wearing shades, a rainbow pair that had put the class in a frenzy the moment she arrived earlier that morning. She’s the star, the unspoken leader of Donghyuck’s class, and somehow the one with the least number of stars underneath her good behavior chart. The reason being her favorite past time of causing her teacher stress, and even now, Donghyuck can only sigh as he locks his phone and tucks it into his pocket (he had made the mistake of leaving it on his desk one time and promptly never did it again).

“Mr. Lee.” Youngji says, pushing her rainbow glasses down to rest on her nose and peer up at him, “How old are you again?”

Donghyuck resists the urge to snort.

“You’re supposed to be taking a spelling test.” He replies.

“Sorry.” Youngji simply shrugs, “I don’t know how to spell.”

Donghyuck tries his best not to scream. Lee Youngji is trouble with rainbow sunglasses, and she’s staring at him with patience that most children possess to remind him of her previous question.

“I’m old enough to be your teacher.” He tells her finally because whatever it is she’s planning, he’s not falling for it.

Their parents already knew his age and by default, his students did as well. But like children, they simply forgot the mundane things and he’s in no rush to remind them. He’s one of the youngest teachers at the school, fresh out of university. It’s probably why he doesn’t have too many friends among the staff either. But he loves teaching second grade. Sometimes, his homeroom class feel like his children. He never imagined having a job he would look forward to everyday but sitting at his desk and watching his students file in during the morning seemed to fill his heart with warmth every time. They can be quite loud and energetic but then again, so can he. But more than that, they’re good kids, sweet and innocent-

“Is the man me and mommy saw you with at the grocery store yesterday your husband?”

Donghyuck nearly chokes as Youngji blinks up at him.

“I don’t have a husband.” He says, trying to make sure his voice doesn’t reveal just how surprised he feels. He hadn’t even noticed Youngji while he was out doing his Sunday grocery shopping but apparently her and her mother had spotted him. The most they had probably seen was his attempt to dodge one of his roommate Yukhei’s playful kisses to his cheek. But his student is looking up at him so intensely that he feels compelled to add, “I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

“Oh, so you’re single.” Youngji notes. And Donghyuck realizes he won’t be getting rid of her anytime soon when she sits in one of the few chairs he kept beside his desk, crosses her legs, folds her hands atop the unicorn purse in her lap and smiles. “Good.”

But as her teacher of many months, Donghyuck knows by now that Youngji smiling at him in this way means anything but good things are headed his way.

“Youngji, leave Mr. Lee alone!” A voice shouts, followed by footsteps before a small body comes crashing against Donghyuck’s side. The curls that tickles his arm tells him that its Minho, who is somehow just as chaotic as his sister, Youngji. “Mom says that if we annoy people, they get old faster and die. I don’t want Mr. Lee to die!”  

Minho’s big brown eyes grow damp, and he sniffles before burying his face in his teacher’s side and letting out a loud sob. But as always, his act is just as quickly exposed when he tries to peek up discreetly to see if his teacher has fallen for it. And that’s how Donghyuck knows that Youngji is not the only one who didn’t study for the spelling test.

“Thanks, Minho.” He says, rubbing the small boys back gently anyway, “I’ll try not to die.”

“Mr. Lee is dying?” One girl looks up, lip trembling before she bursts out into a fit of tears.

And because they believe pretty much anything that they hear, the rest of the class easily follows. Donghyuck cringes as he watches the other students jump up from their desks, crying, panicked, even arguing with each other, or in some sort of distress or another. He isn’t sure whether they truly believe it or if they’re just acting as an excuse to get out of the spelling test, either way he’s both touched by their reaction and impressed with the few, obvious actors as well. Of course, there’s always that one guy and in this case it’s his second-grader Choi Sangbin. Donghyuck isn’t sure how the boy is only in second grade when he acted like a college student who had just rolled out of bed. He has the most stars for good behavior in Donghyuck’s class but only because he doesn’t understand what’s going on half the time.

Even now, he’s peeking from underneath the hood of his hoodie, brunet curls falling into his confused eyes.

“Are we not having a spelling test?” He asks, watching as the boy beside him is sniffling, face bright red, and another girl walks by whimpering as she cries loudly. But Sangbin merely rubs at his eyes tiredly before squinting down at his test, “Does anyone know if the word ‘wolf’ has two o’s or what-“        

“Everyone calm down. I’m not dying.” Donghyuck tells them finally. When they continue their dramatics, he decides to use his next best weapon. “And hand in your tests. Time’s up.”

He can’t help but smirk at the way their eyes widen and they quickly scramble back to their seats to try and finish their work. His words even incite panic in Sangbin who mouths the word “wolf” several times before hurriedly scribbling down “wooolf” instead. Donghyuck gives him a fond smile anyway. At least he’s trying. Youngji can’t be bothered. She simply pushes up her shades and starts digging around in her unicorn purse, and Minho is now covering himself with the stickers from Donghyuck’s desk. The first person to turn in their test is Park Boram. After Sangbin, she has the most good behavior stickers. She hands him the test and pushes up the round glasses on her nose, her dark hair is always pulled back into a neat ponytail, she’s quite tomboyish with her shirts, shorts, and sneakers, but she’s also the most diligent second-grader Donghyuck has ever seen.

“Mr. Lee.” Boram smiles up at him sweetly. He checks her test, not very surprised to find that she has another perfect score. Minho peels a bright yellow smiley sticker from his face and slaps it on Boram’s test. Donghyuck snorts in amusement at him before focusing on the girl standing in front of his desk, “Have you met the new music teacher?”

Donghyuck hasn’t. Yet. He’d been in the meeting weeks ago when Principal Moon had informed them of some staff changes, including a new music teacher. The old music teacher had been a rather grouchy older woman that his students often complained about. Donghyuck hadn’t spoken to her often but even he found her to be a bit unpleasant. He’d been thankful for the change but he’s been so busy planning upcoming events for his students that he’d forgotten about the new hire entirely.

“Mr. Mark is from Canada!” Minho exclaims, bouncing around with a sudden excitement that seems to take over the class.

Once again, the spelling test is forgotten as the students break out into loud chatter about their new music teacher. Donghyuck takes in their bright smile and can’t help but to smile as well. It seemed that whoever it was, they were good with the kids and that’s all he could hope for.

“He can play the guitar.” Boram adds.

Donghyuck glances in Sangbin’s direction. As their class musical prodigy who could play the piano, guitar, and flute (he’s even shown Donghyuck some music he’s made on SoundCloud, leaving the teacher to wonder how such a small person could hold so much talent), Sangbin looked forward to their music classes the most. Though their last music teacher had crushed his spirits, it seemed that the new teacher is different with the way Sangbin is sitting up in his seat, smiling at the mere mention of him. But then just as quickly, Donghyuck watches as the brunet boy writes Kool on his test instead of Cool and his eye twitches the slightest bit because he’s spent weeks grilling the spelling into their heads for nothing, it seems. 

“He’s much better than Ms. Kang.” Minho says before shivering, “She always made us listen to that EDN music so loud, and she’d drink an entire liter of Dr. Pepper and then start screaming.”

“It’s EDM, Minho.” Donghyuck tells him, running his hands through the dark-haired boy’s hair gently, smiling when his student hugs him in return. So that’s why the older music teacher was fired. Well… she always did seem pretty intense.

“Mr. Mark is only one year older than you.” Boram informs him before a Cheshire smirk appears on her face. He’s reminded then that though she’s hardworking and diligent, she’s also Lee Youngji’s best friend. And it shows when Boram glances at the other girl after her statement.

As if on cue, Youngji snaps her unicorn purse closed, lips now smeared with some bright purple lip gloss she seemed to enjoy playing in. She jumps down from her chair, dark pigtails bouncing.

“And he doesn’t have a girlfriend.” She says before slipping off her shades and smirking, “Or a boyfriend. He is also a single, Mr. Lee.”

Briefly, Donghyuck wonders if Youngji understands the word single since she says a single instead of just single. Then he figures that she’d probably just had Boram Google it for her so they could use it against their teacher. He finds that he can’t be too upset. His girls are clever, he’ll give them that. But he’s still not falling for it.

“That’s nice, Youngji.” He says simply, before something seems to occur to him. “How do you guys know so much anyway?”

“I think I might have answered too many questions on the first day.” A voice he doesn’t recognize says.

He looks over to find his classroom door open with an unfamiliar person stepping in. And wow, Donghyuck thinks. He’s wearing a simple white shirt, jeans, a jean jacket, and chucks but somehow Donghyuck is reminded of a model out of a designer fashion look book. His dark hair is parted, falling into his face, his high cheekbones highlight smooth, soft skin, and his eyes seem to sparkle as he stands there, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward, shy smile. He’s clearly waiting for a response, but Donghyuck suddenly finds it very difficult to move his mouth or forms words. Instead, he finds that all he can do is stare, blinking slowly as he takes in all that there is of the man before him.

Luckily, Minho is there to smack a heart-shaped sticker on his cheek and snap him out of his temporary daze. He quickly stands from his desk then, ignoring the way Youngji slips on her rainbow shades and high fives Boram, both girls giggling quietly behind his back.

“That’s usually how they get you. They show up with their sweet little innocent faces and because they’re so cute, you’re telling them your back account information before you know it, then you’re getting black mailed for Moomin stickers.” Donghyuck says, glancing back at where Minho is putting heart stickers all over his desk.

“That sounds…oddly personal. But also kind of fun.” The man tells him, holding out his hand, “I’m Mark by the way, the new music teacher who you now know doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

Mark smiles awkwardly, probably embarrassed to be exposed by second graders. Donghyuck, who’s used to it, grins in amusement.

“Or a girlfriend.”  He adds before he can stop himself.

He’s just a little bit curious. But Mark’s reaction is of such great indifference to the mention of a girlfriend that he can’t help but feel slightly giddy. But when he realizes that he feels giddy he immediately starts to panic. Because why is his stomach doing actual backflips and why does his face feel so warm suddenly?

“Yeah, that either.” Mark says simply, still smiling for some odd reason.

“Mr. Lee.” Minho rushes over suddenly, clinging to his teacher’s leg and looking up with wide eyes, “What’s wrong? Your face is really red.”

And Donghyuck kind of wants to run away and change his name and occupation because Mark actually steps closer and looks at him with concern.

“Are you okay?” He asks, reaching over to place a hand against Donghyuck’s forehead.

The homeroom teacher almost faints right then and there his heart is beating so quickly. Instead, he simply blinks dazedly at the music teacher.

“I told you he’s dying!” The same girl who had prompted earlier dramatics shouts and once again, the classroom goes wild.

The spelling tests are abandoned as some students come to stare at their teacher in concern while others argue about who’s going to take him to the nurse. And once again, only Sangbin is the only one still seated, eyes narrowed in confusion.

“There’s a nurse's office?” He wonders out loud, seemingly in deep thought when he mutters, “Wow, our school has a nurse’s office.”

He then erases Kool and puts Kewl. If he wasn’t five seconds away from passing out (why is Mark’s hand against his forehead so warm and soft?), Donghyuck would stare at his student in concern. Luckily, Boram is there to give Sangbin and his spelling test a worried look in his place.

“I-I’m fine.” Donghyuck manages finally, stepping back from the other man’s hand because it's too much. He thinks he might actually faint if they keep standing so close.

Students are still arguing about the nurse’s office, some are trying to cling to his legs and ask if he’s okay, Minho’s on a chair of all things, shooing them away with a broom, Lee Youngji is watching him and Mark closely from behind her rainbow shades, and already Donghyuck has a headache. Sometimes the smallest things could quickly turn his classroom into a zoo.

“Uh, hey, I know they don’t have music for another half hour, but I can go ahead and take them now.” Mark says suddenly, “You look like you could use a break.”

“Really?” Donghyuck asks hopefully. When Mark nods, he smiles brightly, “Thank you. I think I like you already.”

He’s not sure what possesses him to say such a thing. He’s just being friendly. And besides, he’s thankful to anyone who can give him a break. Plus, he actually does like Mark (not like that, he tells himself). It’ll be nice to make a new friend at work. Besides the homeroom teacher for class A down the hall, Donghyuck doesn’t have too many friends at the school. But he knows Mark will be a one he’ll be glad he made. Already the older man is looking out for him.

“Alright everyone, you’re off to music class.” He announces, “Even if you’re not finished, hand your test to me on the way out please.”

Despite it being early, the children cheer loudly at the idea of music class with Mark. They rush back to grab their tests and give them to their homeroom teacher before rushing out into the hall and lining up eagerly to head to the music room. Feeling relieved and excited about his early break, Donghyuck uses his free hand that’s not piled high with tests to slip out his phone and shoot Yukhei a text. He owes the other man coffee and now seems like the perfect time to fulfill his promise once his students have headed off for their music lesson.

Coffee on me. Be there in 10 minutes.

He gets a response almost immediately.

An early break? Can’t wait to hear about this over the Americano you’re buying me :D

Donghyuck rolls his eyes despite his grin. There isn’t much to tell. But his roommate doesn’t know that yet. So, he puts his phone away and looks up just in time to see Mark frowning. Donghyuck realizes then that perhaps saving Yukhei under the contact babe with all of the pink heart emojis is a bit extreme.

“Thanks again for doing this.” He says, smiling.

“It’s no problem. Anytime.” Mark tells him. His own smile is still somewhat forced as he looks at Donghyuck’s phone but when his gaze finally drifts up to meet the homeroom teacher’s it quickly returns to its genuine, almost shy nature, “Have a nice day, Donghyuck.”

“Yeah, y-you too. I’ll come get them at twelve-thirty, so you can get a break too.” Donghyuck says, nearly frowning at his own stutter.

Luckily, before he can embarrass himself further, Sangbin comes, holding up his test to turn in. One glance at it tells Donghyuck that he’ll be spending future breaks helping his student with spelling.

“Teacher.” Sangbin says, excitedly addressing them both, “I think I got a perfect score.”

Donghyuck looks at where roof is spelled ruff and because he knows better, takes the boys test and simply pats him on the head in response. But Mark, who doesn’t know better, grins brightly and offers a high five.

“Really? Dude that’s awesome!”

Sangbin’s cheeks are bright pink when he high fives the music teacher before hurrying outside to cut Minho in line so that he can stand next to Boram.

It’s just Donghyuck and Mark now and with the kids and their loudness outside, the homeroom teacher is suddenly aware of just how loud his heart is beating. He watches as the music teacher smiles and gives him a small wave before turning to leave. It isn’t until the dark-haired man is gone, disappearing down the hall with the students trailing eagerly behind that Donghyuck is able to finally breathe. He lets out a deep breath, fanning his face and trying to ignore the tightening in his stomach. Once he’s managed to calm down, he dumps the tests on his desk and grabs his keys and his messenger bag. He makes sure to turn off the lights in the classroom before he leaves.

______________________

“So basically, this guy likes you.”

Donghyuck nearly chokes on his vanilla latte. He’s sitting in Jeno’s chair behind the front desk of the gym that he and Yukhei work at. His roommate Yukhei is sitting beside him shirtless, the toned skin of his torso slightly sweaty from his workout. He’s leaning back in his chair with an amused smirk, holding a now empty Starbucks cup as he listens to Donghyuck tell him about the new music teacher. The men and women that pass don’t even bother to be discreet in staring at Yukhei and his abs and Donghyuck is more than grateful that even after all these years he’s managed not to have those thoughts about his childhood friend.

“What- No.” Donghyuck frowns, “He doesn’t even know me. How can he like me?”

“Okay, so he doesn’t like you-” Yukhei tells him with a shrug before he adds with a smirk, “-yet. He just thinks you’re cute and is seeing if there’s a chance to get to know you.”

“You might’ve been on that elliptical for a bit too long.” Donghyuck snorts, picking up one of the mini water bottles for guests and handing it to his friend, “Here honey, drink some of this. It will help with the delusion.”

Yukhei rolls his eyes, but he accepts the water, nonetheless. He twists off the cap and takes a sip before clearing his throat.

“I mean, just think about it.” He says, “The guy has been at the school for at least a few days since your kids already know him. But you hadn’t met him, not even when you went to pick up your students from the music room. Then, suddenly he introduces himself to you by actually coming to your classroom when I’m sure the other teachers just got a casual greeting when they did come to pick their kids up from music class. And on top of that, he offered to take your demon pack early so that you could have a break. My guess is that he saw you, probably on the first day even, thought you were attractive but got nervous, so he waited to say something. I bet him coming to your class was on a random boost of confidence.”

Donghyuck frowns. Why is Yukhei making actual sense? He also wonders why Mark waited so long to introduce himself when there had been plenty of opportunities from the many times he’d come to pick his kids up from the music room. But looking into something so small is pointless. It doesn’t mean Mark likes him. And even if he does, why should Donghyuck care? He’s perfectly fine single.

“It doesn’t matter.” He says finally, “I don’t want to date anyone.”

“You literally tweeted this morning that you were tired of being single.” His roommate tells him with a scoff.

But Donghyuck merely shrugs.

“I’m not the same person I was three hours ago.”

Yukhei rolls his eyes before a smirk appears on his lips.

“You’re right.” He tells Donghyuck with a wink, “Because three hours ago you didn’t know Mark.”

Donghyuck groans loudly at his friend’s cringey response. He picks up Yukhei’s water bottle and throws it at the brunet. He can’t help but smile at his roommate’s loud laughter.

“And you know, it’s probably going to be like something out of the movies.” Yukhei says once his laughter has died down, “Your kids already like him, right? Well, just from that I can already tell they’re gonna love him before the school year ends. Through them, he’s gonna figure out what you’re like and what you like. He’s going to be doing even more favors for you and you’re probably going to see him even more now. And because your kids like you and they like him, they’re going to want to know if you like each other, and if you don’t yet, they’re definitely going to make it happen.”

“Why are you writing an actual love story for my life?” Donghyuck snorts, dropping his empty Starbucks cup on the desk.   

“Well first, because you deserve it.” Yukhei tells him. Donghyuck smiles, warm and genuine, and it makes his roommate smile too before he continues, “And second because you literally have a class full of masterminds who I’m almost certain are working to make this happen.”

Donghyuck’s mind wanders to Youngji and her not so innocent questions, her ability to get Boram involved in her plans, and how easily they can both wrap Minho and Sangbin into their schemes as well. They want to help their teacher because they think he’s lonely. It’s kind of a sweet gesture. But Mark doesn’t like him like that. He’s just being friendly like any coworker would be. There’s nothing more to it.  

“Whatever.” Donghyuck says finally, “It’s not going to happen.”

“But it is.” Yukhei stresses, giving him a wide grin, “And I want free Americano’s for an entire year when it does.”

Donghyuck is certain that his roommate is being his usual delusional self, so he simply rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair to look out at the packed gym.

“Deal.”

______________________

Donghyuck starts to become worried when Yukhei’s little predictions start to become true. It’s only been two weeks since he’s first met Mark and now, he’s starting to see the music teacher a lot more. Now, he sees him in the school parking lot where he gives a small, almost shy smile and wave from where he helps the students off the bus, in the teacher’s lounge during the early morning fight for the printer (though, Donghyuck notes, Mark never really seems to be printing anything, just leaning against the wall, watching Donghyuck take on the Class A teacher in a race to see who can make flashcards the quickest with an amused grin), and he even comes out of the music room to greet Donghyuck when he comes to pick up his class.

Not that the homeroom teacher is complaining. Mark is cute, he won’t even deny it, and seeing the little sparkle in the other man’s eyes that seems to appear the moment he sees Donghyuck makes the homeroom teacher feel warm and inexplicably giddy for the rest of the day.  

But there’s nothing more embarrassing than the first time he sees the music teacher for lunch.

It’s a Tuesday and he’s leading his class to the cafeteria.

“Okay everyone, please be on your best behavior. Remember, we want to set a good example in front of the first graders and the cafeteria staff.” He tells them, watching them pile in behind him in a single file line.

The cafeteria always gives Donghyuck a headache. Its neon blue floors, black walls covered in huge, bright stars, and the tiny, light-up moon figurines that hang from the walls always make him feel like he’s taking part in the first landing.

“Okay teacher!” Youngji exclaims, making him turn around to find her smiling, and behind her star-shaped sunglasses, it's hard not to miss the sparkle in her eyes.

The rest of his class look just as obedient, nodding seriously at their teacher’s instructions. Donghyuck smiles at them. They’re really his little sweethearts, he thinks until he then watches as Youngji shoves a first grader.

“Move it, firstie.” She says, sending some poor wide-eyed boy toppling across the cafeteria before she rushes off towards the chocolate milk line. Boram helps the devastated-looking first grader up and bows silently before following after her friend. 

And of course, the rest of his class doesn’t waste any time in following up with their own form of chaos. Students start a jumping contest to see who can grab one of the moon figurines, others start fighting in a race to the ice cream line, and then there are those with lunchboxes who sling them on the cafeteria table and immediately start trading food items like they’re in a gambling ring.  

“There’s no fruit snacks in here.” Minho stares down at his Captain America lunchbox sadly. He sniffles, looking as if his very world is falling apart before he sobs, “Why are there no fruit snacks in here??”

“Does anyone know if the vending machines take credit cards?” Sangbin scratches the back of his head, the only one still left with his teacher.

“Sangbin, why do you have a credit card?” Donghyuck turns to the brown-haired boy.  

“Because I’m rich?” Sangbin shrugs, as if he doesn’t truly know the answer, before dragging off in search of the nearest vending machine. 

Donghyuck takes in the chaos that is his class only to shrug and plop down at the end of their usual table.

“You guys are wild.” He mumbles before taking out his phone to play games.

He’s very concentrated on Cookie Run Kingdom (which he only looks up from to warn Sangbin not to drink the milk mixed with hot sauce that Minho is trying to sell him so that he buy fruit snacks) when it happens.

“Teacher!” Youngji calls out, making him look up. She’s smiling sweetly, even with her chocolate milk mustache. But because he knows what such a sweet expression from her means, he waits, and true enough, her smile slowly forms into a smirk when she tells him, “Mr. Mark is here.”

Donghyuck looks in front of him and embarrassingly enough, he actually squeaks out loud. Mark raises a brow as he sits down across from him. The music teacher looks amused by his reaction, and distantly, Donghyuck wonders if Mark is related to Youngji since they both seem to enjoy seeing him suffer. The homeroom teacher places a hand over his racing heart, he’s sure his cheeks are red since Boram points them out to Youngji who giggles and Minho grabs Sangbin’s arm and rushes off, claiming that they need the school nurse (Donghyuck is almost certain that they’re going to lose Sangbin’s credit card in some badly done lunchbox exchange with third graders for fruit snacks).

“Hey, I was wondering if I could have lunch with you and your class?” Mark asks before his own boldness seems to startle him and he blinks, rubbing at his bright red ear anxiously, “I-I mean, only if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure.” Donghyuck smiles. He’s just glad he’s not the only one nervous. He motions to his class, who are watching them not so discreetly, “I’m sure they’d really like that.”

And me too, he thinks before he can help himself. The homeroom teacher nearly frowns. It’s a strange way to think about a coworker. But his attention is quickly broken from his thoughts when his students cheer loudly at the new addition to their table. They bring their music teacher small gifts and hug him excitedly, and pretty soon Mark finds himself with strawberry milk, half a sandwich, a pile of cookies, and various small candies.  

“Wow.” The music teacher murmurs with a grin. He picks up one of the cookies only to frown when he notices the homeroom teacher's lack of food, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I’m not really hungry.” Donghyuck tells him.

It’s normal for him not to eat lunch. He moves around teaching, cleaning up after the kids, and playing with them so much that the feeling of food moving around in his stomach while doing so is uncomfortable. He knows it’s not healthy to skip lunch, and he even promised Yukhei he’d fix his habit for the New Year. But so far, he’s been failing very drastically.

Mark, however, seems very intent on changing this.  

“You’ve been dealing with kids all day. You’ve got to eat something, even if it's small.” He says, “Here, we can share this.”

Mark splits the sandwich in half once more and presents it to the homeroom teacher, along with more than half the cookies and candy, and he even asks the students for a straw (which Boram readily hands over only to squeal behind her hand and rush back to a smirking Youngji so they can giggle at the sight of the two teachers together). Donghyuck glances at the heart-shaped straw Mark puts in the strawberry milk carton that he pushes in the middle of the table for them to share, and he wonders if his face is also the same color with just how warm it feels.

“T-Thanks.” He mutters, ducking his head to avoid the music teacher’s bright smile.

Still, Mark doesn’t start eating. He just watches the homeroom teacher closely, as if waiting. Unfortunately, Donghyuck’s stomach chooses that exact moment to rumble. Seeing as he has no other way to settle it, he picks up the sandwich and takes a bite, pleased at the bacon, lettuce, and tomato that greets his taste buds. He scarfs it down soon after and picks up a cookie to balance out the salty taste. When he glances up, Mark’s hand is resting in his palm, food completely forgotten as he simply smiles at Donghyuck. When he realizes he’s been caught, he jumps slightly, clearing his throat while the homeroom teacher snorts out a quiet laugh.

“So, how long have you been teaching?” Mark asks, leaning in with a look of genuine interest.

“Just two years.” Donghyuck answers, “This is my second homeroom class.”

He glances over at his students then. As he expected, Minho has returned crying hysterically to his sister about how they’ve lost Sangbin’s credit card to some third graders and have no fruit snacks to show for it. Sangbin is scratching his head cluelessly, more concerned with why his friend is crying. Boram wipes Minho’s tears and timidly suggests they tell their teacher but its Youngji who rolls up the sleeves of her unicorn dress and marches over to the third grader's table flanked by a hesitant looking Minho, clueless looking Sangbin, and Boram, who pushes her glasses up her nose before following. Donghyuck shakes his head, but he can’t help his smile.

They have a special place in his heart.

He turns his attention back to the music teacher then.

“What about you?”

“Three years, but this is my first time teaching elementary.” Mark tells him, “I used to teach middle school.”

“Well, what do you think?” Donghyuck asks. He unwraps a piece of chocolate and bites it, aware of how, in its melted state, it smears against his mouth.

Mark quickly looks away, avoiding his gaze suddenly.  

“It’s different but I like it.” The music teacher replies finally, “And I especially like your class. I don’t know what it is, but Class B just has a certain energy to them. They just have good vibes.”

Mark is smiling, and Donghyuck thinks his eyes resemble the many stars clustered on the walls behind them with just how much they sparkle. They’re just as beautiful as the boy that owns them. Donghyuck blinks slowly, very much confused by just how quickly his thoughts turn strange. He decides to avoid them by smirking and motioning to himself.  

“They definitely get it from their teacher.” He says with fake cockiness that he’s expecting the music teacher to scoff at.

But Mark’s smile simply widens.  

“They do, don’t they?”

Donghyuck freezes at his words. He watches then, heart racing, as the dark-haired man reaches over. Gentle fingers wipe the chocolate from the corner of his mouth. And Mark is not very discreet about faking a yawn and licking his fingers behind the hands that cover his mouth. Donghyuck swallows thickly, gummy candy dropping from his hands as he stares, wide-eyed.

But Mark simply smiles, blinking innocently at him. 

“What made you want to be a teacher?” He asks casually.

Donghyuck picks up the strawberry milk and takes several sips from the heart-shaped straw. He waits for his racing heart to calm down and then finally clears his throat before answering.

“I actually never thought about being a teacher.” He answers. His voice is more hoarse than he would like, so he clears his throat once more before adding, “Child Donghyuck was pretty sure he was going to be a musical star or a singer.”

“You like to sing?” The man across from him asks, amusement evident in the raising of his brow.

Donghyuck shrugs.

But he loves singing.

“I’m always singing, or at least I always catch myself doing it when I’m doing small tasks. I like music, and I enjoy putting my own voice to what I hear. Also, I like kicking everyone’s ass at Karaoke, especially my roommate since he sounds like a dying car engine when he sings.”

Mark laughs at his description of Yukhei’s singing, and Donghyuck decides that he likes the boyish sound but also the sparkle in the music teacher’s eyes that accompany it.

“You have a roommate?” The man across from his asks once his laughter has died down.

It’s the first time someone has asked Donghyuck questions, the first time in what feels like a long time that someone has tried to get to know him out of genuine interest. It feels strange but not uncomfortable. He hasn’t met anyone new in a while, he realizes. But it feels nice, especially with the way Mark waits patiently for each answer.

“His name is Yukhei.” Donghyuck answers finally, “We’ve been friends since we were six.”

The homeroom teacher smiles at the mention of his friend and the music teacher nods before falling into silence. Mark looks contemplative, leg bouncing under the table as if he’s working himself up for something. He’s frowning in a way that makes Donghyuck start to worry. Perhaps the music teacher isn’t feeling well. But before he can question it, he watches as Mark seems to take a deep breath before looking up at him.

“And do you also have like a…” Mark starts, rubbing at the back of his neck and staring at everything but the homeroom teacher, “Do you have a…”

“Do I have a what?” Donghyuck frowns.

“Do you have... someone special?” The music teacher asks.

“Someone special…” The homeroom teacher mutters before he feels his face grow warm. Still, he tries to avoid the inevitable by dragging it out, tilting his head and trailing off, “Do you mean like a…?”

Finally, the music teacher stops fidgeting, takes a deep breath, and looks him in the eye with a sudden burst of confidence.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Mark asks, cheeks flushed red as he scratches at his face nervously, “Or a boyfriend? Or like, are you dating someone?”

Donghyuck chokes, literally. The candy he had decided to pop into his mouth before the music teacher’s question gets stuck in his throat. He swallows uselessly, eyes watering as he grips his throat. His face is burning, his stomach is doing flips, and he’s almost certain he’s sweating.

“Help! Mr. Lee is choking!” He can hear one of his students call out.

Mark looks startled, his eyes widen, and he stands to help the homeroom teacher.

“Avengers assemble!” Donghyuck can hear a familiar voice shout followed by footsteps.

Oh God no. He thinks, desperately trying to swallow down the candy in his throat. But it's already too late, he can hear Youngji’s voice and see them huddled in a corner out the corner of his eye.  

“Minho, keep Mr. Mark calm, Boram and I will do the him-lap-remover, and Sangbin you catch whatever comes out.” She instructs.

“Yes sir!” Minho salutes his sister only to swallow nervously and quickly correct himself at the glare he receives from Youngji, “I-I mean, yes her!”

Youngji looks pleased, Boram’s hand is awkwardly on her shoulder bag as if she wants to dig out her phone and Google the him-lap-remover to check both the spelling and Youngji’s pronunciation, and Sangbin is bouncing on his heels with a smile that says he doesn’t actually understand his role. Minho is the first to act, he rushes over to Mark and grabs his hand.

“Hey, look at me.” He says, reaching up to cradle the music teacher’s face and pat his cheek with a sympathetic smile, “Just keep calm. Everything’s going to be okay. We’re going to save him.”

Donghyuck shakes his head quickly when he sees Youngji and Boram approach him from behind. But the two girls simply smile before reaching over and slapping him on the back with such a force that he coughs. The candy goes flying from his mouth where it hits a clueless Sangbin in the head. He goes down dramatically only to be caught by Boram who simply rolls her eyes at the boy lying limply in her arms. The cafeteria erupts in cheers, people are clapping and cheering for the students that have saved their teacher. Youngji wraps her arm around Donghyuck and flashes a peace sign while Minho hops on the table, crouching down to take a picture of his sister with his cell phone.

“She's an icon, she is a legend, and she is the moment.” Minho sniffles, wiping his tears as he snaps several pictures with a flash that nearly blinds his teacher.

Donghyuck blinks dazedly as Youngji poses behind him, tears still streaming down his face from the candy that had nearly killed him.

It’s just another Tuesday for the homeroom teacher of Class B.

(But he misses the way the music teacher is watching them, shaking his head, though as he stares at the homeroom teacher, his smile is brighter than any of the stars on the walls surrounding them.) 

______________________

Love is all that I can give to you

Love is more than just a game for two

Donghyuck sings along quietly to the music playing from his computer. It’s a week after the cafeteria incident, and the homeroom teacher is seated at his desk on his phone, saving Valentine’s day lesson plans on Pinterest. His students are away for music class but one glance at the time on his screen tells him that they’ll be back at any minute. True enough he’s just pinned a post about heart-shaped cookies when he hears footsteps that are soon followed by loud laughter and shouting. Donghyuck looks up, pushing up the glasses he decides to wear today and smiling at the sight of his students.  

“Mr. Lee!” Sangbin comes rushing over with an excitement that’s rare for the usually clueless boy.

“What’s up Sangbinnie?” Donghyuck ruffles the boy’s hair.

“Mr. Mark told me to ask you your favorite song.” Sangbin blurts out, and Donghyuck raises a brow. His student seems to realize something then because he scratches his head before muttering with dread, “Oh wait, I don’t think I was supposed to tell you that.”

Sangbin gives his teacher a sheepish smile as he tugs at his brunet curls.

“Anyway, what’s your favorite song?”

Donghyuck snorts out a laugh before motioning to his computer where his Spotify is still open, and the same song has been playing on repeat.

“Well, this month is Valentine’s day and it’s about love. So, it’s a little cliché but I’ve been listening to this a lot lately. It’s LOVE by Nat King Cole.”

Sangbin nods, and Donghyuck watches as the small boy takes out his phone, the latest iPhone of all things (and maybe he really is rich, Donghyuck thinks), and takes a picture of the screen before reaching for the hall pass on his teacher’s desk. 

“I see. Teacher, can I borrow the hall pass?” He asks, picking it up when Donghyuck nods. The brunet boy laughs nervously, backing away slowly towards the door, “I’m not going back to the music room or anything.”

“Okay Sangbinnie, have fun not going back to the music room.” Donghyuck tells him, waiting until Sangbin turns and scurries out of the room to shake his head despite his amusement.

He wonders what kind of project Mark is having them do for music class for his student to ask such a question but before he can think on it too long, he watches as Youngji holds up her arms and sings-

“ABC!”

He’s really not expecting the rest of his class to drop everything that they’re doing to respond.

“It’s easy as 1-2-3.” They sing and suddenly Donghyuck has a room full of second graders dancing around his classroom.

He turns off the music on his Spotify and pushes up his glasses to make sure he’s hearing and seeing them correctly. But sure enough, they’re humming and singing the familiar tune of the Jackson 5 song. He laughs when Youngji with her white shades and equally bright white dress grabs Boram’s hand and twirls her, the usually serious girl giggling behind her hand.  

“Simple as Do re mi. ABC, 1-2-3-“

“Baby you and me girl!” Minho concludes rather loudly with a dramatic spin. He winks at Boram and attempts to hug her but she simply blinks before pushing him.

Donghyuck watches as the dark-haired boy runs face-first into the stars under the good behavior chart and he shakes his head before addressing his class. 

“How do you guys know that song?” He asks them, and almost immediately he finds himself overwhelmed with many voices shouting over each other excitedly. 

“Mr. Mark taught it to us today in music class.” Boram tells him calmly while Youngji steps around their teacher’s desk to grab his hand.

Donghyuck smiles. He’s impressed with Mark, but he also finds it a bit coincidental. Before February hit, he’d been on a bit of a Jackson 5 spree. It had become somewhat of a ritual to have one of their songs blasting while he set his classroom up in the morning and even while cleaning at the end of the day. ABC had been one of his most played songs on Spotify because of it. Youngji squeezes his hand then, making him look down at her wide, pleading dark eyes.   

“Teacher, can you play ABC on the big screen? Please.”

“Of course.” He tells her gently.

He gets on his computer and finds a loop of the chorus, grabbing the remote from his desk and turning on the projector. The room erupts in cheers then as students rush to find their friends. As soon as the music starts, the classroom erupts in singing and dancing. Donghyuck smiles, pulling out his phone and recording a small video that he sends to Yukhei. He’s just finished watching Minho attempt a split when he receives a text from his roommate.

Why are you corrupting the children with your obsessions?

Donghyuck grins before texting back.

Not me. Their music teacher.

Not even a second later, he receives a response.

Why is your future husband corrupting the children with your obsessions?

Donghyuck rolls his eyes, replying with several cactus emojis before putting his phone away.

But it's hard to ignore just how fast his heart is racing.

Thankfully, the rest of the day goes just as smoothly. Even when they’re taking a math test, his students hum ABC under their breath. Everyone does well on the test, even Youngji who still hasn’t bothered to study. Sangbin has the highest score. Donghyuck smiles at the many smiley face stickers he’d placed on the brunet boy’s test. He’s just finished grading papers and had even cleaned his desk. He grabs his broom and starts sweeping between the rows. His student’s enthusiasm had sparked him to return to his routine. The music coming from his computer is lower in volume than usual so it's mostly just him and his own voice.

Stop, the love you save may be your own.

Darling, take it slow

Or someday you'll be all alone.  

Donghyuck sweeps along to the beat, singing with an enthusiasm he didn’t know he had before. But he feels good, amazing actually as he moves around the room, notes slipping from his mouth with ease. He catches sight of himself in the mirror and smiles at his wild curls, bright smile, and the glasses resting on his nose but it's what he sees in the corner of the mirror that makes him jump, spinning around with wide eyes. He places a calming hand over his heart, nearly dropping his boom. The homeroom teacher stands there, suddenly feeling very awkward in the Olaf slippers Boram had gifted him for Christmas.

“Wow. You look good.” Mark breathes from where he’s leaning against the doorframe. When Donghyuck tilts his head, the music teacher’s eyes widen and he stands up straight suddenly, letting out a panicked laugh, “I-I mean, it looks like you’re having fun. Good.”

Even Donghyuck can see right through it. It’s flattering, makes his heartbeat much too loudly.

“Thanks.” He says softly, “I’m surprised by the song you chose to teach the kids, but they really liked it.”

And so did I, he has to stop himself from adding. Mark just nods.

“Some people have good taste in music.” He says vaguely but oddly it doesn’t sound like he’s speaking about himself.

The music teacher clears his throat before offering out his hand. Donghyuck’s face flushes before he realizes it’s the other man’s way of silently asking for the broom. The homeroom teacher wants to protest but the ache in his feet from chasing his kids around all day hits him then and he hesitates only for a second before handing it over. Mark sets to work sweeping and Donghyuck uses the opportunity to sit down at one of the desks that he realizes is Youngji’s when he spots the many backup shades lined up neatly inside. The homeroom teacher shakes his head before looking back at the music teacher.

Mark’s dark hair is falling into his face as he focuses on sweeping, but his white t-shirt is rolled up to reveal toned biceps. When the music teacher pushes a particularly heavy filing cabinet out of the way to sweep behind it, his muscles flex and Donghyuck nearly screams. Instead, he lets out a panicked whine that makes the music teacher glance at him, brow raised. Luckily, Mark doesn’t actually question his strange behavior.

“So, Valentine’s Day is coming.” The music teacher says instead, seemingly taking a deep breath before glancing at Donghyuck, “Any plans?”

“I’m probably just going to spend it with Yukhei.” The homeroom teacher shrugs, brushing stray eraser pieces from Youngji’s desk.

He hasn’t celebrated Valentine’s Day in nearly four years, not since his last relationship. Now, the holiday for him just means getting wine drunk with Yukhei, binging on chocolate and takeout, and watching the Notebook until one of them cries.

He’s so caught up in his thoughts that he misses the way the music teacher freezes at his words, expression falling into a disappointed frown.

“Right, your roommate, Yukhei.” He can hear Mark mutter. The music teacher’s strange tone of voice makes Donghyuck look up just in time to see the other man force a smile, “Cool. Sounds like you’ll have a good time.”     

Donghyuck gives a small grunt of acknowledgment.

It’s not his ideal Valentine’s Day, it hasn’t been for years. But he also hasn’t done much to change it.

They lapse into silence then. Mark sweeps his classroom with an efficiency that even Donghyuck himself doesn’t possess. He thanks the music teacher with a grateful smile but the dark-haired man only gives him a half-smile in return and tells him to have a good day, disappearing out of the classroom before the homeroom teacher can even blink. Donghyuck almost frowns. Had he said something wrong?

But he can’t think of what he might have done to upset the other man.

He figures Mark might be tired. It is the middle of the week.

Though he’s only slightly satisfied with the excuse he comes up with, his own exhaustion hits him, so he grabs his messenger bag, turns off all the lights in his classroom, and heads home for the day.  

______________________

Donghyuck doesn’t see Mark again for the next few days.

And it’s not like he’s looking for the other man or anything. But he does feel a bit down for some reason when he doesn’t spot him in the parking lot in the morning, he doesn’t peek his head out of the music to wish him a good day when he comes to pick up his class, and Donghyuck even loses his flash card laminating race against the homeroom teacher of Class A when he glances back and doesn’t find the music teaching leaning against the wall watching them with his boyish grin. “Teacher, I think Mr. Mark is a little sad.” Minho had told him when he had plopped down into Donghyuck’s lap one afternoon. The homeroom teacher had frowned and made it his mission the next day to see the other man for himself and make sure he was okay.

It’s why, on a Wednesday, he finds himself trailing into the music room behind his students. Mark is sitting in front of the classroom, strumming at a guitar, a hoodie is slung over his head, and his hair is falling into his face but it's hard not to miss how out of it he looks. Minho is right, Donghyuck thinks, Mark does look sad. At the student’s arrival, he looks up and forces a smile only for his eyes to widen at the sight of their homeroom teacher. The music teacher practically jumps from his chair, placing his guitar down carefully before hurrying over.

“Hi.” Donghyuck says with a small smile.

For some reason, the sight of him makes a wide smile break out onto Mark’s face.

“Hey.” He breathes out, looking as if he can’t believe the homeroom teacher is before him. He simply stares before he seems to think of something and clears his throat, “Uhm, listen Donghyuck, I know it’s your break time and you’re probably exhausted, so I’ll understand if you say no b-but, do you think you can sit in on my class today?”

He looks down immediately after his question, ducking his head slightly as if preparing himself for something. But Donghyuck simply shrugs. He wasn’t planning on doing anything with his break besides going to the gym to harass Yukhei but attending Mark’s music class sounds much more exciting.  

“Yeah sure, I don’t mind.” He answers before glancing at his students, “Looks like I’m having music class with you guys today.”

His students cheer loudly, rushing over to grab his hand and pull him into one of the chairs at the very front of the class. Mark looks relieved, cheeks bright red when he grins before turning and heading to his own chair at the front.

“How conven-chanel.” A voice says in the midst of the students excited chattering, and when Donghyuck looks over, it's to find that his seat is right next to Youngji. She’s smirking at him from behind deep, purple shades and on her other side, Boram has pulled out her phone to add the word to a steadily growing Google search list.

“It’s conventional.” Donghyuck tells Youngji, “Stay off the internet.”

But the dark-haired girl simply shrugs. They turn their attention to the front where Mark is holding his guitar, looking much more vibrant than when they had first arrived.  

“Hey guys, did you have fun last week?” He asks, a gentle smile forming on his lips at the way the class erupts in cheers, some students singing ABC loudly. Donghyuck himself can’t help his own smile before he quiets them. Once they’ve settled down, the music teacher continues, “Last week we did the Jackson 5. This week we’re learning Bruno Mars. I realize a lot of you probably don’t know who that is or his music so I’m going to play this for you first.”

The music teacher takes a deep breath before he begins strumming the guitar. The rhythm is upbeat, a sound that has many of the students swaying and bobbing their heads in their seats. It comes to Mark with ease, he keeps his eyes on his instrument. Donghyuck realizes he should be paying attention to the music, but he can only focus on the fluttering of Mark’s long eyelashes as he focuses, which is why he’s so startled when the music teacher stops and looks up suddenly.

“Does anyone recognize that song?” He asks, watching as the students shake their heads.

“But it sounds really fun.” Youngji says, which earns various noises of approval.

“I’m so excited.” Donghyuck can hear a voice behind him whisper. He recognizes it as Sangbin’s and it makes him smile because not only is the other boy paying attention but he seems to really admire Mark.

Donghyuck replays the melody in his mind and his mind wanders back to hot summers in a café near the beach with his family. The nostalgia makes him raise his hand. Mark points at him as if he’s a student and the homeroom teacher’s face flushes at the snickering from their students.

“It’s Billionaire, right?”

“Yeah.” Mark nods before motioning to the chair beside him that Donghyuck hadn’t noticed before, “And you’re going to come up here and sing it.”

“You’re joking.” The homeroom teacher snorts, only to feel himself start to panic when the dark-haired man stands from his seat and starts to approach him, “Oh, you’re not joking.”

“Who wants to hear Donghyuck teacher’s pretty voice?” Mark asks, making the classroom grow noisy with the students excited chattering. They beg their teacher, pouting with wide eyes and pleading in a way that they know Donghyuck hasn’t grown full immunity to (yet).

“Come on.” Mark holds out his hand. Donghyuck sighs, realizing his students won’t let him hear the last of it if he doesn’t. He accepts the music teacher’s hand, heart racing when Mark’s soft hand gives his hand a gentle squeeze and the dark-haired man looks him in the eye, breathing out a quiet, “I bet you sound amazing.”

Donghyuck swallows thickly, allowing the other man to guide him to his chair. They sit down beside each other and as the music teacher starts to strum the guitar, he scrambles his mind for the lyrics. He makes the mistake of looking up because most of his class have their phones out to record. Youngji winks at him from where she’s peering around her Galaxy, Sangbin is bouncing excitedly in his chair, Boram gives him a thumbs up with a smile that turns her cheeks bright pink, and Minho is recording off to the side, tense as if he’s still trapped in Ms. Kang’s EDM prison. Donghyuck realizes then that he hasn’t sung in front of anyone outside of drunk karaoke with Yukhei.

It makes him nervous.

But he decides to imagine he’s back in a café in sunny Jeju.

“I wanna be a billionaire so very bad, buy all of the things I never had…”

The first notes come out quietly but with each word, he slowly gains his confidence. He thinks he’s made a mistake, maybe messed up some lyrics when he looks over and Mark is staring at him intensely. But then, the music teacher smiles so brightly that Donghyuck actually pauses. He stops singing, so caught up in the sparkle in Mark’s eyes. Why is it always so bright? And why can’t he look away? Luckily, the part he stops at is the end of the chorus. And then, it's his turn to stare when Mark starts rapping.

Usually, Mark comes to him flustered and awkward but he’s reciting the lyrics with casual confidence. It sounds good, Donghyuck can tell he wrote it himself because it also somehow sounds like Mark. He wonders how someone can be so talented with music. When he finishes the last chorus, Donghyuck’s heart is beating louder than usual. But he also feels good, warm and light, a feeling that always seems to accompany him around Mark. Once the song is finished, a small silence hangs over the room before the students go wild. They jump around, clapping and shouting loudly over each other. Some are already rewatching the videos on their phone while others show their friends.

Donghyuck smiles with red cheeks at the students who rush over to compliment his voice. Of course, Youngji, Boram, Sangbin, and Minho are among them.

“That was so beautiful.” Boram tells him, pushing up her glasses with a sweet smile that makes Donghyuck pat her head fondly.   

“I’m going to watch this like every day.” Minho says, holding his phone to his chest, “It’s going to be my life.”

When he looks over, Sangbin is lingering behind them, scribbling words on a notepad.

“One does not simply listen to Mr. Lee’s voice and not write an entire essay about how nice it is.” The brunet boy says when he catches Minho staring.

“You can’t even spell.” Minho scoffs, “How are you going to write an entire essay and who is even going to be able to read it?”

But Sangbin doesn’t offer the dark-haired boy a reply. Instead, he leans over and whispers quietly to Boram about her Googling qualifications, making her face turn bright pink.

“This is so going to play at the wedding.” Youngji says with a smirk, and Donghyuck is unsure if he’s imaging the way she’s sending the video to multiple people on her Galaxy.

“Whose wedding?” Minho frowns in confusion.

“The wedding.” Youngji stresses, leveling her brother with a look over her shades as if he should already just know. Minho nods, as if he understands, but when he turns away from his sister, he quickly lets his confusion show.

Donghyuck watches them with an amused grin. A hand lands on his shoulder making him startle. When he looks over, Mark is staring at him.

“I told you.” The music teacher says, a small smile on his lips as he breathes out a quiet, “You’re amazing.”  

Donghyuck is almost certain that his heart skips enough beats for it to be concerning, but somehow, he manages to place his hand atop Mark’s and smile back.

______________________

On Thursday they go on a field trip to the Green Tea Fields.

They share a bus with Class A and Donghyuck is slightly embarrassed that one half of the bus is quiet, sitting in their seats, facing forward obediently and the other is throwing rice cakes at each other and playing Seventeen’s entire discography at full blast. When they get off the bus, the first thing he does is apologize to Class A’s homeroom teacher. But Jaemin just flashes a bright, assuring smile.

“It’s no problem.” He says, “I really like your class. They’re so cute.”

But Donghyuck is still embarrassed because Jaemin’s students are first graders, for crying out loud, first graders who listen to their teacher and don’t throw a rice cake at the back of his head after he tells them to be quiet for the fifth time that morning. Even now, Jaemin’s kids are standing in a very orderly and neat single-file line despite one girl who’s clinging tightly to her teacher’s legs. Meanwhile, Donghyuck’s line is much more messy, with students shoving each other and Youngji, the line leader, egging them on. It’s a very sharp difference that makes him blink at Jaemin’s indifference.

Despite their friendly morning printer rivalry, Jaemin is his only friend at work. He’d been the first person to speak to Donghyuck outside of class and they see each other often considering he’s dating Jeno, Yukhei’s coworker, who comes over to their apartment often. Of course, before Donghyuck knew this, it didn’t stop him from developing a small crush on the other man because Jaemin is beautiful and kind. Even now, he’s smiling rather sweetly at Donghyuck, all bright teeth and warm, brown eyes that make the homeroom teacher of Class B simply stare, clearly flustered.

But he misses the way Youngji takes in his bright red cheeks and narrows her eyes. The dark-haired girl looks back at the line, making eye contact with her brother. They share a look before Minho nods, and they start to enact their plan.

“Mr. Mark!” She shouts so loudly that both Donghyuck and Jaemin jump slightly.

The girl clinging to Jaemin’s leg stares at Youngji wide-eyed as if she’s grown two heads. Not too far away, Mark is getting off the bus with a group of third graders. At the sound of her voice, he looks over only to quickly break out into a grin at the sight of Donghyuck and Class B. Youngji waves him over with a smile that’s much too sweet. Once the music teacher gets close enough, Minho rushes over and starts dabbing at Donghyuck’s forehead with a small towel that the teacher finds is already damp, making his forehead look sweatier than it already is. Youngji fans him quickly with her hands.

“Mr. Mark, I don’t think teacher is feeling well. The sun is really strong here.” The dark-haired girl says, staring at her teacher worriedly before jerking her thumb in the opposite direction, “I think you should take him over there to that stand and buy him an ice cream. It will help him cool down and he’ll feel better.”

Donghyuck is both embarrassed at Jaemin’s knowing, amused smirk as he looks back and forth between Youngji, Minho, their homeroom teacher, and Mark, and then at the fact that Mark so easily buys into their act.

“O-Oh, sure.” Mark looks somewhat confused but one look at Donghyuck, whose face has actually grown red but not just from the sun, has him frowning, “Yeah, you don’t look too good.”

“Hurry Mr. Mark! He’s burning up!” Minho exclaims, grabbing his homeroom teacher’s hand and placing it in the music teacher’s before Youngji shoos them both away with gentle shoves.

Donghyuck turns around, prepared to escape because he can’t abandon the students. But then he watches as Na Jaemin promptly betrays him.

“Go ahead. I’ll take care of them.” He assures with a grin that says he knows everything. He then rounds up both classes and motions to the top of the hilly fields, “Who wants to go to the top and take Jaemin Teacher’s Instagram pictures?”

Both classes cheer loudly before a battle to the top of the hill between first and second grade breaks out. The students rush off, up the hilly slope of bright green grass, and Jaemin shakes his head with a small smile before following.

Donghyuck watches them disappear, feeling very much betrayed when they don’t even look back. But then, a gentle squeeze on his hand quickly returns his attention to the situation at hand, Mark’s soft, cool hand in his warm, sweaty one.

“Let’s get you out of the heat.” He says, placing a hand atop Donghyuck’s head gently before guiding him towards the stand Youngji had pointed out.

Behind it is an elderly woman and a tub of bright green ice cream in a cooler. Mark guides Donghyuck to a bench nearby. The homeroom teacher can feel his face flush at the gentleness with which the music teacher eases him down onto the wooden bench before wandering off to the stand and returning with two green tea ice cream cones piled high. He hands one to Donghyuck, sitting down beside the homeroom teacher and waiting. Just like at lunch, Donghyuck finds out at the other is waiting for him to eat first because the moment he takes a lick, Mark does the same with his own ice cream cone. They eat in peaceful silence. The bright early morning sun shines down on them as they watch the students in the distance, walking excited along the hilly, greenery. Once Donghyuck finishes his cone, Mark glances at him.

“Feeling better?” His voice is gentle as is the hand that comes to rub Donghyuck’s back while he watches and waits patiently for a response.

Donghyuck takes in Mark’s eyes that watch him closely in concern, and he almost cries. He’s not sure why he suddenly feels so emotional. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t received this kind of attention in years. Maybe it’s because of how nice it feels. But maybe, just maybe it's because it's Mark and he seems like everything that Donghyuck has ever daydreamed.

“Y-Yeah.” His voice is shaky, even to himself. He can’t look at the other man, so he just stares at the greenery, “You haven’t even known me for that long, but you’re always taking care of me.”

“I don’t mind.” Mark replies not even a second later, “I-I mean, you’re always taking care of your students. So, you need someone to take care of you too.”

Donghyuck would laugh if he wasn’t feeling so overwhelmed. Why does Mark feel so comfortable saying these things to him? Doesn’t he realize the impact they have on Donghyuck? It seems he does, because he glances over and at the mere sight of Donghyuck he decides to accommodate how overwhelmed he looks and quickly changes the subject.

“I used to come here all the time with my family when I was younger.” He says, finishing off his own melted ice cream cone with a single bite.

Donghyuck laughs, wiping away what smudges near the music teacher’s mouth. He’s almost certain he imagines the way Mark’s breath hitches at the small action.

“I like it here.” The homeroom teacher mutters once he’s returned his gaze to the scenery. He breathes in the fresh air with a sigh, “It reminds me of home.”

Mark nods and another comfortable silence settles over them before the music teacher suddenly starts fidgeting.

“Uhm” He starts, glancing at the homeroom teacher with a nervous smile, “D-Do you… I mean, is it okay if we take a picture together? I want to post it to my Instagram for like… my family and stuff, so they can see what I’m up to. You know, if you don’t mind c-cause we don’t have to-“

“Just make sure you get my good side.” Donghyuck tells him, smirking when the other man looks relieved.  

What he’s not expecting is for the music teacher to mimic the expression.

“So, all of you.” Mark mutters with a smirk that looks very uncharacteristic of the easily flustered music teacher, “Got it.”

Donghyuck can only splutter, eyes wide as he watches the music teacher stand. He’s expecting them to take a selfie so his brows furrow in confusion when Mark walks away instead. He watches as the dark-haired man approaches the ice cream stand. He speaks with the elderly woman behind it briefly and when she nods, he hands her his phone before returning to the bench.

“Okay, let’s go.” He says, grabbing Donghyuck’s hand (making his heart race) and gently helping him up from the bench before leading him away.

They head to the portion of the fields closest to them where the ice cream vendor is waiting with a warm smile and Mark’s phone, prepared to take the picture. Standing in front of the bright greenery, feeling the warmth of the sun, and breathing in the fresh air brings Donghyuck back to summers with his family in Jeju. It feels like home. And it feels him with a joy that makes the smile that comes to his lips quite easy. He stands beside Mark and waits, only for his eyes to widen when the music teacher wraps an arm around his shoulder and pulls him so close that he can smell the green tea on the older man’s breath from the ice cream. He manages to calm down enough so that he’s not wide-eyed in the picture.

The vendor takes the picture, flashing a thumbs up afterward and when Donghyuck looks up, Mark is smiling so brightly that he wonders if a phone camera is enough to capture the beauty of it all. He only looks away at the feeling of arms that wrap around his legs. He glances down to find Minho staring up at him, sweat making his dark hair fall into his forehead. Youngi is there as well, with green shades and a light green dress that fans across the ground. She’s holding a mini fan in front of her and Boram’s face. Boram is fanning herself with a pair of lime-colored shades that Youngji had been kind enough to bring for her. Sangbin is with them, smiling excitedly at the sight of Mark. For the second time that day, Donghyuck finds himself nearly close to tears. He knows it's silly, but kids had come back for him.

“Teacher.” Minho grins up at him with his sweat-covered face, “Let’s take a picture with Mr. Mark.”

“Okay.” Donghyuck pats the dark-haired boy's damp cheek gently.

Sangbin immediately rushes over to grab Mark’s hand and smile widely. The music teacher laughs. Donghyuck snorts only to freeze when instead of wrapping an arm around his shoulder again, Mark wraps a hand around his waist and pulls him close enough to make the homeroom teacher’s heart race. Minho snuggles into Donghyuck’s side with a pouty expression aimed at the camera. Youngji and Boram crouch down in front of them, holding up the mini fan in one hand and peace signs with another.

The ice cream vendor takes the picture and Donghyuck is left to wonder if he imagined her excited squeal afterward. Mark accepts his phone back and thanks her with a bow and polite smile that the woman returns before heading back to her stand. Mark stares down at the pictures in his phone with a small smile, completely missing the way Minho sneaks up on him until the dark-haired boy pokes him in the side.

“Tag!” He exclaims, sticking his tongue out at the teacher, “You’re it!”

Youngji immediately runs off, holding her shades to her face and her fan with her other hand. Boram giggles before following. Sangbin looks very reluctant to remove himself from Mark’s very presence but his desire not to be it seems to be slightly stronger because he eventually runs off as well. Minho grins, letting out an excited shout before tailing his friends.

Mark blinks slowly as if he can’t believe the sudden turn of events.

“Hey, Donghyuck?” He says suddenly, drawing closer. Donghyuck hums, heart racing. But the music teacher just steps even closer, until he can see it, that sparkle in Mark’s dark eyes when he leans in. The homeroom teacher wipes his clammy fist against his pants and waits, only to watch as the older man waits until he can feel his breath ghosting against his lips and grins, “You’re it.”

He can feel Mark’s finger gently poke his cheek, but he can only blink slowly when the music teacher turns and runs off, loud, boyish laughter filling up the fields around them.

Donghyuck takes a deep breath, placing a hand over his racing heart.

And then, he swallows thickly before giving chase.

He follows Mark up the bright, hilly greenery, heartbeat echoing loudly in his ears as loud laughter escapes him and a certain warmth spreads across his skin down to the fluttering in his belly.

And he knows, even without much thought, that none of these things have to do with the sun on that bright early morning. 

______________________

The Friday before Valentine's Day, he lets his students watch Tangled. They’re crowded on the floor in front of the projector with snacks and blankets. He’s sitting cross-legged behind them, allowing Minho to swaddle him in his blue blanket. Sangbin is sharing a bag of sour gummy worms with them both and beside them, Boram lets Youngji steal her popcorn every few minutes. A knock sounds at the door and he smiles at his student’s groaning. But the movie is ending now anyway. The credits start to roll seconds later, and Sangbin, the dutiful assistant that he is, heads to the computer to turn it off. Donghyuck stands as well, missing Minho’s pout and whine at being abandoned. The homeroom teacher turns on the lights and opens the door to find Yerim, the school’s administrator standing there with a clipboard to her chest.    

“Hey.” She greets with a small smile, “I just wanted to confirm Class B’s slot in the talent show.”

But Donghyuck simply frowns.

“I didn’t sign them up for the talent show.” He mutters because, in fact, he’d actually forgotten about it entirely, too busy with planning for other things.

Yerim mimics his frown, glancing at her keyboard before pointing a manicured finger.

“But it says right here that they have the 6:00 slot, right after Class A.”

Donghyuck leans close to look at the paper attached to the keyboard. True enough, he can see Class B in one of the many boxes printed on the page.

“Did someone say class A?” Youngji’s voice makes him look back. She pushes her dollar sign-shaped glasses then, “I have a few enemies in class A, but that’s okay because in this year’s talent show they’re going down.”

The rest of her classmates murmur words of agreement that they’re going to crush Na Jaemin’s first graders in the talent show and Donghyuck would definitely encourage and support the cause if only he knew who signed them up to begin with.

“But what if they go up though?” Minho is the only one to question his sister’s words which quickly earns him a glare from Youngji. 

“I’m this close to not having a brother anymore.”

“Does this mean I can have Sangbin as my older sibling instead?” The dark-haired boy looks somewhat hopeful.

When Youngji starts pelting Minho with popcorn, Donghyuck turns his attention back to the administrator with a strained smile.

“Curtains are gonna go up by 4:30 but please have them backstage by 4:00 so they can rehearse one last time.” Yerim tells him before waving to the students, “Good luck Class B.”

With one final smile, the administrator turns and leaves. Donghyuck closes the door behind her, turning back to face his students with a confused frown. He still can’t quite figure out who signed his class up and why neither the administrator who’s in charge of the entire show nor his students who already seemed aware of the fact aren’t sharing anything.

“Good luck?” Minho scoffs, “The only people that need luck are those losers in class A. The firsties can barely reach the stage. They definitely can’t perform on it!”

His words earn various noises of agreement from his classmates, and the dark-haired boy doesn’t waste any time in rushing over to his sister then.

“Noona, was that evil enough?” He drops to the ground beside her with wide, pleading eyes, “Can I be your brother again?”

Youngji pats his head and says she’ll think about it. Meanwhile, Donghyuck is left to wonder what kind of performance they’re supposed to be doing. Isn’t he supposed to help them rehearse? But his students keep their lips sealed. Even when he bribes Minho with more good behavior stickers and Sangbin with no more spelling tests, he gets nothing. At the end of the day, he peeks his head in Class A out of desperation. But Jaemin just informs him, with his usual bright, patient smile, that he signed up his first-graders himself.

So much for that, Donghyuck thinks later that day when he’s wandering out of the school’s entrance to head home for the day. He’s thinking of what he’s going to pick up for dinner because he’s too tired to cook and Yukhei finishes work even later than he does. He’s smiling to himself at the idea of noodles only to find himself frowning at the person still waiting in the drop off-ramp. Boram is toying with her signature black shoulder bag as she waits, pushing up her glasses every so often. Donghyuck glances at the time on his phone and his frown deepens before he approaches his student.

“What are you still doing here?” He asks, forcing a gentle smile for the small girl.

But really, he’s worried. It’s 5:30. School had ended three hours ago.

“I’m waiting for my father.” Boram tells him quietly before she looks down, with shame that’s not fit for a second-grader, “But… I don’t think he’s coming.”

Instantly, Donghyuck is annoyed.

Not with Boram, of course. He’s angry because it's not Mr. Park’s first time leaving her waiting for hours or simply forgetting her entirely. What kind of person forgets their own child? Donghyuck unlocks his phone and opens the contact list for his students’ parents, pressing the icon for Mr. Park. He holds the phone to his ear and with each passing second that he listens to it ring, his anger grows. But he makes sure to keep his face neutral for Boram who’s staring up at him. The sight of the hopefulness lingering in her big brown eyes is enough to break his heart. He knows that when he does eventually hang up because Mr. Park won’t answer, it’s going to break her heart too.

He’s thankful when the entrance doors open and out steps Mark who looks tired but seems to immediately perk up at the sight of them. He approaches with a small smile and starts talking to Boram whose cheeks grow bright pink at the attention. Donghyuck tries to call Mr. Park five more times before finally giving up and sending a text.

“When you go home, you’re going to have to do homework. And it’s so boring, right?” Mark pats Boram on the head gently with a smile.

And Donghyuck is a bit offended because they don’t appreciate him or the fact that he has to fight for his life every morning in the teacher’s lounge just to print those worksheets about counting apples.

“How about we do something fun instead.” Mark suggests, “We can go to the arcade and play some games. They have pizza there too. Then we can drop you off at home to your dad. What do you say?”

“Really?” Boram gasps with wide eyes before grabbing Donghyuck’s arm and looking up with pleading eyes, “Can we go to the arcade with Mr. Mark?”

“Sure.” Donghyuck shrugs before turning to Mark, “You’re driving.”

“No problem.” The music teacher tells him with a grin.

Bora claps her hands excitedly before grabbing Mark’s hand along with her homeroom teacher’s and pulling them both along towards the parking lot, cheering excitedly beneath the setting sun.

Mark takes them to an arcade in a nearby mall where he sits across from Donghyuck in the attached pizza restaurant and watches Boram. Without confident Youngji at her side, she stands in the arcade, twisting her fingers nervously. The place is filled with students, some still in unforms as they rush around, playing games and dragging prizes around. Boram looks prepared to turn around and return to the comfort of her teachers when she hesitates. The dark-haired girl takes a deep breath, pushing her glasses up before approaching a group of boys and girls that appear to be around her age playing ski ball. Donghyuck holds his breath nervously only to breathe a sigh of relief when they hand Boram the ski ball and give her a chance to play with them. When he looks over, Mark is watching the interaction just as closely, forgotten pieces of Bulgogi pizza on the plates before them.

“Did you know she’s enrolled in cram school?” Donghyuck finds himself saying.

“In the second grade?” Mark turns to him and gapes, “Damn, that’s cruel.”

“Yeah…” Donghyuck mutters, picking at his pizza, “I think Boram only gets to be a kid when she comes to school, so I try to make it as fun as possible. Because it’s what she deserves. I wish I could do more though because it’s only a small window of her life.”

The homeroom teacher sighs. He can’t help how upset he feels. He just wants to help his students in any way that he can.

“But it’s something.” Mark tells him. He places a hand atop Donghyuck’s and squeezes gently, “And I’m sure she appreciates it more than you know. She loves you. They all do.”

“You think so?” The homeroom teacher’s eyes flicker up to meet the gaze of the man in front of him.

“I know it.” The music teacher assures, hesitating before seemingly blurting out, “I mean… It’s kind of hard not to.”

His words make Donghyuck’s eyes widen but Mark simply shoves a slice of pizza in his mouth to avoid any questions. The music teacher’s ears are bright red and he’s looking everywhere but at the man across from him. Once he finishes chewing, Mark takes a sip of his coke before glancing at Donghyuck with poorly hidden curiosity.

“Are you still spending Valentine’s Day with Yukhei?”

“Yeah, and speaking of that, he actually bought this wine the other day for us to have on Monday for our movie date. I thought I’d get a sneak peek, so I snuck into it last night but it tastes like the floorboards of an ancient library. Seriously, I don’t know what’s with him and his preference for bitter, red wine.” Donghyuck rambles, watching as the music teacher’s face falls entirely. Perhaps he’s talking too much, that might be why Mark looks so solemn suddenly, so he decides to ask the other man, “What about you?”

But Mark looks like he doesn’t really want to answer anything or speak in general. If Donghyuck doesn’t know any better, he’d think the music teacher kind of wants to run away. He leans so far back away from Donghyuck that the homeroom teacher nearly frowns.

“I think…” Mark starts finally, eyes drawn to the table, “I think that even though I’m into someone, a lot, they might have something with someone else. So, I’ll probably just end up alone.”

“I’m sorry.” Donghyuck says because it's clearly upsetting for the other man to talk about. He never took Mark for one to have such a complicated love life.

“Yeah.” The music teacher lets out a breathless laugh, as if he’s in some sort of disbelief, “Me too.”

When Mark finally looks up, Donghyuck thinks he can see a certain dampness in the man’s dark lashes, but he figures it's just the restaurant’s crappy lightning. The music teacher is oddly silent for the rest of the evening. When it's time to take Boram home, she tells them all about her new friends. Donghyuck sits in the passenger seat and smiles at her happy rambling. But all too soon he’s upset again when they get to her house and her father hasn’t even bothered to come outside and meet them or at least leave the front door light on. He’s thankful for Mark who helps him walk Boram to the front door. Once she’s inside and Mr. park has given them the most sorry excuse ever about a meeting, Mark drives him to his apartment.

Though it's only a short distance from the car, he also insists on walking Donghyuck to the front door. The homeroom teacher thanks him for taking care of him and Boram and even treating them to dinner. But the music teacher just insists that it's no big deal and waits patiently while Donghyuck unlocks his door. He thinks, when he steps inside, just before he closes the door behind him that the music teacher looks as if he wants to say something but then thinks better of it and simply wishes Donghyuck sweet dreams before heading back to his car.

Donghyuck had been left to feel as if distantly he had ruined something

That night, he doesn’t sleep.

______________________

The weekend goes by quickly and it's Valentine's Day before he knows it. In his excitement, Donghyuck wears his nice, pink sweater with a giant heart in the middle and light jeans to match, he tries to make his brunet curls as neat as possible, and he even does some eyeliner just for the fun of it. He comes to school early and drags Yukhei with him to help carry all the goods he baked over the weekend into the classroom and assist with the decorations. But it mostly just means Donghyuck putting up all the decorations while Yukhei drags around, rubbing at his eyes with a pout and stealing baked goods. Even now, Donghyuck is sacrificing his last lung for a pack of heart-shaped balloons while his roommate peers into a box of red velvet cookies.

“Aren’t you going to help?” Donghyuck complains around gasps for air.

Finally, he ties the last heart-shaped balloon to Youngji’s desk that he’s currently curled into.

“I am helping.” Yukhei tells him, licking his lips as his eyes remain on the cookies, “Someone has to count the baked goods.”

“You said that last year.” The homeroom teacher huffs, glaring at his roommate playfully, “And then we were batches of cookies, several boxes of donut, and an entire cake short.”

“It’s literally the day of love, why am I being attacked?” Yukhei’s words are slightly muffled, letting Donghyuck know that his friend has definitely managed to snag one of the many goods he’d spent the entire weekend baking.

The brunet teacher gets up from the desk, grabbing one of the heart-shaped balloons and smacking Yukhei in the face with it then bopping him on the head several times.

“Now, you’re being attacked.” Donghyuck says with an amused smirk.

Yukhei simply laughs in response, but at least it gets him away from the cookies. But the homeroom teacher soon finds himself letting out a squeak, eyes wide when his roommate snatches his own balloon and prepares to counterattack. Donghyuck runs and Yukhei chases. Loud laughter fills the classroom, and the homeroom teacher’s stomach even starts to hurt from it. It's only when Yukhei has him caged in a corner, staring him down with a smirk do they hear a cough that makes them stop.

They both look over to the door where Mark is standing, watching them closely. Donghyuck wonders just how long he has been standing there. The music teacher is wearing a red sweater and black slacks, his eyeliner is done perfectly, and his hair is parted down the middle, falling into his face just like the very first time Donghyuck saw him. He looks good, Donghyuck thinks, swallowing thickly as he stares at the other man. But Mark isn’t even looking at him. Instead, his eyes seem to be focused on Yukhei before he clears his throat once more and finally shifts his gaze to Donghyuck.

“I just wanted to give you this.” He says and when Donghyuck makes his way over he notices the white box covered in red and pink hearts that the dark-haired man is holding. But still, Mark looks very much unlike himself. His jaw is tight and his lips are downturned as if he’s just swallowed something bitter and unpleasant. It's only when the homeroom teacher steps close, blocking his view of Yukhei does he finally seem to relax and revert back to his normal self. Some of the tension fades from his jaw and after he hands the box over to Donghyuck, he rubs at his now reddened ear nervously, “Oh man, it’s my first-time making cookies from scratch, so I’m kind of worried. But if they taste bad you can tell me. It’s cool.”

“Wait right here.” Donghyuck tells him. He goes and places the box on a desk, digging through his many bags of baked goods before he finds what he’s looking for. A red velvet cupcake with white icing and pink and red sprinkles. His Valentine’s Day specialty. When he turns around to return to Mark it's to find that the music teacher has returned to staring at Yukhei who grins and gives a small wave that the dark-haired man returns with much less enthusiasm. Donghyuck returns to the doorway then, presenting the cupcake with a small smile, “Happy Valentines Day!”

A smile blossoms on the music teacher’s face as he accepts the gift, thanking Donghyuck quietly. Mark stares down at the cupcake as if suddenly he’s too nervous to look up at the homeroom teacher, as if he’s working himself up for something. But then, he simply shakes his head, looks up, and forces a smile.

“Happy Valentines Day, Donghyuck.” He says softly, barely above a whisper.

Donghyuck feels as if he merely blinks and the music teacher turns away, disappearing down the hall. The homeroom teacher watches him go, frowning at the uncomfortable ache in his stomach that follows.

“Man, that guy likes you, a lot.” Yukhei’s voice makes him turn around to find his roommate playing volleyball, spiking one of the heart-shaped balloons up towards the ceiling, “And it’s almost uncomfortable to watch you act like you don’t know it.”

“Stop.” Donghyuck tells him simply, and Yukhei pauses unsure if he’s talking about his impromptu volleyball session or his words. But the homeroom teacher just breezes past him to sit at his desk and rest his head against the cool metal where he murmurs, “Mark doesn’t like me.”

He can hear his roommate scoff in response.

“It doesn’t even sound like you’re convincing yourself. I mean come on, he was looking at me like if you kept your back turned long enough, he was going to murder me.” When Donghyuck glances at his roommate it's to see that Yukhei, for the most part, looks amused by the way Mark had stared him down. But then just as quickly the brunet’s expression grows serious, “Hyuck, you seem to be waiting on some sort of sign but how many more do you need? The guy made you cookies from scratch for Valentine’s Day, he took you and Boram to the arcade, treated you both to pizza, and made sure you two got home safely, he bought you ice cream at the tea fields and sat with you because he thought you were feeling bad, he took a picture with you which he then posted on his Instagram for his friends and family to see, he helped you get over your fear of singing in front of others with that little duet, he teaches your kids the songs you like, and on his first time even meeting you he volunteered to take your little energizer bunnies half an hour early because he thought you needed a break. From day one, he’s shown that he likes you-“

Donghyuck really has to stop yelling Yukhei every detail of his day. 

“Okay, I get it.” He grumbles. Why is his roommate trying to give him a headache before his students can even get the chance?

“Then do something about it.” Yukhei stresses, “Mark seems like a great guy. He doesn’t deserve to suffer like that. And you’re a great guy. You should let something good happen to you for once. So, promise me you’ll say something to him before the week ends.”

“I promise.” Donghyuck mutters, “Now please go away giant Cupid.”

“Fine. I’m gonna head home and take a nap.” Yukhei says, stretching with a yawn, “I’m tired from putting up all those decorations anyway.” 

He laughs loudly when the homeroom teacher picks up a box of tissues and throws it at his head. Donghyuck curses quietly when his roommate simply sidesteps it and the box hits the wall behind him instead. Yukhei sticks out his tongue, digging his pocket for his car keys before turning to leave but not before glancing back with a smirk.

“And don’t forget to try your boyfriend’s cookies. I’m sure they were made with love-“

“Fuck you.” Donghyuck calls out after him, only to realize when he finally lifts his head, that his students have already started to arrive.

Yukhei snickers and quickly scurries out of the room, leaving Donghyuck with a bunch of wide-eyed second graders standing there, holding various cards and baked goods.

“Um, Mr. Lee?” One boy starts hesitantly, “Why did you say ‘fuck you’ to that giant man?”

Donghyuck actually sputters. For once, he’s thankful for the arrival of Youngji. She comes rushing into the room in a dress made of roses, her dark hair is straightened down her back, her dark red shades are heart-shaped, and she’s carrying a microphone oddly enough. Behind her is Minho in a tuxedo of all things, dragging along a box two times his size that’s filled to the brim with roses.

“Happy Valentine’s Day! Where are all my lovers out there?!” Youngji exclaims into the mic. Her classmates begin to crowd around her then, cheering excitedly. It makes the dark-haired girl smirk before she starts shouting like she’s Oprah, “You get a rose! And you get a rose! And you in the very back there, yes you get a rose! You in the white-t shirt, you get a rose!-“

Minho is struggling to keep up with his sister, running back and forth to pass out roses in his tux with the thinnest layer of sweat covering his forehead.

Donghyuck blinks slowly, wondering if they put too much sugar into his coffee at Starbucks that morning and he was now hallucinating.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” A gentle voice says beside him, making him realize he’s not in some sugar-induced dream.

He hadn’t even noticed Boram’s arrival. But now she’s standing beside his desk in white pants and a pink blouse with a red, heart-shaped headband keeping her hair ponytail intact. She places a plastic bag on his desk, staring at him with flushed, pink cheeks as she waits. Donghyuck picks up the bag, taking in the homemade Pepero sticks covered with light, pink frosting and white, heart-shaped sprinkles on top.

“Thank you, Boram.” He says, reaching over to pat her head gently with a small smile, “I bet they taste delicious.” 

Boram smiles shyly and in that same moment, a figure comes rushing into the classroom. One glance tells the homeroom teacher that it's Sangbin, breathing heavily with panicked eyes. Donghyuck can’t help but think that the brunet boy looks like he’s about to model for a Gucci kids collection with his white button-down and black slacks, his brown curls are styled neatly and it's hard not to miss the diamond watch strapped to his tiny wrist. 

“Sorry I’m late!” He says though the bell hasn’t even rung yet. Once he manages to calm his breathing he seems to quickly sink back into his nonchalant self, rubbing at the back of his neck with a bashful smile as he approaches his teacher’s desk, “I thought we had a spelling test today, so I purposefully missed the bus and my mom had to drive me here. Anyway, Happy Valentine’s Day Mr. Lee. I love you!”

“I love you too, Sangbinnie.” Donghyuck says with a smile, allowing the small boy to hug him.

What he’s not expecting is for Sangbin to dig in his pocket and present him with a gift that nearly makes the homeroom teacher choke. Donghyuck accepts it slowly. He realizes then, as he stares at the bottle of designer perfume, that perhaps Sangbin hadn’t really been joking about being rich.

“It’s channel.” Sangbin tells him, bouncing on his heels excitedly.

“Chanel.” Donghyuck corrects but it doesn’t matter because the brunet boy is already off to his next victim, who just so happens to be Boram.

The homeroom teacher pulls out his phone, snaps a picture of the Chanel perfume, and sends it to Yukhei with several emojis and exclamation marks. Then, he looks up just in time to see Sangbin approach Boram with a grin.

“Happy Love Day!” He exclaims before presenting her with a cut out of a heart. Boram stares at it silently before finally accepting. The moment her fingers touch it, it unravels to reveal several hearts that span across the floor and keep unraveling even as she holds it. Boram’s face turns just as red as the hearts she’s staring at with wide eyes. But Sangbin just bounces happily before her, “School started in September, and now it's February 14^th. Here’s 166 hearts because that’s 166 days that we’ve been friends. And you’re the best Boram to ever exist!”  

He gives her a hug before quickly scurrying off, leaving Boram to stare at the many hearts scattered around her. Sangbin makes his way to his other friends then, waving two red cards.

“Minho, Youngji, I got you cards! Hey… what’s with all the roses? Woah, Minho you like nice! But you’re sweating a lot, are you okay pal-“

When Donghyuck looks over it's to find that Youngji is somehow crowd surfing now. Her classmates are packed in a crowd, guiding her across the room while she shouts into her microphone.

“I said if you’re feeling the love tonight, make some noise!”

“It’s eight o’clock in the morning.” Donghyuck mutters, glancing at Boram who simply shrugs in response before continuing to carefully pick up the hearts around her.

While the rest of the class cheer loudly, Minho pulls a chair out from a desk and stands on it, holding out his arms with a panicked look as he waits to catch his sister.

Youngji is still shouting into her microphone about the love, Sangbin is making a snow angel in the forgotten sea of roses on the floor, Minho is sweating so much that it soaks his tux, and Boram is patiently sweeping hearts from the floor into her hands.

Donghyuck takes in all the chaos, sucks in a deep breath, and smiles.

Valentine’s Day has always been his favorite.  

The chaos dies down just as quickly as it starts, and soon class is able to start. Spelling, math, reading, and everything else are put on hold for a day of fun activities. They make cards for their loved ones, make paper roses, stuff their faces with donuts, cookies, and heart-shaped candies, watch several movies, and Donghyuck even plays Spotify on his computer so that they can have a small dance. Towards the end of the day, he allows them to vote on one extracurricular class. He’s surprised when they pick music class over its strong contenders like gym. He escorts them to the music room, somewhat disappointed when Mark doesn’t come out to greet him.

When he returns to his classroom, he plops down in the chair, rests his head on his desk and promptly takes a nap. When he wakes up, he blinks blearily at his computer screen to find that he has five minutes until his students are to return from music class. He hurriedly tidies the room and places candy bags attached with small cards on their desks for them to take home. He’s just placed the last one on Youngji’s desk when his students come pouring into the classroom. It’s time for them to head home for the day. He watches them put on their backpacks and gather up their items.   

“Mr. Lee, this is for you.” Sangbin appears, holding out an envelope.

“Oh, you got me a card too?” Donghyuck accepts with a small smile, “Sangbin, that’s so sweet.”

“It’s not from me.” The curly-haired boy blinks, rubbing at the back of his neck, “I mean, you’re really nice and pretty, Mr. Lee. But I like Boram more.”

With that, Sangbin wanders off to go talk with one of his classmates.

“Why did I only get one card and it’s from Sangbin?” Minho pouts, lip trembling, “I’m like the cutest person in this school. I deserve true love.”

“You’re in the second grade.” Youngji tells him blandly, pushing up her heart-shaped shades before sauntering off.

“Mr. Lee!” Minho cries out loudly, wiping at his barely damp eyes, “I was just bullied publicly!”

“Poor baby.” Donghyuck murmurs, rubbing the small boy's back gently. “Publicly bully them back.”

“Okay!” Minho chirps excitedly, Spiderman backpack thumping against his back as he rushes after his sister.

But the homeroom teacher barely spares him a glance, too busy turning over the envelope in his hands. There’s no sign of a sender. He absentmindedly returns his students hugs and Valentine’s Day wishes as they file out of the classroom, and once they’re gone, he sits in Youngji’s desk and immediately starts tearing the envelope open. He pulls out a white card with what looks like many hand-drawn, cartoon suns. One sun is drawn rather large, wearing dark shades and a chill smile while another sun is crying dramatically, a waterfall of tears streaming from its eyes.

The little cartoons bring a small smile to his lips. He opens the card to find several folded pieces of paper tucked inside. On the card itself is a drawing. There’s a bright yellow sun in the corner and staring up at it is the side profile of a person holding a cone of melting green ice cream. Donghyuck takes in the mess of brown curls, the faint moles, and the mass of greenery surrounding them and his face flushes. His eyes flicker down to the writing at the bottom then.   

Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope these make you smile. You deserve it.

The homeroom teacher unfolds one of the pieces of paper that had been tucked inside and snorts loudly at the cheesy pickup line that greets him.

Are you related to the sun?... Because seeing you brightens up my day!

Donghyuck decides to unfold another one then, rolling his eyes shortly after.

I never need to see the sun again because your eyes light up my world.      

But his smile is undeniable.

And though there’s not a name in sight, somehow, he just knows.

______________________

The talent show is Friday, and Donghyuck nearly forgets about it entirely until he receives a text from the school administrator, Yerim, with so many smiling emojis that it seems like an underlying threat. Donghyuck still doesn’t know what his students are performing and how, but he decides to dress up anyway. He puts on a white, silk button-down and black jeans, tames his curls, and lines his eyes neatly, and he even drags Yukhei along with him to the school. But when he arrives at the school auditorium, it's to find that he’s banned from backstage and seeing his class's rehearsal. Donghyuck sits in an aisle in the auditorium’s rows of chairs, and pouts among the mass of parents.

Briefly, he wonders why Yerim made him sign the paper on her clipboard and inform her of anything if he couldn’t even see his kids. Instead of being with his own students, he’s forced to sit in the crowd and watch the other classes perform. Class A dances to a BTS mix, and Donghyuck feels a bit traumatized after watching Jaemin dance for his life for an hour and a half while his first-graders stumble around and run into each other behind him.

“Jesus Christ.” Yukhei mutters from the chair beside him. He’s fanning himself with a concerned look, as are many others in the audience, “Why was that so intense? They’re in the first grade.”

Donghyuck wants to tell him that there’s nothing intense about Jaemin dancing like he’s just signed a fresh contract with SM Entertainment while his first graders are an entire thirty seconds behind the beat. But he’s a little bit of a fake, so instead he watches them walk down the aisle after exiting the stage and waves.

“Great job!” He tells them, earning a bright smile from Jaemin when he passes.

“A BTS dance cover?” A familiar voice scoffs, and when Donghyuck looks back, he finds himself standing up in excitement at the sight of his class. He spots Youngji, whose arms are crossed as she mutters, “What a bunch of Koreaboos.”

“Youngji.” Boram blinks beside her, “They’re Korean.”

Youngji simply stares at her friend behind her dark shades.

Donghyuck is surprised to find that his entire class is wearing suits, and they’re lined up neatly as they approach the stage, lacking their usual pushing and bickering. They look serious and it makes his heart swell with pride at just how well behaved they look. But of course, it doesn’t last long when a first-grader, lagging behind from his class glances at them.

“Good luck!” The first-grade boy exclaims, flashing them a smile.

“Good luck to you on getting posted to the school's Facebook page after we’re finished up there.” Youngji tells him, pushing up her shades with a smirk, “Now if you’ll excuse us, firstie, we have a talent show to win.”    

She snaps her fingers two times before stalking off towards the stage, the rest of the class following close behind, leaving the first-grader to stand there, stunned.

“God, they’re so mean.” Donghyuck mutters before sighing and placing a hand over his heart, “My babies. I love them so much.”

He sits down in his chair where his confidence slowly begins to waver. Even though the first graders of Class A had been off beat and clumsy, Donghyuck thinks of how Jaemin had been dancing up there like his rent was due that same night. He starts to panic because he’s not sure who’s going to help his own class with their performance. Donghyuck snags the fan from the mom in front of him and fans his face anxiously, ignoring her glare to focus on the stage as the administrator Yerim steps to the microphone with a bright smile.

“Our next performance is by a class that’s always bursting with energy. Give it up for Class B!”

The audience claps and Donghyuck makes sure he claps the loudest. They quiet down once the curtain rises to reveal an empty stage with a black piano. Donghyuck can’t help the way his mouth opens slightly in shock when none other than Mark steps onto the stage and seats himself at the piano. The music teacher looks really good in his black button-down and slacks. His dark hair falls into his face as he looks down at the piano, concentrating on the keys. He starts to play a funky melody that Donghyuck almost instantly recognizes, and when the rest of the soundtrack joins in, he watches as his class appears. The students step onto the stage, bouncing on beat to the upbeat instrumental.

But to Donghyuck’s complete and utter shock it’s Sangbin who bursts from the ranks and very smoothly sings the opening note to the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.”

The homeroom teacher is almost certain his mouth is hanging open entirely at this point but he can’t be bothered to care. He watches as his students form a line, tossing out pieces of broken hearts made of bright red paper at Sangbin while he passes. When he gets to the end of the line, Boram steps out but at the sight of Sangbin, she turns and runs away. As the chorus starts, the class surrounds Sangbin. Minho pats his shoulders comfortingly while the others shake their shoulder in tune with the beat, singing into their shared mics. They crowd Sangbin then, mimicking Minho by hugging and patting him comfortingly and by the time they disburse, it’s to reveal Sangbin lying on the stage with a blanket thrown over his body. As he sings, Youngji appears with a group of students holding a crescent moon prop. They walk past Sangbin, moving the prop in tune with the melody. Once they’re gone, Boram and another group come waving a sun prop to the beat. When they leave, the chorus comes back around and Sangbin is back on his feet. The rest of the class is behind him, doing a series of dances that include pointing at the audience then resting a hand on their hearts dramatically.   

In the audience, Donghyuck sniffles. He’s holding his phone up to record while a single tear streams down his face. He knows he’s being dramatic, especially when the mom whose fan he stole glances back and snickers at his expression.

But he can’t be bothered to care, especially not when he watches Sangbin slide to his knees in front of the stage and hit the note before the final chorus perfectly. They all look so happy. Sangbin is giving the most unexpected but dedicated performance, Minho seems to be taking the acting parts seriously, Youngji is dancing and moving as if she’s practiced it at home several times, and Boram seems to have come out of her little shell entirely, her smile is so bright beneath the stage lights. Occasionally, Mark glances up from the piano himself, eyes sparkling in a way that makes Donghyuck’s heart race. Everything is perfect, he thinks.

For the final chorus, the class throws full hearts at Sangbin’s feet as he passes. He makes his way to the front where he turns around to find Boram standing there. She smiles shyly and lifts up her hand only to turn last minute and wave sweetly at Minho. And just as the class shouts their final "I want you back!", Sangbin drops to the ground, clutching his chest dramatically as if its killed him. The music stops and there’s only a small pause before the auditorium erupts in cheers and loud clapping. Donghyuck waves his fan so hard that it breaks. He watches, holding what's left of the handle, as Yerim runs onto the stage in her heels.

“And the winner is Class B!” She exclaims with a warm smile as she helps Sangbin to his feet.

Youngji squeals loudly, jumping around the stage in her excitement, Minho is already in tears behind her, Boram smiles shyly beneath the stage lights, but it's Sangbin who rushes past all of them to the piano where he tackles their music teacher in a hug. Even from the audience, it's hard not to miss Mark’s fond smile as he rubs the brunet boy’s back. The rest of the class soon follows in Sangbin’s footsteps, rushing to the piano to form one big group hug. Donghyuck collapses in his seat at the sight. His body is simply filled with too much excitement, happiness, and warmth for him to process.

“Why is this the most intense but inspirational elementary school talent show I’ve ever seen?” Yukhei comments with a grin as he fans his roommate’s flushed skin with his hands, “It’s almost like I’m watching a movie.”

Donghyuck blinks slowly in his blissful daze, and it's perfect, the way Yukhei says it.

Meeting Mark Lee has turned his life into a movie.

And he wants so badly for it to have a happy ending.

Once his class has left the stage, they rush to him and their parents. Donghyuck gives them hugs and makes sure to let every single student just how proud of them he is. Somewhere in the midst of students clinging to his legs, dealing with the grumpy fan mom, and wishing Jaemin and his intensive dance boot camp known as Class A better luck next year, Mark comes and whispers in his ear for him to come to the music room before he leaves. With that, the music teacher had disappeared from the packed auditorium looking slightly nervous but leaving Donghyuck to feel even more so as he wonders what the older man wants with him.

He waits for the crowd to thin out, talking with a few of his student’s parents. Sangbin’s parents thank him for the recent improvement in their son’s spelling tests and try to gift him an expensive watch that the homeroom teacher nearly faints at the sight of. Youngji and Minho’s mother apologizes repeatedly, face bright red, about any potential chaos her children might have caused him during the school year. Once the parents and children start to leave, the auditorium begins to thin out entirely. Donghyuck prepares to leave, Class B’s trophy tucked safely in his hands. Just as he’s doing so, he finds himself blinking at the figure that rushes up to him. But Boram doesn’t say anything as she tucks something in his pocket before hurrying away with bright pink cheeks to leave with Youngji, Minho, and their mother.

Donghyuck parts ways with Yukhei and takes Class B’s trophy to his classroom. He puts it at the very front of his desk so it will be the first thing they see when they return to school on Monday, and then, he digs into his pocket and finds himself pulling out a small, yellow card. He admires the pink butterflies on the front before opening it to familiar, neat handwriting.   

Teacher,

It’s Boram. My father is not coming to the talent show tonight. But I know you will be there. You’re always there for me. You are a teacher with a big heart. I’m happiest in your classroom. I will miss you when I go to third grade. Thank you for taking care of Class B. We love you.

P.S. I hope the spelling is okay. I used Google.

P.S.S. Do you like Mr. Mark?

P.S.S.S. I like Mr. Mark too because he is nice and he makes my favorite teacher happy : )    

Donghyuck smiles, eyes growing slightly damp. He only has four more months left with Class B, and he already knows he’s going to miss them dearly. But he doesn’t want to get too lost in his sadness, especially when they’ve just won an entire talent show. So, he places Boram’s card in his drawer filled with candy and small notes from his students that he saves for pick-me-ups on bad days. He turns off the lights in his classroom, locking it up before making his way to the music room. He realizes it’s the perfect chance to finally say something to Mark, though he’s also slightly hesitant because he hasn’t quite given much thought as to what he should tell him. He doesn’t think a simple I like you is enough for just how fast his heart races and how much his cheeks hurt from smiling when Mark is around him. The homeroom teacher is broken from his nervous thoughts when a faint melody greets his ears that makes him pick up his pace.

Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don't break it
Love was made for me and you

Donghyuck isn’t sure what to expect, but when he steps into the music room, he simply finds himself looking around in awe.

Neon pink and red lights flash across the walls, heart-shaped balloons are tied to every surface in sight, Nat King Cole’s LOVE graces the homeroom teacher’s ears from the overhead speakers, and in the middle of it all is Mark holding a rose with a nervous smile. Beside him is a teddy bear so big that the music teacher has to hold it up with his other free hand to keep it from toppling over and crushing him. With the sudden rush of happiness that makes him feel slightly hysterical, Donghyuck almost laughs because it's all so Mark.

“Uh, sorry about just the card and some cookies yesterday that was probably kind of lame.” Mark says, rubbing the back of his neck with a bashful grin, “And it’s probably also equally embarrassing that I had a lot of help with this from Class B.”

Donghyuck smiles, realizing why they insisted on going to the music room on Valentine’s Day. The music teacher is watching him closely, thumbing the rose as if nervous about his reaction. But Donghyuck has had enough of Mark and his ability to be so somehow bold but shy, thoughtful, sweet, and everything that Donghyuck needs. He can no longer take the warmth spreading throughout him or the joy that makes his fingers tremble. The homeroom teacher makes his way over on quick footsteps to tackle Mark in a hug. The teddy bear topples over the moment the music teacher’s hand leaves it, but the dark-haired man simply wraps an arm around Donghyuck’s waist and pulls him even closer to prevent them from being crushed. The older man’s amused giggles bring a smile to the homeroom teacher’s lips. Donghyuck’s head comes to rest against Mark’s shoulder as the dark-haired man begins to sway them along to the music.

From just how close the older man holds him, Donghyuck can feel just how fast Mark’s heart is beating.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Mark Lee.” He whispers.  

He wonders if Mark can feel just how fast his own heart is racing as he waits.

“I’m thinking about how the very first moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to get to know you.” The music teacher’s voice greets his ears, “And now that I have, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Donghyuck smiles, eyes glossy as he stares at the heart-shaped balloon in front of him, and it's not fair, he thinks, how Mark had walked into his class on some random weekday and decided to make his life that much better.

“Now tell me what you’re thinking.”

The music teacher’s hands gently tapping against his waist make Donghyuck swallow thickly.

“I’m glad I let you get to know me, and that I got to know you too. I don’t know if you know this, but you’re kind of the best thing that’s happened to me in a while.” The homeroom teacher tells him with a breathless laugh, “It almost feels like I’m dreaming.”

The music teacher’s hands come to grip the back of the brunet’s neck gently and he pulls back to stare at the homeroom teacher with those eyes, the ones that make the homeroom teacher feel terribly delirious when they stare into his own, watching him closely.  

“But I don’t want this to be just a dream.” Mark says quietly, thumb brushing against the brunet’s cheek.  

“Then kiss me.” Donghyuck tells him with a small smile.  

And Mark does, he leans in close and gently presses his lips against the homeroom teacher’s. Donghyuck’s eyes slip closed and the music around them seems to fade, the echoing of his own racing heart filling his ears. Mark’s lips taste like watermelon Chapstick, something that makes Donghyuck grin as soon as the dark-haired man pulls away. The music teacher blinks slowly before his eyes widen in realization and he backs away, letting out the most panicked, boyish laughter as he rubs behind his ear with a grin.

“Dude, we just kissed.”   

Donghyuck rolls his eyes, but he can’t help his smile as he takes in the man before him. Bright pink and red lights accentuate defined cheekbones that pull back as Mark smiles widely, dark eyes staring with their usual bright sparkle.  

It feels like both the ending and beginning of Donghyuck’s favorite movie.

It’s perfect.