Work Text:
Chaewon wakes to the usual, unwelcome, sound of her morning alarm. It chimes unceasingly from her phone, the cheery tune grating to her barely-awake ears. She lays in bed, unmoving, the want to keep her eyes shut overpowering the need to turn the damned alarm off. Content to let it fade into background noise, Chaewon rolls over, snuggling into the soft, nice-smelling sheets with a sigh.
There's a slight pounding in her temple - the kind that comes after a night of enjoying more drinks than she'd usually allow herself to. Slowly crawling through the sleepy haze blanketing her brain is the memories of the night before, returning to her in fragments.
First point: She's in bed. A stranger’s bed. A stranger who had replaced her no-show date that Sakura had arranged for her, and then brought her home to give her a night she's not looking to forget anytime soon. Her muscles ache in a satisfying way that makes her face flush.
Second point: She's not alone. A minute or two passes, and a loud, exaggerated groan erupts from somewhere behind Chaewon as the owner stirs awake. They stretch, the bed dipping with their movement. There's some rustling before Chaewon's alarm is turned off and the room is dipped back into blissful silence. There's more movement, then a strong arm wraps itself around Chaewon's waist, a warm body pressing flush against her back. Soft lips drop kisses along the back of her neck, and she giggles, squirming at the ticklish sensation. The lips in question quirk into a smile, then pull away.
“I turned off your alarm, hope you don’t mind,” Yunjin murmurs, as Chaewon turns to face her. Big brown eyes look down at her, just as tempting as the first time she saw them, under the dim bar lights. She lets her gaze wander appreciatively for a moment, over the teeth marks she left on Yunjin's shoulder, to the purpling bruise on her collarbone, and the relaxed but visible muscles in her arms. The blanket has fallen down to Yunjin's waist, leaving Chaewon with full view of her breasts and the defined lines of her abs. Her eyes linger on the scratch marks going down Yunjin's stomach, continuing below the blanket.
“Not at all,” Chaewon smiles, leaning in to kiss her. Yunjin meets her halfway, giving her a less-than-chaste peck, grinning playfully against her mouth before pulling away completely. She rolls out of bed, plucking last night's clothes off the floor and tossing them into her laundry basket in the corner of her bedroom, pulling fresh clothes out of her closet.
“Take your time, I’ll wash up and make breakfast. There’s an extra toothbrush in the bathroom if you wanna use it after I’m done. Are pancakes okay?” Chaewon can feel her mouth watering at the thought of a warm breakfast. “Yeah, sounds great. Thanks.” “No problem. Most of my hookups don't actually stay long enough for breakfast. You’re a rare case,” Yunjin laughs, before heading into the bathroom.
Chaewon continues to laze in bed, enjoying the warm rays of sun filtering through Yunjin's curtains, finally picking up her phone after Yunjin walks out of the bathroom a few minutes later, changed and toweling her hair dry.
5 missed calls from Kkurraaa
2 missed calls from Zuha :)
10 Unread messages
With a sigh, Chaewon opens the messages first.
Kkurraaa (21:00)
heyy, just put manchae to bed
hope your date went well
im assuming it went well since ur not replying me
don’t have too much fun ;))
Kkurraaa (22:11)
zuha and i are off to bed. don’t forget to set an alarm for tomorrow!!
wouldn’t wanna be late for manchae’s first day
Kkurraaa (06:05)
im a little scared that you havent replied, but your phone has also stayed at the same location all night so im assuming ur alright… i hope you set an alarm please wake up on time
Kkurraaa (07:05)
getting eunchae ready now where ARE YOU??
hello?????? chaewon???? please send your daughter to school????
3 missed calls from Kkurraaa
Kkurraaa (07:15)
KIM CHAEWON I SWEAR TO GOD WAKE UP!!!!
2 missed calls from Kkurraaa.
2 missed calls from Zuha :)
Oh, Chaewon is wide awake now.
Panicked, she leaps out of bed, nearly tripping over the covers and face-planting on the floor. She quickly throws on her clothes, dashing out of the room still tugging her fly up, checking her purse for all her belongings.
Yunjin glances up as Chaewon flies madly out of her bedroom.
“Hey, just in time! Breakfast is read-”
“I am so sorry, thank you for breakfast, and for last night, but I really have to go right now,” Chaewon cuts Yunjin off, looking forlornly at the fresh pancakes still sitting in the pan. She rocks on her toes to give Yunjin a quick peck goodbye, lifting her hand to stroke her cheek gently, hastily drinking in the last drops of her beauty. “I’ll see you soon though?”
Yunjin looks at her, wide-eyed and stunned, blinking at Chaewon wordlessly for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, no problem at all. See you.”
With one last apologetic smile, Chaewon leaves, practically sprinting out of Yunjin’s apartment building. She flags down the first taxi she sees, praying to every god that she can name that Seoul traffic would be kind to her, just for today. Thankfully, someone out there must’ve heard her, because the roads are clear for the most part, and she makes it home in record time. She bursts through the front door to a flurry of activity.
“Finally, you’re here! We were just about to leave without you,” Sakura easily breezes past a winded Chaewon, pulling her shoes on.
“Mama! Mama!” Eunchae's excited shrieks reach Chaewon's ears as she rushes to wrap herself around Chaewon’s legs. Chaewon smiles, rubbing her daughter’s head affectionately, careful to not mess up her perfectly braided hair - Sakura's work, no doubt.
“Hi baby, sorry mama’s a little late. Let’s go now. Can you put your shoes on yourself?” Eunchae nods enthusiastically, going to do as she's told as Chaewon rus to the bathroom to quickly fix her hair, sending a wave to Kazuha, as she walks past where she's sitting on the couch, shoes already on.
Chaewon gurgles some mouthwash, straightens her clothes and tugs a brush through her tangled hair. She applies some lipstick, trying her best to look like a responsible, put-together mother rather than someone who got their brains fucked out the night before. Her cheeks darken at the memory. Shaking it off, she rushes back out of the bathroom and successfully gets everyone out of the house by 7.40. Sakura and Kazuha walk them to the car, Eunchae skipping excitedly alongside Chaewon, holding her hand.
Sakura pulls her aside as Kazuha straps Eunchae into her car seat.
“Dude. Where were you? I called you like five times this morning.” Chaewon sighs, “I know, I know, sorry. I slept through my alarm. Last night was…” She exhales sharply, and Sakura’s annoyed expression morphs to a teasing one.
“So I take it the date went well?”
Chaewon rolls her eyes. “No, the date that you set me up with actually ghosted me. A very nice woman at the bar happened to chat me up and invite me back to her house.” She raises a finger when Sakura opens her mouth. “I will tell you later.” Satisfied, Sakura coos teasingly at Chaewon before pulling Kazuha towards their own car, making Chaewon promise one last time to call her later. The panic of potentially being late for her daughter’s first day of kindergarten sets in again after that, and Chaewon books it towards the school.
Eunchae sits blissfully unaware in the back seat as Chaewon barely keeps to the speed limit (she was a good, law abiding citizen, after all), cursing under her breath at every red light that seemed to exist purely to spite her, and honking at every other car that dared cut her off. As a result of her cutthroat driving, they rushed through the classroom door just on time. Chaewon tried to control her breathing as they stepped in, a nervous Eunchae clutching her hand tightly. She felt a tug, and looked down at her daughter. Her eyes were trembling, body pressed as close as physically possible to her mother as she looked at all the other rowdy little kids already running around the classroom.
“Hey,” Chaewon soothes, squatting down to rest a comforting hand on Eunchae’s shoulder, “Have fun today. Make new friends. Remember to introduce yourself, okay?” Eunchae nods, her grip on Chaewon’s hand tightening briefly. “Love you sweetheart. I’ll be at the back just for today, okay?” Eunchae nods again, reaching out to wrap her skinny arms around Chaewon’s neck. “Love you too, mama.” Chaewon gives her one last squeeze, before ushering her to go play with her classmates.
She keeps one eye on her daughter as she makes her way to the back of the classroom where some other parents were already gathered, nodding politely in greeting as some of them smile at her. She stands there, awkwardly alone, as the other parents chatter uncaringly amongst themselves, seemingly already having formed their cliques. She continues watching as Eunchae slowly approaches a large group of kids that are already sitting at one of the several round tables in the classroom, chattering noisily and playing with whatever stationary was left there, taking the only empty seat. For a while, she just sits there, watching the other kids and listening to their conversations.
Chaewon smiles when one kid evidently mentions something that Eunchae is interested in, based on the way her face lights up and she finally joins in their discussion. The other kids turn to look at her, then immediately include her in whatever they're doing. Chaewon breathes a quiet sigh of relief. She's gonna be okay.
After a few more minutes of idling and watching Eunchae play with her newfound friends, the classroom door opens and the teacher walks in. “Good morning everyone!” She greets cheerily, and the racket in the small room dims, all twenty-odd little, wide pairs of eyes turning to look. “Welcome to your first day of kindergarten. Are you all excited?” A chorus of high-pitched voices chime their agreement. “That’s awesome! I’m glad you’re excited. My name is Miss Huh, I’ll be your teacher for this year. Parents, you’re free to stay as long as you’d like, but rest assured, your little ones are in good hands.”
It's only when they're directly addressed that Chaewon looks up, and- oh. She almost brings her hand up to physically stop her jaw from dropping.
There, at the front of her daughter’s kindergarten classroom, looking incredibly put-together and professional and not at all like she had her tongue down Chaewon’s throat last night (and other places), is none other than Yunjin. Her fiery orange hair is thrown up in a neat bun, square glasses framing her face nicely, a loose, comfy sweater pulled over semi-casual slacks that really seals the 'hot english teacher that everyone has a crush on' look.
Chaewon’s heart jumps to her throat, and she swallows it back down to her chest. Yunjin hasn’t noticed her yet, sparing the barest glance at the wall of parents standing at the back of the classroom before focusing back on the over-eager children, and Chaewon would’ve probably made herself scarce by now if Eunchae hadn’t been glancing over ever-so-often to make sure she was still there. Chaewon can barely listen as Yunjin goes on with introductions and other admin matters, rooted in place and eyes transfixed on her, brain still reeling.
Chaewon is torn between straight up leaving and curling up into an embarrassed ball on the ground right then and there. She tries squeezing herself behind some of the other parents, to no avail, as Eunchae keeps looking back and scanning the crowd to try and find her. She smiles tightly when her daughter waves to her gleefully upon spotting her, waving back and gesturing for her to pay attention to whatever the teacher is saying. Chaewon certainly isn’t.
She stews in her own paranoia and self-inflicted embarrassment for so long that by the time she finally snaps herself out of it, the first lesson of the day is over and they're all being herded outside towards the playground for play time. Chaewon, once again, finds herself alone as the other parents sit at the nearby benches and start chatting.
“All by yourself, beautiful?”
Chaewon jumps, not noticing that Yunjin had even walked up to her. She has a relaxed but mischievous smile on her face, hands in her pockets as she regards Chaewon casually. “I don’t need to worry about a husband, do I?”
Chaewon lets out a stilted chuckle, still a little stunned. “No, no husband.” She clears her throat, looking away shyly. “I-uh didn’t know you were a kindergarten teacher. When you said ‘teacher’ last night I kinda assumed, like, high school.”
Yunjin lets out an amused huff, leaning against the wall next to Chaewon to look at the screaming kids running around in the sandbox. The assistant teacher stands guard nearby, just in case one of them decides to eat sand, or something.
“Yeah, I get that a lot. You never mentioned you had a kid though." The statement is said casually enough, but it still makes Chaewon cringe to herself.
“Yeah, it's not exactly first date conversation starter material,” She shrugs, with an awkward chuckle, “Usually it kind of puts people off before they actually get to know me.”
There's a brief pause. Yunjin hums, a vague noise of either acknowledgement or agreement. Chaewon fiddles with the hem of her shirt, suddenly feeling the need to explain herself. “Her dad walked out on us. That's why I don't usually tell people about her on the first meeting, you know?”
Chaewon has no idea why she needed to let Yunjin know that, and she wants to slap herself as soon as the words leave her lips - maybe it was to make herself seem a little less like an irresponsible whore, or something. She’d certainly heard that insult thrown around before.
“Oh, I'm sorry,” Yunjin says sympathetically. Chaewon sighs. “It's okay. It's been a long time.” Yunjin seems to soften at that, scooching a little closer to Chaewon, almost imperceptibly.
The pair stands in an amicable, slightly awkward, silence - Chaewon wanting the earth to swallow her whole - before Yunjin clears her throat. “I should probably go introduce myself to the other parents,” She says, gesturing vaguely towards where the other adults are seated, pushing herself off the wall, “I’ll talk to you later?” Chaewon smiles, waving her off. “Yeah, later.”
Chaewon takes a deep breath, watching Yunjin walk away. Her heart's racing so fast it feels like it's going to burst clean out of her chest. Seriously, what are the chances?
The rest of the day passes like that, with Chaewon feeling like she's in some sort of weird fever dream or time-trap limbo. The other parents continue to cast her sideways glances, never initiating conversation, eyes always lingering. Judging. At least Eunchae seemed to enjoy herself, laughing and playing with her new friends, completely oblivious to Chaewon's internal plight. When the school bell rings at the end of the day, Chaewon can't help but exhale in relief.
Eunchae says goodbye to her friends, running over to Chaewon as quickly as her little legs can carry her. Chaewon bends down to scoop her into a tight embrace. "Mama!" Eunchae beams, "I had fun today! My classmates are so nice! Miss Huh is nice too!" Chaewon reflexively cringes at the mention of Yunjin, fighting to keep her expression as neutral as possible. Not that it matters though, since Eunchae doesn’t notice anything amiss, chattering away about her new friends and the fun she had, as if Chaewon hadn't been there to see it all happen.
Chaewon smiles, heart melting at her daughter's excitement. "It sounds like you had a wonderful time, sweetie," she says, "Miss Huh seems like a great teacher."
She glances over at the group of parents who were standing nearby, children in arm and ready to leave. Yunjin is in the center, her vibrant hair a stark contrast to the more subdued tones of everyone surrounding her.
Chaewon feels a strange tension coil in her stomach as she watches Yunjin interact with the other parents, her professional demeanor flawless. Chaewon takes a moment to breathe before focusing back on Eunchae. "Come on, angel, let's go home and tell Auntie Kura and Auntie Zuha about your first day." Accepting that Yunjin is probably busy and shouldn’t be disturbed, Chaewon reluctantly pulls Eunchae away through the bustling schoolyard, weaving past groups of chattering children and parents.
Chaewon is so focused on getting them to the car that she didn’t notice the sound of squeaking sneakers growing closer.
“Miss Huh!” Eunchae greets excitedly, tugging on Chaewon’s hand. Chaewon's heart flutters as she turns to see Yunjin approaching. Her already huge smile widens impossibly when she hears Eunchae’s voice, eyes flitting to Chaewon briefly before settling back on Eunchae.
“Hello Eunchae, did you enjoy your first day?” Yunjin asks, bending down so she's eye-level with the young girl. Eunchae nods, suddenly shy, hugging herself closer to Chaewon’s leg. Yunjin's eyes light up with genuine warmth, her voice gentle and kind. Chaewon’s heart pounds at the sheer gentleness with which she interacted with her daughter. "I'm so happy to hear that, Eunchae," she says, straightening up to look at Chaewon. "It's not every day I get to teach a child with such a charming personality." Chaewon chuckles, reaching down to give Eunchae a reassuring pat on the head. Yunjin's gaze holds a hint of mischief as she turns to Chaewon, and Chaewon flashes her a warning look.
Yunjin stretches out her hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met yet. I’m Huh Yunjin.” Tentatively, Chaewon shakes her hand. That same hand that had been pressed between her legs, as she- Not in the presence of a child, Chaewon, get yourself together. “Kim Chaewon.”
“Very nice to meet you Miss Kim,” Yunjin subtly squeezes her hand before letting go, and Chaewon gulps. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Eunchae for this year. Just to keep you updated on how she’s doing, could I have your phone number?”
Smooth, Huh Yunjin, real smooth.
“Yeah, sure,” Chaewon replies, calmly fishing her phone out of her purse and keying in Yunjin’s number as she recites it out to her. She gives Yunjin’s number a call after she's done, just to be sure she got it right, and Yunjin smirks annoyingly as her phone lights up.
“Great, thank you so much.” She looks down at Eunchae again, holding a fist out for Eunchae to bump, which she does after an encouraging nod from Chaewon. “I’ll see you tomorrow Eunchae, m'kay? Rest well.”
“Bye bye Miss Huh,” Eunchae mumbles, waving shyly. Chaewon casts one more glance over her shoulder as they leave. Yunjin winks at her, mouthing “Call me” not-at-all subtly. Chaewon rolls her eyes with a smile that she can't help.
Later that evening, Eunchae is rambling to Kazuha about her day in the living room, cartoons playing softly in the background as Chaewon and Sakura dry the dinner dishes in the kitchen, when her phone pings with a message. Putting the plate down, Chaewon picks up her phone.
Yunjin (19:22)
Come over to my place tomorrow night for an extra curricular lesson? ;)