Should Be You | Jikook ✔️

Chapter 9

The next morning, Jungwoo wandered into the kitchen, his hair tousled from sleep. Yeri was already up, finishing breakfast preparations. When she saw her son, she smiled. “Good morning, Woonie,” she greeted him, her voice light.

Jungwoo yawned as he climbed into his chair at the table. “Morning, Mom,” he mumbled, reaching for the plate of pancakes she had set out for him.

As Yeri poured a glass of juice for Jungwoo, she asked casually, “Did you have a good night with Dad?”

Jungwoo’s eyes brightened as he remembered the previous evening. “Yeah, it was fun! We went to the park, and guess what? Mr. Park was there too!”

Yeri paused, her hand still holding the juice carton. “Mr. Park? Do you mean your teacher?” she asked, her tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

“Uh-huh!” Jungwoo replied, nodding eagerly as he stuffed a forkful of pancake into his mouth. “We’ve met him a couple of times now. He’s really nice, Mom. We played together, and he talked with Dad a lot.”

Yeri blinked, trying to process this new information. She had known about Mr. Park from the parent-teacher meetings and the brief updates Jungwoo would give her after school, but she hadn’t realized that Jungwoo and Jungkook had spent time with him outside of the school setting. “So, you and Dad have been spending time with Mr. Park outside of school?” she asked, her voice carefully neutral.

Jungwoo nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! He’s super cool, and Dad seems to like him, too. We had so much fun together.”

Yeri forced a smile, trying to mask the slight unease she felt. She hadn’t anticipated that Jungkook would start forming a bond with Jungwoo’s teacher. “That’s nice, sweetie,” she said softly, though her mind was racing with questions. Why hadn’t Jungkook mentioned this? What did it mean that he and Jungwoo were spending time with Mr. Park?

As Jungwoo continued to eat, oblivious to the thoughts swirling in his mother’s mind, Yeri glanced toward the staircase, where she could hear the faint sound of the shower running. She knew Jungkook would finish soon, and she planned to ask him about it.

Meanwhile, Jungkook stood under the warmth of the shower, the steam rising around him as he hummed softly to himself. His thoughts were a mix of excitement and anticipation as he planned out his day. Today was one of those rare moments when he had cleared his schedule, allowing him to spend the entire day with Jungwoo. The idea of staying at the school instead of just dropping his son off was tempting. He could see Jungwoo light up as he played with his friends, but more than that, he couldn’t deny the pull he felt to see Mr. Park—Jimin—again.

There was something about the gentle, kind-hearted teacher that lingered in his mind, something he couldn’t quite shake. Jimin’s warm smile and the way he effortlessly connected with Jungwoo left an impression on Jungkook, one that he found himself thinking about more often than he expected. He could still picture the way Jimin had looked the other night at the park, comforting Jungwoo when he was upset, the soft glow of the streetlights highlighting the sincerity in Jimin’s eyes.

Jungkook knew it was more than just admiration for a good teacher. There was a certain comfort, a sense of ease, whenever he was around Jimin. And that was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. The thought made him pause, the water cascading over him as he closed his eyes, letting out a small sigh.

He had initially told himself that his interest in Jimin was purely because of how good the teacher was with his son. But the more he reflected, the more he realized that his feelings were beginning to blur into something else. Something he wasn’t entirely ready to confront.

As he finished his shower, Jungkook couldn’t help but smile at the thought of seeing Jimin again. There was no harm in wanting to be around someone who made him feel this way. Was there? It wasn’t as though he planned for it to happen. And if it meant he could see his son happy and thriving, then staying a little longer at the school today would be worth it.