Zephyr | Lee Felix

Chapter 16

WEDNESDAY, WEEK 5

The male glances at the time on his watch as the tram comes to a stop. The door glides open, and Felix hops off with an excited smile on his face. His aunt has once again messaged him to pick up his beloved cousin at the daycare.

And picking up Lizzie means, seeing Eugene again.

Felix makes his way towards the daycare centre with quick, eager steps.  As he approaches the building, the sight of Eugene through the glass doors immediately catches his attention. She is seen carrying a younger child, someone just about a year old.

Ah, right. She mentioned being in the babies' room this week. He ponders, seeing a different intern student at the kinder yard instead.

He lets out a soft sigh before making his way to the front door and passing through the yard. Though he's a bit bummed out that he won't be able to chat with Eugene in the yard, he still holds onto the hope of seeing her inside.

"Minho, slow down please!"

The unexpected rush of a child pushing another in a small wheelbarrow startles Felix momentarily, and he quickly sidesteps to avoid getting hit. The loud thud as the wheelbarrow collides with the kinder's room door jolts a few nearby children, including himself.

"Guys! That was dangerous!" The intern student runs towards the two children, squatting to their eye level. "Minho. You could've gotten Peter hurt, and this person here too!" He points at Felix, frowning.

"But... but, did you see that, Bob? It was a loud, EXPLOSIVE NOISE!" The child on the wheelbarrow, Peter, says. And Minho, the older one, only puts on a mischievous grin and nods silently.

"You guys..." Bob shakes his head, unamused. He crosses his arms, still squatting and speaks in a firm voice, "I'm going to let Rose know if you're going to keep on doing this."

"Eh?! Don't let her know!" Peter protests, while Minho tilts his head in confusion, seemingly not understanding the whole sentence—or at least, pretending not to.

"Then you guys should play something else. The wheelbarrow is used to transport sand, not a friend!" The intern student sighs, turning to Minho as he speaks in Korean, "I know you understand me, Minho. I know you're excited, but we should play safely as Rose has said. Okay?"

The male then shoos the two children away, letting out a deep sigh before turning to Felix with an apologetic smile. "So sorry about that. Are you hurt?"

"I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry." Felix reassures the intern with a small smile of his own.

"Haah. Good to know." He sighs again, making Felix silently chuckle to himself. He has only met this person for a few minutes, yet the number of sighs that have escaped from his mouth is quite amusing.

"Minho is a new student who started just this Monday. He's still shy, and doesn't talk a lot maybe because of the language barrier. But at least he's having fun." His expression softens as he watches the two play together, "Peter can be hyperactive at times, but glad that he can be a safe space for our new friend."

Felix nods in understanding, listening to the intern's explanation about the two children. A small smile forms on his lips as he watches Minho and Peter play together, the language barrier seemingly not holding them back from having fun.

"I see." He responds, his gaze lingering on the children for a moment longer. "That's great that they're getting along. They certainly have a lot of energy."

"Oh yeah, they clearly do." Bob chuckles in amusement. "I've only started my internship this Monday and I can already feel my energy drained."

Felix lets out a sympathetic laugh, nodding in understanding. "I can only imagine. Working with kids can be exhausting, especially dealing with their endless energy. I have a little cousin of my own who never seems to run out of energy, so I get it."