𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 || 𝟚𝕞𝕚𝕟

45 | Epilogue

5 Months Later:

The classroom smelled faintly of fresh marker ink and lemon-scented floor cleaner. Afternoon sunlight streamed through the large windows, pooling golden warmth onto the polished floor. 

"Like this," Minho translated as Seungmin signed slowly. "This is how you say friend."

Seungmin repeated the sign again, patiently, making sure to exaggerate the motion just enough for the smaller kids to copy. 

"And now, let's try the entire sentence together, okay?"

The class mimicked the motion, some a little too fast, some barely forming it, but all of them trying.

"Good!" Minho praised, bright and warm. "You're all improving."

Seungmin turned his head slightly to look at him, just for a second. Their eyes met, and even without a smile, Minho could see the affection in his gaze.

"And," Minho added, turning back to the class with a playful glint in his eyes, "If you all do well today, I'll tell you a small story. Deal?"

The room erupted in excited nods and giggles. A few of the younger kids signed story! with their fingers wiggling in the air.

The class had gone by smoothly, as fun and lively as always. Together, Minho and Seungmin guided their little group through the signs, teaching not just kids but also teens and a few curious adults who had joined in recent weeks.

Seungmin could speak fairly well now, his words still soft, a little breathy at times, but clear. Still, managing a classroom, especially with excited children, required a louder voice and lots of energy, something that didn't come easily to him even now, and they didn't want him straining his throat trying to keep up.

Minho, on the other hand, was fluent in sign, but his motions were still a bit rough around the edges, not quite as fluid or natural as Seungmin's. It hadn't even been a full year since he'd started learning, after all.

So they made it work in their own way.

Seungmin would usually demonstrate the signs slowly, carefully, and Minho would speak them aloud, adding little examples and jokes along the way. Somehow, it just worked perfectly.

The class ended eventfully, and now as promised, it was story time.

All the kids scooted closer, eyes shining. Even the older students, who pretended not to care, leaned forward just a little in their chairs. Their curiosity always got the better of them.

Minho grinned as he leaned against the front table, his voice gentle and warm.

"So," he began, "since you all were such good students today...I guess I have no choice but to tell you a story."

Cheers and clapping erupted immediately, small hands clapped, and a few older teens tried (and failed) to hide their interest.

And so, Minho began.

"This is more like a lesson than a story, an incident related to my life...People often ask me how I learnt sign language so quickly," he began, tone casual but soft. "And I tell them, it was because I needed to. Because I wanted to. You know...sometimes we only start learning something because we made a mistake."

He glanced at Seungmin without meaning to. The boy was watching him curiously too, leaning against the desk in front of him.

"I once hurt someone at school," Minho continued. "By accident. He was mute, but I didn't know. I ended up...yelling at him for not speaking up for me, and turning a blind eye to my misery. But he wasn't ignoring me, he just...couldn't speak."