You'll let me hold your hand

"This land, the parasite of my tongue."

Entering the room, she took in the two men she had perceived through the frosted glass window.  "You may have a seat here, Ms. Winslow," Marin instructed. "I'll be working for you in my capacity as your advocate during this meeting. I will also translate as needed."

Clara took her seat at the far end of the round table that dominated the room, her back to the door. She couldn't help but feel vulnerable as she looked across the distance to lock eyes with the two men.

"Ms. Winslow, the gentleman in front of you is Lee Seungri and to his right is Kwon Jiyong. They will be your employers. Mr. Lee will be leading this interview as he speaks English most fluently. I'll turn it over to him now."

Mr. Lee began with simple greetings and Clara responded absentmindedly,; her attention fixed on the two men across the table. They were so different. The man in front of her had short cropped hair, thick eyebrows, and a small mouth.  Despite its size, the lips themselves were plump and blushed with color. The teeth that hid behind them seemed straight and white and his jaw was strong.

The man beside him seemed to be his opposite, more refined. features more diminutive.  His slim nose ended in a slight upturn. His lips were bigger and plush, having less color than his companion. His hair had clearly recently been shorn as it was still neatly shaved at the sides and the top was full and fell just short of his eyes. She wandered what his eyes looked like, but he was staring resolutely at his lap, seemingly fiddling with something there. 

She looked at him only for a moment longer before making eye contact with Mr. Lee again.

"Ms. Winslow, why did you choose a nannying career?"

"I've always loved to care for children.  I started caring for children very early on as a child babysitter. I eventually went on to get a CPR certificate and registered officially with a nanny services website. I worked with a number of families there. Being a nanny is amazing. I have the ability to provide the parents or guardians with a sound mind as I am able to provide transportation services, discipline according to their rules, education as well as tending to the children on a 24/7 basis. There's never a moment when the parents have to doubt that their child is being adequately cared for by a professional. It is rather rewarding as both the children and the family grow."

Mr. Lee nodded before leaning further back in his chair. His eyes swept across her CV and recommendations.

Without looking up, he said, "Do you have a preferred age? The child I'm hiring for is between 3 and 4 years old."

"I can honestly say that I've never favored a particular age group over others. I make sure that I have each day planned out based on their needs, personalities and skill levels. Typically, I work with the parents to determine a plan to make sure that each day is stimulating. For 3 to 4 years olds, that can include painting," here Mr. Kwon's head rose but he quickly lowered it, "cooking, texture play, as well as hide-and-seek. Of course, lots of physical activity as well. Children that age need a lot of stimulation and are extremely curious. Primarily, they are developing their executive functions like attention, impulse control, working memory, and the ability to plan. Activities that help foster this as well as socialization are best fitted to that age group."

Mr. Lee mouth pulled slightly at the corners. "Yes, we already do some of those activities together now." He shifted slightly in his chair, "Right, Jiyong-ah?"

Mr. Kwon looked up at him shortly and nodded shakily before looking down again. His arms shiftedas he moved his hands under the table. Mr. Lee's lip quirked up at little at the right corner.  He reached a hand out and stilled Mr. Kwon's fidgeting with his hand. Mr. Lee turned his head back to me, keeping his hands on Mr. Kwon's.

"What about discipline?"

"Discipline is extremely critical, especially for children of younger ages to learn the difference between right and wrong and to take responsibility for their actions. When disciplining a child, the first thing I do is give a warning to give them the opportunity to change their behavior. The warning is appropriate to the incident and age of the child. If the child continues to misbehave, I put them in timeout. I think the most important things to keep in mind involving discipline are not to debate with the child, to be matter-of-fact in disciplining them and to make sure the consequences fit the action."

Finally, Mr. Lee gave an outright smile. "And no mention of physical discipline? That was an issue with our last nanny. I do discipline him physically, but we both are not comfortable with anyone else disciplining him in that way. I don't think that will be a problem with you, will it?"4

Quickly, Clara shook her head. "No. I would never discipline another's child that way unless given express permission."

"Peferct, then Marin, if you will give Ms. Winslow the folder we had prepared for her."

"Yes, of course," Marin said as she slid the folder over to Clara. "This includes all of the hiring information I already went over with you this morning. The only thing new is an NDA. You'll have to sign that and your official employee contract."

Clara was a bit taken a back . Marin had never mentioned a Non-Disclosure Agreement to her previously. She shot her a questioning look. Marin explained that it was there to protect the identity of her employers as they were clients of YG Ent. Remember what you're here for. 

She swallowed down her  worry and picked up the pen Marin offered her. She signed the documents as instructed and set the pen down with a flourish. 

Marin quickly collected the papers and slipped them in her bag at her feet. "Now that that's done, I'll go file these. I'll return shortly."

Clara watched Marin go and fought not to feel uncomfortable around the two men. They're your new employers. No point being awkward now.

She wrung out her hands before speaking. " When will I get to meet the little one?"

Mr. Lee quirked up an eyebrow and his mouth pulled into a smile. "You already have, Ms. Winslow."

"I'm sorry?"

"You've already meet him, right Jiyong-ah?"

At that, Mr. Kwon lifted up his head and looked Mr. Lee in the eyes. He nodded his head jerkily. Mr. Lee pulled their joined hands out from under the table. In Mr. Kwon's hands was a small action figure. It was missing hand and looked well loved. 

"This is Jiyong-ah. You'll be taking care of him from now on."

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Finally! Clara, Seungri, and Jiyong have all met! I know it was a long ride to get here! Hopefully, things will pick up.  Thank you to everyone who's been reading and voting for my fic! It's been a big support. I just ask one thing: please comment! I'd love to read everyone's opinions!