Lay It All On Me • Chanrosé

3

Halloween was Chanyeol's favorite holiday.

He always took pride in having one of the best costumes at the school. The kids loved it, asking a whole month before to given the hints on what he would this year. Of course, he wouldn't tell. That was the whole part of the fun, seeing their awed faces when they arrived at the schools festival. And this year, he knew for a fact that they would be blown away. Chanyeol had somehow managed to get a hold of someone who owned a pretty legitimate Iron Man costume, it looked almost real.

Since the children weren't allowed to dress up during the day, the school always planned a big festival with games, pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, blow up slides and bounce houses, Principal Jongdae always went all out for this Halloween Fest, as they called it. All the parents and students of all grades came, all dressed up. It was the biggest event for the school, and even in the community, every year.

"Is all your class coming tonight?" Jongdae asked him as they unloaded the bed of a truck filled with pumpkins. Chanyeol was standing in the truck, passing the craving vegetables to Jongdae who loaded them into a wheelbarrow for easy moving.

He leaned up, wiping some of the moisture from his forehead with his arm and peered down at Jongdae. "Yeah I believe so."

"So," Jongdae rose his eyebrows in a smug. Chanyeol knee what was coming next. "Minjee's mother will be coming."

"Yes." Chanyeol nodded, acting as indifferent as he could but efforts weren't going to go unnoticed. "Your point?"

Jongdae scoffed sarcastically, "Oh come on. You know what I'm getting at."

Chanyeol didn't respond, only continuing to move the pumpkins. He knew exactly what Jongdae was getting at. The woman that he couldn't stop thinking about for the last month, admiring her every time she came to pick up Minjee. Park Chaeyoung was, everything.

But he was her daughter's teacher, it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to approach. Chanyeol knew he couldn't just simply watch from afar for the rest of the year, his heart wouldn't be able to take it. There was this pull to her that he couldn't describe to anyone even if he tried.

Over the last month, he had learned a little about the tiny family consisting of Chaeyoung and Minjee. His source coming from Minjee herself. Chanyeol knew that they lived near by, only about 15 minutes away from the school and that her and her mother had a Friday night ritual, watching Disney movies and eating snacks from the convenance store.

The more Chanyeol interacted and connected with Minjee, the more his urge to get to know Chaeyoung grew. He could never stop himself from watching them walk away to their car everyday after school, he wanted so bad to just be around them. It felt so strange, but at the same time it didn't. It felt natural.

Minjee was an amazing little girl, very bright and intuitive for her age. She was polite and kind, though sometimes timid but never stood down from a challenge. Though, Chanyeol didn't want to cross a line. Minjee was his student, he had to make sure he never played favorites or showed extra care for her even though a force within him wanted to.

It was hard not to be fond for the two, they had crawled into his heart so suddenly and unexpectedly.

He lived for the small details he learned or observed about Minjee's beautiful mother. Like how neatly packed and perfect Minjee's lunches were, Chaeyoung was obviously a perfectionist. Or how her eyes turned into the cutest crescent moons when she laughed at something Minjee said when picking her up. The days that Chaeyoung turned to either wave or show him her gorgeous smile had become some of Chanyeol's favorite days.

"I'm afraid to cross the line." He admitted to Jongdae and jumped down from the truck, brushing his dirt dusted hands together.

"If you are worried about your job, I can assure you that it's fine. As your boss, there's nothing against dating." Jongdae explained while they walked the wheelbarrows packed with pumpkins to their home.