Anything & Everything || SHORT STORY COLLECTION

The Set-Up || Namjoon/RM (BTS): PART ONE

Synopsis: single father Namjoon has a nine-year old who believes that he needs a new mommy. And he already has a good idea as to whom he'd like: his primary school teacher

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"What do you think of Miss Xiao?"

Namjoon almost did a double-take. Turning to look at his son from the corner of his eye as he kept a good look on the eggs he was currently frying atop the stove, he asked, "Miss Xiao? As in, your grade teacher?"

Daejung blinked back at him, totally unfazed by what had just sprouted out of his mouth.

"Uhm," Namjoon racked his brains in search of something to say. Where in the world had that come from?

It wasn't something totally out of the blue. Daejung was used to finding the most random questions to throw at his father and sometimes, Namjoon wondered whether his son did that just to spite him or make him run around in circles. He was only nine, but was smarter beyond his years and seeing his lack of motivation to hang out with kids his age had proven that. Namjoon had gotten regular remarks from the teachers about Daejung's inability to adapt too well, always finding him alone with a faraway look in his eyes and entertaining himself with his own company. While Namjoon thought it wasn't a problem at all, everyone else seemed to think so, had even asked whether Daejung wanted to start seeing a counsellor as he might have some deeply buried secrets that was weighing down on his heart.

But having been treated the same way as Daejung was now, Namjoon understood that his son was definitely not problematic. No, his son was just a normal kid like any other. He was just quieter by nature, more comfortable to get lost in his thoughts. And plus, if that wasn't enough, the circumstances that life had thrown their way hadn't gone by unnoticed by the small boy either.

Daejung's mother had left them when he was five, not big enough to understand why, but old enough to feel the sense of loss that had accompanied her departure. But Daejung had never asked why she left and Namjoon had never delved into the details. He just hadn't wanted to hurt Daejung more than he had to.

So it was quite a surprise to hear Daejung's verbal inquiry on how his single father found his grade teacher, one that Namjoon didn't really know how to answer.

"Why do you ask?" Namjoon slid the eggs off the pan to place them on a plate, one for each of them, while Daejung popped the two slices of toast out of the toaster and offered one to his father.

"Just curious," Daejung shrugged in a manner that seemed dismissive, except his father knew he wasn't. It wasn't in his nature to ask about such things, much less the fact that Daejung had never probed his nose into his father's love life.

Namjoon passed him a piece of buttered toast that he nibbled on happily, poking his egg yolk open with his fork, "so what do you think of her? isn't she pretty?" he said through a mouthful.

Namjoon chuckled before flicking his forehead lightly, "what did I say about talking with your mouth full?"

"Sorry," Daejung washed it down with some orange juice, watching as his father dug into his own breakfast, "So? What do you think? She doesn't have a husband yet!"

"And how would you know that?"

"She told me, dad! Look, I can even ask her on a date for you if you want."