Life Lessons [Park Jimin]

Chapter 3

Yeji

For the first time today, I actually find myself engaged in class instead of reluctantly taking notes while daydreaming out the window or watching Jungkook.

It's mostly because it's Math, but also partially due to the pretty voice that's teaching it.

For Math, most people just memorize the formulas and tune out for the rest, but I love learning the derivations. It's like a big puzzle, connecting pieces from elementary math into something more complex. It's so satisfying watching it all come together.

I'm really pleased that Mr. Park is taking the time to explain it all thoroughly. Most teachers gloss over the proofs so I end up needing to read the textbook or look it up to understand it fully.

I'm actually a little upset when class ends. I get up, packing my stuff.

"Seo Yeji?" I hear a soft voice call out over the noise of everyone leaving.

"Yes Mr. Park?" I say, a little confused. It's the first time he has addressed me specifically. He didn't call on me for any of his questions so he doesn't actually know who I am yet.

"Ah," he says when he sees me. "Could you stay for a second after class?" he asks.

"Uh, sure," I agree, curious about what he has to say.

"Actually Mr. Park, we have to go to detention," Jungkook pipes up from beside me.

I let out a groan. I completely forgot.

When I face Mr. Park again, he looks a little surprised, but quickly recovers.

"That's fine. I'll be here for a while. Could you come by after?" he asks.

"Yeah, I can do that," I say, bowing before scurrying out of the classroom. Jungkook comes out a few seconds later.

"Yah, why'd you do that!" I scold, hitting his chest. He laughs, catching my hand in his, making me blush a little.

"Should I have let you show up late to detention? Then you would just get another detention. Are you turning into a habitual offender? You don't seem the type," he teases.

I pull my hand away, turning to walk to the room for detention. Jungkook walks beside me.

"You could have made up a different excuse. Now Mr. Park thinks I'm a bad kid," I whine.

"Aren't you though? I mean, you did earn detention after all," he laughs.

"I've never gotten into trouble before," I frown, still upset about the blemish on my perfect record.

"I believe it. But still, why do you care about what Mr. Park thinks of you? Are you crushing on him like all the other girls were?" he says in a joking tone, but I am almost positive there is a hint of jealousy too.

"What? No, gross. He's my teacher. I just really like Math. I don't want the Math teacher to hate me," I tell him honestly.

"You're such a nerd," he laughs, nudging me with his shoulder.

"Whatever," I chuckle as we walk into the detention room.

"It's the first day and you two are already off to a bad start. I hope you use this time to reflect and change your ways for the rest of the school year," the teacher assigned to detention scolds us.

"Yes ma'am," Jungkook says, skipping over to his seat. I bow quickly before following him.

Since we aren't allowed to talk, I use most of the time to start working on my homework. I finish the English worksheets really quickly and then read the assigned chapters for History and Chemistry.