Without saying anything or reacting to my presence, she steps away and heads towards the bathroom.

Why is she not surprised to see me here?

I bring my drink down to close it and put it back in the fridge, and I ignore what she did to make my way to Mister Jeon's office.

I knock on the door to not burst into the room and have no manners, and once I hear him speak, I go in.

'JUNGKOOK'S P.O.V'

"Good morning," I smile at her and put my glasses back on. "Good morning. How are you doing today?" she softly asks but bows to me, so I quickly tell her not to. "Hey, no. Don't do that. You don't have to bow to me anymore."

"Are you sure?" she comes closer to stand near my desk, and I affirm. "Yes."

"Okay," she does not say anything about it, and my eyes remain on her, waiting for her to tell me what made her come. "I...I was wondering, have you said anything to my stepmom about me being here?"

"Yes, I warned her that you came early in the morning so that you didn't have to explain yourself," I explain so that she knows, and she shows comprehension, but also what looks like relief. "Oh, alright. I was surprised to see her not react at all, so I was a bit nervous."

"No need to be nervous or worried, I'm here," I reassure her, holding my hands together and toying with the ring she gave me. This is now even more obvious that what her mother does or thinks is nerve-wracking for her.

"Does that mean you protect me?" she does not seem to take me seriously, so I nod.  "I do. I'll always try my best for you."

"Thank you," she gazes down and intertwines her hands behind her back, displaying some shyness. I smile at this adorable instinctive response, but Harin comes back in without knocking. Y/n instantly darts her eyes up to her, and her smile fades away.

"Jungkook, can I show you something I've been working on?" she uses her phone while coming up to me. "Sure," I agree out of kindness, and she stands right next to me, puts her phone down on the desk, and she drags my attention to it.

The sketches of a dress.

"I wanted a man's point of view and thought you'd be the best for it," she flatters me, and I smile but take a closer look at this work. "Well, to me, it is elegant but sexy at the same time. I'd find this gorgeous on a woman."

"What body type?" she hopes for me to describe more, and I bring one hand up to my mouth to rub my bottom lip. "Uhm. It doesn't matter. It should be for any body type so that every woman can feel confident in it."

"I'll work on that then," she tells me good news, and I give her more details. "Like, for curvy woman, you could maybe make it a little longer since they often complain about the fact that it rides up," I give her ideas, hoping for her and y/n to not believe I am an expert with women. "Or for women with large breasts, you could change the neck because it might feel uncomfortable and way more revealing than for the ones with a smaller chest, I don't know."

"Sure, I'll totally work on this. You have amazing advices," she smiles at me, and I do the same but take a peek at y/n, who is remaining silent since her stepmother entered the room.

"You should take a break," Harin runs her fingers through my hair to pull them back. "You need energy to handle your students, so don't let any stress overwhelm and drain you," she brushes her thumb over my cheek, so I agree but set my eyes on y/n once more. "You can wait for me in the kitchen if you want, I'll soon cook lunch," I speak to her so that she does not feel left out or in the way, and she lets a delicate 'Okay' out before leaving.

Once she closes the door, I grab my phone to read my son's text but feel Harin's stare on me.

< I'm trying to restore his laptop because this dumbass got a virus ]

[ I wonder how >

< lmaoo ]

"Have you solved the issue with Hyunae?" she brings this student once more, so I put my phone down and lean back on my chair to gaze up at her. "Not really. She's still pretty inappropriate. Despite what I told her, she doesn't seem to understand."

"Really? What has she done?" she asks, always trying to know what happens with my female students. "I often catch her giving me a sort of flirty look, I cannot explain, but she loves to have my attention. Whichever way she gets it, it doesn't matter to her, she just wants me to give her all my attention."

"It doesn't go too far, right? She doesn't say anything wrong, does she?" she straightens her back and crosses her arms, but sits on the edge of my desk, exposing the inside of her mini skirt with the position she is in. "She does. She often pretends to call me daddy by accident. She loves to bump into me when I'm behind her. All types of stuff that makes me uncomfortable and mad."

"I think you should talk to the director or something, you cannot deal with that any longer," she advises me with an argument I already thought about many times, and I shake my head. "This is not a good idea. It already happened, and I fear that, one day, this might come back to bite me. The parents could accuse me of being the one provoking or causing that behavior their daughter has. I don't want to lose my job, so I'd rather not bring attention to that and risk the worst."

"But you can't let her do that, she's harassing you," she feigns care when she did not do any better these last two days. "I know, but who do you think they're going to believe? A thirty-nine years old man who complains about his young female students who are flirting with him? Or those young female students who flirt with their teacher but then claim to be the victim of sexual harassment that no one wants to talk about?"

She stares at me and remains quiet for a few seconds, proving me right. "I know...but still, if they have no proof of any harassment or grooming?"

"People don't need proofs. If they hear a young girl complain about inappropriate touches and comments that are given by their thirty-nine years old teacher, they will never defend me because I'm the man, and they'll always side with the young and vulnerable one. I mean, I understand it, but when you're in that situation, you don't see it the same way anymore."

"Yeah, I know...It's complicated," she heaves a sigh, putting herself in my shoes and understanding. "But what do you say or do when she acts that way?"

"I ignore her now. If she asks a question that is about the lesson, I answer like I would do it with another student, but if she is flirting and trying to make the whole class laugh, I do not show any amusement or reaction, I tell her not to do or say that because this is wrong," I peek down at my phone screen to check what time it is. "But anyway," I grab it and stand up, not forgetting what I said to y/n. "I need to cook lunch."

"Yes, I'm joining you then," she smiles and goes away from my desk, so I lead her outside of the room and walk up to y/n, who is leaning back on the kitchen counter. As soon as she hears me coming back, she raises her eyes up from her phone and looks at me. I smile at her, and she does the same.

"You really waited here on this spot this whole time?" I put my device next to her, and she nods, focusing on me now that I am here. "What do you want to eat for lunch? You're the one picking today since Joonha is not here."

"I don't know," she gazes down and grips the rim of the counter behind her. "Are you craving something?" she asks me, and I cannot hold back from telling the truth. "Fried eggs."

"Then let's eat fried eggs," she picks based on my cravings, so I agree with this idea and start the cooking. I wash my hands and get the eggs, but cannot choose what will go with them. "Do you want some toasted bread?" I ask her as she was watching me, and she nods to me.

•••

12:10 pm.

The door gets unlocked as I put the dishes down on the table, and Choco runs to Joonha. "Finally," I smile at him. "We were about to eat without you."

"You're so mean, I'm starving," he takes his shoes off in a hurry after pecking our puppy's head, and I chuckle at him but sit down in front of y/n. While he is going in the bathroom to wash his hands, I tell y/n and Harin to not wait to dig in, but contrary to usual, y/n does not seem eager to eat.

Harin does not have a problem though, but y/n is obviously not comfortable next to her.

Before I could say anything, Joonha joins us and sits down by my side, and he takes the first bite right away, so I do so.

"How was it over there? Have you been able to restore it?" I question him about his day since he spent a few hours at his best friend's house, and he nods. "Yeah, but the thing is that when his computer crashed, he was watching something, so when I turned it on, the video was on full blast, so his mom burst in," he scoffs, avoiding some details in front of the two women that are with us, to my greatest relief. "I guess that's the video that gave him a virus?"

"Yes," he laughs and causes me to let out a chortle, both knowing what this means. "Gosh," I peek down at my dish to grab my toast and bite into it. "Eat, y/n," Joonha tells her, not holding back from doing it with Harin around, but she shakes her head and smiles at him.

"She's on a diet, don't worry," Harin answers for her, making me fear that Joonha might go a bit too far at some point. I know him, he might lose his temper. "But she doesn't need to. Don't starve, y/n. It's not good."

"I'll get her some soup for dinner, she's only skipping this meal. Don't pressure her, please," she forces a smile I have never seen before on her face, so I check up on y/n but notice some discomfort in her body language. "How is that pressuring? I'm telling her to take care of herself. She hasn't eaten anything yet, so she needs to. I don't want her to faint."

"She's not going to faint because of one meal, no worries about that. She has enough reserves to draw on," she glances at y/n and chuckles as if this was a joke to her. "What the fuck does that mean?" Joonha already loses his composure, so I kick him under the table, but he does not care at all. "She wants to lose weight, so stop bothering her about what she does."

"She's obviously not the one bothered—"

"It's fine, Joonha," y/n quietens him, calming him down better than I do. He heaves a sharp sigh. "Can I eat in my room, dad?"

"Yes," I do not refuse, knowing the reason for him to ask this, and he stands up with his dish in his hand. "Come with me, y/n. I want to talk to you in private."

Y/n does not leave right away but gazes at me, and I understand what this look means, so I tell her she can go without her asking.

"Thank you," she smiles and rises to go and head upstairs with my son. I wait for them to be up the stairs, and when I am sure that I am alone with Harin, I look up at her and cannot keep quiet. "I don't want to sound disrespectful, Harin, but I think you should be a little careful with the words you use when you talk about diets or her body..."

"Did I say anything wrong?" she does not realize how hurtful it can be for a young woman like y/n. "I...Yes, kind of. She's a delicate and endearing woman who seems to be a bit self-conscious, and I'm not lecturing you or calling your way of parenting into question, but it can cause a lot of damage to her and her body image."

She glances down as if she was only aware of it now. "I sometimes don't realize how my words can be taken...I'm sorry, it's been very difficult lately. I'm not going to lie, I do not really know how to talk to her."

"It's alright, I made mistake as a father as well. Just try to compliment her and encourage her instead," I advise her, even though I have never had a daughter. "Asking her why she wants to be on a diet and explaining to her what is good or bad for herself could help a lot."

"I'll try to follow these tips," she smiles at me, seeming more bothered. "You seem so much better than I am, I would like to be a good parent as well, but it kinda caught me off guard when she came into my life with my ex-husband. She was already old enough to have her own opinion, her own fears, and assumptions about me, so it's not always easy as a stepmother."

"I understand you," I do not show any negativity, attempting to be helpful and here to listen to her. I do have to admit that being a parent is very difficult, especially when you are single. "But anyway, your food is amazing. It tastes so good."

"I'm glad you love it," I feel some relief, and she gives me a soft look.

•••

4:20 pm.

"Mister Jeon?" the sweet voice I did not expect to hear startles me as I was reading and smoking in the quietness. I take my cigarette away from my lips and look up at y/n while slightly moving on the swinging bench. "Yes?"

"Am I bothering?" she steps closer to me, shyly. I tap the ashes off and nod. "You are, y/n," I joke with her, but her reaction makes me quickly react to reassure her. "I'm teasing you, sweetheart. You know you'll never bother me. What's wrong?"

"Well, I don't want to talk to you anymore now," she turns around to retrace her steps, and I laugh but hurry to stop her. "Come back here right now," my order brings her back near me, and we both make eye contact while she is walking up to me. "Tell me," I close my book, and she sits down by my side. "Joonha asked me to stay here for the week because of my mom who will be there, are you okay with it?"

"Sure, I am," I do not hesitate, and the joy gets expressed by her features. "Dad?" the one who was mentioned peeks over the open door, so I focus on him. "Can you remind me the password for the wifi?"

I tell him, knowing by heart now. "Okay, thanks," he already leaves, so I set my eyes back on y/n. "Was it alright last night?"

"Last night?" she does not get the meaning of this question, making me smile and clear it up. "Yes, in his bed, with him."

"Oh, yes it was. He was very careful, but he made fun of me in the morning," she leans back, shyly glancing down at her thighs and drifting my eyes towards them. "Why did he?"

"Apparently, I was very clingy, and I was always rolling over and sticking to him like glue," she traps her hands between her thick thighs, and I cannot help smiling. "That's adorable. I'm pretty sure he didn't mind at all. Don't worry."

"I hope, otherwise, he won't ever let me sleep near him again," she does not know my son enough to not realize she is wrong, but I keep quiet about it and take a drag on my cigarette. "By the way, did you sleep well last night?" she asks, and I nod. "I did. I had a good night, and I guess that you did too," I tease her about it, and she quietly laughs. "I did."

"Good," I stub my cigarette out and breathe the smoke out, but at the thought of something, I speak up. "Also, I was curious about something," I turn my head towards her. "Why did you run away after kissing me yesterday?" I stare into her eyes, expecting her body to show some nervousness. "I...I did not run away... What do you mean?" she pretends, cutely. "Sure, of course."

"Of course, yes. I left because I wanted to make sure Joonha and you would be alone, that's all," she tells me a lie that could have worked if I did not already know the truth. "I see, you're lying to me. I'm not going to be kind to you anymore."

"Alright, I take back what I said," she changes her mind now that I used the right threat, and I show some satisfaction. "I was shy. That's why."

"Why were you? There's no need to be shy with me," I pretend to not know the reason, and she shrugs. "I don't know."

"Oh, you don't know," I nod, staring at her while she is completely avoiding me. "That's another lie, sweetheart. You're disappointing me..." I sigh, not meaning any of my words but teasing this adorable woman. "No...! Don't say that, Mister Jeon, I know you're lying too," she giggles out of fluster and holds my forearm with her hand. "Sometimes the truth cannot be said, okay? Be a bit lenient toward me. You're playing with me because you know how I feel, that's mean."

"I don't know," I shake my head, and she brushes her fingers away from my sensitive forearm. The feeling this type of touch gives me on this right spot is terribly wrong in this situation. "Wow. So you're lying too now."

"No. I'm telling the truth. I know I make you nervous, for some reason, but that doesn't mean I know how I make you feel," I spur her to tell me, seeing through her body language how jittery it makes her. "That doesn't make sense, Mister Jeon."

I laugh at this remark, agreeing that she is right. "Anyway, it's soon your birthday, right?" she attempts to drift to another topic, but I do not let this happen. "Don't try to change the subject," I smile at her, loving the soft layer of rose that always tints only her cheekbones when she is blushing. "I'm not..."

She is so cute. I cannot even take my eyes off of her, her reaction, her expression, her eyes, they always make my heart melt.

The eye contact lasting for too long, her lips curve up, and she glances down to toy with the bottom of her red sundress full of small white cherries. I smile at her, and she raises her chin again to lock eyes with me.

"Is your tan natural?" she asks a random question and looks down at my neck, and I nod. "It is. I easily get a tan."

"How long do you have to expose your skin to the sun to be like that?" she gazes down at my forearms this time, seeming very curious. "I don't know, to be honest. Maybe two days at the beach would be enough, but since I work a lot, I make sure to do it during the weekend, I apply the products needed, and I stay for around two hours under the sun."

"Oh, I see," she does not ask any more questions, so I do it to have my turn. "Are you in need of vitamin D?" I chuckle, but the look into her eyes expresses a feeling of surprise, so I clarify the meaning of this. "I never see you expose your skin to the sunlight, that's why I ask."

"Well, I love the sun but not when it's too hot, so in the summer, I avoid it most of the time," she confirms my thoughts. "I noticed that."

"I easily get hot as well and sweat, so I'm like a vampire in summer," she reminds me of what we talked about in my car a few days ago. "Unless I'm next to my pool and can dive in it, but I'm still going to end up with a headache, so I love to be in the shade more."

"Oh, that must be annoying. Does that mean that you cannot spend a day at the beach without having a headache?" I feel pity for her since the sun hitting your skin always brings something very pleasant, something like a boost of well-being. "Yes."

"Geez, you won't ever come with us if Joonha and I go to the beach then?" I look down at the chain around her neck that she fixed, and she tilts her head. "Well...I would bring a sunshade in this case, but I wouldn't miss such an opportunity to be with you."

"Ah, of course," I laugh since I expected her to find a solution for this one. "But sometimes I like to be in the sun, that's why. Like today, it's not that hot, and the wind is a bit cold, so it would feel good to lie under the sun then go in the pool."

"If you want and have a swimsuit or something, you can get in the pool here," I point my finger in the direction of it, right on the left behind the bushes. "I don't have one, but I love to be alone when I'm in the pool so that nobody sees me."

"Hm, I understand," I show her that I know what she means. "If you want to sunbathe then there is a small ray of sunlight right behind you," I notice the light shining on the bench, and she turns around to check it. "Wow. That's really the right spot made just for me," she lies down to put her face in the sun. "You can put your legs over mine if you want," I suggest her to do since she is obviously not in a comfortable position at all, and she looks down to lift her legs up, so I spread mine and carefully place both of hers over my right thigh.

"Here you are," I rest my hand on my crotch to make sure I do not touch her. "Thank you," she closes her eyes, not minding this closeness. I do not say anything but let her enjoy this soothing moment, and I find myself looking at her for much longer than I should, so I make up my mind and grab my book to go back to where I was and continue reading.

I hold it up so that my skin is not in contact with hers, and I slide my left hand into a pocket of my trousers.

"Are you uncomfortable?" she speaks, drifting my eyes towards her. "I'm not. Why?"

"The way you're holding your book..." she mentions it, so I do not tell a lie or avoid the matter. "I just want to respect the boundaries. I wouldn't want you to believe I'm a pervert."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I know you, so you can touch me, I'm okay with it. It's not like you're groping me or anything," she gives me permission, showing me she erased all the boundaries between us. Once she closes her eyes again, I lower my arms and rest one on her thigh.

"Do you know where my mom went?" she finally brings this up after what felt like an eternity, and I answer her with what I have been told. "She said she received a call and had to leave for a few minutes. It was an emergency, apparently."

"Hm," she does not give any response to it as if she did not care, so I do not go any further and leave her alone with this.

20 minutes later...

The end of a chapter coming, I read the last words with a lot of focus and turn the page, but a soft sound coming from y/n, and a movement of her legs force me to check on her.

She is sleeping, unsurprisingly. No matter what, I have not forgotten what Joonha told me about the other day when he described what he saw happening in his room. She does not seem scared or nervous at all, so I do not worry too much but still keep my attention on her.

Her legs move again, and they lean towards me, but she lifts only the closest one up and causes some friction. Then, some wind suddenly blows a little too hard and the bottom of her dress flies up. Her mind not being conscious enough for her to react to it, I avert my eyes from her underwear and grab, as discreetly as possible, the fabric to put it back properly.

Once it is covering what it has to, I lay my arm over it and make sure this will not move again, but she does not stay still. I feel her thighs clench, so I rub my thumb over her skin, not knowing what she is dreaming of, but I hear someone open the sliding door. I make fast to bring my arm back towards my body to not touch her anymore, and Harin joins.

"Hey," I clear my throat and smile, but she fakes one. "Hey. What is happening? Is she feeling sick?"