Matthew had never been this nervous, his entire life. The whole situation was anxiety-inducing and his eyes with their purple contacts were glued to the screen on the wall before him which had divisions. Each giving live footage of every crook and nook of the evening school.

He was waiting at the principal's office unsure of what was to come.

And no, Matthew was not a teenage boy that misbehaved or pulled a prank on a teacher, waiting to be punished, but a teacher himself.

A teacher who knew that he was about to lose his job. He had seen the red flags. The obvious hints. Yet it was something he was unprepared for.

It was his only way of earning and paying the bills in this unexplored unfamiliar city.

The door suddenly opened making Matthew jump up and the old man who was the headmaster walked in with slow steps after he slightly nodded at Matthew.

"Good evening sir!"

Matthew said bending his head slightly towards the man rubbing his clammy hands on his pants, biting his trembling lips before faking a smile.

And his hopes to make a clean breast out of the situation fled the room as a pen and paper were placed on the table.

"Sign this".
He said.

"What is it?"
Matthew questioned.

"You can resign by signing the papers and we will give you, your salary of two months. Or we can simply fire you. The directors and the parents' association believes that you... you are a bad influence on the children here."

The crow feet on each side of his face deepened as a serious look formed upon the freckled face.

Even the only two hairs on his bald head bent towards Matthew in a threatening manner.

And as the confused American man was about to question the motives behind this, seeing no reason, why showing the tattoo of him and his ex-boyfriend kissing before a pride flag, on the side of his waist {which was a recreation of a real photo he deleted from his phone and an incredibly stupid idea} to a curious boy he was teaching, would get him kicked out, the door opened.

In came a petite slender man with beads like black eyes and short raven hair that was cut into a bowl-like shape. Kim Lee Young, the music teacher with whom he joined whenever he was free. And he had promised to teach Matthew how to play the flute, which was one of the things he was looking forward to.

And now as a jobless man with no money to pay rent whose dignity was stopping him from asking help from his parents back at home or begging for his job from this about-to-kick-the-bucket man, learning the flute was the last thing that was on his mind.

"Sir, can I get the leaving form I requested?"

He asked politely entering the room.

"Sure."
Said the headmaster opening his laptop.

"Mr Holmes, sign the papers and give him the pen. And close the door as you leave."

Matthew sat there dumbstruck as he felt Lee's gaze on himself as he stood next to his seat.

Oh! The embarrassment.
He must be laughing at Matthew in his head.
Oh! The humiliation.
It was hurting his pride.

He couldn't believe how quickly he went from, "about to settle in South Korea" to "about to be homeless on the street."

He imagined himself on a corner of the street on a cold day begging for money as he stood on a streetside pile of garbage.

Pathetic.

  °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

And as an endless maze of problems took over himself, Matthew's feet were glued to the ground before the headmaster's office. But the sound of the door opening threw him up to the ceiling.

"Oh... I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"
Asked Lee smiling.

"Yeah. A little bit."
Said Matthew, his breath shaking, still feeling emotionally unstable from all that happened.

A breakup, a heartbreak and an unfaithful ex were what he left back in America as he came to South Korea, which was his haven for all the years he was suffering. K-drama's and songs, Korean food comforted him more than anything else. They were his form of escapism.

It seemed like a place he could belong and be one with everyone else. Matthew used to feel like it was a missing piece of his life's puzzle.

The fashion, culture, art, music, people and food was something he was dying to be a part of and relive his life. And quite ironically it was killing him now.

He was feeling lost and abandoned like an outcast.

Lee noticed how reluctant the smile he received was and knew the trouble Matthew was in. As his own boyfriend had said once being gay was not "professional enough" for some people.
Especially for elders here in South Korea.

Explains why he kept it a secret from most of the people including his own parents. And when he saw Matthew's tattoo through the thin fabric of his crop top one day and asked about it, he got to know about Matthew's sexuality and opened up about his own.

__________________

"Hay! Matthew, if you feel like it why don't you come live with me? It will save you money! Think of it as a help from a friend."

Matthew could not believe his ears. It was very generous of Lee to do so.

"Are you sure? I'd be bothering... "
Asked the hopeless man with a shaky voice.

"Of course not! Pack your things and meet me at seven at "Star cafe" if you like the idea. It's okay you are not alone! "

Struck by his kind-hearted words Matthew hugged him tight before letting go.

"I love you, Lee... You are a great friend"
 
Matthew thought as he watched Lee walking away. The man that showed him some love for the first time after he stepped into Seoul.

[993 words]