⊱┊ғɪʀsᴛ ᴇɴᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇʀ ༊*·˚

It's been three days since Jungkook started working in the kindergarten and to tell you the absolute truth: he fucking abhors it there.

Every single minute, he has to be there.

For four hours, now the fifth, he either had to watch over children in the courtyard with another teacher, clean up toys after the kids had played or to come to his favourite job: approaching kids—or to phrase it differently: 'trying to become friends with the kids', as the teachers had said.

Let me tell you how it went: anything but good. It was easier said than done. The first time he was told by a teacher to approach a child he wanted to curse and rip his head off. Of course, the teacher would keep an eye on him while doing the required task. Resulting in him having no other choice than to approach some stupid kid. But how hard can it be, right?

Well... not even five seconds after he approached a girl, he saw her eyes widen, filled with a hint of fear before she ran away.

The second time was not much different apart from the fact that he managed to bring out a whisper before the kid ran away.

'Ughhh... What was he doing wrong?!'

That's what he should be asking himself. But instead, every time a kid fled from him, a barely existible smile hung off of his lips. Jungkook was glad that they ran away so he wouldn't have to interact with them.

Proceeding with the days, his duties didn't change much, deliberating the fact that he is only there for three days a week and two hours a day. Mostly in the afternoon, when the children had already eaten their lunch and had taken a nap.

Today, though, seems to be a different day. It's Friday and by the time he arrives at the place, it appears that half of the children have already been picked up by their parents, relatives or whatever. There are no curious or running kids in the hallway or at the glass door of the entrance, halting in their steps to press their little forehead against the cold pane to look out for a person that might enter.

Sighing, he tightens his hold on the straps of his black bag and scans the entryway for anyone before he heads in with heavy steps. The sound of black boots hitting the ground resonates strongly in the empty hallway. He can feel his mood shifting right as he's about to turn around the corner and a crying girl crashes into him. The said girl was holding her hands in front of her face as she ran, paying no mind to who or what was in her way until she eventually made contact with Jungkook's legs.

You've got to be kidding me. That's already the second time that this has happened.

"Layla!" Jungkook hears someone call and straightens up. He then glances down at the sobbing girl who clings to his leg before he takes a look around to where the stressed sounding voice comes from. Not even a second later, a woman with shoulder-long brown hair, who appears to be in her mid-thirties, steps from a group room with a small backpack in one hand and a blue jacket in the other. Distress and shock are plainly written all over her face as she meets Jungkook's eyes.

"I'm so sorry about that," her voice now calmer, once she strides towards him.

Jungkook opens his mouth to say it's okay but she beats him to it. "Layla, baby, come here. I know that you weren't done playing and I'm sorry that I had to shorten your fun time. But we have to go now otherwise we can't decorate for your birthday. You wanted to have a nice birthday with your friends tomorrow, didn't you?"

Thereupon, the girl - Layla -, lifts her head for the first time since she ran into Jungkook. Her rosy cheeks are stained with tears and her hands still clutching onto the fabric of Jungkook's pants as she dares to glance up and gently nods. Jungkook almost lets the word cute slip from his mouth. Keyword: almost.

"See, sweetheart? And for that, we need to go shopping early. I came as soon as I could from work so we could have enough time to plan everything. Now come or I will have to go without you."

"Nooo, don't gwo, please. Mummi don't go~" She's still crying the moment she lets go of Jungkook's pants and trots towards her mum. It then appears to Jungkook that she must have not even noticed to whom she just clung to. A person many kids are scared of. He's positive she would have been afraid like the rest of the children. The male lets out a deep breath that he didn't realise he was holding and catches the attention of the mother once again.

Their gazes are meeting each other and Jungkook can see thankfulness and something else flickering in her eyes that he can't decipher. It leaves him tense for a brief time, not knowing how to react. Should he just go? Is she about to say something? Is he supposed to say something?

Thank you, she mouths. Jungkook is perplexed, to say the least. Thank you? What for? All he did was stand there, not moving a muscle. He was too overtaxed and stunned to react to the situation. The male studies her for a fleeting moment, watching how a soft smile builds upon her lips and how she takes her daughter into her arms.

It makes a small part of him feel sort of envious of the attention and love that the girl seems to receive. He has to bite back a remark at seeing the scene, but nods firmly and turns his back to them, making his way to the corresponding group room to which he's allotted to.

Upon entering, he's greeted by the sight of two kids gazing brightly at the fishes in the aquarium and two kids drawing in colouring books. With a deep breath, he lets himself collapse on a chair that is way too small for his body size and suppresses the urge to tilt his head back and groan.

"Hello, Jungkook."

Hoseok, one of the teachers, suddenly emerges from the neighbouring yoga room, startling Jungkook with the sudden greeting. The latter musters how the elder male places a plastic box into the cupboard and then turns to a child who needs some help, while always having this bright and happy aura on him that never seems to disappear. Jungkook wonders how a person can always be so happy when they are working, particularly with children.

It must be fake at some point, mustn't it?!

"At the moment there's nothing for you to do. As you can see today there are only four children left to get picked up. I suggest you go and ask in the other rooms whether they have something they can give you to do." No matter how many times Hoseok begins a sentence with the words I suggest Jungkook knows it is meant in a way of a request, not a suggestion.

There's nothing else to do other than to take his things and head straight towards the other rooms.

"I guess there are no tasks for you in the room you come from?" comes a teacher's voice as he makes his way towards Jungkook, having noticed someone standing in the door frame.

What was his name again? Yejun? Yujun? For Jungkook, there have been too many teachers and too few days to recall all the names. Not that he wanted to, anyway.

Jungkook looks up from where he is standing and nods at the teacher's question, settling his bag and jacket to the side. "Do you want a cup of coffee or a glass of water?"

Jungkook blinks twice at the friendliness in his voice but doesn't budge. He admits, it surprises him to a certain extent. Not every teacher speaks to him like this.

"No, thank you," he answers and shakes his head lightly, shifting his head to the open connection doors allowing the children to walk freely in the two rooms.

"Alright then, I am going to make one quickly and come back. If there's anything, Lucia should be here somewhere. I will trust you that nothing will happen while I am gone." The brown-haired male throws a sharp glance at Jungkook and leaves the room, giving the high school student an opportunity to prove himself.

He runs a hand over his face and exhales deeply as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

There's a gut feeling, dwelling right in the pits of his stomach, that this day is either going to be the most boring two hours of his life or something is going to happen. He can't quite decide what it will be.

Not really knowing what to do with the time he's there, he sees a boy sitting all by himself, drawing what he assumes from the distance are animals.

"What's your name?"

The boy flinches, not expecting someone to come near him. It makes him scared and he takes a step back, gnawing on his bottom lip as his eyes are directed towards the floor.

He shakes his head and wants to take another step, away from the person he doesn't know but the voice of the scary person cuts him off,

"I'm Jungkook and you?"

Jungkook sees how the boy grips his pencil in his tiny hands, taking another step back towards the glass windows as silence fills the room. The silence is so quiet he could even hear a pin drop. And even though there are other children playing in the neighbouring room it is like there is just him and the child right at that moment.

He doesn't know where to start, nor does he know what to do or what's right and wrong. The boy doesn't look older than 3 years old. Contemplating and imagining different possibilities and scenarios, he decides to swallow his pride and dares to take another step towards the child, then squatting down in hope that he may not look as intimidating as before.

There's just something about the kid that appears to be different from the others. May it be the way he's not running away or the way he won't meet Jungkook's eyes and gnaws at his bottom lip. Something about the boy seems to be different.

"I-" he starts, causing the little boy to jolt.

Jungkook, get it together!

"I'm sorry if I scared you or surprised you. That was not my intention, little one. I saw you drawing something. Are you going to tell or show me what it is?"

The elder is assaying his best to talk in a soft voice. Jungkook can't hold back a smile that reveals contentment and to mentally pat his shoulder at seeing that his voice must have done the trick. The boy loses his grasp and slowly and very gingerly raises his head to muster the elder male sitting merely a metre away from him.

Jungkook let a gentle 'hi' fall from his mouth. He sees how the boy's brown orbs widen and carefully observes every gesture that Jungkook makes.

God... what is happening with him?! Why's he suddenly getting so soft? And did he just apologise and smile at a child?!

Carefully, the little boy takes his drawing in his hand, shifting his gaze between the drawing and Jungkook. The latter feels some kind of relief and pride washing over him as the little one eventually takes a hesitant step towards him and turns the drawing for Jungkook to fully see.

Jungkook would be lying if he said he wouldn't be nervous about fucking this up and letting whatever is happening right now slip through his fingers. It's the first time a toddler isn't scared of him, doesn't run away and in some way they communicate with another-

"Ah! I see you got to know our little Minjun." The teacher from earlier enters the room and chuckles. He sets down a cup of coffee on a small table across from them and some papers he held in his other hand just now. "He is quite shy, you must know, I think I've never heard him talk before."

The unexpected voice startles Minjun, quickly taking back his drawing and stepping back behind the table at which he sat.

Jungkook mentally curses and rolls his eyes. Why does he feel like he's standing again at the beginning? If the teacher hadn't walked into the room, the boy wouldn't have put distance between them. He grits his teeth, holding back from ordering the teacher out of the room.

But wait—Why the hell does he care?!

The realisation hits him like a bucket of iced water, causing him to gulp hardly at the building lump in his throat. There's something intriguing about the boy and he wants to find out what it is.

What is it that makes him so different from the other children? Why is he so quiet and not playing with the others?

Jungkook is confident to find it out. 

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