Mr. Byun smiled as he looked at the picture on his staff room desk. Twelve boys smiling into the camera. It had been taken years ago, although he could remember it as if it had taken place just yesterday. He remembered it as one his happiest days. The time he spent with his best friends whom he'd gained all thanks to one simple exercise they'd done back in school. He'd always been thankful to his homeroom teacher for that and now that he, himself was a teacher, he wanted to be able to be that someone for his own students as well.

He stood up, abruptly but full of purpose as he heard the bell go, signalling the beginning of his class. 

He grabbed his things and went to his homeroom class, determined to conduct the same exercise he'd done with his own classmates years ago.

 
"Good morning, class." He smiled, brightly as always.
 

"Good morning, Mr. Byun!" his students chorused, not in a monotonous way but in a happy way.   

"Mr. Byun! Mr. Byun! Can we not study today? The weather's too good..." Jackson, the troublemaker of the class said in a whiny tone, acting cute to get his teacher to accept his request. 

The rest of the class, with the exception of a few back benchers, made no attempts to back Jackson up.

Normally, the homeroom teacher would shake his head at his little trouble maker, laugh it off and go on with his lesson. But, this time he just smiled at the boy and nodded.

"Okay...I think we can take a break from studies today." he said.

Jackson's mouth flung wide open at that. Not just him. The entire class was taken aback. But they were glad, non the less. They mentally thanked Jackson for that.

"But on the condition that you guys do a simple non academic exercise with me..." the class mentally groaned at that. (okay...maybe some groaned loudly...Jackson, probably the loudest) "Do you guys agree to this condition? Or we could go back to algebra if you want..."

"We love exercises, Mr.Byun!" Kunpimook, the cutie of the class cheered, before anyone could even reply.

Mr. Byun almost squealed at the cuteness of the boy. Almost.

"Good to know, Bambam." he smiled. The boy insisted that he called him that since his real name was too difficult to say.

"Way to go, Bambam." a giant boy, sitting behind the said boy, muttered.

"Yugyeom-ah would you come like to come out and take these papers and distribute them amongst your friends?" Mr. Byun called the giant boy from earlier.

The boy seemed flustered at being called so randomly. But he got up, not wanting to make a bad impression on his teacher.

After all papers were distributed, the young teacher let his students list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

He then told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, Mr. Byun wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. He doubled in laughter as he read some of them.

******
Jimin, you got no jams. But you good.
-Namjoon

Jinki-hyung, your obsession with chicken is just...epic. Period.
-Taeminnie

Bambam, I like how you always try to do aegyo to get your way with people...(not)
Anyway...u know I love you (eww) regardless of what I say.
-Yugyeom

Mark, you're pretty. Like a girl. lololol.
-Jackson

Mr.Byun you're an okay teacher...but a really awesome dude and maybe the only teacher who understands me. Thanks for always saving my rear :P
(sorry...just needed to let you know, sir!)
-Jackson Wang
 

*********

On Monday he gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling.

'Really?' he heard their whispers. 

'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' 

'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. He never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

********

Several years later, one of the students who had become a fighter pilot, was killed in an air crash and Mr. Byun attended the funeral of that special student.

The special student happened to be the one and only, Jackson Wang, the cause of Mr. Byun's so called "early wrinkles". But also the cause of his pride and joy whenever he'd think back to his days as their teacher.

He had never attended the Funeral of a serviceman before, a serviceman of China non the less. He looked so handsome, so mature. Yet, the hint of his childish playfulness was still there. Who would've thought that the little troublemaker of his class would become the nation's hero someday.

The place was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk. The teacher was the last one to bless .

As he stood there, one of the pilots who acted as pallbearer came up to him. 

"Were you Wang Jia er's homeroom teacher?" he asked. 

Mr. Byun nodded, "Yes, I was." 

"Jia Jia talked about you a lot." the guy said, smiling.

After the funeral, most of Jackson's former classmates were there. Jackson's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

"We want to show you something, Byun-sosaengnim." his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket "They found this on Jackson, when he was killed. We thought you might recognise it..."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and re-folded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which he had listed all the good things each of Jackson's classmates had said about him.

"Thankyou you so much for doing that," Jackson's mother said. "As you can see, our Jia Jia treasured it...and in a way...it helped him become what he is today...a hero."

All of Jackson's former classmates started to gather around.

Bambam smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."

Mark said, "I put mine in my trophy room along with my basketball trophies.."

Yugyeom snorted at that.

"Mark-hyung...you just wanna show off your basketball trophies, don't you?" He said, eyeing the elder.

"Why you little.." Mark said, pulling the still "giant" younger boy into a headlock.

"I have mine too!" Jinyoung said. "It's in my diary!"

"You keep a diary?" Jaebeom said, incredulously,"I have mine in my safe deposit."

"Well...that was years ago...and you're no one to judge me! You still can't sleep without your blankie!" Jinyoung retorted.

They were acting a bit too okay to be at a funeral. That too, a funeral of their best friend. But that's just how Jackson would have wanted them to be. He never liked seeing anyone sad. The moment he'd broken the news of him becoming a pilot to his friends, they were really thrilled but they were concerned as well. It wasn't the safest job in the world to be honest. When he'd sensed the uneasiness he'd told them to just chill out.

"Guys...if I DO die doing this job...please don't come to my funeral with such long faces. Don't make me feel like a douche for letting my friends come to my funeral looking all ugly, okay?" he'd said, once. He'd followed that up with his signature hyena laughter.

Then, Youngjae, another one of Jackson's seven best friends, reached into his pocket, took out his wallet and showed his worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Youngjae said, and without batting an eyelash, he continued, "I think we all saved our lists."

That's when Mr. Byun finally sat down and cried. He cried for Jackson and for all his friends who would never see him again. He cried for the boy who'd been nothing but a nuisance to other teachers. But Mr. Byun had known better. He'd seen the potential in the boy. And the boy grew up to be such a fine young man. He even died serving his country. Mr. Byun felt nothing but pride and love for his dear student and his friends, who remained with him even through all those years. Even though they had gotten separated and had moved to different countries. They still remained friends through it all. And to think that all this had been caused by the simple exercise he'd conducted for them years ago, made him feel like he'd done something worthwhile, being their teacher.

******

Jackson Wang

You're really loud, Jacks.
But u're a great friend. And I'd die before admitting this in real life, but yeah, you are kind of wild n y (sorry for the language Mr. Byun :P)
- tuan a.k.a gluedmouth a.k.a dimsum
P.S. Thanks for the nicknames (not)-_-

Yah! Mandu! ILY! You're a douche but an awesome one! :P
-JaeBeom

Jackson-hyung...most people think you're a trouble maker but you're not just that. To me, you're a hero in its true sense.
P.S. but you ARE kinda loud hehe
-Bambam

Hyung...idk what to write...i mean..I have to write something GOOD about you...that's kinda difficult y'know...JK JK
Your energy is amazing. And the fact that you can always cheer people up is really great. Thankyou for always taking care of me (even when I don't ask you to, and I clearly don't need you to)
-gyeom

Hyung...i love you more than cucumbers...
Kidding~
cucumbers are plain evil...you're an angel, hyung. I should know!!You always saved me from those bullies back in middle school. People think you're a delinquent, but you're not! You're an awesome person with lots of sweg B)
- YoungJae

Yah! I taught you Korean when you first came here...n yet you eat bossam with bambam and just eat ramyun with me...
Rants aside...you're a cool kid Jackson..n I'll always cherish you as a friend. We all do. Even though most people think you're trouble...we know that you're the dorkiest and most pure-hearted (pfffffttt) person (not in the world) in class (at least). 
-JinYoung 
P.S. Just because you hang out with Mark and Bambam now a days...don't forget about us, okay -.-"

Jackson-ah, you've been a troublemaker since day1. And I don't know why I always end up saving your "rear" as you have said and stick up for you. But let me tell you this...I know that you are not trouble and "a good for nothing piece of dog poop" (their words not mine) like everyone else claims. You have a heart of gold and are a loyal friend. And always stand up for the weak. Never let other's push you down and always believe in yourself. Your friends believe that you're gonna do something great with your life and so do I. Don't let us down.
-Mr. Byun a.k.a your "okay" homeroom teacher.

******

"You never did let us down, Jackson..." Mr.Byun smiled as he looked at his student for the last time.

A/N: So...yeah...I don't even know what that was...that was just really random.

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