In basic geometry, the property of being perpendicular is essentially when two lines meet at a right angle. A line is perpendicular to another line if the two lines intersect at a right angle, or 90 degrees.

Sunggyu always found this fascinating. Two lines can start out from completely different points on the graph paper, yet eventually converge to meet at one point in the most unexpected way. Well, not that unexpected if you do the math. But nobody really does the math so perfectly in life, do they? We dream of growing up to meet the perfect prince or princess and we gear our lives to approach these people. Then we find out we like someone beside them instead, someone more similar to you. We dream of being an astronaut, but we can't be further from space when we space out in the mundane routine of our 9 to 5 office job.  We dream of having loving parents that will take care of you and your brothers, but instead they run away from responsibilities and leave you to fend for yourselves. We dream of not having to go to school, and have a lifelong holiday, but then you find home away from home.

It's been three weeks since Woohyun started going to school again, and he was catching up fast. With Sunggyu, Howon and Janelles' continuous hounding, as well as the persisting weekend classes, Woohyun was improving faster than anyone could imagine. He wasn't exactly a genius, but at least he was not failing anymore. That meant a lot to not just Woohyun, but 3D-1 as well.

It was one of those afternoons when Sunggyu was giving another pop quiz to his class. He stared silently at his students as they scribbled diligently across their scripts. Three months ago, this scene couldn't have been imaginable. As he scanned the class, Janelle happened to look up, thinking of how to answer the bonus question. If she hadn't smiled at him, Sunggyu wouldn't realise he was smiling too. He quickly hid his smile and gave her paper a stern look, signaling to her to focus on her test.

"I think I'm getting weird." Sunggyu said as he sat across his Teacher Academy mentor that evening, sipping on a cup of Americano. It was already 5pm but Sunggyu knew he needed the coffee to stay up marking the quiz. What was sleep to a teacher indeed.

"Well, I sure can tell. Your car. And your fashion." The old man chuckled.

Sunggyu looked at his mentor quizzically as he continued his coffee. His car? He didn't drive today though? He came here by bus. Fashion? What's wrong with his shirt? Oh, he must have meant the tote bag emblazoned with the school logo. It's for the scripts. It's just practical.

"No, no. The bag is just for the quiz today. This bag is kind of handy you know, if you want one I can bring one during our next review meeting. You can fit two classes' worth of scripts in here. And I realise how much cheaper it is to take the train. Gas prices are killing me." The younger teacher lamented. His mentor chuckled again as he surveyed his mentee.

"What I meant, Sir, is that I think I'm getting weird like my students. Like I'm starting to get their stupid jokes? They are so silly but I don't know why I'm laughing at them. And then during the quiz today, my student caught me smiling at them. FOR NO REASON. Do you think I'm stressed? If I don't carry myself better, will my application to relocate after this stint be affected?" He had reached the bottom of his cup, and his straw was making weird noises in the empty container.

"I think...Sunggyu...You are becoming a genuine teacher. You are just developing empathy, you know?" The old man smiled satisfactorily.

"Empathy? Dude, I'm not some psychopath. I had empathy you know." He gave his teacher a poignant look.

"I'm not saying you're heartless, Sunggyu-sshi. I'm just saying that you're finally learning to put your students on your priority list. Your students who are very different from who you are, or who you were."

Sunggyu wished he had more coffee in his cup. Then he could look down and hide his blush. Instead he quickly paid the bill for his mentor and fled the scene before the old man could further.

To be fair, Sunggyu did have to rush off. Clutching his tote bag on one shoulder and briefcase in his other hand, the teacher barely got on the bus headed to the city centre. He tapped his feet impatiently, wondering if he could make it in time.

When he alighted at the old office building, Woohyun looked displeased from having waited for a full hour. "Seongsaeng-nim, how can a teacher be late?" He said as he fanned himself. The sweltering weather was making him perspire profusely under his shirt.

It was a rare sight.

"You look good in that, punk. The clothes make the man indeed." Sunggyu smiled and helped to straighten up Woohyun's collar. The younger was trying not to look at his teacher straight in the eye, averting his own gaze sheepishly. He desperately hoped that his teacher did not notice.

"Wipe your perspiration. You're getting red from the heat. Drink up too."

Woohyun felt like he was going out with an aunt. He chuckled lightly when Sunggyu wasn't looking. It was a good feeling, going out with someone older than him, and someone who cared. Maybe he missed that feeling after all.

The mission of the day was simple - getting Woohyun a job. The boy knew his teacher had practically marched into the principal's office (or so his classmate said, since he did not witness the scene himself and Sunggyu wouldn't budge when he asked) and demanded that the school either gave the boy financial aid, or exempt him from the no-work-beyond-school-rule. Old Junyeop was obviously reluctant to give his top troublemaker any financial aid, and to be honest he couldn't given Woohyun's academic and disciplinary records. So after what seemed like an hour of negotiation (that classmate overheard Sunggyu half-threatening, half-begging), with Sunggyu promising to find the boy a proper job and supervise him, old Junyeop was glad to pass the burden to the willing teaching.

As long as someone was accountable, it was fine.

Woohyun didn't have to see this for himself to know that this was how his life had played out. People treating him and his brothers as burdens, throwing them around, just making sure that someone else was accountable. Until he turns 21, he would always be a burden.

Yet Sunggyu never treated him like a burden. Nor did 3D-1, or Howon, or Janelle. They treated him like a person. Ya, sure, he wasn't exactly a prince, he had his ups and downs, and they simply acknowledged that. He at Math, but he was good at cooking and complex numbers. They would ask him for food orders, but about math before passing him his notes.

It doesn't need to be acts of grandeur or immense kindness to make someone feel at home. You just have to accept his flaws and strengths.

That's what makes us all, humans.

The two of them were standing in front of the cooking school on the second floor of the industrial building. Despite the tattered look of the building's exterior, the cooking school was obviously new and pretty modern. It would hardly be imaginable that a rundown building as such would offer such a respectable shop. In fact, most of the interior of the building was quite delightfully wonderful.

Sunggyu held Woohyun by his wrist and brought him into the cooking school. Woohyun wondered whether Sunggyu could feel his pulse, because he definitely could hear his own heart pounding against his chest. Would it be obvious on his wrist? Sunggyu turned around and told him to relax, yet that the adult himself looked way more apprehensive than his student was. He tried to look encouraging by covering up with a nervous smile, but Woohyun caught it right away. Maybe nervousness was contagious. He didn't get why his teacher would be tenser than he was, since he was the one with the job interview.

The head master of the school was a petite lady that held herself up with dignity. She introduced herself as Taeyeon. Woohyun could tell that she probably wasn't much older than Sunggyu was, but the latter offered a deep bow as he greeted her with a handshake, forcing his student down along with him by pushing the boy's head down. Taeyeon smiled at the adorable duo before showing them into the office.

"Taeyeon-seonsaengnim, I just wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for giving us this opportunity. I can guarantee you that Woohyun is more than willing and qualified to do this job. Have you heard of the Nam-star Dobbokki store near Hangang? It's really small, but many people absolutely love-"

Taeyeon politely tapped Sunggyu's hand and smiled at him radiantly. Beside him, Woohyun was sitting up with rapt attention, his back never so straight before in his life. Sunggyu had briefed him again and again that morning about his posture.

"Yes sir, you've mentioned that in your letter. I understand that Woohyun is still schooling?"

Woohyun was immediately nervous. He knew where this was going. 20 this year and still not in college yet? Are you sure he can understand basic instructions? Are you sure he can do much at all? Is he going to skip sessions? Is he going to create a ruckus here?

He felt dejected instantly. The boy recalled the past when he tried to look for part-time