(2) :  M A R K

Dismissal time had commenced. As soon as you heard the screaming sound being played over the announcements, you flurried stationery into your case and hedged your binders in your backpack. You didn’t have to rush, but you had somewhere special to go. Every Friday, you volunteered at the local daycare to babysit little elementary students. Being around kids always energized you, but more importantly, it was the only time you could see Mark.

You go to all all-girls school, and Mark goes to an all-boys school, so the few hours you spend working together is extremely precious to you. Mark brazenly stole your heart from the first encounter, and seeing him working with kids made you fall completely head over heels. You really liked him, but you weren’t sure if he liked you back. Anyways, you savored every moment you had with him, with hopes that sooner or later, something would change.

“Y/N!!!!!!!” You were welcomed by the soft embraces of children upon your entrance. You flung your bag off your back onto a nearby chair to fully reciprocate their hugs. You kneeled down and drowned yourself in the jubilant cheers of your kids.

“I missed you guys so much! Did you all have fun at school today?”, you said with a bubbly smile. The children shouted at the top of their lungs to assure you that they were fine.

“....um, has Mark arrived already?”

You couldn’t help but ask. The space between your question and their answer filled your entire body with nervousness, silently praying that today would be the same as usual. A kid peers out of the audience to say “No, oppa hasn’t come yet.” Your heart sank.

“Oh...well then, it’s okay!” It wasn’t really okay, but what could you have done? “Who needs help with their homework?” Trying to rid yourself of this disappointed feeling, you masked yourself with a joyous aura as you assisted the students with their schoolwork.

Break time had arrived, which meant you were allotted one more hour until you were able to leave. Ah...I guess he really isn’t coming today, you concluded. You drowned your teenage sorrows into your cooking, heavily pressing down on the knife as you cut vegetables. As you scooped dollops of dips into a bowl, you felt a hard tugging on your sweatpants. You looked down to see one of your children sobbing unconditionally.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?! Whats wrong?! Why are you crying?!”, you squawked. The child’s voice was almost impossible to understand, being muffled from her crying. She rolled up her pants to reveal a large bleeding scratch on her knee.

“I was running, a-a-and then I feellllllll!! It hurts!!!”

“Oh my, ahh I know it hurts. Let's go get this cleaned up.”

You held the girl’s hand and lead her to a spacious room. You grabbed the first-aid kit from a cupboard and applied it on her knee.

“There, does that feel better?” Although you made sure to be careful, the girl was still crying.

“It, it still hurts!! Unni, please help me”, she pleaded.

“Okay then, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it!”. Your words seemed to lighten her, knowing that you were at her full command now. It’s not like she’ll make me do anything weird, right?, you innocently pondered.

“Can you...be a princess?”

“What?!”

“I watched a movie last night with my mom with princesses! I want you to be a princess for me!”

“Oh, well then, okay…” You awkwardly put your hands on your sweatpants and curtseyed. “I ..am a beautiful princess!”

“Pri