"Goodbye, Mr Lim." 

Jaebums tired limbs bowed respectfully at the passing students as he locked up the small classroom he was allocated for his art classes. 

"Excuse me" 

Jaebum put a smile on and turned around to an umbrella in his face and a bashful student behind it. He lowered the umbrella from her face and smiled "Yes?" 

She lowered her gaze from his "It's raining"

Jaebum shifted his gaze from the girl and instead to the window behind her. She was correct, it was raining. 
Jaebum cursed watching as the small droplets of rain hit the glass. "Damn." He slid the specs off his head and slipped them into his back pocket. They weren't of much use to him now. 

"Please take it, Mr Lim"

Jaebum flicked his attention back on to the student and shook his head, placing the plastic umbrella back into her hands. "Take it yourself and stay out of the rain" he bowed his head "Please stay healthy." 

The student stood embarrassed in her spot and kept her head down as he walked away. 
 
--------------------------------

"Goodbye, Mr Lim" 

He tried to smile politely at each and every one of them but it got to a point where he too, was tired. Jaebums body reacted to the continuous goodbyes as if it was an over practised routine, half-heartedly mumbling his goodbyes back and only slightly bowing his head.  

That was until his eyes fell upon the familiar bright yellow unregulated shoes that belong to no one other than...

"Jackson!" Jaebums once heavy head shot right up.
He turned to the boy whose eyes, when both of theirs meet, were wide and clouded over with slight fear. Jaebum extended his hand over the boys head despite it being soaked already. 

"Mr Lim-"

Jaebum hushed the boy "Wheres your car, is it parked around here?" 

"No." 

"Then, where ?" Jaebum questioned. 

"I don't have one" 

Jaebum turned to the boy stopping in the middle of the rain, the middle of students rushing to escape the natures downfall. "How do you get to and from school then?" 

"I walk" replied the boy with a shrug. 

Jaebum looked at the boy out of the corner of his eyes, his pupil only slightly enlarged with concern. Neither the less he continued guiding the boy forward with a firm hand pressed to his left shoulder blade and the other held above his head.  

"Where are we going?" 

Jaebum shoved to boy further "The train station." 

"I don't have money." 

"I do." 

 -----------------------------------
"I like your shoes," Jaebum said eyeing them. "although they're going to have to be changed"

A crimson colour stained the boy's cheeks but he said nothing. 

Jaebum tried again.  

"I liked your submission for the abstract art week, I even showed the head of the art department." He squeezed the boys shoulder 'They praised it really well" 

"Oh"

Jaebum felt defeated. 
------------------------------------
The walk from school to the train station was relatively quite beside from Jaebums sadly ignored attempts a casual conversation. 
And so the moment they walked past the concrete walls of the musty station Jaebum allowed himself to drop his hand from above the boys head and get straight to the point. 

"Where do you live?" 

The boy shuffled to his side. "Jongno-gu." 

Jaebum pushed his dripping fringed from his eyes and took the boys hand in his own. "Two tickets to Jongno-gu please." 

The boy stiffened beside Jaebum "Mr Lim I -" 

"I just want to make sure you get home Jackson. Nothing more" 

The boy said nothing in reply, simply taking the ticket as it was placed in his hand and allowed himself to be guided over to the loading dock. 

Jackson took note of the characters that floated around the loading dock. There was a grandmother, one hand clutching a bag of cabbage and the other her grandson's hand. Huddles of teens Jackson's age rushing to catch trains to arcades, private classes, their lover's school. lovers meeting up to catch the train together after a day of work. 

And himself, beside Mr Lim.  

---------------------------------- 

His limbs felt numb as he pressed himself against the window of the train. Watching as the darkness sped past them. 

His teacher sat beside him utterly wordless, seemingly content with watching Jackson's fingers fold ruff edges into the magazine paper. 

Jackson wanted to ask 'Why' or maybe 'How' but if he did, he knew it would all be over. Jaebum would give him the response he didn't want to hear "I just want to make sure you get home Jackson. Nothing more" 
He would leave Jackson and go back to being no more than his art teacher. 

No. 
Just for the moment he wanted to be engulfed by this bliss, let it wash over him, sink into his veins, flow through his body. He wanted, even if it was just of a split of a second, to truly believe that maybe just maybe Lim Jaebum doesn't flash small smiles at all his students during class time. That he doesn't invite them in when he sees the wandering aimlessly up and down the hallways, just to show him his favourite painting. (Jackson's)  That he doesn't lean close to them with that glint in his eyes as explains the concept of abstract art. 

And maybe if he can believe that then he can believe that he and Jaebum were lovers meeting up to catch the train together after a day of work. Perhaps just in the wrong time and place. 

-----------------------------

" Jongno-gu station approaching." 

"Here's my stop" Jackson almost whispers, only slightly afraid of what his voice will do if he speaks any louder. 

His fingers fumbled over the bends and folds of the paper. He's working rapidly, slowly enough not to rip the paper but fast enough to finish in time. 

For the first time the whole ride, Jaebum acknowledges him, jabbing him softly in the ribs, he asks him "What Ya got there?" 

Jackson folded the last corner into place "You were my umbrella, so here's yours." 

The boy shrugged and Jaebum watches as he piles off the train, submerging into a collection of bodies. Each looking less and less like a person as the train speeds off.

But he sees it. 
He sees the bright yellow umbrella, matching the one he holds in his hands, poking out from Jackson's uniform pocket. 
----------------------------------

Monday morning.

Jackson wang walks into Mr Lim's art class and there on the chalk board is the enlarged version of Jackson's magazine umbrella and in front of it is a Mr Lim whose smiling at him ever so slightly. 

"The meaning of a selfless love"

-----------------------------------

Woah this .  ✌