Dissertation: 2/2
Falling Upwards: Essays in Defence of Newton's 3rd Law of Universal Gravitation
“Mr Kim, you’re back! The students were distraught with how strict Mr Oh was. At the same time, they praised him; but you know how the seniors are. They never know what they want.” Jongdae was greeted by a fellow colleague when he stepped foot into the teachers’ lounge, Mr Oh in tow since they carpooled that day with the physic teacher’s car. Under the watchful eyes of some students, as always.
“Yeah, Sehun told me the same,” Jongdae saw Mr Oh nodding his head in confirmation.
“Told you, I steal your students. Anyway, one student flagged me down and wanted to speak with me before class. Kim, could you be so nice and maybe drop a coffee at my classroom?” Sehun was dropping off his stuff at his seat next to Jongdae before flying out of the room again. He was too focused on getting to his students fast. Other teachers couldn’t even be bothered to speak with their students early in the morning before class. But Jongdae had also watched Mr Oh and Paolo meeting up during breaks for a smoke outside, sometimes with a friend or together with Dr Oh’s best bud, the strict Language teacher. Jongdae was glad that his student seemed to confide in someone else that wasn’t him. He might really take up Physics in university.
“Sure, man. On it,” he called after Mr Oh before casually walking over to the coffee table, getting the coffee right for his colleague and one for himself as well.
His crossbody bag slung over his shoulder, walking the opposite direction of his classroom, two cups of coffee in his hands. Casually, he walked into Mr Oh’s classroom, smiling, and greeting the students who looked at him rightfully weird, especially when he placed one of the mugs down before their teacher. Mr Oh didn’t really look up, when he registered the coffee, his hand clasping around it automatically, side-eying the other teacher. “Thanks, Jongdae, you’re a lifesaver.” He was already talking with his student again and Jongdae had to repress a grin when Mr Oh addressed him by his first name in front of the students without even thinking about it, giving his students fuel to their ship.
Jongdae just left without another word before the grin finally broke over his lips and he walked towards his class with a spring in his step and replenished energy.
Mr Oh always called Jongdae either Mr Kim or just Kim on school grounds, privately only when he was making fun of him. He also blamed his university job for it always rather referring to people by their last name even if he knew them longer, but he needed just some time to not to. Jongdae found it cute.
“Mr Kim, why are you smiling so much so early on a Monday morning?” One student pathetically dropped their head on their backpack on the table, clearly trying to overdose on caffeine.
“Mr Oh!” Jongdae continued to smile, unpacking the material for his lesson that morning.
“Honestly, Mr Kim, I admire your motivation, no offence but you sound like a lovesick puppy,” another student commented, filing through their sketchbook. The atmosphere in his senior’s art class was very casually to the point it sometimes didn’t seem to be in school at all. “And you also got special rights to call him Mr instead of Dr Oh?”
“None taken and yes, I’m allowed. But even better; he called me by my first name in front of his class. You should’ve seen their faces. The tenth graders are so amusing in their reactions.” Jongdae got up again, collecting the homework. Some faces were full of wonder and amazement when he casually dropped the information on them. They hadn’t been as hardcore in their shipping as some of the younger students, but it was still fun to poke fun at them.
The window to Sehun’s and Mr Kim’s office was open and Sehun was ready to call down that it would be nice if the students talked a bit quieter, but: “I swear, I saw Mr Oh and Kim this weekend and I almost didn’t recognise them!”
“Where?”
“Remember when I said I’ll be at a concert? Guess who was there and I’d never imagined seeing our teachers like that!”
“What do you mean? Did you talk to them?”
“Not me, but one of my friends who had English with Mr Kim before he went to university.”
Mr Kim joined him at the window, also peering down, visibly amused, almost twinkling at Sehun in delight. Sehun refrained from making gagging noises, but he rolled his eyes still.
“But I swear, as I said, I almost didn’t recognise them… Especially Mr Oh! I didn’t manage to take photos—” Sehun gripped the window frame hard. “It was too full and dark, but I felt like watching a twin. He was wearing a band-shirt and baseball shorts and his hair was braided. And he threw himself into the moshpit?! And he’s ing buff and hot? And Mr Kim just stood next to him, sticking out like a sore thumb in his bright yellow hoodie. But I never imagined seeing them at a metal concert? Together? They definitely came together and also left together after paying for a round of beer after the concert. They said something about living close by…”
“What? Wait, do you think they’re neighbours? Wait, but they did recognise you, didn’t they?”
“And they were roommates.” The student quoted the sentence even Sehun and Mr Kim were familiar with. She and her friend were laughing. “Not sure, I don’t have them as teachers.”
Hey finally left after that and Sehun dropped his head into his hands, Mr Kim consoling him. “I thought her face was familiar, I just didn’t know she was a student…”
“My secret’s out! They will ask which bands I listen to! I’m not going to tell them I listen about and woman, worshipping Satan and alcohol!” Sehun bemoaned overdramatically.
Mr Kim patted his shoulder, “That’s your only problem? And not that she called you hot instead? You’ve got a problem with where your priorities ‘at.”
“Jongdae!” Sehun whined and in the back of his mind, he knew that Mr Kim was getting immense satisfaction from seeing Sehun like this. He never made a secret out of it when Sehun behaved like the younger person he was. bastard. Mr Kim had grown up in Korea and had grown up with the hierarchal system Sehun only heard about through the internet and Mr Kim himself. He had been born in Korea, but he spoke none and less Korean in the first place. Sehun suddenly got all serious again, “Tran told me she wants to visit my classes, not yours. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Well, she can decide for her own, but I get where you a coming from. I’ll talk to Linh about it and with Tran as well. She’s a clever child, so she’ll get it. I hope.” Mr Kim twisted his wedding band in thought.
“Yeah, until she gets into puberty.”
“Which day was it again?” Mr Kim asked. He knew when, he just needed confirmation.
“Next Tuesday, I’ll have a full day then. Told her about it already, but she knows how long that is, not very different in her school after all.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Okay, let’s do it that way. You’ll babysit her.”
Sehun’s face suddenly turned smug, “I’m her favourite. So, no sweat.”
Jongdae was extremely lucky to have gotten to know Sehun since he emigrated. It might’ve been a way longer process off settling in if it wasn’t for Sehun’s presence. And it came as a surprise when Jongdae learnt that Sehun didn’t speak one word Korean as he had grown up in this country with his adoptive parents. And so far, he had no intention to look into his roots or even visit Korea. He had been in Japan and Vietnam instead, and before they met in uni even in India, but never Korea. Jongdae had asked him if he’d like to visit Jongdae’s parents together with Tran, but Sehun was still torn about it.
He was watching Sehun from his car who was in front of him on his motorbike, one lay over because he had to make a detour to the post office. And he was listening to music, most probably some catchy tune by a girl group from the way he was dancing in his seat. Jongdae unlocked his phone in the clip-on over his radio, starting to take a video of Sehun. He had to show it to Tran, she’d be squealing in delight, asking Sehun for the song until he would tell it to her. It was a mystery how Sehun never got into dancing professionally, but he said himself that physics were his passion since the first time he had physics in school. His mum might play into it that was a renowned Astro-physician herself. His dad, on the other hand, was pretty happy in his facility management job, even if he cleaned all day long and was majorly overqualified for it, but he had been the one to tell his wife that he wanted to be a stay-at-home dad despite having a master’s degree in Economics and had worked worldwide, but then they adopted Sehun. And Gerald always said he likes the people he cleans with better than all the other people he worked with. He had even taken Jongdae with him one time when the families met and had a barbeque.
They had metaphorically adopted Jongdae as well and gushed so much about Tran that his own daughter not only referred to them as her grandparents, but she even boasted about them all the time, when she had the chance.
A few days later, he was scrolling through his Instagram and came across a very interesting reel he was very familiar with because he had filmed the same scene just from another angle. Apparently, someone had filmed Sehun while he was dancing on his motorbike and captioned it with something along the lines of wanting to be so happy like the guy dancing without a care in the world. Had turned out that Sehun was listening to some Punjabi metal and not some catchy girl group. That made it all the funnier to Jongdae.
He was scrolling through the comments before he called out for Sehun.
Sehun shouted back before coming into the kitchen, piggybacking Tran who squealed so much, it resonated in Jongdae’s ear drum while she had Sehun’s throat in a death grip to not fall off. Sehun unceremoniously dumped Tran on her dad before getting himself a glass of water, coughing badly. “What is it?”
“You’re going viral on social media,” Jongdae just commented drily, holding his phone out to Sehun for him to look at it. Sehun raised an eyebrow because he was sure Jongdae was just making fun of him and was about to show him some stupid meme that reminded him of Sehun.
“The people have no decency these days. Did you upload it?” Sehun furrowed his eyebrows, but he couldn’t withhold his eye smile for a long time, when he started to scroll through the comments and on behalf of Jongdae, liked the video. Jongdae saw him typing before he handed the phone back with a mischievous smile on his face.
“No, I had a better view of you and a different angle as well.” Jongdae got his phone back and raised an eyebrow at Sehun who had commented under the post, using Jongdae’s account.
artistchenkim I know that guy, he was listening to metal for everyone wondering what he was dancing to ;)
misalarie from the back & the mototrcycle, the guy kinda looks like our physics teacher
biteof69__ I need that lads playlist 🥰🥰🥰😍
biteof69__ he hot tho
“So, you’re telling me I exposed your art Insta account?” Sehun chewed on the end of a pencil while grading papers.
“Well, you used my account to comment. And for some reason that comment created traffic. By the way, I forwarded your playlist to the comment section after I replied to someone what you very specifically listening to. And I said you don’t have an Instagram,” Jongdae answered from his side of the office while coincidentally scrolling through Sehun’s account, looking for a specific post.
Sehun’s phone chimed with a notification that someone had sent him a message on Instagram. He looked at it with no expression before snorting suddenly. “, that’s a good one. Gotta show the gnomes this one and hope they understand.”
Jongdae’s eyes crinkled from how hard he was smiling, “They’ll just laugh awkwardly and act as if they got it and afterwards they call you a boomer once you left the room.”
“That as well, but I trained my advanced seniors and if they still don’t get it, they can hit me up after class.”
“You’re such a knight in shining armour,” Jongdae shook his head fondly while looking back down on his phone. Contrary to Sehun, he had two free hours.
“That’s why all the geezers hate me. I have a doctor and care for my kids, and those kids don’t call me classes boring or whatever.”
“That might be because you even walk them through a reactor meltdown and your homework consists of YouTube videos and .”
“Prove me otherwise, but it works, doesn’t it? Paolo asked me about university-level physics, and I think he’ll really do it.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news. Did he already decide a minor as well?” Jongdae finally looked up and almost away when Sehun threw his most blinding smile at him.
“No, but he could be our love child as well because he’s thinking about English Lit for some godforsaken reason.” Sehun laughed fondly and it almost sounded like hiccups.
“That really sounds like us, keep me posted if he decided on a minor. And as much as I love chatting; move your , you have class in fifteen and if you really want to get a cigarette in, go now.” Jongdae had sprung up and pushed Sehun’s swivel chair towards the door.
“Someone’s really set on kicking me out, having a secret meeting?” Sehun grabbed upwards to take a hold of Jongdae’s hand that squeezed his shoulders while pushing him on his swivel chair. It showed on Jongdae’s face when Sehun craned his head around, looking almost upside down at Jongdae’s face, how it squeezed his heart, Sehun’s look that was. The physics teacher finally got up, taking his messenger bag from the table before saluting towards Jongdae with two fingers, winking at him, “Later.”
Jongdae had meetings to attend to and wasn’t sure if Sehun would be still in school, by the time he was dismissed, and it frustrated him. They had already arrived separately and because Sehun had a doctor’s appointment and they barely saw each other in the teachers’ lounge, or their shared office and it tipped him off for some annoying reason.
He inhaled deeply before exhaling noisily. He needed to keep himself grounded and cool off. He didn’t want his students to see him like that. Tran would be coming to school the next day, visiting for her school project and Sehun was already extremely ecstatic. But he had been hurt by his own daughter when she said she want to drive with Sehun on his motorbike and not her own dad and because she wants to go as early as Sehun to school. This actually translates to unreasonable times for a ten-year-old who should be staying in bed and not wake up god knows when.
She was too serious for her age and Jongdae worried about her future that his parental style and Linh’s might’ve scarred her for life; he should spend less time on social media and TikTok. The kids on there were scaring him.
“Mr Kim?” Someone called him.
“Yes?” He turned around towards one of his colleagues.
“We talked in the meeting about the upcoming sports competition and the PE teachers of course advocated for two teams consisting of teachers. You know where I’m going with this already. They’re ganging up against the rest of the staff in volleyball.”
Jongdae snorted and rolled his eyes. “So, you’re looking for teachers to go up against them?”
She nodded her head, “Some of us are supervising our classes. And I’ll be honest. I checked your lesson plan and you work only seventh to the ninth lesson and the day is ending early that day anyway. Maybe you think you can help out?”
“I’ll check with Sehun.”
She blinked at him questioningly, she hadn’t brought up Sehun’s names once. “No offence, may I ask why?”
He smiled widely at her, “We’re a package deal. But no stress, I’ll take to him. You can sign us both up for the opposing team.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket, texting Sehun. He hadn’t realised yet how his mood was lifted immediately.
You, me, against the pe teachers.
The volleyball competition is coming up.
Well, technically it is a sports day for the students, but you get me.
I already signed you up.
He only waited mere minutes for a response before Sehun answered with a GIF from a volleyball anime. This was going to be amusing.
Sehun helped Tran off his motorbike when they reached the school and the girl was giddy and unstable on her legs, lugging herself at Sehun for balance who fondly ruffled her hair after helping her out of the helmet. She was bundled up like a burned marshmallow and beaming up at Sehun who loudly cooed at her. He suddenly instructed her to stay like this and pulled his phone from somewhere to snap a picture of her.
“Aren’t you a dear, baby?” He was going full mother hen on her, squishing her cheeks between his massive palms. He was aware of the students looking at them, but he couldn’t care less.
“Yes! I am, daddy told me and you too!” She definitely had Jongdae’s smile when she showed him all her gums and he reached for her pigtails to fix them.
“You are ready to be a teacher today?” Sehun bent down to her height, and she hugged him tightly around his neck.
“Yes, yes, yes.”
“Okay, let’s go.” Sehun knew disaster was bound to happen with a loudmouth like Tran, she really took after her dad. But his students were worse. The older students and his homeroom class were smitten with her and cooing at her all the time. He decided to only take her to his tenth grade and up classes because they technically knew how to behave.
“Is this your daughter, Dr Oh?” Someone asked him when they walked down the hallway hand in hand. Knowing Tran, there were three possible outcomes. Firstly, yes, he is. Secondly, no, he isn’t. Third, no, we live together. Or worse, forth, no, but he’s living together with my dad or something similar abstruse.
“No, but I love him as much as my dad.” Sehun mentally fist-bumped himself. They had explained to Tran time over time what the situation was and had also coached her on it. He was cooler than Jongdae anyway, despite his ugly sweater vests and button-downs.
He did have classes right away, so he put his belongings away and dumped Tran’s stuff on Jongdae’s seat before grabbing a coffee and Tran tried shouldering his messenger bag so he could hold her hand. “Hunnie, your school is so much bigger than mine,” she whispered to him while they were walking through the busy and bustling hallways. It might appear bigger to her since they walked through the first floor towards the classrooms where the tenth and ninth grades were situated, and some were as tall as Sehun.
“That’s because you never are in the sections where the older students are, Tran.” She nodded at that and twisted his little fingers around the strap of Sehun’s bag who now had his hand on her back, pushing her forward and directing a dirty look at some rowdy students they passed. When he announced that they reached his class, she halted, suddenly more nervous. “Hunnie?”
He crouched down, looking up at her and holding onto her hands, “You don’t need to be nervous; they are all very, very nice. Believe me.”
“Pinkie promise?” She held out her pinkie to him.
“I promise,” he looked his pinkie around hers and from somewhere he heard cooing but didn’t pay any mind to it.
Tran grabbed onto shirttail peeking out of Sehun’s trousers and hustled closer to him when he stepped into the loud room. “Attention you chaos mongers, your new teacher for the day is here.”
This grabbed the attention of almost everyone and they whipped their heads towards the blackboard to see what Sehun was talking about. Tran was partially hidden behind him.
“Oh, who is that Mr Oh? Your niece? Or sister?” Jenny was very intrigued and came a bit closer, bending down. “Oh, what nice pig tails you have, I’m jealous. Who made them for you?”
Jenny was very good with kids, Sehun already knew, and she was about to follow the profession of education, most probably kindergarten though.
“Hu-Hunnie?” Tran’s voice was low, but she had the student body’s full and undivided attention.
Jenny looked at her questioningly, tilting her head. Tran tugged at Sehun’s hand, looking up at him conflicted before repeating his name.
It clicked for Jenny, “Oh, you mean our teacher? Mr Oh?”
Tran nodded again before breaking into a wide smile, “He’s always making my hair because daddy is no good at it.” Sehun scowled inwardly, Tran had to do it and smash his dreams, because the moment Jongdae stepped onto the school grounds everyone would immediately know who ‘daddy’ was and Tran told them that Sehun always did her hair. Oh well…
Jongdae wanted to cry in his car. Sehun was outside with Tran, who had been placed on his motorbike seat while he was standing together with some teachers who were smoking (Sehun wasn’t for once). Sure, Jongdae had some run-ins with parents when he was on and about and Sehun was smoking in Tran’s presence. Tran knew it wasn’t good, but Sehun didn’t hide it before her. But most often than not, he just didn’t smoke in front of her. Like right then. She was playing on Sehun’s phone while he was talking to his fellow colleagues.
God, it was so domestic, Jongdae really wanted to cry out of pure happiness. Was this the PMS people were talking about? And Tran looked so adorable in Sehun’s sweater vest?! She was wearing what? It was reasonably warm outside and Sehun stood there with his sleeves folded up and Tran was drowning in his sweater vest, while Sehun pulled her pigtails to make her head sway from side to side.
This was disgusting…
And Sehun was the only one that reminded him that he wore a shirt with his own ing face to school. The student and teacher body was sure it was a collective fever dream, but Sehun had proof of it and it was framed and hung in the kitchen. Jongdae had sent him a selfie back then and Sehun was the unfortunate soul to read the message when he was working and had almost spit out his coffee during his lecture.
He finally got out of the car, after grabbing his belongings from the passenger seat and the moment he popped his head out of the door, Tran had already spotted him.
“Daddy!” She shrieked and Sehun whipped his head around looking for him, his eyes impossibly soft and he helped Tran off the bike who bolted straight into Jongdae’s hands who barely had time to shoulder his bag to pick her up and spin her around.
“Tran, my dearest! I missed you!” He smooched her cheek and she giggled in his arms. The students were staring because Tran was by no means a quiet girl and she definitely had her loud voice from both Linh and him.
“I got sweets from Hunnie’s pupils!” And off she was, chewing off his ear what she had already experienced in the first four lessons and the sweets were courtesy of Sehun’s algebra course in the third and fourth lesson that tended to bring muffins and such along for the class of only 13 people. It was the advanced course with the seniors that were set to graduate that semester.
Jongdae was carrying Tran over to the teachers that were already cooing at him, especially the elderly ladies Jongdae was friends with outside school grounds.
“Daddy, Hunnie made fun of one boy today,” Tran pouted at Jongdae and crossed her arms before her chest.
“Yes, and you reprimanded me that I shouldn’t talk like this to a kid, your words,” Sehun started to grin widely, “He was more hurt by the fact that he was being called a kid by Tran when he is already 19.”
“And why did he make fun of him, Tran?” Jongdae ruffled her hair and almost bumped his hip into Sehun but saved himself from it.
“He asked if he could ask a question, but he was afraid of it being dumb. You know, there is no such thing as a dumb question, then he continued to prove me otherwise. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Dr Oh is running around with Mr Kim’s daughter? Is that true?”
“I heard she said Dr Oh does her hair every morning?”
“You can’t convince me otherwise, they live together. But she doesn’t call Dr Oh dad or anything, does she?”
“No, but she calls him Honey or something. But I’m pretty sure she doesn’t call him honey. Could be a nickname?”
Maybe it was a mistake letting Tran tag along. They should’ve asked Eric to take her, or Jongdae directly, but no, Tran wanted to go with her favourite adult.
Now the cat was out the sack. First the one time with the student during the concert and now with Tran’s first-hand experience.
“The girl rode the motorbike with Dr Oh together!”
“Oh god, I’m so jealous. I mean, he’s hot if you look past the sweater vests. Did you see him during the break with just the shirt? It’s fitted, you can’t tell me otherwise. Where is he even getting these ugly vests anyway? If his hair would be shorter, he could be a model.”
“Maybe we should ask Mr Kim, I think he knows where these are from since the two live together.”
“I add my take on this conspiracy theory; Mr Kim is the one buying these and Dr Oh wears them out of love and/or gratitude.”
“I’m pretty sure this might be the actual case…”
“I buy them myself, thank you very much,” Sehun finally spoke up from his office window. “And stop gossiping right under my office window you brats. Now scatter, you have classes.”
The students shrieked out of shock and hurried away, apologising. Sehun had two hours for himself after Tran decided she wanted to visit Jongdae’s art lesson. But instead of having a break from everything, he’s subjected to just more gossip.
He sat back down on his desk, continuing to correct his student’s papers, but he was too frustrated to do so, and he got up, standing back at the open window. He craved a cigarette to soothe his nerves, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough and he had to wait until he was at home before going for one of Jongdae’s wines. He strolled through the mainly empty hallways past the auditorium where some students were loitering around, mostly seniors basking in the sun that came in through the ceiling-high windows. What a life they had. Finally exciting the building, Sehun reached the parking lot, beelining for Jongdae’s car to lean up against it and finally light his cigarette. He pulled his phone from his pocket, scrolling through his socials.
The day of the volleyball tournament is there and students are either hyped or not, at least they have no classes that day.
“When is the teacher double?” Jongdae asked one of his teammates. He had played with that teacher before and they had talked about strategies with the other teachers present.
He looked at his watch, “11:20, after the break and I think the students are more excited than we are. They don’t trust the ‘nerdy’ teachers.”
“That’s because they don’t know that some of those teachers actually do more sports than the actual PE teachers. Three that play volleyball, two are in teams, one former handball player, some that play soccer…” Jongdae counted down.
“Ah, you’re right. Didn’t his homeroom class ask him to step in for handball? Because one of the students fell ill?”
“They have no idea what they’re in for,” Jongdae continued stretching and their group of teachers started assembling. It was a colourful fix.
“So, we crush them or what?” Sehun finally arrived, jogging up to them. He had taken a quick run to warm his muscles and stretched as well.
“Is someone going to take a video? Because I want the PE teachers to be crushed,” one of the teachers on maternal leave, that visited for that day, pumped her fist into the air. Ms Meyers who was back from her maternity leave but had Sehun let take over her one math class was nodding along. “If not; I sacrifice myself for it. I would pay good money to see my husband crushed by the Literature and Science department.”
“Sometimes I forgot that there’s something akin to bad blood between the departments.” Sehun grinned.
“That’s because some teachers think they are better than others, just because we mainly teach the minor subjects or because no one likes our subjects.” Someone else shook their head.
Sehun raised his hand, “I think chemistry is pretty neat, but I didn’t like it either until I was out of school. So, I think the fault lies in our education and the school board, just my two cents, from someone who worked years in the university.”
“I think we two should take a look into bio chem,” one of the Chemistry teachers bumped Sehun’s shoulder. “They have some pretty cool experiments that might take a while; I’m trying to get Jongdae to try them too.”
“Then I’ll look up a field of Physics for you. Thermodynamics? Nuclear physics maybe?”
“Not all heat energy can be converted into work. Mentioning that, according to the second law of thermodynamics, you’re supposed to share your hotness with me,” Jongdae remarked from the sidelines with a smirk. “You wrote your diss in astrophysics and also wrote about nuclear physics, I think you’re having quite an advantage at it. I still have no idea how you managed all that in uni.”
Sehun finger-gunned him with a serious expression, “I wanted to study thermodynamics because I wanted to learn the reason why you’re so hot. Also, procrastination.”
They obliterated the PE teachers. They had been too sure of themselves. Unaware that Sehun and Jongdae had been playing together in university competitively and still playing together, which made them a practised team. And Sehun was the one with a history in handball and for some godforsaken reason, it made him even deadlier as a middle block despite him trying hard to not grab the ball and just smash it. And having three players in a team of six that played regularly helped boost the morale. Jongdae jumped on Sehun’s back when they won and high-fived his fellow teammates from that position, laughing without a care in the world, having Sehun in a chokehold before dropping down to his own two feet.
“Good game, guys. That’ll teach them.”
“Can y’all keep a secret?” Sehun started his last lecture of the day before the summer break. He was working at the school for almost a year now and his senior class was mostly graduating, and he felt like crying. His first class and they already left him again. Now he understood Jongdae better and he had been with his first class from grade five to ten and not just a year.
His classes nodded excitedly.
“First; half the rumours are absolute bull. Second, I bring Tran and Mr Kim to our last barbeque. And lastly, I bring my partner with me.” A multitude of emotions crossed their faces and mostly it seemed the be shock that Sehun brought a partner that wasn’t Jongdae? Or rather he brought someone else that still wasn’t Jongdae. He saw betrayal and kept his expression neutral. “But it’s true, I make Tran’s hair every morning, we live in the same house after all and that means I’ve been friends with Mr Kim before.”
If Paolo would’ve sat in this class he would’ve seen through the lie right way and he also was comfortable enough with Sehun at this point that he would be calling him out for it. Sehun already knew that Paolo would switch into his advanced physics course for the senior years.
He made a noise of frustration in the back of his throat. “You’re all so gullible, even after one school year with me. Of course, I don’t have a partner that isn’t Jongdae you brats.”
He threw a piece of chalk aimed right after a student that audibly exhaled a tensed breath and held their chest.
“You’re dismissed for today, it’s your class before the final exams start next week. You can stay here still if you want to talk, but if you do, keep your voices low. And you can even get out your phones and listen to music or do whatever.” Sehun was in a bitter and wistful mood, he didn’t want to let go of them. So he busied himself with his own phone.
Jongdae’s account on Instagram had attracted traffic after Sehun had used his account to comment; thankfully it was his art account but anyone that knew him would know who it belonged to. Jongdae wasn’t shy about his account with a moderate following. Might be to the sensual photography and the oil paintings he did. But what was more concerning were some of the photos. Photos of Sehun to be specific. ones at that… Sehun wasn’t tagged in one of them and it never showed his face, but still. He was glad he wasn’t tattooed somewhere easily visibly, but still. Some were highly if he was honest with himself. Heck, he loved those photos, but still…
There was one photo from a year back that should’ve been a dead giveaway to anyone stalking that account from the student and staff body. It showed Sehun with his arm wrapped around Jongdae’s waist, holding him close with Jongdae’s hand sprawled over his chest and trying to hold a wine glass in his other hand, Sehun did too and was dropping a kiss on the apple of Jongdae’s cheek. It was a photo from his last vernissage. Jongdae wasn’t shy about showing him off, but Sehun’s only mistake might’ve been applying to the job offer at Jongdae’s school. It had been Jongdae’s idea in the first place. But acting like they were only colleagues?
He looked up another account that was private but also had a reasonable following and it was only nudes while barely staying within the restrictions and it featured a lot of Jongdae and Sehun together. He smiled knowingly down on his phone. Maybe they should think about an Only Fans if their teaching ain’t as profitable. He sent a message to Jongdae, full well knowing he was sitting in his lesson.
He liked showing off Jongdae just as much, Tran as well, as evident on his own Instagram that was also private, same as Jongdae’s personal account.
Once class was over, he passed by the open windows of the classrooms on the ground level and leant onto the windowsill, catching the teacher’s eye who twinkled at him with mirth.
He grinned back, “Mr Kim, sorry to interrupt, but is it possible that you accidentally packed up my physics notes from this morning?”
Jongdae tilted his head and furrowed his brows, “Good question, now that you mentioning it? I thought I left them in our office?” Sehun shook his head. “By the way, those notes seemed to be from our physics lecture from Prof Bruns during our fifth semester. Electrodynamics and optics? You still have them?”
“Yes?” Sehun questioned back and the students looked at them with wide eyes. They knew that Sehun had minored in English Lit, but Jongdae studied also physics for at least five semesters?
“Let me check, I assume those are for one of your seniors?” Jongdae rummaged through his bag.
“Yes, Paolo wants to prepare for the entrance examination in advance and I share my old notes with him from time to time.” Sehun rested his chin on his palm, sweeping his eyes over the students. “Don’t you have work today?”
“Found them,” Jongdae held up the papers with a smile. “Sorry about that again.” He came over to the window.
“Well, I could’ve also asked you on our way back home after school. But, you know—” Sehun ran his tongue over his teeth with his lips closed, thinking about something before looking back at Jongdae. He reached for the papers held out to him. “—I am really attracted to you, and according to Newton’s Laws of Gravitation, you’re attracted to me, too.”
He winked and sauntered away with a two-finger salute towards Jongdae who gaped at him like a fish; his students didn’t look any better.
Paolo clutched Sehun’s bound copy of his dissertation to his chest while he hasted after the physics teacher who strode towards the teachers’ lounge.
He had been passed the examination exam for his preferred choice of university and got into the same university as Mr Oh and Mr Kim graduated from. Mr Kim had already walked him through the process of applying for governmental support and it looked like it would be granted without a hassle for once. They had met up in a café in the city Mr Kim was living in and Paolo had also brought his dad with whom he lived together for the financial aspects and because his dad wanted to thank both teachers. But only Mr Kim was supposed to be there, and Paolo’S father would call Mr Oh directly to thank him.
Mr Kim had invited both men for an early dinner, saying that he would pay their food and drinks to the passed exam. Usually, both teachers wouldn’t do that, meeting with a student outside school, but since his dad would be present, they saw no problem. They would’ve also visited Paolo at home, but he was struggling with his three younger siblings at home and his dad. It might’ve been too much…
Mr Kim patiently waited for a waitress in the bustling restaurant. She was extremely sorry that she didn’t even manage to bring them the menus or ask for drinks, “No worries, we are in no hurry. We can go with the drinks first and could you please bring us four menus?”
She nodded before she hurried away and returned with four menus right after and jotting down their drink orders.
The three men fell in easy conversation when suddenly, “I’m sorry we’re late, did you order already?”
“Daddy!”
Paolo whipped his head around being greeted with Mr Oh and Mr Kim’s daughter by his side. But Tran was already loudly chatting with her dad who had sat her on his lap while Sehun pulled the chair out next to Mr Kim and introduced himself to Paolo’s father, “Papa said he’ll buy me a new solar system if I get better grades in music.”
Mr Kim raised an eyebrow, “Did Papa say that now? Sehun?” He craned his head towards Mr Oh who had the audacity to smile sheepishly.
“I may or may have not said it,” he scratched the back of his neck before suddenly dropping a kiss on Mr Kim’s cheek. Paolo was kind of aware of it but seeing it like that?
Tran finally recognised Paolo and jumped to him enthusiastically before hugging him, before running back to Mr Kim’s side. She had seen him more often when she was picking up either Mr Kim or Mr Oh from school. She took the bus sometimes from her school to theirs and she always picked out teachers she recognised or senior students that always took it upon themselves to bring her to her desired teacher. She had apparently taken a special liking to Paolo who she always hugged around the waist. She reminded Paolo so much of his own little sister that was the same age as Tran.
“Oh, are you Pao’s papa?” She looked at his father who nodded.
“And who are you?” His father smiled back warmly. Paolo was sure that his father also thought that she was like his daughter.
“I’m Tran and I turned eleven yesterday and those are my daddy and Hunnie. Mommy and her boyfriend are living in a different city. I have three daddies!” She exclaimed so proudly and suddenly the acknowledgement in Mr Oh’s dissertation made more sense.
Falling Upwards: In Defence of Newton's 3rd Law of Universal Gravitation
Oh Se Hun
A dissertation submitted
for the degree of
Doctor rerum naturalium
Acknowledgments
This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of my friends and family, as well as my professor. But I want to especially thank my friend, roommate, father of my favourite child and former co-student who had introduced himself to me in our second semester of my first studies with “I know we have physics together, but I think we might have some chemistry also.” Thanks to the love of my life Kim Jongdae.
And Jongdae: Roses are red, roses are blue, depending on their velocity relative to you.
Tran, who kept me sane throughout my studies when her dad was working and came with me to university and is the sweetest child. And also, the best co-worker I had throughout my time working at the university.
Linh Kim and her partner for being supportive and having an open ear for me or just taking care of Tran and being such great parents.
My own parents and brother.
This thesis wouldn’t have been able without all your support and I’m eternally grateful for that.
18 years ago.
Sehun was a stupid freshman he tried to persuade himself, but he wasn’t. No, not with his mum and his own interest in physics since middle school. And it was hard to get to know people, even during orientation. There was this one freshman who really had flirted up his game with a shy Sehun. But once alcohol was involved and Sehun knew those people a bit more he crawled out of his shell and worryingly made out with that guy he didn’t know. Never to be seen again, one might add.
He didn’t even know what the guy was studying, or at least Sehun was unable to remember.
During the introductory lecture for English Lit, he sat relatively far back. It was only his second minor after all and something to soften the blow of all the scientific talk he was subdued with all day long. With his laptop in front of him, he scrolled through his WhatsApp chat with his mum who was having downtime again.
“Sorry, is this seat taken?”
Sehun looked up and around, the lecture hall might be small but was relatively empty. He looked up at the newcomer who sent him a blinding smile. Sehun shook his head out of his stupor, what are the odds? “No, it isn’t.”
“Great,” the guy answered before setting down his stuff between them and sitting next to it, leaving the table between them empty where Sehun had placed his coffee mug on. Sehun was looking back down on his computer, when…
“I know we have physics together, but I think we might have some chemistry also.”
Sehun needed a second to realise what just happened and then his mind caught up to the fact that it was a blatant flirt. But wait, he looked back up. He felt his eyes go wide and he pointed a finger at the new guy. “It’s you, the guy from the o-week in the first semester!”
The other guy looked at him with equally wide eyes, before reaching out to Sehun and with one swift move, pulled out the hair tie letting Sehun’s bun bounce down.
“The hot guy with the luscious hair! This must be fate because we actually have physics together. Physics 101, Penelope?” The guy clapped his hands in delight. “And now we’re sitting together in English Lit! I forgot your name, so I introduce myself again. Jongdae. But I couldn’t forget the hair and body of yours if I may be that bluntly.” He winked at Sehun with a tilt of his head, wiggling his eyebrows.
“In accordance with Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Mechanics, we may already be in love right now,” Sehun answered smoothly, a cooky smile on his face. “Sehun. And I remember your face, I assume.”
Sehun's and Jongdae's anthem for this story:
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