Love is patient and kind.

-1 Corinthians 13

“I never thought that this will be hard!”

The thought of just hitting my head on the table is good but the fact that I’m not inside my house or the university bothers me- I’m in a school where I’m currently deployed. I always wanted to be a teacher, I love kids and I want to be sociable because I spend most of my time watching dramas inside my room for hours. The first years were easy, just a little bit struggling with my major since we’ve been focused on grammar. Reaching my senior year means one thing- deployment to another school to practice whatever you learned inside the university and when that arrived, I knew that my last few days on earth will come. Being a listener and quiz-taker inside the class is hard but doing the lessons and making quizzes were even harder. Apart from that, we still have to go to the university every afternoon to attend our classes. I know that I’m not the only person suffering because we’ve been sharing our stories with each other everytime we meet.

I was mentally banging my head on the table when my phone vibrated. I picked it up and a smile almost escaped my lips.

“Good luck, I know you can do it.”

I met him on the first day of our class. We were late for the class and when I saw him sitting inside the room, I thought he’s also like us. After we got to sit, he stood up and went to the board and wrote his name.

“Good afternoon class, I’m Song Mino and I will be your teacher in Science.”

We were surprised to hear that. We thought that he’s our classmate.

“How old are you Sir?”

“I’m twenty-one years old.”

He’s only a year older than me!

“He was just hired this month by our Dean.”

Seunghoon, my best friend suddenly told me. Due to his excessive love for dancing, he still has to take up subjects and was not able to be a student teacher like me the same time. I’m not surprised that he knows it since he’s here everyday.

“Just this month? No wonder I didn’t saw him during our Pinning.”

“He just graduated last year with honors. I heard he’s good.”

“He needs to be good because you know that I hate Science!”

Weeks passed and we’re clearly having a hard time on balancing our teaching life outside the university and our academic status inside. I realized that you must not take any Science subject during your OJT because you will get headaches.

At the same time, I got closer to Sir Mino- actually the entire class became close to him, not just me. He’s been open about his personal life that sometimes our discussions turn into dramatic reminisce of his past. We also got his phone number and we text each other every night, just asking stuff about teaching as well as his subject.

The following day is our exam day and I’m inside my cooperating teacher’s office reading my notes for the exam. I was too busy memorizing some scientific names that I didn’t noticed my teacher that’s talking in my front.

“Jinwoo-yah, what are you doing?”

“I’m so sorry Ma’am, I’m reviewing for our exam.”

“Is that so? Well, let me check your lesson plan notebook first.”

I gave my notebook to her and went back to my seat as I saw my phone ringing. It was a text from Sir Mino.

“Are you ready for your exam?”

“No don’t text me right now Sir, I’m busy memorizing everything that you said during discussion.”

“Your exam is easy.”

“It’s because you made that exam, no wonder it will be easy for you.”

“Promise, the exam is easy.”

“The last exam that you gave was so difficult I only answered a few items.”

“You just didn’t study that time.”

“No, your exams are really difficult.”

“It will be easier this time, I swear.”

“Who are you texting and why are you smiling?”

Taehyun, my co-student teacher stated. I didn’t even notice that he was behind my back.

“It’s nothing.”

“Are you dating? Our professor told us to stop dating just for this time.”

“I’m not dating anyone and I know that it’s a no-no for now.”

“Whatever~”

That afternoon, we went back to our university to take the exam. As I was entering the room, I saw Sir Mino smiling at me and he looks so handsome today.

“Okay, move your chairs- one seat apart.”

The class started to move the chairs. There’s a vacant seat on my front and that’s near Sir Mino’s table.

“Jinwoo-yah, move here.”

I was about to say no because I know my friends will not move their asses and will leave my seat vacant but I moved anyways. We’re starting the exam and I stared blankly at my paper.

“Easy my ~”

I stared at him and he was also looking at me while smiling.

“You said that this exam will be easy.”

I mouthed silently to not make any noise during the exam. He just laughed at me and how dare him laugh like that?

“It’s easy.”

“What? Are you serious? I don’t even recall that we discussed this question number five of part two.”

“I discussed everything on that exam.”

“You did not.”

I sulked and he just laughed again. If this guy is not my professor, I would’ve kicked him until he reached exosphere.

We’re used of being friends with other professors, as they also told us, teachers must also have fun with his students to know them better. Everyone became close even to Sir Mino also because he’s only a year older than us, we’re just like friends.

A week passed and I’m standing inside my room trying to calm my nerves. It’s my final teaching demonstration and my professors from the university will come to observe along with the head teachers in the school. The students came and somehow my nervousness vanished because they just keep on joking.

“Sir Jinwoo, they are here.”

My eyes almost popped out and hurriedly went out to greet them. Sir Seunghyun, Ma’am Dara, and Sir Mino were being greeted by the teachers when I came out.

Wait, Sir Mino?

I looked at him puzzled and he just smirked at me. I went back inside the room to see if everything’s prepared and Sir Mino and Ma’am Dara entered the room. They seated at the corner where the rubrics and evaluation sheets were located. I came closer to them but my body is shaking a bit.

“You’re nervous.”

“I am not Sir Mino.”

“Don’t be nervous, you can do it.”

“Thank you Ma’am Dara.”

“Just tell us if you’re ready.”

The demo ended pretty good and we’re on the post-con. My cooperating teacher was sharing her thoughts about me to the entire panel until she said something that sent Sir Mino to a giggling fit.

“Sir Jinwoo is so quiet.”

I saw his reaction and eyed him a little but he just laughed along with Ma’am Dara. After everything, they’re now heading back again to the university and used that chance to talk to Sir Mino.

“I saw you laughing a while ago.”

“It’s because you were said to be quiet which is absolutely not true during our class. Even Ma’am Dara laughed.”

“I’m really quiet here. I’m just noisy in the class because of you.”

“Why me?”

“Nothing. Just forget it.”

Our deployment ended and we’re just in the university preparing for seminars. Most of the time, I stayed inside the professors’ office to fix some files and most of the time I have to bear with Sir Mino’s bullying. He loves teasing me but I didn’t find it weird because I know how to fight back without losing the teacher-student boundary that we have.

“You’re here again Jinwoo-yah?”

“You don’t like it? You saw my wonderful face again.”

After a series of seminars and exams, we had our tour for two days. I was exhilarated because it’s my first time to travel with my classmates. We arrived at 2am in our university and the bus came as well. We’re all settled in our seats when I saw Sir Mino entering our bus.

“Sir, why are you here?”

“Sir Seunghyun will not come with us so I have to watch over you.”

A smile crept on my face.

The tour was fun, especially the bus part where we just sing and talk nonstop. When we arrived in a resort, we ate and went to our rooms to rest. It’s past 1am and I still cannot sleep so I decided to go to the pool for fresh air. To my surprise, a familiar silhouette was sitting at the edge of the pool and I decided to join him.

“Why are you here?”

“I should be asking that question to you Kim Jinwoo. Why are you here?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“We’re the same.”

“Why?”

“I’m thinking about someone.”

“You were just asking if you will find your forever in this place and you already found that person?”

“Actually, I didn’t find that person here.”

“Really?”

“I realized that he’s just here, sitting beside me.”

I slowly looked at him and I was met by his stare. He looked serious and sincere but then I remember a thing.

“You know that it’s not allowed, right?”

“I know. But I’m willing to wait for you. I will wait until you graduate, until you fall for me.”

I didn’t say anything after that. I just rested my head on his shoulders and watched the calming water of the pool.

“I already did. Just wait for me.”

It may be forbidden this time, but we just have to wait- wait until everything’s alright, until it’s the right time.