Onew sat at the table as Y/N was making coffee for the both of them. He was still in shock over what he had learned about Y/N moments ago.

A mug with black coffee was placed in front of him. “Do you want any milk or sugar?” “Ah, no. Black is fine, thank you.” He took a sip of his coffee as Y/N sat in front of him, mixing milk into her coffee.

“So…now you know why I haven’t been coming to your classes, Mr. Lee.” “I had a feeling you might have been going through a struggle at home but I never thought of this.” “Nobody knows I had a baby. It’s just you and the nanny. I kept my stomach hidden in my junior year and had my daughter in July.” “What’s her name?” “Her name is Rosalyn, Rosie for short.” “That’s a beautiful name…Um, who’s her father?” “I wish I knew.” “What do you mean?” “I work 5 nights a week a few towns over so nobody from school sees me.” “Doing what?” “I’m a…bartender.” “You’re lying to me.”

Y/N sighs. “Not really…I work at a strip club. I do bartend but...I’m also a stripper.” Y/N started to cry. “One night, a client and I did it…Usually, I’m careful about with clients but that time I wasn’t.” “Y/N, you have to stop.” “I can’t stop. I need the money for food and Rosie. And paying Maria too.”

“How long has Maria worked for you?” “She was originally my nanny because my parents were always busy with work. My mom passed away from cancer a couple of years ago and my dad committed suicide after that. Maria’s stayed with me since then and I’m really grateful that she stayed with me when I found out I was pregnant with Rosie.”

“Do you still want to go to college?” “I want to but I can’t…It’s going to be hard going to college while balancing a job and I have Rosie. Maria’s already upset that I missed school a lot because I work at night.” “So change your work schedule.” “I can’t…The reason I work on school nights is because there’s less of a chance that somebody will spot me and Maria can take care of Rosie. I give her the weekends off.”

“Y/N, let me help you. I want you to graduate and go to college next fall.” “What can you do, Mr. Lee?” “Whatever I can. I know I’m just a new teacher but it’s my job to help my students succeed. For starters, I can give you an extension on your next assignment.” “No, Mr. Lee. I can finish it on time.” “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.”

“Okay, I’ll take my leave then. Thank you for the coffee.” Onew circled around the table and puts his hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “And if you want, you can call me Onew.” Y/N shook her head in protest. “I don’t think so. That’s just kind of weird.” “Okay. Have a good night.” Onew headed for the door. “Wait…” He turned around. “Please keep this a secret. I don’t want any more people to know about Rosie.” “You have my word, Y/N.” Onew left the house and went home.

Monday:

“All right, class. What is the message the author is trying to interpret to the reader?”

The door opens and Y/N walks in. “Sorry for being late, Mr. Lee.” “Take your seat, Y/N. And because you were late, you will have after school detention.” “But--” “Sit.” Some students snickered as Y/N took her seat in the back.

The bell rings and the students left the classroom one by one except for Y/N who stood at the corner of Onew’s desk. “Mr. Lee, I can’t do detention today.” “Don’t worry about it. I only said it to set an example to the others. You don’t have to stay after school today.” “Thank you, Mr. Lee.”

Onew checked to see if all the students left the classroom. “Are you sure you don’t want to call me Onew?” “I’m sure.” Onew gathered his papers into his suitcase. “How are you? Is Rosie okay?” “We’re fine. Why are you asking?” “I just wanted to be sure everything is going well.” “It’s fine.” “Okay, do you need anything else from me while we’re still here?” The bell rang. “Oh crap, I’m late for my next class.” “Don’t worry, I’ll write you a pass.” Onew wrote a pass for Y/N. “Off you go.” “Thank you, Mr. Lee. See you tomorrow.” Y/N ran out of the room. “Tomorrow?”

As Onew was grading assignments in the teachers’ lounge, another one of the English teachers approached him. “Hey, Onew.” “Oh, hello, Kibum.” “How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Key.” “Sorry, Key. What do you want?” “My brother Jonghyun and I are going to grab a drink with our friends after school today. I was wondering if you wanted to join us.” “Oh, um…” Onew originally thought about visiting Y/N after school but he was unsure if that was a good idea. “Sure, I’ll come.” “Great, we’re all going in Jonghyun’s car. Meet us at the entrance at 4.” “All right, see you all later.”

At 4pm, Onew met with Key and Jonghyun and the other English teachers, Taemin Lee and Minho Choi. “So where are we going?” “I’ve been hearing about a great place. It’s about half an hour away.” Everyone sat in Jonghyun’s car and he drove off. “So who told you about this place?” “Oh, it’s a little bit funny. Principal Soo-man actually recommended this place. He said there are a lot of y ladies there too.” The guys hollered in joy as Jonghyun continued driving until he reached the destination.