By the time Jackson was done lecturing the soon-to-be-idols in the recording room, Bambam had fallen asleep on the leather couch in his office, a messy pile of drawings and some scattered pencils by his side. The man sighed, shrugging off his oversized jacket and draping it over his dozing son, leaning down to get a good look at him.

Bambam was only four years old, having just started kindergarten, and Jackson felt like the tiest father in the world, spending long hours in the studio and trusting his friends to take care of his kid. Working as a rookie producer in JYP Entertainment, one of the main players of South Korea's blossoming music industry, he often had to work overtime, occasionally even overnight, to meet deadlines. He did try to make more free time for his son, taking a day off every now and then to visit zoos and theme parks, but he still worried.

Running a hand through his bleached hair, Jackson got up and moved to his desk, opening his laptop with the intention of going over a bass line he wasn't quite satisfied with. His mind was elsewhere, though, the words Youngjae had reluctantly uttered a few days earlier running through his mind.

“I... It's getting busy, you know. There's more and more work coming in and... You know I love him to death, I really do. And you're like, one of my best friends. But. I can't come over all the time anymore. I would but... I can't. My schedule is getting crazy and they're thinking of giving me a few more people to work with. I know you don't like this, Jacks, but... You need to think about getting a babysitter. Seriously. Consider it.”

Jackson frowned at the memory, glancing down at his wristwatch. It was almost 7 pm and he still had some stuff to finish before he could clock out. The kindergarten was open only until 5 pm and while he was allowed to take a break from work so he could go pick him up, keeping Bambam in his office until Jackson was done obviously wasn't the solution.

At the same time, Jackson dreaded hiring a sitter, knowing full well that despite not being an idol, his face was quite known after the few interviews he had given. The possibility of finding someone who wouldn't care about his person wasn't huge and he really did not want a stranger digging through his trash.

He had asked Bambam's kindergarten teachers for advice and they recommended looking into some activity centres for children, but the ones he'd contacted were mostly for older kids or had a problem with Bambam's imperfect Korean. Not wanting his child to feel alienated for any reason, Jacskon had put that suggestion aside for the time being.

Watching Bambam shift in his sleep, left cheek red from having been pressed against leather, Jackson thought of the kid's mother and what she would do in such a situation. It wasn't very helpful, as he wound up remembering some rather depressing incidents, but it did give him an idea.

Opening up a web browser, he looked for athletic classes for children, dismissing those that seemed too intensive, violent or simply far away. Bambam was four and had very plenty of energy to spare, throwing fits when it was bedtime and waking Jackson up before his alarm clock rang. It would be a good idea to invest some of that energy somewhere.

Having been trained from a very young age himself, Jackson wasn't ecstatic about making his child compete and push his boundaries, which was why he had refused to think about sports when Bambam was younger. But perhaps... it would be worth a try now that so many things had changed in their lives.

An advertisement soon caught Jackson's eye, mostly because the place was close to his workplace and the ad was written in not only Korean, but also English and Chinese, which seemed quite promising. They offered various programs for both children and adults, including gymnastics and dancing, something Jackson hoped his son would enjoy.

Bambam let out a little whimper and Jackson bookmarked the tab with the contact information of the centre, then sending a text to Youngjae and opening up his Avid Pro tools. He hoped to be done before Bambam woke up from his nap.

-

After receiving an encouraging message from Youngjae, Jackson decided to go check out the dance centre as soon as he was done for the day, so with a grouchy Bambam in his arms, he entered a high-rise building and took the elevator to the fourth floor. He amused his son by making faces at him in the mirror on the way up, earning a giggle before the elevator doors opened before them.

The studio was much like the ones they had at JYP, with tall mirrors lining the walls, visible speakers here and there, a cooler for drinks and a couple of benches. The only difference was that everything seemed more child-friendly, with the wiring hidden from sight and colourful pillows scattered here and there.

Bambam squinted at the flyers tacked on a wall by the entrance, trying to find familiar words and Jackson was rather proud of his little guy. He was pretty sure Bambam was the most patient and well behaved 4-year old, so used to being dragged along to different appointments and meetings by his try-hard of a father.

A man with dark hair and a bright smile appeared as Jackson was looking around and he gave a quick bow, before asking to confirm if he was in the right place and if they accepted new students.

The man introduced himself as Park Jinyoung, gesturing for Jackson and Bambam to take off their shoes and step into the studio, answering the question in rapid Korean, so fast that Jackson didn't catch much asides from the fact that this was, indeed, the correct studio.

After helping his son out of his shoes and encouraging Bambam to check out the large stuffed rabbit laying by the desk Jinyoung took a seat behind, Jackson hesitated to ask - “Can you... Speak English?”

Jinyoung paused from where he was pulling out a large notebook and blinked up at Jackson, speechless. Before Jackson could say anything, the man turned towards a door Jackson hadn't even noticed and hollered a “Hyung! Help!”, which was followed by a soft crash and a mumbled “”.

Bambam tugged at his dad's hand with a little frown marring his features and Jackson was about to ask him for a minute of patience, but then the door opened and a slim man half-stumbled out, stopping in his tracks when he noticed the strangers.

“Oh. Hello. What can I do for you?” he asked in slightly accented Korean, bowing slightly before sending Jinyoung a questioning look.

“English, hyung,”

The new guy's eyes widened a fraction and he took a step forward, bringing up a hand to offer Jackson. “Oh. Hello. I'm Mark. And this guy is Jinyoung. What, uh. How can we help you?”

Taking a closer look at his face while squeezing Mark's hand, Jackson was sure that the man wasn't Korean, as his features were sharper, the bridge of his nose higher and jaw more defined. The smile he gave Jackson paled in comparison to the grin that bloomed on his face when he took note of the little boy clutching his father's hand, half-hidden behind him.

“I'm Jackson Wang and this is Bambam. We'd like to know about what kind of classes you have for children.”

Jinyoung leaned over his desk to coo at Bambam while Mark reached for the notebook Jinyoung had opened during their little introductions. “Well, for little ones, three to six year olds, we give basic dancing and gymnastics – nothing too specific or difficult. If you're looking for actual training, we don't... Do that. To kids. It's mostly about, uh, trying to teach them how to move their body, a little bit of stretching and some games with music.”

Bambam tugged at his hand again and Jackson realized that he hadn't told his son about what they were doing here. He squatted down to be on his eye level, placing his hands on the child's narrow shoulders.

“What do you think about learning some gymnastics, huh?” he asked Bambam with a wide smile, sending the two observing men a quick look.

“Gimmastics?”

“Daddy did that, too. And Grandma – remember those videos I showed you?”

The kid's eyes widened, but he still seemed confused and wary, a small pout on his lips. “But I like kindergarten, dad. I don't wanna.”

Chuckling, Jackson tried to explain that he wouldn't be quitting kindergarten and could still play with his friends every day, but Youngjae-hyung was busy and couldn't play with him as often and daddy's office is very boring so wouldn't he like to come here after kindergarten to play with these nice uncles and learn how to jump like Spiderman?
 

Bambam didn't seem to be to convinced yet, refusing to look at the “nice uncles” that were smiling down at him, but the Spiderman part definitely intrigued him.

“Hey, look, Bambam?” Mark tried addressing the little boy while taking a few steps back. “Don't you want to be like this hyung?”

The little boy took a step closer to his dad, pretty much standing between his bent legs, as he watched the man do a simple cartwheel before following it up with a salto and a sideways flip, landing on one knee almost gracefully. Jackson used his child's hands to clap at the little demonstration, letting out a whistle when Mark mock-bowed for them.

What really sealed the deal, though, was the ball of white fluff that came running out of the next room at the noise, padding over to Mark and sniffing him to make sure he was uninjured.

“You forgot to close the door,” Jinyoung said disapprovingly but Mark ignored him, noticing how little Bambam stepped away from his father at the sight of the little dog.

“This is Coco,” he said, picking the puppy up and bringing her closer. “I can't bear to leave her at the apartment so I bring her to work sometimes. She's very good with kids, kind of like our mascot here.”

Bambam was completely enthralled as Mark sat down in front of him, offering advice on how to properly pet the fluffy creature. The boy let out a squeal when Coco tried to bite his hand playfully, but soon he had his stubby fingers buried in the curly snow-white coat of the puppy.

“She's a Maltese,” Mark explained, looking at Jackson apologetically. “They don't shed much so they're not known to cause much allergies. And she's properly trained and everything, I hope that's not a problem?”

There was something about Mark's smile that made him resemble a puppy himself and Jackson laughed at the similarity, straightening himself up, “Naw, it's fine. I'm more worried about the dog – Bam's got a lot of energy.”

Not understanding what was said, but sensing that the atmosphere was good, Jinyoung cleared his throat. “Tell him about the classes,” he said to Mark.

Jackson was tempted to tell him that he does actually speak Korean as well and simply prefers using English, but decided not to mention it for the time being, fearing that it might only make things more awkward. Instead, he watched Bambam play with the puppy clumsily, trying to pet her while she rolled around in Mark's lap and pawed at his hands.

“So. Dancing classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 PM to 7 PM and gymnastics' on Tuesdays and Thursdays, same time.”

“Nothing on Fridays?”

“Ah, um. On Fridays we only have some classes for older students. School kids and adults.”

Jinyoung passed Jackson two sheets of paper with additional information on each of the classes, how much they cost and the teachers' contacts. Jackson noticed that the two men he had just met were listed as the only dance instructors in the studio and was quite surprised, since usually in the old-fashioned South Korea, dealing with kids was considered to be kind of... women's business.

“Bambam isn't very good at Korean,” he commented, looking down at his son worriedly. “I don't know which one of you will be teaching these things, but... That could be a problem.”

“Well, we're both here, usually.” Mark replied, setting the puppy down on the hardwood floor where she immediately took a little leap in Bambam's direction, wagging her tail. “Jinyoung mostly teaches dancing and I do gymnastics, but we assist each other a lot and... With kids, we're both here. I don't think translating to him would be difficult. Plus, we already have a few Chinese kids so we're kind of multilingual here anyway.”

“Do you teach them in English, too?”

“Ah, no. I'm actually Taiwanese, so... uh. I speak Mandarin Chinese.”

Eyebrows nearing his hairline, Jackson turned to look at the man, seeing him in a completely different light. “Really?” he asked quickly, switching to his mother tongue, “I'm from Hong Kong myself so... That's perfect.”

“Oh? What a coincidence...”

At that point, Jinyoung was pretty much lost and could only guess what they were talking about but from the way Mark was smiling, he guessed things were going good. Feeling a bit awkward and left out of the conversation, he left the desk to sit by their prospective future student, smiling at the little boy encouragingly.

Meanwhile, Jackson was giving Mark a short overview of his... entire life, almost, exhilarated at getting to speak the language he had recently used only when long-distance calling his mother. Mark was wholly unprepared for this onslaught of information and could only laugh when Jackson whined about 받침's and how difficult it was to memorize them for a foreigner.

“So how did you end up here?”

Mark shrugged, obviously not as used to opening up to strangers as Jackson was. “I was brought up in the Americas... Wanted to see the world and travel, so I accepted a job offer in Korea, so, uh, here I am.”

If Jackson was bothered by his awkward and considerably shorter reply, he didn't let it show, instead giving him a bright smile and a “it's funny how things go, huh?” before getting back to business and inquiring about what kind of clothes, shoes, etc Bambam would need for their classes.

“Well, it's all fine if he can move around freely. He just probably needs some indoors shoes and... Mm, a snack and some water would probably be good. We usually have some here, too, but, you know, just in case he doesn't like those...” Mark drifted off, watching Jinyoung attempt to teach Bambam how to get Coco to roll over. “Ah, and it would actually be great if you or someone he's familiar with could stay with him the first few times until he gets used to us.”

Jackson sighed at that, grimacing slightly.

“That... Is kind of difficult. I'm still at work at that time, usually, and- yeah. Do you have any weekend classes or something? Like, this weekend maybe?”

“Uh, not really, but... Jinyoung-ah?”

The only korean in the room turned back to the adults with a polite smile, that turning into a small frown when he was explained what the problem was. “Well, it would be no big deal to organize a little something but you know I already promised to go to Busan with Jaebum and... It would be a real move to back out of it now.”

“You can just leave me the keys then.”

Jinyoung was going to argue, but Mark cut him off with one of those i'm-older-than-you-so-listen-looks “I could get some of the chinese kids to come – Yang-ssi is always asking about weekends, right? And Yugyeom could help.”

“Yugyeom needs to study, though.”

Mark rolled his eyes and Jinyoung started to laugh, both of them aware that their young friend would insist on spending some time at the studio anyway, preferring to have his grades drop rather than his moves getting rusty.

“You guys don't have to bother if it's too much trouble,” Jackson intervened in smooth Korean, startling Jinyoung, who had been sure that the man couldn't understand a word they said. “I mean, I think I could figure something out. I guess.”

“Nah, that's okay. This weekend is good. Saturday, 5 pm?”

Jackson grinned, bending to pick up Bambam who had been playfully chasing the puppy across the room and had reached the adults just then.

“What do you think about that, Bam? We'll come back here in a few days.”

“And the puppy?” the four-year-old wasted no time asking, holding onto his dad's shoulders but pouting down at the white ball of fluff that was clawing at Mark's pant leg to get her master's attention.

“Coco will be here, yeah,” Mark told him seriously. “Coco really likes to play and if you're a good boy, you can even give her snacks.”

The little boy's eyes widened but before he could ask to play with the dog for a little more, Jackson cleared his throat and picked up one of the sheets from the desk, nodding in the instructors' direction - “So, Saturday at 5 pm, right?”

“Yeah. It's okay if you're a little bit early or late. And you have my number there if something happens,” Mark told them, placing a hand on Jinyoung's shoulder and giving them a smile.

“Great. It's getting late, but. See you then.”

After waving to the two men with Bambam's little hand and saying his goodbyes, Jackson listened to his son ramble about how soft the puppy's fur had been while helping him into his shoes and with curt bows, they left. Hearing the main door close, Jinyoung turned to his partner with a teasing grin - “So?”

Mark rolled his eyes, squatting down to let his precious puppy his fingers and avoiding Jinyoung's eyes. “What? We need more clients, right? Plus, he was cute, will make a good student, probably.”

“Aha,” Jinyoung teased, leaning well into Mark's personal space. “Which one are you talking about, now? Who was cute, huh?”

Mark just groaned.