Jimin's thought process crumbled in his hands, all intelligable words and graspable images ran screaming when Namjoon uttered the words 'my dad.' Dr. Kim was Namjoon's father. He would've said it was a small world, but that didn't come to his lips and the only thing he could get out was a strangled sound half way between a squeak and a choke. This couldn't be happening. His English professor's son was his tutor. Why couldn't it be someone else? Someone who wouldn't know him later after this mess had ended. He also couldn't forget he was the TA. Namjoon would be able to see his mess of grades and projects, all his missing assignments and failing tests. This wasn't real and he was just dreaming, right? He would wake up in a matter of minutes and have a hard back psychology book ed into his hands by his mother at the dinner table during breakfast. He would wake up and hear his father saying something about the patient he had last night who wouldn't stop talking about how much pain he was in even after all the morphine they pumped into his thin body.

"Jimin, are you okay?" It wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. His English professor's TA and son was sitting right in front of him and he was Jimin's tutor. No, he wasn't okay. There was no way in hell he would be okay. Maybe he was overracting. It couldn't be that bad. Maybe Namjoon was not that good of a tutor and Dr. Kim was just bragging because it was his son. Maybe Namjoon was failing something too and he wouldn't seem so dumb. Jimin wasn't dumb, he had an impressive IQ, good grades and two book and street smart parents. There was no way he would be intimadated by this little slip in his pattern. He could put it back together, get his grades back up to the 'A' range and be done with this horrible curse that had been put on him. Once his grades were where they should be, he could say goodbye to Namjoon and go back to being normal. No more tutors or late night study sessions with the sophmore down the street. He could deal with this. He would have too.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just confused. Can a teacher's son even be their TA?" Namjoon scoffed, pulling his headband off his head, letting all the pulled back strands fall in his face. 

"You're thinking about highschool rules. Children of teachers can't be in the same class because of bias. But I'm just the TA. Haven't been in a class with my dad since freshman year." He ran a hand through his hair, only catching a few strands of hair. A hair cut would fix that problem, Jimin thought, watching Namjoon fix his hair again, placing the headband back on his head. 

"Right. Well, I don't have much time. Can we start this session or what?" Namjoon chuckled, pulling a folder from his bag. He placed down on the table, nodding.

"Of course."

-

"I just don't understand. A comma seperates two conjoing sentences, but a semi colon can as well. If you can use both, then why is this sentence wrong, but not that one?" Jimin had been looking over all his old assignments and tests that Namjoon had brought along. Namjoon had to pull out glasses, thick rimmed and light blue, to replace his contacts. 

"Because a comma has more uses than a semi colon. A comma is used in making lists, seperating clauses, parenthetical phrases, between adjectives, before quotatins, in dates, vocatives, and other things, while a semi colon seperates two closely related independent clauses. For example a comma would seperate a sentence like 'My mother comma Ann comma and Steve went to the store' you were making a list not seperating two clauses."

Jimin watched Namjoon write down the sentence he just spoke. His English was perfect, not broken and barley intangiable like his own. It was almost as if he was a native speaker, not even romotely Korean. "But with a semi colon it would look more like this. 'My wife would like tea; I would prefer coffee.' " He wrote down another sentence and turned the page around to face Jimin. "See, you just had the clauses mixed up. Your sentence structures aren't wrong just your usage is."Jimin nodded, reading the sentences again. He was still slightly confused, but he wouldn't tell Namjoon that. He would just have to practice it more on his own. 

"Okay, makes sense. Two closely related independent clauses, not just between other clauses. Got it." Namjoon must've been a mind reader or something close to it. He sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"You don't understand, do you?" Jimin pursed his lips. He did not want to seem stupid in front of his tutor. He was smart, way beyond it. He shook his head. 

"I understand. It's not that hard. Semi colons and commas." He jestured to all the papers on the table, comma worksheet after comma worksheet. "This is something that I'll be able to pass on the next test. You're a good tutor Namjoon." He didn't want Namjoon to keep hammering him with that skeptical look any longer. He was tired and just wanted to go home. He was ready to listen to his mother spout off more nonsense about a pychological disease that he new nothing about and eat to his father's barely cooked rice omlette.

"Good, cause my dad said he would let you re-take all these tests you failed, as long as I'm tutoring you well. You think you'll be able to pass it next week?" Jimin audibly gulped and Namjoon laughed. "Look, I'll add another session this week for more use on commas and the like. And when you're ready I'll get you another test." He looked down at the table where he had placed his phone. He sighed, picking it up and sliding it into his hoodie pocket. "But I have to go. I'll see you Thursday, okay. Don't be late." Namjoon quickly gathered his things before rushing out the door.

Jimin was left awestruck, not because of Namjoon or his casual way of making Jimin stay for another two hour session on commas, but because he had accepted the death of his social standing. He was as good as doomed now, so much for telling the TA to shove it.