Ever since encountering Jimin, you never skipped out on morning drop off. Jimin dropped them off at school every morning and picked them up from after care. You left earlier than after care hours because you had to work at the club. Your only opportunity was morning drop off.

Before meeting Jimin, you hid inside the classroom. It wasn't your responsibility to greet the parents, your cousin was the face of her classroom. You usually helped her with planning out her lesson plans for the next couple of days. It wasn't anything that needed your immediate attention.

"Since when did you do drop off?" Kim asked the morning of the first time you joined her by the door. You had shrugged and smiled brightly at the incoming students and parents.

Many parents were confused at your presence because they've never seen you before. You had to explain that you were an intern, not a substitute for the day. Even several students had commented on your sudden change.

Your cousin didn't make it a big deal, because she knew your intentions. It became obvious when Jimin arrived with Minjoo and Minseo. Kim had silently watched your body language and the slight tint on your cheeks arise.

Now every morning, you shared a small conversation with Jimin whenever you could. Kim would greet other parents in the process.

"Good morning, Ms. Kim... (Y/N)." Jimin shyly smiled. He usually showed up in business attire, however, he entered with a simply, cozy hoodie. Minjoo and Minseo were jumping in their matching lilac dresses, holding their father's hands. They were eager for another day at kindergarten. 

"Good morning !!!" Minseo hugged your legs and squished her face into your thighs. Minjoo did the same to Kim. The twins were usually very affectionate to adults.

"Daddy, you're picking us up early today right?" Minjoo peered up and tugged at the hem of Jimin's black hoodie.

"You're picking them up early, Jimin?" Kim asked for clarification. 

He smiled and shook his head. "They're not going to after care today and for the next following days."

"Ah, what's the occasion?" Kim was very chill with him. It was like they were friends and had talked often prior.

"The office is having some employee getaway, so no one is there." He chuckled, looking at you while he spoke.

"And Daddy didn't want to leave us because he said he was going to miss us." Minseo smiled, trying to embarrass her father.

In your surprise, Jimin merely knelt down and gave Minseo and Minjoo wet goodbye kisses on their cheeks. "I'm going to miss you when you guys are at school too. I have nothing to distract me while you two are away."

"Maybe you can watch all the Disney princess movies and finally tell us which one is your favorite!" Minjoo suggested and pecked Jimin's cheek.

"Hm.. you two are my favorite princesses." He helped them zip up their huge backpacks after pulling out their jackets. You loved his interactions with his daughters. They were often too blatantly honest and he always had hearts in his eyes when he talked to them. A true fool for his daughters.

It was a warm sight. You've never seen a parent with such care and devoted attention for his babies. Many would drop off their children without a single goodbye, others had phone conversations or didn't even bother to walk them down the rest of the way.

Jimin was attentive and held their hands as they walked. The love he had for the twins poured right out of his heart. You wondered how someone could love someone so much. Maybe it was parental love, something foreign to you.

"Daddy I love you." Minseo kissed his cheek and Jimin caressed her small face.

"I love you too, Seonnie and you too, JooJoo." He wrapped their jackets around their small waists to allow easy access.

"Don't forget your promise, Ms. (Y/N)!" Minseo chimed before entering the classroom.

Minjoo and Minseo didn't hesitate to always remind you about your promise you made them a few weeks ago. You thought that young children had horrible memories, but these two were persistent. They took pinky promises very seriously. 

You laughed in response to the 74th reminder they've given you. You nodded, "I won't, monkey." That was your special nickname for them.

"Okay, I've held it in long enough. But what is this promise that they keep mentioning?" Kim questioned and darted between your's and Jimin's expressions.

Jimin answered for you, "it's nothing. (Y/N) just promised them that she'd join us for dinner one night, which I tried to warn you not to."

"I didn't think they'd remember for so long." You defended yourself. Jimin ruffled his messy, bedhair. He looked so cuddly with such a relaxed look.

"Pinky promises are sacred to those two. They never forget." Jimin tried to explain in a midst of laughter.

"Wow, dinner! That sounds nice, though." Kim smirked and nudged your elbow.

You rolled your eyes at her, knowing her intents. Jimin caught on and cleared his throat, "you seriously don't have to though. I can get them to stop bothering you about it."

"Jimin, half of the reason I promised them was because I actually do want to. I haven't found the chance, that's it." You didn't want his smile to falter.

Kim spoke on your behalf, "she's never has time, always working."

"Understandable. Well, you have my number when you do find the time." Jimin waved his phone with a grin. "Well, I'll see you two at 3 PM. Have a nice day, ladies." 

"Bye, Jimin." Kim pulled you into the room and shut the door. "You have his number?"

"Yeah, I needed to contact him for something. Don't get weird." You sighed and strolled over towards the waiting children.

"You have his number and he invited you to dinner? We need to talk about this." Kim shook your arm excitedly.

"If you want to talk to me, come find me at the club. I don't want to talk about it here." You groaned and swore you acted more mature than your older cousin. 

Kim was practically your best friend. Every family member would comment as to how you two got along with one another so well. She was a couple of years older than you, but she shared the same struggles and understood you more than anyone. She supported your decisions instead of picked at your weak points.

She was the first to decide that she wanted to be a teacher, especially to younger kids. Kim was unable to have kids of her own, so being able to work in a school made her feel like she did have them --- 20 of them. You knew she needed some extra help because she was still new, so it was by chance that you two were placed together.

As the day went further along, your excitement gradually built. You felt like a young girl waiting to see her crush. You felt like your feelings for Jimin were harmless though. You merely wanted to be his friend, his good friend. You convinced yourself that you wouldn't replace the mother to his beautiful girls.

Kim stepped out to use the bathroom, so you were left to watch the kids. They were busy with cutting and crafting. Minjoo and Minseo sat together and often shared the task between each other. Minjoo would cut everything while Minseo created both of their crafts. They were both super hardworking and zoned in on their work, so it caught your attention when Minseo put the bottle of glue down and turned to face the other student on her left.

"I've never met my mom." She spoke rather loud and confidently. You watched attentively to see if you should intervene. The twins never spoke about their mother or seemed bother about family subjects.

"She doesn't live with you?" The young boy asked, casually cutting right through the needed piece for his tiger mask. "I know Ricky's dad doesn't live with him, right Rick?"

Ricky nodded his head, "Daddy lives in a different city, I see him on the weekends."

"We only live with our Daddy. We don't know where our mom is." Minjoo placed her scissors on her desk and waited for the other kids' reactions.

"You don't have a mom?" Ricky asked, slightly snickering with the other boys. 

"Well of course we have a mom. How else were we born?" Minseo sassed and you held in a laugh. She was unpredictably honest and very smart.

"Then where is she?" One of the boys questioned.

Minjoo shrugged and picked up her scissors again, "Daddy says she's in a better place."

"A better place? What does that mean? Disneyland?" He marveled and Minseo laughed.

"No. Daddy didn't tell us where, just not here." 

"Do you want a mom?" 

Minjoo sat there in hard thought before answering with something that broke your heart, "that would be nice." Her bottom lip quivered and her wails filled the room. You got up and ran over.

"Hey Monkey, what's wrong?" You knelt down. She instantaneously wrapped her arms around your neck and cried into your shirt. All the students were staring, asking what was wrong.

Kim walked back in and stared at you with confusion. She assessed the situation at hand and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Kids, it's clean up time! Everyone help clean and get ready for pick up."

You carried Minjoo over to the corner of the room, and set her down on the classroom rug. Rubbing her back, you cooed into her ear. "It's okay, Minjoo. Don't cry. I've got you."

"Ms. (Y/N).." she hiccuped between her sobs, ".. do you have a mommy?"

You gulped and pulled back to face the unstable girl. She was rubbing her eyes and hung down on her face. "I do. But it doesn't make it any different if you don't."

"Yes it does! Everyone has a mommy with them, and me and sissy don't. We are the only ones who don't have one! Everyone has two parents to love them." She stomped.

"Monkey, let me ask you a question. Do you love your daddy?" You whispered, speaking in a calm voice. She nodded. "Is your daddy like a mommy? Does he love you just as much as if you were to have a mommy?"

She pouted and stopped crying. You've stumped her. Her big, glossy eyes blinked back at you. "Yes."

"I think if your daddy loves you just as much as if you were to have a mommy and he plays a role of both a daddy and a mommy, that's enough." You ended with a small smiled. "Now, are we going to stop crying?" 

Minseo hurried over and placed the finalized tiger mask over her sister's head. "Yeah, sissy. Let's stop crying. I even finished your tiger mask for you!"

Minjoo touched the messily colored construction paper over her face. You were so proud of Minseo. She took care of her sister and often times stood up for her. "Where's your's?" You asked Minseo.

Minseo shrugged, "I didn't have time to finish it." You helped Minjoo push the mask into her hair, out of her face. "Um, you're welcome, Minjoo." She sassed.

"Thank you." Minjoo mumbled and hugged her sister. She turned to you and reached out her arms. You carried her, supporting her body on your hip. "Ms. (Y/N), if I were to have a mommy, I'd wish she was you." She giggled into your ear.

You were shocked at her comment and cleared your throat. You weren't sure how to respond, but you were slightly honored she liked you enough to say something like that. Minseo held onto your free hand and pulled you towards the cubbies. Majority of the students were gone already. There were only two left and they went to after care.

"Minseo, Minjoo, Daddy's here." Kim called for them. Minseo applauded happily and grabbed her's and her sister's backpacks. She put her's on her back and carried Minjoo's in her tiny hands. She pulled you out the door with her, along with Minjoo still in your arms.

Kim laughed when you came out, "you're joining home with them?" You smiled and shook your head.

Jimin's face fell when he saw Minjoo in your arms. He pouted at his daughter and brushed her soft cheeks, "what happened, baby?" He unconsciously reached for their backpacks with his other hand.

"It was nothing, Daddy." Minseo lied. "Can we go get ice cream so JooJoo can feel better?"

"Ice cream!" Minjoo cheered.

"Are you sure it was nothing, JooJoo?" Jimin was still persistent about his daughter's drying tears. He looked over at you for a confirmation. You knew Minseo lied so it wouldn't hurt her father's feelings. She didn't want her dad to feel bad.

"Monkey was sad that we couldn't finish our arts and craft today." It was a white lie. Jimin seemed unconvinced, but left it. He exhaled sharply and nodded.

"That's why I gave her mine, Daddy, look!" Minseo pointed to the tiger mask on Minjoo's head.

"Wow, baby girl, it looks good. You made JooJoo such a fierce tiger." He collected Minjoo from your arms and held onto his other daughter's hand. "I'll call you." He said to you while bidding goodbye to Kim.

You froze, confused as to why he would. "Bye Ms.(Y/N)" The twins waved as they were being whisked away by Jimin. Kim lead the remaining children to the after care room.

You collected your things to prepare to leave for the club. On your desk, you saw a roughly colored tiger mask sitting on top of your previous work. Flipping it around, you saw the small message written in blue crayon.

To Ms. (Y/N)

thank you

from Minseo Monkey

You gasped at the thoughtful gift. Nothing has ever touched you this hard. It was such a sweet gift, even if it was just an arts and craft project. It was hers, but she gave it to you. You took a quick photo and sent it to both Kim and Jimin.

secretly thank Minseo for me for her gift. she is a saint !

You walked to your car and your phone buzzed. It was a new message from Jimin.

She wants you to wear it and send us a picture of it

You laughed, but obliged happily. Getting into your car, you placed the mask over your face. You struck a pose you'd soon regret. You almost cried from laughing at how ridiculous you looked, but sent it anyway. Within seconds, Jimin replied with a cute selfie of him and Minseo. She was in mid giggle, with her missing teeth in view and Jimin was giving you a thumbs-up. Following the photo was another picture, but it was Minjoo with two ice cream cones in her hand. Her infamous smile was resting on her face perfectly, her eyes disappearing.

someone's a happy camper again, Jimin typed.

You sat in your car, smiling like a fool at the family's adorable pictures. A part of you was happy that they shared these moments with you. The other part was sad that you weren't spending it with them. A love that you didn't understand grew at the bottom of your heart. You desired to protect them and make sure that their happy smiles stayed on their faces.

she deserves that ice cream (:

i think you deserve some too ! (: have fun at work, (Y/N).

thanks Jimin haha

-

Midway through your shift, Kim entered the loud atmosphere. She greet you and ordered her usual. "Why are you so happy to see me? We were together all day." You laughed at your giddy cousin.

Sipping her drink, she wiggled her eyebrows. "Oh you know why I'm so happy to see you. I want to know the details about you and Jimin."

"Stop talking so loud, Wes is in the back." You gestured over to your boss.

"I don't care about Wes. He's a horrible man and you know it. He's not even your boyfriend." 

A sour taste filled your mouth. It was true, what Kim was saying. Wes wasn't your boyfriend or anything romantically involved. He was your boss who you slept with to keep a job. He meant nothing to you, but you knew how he was when he got jealous or mad.

"No, he's not my boyfriend, but I can still lose my job." You kept your voice low.

Kim rolled her eyes, "I wish you'd get your teaching license already so I can hire you to be my co-teacher. You wouldn't have to your way into a job."

"For me to get my license, I have to stay in school. For me to stay in school, I have to pay a tuition." 

"I know and I wouldn't mind lending you money." Kim always offered to pay for your expenses, but you wouldn't let her. You didn't like owing money and you were too prideful.

"Kim.. are you here to judge me about my job because you can do that anytime you want. I know you didn't come down to the club, past your bedtime to do that." You joked. Kim usually didn't leave her house past six because of how much work she needed to keep up with.

"Okay, so spill. How do you guys end up meeting? I refuse to believe that you guys hit it off in five minutes outside my classroom." She giggled, so ready for the tea she was about to receive.

You sighed and leaned over the counter, "I met him when he was sitting right here." You pointed at the counter right in front of Kim. Her eyes were the size of watermelons.

"He came to the club?!" She almost choked. "I guess that makes sense. He's still young."

"Yeah, I spoke to him a little. Made him my special drink." 

"You made him your special drink? (Y/N), he has children! Did you want him to die?" She rolled her eyes.

In your defense, you didn't know he had children that night. "I didn't know he had kids, Kim. He looked really exhausted, so I helped him out a bit. His friends were here with him and they took care of him, so he was okay. He left his jacket that night and I didn't want anyone to steal it, so I held onto it for him. His car keys were in his pocket, so I parked his car into my spot before I left." 

"You parked? I'm surprised you didn't crash." You poured her another drink.

"Me too. And then, the next morning, I opened the door to your classroom and there he was. The twins were holding his hand and the man from the club was standing right in front of me. I thought I was never going to see him again, maybe once more for his jacket, but that would be it. I was super surprised when I found out he was a dad. He gave off a young vibe when he sat here." 

"Isn't he cute? I never had anyone to talk about him with because your lazy wouldn't join me for morning drop off." A dreamy look came across her face.

"Why don't you get with him?" You chuckled. She snapped out of her day dream and frowned. 

"That's weird, plus I don't think he wants to get with me. I think he wants you." She snickered, a smirk on her face.

The heat returned to your face, making an obvious red glow appear. "Stop, Kim. I'm trying to be his friend. The guy lost the love of his life not that long ago, that's so insensitive."

"That doesn't stop you from blushing, though." 

"Whatever. Anyways, I got his number from the twins' contact information. I wanted to give him back his things and then we met up out in the club parking lot. The twins made me promise to join them for dinner because they didn't want me to leave." A chill ran down your spine when you felt someone inching closer to you.

"Wes." Kim whispered and you gulped. Turning around, you saw the man smiling at you. 

"I was going to surprise you again." Wes slung his arm around your waist. "Hey Kim. Isn't it past your bedtime?" He laughed.

"Would you look at the time? I guess it is." She said in the most monotone voice. She gathered her purse and paid for her drink.

"Don't, Kim. It's fine." You gave it back to her. She rolled her eyes, but accepted it anyways.

"I'll see you tomorrow, cuzzo." She left and waved off.

You felt Wes' wet lips coat your ear. "Wes, stop."

"I haven't seen you in such a long time. Are you avoiding me?" He smirked. His hands finding anyway to grab onto you.

"Why would I do that?" Your shaky hands couldn't hold onto the bottles of alcohol. Wes scared you, so you kept you witty remarks to a minimum.

"Maybe you found a new guy to run off to." He joked. You did. Since Jimin came into your life, you didn't want to sleep with anyone. You didn't want to flirt with guys or even think about anyone else.

"No way." You croaked. 

"Why don't we leave this place and you get to leave your shift early today?" He muttered into your ear and you clenched the glass in your hand. Your grip was so tight that your knuckles turned white.

"Am I still getting paid for the rest of my hours?" That was all you cared about --- the money. He chuckled darkly and nodded. His eyes were filled with lust as he stared at you.

You sighed and took off your apron. You hurried to get changed and clocked out. Getting into your car, you rushed over to Wes' house. The path brought back horrifying memories.

You hated having to sleep with him, but you didn't have a choice. You were desperate and the offer was handed to you on a silver platter. However, it just made you feel like less of a person. It made you feel ashamed of yourself.

He wasn't even good in bed either. It wasn't even enjoyable if you wanted to like it. Wes didn't last long and you were never one who was satisfied. It was all about him and his needs.

You arrived at the same time as him and you followed him into his dingy house. ing your shirt, you just wanted to get it over with and leave.

-

Your phone rang when you and Wes finished. You tried to bring your heart rate down as you reached for your phone. You answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" You answered, catching your breath.

"Hey (Y/N)." It was Jimin. You shot up in bed and Wes looked at you strangely. "I was wondering if you were busy."

"Oh no, what's wrong?" You got up to take the call in another room, so Wes wouldn't hear.

"Nothing, there's nothing wrong. I wanted to take you on that offer about a dinner. I bought way too much food and the girls insisted for me to call you." You could hear the twins giggling in the background. They were calling your name and yelling incoherent things.

"I'll be there." You smiled into the receiver.

"Oh... I mean.. you don't have to-- if you have work, I completely understand. This was super spontaneous." Jimin rambled on and on, he wasn't expecting you to agree.

You laughed quietly, "I'm off early tonight. I was going to call you when I changed." You weren't, but you thought a small lie wouldn't hurt.

"Okay. Well, I'll text you my address." Jimin cleared his throat and you said your farewells before hanging up. You walked back into Wes' room to put your clothes back on.

"Where are you going?" He asked you, putting his phone down.

You made up a random excuse, "Kim called. She left something at school and her car ran out of gas. It's really important."

"Alright." He didn't bother to listen to you anymore after you two ed. He didn't care about you after the deed. 

You showed yourself out and made sure your makeup looked okay before heading to Jimin's house. It wasn't a long drive and he actually lived near Kim. Your stomach churned from nervousness and excitement. You were actually going to have dinner with them.

It must've been a while since you made that promise and you were starting to believe it was never going to happen. But there you were, making your way to your favorite family.

-

Dinner wasn't at all uncomfortable. The twins wouldn't allow for it to be a of silence. Jimin had made two dishes and the rest were take out. It was all your favorite kinds of food.

Their house was very cozy and neat. There were occasional toys scattered near the couch, but overall it was nice. Everything was organized and the house wasn't too small or too big. It was perfect.

You always felt like your apartment was too big for you because you live alone. There were way too many rooms that you didn't need and it was majority empty.

Halfway through dinner, the door was being jiggled. Jimin got up as the Minseo turned in her seat to see who it was. Minjoo sneakily stole a sausage off Minseo's plate. Before Jimin could open the door, it opened on its own.

"Wow Jen, good job at being fashionably late." Jimin commented and let a young woman in. She had similar features to the twins, you had to do a double take. Her hair was long and thin. She didn't look much older than you and definitely not older than Jimin. Her frame was petite and she fell right at Jimin's chin. She handed Jimin bags filled with pastry boxes.

"I told you I was only stopping by for dessert and packing some food for my lunch." She smiled, even her smile was beautiful. She had rows of straight whites and small dimples on her cheek. Her big eyes landed on you, then back at Jimin, then back at you. "Thank god I bought extra. I knew you were going to invite someone and not tell me. You always do that."

You wondered as to who she was. Was she his sister? Was she his girlfriend? The last thought made you nervous and your heart drop. It had to be that. You were probably misreading Jimin's actions. They seemed comfortable, and she knew all his detailed habits. She also had the key to their house. Kim didn't even have a key to your apartment.

"I'm Jen." She stuck out her hand to introduce herself. You shook it.

"I'm (Y/N)." You faked a smile, dishearten at how much more beautiful she was up close. The twins hopped out of their seats to hug Jen. They had their cheeks filled with rice, but it didn't stop them from getting cradled in her arms.

"How have my girls been?" That was it. That was the final clue. Jen was Jimin's girlfriend. Why else would she refer to them as her's?

Dinner was becoming hard to swallow because of the knot in your throat. Jimin sat back down and noticed your distracted face. "(Y/N), you okay?"

You removed yourself from the rejoiced scene and saw the confusion in Jimin's eyes. "I'm fine. I was just trying to guess what was in those boxes." You lied.

Jen laughed, even her laugh was adorable! "They're cupcakes."

Minseo gasped, "cupcakes?! It's it the---"

"---double chocolate chip with strawberry icing? What else would it be?" She finished Minseo's sentence and the young girl thanked her repeatedly. 

"You spoil them too much." Jimin mumbled.

Jen scoffed, "says the one who got them ice cream today. You got Minjoo two cones."

You were starting to feel left out as they bantered like a couple. You felt like an intruder, a stranger. The twins were busy flicking rice at each other's faces and Jimin and Jen were laughing harmoniously together.

And you sat at the end of the table, swirling your utensils in your bowl. You were wondering what excuse you could use to get yourself out of this atmosphere. This dinner didn't go as how you thought it was going to be. You were bathing in your jealousy and silence.

You saw the happiness in Jimin's eyes as he spoke to Jen. Her nose crinkled when she laughed from time to time. She was the epitome of a female. You were envious, you had to admit. Her slender hands rested on the top of Minjoo's head as she started braiding the child's silky black hair that resembled her's. It was a picture perfect family and you felt guilty for ever deciding it was okay to intrude.