Two hot tears sliced Anna’s cheeks while her hands automatically grabbed the edge of the desk – the two dark-brown, almond eyes stared at her as lost as they were exactly one month, 2 weeks and three days ago. 

He also quickly blinked twice to chase away Anna’s image, but the floral scent brought back, as lively as ever, her kisses, her soft skin. He gulped a little to muster up his courage as he double checked the label on the door – XII-A. He smiled pretending to be a little shy and somehow managed to walk his way up to the teacher’s desk, flawlessly. He took a really short, discreet sigh, then smiled again placing himself on the very corner of the table.

“Just two boys…” he disguised his reaction very well, making all the girls giggle in awe… all except one… He noticed Anna’s shivers and turned his eyes away from her.

“You may be seated…” he charmingly said. His brain was now painfully running by words such as ‘underage’, ‘student’, feeling it would pop out of his ears at any time.

“Ah… yes…” he tried to begin talking but the words wouldn’t come out, so he simply smiled. Her reaction was a little too much for him to handle and those 40 eyes on him didn’t help at all.

“It’s been a while since a bunch of kids stared at me like this,” he thought he spoke to himself but actually he said it out loud making everybody giggle again… everyone but one… Anna felt that ‘kids’ sharper than a stabbing knife bringing more tears to her eyes.

‘Come to your senses, kid…’ he thought for himself, looking in her direction, but again, her image from that day hit him, throwing his eyes all the way to the opposite corner of the room.

“Umm… “he gently giggled “Well then... Hello!” he began talking in a low, deep, ‘teacherly’ tone. “My name is Kim Jae Wook and… by the looks of it, I’ll be your English teacher for this year… Inside the classroom, I’ll be Mr. Kim, bout outside of it you may call me Jaeuck, or simply Wook… even Wookie if you like” he sent giggles and laughter all over the classroom again.

Anna felt as if he was actually talking to her, even though she never got her eyes up from the English notebook.

“Hey… are you ok?” he could hear Veronica’s whispers towards her desk mate, but he pretended not to, waiting for her answer, which never came. “You’re such a wuss” she whispered when Anna simply wouldn’t answer, and Jaeuck sighed letting it feel like he was actually annoyed by the fact that they were talking. He studied Veronica’s school style and smiled. Unlucky enough, she noticed it, so instead of showing embarrassment, Veronica whispered a little louder, to make sure he could hear her: “It definitely worth the 11 years wait…”

Jaeuck smiled and was about to say something when Veronica spoke out loud:

“Kim Jae Wook?  You’re Asian??”

“What gave me away?” he joked.

“Your facial features and basically your name” she answered in a glance robbing a peal of soft laughter from her teacher.

“Nae, majayo*” he answered in Korean. “You are right” he translated. “I was born and raised in South Korea, from a Korean father and a Romanian mother…” he thought he’d fill Veronica’s curiosity.

“So how come you’re an English teacher in Romania now?” she cut him off again.

“Because I’m too old for my parents to give me money” he answered a little amused.

“How old? You surely don’t look old” she pierced his eyes.

He looked at Veronica in disbelief.

“35,” he said “old enough to be your father…”

“Neah, you couldn’t” Veronica wouldn’t stop. “Unless you’d be silly enough and have me at 17” she grinned, stunning both Anna and him. 

Jaeuck was lost for words, discreetly observing Anna’s reaction. He feared that she might’ve told someone what she did, but judging by her reaction, for the first time he was genuinely happy for it – Anna bit her lower lip to stop the tears coming out.

“Ok… no more questions? Good. It’s my turn to get to know you” he quickly spoke before Veronica.

He walked behind the desk and sat on the chair because otherwise, his legs would uncover his true feelings.

Anna also understood she needed a cover when her tears already started wetting her notebook. She quickly took out her cell phone pretending to receive a text message.

“Let’s see… umm... Alexandru Iacob?” he avoided looking towards Veronica’s desk and searched for one of the boys that quickly stood up yelling “here!”

He laughed.

“You don’t need to scream. We’re not in the military” he gently spoke, calling out name after name as the kids got up one by one.

“Dobrin… Dobrin Annalise? Annalise? Are you here…?” he swallowed up his smile when he understood who Annalise might be.

“Dude…” Veronica poked Anna and finally saw her tears. “Wha…. What’s wrong?” she whispered staring at the phone she was frenetically squeezing.

“Here…” Anna finally answered without getting up.

Normally he would make sure, but the moment he turned his face towards her, her arms linked around his neck made him look away in an instant.

“Dobrinescu Mihai…” he looked for the other boy, smiling… or at least trying to.

“Umm... Mr. Kim…” Veronica’s voice screeched his ears again.

“Yes?”

“Excuse me, but… my friend’s not feeling too well. May I take her out for a minute?”

“Sure!” he answered sooner than she finished her sentence.

“Thank you” Veronica grabbed Anna’s arm and dragged her outside the door.

A long sigh left Jaeuck’s lips as he leaned deeper on the chair’s back.

“Is she always like this?” he found himself asking out loud.

“Who? Anna?” Mihai’s voice took him by surprise. “Yes.” the boy continued “She’s really a crybaby… more of a nerdy type… “ he answered what he thought it was a question for him.

‘Some nerd she is…’ Jaeuck smiled at the thought of her lips but quickly regained posture. ‘What the are you thinking of?? UNDERAGE!!’ his mind gained this battle too.

Veronica dragged Anna all the way to the girl’s bathroom. She loudly slammed the door shut and faced Anna’s crying eyes.

“You either tell me what’s wrong or I’ll slap the answer out of you!”

“I can’t tell you!” Anna replied squeezing the poor cellphone.

“Ever since you took out this damn phone you cry continuously! Who died?!!” Veronica grabbed her phone missing Anna’s sigh of relief – her cellphone plan worked…as planned.

“What’s the password??” Veronica angrily tried to unlock it.

“You’ll laugh at me…” Anna mumbled.

“Of course I will if it is something less than a death… that’s the only reason to cry like that!”

‘This might be a good excuse’ Anna thought.

“Well… my… my 10 years old cat died…” she finally said allowing a deep silence to take over.

“W-what?...” Veronica thought she couldn’t hear well.

“I.. it died today… now…” Anna tried to keep her tears in pointing to her phone.

“Your… cat…” Veronica looked for her eyes.

Anna nodded biting her lower lip.

“I knew you wouldn’t understand!!” she yelled, exiting the bathroom in a rush. “You soulless human!” she needed to hide her face because in between those tears a crazy laugh wanted to get out as well. 

“Her… cat…” Veronica still couldn’t cope with the answer she just received. “Wait up!!” she finally realized she was left alone.

She reached Anna in less than 3 steps.

“The cat’s spirit won’t let you enter?” she asked when she found Anna standing in front of the classroom door.

Without realizing it, Anna rolled her eyes and turned the knob in one move. The door opened and her heart skipped a beat again – Jaeuck was still on the chair, staring at her now.

“Get back in!” he said when she wouldn’t move.

“Yes!” Veronica pushed her to their desk.

“It’s everything alright?” he asked doing his best to look at them.

“Apparently…” Veronica froze his soul for a second “her… cat died…”

His eyes doubled and he couldn’t abstain his laughter anymore… neither did her colleagues, throwing new tears inside Anna’s already wet eyes and powerful red shades on her cheeks.

“I’m… I’m sorry… it’s not funny… not at all… Stop laughing!” he tried to stop his overjoyed heart. ‘I sure hope I’m not the cat’ he bit his tongue to force him to stop laughing.

“Ok, ok, that’s enough!” he spoke out loud again. “As you can see she’s really sad about it and… I’m sorry…”

Those last words made her to briefly look at him, but enough to understand he was indeed talking to her… and not about her dead cat.

“Sooo… on a happier note… is there anyone who majors in English?” he thought he’d change the air in the classroom.

Veronica and the other three kids rose their arms in an instant followed by a slow Anna.

‘Of course, you would…’ he thought.

“Umm… so who’s the best out of you?” he taunted them.

“This nerd over here!” Veronica, as well as the rest of the class, pointed to Anna who quickly lowered her eyes on the ground.

‘Sure… why wouldn’t you?...’ he thought of a new question that wouldn’t point her out again.

“Who’s responsible for your class?” he found the new question.

“This nerd over here!” Veronica laughed, as the others did.

‘Of course, she would… I’d better stop asking anything…’ he had another talk with his own self.

“Ok, then… for the rest of you who won’t major in English, this class just became O.F. … optional feature” he waited patiently for the cheers to end, throwing short glimpses to Anna, who simply couldn’t get her eyes up from that notebook. “The ones who do, nevertheless, you are not allowed to skip any of my classes. Sounds fair?”

Of course, it did and the cheers of the kids spoke for themselves.

The long-awaited bell finally rang and Jaeuck was the first to jump off of his chair. He was about to exit the room but froze when Veronica placed herself in the doorstep.

“Is anything wrong?” he stared at her fearing she’ll drop a bomb on him.

“Umm… no… but… you know, we use this WhatsApp group to talk to our teachers and…”

“So what do you need?” he pretended to not understand what she was asking for.

“Your phone number…” she smiled staring at him.

‘Jesus, thank God it was Anna and not her’ he also smiled and answered “I do not own a cellphone just yet. But as soon as I do, I’ll let you know, ok?”

“Yes!” she happily handed him a small piece of paper.