Yellow

Professor Kim Jongin grinned from ear to ear as he walked into the fourth year class knowing it was his first time teaching the higher class. Of course, for this year he could only teach one class but it was worth it. It showed that he was growing as a professor and to think that it was due to high student requests.

He opens the door and walks into the class. The murmurs that were there silenced and only his footsteps echoed throughout the room. Of course, this part is always a little unnerving as some of the students trail after him with their eyes whereas some couldn’t care less.

Also, it did not help that he was wearing a bright yellow jacket which Hyorin had lovingly bought him. It attracted a lot of attention although he was confident that he could pull it off.

“Hello, class!” He begins and he gets comfortable. Once he is looking into their faces and has their attention intentionally, the fun begins.

As he teaches, he notices the batch that was going to finish up this year (with some exceptions, of course). Some couples had obviously being formed and seated together sharing notes and books, some unlikely friendship groups had also been formed while some friends had been broken. Some people had become more open versions of them as opposed to the first year while some had turned into a closed up version of who they were as they began.

Life really knocks hard in college and change becomes inevitable whether it be for the good or for the bad.

He notices Minah sitting alone at the corner of the room and she flinches once their eyes meet. She had come to him upon the start of the year and had apologized to him on her knees, which was rather uncomfortable and he had told her that it was all okay now.

Honestly, though, her little stunt had hurt him a lot. If it had gone the way she wanted, it would have resulted in him losing a job he loved and adored as well as a nasty reputation. He would have been unemployed or unable to secure a good job all his life no matter the truth but he was extremely thankful that nothing went awry. In fact, it seemed as though his HOD and Principal were trying to get him back into their good books by being extremely chummy with him, much more than ever even giving him this promotion of sort.

He supposes it ended up for the better.

His eyes move away from the lone girl and turn to the other corner of the room where a boy was seated with his hoodie up and scribbling down something on his notebook rather furiously. Talk about a massive change in a person… Baekhyun definitely took it. From the pompous, loud kid at the start of college, he was now the most reserved person in the class. His group of friends was still there but it looked as though they understood his need to be quiet.

His eyes visit each and every of his student and it ends up of course, on his favorite little girl although he isn’t supposed to have a favorite. But then he notices that she was also now a far cry from what she was at the start of college. From the devil-may-care attitude that she possessed at the beginning of the college, she seemed to have become a worry-art and even right now she looked so, so tired and he recalls Sehun telling him about how much of a pressure she was under right now… both from college and from her work.

She was thinner than the last time they were out in Jeju and her dark circles looked rather prominent but she was paying her full attention to the class, in fact, every single one of them, save for a few ones were paying rapid attention and asking more questions than usual.

Their questions also seemed much more rounded, more thought about and it made him smile brightly. These were the children he taught just three years back and they were wee little babies and now look at them. So grown! So ready to spread their wings in society.

The class ends and he frowns a little at how tired Kina seemed.

“I feel like they’re putting unnecessary stress on her,” He complains to his fiancée that night as they eat their dinner. “Sehun told me the other day that they want her to start officially the moment she finishes her exam in college… said it was high time and stuff like that. Man. How much are they going to put into her plate? It is unfair, isn’t it?”

Hyorin smiles and puts a piece of meat into his bowl which he eats with relish.

“I trust Kina but they forget that she is also a wife already… I can’t believe how much work it is to look after a man.”

Jongin laughs at that and nods his head. “Can’t and won’t deny that.”

“I mean I have lived almost a decade solo and alone and it was so easy… and now with just a year of living with you and it is so much stress.”

Jongin pouts and grabs his chest dramatically to which she rolls her eyes. She held nothing in but Jongin supposes that was what he loved so much about her.

“She’s growing and we should stop looking at her as some helpless toddler but I really wonder how she does it…” Hyorin says munching on her food. “I mean getting married… it all sounds so cheery, merry but I am only engaged to you and already the societal expectations are weighing me down.”

Jongin gave her words some thought and nods. It wasn’t much of a difference for him… only better. Perhaps women have it harder.

“There are always so many things we have to keep up with.” She says with a sigh as she goes ahead to take another spoonful of food, “Men just come home and crash into their bed while we have to do all the tiny small things which seem trivial but if we don’t do it then it is chaos… Of course, you take care of me much better than all men out there but I am still saying even with such a man as you are hard… how much harder with a normal man?”

Jongin laughs a little at that. “Sehun is normal man?”

“Ugh… More than a normal man. Kina seemingly feels like his nanny.”

Jongin laughs more at that and shook his head in disbelieve. “Come on… cut him some slack. If you think he is spoiled now… you should have met him when we lived together. He was just… terrible.”

He swallows his food and takes a sip of the water. “He now knows how to cook and do some laundry. That’s a huge step for him. He grew up doing nothing.”

“I suppose… He’s also working hard in the office.”

They nod and for a moment both get lost in their thoughts.

“You think he can ever come back to teaching?” She asks as she finishes her plate.

Jongin lets out a puff of air and shook his head. “I can’t say… He’s settling in office just fine now although I can see that he wishes to return. He keeps on asking me how the students are or if I used any new teaching method and so many things…”

Another round of silence washes over them before they both silently gets up to wash their dishes.

“By the way…” Hyorin turns serious as she wiped her hands dry with a paper towel while passing Jongin another one. “I might have good news for you… for us.”

Jongin raises his eyebrow at that and takes both their paper towels to throw them into the bin.

“Good news is always a good thing…”

“But this good news might top all other things.”

“Hmm?” Jongin chuckles as they go into their room hand in hand. “What could be better news than me marrying my fiancée in just some weeks?”

“Well…” Hyorin grinned as she stretched out the word playfully. “It might be related to that as well…”

She leaves his hand and goes to take something out of the drawer.

“Maybe this will tell you about it,” and hands him something. It takes about a minute for Jongin to comprehend what she was saying but when he had perceived it, he was almost crying.

“MY GOD! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!”

* * *

Sehun chewed his bottom lips and wondered if the food he cooked was good. Knowing his wife’s taste… she wouldn’t eat unless it fitted her taste. Was the salt too much? Was the spic