“The highest scorer for this test none other than… Cho Kyuhyun!”

                On a normal basis, a student would get up from his or her seat when receiving anything from the teacher. But this wasn’t the case for a certain English Literature teacher. Leeteuk fought to keep a smile on his face as all his students turned their heads to stare at the top scorer of his exam… who was currently peacefully asleep on his desk.

                Usually, a teacher would be spitting mad at a student for sleeping in his class. But Leeteuk couldn’t find it in himself to get mad especially he knew of the reason why the young genius was asleep. Sighing softly, he approached Kyuhyun’s table before he gently woke him up.

“Kyuhyun-ssi…” He spoke softly. “Wake up…”

Kyuhyun shot up in his seat, blinking rapidly but sleepily. “Huh? What?”

“You got the highest score in the test, Kyu.” He smiled, handing him his paper. “Two mistakes.”

“Huh? Oh.” Rubbing his eyes groggily, he accepted his test. “Thanks.”

Leeteuk opened his mouth to say something but the sound of the school bell had him addressing the whole class. “Don’t forget to read Constantine Cavafy’s Ithaca and Robert Frost’s Road Not Taken.”

                With that, students were off their seats to fix their things. As if he wasn’t sleeping just a few minutes ago, Kyuhyun was the first one out of the room. Leeteuk shook his head, knowing that the young man wasn’t late for his next class. As a matter of fact, he had free period after English Literature.

“What’s with the look on your face?” The voice of his best friend asked him as he entered the faculty room of the university.

“Cho Kyuhyun slept in my class again.” Leeteuk said as he placed his things on his desk, sitting down on his chair.

“Again?” Heechul echoed incredulously, sliding his rolling chair from his table to his best friend’s. “Did you send him to the principal’s office already?”

He snorted, shaking his head. “I can’t do that to him, Chullie. I know he’s always asleep in class because of how many jobs he has in a day. He sped out of the class to go straight to library as always. He assists the staff and gets paid for it.”

The dark haired man arched an eyebrow. “Doesn’t he have a full scholarship?”

“Exactly.” Leeteuk leaned back against his seat. “His counselor said that he’s well-provided for by his parents in the province so I don’t see why he has to work.”

He nodded. “Maybe he just wants to earn and save money really early? What matters is he aces all his subjects… That’s a miracle considering he’s always asleep.”

o-o-o-o-o

                An exhausted sigh escaped Leeteuk’s lips as he walked down the hallway of the university, heading for the parking lot. It was already late in the afternoon and the school was almost empty. The sun was obviously ready to head home and so was he. He badly needed to sleep. Upon reaching the parking lot, he fished his car keys out of his pocket when he noticed a very familiar figure exiting another exit of the school.

“Kyuhyun-ssi?”

“Oh.” He came to a screeching halt a few feet from him, bowing politely. “Good afternoon, sir.”

A questioning look crossed his face. “Why are you still here? Students were dismissed an hour ago.”

“Uh… I-I volunteered to help the janitors.” Kyuhyun replied almost shyly.

The older man nodded, knowing what his student meant by volunteering. “So are you going home now?”

He shook his head. “No, sir… I work part-time in a nearby café.”

Leeteuk didn’t bother to hide the surprised look that crossed his face. “You still have work?”

“Yes, sir.” Glancing at his watch, the young man smiled apologetically. “I’m actually running late. I have to go, sir.”

The brown haired man gestured towards his car. “You wanna ride with me? Your boss won’t kill you for being late if you bring a customer with you.”

“Uh…” He looked quite hesitant about the idea but considering that he was running late, he bowed gratefully. “Thank you very much, sir.”

                The ride to the café was done in relative awkward silence but either of them didn’t mind. With a satisfied grin on his face, Leeteuk noted that his student took the time to read his assignment. Kyuhyun didn’t ask any questions, leaving him to wonder if the hard working boy understood everything he read.

“Hey, oppa.” A petite waitress greeted Kyuhyun as he entered the café but upon seeing that Leeteuk entering behind him, she bowed right away. “Welcome!”

“He’s my teacher.” Kyuhyun explained softly. “Sunny, can you show him to a table? I’ll just go change.”

“Sure…” The girl named Sunny leaned closer to her friend, whispering softly. “How is she?”

He stuffed his copy of the English Literature readings in his bag before heading for the lockers. “She’s doing great… though she wishes she can go anywhere and everywhere.”

Leeteuk paused. Apparently, they forgot that he was there.

But more importantly… who were they talking about?

o-o-o-o-o

                Leeteuk was left at the mercy of his thoughts as he exited the university on one Friday afternoon. It had been nearly a week since the day he had helped Cho Kyuhyun get to his work… and since then, he couldn’t stop thinking about who she was. He was fairly certain it wasn’t his mother and definitely not his sister since he was an only child. Maybe his cousin? Maybe.

“Good afternoon, sir.”

He paused in his tracks, turning his head to find the young genius standing near the gates. “Do you have work today, Kyuhyun-ssi?”

“Friday is my day off, sir.” Kyuhyun answered politely. “Are you on your way home, sir?”

The older man made a face. “Well, yeah… My sister borrowed my car so I pretty much have to find another way to go home.”

He bit his lower lip for a while. “You could walk with me if you like, sir.”

“Thank you.” A grateful smile crossed his face.

                Just like the car ride a couple of days back, the walk out of the university was in relative awkward silence again. Leeteuk was mentally arguing with himself if he was going to ask his student about the girl, knowing that the topic was something probably very personal to him. But for some reason, he had this overwhelming urge to know. It was like he was sure a lot of his questions had the possibility of being answered.

“Kyuhyun-ssi, why do you have to work?”

“It’s… It’s a long story.” Kyuhyun answered softly.

The English Literature teacher smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry if it seems like I’m intruding. I just can’t help but wonder why. You’re under a full scholarship and your counselor, Ms. Lee Hyori, told me that your parents take good care of you.”

He shook his head as they walked down the street. “It’s not that…”

“Do you have a problem?” Leeteuk asked; concern lacing his tone. “As your teacher, you can tell me anything and I would be more than willing to help.”

“Sir, would you like to go on a detour?”

o-o-o-o-o

                Leeteuk found himself a few minutes later heading up to the second floor of an apartment building. He already figured out that they were going to his student’s home and it was somehow connected to the detour that Kyuhyun was talking about. Taking a deep breath as they came to a stop outside Kyuhyun’s home, Leeteuk took in a deep breath and braced himself for what was about to happen.

“Kyu, you’re home.” A Chinese-looking man greeted them as they entered the studio type apartment.

“Hyung, this is Mr. Park Jungsu. He’s my teacher.” Kyuhyun began his introductions. “Sir, this is Han Geng, my friend.”

                Leeteuk could only muster a smile in greeting. His attention was focused on the beautiful short haired brunette seated on one of the two beds in the apartment. She looked back at him with a smile on her face but a questioning look was evident in her eyes.

“Cho, you’re home.” She said rather playfully. “Is he your friend?”

“He is.” Turning towards Han Geng, he continued. “Help me carry her to the sofa.”

                With a questioning look on his face, the eldest of the three men in the room kept all questions to himself for the meantime as he watched Han Geng and Kyuhyun carry the short haired brunette out of the bed. He could tell that there was something not normal about her but he refrained from voicing it out loud. As soon as she was settled on the sofa, Han Geng bid his friends goodbye and bowed politely at Leeteuk before he left the apartment.

“Sir, you asked me why I have to work… She’s the answer.” Kyuhyun smiled, heading towards the girl on the sofa before planting a kiss on her forehead. “Soo, I’d like you to meet my teacher, Mr. Park Jungsu. We call him Sir Leeteuk though… Sir, I’d like you to meet Choi Sooyoung, my girlfriend.”

Many possible scenarios ran in his mind, causing him to stutter as he spoke. “I-It’s nice to meet you…”

“Same here.” For some reason, Sooyoung giggled. “And no… I know what you’re thinking and I’m not pregnant with oppa’s baby.”

Her statement confused Leeteuk as he flushed crimson in embarrassment while sitting on one of the couches. “Then why…?”

“It’s a pretty long story.” Kyuhyun smiled once more as he, himself, took a seat beside his girlfriend. This time, Leeteuk noticed, the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “More than a year ago… Soo and her parents were involved in an accident. It left both her parents dead and her… She’s paralyzed from the waist downwards.”

“I’m sorry, Sooyoung-ssi…” The older man felt his heart break as he finally heard the truth.

Sooyoung shook her head, smiling despite her situation. “No one wanted to take care of me since all of my relatives are abroad and let’s face it… It’s hard to take care of someone disabled.”

“So I took her.” Her boyfriend continued the story. “I signed the papers, stating that I am capable of taking care of her.”

Leeteuk’s jaw dropped. “So you’re working to sustain yourself and Sooyoung-ssi?” When his student nodded, he continued. “Do your parents know? How were you even able to sign the papers?”

“I told them that I’m her fiancé.” He replied, noticing the realization sinking in his teacher. “My friend, Han Geng, is a therapist. My parents are paying him to focus on Soo’s condition. He comes here every day to take care of her and facilitate her therapy. So, yeah… my parents know.”

“Since his parents are paying for my therapist, oppa’s end of the bargain is to basically keep ourselves alive through each day.” Sooyoung concluded.

                Leeteuk couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t wrap his mind around how intense and selfless Kyuhyun’s love for Sooyoung was. The young man was making sacrifices each and every day for the woman he loved. Now that Leeteuk was face to face with the reason why his student slept in class… the reason why he worked many jobs… It was very overwhelming.

“Soo… Did I tell you that he’s my English Literature teacher?” Kyuhyun asked his girlfriend, breaking the silence.

“Really?” Sooyoung’s eyes widened in delight. “It was… It’s still is my dream to be a Literature teacher.”

An idea suddenly came into Leeteuk’s mind. “Have you read Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s works?”

“I haven’t read all.” She replied; a look of interest crossing her face.

He zipped open his bag, taking out a folder and handing it to her. “You can have this.”

“Thank you!” She squealed; her eyes sparkling in happiness. “Thank you so much!”

“If you want, I can come here from time to time.” Leeteuk offered, smiling gratefully when Kyuhyun handed him a glass of water. “I’m willing to teach you what I teach Kyuhyun and the rest of the class.”

Sooyoung seemed hesitant about the suggestion. “That would be too much to ask.”

The brown haired man flashed her his dimpled smile. “I’m offering… you didn’t ask. I don’t mind.”

“If that’s what you want…” She bowed as low as her condition would allow her. “Thank you, sir.”

“Please, call me oppa instead.” A look was sent to his student. “Just as Kyuhyun will call me hyung outside of school from now on.”

                The short haired brunette smiled enthusiastically, opening her folder of poems almost in an instant. For their part, Kyuhyun and Leeteuk moved to another part of the apartment to give her the peace to enjoy her readings. They spent a short while watching Sooyoung excitedly read the works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, smiling happily everytime she reacted to what she read.

“Sir, I don’t know how to thank you.”

“She has a dream… It’s only right that I help her fulfill it.” Leeteuk paused for a moment in thought. “Can I ask you something, Kyuhyun-ssi?”

His student nodded. “Anything, s-hyung.”

“When you declared yourself her fiancé in the papers you signed…”He trailed off, trying to find the right words to say. “Was it so just to get her out of the hospital?”

“Partly.”

Leeteuk arched a questioning eyebrow. “Then why else?”

“When I realized that I love her, I knew I’d want to spend the rest of my life with her. Even if it seems early… I knew I was blessed with the first and only girl I’d ever love."