It was their duty...

but come the forbidden fruits...

it seems they won't get off easy...

...not with such stubborn roots.

Commissioner ß Duixing

...xXx...

She sighed, wondering just what in the world was going on this time. She looked around, taking in the situation quickly. Hyosung and Hana were playing together in the corner with the dolls - no problems there. Jieun and Jongup were challenging each other on who could build a taller tower and since the two had good sportsmanship, she wasn't worried - a safe activity in the classroom. Himchan and Junhong were battling with play swords, complete with sound effects and shouts of "Anger" (their easy version of "En garde") - again nothing wrong though slightly on the verge of being dangerous if not careful. 

"Wah!~" came the cry and her eyes shot to the corner where 3 boys were tossing blocks at Sunhwa. She in a breath.

"Yoo Youngjae! Jung Daehyun! Bang Yongguk!" she shouted, startling the trio. She frowned, hands on her hips. "Blocks down and hands up."

The three hesitated.

"Now," she firmly ordered, walking over and wrapping a comforting arm around the crying girl. "Apologize to Sunhwa. Throwing blocks at people isn't nice. It hurts people and it hurts the blocks."

"Bu-"

"No buts," she cut off firmly, watching their faces curl into stubborn frowns. 

"Sorry for throwing blocks at you," Youngjae spoke up, looking at the wall behind the females.  

"I'm sorry for throwing blocks at you," Daehyun repeated, kicking invisible dust off of the floor. 

"Sorry," Yongguk muttered, glancing between the two females and his friends. "I guess we shouldn't have thrown blocks at you...even if you did deserve it."

"Yongguk!" she shouted in surprise as Sunhwa began to bawl. "How could you say that?"

"But Park-Teacher!" Youngjae began, sounding almost hurt.

"It's Sunhwa's fault in the first place!" Daehyun continued, his voice going higher with his hurry. 

"She said that you were a bad teacher!" Yongguk completed, scowling. "You're always telling us not to say mean things."

She was stunned for a moment before she spoke again, her voice softer and gentler at their words. 

"Now Daehyun, Youngjae, Yongguk, it is true I said to not say mean things," she began, looking them steadily in the eye. "However, it's not nice to throw things and attack people if they say bad things either. Now you boys apologized, right? You're good kids." 

She turned to the female in her arms.

"Now Sunhwa," she called, pretending not to notice how the girl tensed. "It's ok if you don't think I'm a good teacher. However, I did teach you that hurtful words were mean, right?"

She waited a moment to hear an answer.

"Right?" she pressed further. Sunhwa nodded behind her tears.

"So Sunhwa, what do you think you should do?" she asked gently, looking at the girl neutrally. 

"I-I'm sorry Park-Teacher," Sunhwa cried, sobbing. "I didn't mean it!"

"Well I forgive you Sunhwa. Let's not stay things we don't mean anymore ok?" she forgave, smiling. "Now why don't we go and wash your face. A pretty face like yours should smile more. And boys-"

She turned to the three. She noted their flinch, sighing. 

"Go play now. Safely," she allowed, smiling carefully. "And no throwing objects." 

She sighed aloud as the four - three boys and one girl - separated for their own activities, relieved that the situation had blown over.

"Having fun?" a familiar voice questioned, surprising her. 

"Kyuhyun," she recognized with relief. "What are you doing here Kyu?" 

"Here to visit Miyoung-Teacher," he mocked, winking. Her boyfriend of two years looked around the room and snuck a quick kiss on her cheek. "How's the job going?"

"The same as always," she admitted, smiling happily. Any worries she had had flown away with his entrance.

"Hi Cho-Teacher," her class greeted, their voices echoing in the endearing way they were unable to match their greetings. 

"Hey Cho-Teacher, what are you doing here? Today isn't Computer Lab Day," Yongguk questioned suspiciously, looking up at the male, a plastic black power ranger in his hand. 

"I came to check up on the boys and girls of Park-Teacher's class and ask Park-Teacher a few questions," Kyuhyun explained, smiling. "I won't bother you guys much longer so let me talk to Park-Teacher, ok?"

The students obediently and carelessly turned back to their own activities, most of them uninterested in the conversation. 

"Are we still up for the movie date tonight?" Miyoung asked, bouncing on her heels excitedly. Kyuhyun chuckled. 

"You're like a child with candy Miyoung," he teased, winking. His expression faltered. "But...actually, I'll have to rain check this time. Sorry. Something came up."

She frowned. 

"Do you have to?" she asked, pouting. It hadn't been the first rain check recently. 

"Emergency extracurricular staff meeting," he explained, giving her an apologetic smile.

The bell rang.

"I have to run now Miyoung. I'm really sorry. I'll text you later," he excused, running out to return to his computer lab. He gave her a peck on the back of her hand and she forgave him; he couldn't help an emergency meeting. She turned back to the class, smiling.

"Butterfly Class answer my call!" she shouted, ing a fist into the air. 

"Butterfly Class answering your call!" they shouted back, following her childish motion as they lined up as they had been taught. 

"Butterfly Class follow me!" she called, hand still up in the air.

"Butterfly Class following you!" they repeated, their hands still up in the air triumphantly.

She turned around, watching the kids follow her to go play during the break from the corner of her eye.

"1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4."

She repeated the pattern until they were in their designated area. She turned to them, noting the shines in their eyes. 

"Butterfly Class dismissed! Have fun!" she shouted, watching the kids split up to go play their various games. 

"Hey Miyoung. How's B.A.P now? I heard they've calmed down since you've taken the job," a familiar voice commented, making her relax. 

"Hyelim!" she recognized, hugging her good friend. "Quit calling them B.A.P already. They're good boys though a bit rough."

"Miyoung," Hyelim called sternly, her teacher-tone leaking into her voice. "There's a reason the six boys were called the Bullies at Preschool."

"They're good kids Hyelim. Really," Miyoung firmly insisted, frowning at the tone. "Jongup loves competing with anyone over anything and Junhong and Himchan enjoy those shows-" She emphasized the those, knowing Hyelim understood what she meant; the ones with violence and good-guys-saving-the-day-while-kicking-the-bad-guys'-butts. "-but they're no different from the other kids. Yongguk can be a bit rough but he means well. Youngjae's a bit of a smart-aleck but he's actually quite the genius and Daehyun...is a guy who goes with the flow. They're good kids Hyelim. Really. They're no different from yours, those li'l elementary beasts."

"If you say so," Hyelim allowed, rolling her eyes. "So going on a date with Kyu tonight, right?"

"Rain check," Miyoung stated softly. 

"Again? What for?" Hyelim questioned, worried. 

"An emergency extracurricular teachers' meeting," Miyoung explained with a sigh. 

"What? But there isn't today," Hyelim denied, tilting her head in confusion. 

"Really? How do you know?" Miyoung asked, surprised.

"Sooyeon said her tutoring was still going on and Dari added that she had to coach the team today. If they had a meeting they would have said so," Hyelim explained.

"He probably has a good reason for lying. I mean, he always has a good excuse," Miyoung covered for the male, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of her head. Hyelim sighed.

"Delude yourself like that then," she snapped finally, rolling her eyes before walking off. "I...don't want to see you to be played with."

She watched Hyelim walk off, feeling down. A tug at her pants alerted her of another presence and she crouched down to match the child's eye level. 

"Hey Yongguk. Why aren't you playing with everyone else?" she asked gently, trying to smile. He out a small dandelion at her. 

"If you blow it and make a wish, it'll come true," he stated, looking away with a light blush. 

"Is this for me?" she realized, smiling. "Thank you Yongguk."

"You're welcome," Yongguk mumbled, glancing at the female teacher before looking at his shoes. "You...You shouldn't be so sad Park-Teacher."

She smiled truly, touched by the boy. She took the flower, making a wish with her eyes closed and blowing the seedlings into the wind. She turned back to the young boy. 

"Thank you Yongguk. You're such a kind boy," she complimented, patting him on the head. 

Please let these students make the right decisions, meet the right people, and find the right one.

-oOo-

"No! Get down from there now," she ordered, frowning. The six boys continued to dance on top of the monkey bars, earning another burst of laughter from the bystanders. 

"Yoon Doojoon! Lee Kikwang! Son Dongwoon! Jang Hyunseung! Yang Yoseob! Yong Junhyung!" she called firmly, hands on her hips. "If you guys don't come down by the time I reach one, you guys are all getting letters home. Five."

The six boys looked at each other. 

"Four."

Dongwoon and Hyunseung were the first to cave. 

"Three."

Yoseob soon followed, the three climbing down the monkey bars carefully. 

"Two."

She raised an eyebrow, waiting. 

"They aren't scared of your letters Hyelim," a familiar voice snorted, walking up beside her. "Hey you three. Get down and give me 20."

"But Lee-Teacher," the three boys whined. 

"Drop!" she declared, blowing on the whistle around her neck. The three boys sighed but obediently came down, working on their push-ups.

"Hey Dari. Thanks for the hand," Hyelim stated, glancing at the whistle around her neck. "Guess I have to find myself one of those later." 

"They're not scared of letters home because they probably hide them," Dari pointed out, jabbing a thumb at the boys who had visibly flinched at Dari's accusation. "You should call their parents instead. I bet you that'll get you more results. The exercise thing only works because I'm their coach."

"Good point," Hyelim agreed, smiling. "So where's your class?"

"Half are ditching and the other half is studying. I don't know what I'm going to do with the polar opposites," Dari admitted, sighing. "At least your class is easy to deal with."

"Easy to deal with?" Hyelim repeated, raising an eyebrow. 

"They're elementary school kids," Dari pointed out, snorting. "Think like a child. You act so mature all the time so they love to tease you. It's a kid thing. We did that back in elementary too with Miyoung."

"Back then, we had Baek-Teacher," Hyelim reminded, chuckling. "He didn't react to anything."

"Exactly," Dari agreed, snapping her fingers. "And right now, they view you as we viewed him. So loosen up. And don't hesitate."

"Words of the wise from the teacher who's kids are jumping the fence," Hyelim muttered, directing her colleague's attention to a group of students trying to ditch. 

"What? Hey!" Dari shouted. She turned to Hyelim with a quick 'Talk to you later,' before turning to her students once more, her voice bathed in the teacher-tone that all students feared. "Hey! Get back in here and give me 50. What are you doing? Huh?!" 

Hyelim smiled to herself before her attention caught on the three boys, done with their push-ups. 

"Lee-Teacher gave me a good idea," she stated, keeping her voice cheerful. "From now on, I think I'll call your parents so that we can discuss thoroughly any struggles you have in the class. Is that clear?" 

The six boys looked to each other before turning to her sullenly. 

"Yes Hwang-Teacher," they chorused, frowning. The bell rang, catching their attention. She clapped her hands together. 

"Come on now! Tomato Class, follow me. It's time to go back and work on our latest math projects," she ordered, catching both happy and upset faces. The trip back was without mishap - fortunately - and the kids got back to work immediately, some with more enthusiasm than others. 

"That's a beautiful flower Hyuna," she complimented, making her voice a notch higher to show her pride and happiness. "But isn't this math?"

"It is math," the young girl proclaimed, almost insulted. Her fingers began tracing over the page as she patiently explained to her teacher why it was math and fit with the project. "See, these petals here match up with this problem and the stem kind of looks like an addition sign with the leaves. Plus, it makes the whole page look happier, right?"

Hyelim's smile grew as she watched Hyuna passionately explain why the flower fit. 

"You're right Hyuna," she stated with genuine understanding and surprise. "I didn't see it before but you're right, the flower is perfect for the project."

"Right?" the girl repeated, beaming. She turned to her seat partner as Hyelim walked away, confident that nothing would go wrong. "See Sohyun? The flower was perfect she said."

"Looks like today'll be a bit more calm," her aid hoped, chuckling.

"Maybe," Hyelim agreed, glancing at the teen. "Are you sure you can help like this Gina? Don't you have your finals coming up soon?"

"I'm getting help so I wouldn't worry too much," Gina waved off, smiling. "The tutoring you recommended me for is very helpful. Besides, it'll be in my strongest subject!" 

"If you're sure," Hyelim decided, smiling. A cry rang across the room and sharing a look, the two females went to assess and assist the situation. 

"That's so not true!" Kikwang shouted, crayons, color pencils, and markers on the floor everywhere. 

"Kikwang and Hwang-Teacher, sitting on a tree. K-I-S-"

"What are you boys doing?" Hyelim questioned, cutting in. She looked to the two boys teasing the other. "Yoseob, Dongwoon, what are you two singing for?"

"Kikwang loves you Hwang-Teacher," Yoseob snickered behind his hand. Hyelim looked at the blond boy, an eyebrow raised. 

"Oh really? Then why are you speaking for him?" Hyelim asked, her cold tone breaking their happy teasing. "I don't believe in things unless I hear or see them for myself. And right now? I see that your project still isn't done. Now how can I believe you're a good student like that?"

"I'm sorry Hwang-Teacher," Yoseob muttered, looking up at her with apologetic eyes. He turned back to his project depressed while Kikwang snuck not-so-secretive glances up at her. She looked to Gina who shrugged then continued her way around the classroom, watching the kids hard at work.

There was a tug on her sleeve and she turned.

"Kikwang, was there something you wanted?" she asked, making sure her voice was soothing. 

"Here," he quickly stated, shoving a picture into her hands. She looked at it, smoothing the paper over. Her fingers ran over colorful crayon, a drawing of grass, the sun (complete with sunglasses and buck teeth), trees and flowers, animals, and-

"Who are these two here?" Hyelim asked, crouching down to meet his eye level. 

"This is you and me Hwang-Teacher," Kikwang explained, his eyes glued firmly to the paper with pink cheeks. "See this is going to be us after I grow up and that hamster-" He pointed to what she had thought had been the bunny. "-is Dongwoon because he looks like a hamster."

He continued explaining which animal everyone was and how it related to the project they had been working on that represented their future selves. 

And Hyelim smiled.

Please let these students grow up happy, healthy, and innocent as always.

-oOo-

"Now what am I going to do with the six of you?" Dari questioned, her voice ringing down the halls. "I know that you guys are eager to play but this is ridiculous. Jumping over the fence? It's there for a reason."

"Yeah, to be jumped over," one of the boys muttered.

"I heard that Taecyeon. So drop and give me 30," she ordered, eyes narrowing in on the buff boy who complied. "I guess I know why you six are called 2PM now. Ditching every single day at the end of lunch and not appearing after 2 o'clock, I'm amazed your parents haven't complained with all the calls sent home every day. And you all are only in middle school!"

"Aw calm down Teach," another pointed out, rolling his eyes. "We just don't care. I'm sure you were the same."

"Junho give me 40," Dari ordered. The boy raised his hands in mock surrender before doing so. "How in the world do I even get through to you six?"

"Well, there's always ignoring their deeds. They want attention," a familiar voice pointed out. Dari turned, her face lighting up.

"Hey Sooyeon. What's up?" Dari chirped, grinning. "I haven't seen you since...two weeks ago when you had to finish for that deadline of yours."

"Afternoon Lee-Teacher," Sooyeon tossed back with a similar expression. "I'm getting back to my class soon. Although, if they continue to give you problems, they can spend a period with me."

Her smile suddenly didn't look so sanguine to the boys. 

"I'm sure that they'd...straighten out after that," Sooyeon promised. The boys made excuses about studying before returning to the classroom, leaving the two teachers outside. 

"There you go again, playing the bad guy," Dari grumbled with a roll of her eyes. 

"It worked didn't it?" Sooyeon teased, smiling more gently. "It's times like this that it's useful having a scary reputation."

"You aren't scary. Your students are scary," Dari pointed out, sighing. "Teen Top hasn't listened to any teachers since they couldn't transfer out and you've tamed them somehow."

"I didn't tame them," Sooyeon argued, sounding indignant. "I'm not even sure why they decided to attend every day. More importantly, my main goal is still the same."

"To make the bad reputation of the high school division of this school match the elementary division's?" Dari recalled, making a face. "Well, I have to say that at least you're partway there."

"We'll see how it goes," Sooyeon stated simply. "I better get going to my class. Good luck and have fun."

The two teachers parted.

"Have fun, huh?" Dari repeated with an amused smile. Giving herself a quick pep talk, she entered the class, heaving a sigh of relief upon seeing the six boys still present. For now.

"Daisy Class," Dari called, clapping her hands together. "How is the project going? Who isn't finished?"

A number of students raised their hands and looking around, she did a mental count.

"Alright, I'm giving you another 10 minutes. If it's still not finished, it's going home for homework!" she warned, taking a seat at her desk once her students returned to their work. She looked around, picking up the coffee mug and testing its weight in her hands. She inhaled the scent of the liquid, relaxing slightly. 

Her days had been hectic recently, especially trying to stop the gang of boys from ditching. Her eyes were drawn to the window beside her. It was a nice day out; it was a shame she couldn't enjoy it bu-

Crash!

Her eyes darted to the sound, standing and putting aside the mug immediately. 

"Nichkhun!" she called, darting over. "Are you ok? What happened?"

The foreign boy looked up to her sheepishly. 

"I dropped the pencil sharpener and fell off my chair," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with embarrassment. "Sorry for surprising you."

She breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Thank goodness no one's hurt then," she commented, looking around - the empty pencil sharpener, pencil shavings, a few color pencils, and a black marker - and confirming his statement. "Clean it up then and please, be more careful."

"Will do Teach," Nichkhun agreed, saluting her jokingly. She took her seat once more, ignoring the coffee. Her nerves had been so on edge recently; coffee would only make it worse. She looked around the room one more time before settling down once more. She wasn't watching over elementary kids like Hyelim was - thank the lord - but sometimes the middle school students weren't as mature as they tried to be. 

The rest of the class went by smoothly and she only had to stop the members of 2PM from ditching twice more - Wooyoung trying to sneak out the window and Nichkhun pretending to not understand Korean when 'going to his locker.' The bell rang and she watched her students file out, obviously eager to be gone. She stretched, releasing a sigh of relief. 

There was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called, surprised to see Minjun, one of the 2PM members who seemed to not be as enthusiastic to leave as the rest. 

"Hey Teach," he stated lazily, strolling in and taking a seat in front of her. 

"Was there something you needed?" she asked carefully, confused. He thought for a moment, pursing his lips.

"I guess I just wanted to say thank you," he admitted slowly. "For not giving up on us. Or hanging off of us like some of the other girls do."

She couldn't help it; she laughed. Loudly.

"Minjun, I'm at least 10-15 years older than you. It'd be highly inappropriate if I 'hung off you' like a schoolgirl," Dari pointed out, wiping away a tear. "Besides, I'm simply doing my job. Try not to ditch too much, 'k?"

"...Fine," he grudgingly agreed before starting to leave. He lingered, turning to face her with a blush. She tilted her head in question and matching eyes with her, he kissed her on the cheek and bolted out the door with a quick "Seeyoutomorrow!" and without seeing her reaction. 

Please let these students grow mature, learn what is necessary, and pursue something with a passion that can be returned.

-oOo-

"Homework is workbook pages 101-103," she reminded as the students began leaving the room, tapping the cypress tree carving on the name plate by habit. She continued grading tests, feeling a slight rush of pleasure when she saw that every single student had at least tried writing the correct answer. 

She stretched, glancing at the clock then out the window to the setting sun. She could finish grading at home; her roommate was most likely waiting. She packed her bag and held onto the bundle of papers, walking down the street as she felt the warmth of the sun on her face. Her students had all but given up in the beginning but now, with her encouragement and actual results that turned to motivation, her class was steadily rising; she couldn't be prouder. 

She passed by a group of high school boys, the uniform from their rivals. She paid not mind since they would do the same. She hummed lightly, turning the corner. 

A hand grabbed her shoulder, throwing her backward, the papers escaping her grasp. 

"You're Teen Top's owner, right?" a voice sneered as a hand gripped her hair, pressing her face against the floor with a knee to her back. 

"So you're the reason why they haven't been showing up, hm?" the boy continued as she grit her teeth. "I guess we should thank you. This is our turf now and I'm sure that your boys are weak without practice."

" 'From lack of practice," she corrected automatically. Her head left the ground only to smash into it, making stars dance in her vision. 

"We didn't come here to be lectured by you," another boy complained lazily. A foot prodded her leg and she barely noticed when her ears caught on a faint but familiar laugh.

"She's so tiny. I can't imagine her ordering Teen Top around like the rumors say she does," he commented with slight curiosity. The picture of her ordering dog-eared students to 'bark' entered her head and she chuckled. The knee dug further into her back. 

"It seems you don't understand your situation," one of the boys hissed. She rolled her eyes. "See, we're going to hurt you bad. Your kids are going to come looking for revenge. Then we'll beat their a**es." 

Familiar voices began drawing closer and she prayed that they didn't see. No such luck.

"Teach?!" the surprised voice of one of her students recognized, grabbing the boys' attention and giving her the distraction - and slack - she needed. She rolled around, grabbing the boy's arm with one hand and pressing his face with the other. Following through with the action, she wrapped her legs around one of his legs and placed pressure on the knee using both of her arms and her full weight. She heard the decisive crack as the boy screamed. 

She looked up, mildly amused to see all of the other boys taken down. 

"I never knew that not having delinquents on the streets could lead to such trouble," she joked, pulling the bobby pins out of her hair and letting it fall. 

"You picked the wrong teacher to mess with," Jonghyun sneered, spitting on one of the boys. 

"There's a reason why we attend class," Byunghun added with a chuckle.

"Besides her looks and personality, she's also the sister of three-time MMA female champion, stage name Noh EU," Chanhee revealed. "A broken leg alone is lucky."

She picked up her papers, pleasantly surprised to see the boys help her.

"Thank you for the assistance," she thanked, gathering the dirtied test papers that her students had tried so hard on. She frowned, reminding herself that if she added another injury to the students of another school, she was likely to be fired. 

A hand brushed back a strand of hair behind her ear and she looked up automatically, matching eyes with Daniel. 

"You watch out for us Teach. The least we can do is watch out for you," he stated carefully.

"Exactly."

"Yeah!"

She blushed lightly, unable to help the giggle tumbling out of .

"Bold words from students who moved all answers one column down and ended up failing," she teased. They stared at her open-mouthed. Then came the shout of horror.

"NO!"

Please let these students learn from their mistakes and never look back. Let them grow endlessly. Because all I can do for them is wish and pray.