Even though you had been preparing for this day for at least a week, the shrieking of the children and the babble of their parents was still overwhelming. Sighing, you knelt and pulled the plastic toy from a little boy’s mouth. He looked up at you with a sticky, wondrous smile.

"Don’t put toys in your mouth, Sungjae," you scolded lightly, ruffling the boy’s dark hair. He giggled and scampered away, probably to find something else plastic to chew on. You smiled absently, watching him go. You absolutely adored children, so getting a job with a preschool was a dream come true. But as today was the first day, it was filled with worrying parents and crying children.

Standing, you brushed off your apron and headed to the doorway. There were still a few children that had just arrived, and you would need to greet them and their parents.

As you pulled aside the screen and stepped out, you were met with the sight of a tearful little girl and a haggard, embarrassed father. The girl was incredibly cute, with full cheeks and a button nose. Her large eyes were screwed up in frustration, tears threatening to spill. She was completely bedecked in pink, wearing a frilly dress and a tiara. Once the father saw you, he stood abruptly, looking awkward.

"Ahh…it’s my little Kyung Lim’s first day of preschool, and she seems a bit sad to leave me…" the man said, grinning awkwardly and smoothing the hair on the back of his head. You nodded smiling in return.

"That’s perfectly normal. Don’t worry. Kids can be a bit shy when they’re first leaving their parents," you explained, crouching down next to the sniffling girl. You held your hand out to her.

"Kyung Lim, hello!" you greeted cheerfully. Her eyes widened and she pressed closer to her father, chubby fists grabbing ahold of his slacks. "Do you want to come and meet some new friends? There are lots of kids here that are your age! Your appa needs to go to work now, but he’ll be back to get you in a little bit!"

She shook her head, hiding between her father’s legs. The man shifted slightly, trying to coax her away. “I wanna stay with appa!”

You nodded in understanding, then stared up at the man. ‘Talk to her!’ you mouthed, jerking your head in Kyung Lim’s direction. He stared for a moment before shakily nodding and crouching down as well.

"Hey, my pretty little princess," he murmured, kissing his daughter’s forehead. "Appa needs to go to work so he can make money and buy you that stuffed animal you want, okay? Why don’t you stay here with this nice unni and play with the other friends?" he smiled gently, patting Kyung Lim’s cheek. He turned his gaze to you, looking for some sign of approval. You gave him a thumbs up and he grinned at you cheekily. A slight blush bloomed across your cheeks, so you quickly turned your head away. Even as you focused on Kyung Lim, you could feel his stare on you.

"C’mon, princess. Let’s go and meet some friends!" you chirped as you took Kyung Lim’s hand, leading her away from her father. Once you handed her off to another teacher, you turned back around to speak to the parent. As you approached him, he stuck his hand out first.

"I’m Park Kyung. Thanks for taking my daughter. I hope she’ll be alright…" he muttered, worrying his lip with his teeth. You smiled and shook his hand, introducing yourself in turn. 

"I didn’t even do much. It was the effort her dad put in that convinced her," you stated. After that small detour, you continued onwards to tell him about pick-up policies, field trips, parents’ night, and also handed him a brochure containing the information about the preschool. Kyung’s eyes never left your face during the entire encounter, and you blushed as the talking came to a halt. A heavy silence hung over you for a little bit until he finally spoke. 

"Well, thank you for taking care of my daughter," he smirked, glancing at his watch. "I really do need to go now, I’ll see you later, then."

As he turned away, you could have sworn that he winked at you. With a slight grin, you stepped back into the preschool, shutting the screen behind you. You were definitely giong to enjoy your new job.