Blog

Chapter 6: The Mesmerizing, Midnight Man – December 31, 2020

Jumi was quite busy over the next few days.  She stayed long hours at the school.  Arriving early in the morning before the students so she could help Miss Choi. And staying late after they went home, so she could assist in preparing activities for the next day.  Jumi didn’t come through the door to the secondhand shop until nearly eight each evening.  But she was loving her new job.  And her new friendship.

She and Miss Choi were becoming fast friends.  They had a surprising number of things in common.  Miss Choi had also been raised by a single father.  Though, if he had been abusive, she gave no hint.  Actually, if anything, her appa seemed to be a wonderful man who had doted on his only child.  As she spoke of him, Jumi was reminded of Jimin.  For Miss Choi often quoted sweet things her appa had spoken over her.  Words that fell from her lips often as she addressed her students.  All of whom she obviously adored.

She was patient with and unfailingly kind to her students.  And to Jumi.  Miss Choi was a perfect fit for a classroom that included students with special needs.  She deliberately took her time with each child and seemed never to be in a rush.  It was also apparent that she was extremely grateful for Jumi’s assistance.  

She also had begun to utilize Jumi’s talents too.  She asked Jumi each day to lead the students in a time of singing.  Jumi would play the piano and teach them her songs.  Miss Choi told her that her music had a calming effect upon all of her students.  

On the fourth day, which was the last day of the old year, Jumi asked the children to help her write a song.  She played around with several chords and asked which ones sounded good together.  Once they had a melody written, she moved on to lyrics.  Asking each child who wanted to contribute a line.  She instructed them on meter and rhyme at the same time.  Their final product was silly but delighted them all.  Every single student had provided at least one word for the list of lyrics.

Jumi was present when Naru entered the classroom for the first time.  He had come to pick up his nephew Jungju, who was staying with his aunt, Eunji, and uncle, Namjoon, for the semester while his parents, Nari and Yoongi, dealt with some business affairs in several locations across the world.  Yoongi had picked up several piano performance engagements in cities where Nari needed to represent her appa’s company.  But having a tiny boy with them would have severely complicated things, so they had made the difficult decision to leave him with his aunt and uncle for the next few months.  

Since they were finishing up their honeymoon, the little boy was staying with his grandparents and his uncle Naru this week.  His grandmother had brought him and picked him up every day thus far, but today Naru had offered to stop by the school located close to his workplace.  He was running late.  He was also planning on attending a party for New Year’s Eve tonight, so he came rushing into the classroom prepared to usher the child quickly out the door.  But he came to an abrupt halt when his eyes encountered Miss Choi.  He stared openly at the beautiful woman for a few moments.

“Uncle Ruru!” shouted the little boy as he came flying across the room.  

He barreled into Naru’s legs and threw his tiny arms around him.  Naru grinned crookedly as his arms instinctively surrounded the little boy.  Truthfully, Naru doted on his nephew.  He tore his eyes away from the hot babe across the room to glance down at Jungju.  Then, he ruffled the boy’s dark hair with his hand.  

“Hey, Jungju, who is that pretty lady there?”

The little boy glanced up at his uncle and followed his finger as he pointed at Miss Choi.

“That’s my teacher,” he responded happily.

“Your teacher, eh?”

“Hello.  I’m Miss Choi.  I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting before.”  She had crossed the distance between them in a single moment of time.

Naru glanced into her gorgeous, chocolate eyes.  “Hello.  I’m Naru.  I’m Jungju’s uncle.”

“Oh?” Her eyebrows flew north.  “I don’t believe you’re on my list of people cleared to pick him up.  Let me double check.”

Surprised, he glanced sharply at her as she strode across the room.  She picked up a clipboard off her desk and scanned it.

“No.  I’m sorry, but I can’t release Jungju to you.  You must be on the approved list.”

Irritated, he snapped at her, “You’ve got to be kidding me!  He’s my own nephew!”

She frowned.  “Look, I’m sorry, but those are the rules.  Which are in place to keep children safe.  I don’t doubt the veracity of your claims, but I am required to follow the protocols we have set in place to keep our students safe.”

“How am I to take him home then?” 

He was staring at her now with a thundercloud bearing down upon his forehead.  He was clearly perturbed with her.  Which didn’t ruffle her feathers in the slightest.

“His grandma can’t pick him up.”

She shrugged.  “My only other option is to take him home myself.”

He considered her.  He narrowed his eyes at her.  “Do you have a car?”

She shook her head.

“May I drive you both then?”

She assessed him with a critical eye for a moment.  There was something about him that she didn’t care for.  He had the look of a playboy.  

“If you don’t mind waiting until all my students are picked up.  I can’t leave for at least twenty more minutes.”

“Are you kidding me?  I have a party to get ready for.”

I bet you do.

Her lips twitched.  “It’s fine.  You go.  I’ll bring him home when I’m done here.”

She turned her back on him then.  Naru wasn’t used to that.  He was used to girls eating out of his hand.  Except for that one girl…Minsu.  He frowned as he remembered his encounter with her and her roommate.  He hadn’t liked that guy at all.  

Truthfully, Naru had never forced a girl to be with him.  Generally, he didn’t have to.  But Minsu had been different.  He’d believed, however, that he could coax her into bed with him.  But he’d been wrong.  Probably.  Her roommate had interrupted things before he could find out.

The girl he was with now hadn’t needed any persuading.  But…he was growing bored of her and her insipid conversation.  She didn’t have a single brain cell in her entire head.  And the older he grew, the less satisfied he was with flighty girls.  

But the woman in front of him right now was agitating him.  At first, he’d been intrigued by her beauty. And she was clearly intelligent.  But she reminded him of a drill sergeant he’d had in the military.  He had hated every last second of his service.  He was not cut out to be ordered around.  He much preferred being the one to issue the orders.  He certainly didn’t like being told how things were going to go by a woman.  No matter how hot she was.  

And she was hot.  He would have to admit that if pressed.  His eyes slid appreciatively up her long, curvaceous frame even as the edges of his temper frayed.

“This is ridiculous!” he muttered under his breath.  He glanced down at his nephew.  “Jungju, do you have everything you need, buddy?  Your backpack…stuffed animal…”

The little boy grinned up at him.  “Yep.  All ready to go, Uncle Ruru.”

Naru glanced at the ice beauty again.  His eyes slid over her lovely countenance.  She had a straight, little nose that perfectly divided her face in half.  Two stunning, wide, chocolate eyes framed the top of that nose.  Their extremely long eyelashes curled absurdly.  Two graceful eyebrows arched over them.  The majority of those noble arches failed to be concealed by the long bangs that fell across her forehead.  She’d swept them off towards her temples, which had left those eyebrows bare.  

But he was mostly attracted to her plump, pink lips.  They seemed to be begging Naru to kiss them.  Even now as they moved as she spoke with some other child’s mother.  Suddenly, she turned her back on him to pull something from a desk drawer.

He saw his chance and took it.  He and Jungju were striding down the hallway halfway to the front doors of the school when her hand reached out to grab his arm.

“Hey!” she hollered at him, her voice in an entirely different register than its normal cheerful, placid tones.  “Where do you think you’re going!?  You can’t just kidnap the boy!”

He stopped in his tracks and swung around to eye her.  “Kidnap the boy!?  I cannot kidnap my own nephew!”

“Technically, you can.  You are – if you step beyond those doors there.”  She pointed at the entrance to the school.  “I will be required to call the police if you do so.”

He ground his teeth. “You are unbelievable!”  He glanced around, then his eyes slid back to hers.  “Can’t you just make an exception this once?”

Her eyes dueled with his.  How had he ever found them captivating?  Right now they reminded him of his superior officer’s.  The man had owned freakishly scary eyeballs.  And he’d stared Naru down on more than one occasion.  Just like Miss Choi was doing right now.

“I’ve changed my mind.  We do not require a ride from you, sir.  You may leave now to get ready for your party.  I will make sure Jungju gets home safely.”

“How?” Naru spit back at her.

“We’ll take the bus.”

“No.  My nephew will not take a bus.  I will wait for you both, and I will drive you to my house.  How you choose to get home from there is your own business.”  His eyes were shooting sparks at her.

“I have no desire to get into a car with you,” she murmured.

“Fine. Then I’ll just take Jungju now.  And you won’t have to.”

She pulled her phone from her pocket.  “I have the police station on speed dial.”

“You act like I’m some sinister criminal bent on selling my nephew to the highest bidder!”

“I have no idea who you are!” she spit out.  “Beyond an extremely impatient, snobby man who thinks you can rule everyone around you.  But in my classroom, I am the one in charge.”

He glanced around the hallway.  “Well, excuse me, but in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re not in your classroom anymore.”

A light bulb dawned.  “You’re right.  Technically, I can call the police now.”  

She unlocked her phone.   

Suddenly, it was snatched from her hand.  

“Hey!” she yelled as her eyes grew round.  “Give me back my phone!”

“Give me back my nephew!” he retorted.

She fumed at him.  “Oh, so mature!  What are you, ten years old?”

They stood glaring at each other for a moment.  Then a tiny voice piped up.  

“Uncle Ruru, why are you and Miss Choi yelling at each other?  You’re scaring me.”  

The little boy was trying to tug his hand out of Naru’s grasp.  The startled man let go.  He had heard the fear in Jungju’s voice.

“I’m sorry, buddy.  I didn’t mean to scare you.”  He squatted down next to the little boy.  “We’re just having a little disagreement between two adults.  That’s all.  It happens sometimes.  But it’s nothing for you to be afraid of.  Miss Choi is just trying to protect you.  And I’m just trying to take you home.”

He sounded far more reasonable speaking to a child than he had when he’d spoken to her. 

“Look,” she countered in exasperation, “I have to get back to my classroom.  If you’re going to wait for me, then come with me now.  But if you take Jungju out of my classroom again, I will call the police.”  She put her hand out, palm up.  “Now.  Kindly give me my phone back.  Please.”

Their eyes were locked in battle again.  Suddenly, he nodded, handed her the phone, and tugged Jungju towards her classroom.  Miss Choi sighed with relief as she followed them.  When she entered her classroom, she told Jumi to keep an eye on the volatile man.  

—

Naru sat down in a tiny chair at a table with his nephew and watched as the little boy pulled out crayons and a color page.  He sat filling in a heart with red.  Naru’s eyes strayed to Miss Choi.  And she speared him with her steely glare. 

Ruffled, still she persisted in staring the gorgeous man down.  She’d dealt with his type before.  She would not be intimidated.  She’d been in charge of her own classroom for two years now.  She wasn’t about to let some playboy uncle of one of her darling students bully her.  Or steal her heart.

No matter how absolutely beautiful he was.  Her heart released a pang as her eyes raked him from head to foot.  The man had been blessed with perfect waves of midnight hair.  It fell rakishly over his eyebrow.  This infuriated her.  He probably did it on purpose.  Completely understanding the effect it would have upon any woman passing him on the street.

She tore her eyes away from his hallowed locks.  Her gaze plummeted downward towards two arched eyebrows that seemed to mock her.  They hovered over eyes of such an intensely dark brown, they too appeared midnight, like his hair.  Her gaze slid down the sharp blade of his nose that unexpectedly softened on its tip saving his face from austerity.  But it was his wide mouth, his full lips, that kept issuing her an invitation.  She had to stop staring at them!

She hadn’t kissed a guy since college.  With good reason.  She wasn’t about to start today!  Especially not with this mesmerizing, midnight man.  He was trouble, indeed.

Suddenly, her attention was caught by Jumi.

“Miss Choi, are you doing anything tonight?”

“Hmm?  Probably just preparing lessons for next week.”

“Oh, no!  It’s New Year’s Eve!  You can’t work on New Year’s Eve!  My friend, Jimin, and I were invited to a big bash at his best friend’s house.  Please come with us!”

“What?  No.  I wouldn’t want to interrupt your date.”

Jumi snorted.  “Date?  With Jimin?” Her face turned sad.  “I thought I was on one of those with him once.”

“What happened?”

“He kissed another girl.”

Miss Choi knew exactly what that felt like.  “Oh, my dear, I am so sorry.”

Naru glanced up at Miss Choi just then and disturbed an odd look on her face.  She looked strangely sad.  He felt his heart shift violently in his chest.  He sat up straighter.  What an odd reaction.  He wasn’t one to feel compassion usually.  He quirked one midnight eyebrow as he continued to stare at her intriguing countenance.

“Still.  I’m not much of a party animal.”

“Oh!” Jumi’s eyes flew wide.  “Neither am I!  Really!  It’s just a few of Jimin’s friends getting together to celebrate the New Year.  Lots of good food.  Music.  Maybe dancing.  But, mostly, just sitting around chatting and eating.”

“Sounds awkward.”

“Exactly.  Please.  Please, come.  It will be awkward for me if you don’t come.”

Concern in her eyes, Miss Choi glanced up, “For you?  Why would it be awkward for you?”

“Because I barely know Jimin’s friends.  And I’ll be confined in that house with them for hours.  He’s going to want to stay the entire night, and I won’t know what to say.  I’m terrible in social situations.  Especially around big groups of people.  It’s terrifying.  Please, Miss Choi, please say you’ll come.  We could give you a ride.  And, if you hate it, you can call an Uber.”

Miss Choi sighed.  She couldn’t leave this sweet girl to fend for herself.  “All right,” she smiled suddenly.  “You have been an immense help to me this week, so I suppose I owe you a favor.  I’ll come.  I’ll text you my address.”

A moment later, Jumi headed out the door as she tossed a few words over her shoulder, “We’ll pick you up at a quarter till eight.”

Miss Choi sighed.  What had she just gotten herself into?

Naru glanced up at her with a big grin on his face.  “Got yourself a hot date?”

She shot him an annoyed look.  “Hardly.  I’m letting her drag me to a New Year’s Eve party.”

“Heaven forbid.  A fate worse than death!” His perfectly sculpted eyebrows challenged the ceiling.

“I can assure you, it is…for a stick-in-the-mud like me,” she muttered under her breath.

His eyes slid over her countenance and fell to embrace her pouty, pink lips again.  Could he just kiss her already and get it out of his system?

He’d kissed plenty of girls.  He was certain there was nothing special about this one.

Except that she was too exacting.

“Do you have Jungju’s address in your file?  I’m taking him to the first one on the list.  His aunt and uncle arrived back in town today, so he’s headed to their house.  I have his bag of clothes in my car.”

She frowned.  “Why didn’t they pick him up then?”

“They’re hosting a party tonight.  They wanted to get ready for it, so I offered to pick him up and bring him home to them.  They live only a few blocks from me, and I work just down the road from here.”

“Ah, I see.  Still, I’m surprised you could be bothered,” she retorted acerbically.

He quirked an ebony eyebrow at her.  “Can we call a truce?  I’m not used to getting this shot up before dinner.”

Her eyes slid down his frame and then back up to his face.  “I imagine you’re not used to getting shot up at all.  But it’s good for you.”

“What is?”

“Learning that not every woman will be bent to your will.”

Ouch.

Suddenly, he remembered Minsu again, and he grimaced.  He’d learned a valuable lesson with that one.  After her, he’d shied away from the innocent, virginal types.  

Miss Choi caught sight of that little quirk of his lips and wondered at it.  Had some other girl, perchance, told him no?  Good for her.  Miss Choi bobbed her head up and down decisively.

Irritated, he retaliated, “Are you ready to go yet?”

“Actually, I am.”  She reached into her drawer and pulled out her purse before picking up her book bag.

“Miss Choi, do you need help?  Uncle Ruru can carry your bag for you.”  A tiny Jungju turned innocent eyes up at his uncle.  “Right, Uncle Ruru?  Appa says that men should always carry a woman’s bag for her.  And open doors for her too.”  The little boy nodded sagely.

Naru quirked a dark eyebrow as his lips puffed out in his attempt not to laugh.  

Miss Choi misread his action and breezed haughtily by him as she carelessly answered the little boy’s question.  “Your appa was referring to the behavior expected of a gentleman, Jungju.”

Naru huffed.  Then he raced across the room to open the door ahead of her.  “After you, Miss Choi,” he spoke in his most sarcastically suave tone.  “And may I carry your bag for you?”

“Why, most certainly, kind sir!  Thank you!”  She met his sarcasm with her own saccharine response.

She shoved her overflowing bag into his arms.  He let go of the door to catch it before her books spilled out all over the floor.  She had the little boy by the hand as they walked down the hallway ahead of him.  Juggling her immense bag in his arms and wondering why on earth she needed to drag so much junk back and forth between school and home, he raced ahead of them to open the outer door to the school building.  Then he led the way to his car.  Where he opened her door for her first before letting Jungju into the backseat.  Naru handed her the mammoth bag and shut her door before heading to the driver’s side.  Then they accomplished the drive home in silence.  

His eyes slid towards her.  She’d turned her head to look out the passenger side window.  She was watching the traffic blur by.  When they finally entered his neighborhood, her eyes widened in shock.  How rich was this boy?

She turned to gaze at him for a moment.  Their eyes collided.  She cleared her throat and looked away.  He pulled into a long driveway in front of a house that could only be called a mansion.  Now she was decidedly uncomfortable.  

He was just like her ex-boyfriend.  Born to privilege.  Used to having a silver spoon in his mouth.  Believing that everything should be handed to him on a silver platter.  Including a girl’s attention and virtue.  Without consequence.  Or responsibility.  

As he turned the car off, she jumped out.  She didn’t want to spend one more second than was necessary in his company.  She could feel the echoes of the past reaching out to engulf her.  She needed to get away from this beautiful house and this beautiful man.  With the dangerous, bedroom eyes.

A sharp pang filled her heart as she glanced away from him.  Jungju jumped out of the car.  

Miss Choi glanced down at him.  “Is this your aunt’s house?”

He nodded and ran towards the front door.  It opened a moment later, and he was engulfed by the arms of a jubilant woman who had bent to embrace him.  Miss Choi had memorized the address.  This was it.  And the little boy clearly knew and loved the woman hugging him.  Suddenly, she glanced up at Miss Choi and waved.  She followed that beckoning hand.

As she came to a stop in front of the doorway, the pretty woman stood up and held out her hand.  “Hello, I’m Eunji.”

“Oh, hello, Eunji,” Miss Choi’s face broke into a wide smile as she recognized the name, “I am Miss Choi, Jungju’s teacher.”

Eunji frowned.  “His teacher?  I thought Jungju was confused.  I thought you must be Naru’s girlfriend.  Why are you here?” she spoke the words gently, simply seeking clarification.

“Naru is not listed on Jungju’s list of people approved to pick him up from school.”

“Oh,” Eunji’s face fell.  “I am so sorry!  I should have added him.  Can you please add him to that list?  We are all working together this semester to make sure he is dropped off and picked up at the right times.”

Miss Choi nodded.  “I will add his name to the list.”

“Excellent. Thank you so much.  And I’m so sorry that you had to go so far out of your way.”

“Is there a bus stop close by?”

Eunji frowned.  “You need a lift?  Naru will take you.”

“No.  The bus is fine.”

But Eunji ignored her.  “Naru, please drive Miss Choi home.  It was completely our fault that she had to come all the way out here today.”

He bent an annoyed look on her.

“It’s fine,” Miss Choi murmured.  She turned back towards Eunji.  “It was wonderful to meet you, Eunji.”  She reached out to ruffle Jungju’s hair.  “Jungju is a joy to have in class.  I’m so glad he joined us this semester.  Don’t hesitate to call me if you have any concerns.  I must be going now.  Good day.”  She bobbed her head and turned to walk down the block.

Eunji eyeballed Naru.  “You’re not going to let her walk home, are you?”

“You heard the woman.  She’s not walking.  She’s taking the bus.”

Eunji speared him with a hot glare.  “Naru!” she snapped out.  “The nearest bus stop is over a mile away.  Stop acting like you’re a middle school boy!  Be polite!  Besides, how are you ever going to get a date with the woman if you don’t pursue her?”

Flabbergasted, he stared, speechless, at her.

“Well?” Eunji’s eyebrows made a frontal assault on her bangs.  “Go on!”  

She spun around and slammed the door shut.  In his face.  She turned away from the door, and she grinned.  It was about time the boy met a real woman.  One who would give him a run for his money.

—

He sighed.  There was nothing for it.  He was going to have to take her home now.  Or face Eunji’s wrath.  Which made him tremble in his shoes.  It was an endless circle.  She’d report it to Namjoon who would tell Yoongi who would inform Nari, and his sister would call him and rip him a new one.

So, with a resigned sigh, he turned towards the beautiful woman stomping down the street carrying that ridiculously large bag in her arms.  He ran after her.  

When he caught up with her, he asked politely, “May I carry that for you?”

Caught off guard, she stopped and gaped at him.  “What?”

“Your bag.  I have it on the highest authority that a gentleman always carries a lady’s bag for her.”

She glanced around.  “Well, you’re off the hook.  I don’t see any gentlemen in the vicinity.”

Then she began to walk again.

“Let me take you home.”

She stopped.  “Why?”  Her back was facing him now.

“Because it was our fault you had to come all the way out here.  I feel certain you would have been home already by now if you hadn’t had to come with us.”

She sighed.  “It’s fine.  The bus stop is just around the corner.”

“It’s a mile away.  And your bag is ridiculously heavy.”

She turned to face him then.  “Why are you trying to be nice to me now?”

“Perhaps I decided you deserve nice.”

She narrowed her eyes and snorted at him.

“What was that?” he asked as his eyes widened.

“Me.  Doubting the veracity of your words.”

“Fine.  Be stubborn.  Walk to the moon with that bag, for all I care!”

“There he is…”

“Who?”

“The middle school boy I’ve come to expect…”

He glared at her.  “You’re hardly any better.  Only the snootiest of middle school girls would refuse to allow a guy to ease her burden.”

“Well…Maybe this snooty, middle school girl has never encountered a guy who wanted to ease a single one of her burdens!”  She spit the words at him.  But there tears shining in her eyes now.

“Wh—?”

Mortified, she spun around.  How on earth could she be crying in front of this guy now?  She kicked herself internally several times.  And she fought hard to contain the tears.  Suddenly, she felt him pulling the heavy bag out of her arms.  Her eyes flew open, and she watched as he strode back towards his car.  

“Come on.  Apparently, you’ve finally met one.”

—

They didn’t speak for the duration of their time together, beyond her giving him her address.  He pulled up in front of the old farmhouse half an hour later.  

“Thank you for the ride,” she gasped as she collected her bag and dove out of his car.  

She practically ran all the way into the house.  But Naru was distracted by a pair of eyes staring out the window at him.  

—

“Who’s the boy?” her grandma asked a moment later.

“Nobody,” she mumbled