Chapter 14

"A reward"

Yoo Jin was leaning up against the wall, her right index finger tapping against her left arm while she continued watching the young boy who was seated in front of the desk in her room. His eyes were completely focused on the assignment she had given him. He didn't look up for even one second, he didn't take breaks to draw doodles or sketches on his notebook, instead he stayed focused and scanned over the questions again and again, looking like he was trying to calculate some of it in his head, before scribbling down the formulas. The scene unfolding in front of Yoo Jin couldn't help but bring a smile to her face.

"Done!" said Taehyun and looked up for the first time in a while, with a huge smile reaching all the way to his eyes while he stared at Yoo Jin, who had the same expression as him.

"Well done, magic boy!" said Yoo Jin and reached out to look at the answers he had written on the paper. With every page she looked through, she nodded along happily.

"As I suspected, you answered every question correctly," said Yoo Jin and Taehyun's face lit up even more, "I guess you are good for more than just card tricks and sketching."

"Of course I am," said Taehyun and looked proud, "I just had to pull myself together."

"I see," said Yoo Jin and nodded again, putting the paper back on the desk in front of Taehyun, "and I guess it wasn't too bad to have me as a teacher."

"You are the best teacher I could ask for, Noona," said Taehyun and Yoo Jin looked down and found the young boy looking up at her with a kind expression in his eyes, "I couldn't have done it without you." It got quiet in the small room while Taehyun continued to look into Yoo Jin's eyes, not breaking eye contact even though his heart was beating at an alarming speed. But the faint redness of Yoo Jin's cheeks, made it all worth it for Taehyun as a warm sensation spread throughout his body.

"Ah… well… but…" said Yoo Jin, stuttering while diverting her eyes from Taehyun, "but I can't have you growing lazy on me now, just because you have improved a lot. I still need you to work hard!"

"I will, I promise," said Taehyun in high spirit, "I have my midterms next month, just before Winter holidays, so I can't start slacking now." Yoo Jin nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe it is already your midterms next month," said Yoo Jin, "it feels like yesterday when you and Yeonjun were on summer holidays and you were here every day, pestering me when I tried to enjoy the peace and quiet." Taehyun laughed quietly.

"Yeah, you are right," said Taehyun and looked away. 

Just ask her, thought Taehyun to himself while he felt his throat twist and turn into a knob, making it impossible for him to speak. 

You already decided to ask her today, what are you doing?

"I guess you will be pestering me again during winter holidays?" said Yoo Jin and looked at Taehyun with a teasingly look in her eye.

"I… I guess…" said Taehyun, aware of the awkwardness evident in his voice, but he was still fighting to get the words out.

"Anyways, we should be done for today, right?" said Yoo Jin, stressing out Taehyun's poor heart, "our next session is… Thursday, right?"

"Ah… yes… yes it is…" said Taehyun, his stuttered getting worse and worse, to an extend where it was impossible for Yoo Jin not to notice. 

"Magic boy," said Yoo Jin and stopped Taehyun, just before he was about to speak again, "it seems like you have something to say to me. Just let it out already, you are making me frustrated."

"Yeah, you are right…" said Taehyun and took in a deep breath, pulling together all his strength before continuing, "as I said, I have my midterms at the end of next month."

"Yes?"

"And it is important I do well on my midterms."

"Yes."

"So I was thinking of a way to make me even more motivated, since I really have to give it my all." Yoo Jin looked at Taehyun, whom she felt was speaking in riddles. 

"Alright," said Yoo Jin, still confused as to where Taehyun was going with this, "that might not be a bad idea. Motivation is important when you study. But, what exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, you see… I was thinking, if I had some kind of prize, or reward, to look forward to if I did well, then I might be able to really give it my all." Taehyun looked at Yoo Jin while feeling his heart beating faster inside his chest, the silence making it unbearable as he was sure the sound of his heartbeat could be heard miles away.

"A reward?" said Yoo Jin and rubbed her chin while looking into the distance, "you have to be more direct than that. If we are talking about something expensive like a video game or something, then you can forget it. Your teacher is an unemployed, BROKE lady." Taehyun let out a chuckle, suddenly feeling much more at ease. 

"It wasn't anything like that I had in mind," said Taehyun and Yoo Jin mouthed an 'ah'.

"Then what did you have in mind?"

"A date." Yoo Jin widened her eyes and stared at the young boy, trying to figure out if she heard him correctly.

"A date?" said Yoo Jin and Taehyun was ready to explain, when she quickly continued, "I am sorry, but I don't know any single girls around your age. If you want to be set up with someone, maybe Yeonjun is a better option. But Yeonjun never really talks about girls… does he not know any-"

"Noona, no, that is not it either!" said Taehyun and tried to hold back his laughter, having a hard time picturing Yeonjun setting him up on a date with anyone.

"Noona, I want a date with YOU."

"M… me…?" said Yoo Jin and suddenly felt her heart skipping a beat. She looked at Taehyun who felt much calmer now that he finally said everything out loud, while this had the complete opposite effect on Yoo Jin.

"I mean… why would you want to go on a date with me?" asked Yoo Jin, trying her best to keep her cool, "you should date someone your own age, not some old, unemployed woman like me."

"I don't care if you are unemployed, and your age doesn't matter either," said Taehyun and took a step closer, "all I know is, if you promise me a date as a reward, then I know for sure I will be able to do well on my midterms." Taehyun looked directly into Yoo Jin's brown eyes. There was nothing in his eyes that implied he was joking, he looked at her in all seriousness, without looking away for even a second.

"You… will you really feel motivated… if I promise to go on a date with you?" asked Yoo Jin, her eyes lingering on Taehyun, trying to read his expression, but she was unable to find any answers in there.

"Yes," answered Taehyun in short and Yoo Jin nodded her head while taking in a deep breath.

"Alright… if that is really what you want… then I guess you have my word for it." It almost looked like fireworks had been set off in Taehyun's eyes when she said those words and his entire face lightened up like the sun.

"But!" said Yoo Jin and the glow on Taehyun's face immediately faltered, making him eye her in confusion, "you can't just pass your math exam. You have to do well. Really, really well!"

"Of course! I can do that!" said Taehyun without hesitation.

"Are you sure? I know you are improving in math, but there are still so many things we haven't covered yet." Taehyun looked at Yoo Jin with an expression full of determination and he took one more step forward, their faces only a few centimeters apart as he spoke.

"I will do well, just wait," said Taehyun in a firm voice, "I will show you just how much I can achieve when I am serious about something."

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well. It is getting colder so make sure to stay warm wherever you are. 

This chapter was a bit shorter, but it is also the beginning of something bigger and I can't wait to show you what will happen next. I hope you are still following this story and enjoying it, I am having a lot of fun writing it.

Please consider leaving a comment before moving on, it really warms my heart to read what you think.

Love, Annalise~