Another Tale Of A Nine Tailed

Chapter 1: A wind of change

„Alright kids, that's enough for today! Put your work over there, careful that you won't damage it!"

So Yi Jeong wiped his hands clean with a smile on his face and watched over the children, all about 7 years old, loud and happy.
He was teaching pottery and loved his job with all his heart.
With being completely aware that he would never have children of his own, being surrounded by kids all day and passing on his passion fulfilled him enough.

Slowly, the parents arrived to pick up their kids and the place turned quiet.
He heard a silent sob, and turned around, finding one of his kids on the ground, her work next to her and completely ruined.

„Ji Soo.. are you okay? What happened?" he asked softly and knelt down next to her.

„It's all broken.." she sobbed desperately, thick tears rolling down her chubby cheeks and it almost broke Yi Jeong's heart.

„It's not ruined at all! It just needs a little maintenance! How about you wipe away those tears and wash your hands and I fix it for you until next week, hm?" he smiled and the little girl slowly calmed down. He patted her head lightly and pointed to the door. „Look who's there, your mom! I will cover up for you and you surprise her next week, okay?" he whispered the last bit and winked.

The girl nodded and jumped up, running into her mom's arms. Yi Jeong greeted and she smiled at him.
The moms loved him, but not as much as the guy behind Ji Soo's mother did. Yi Jeong didn't just have a perfect job, he also had the perfect boyfriend. Song Woo Bin smiled at him, his eyes shining. Yi Jeong returned the smile.

„You're a bit early!"

„It's okay. I love watching you fixing things." Woo Bin leaned in the door frame, his hands tucked in the pockets of his light beige trench coat.

Yi Jeong laughed and picked up the damaged, unidentifiable clay animal. He only needed a few minutes to make it look like something again, without giving away that an adult was involved in the process.

„Come in. Help me clean up." he ordered a little bit more harshly, but Woo Bin knew how to take his boyfriend.
Yi Jeong had the kindest heart and Woo Bin loved the moments right after work the most, when he was still all soft and adorable.

They both met at school, they were only 10 years old but once they became friends, they stuck to each other like glue.
The way from best friends to lovers happened quite naturally, though it took them a good while. Now they were in their mid twenties and lived together for about two years.
Woo Bin was a writer and Yi Jeong an artist who also worked as a teacher.
Their parents were accepting and though they weren't exactly openly celebrating their relationship, it wasn't a secret either.
All together, there was nothing to complain about.

Yi Jeong wanted to greet his partner with a kiss, but a stranger behind him made him stop and pass him instead.

„Hello, can I help you?" he asked and the woman, who was about to leave, turned around slowly.
She looked at him with an insecure smile. „Hello.."

„There are no more classes today, are you looking for someone?" he smiled and made a gesture for the woman to come in.
She was extremely beautiful, probably in her late thirtees and avoided to look him into the eyes.

„I came to ask if there are free spots in your class. Me and my husband are thinking about sending our son here. We are trying to find out what he likes." she smiled and Yi Jeong returned the smile.

„I'm sure we can squeeze him in. Just send him over for a free lesson. You can join him if you want and decide later if this is the right thing for him. Here's our schedule for different age groups." Yi Jeong handed over a pamphlet and the woman took it with a smile and nodded. She turned around and left in a hurry.