SAVING MR. PARK | PJM

十三

another long chapter aish i need to stop.
i'm sorry !!

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↳ ❝I'M BACK, sexy.❞

the young professor had been dourly jotting down today's learning objective on the chalkboard behind his desk, dwelling in his own anguish and exhaustion from this past week's insomnia. he hadn't been able to rest properly since last thursday, the day he last met with her, as his preoccupation over her absences consumed him.

she never exactly told him when she'd come back to school. it was something that not even she could determine. it all depended on the smoothness of her recovery. thus, mr. park anxiously and tormentedly awaited her arrival for over a week until finally, after successfully accumulating the necessary courage to face the pitiful stares of her nosy classmates, jay parker returned.

"miss parker," he mumbled into her ear after dashing towards her and engulfing her petite figure into a suffocatingly tight embrace. "you have no idea how gray and unsettling this classroom has been without you."

"can't ... ahem ... breathe," she choked out, arms stuck to her sides as mr. park compressed them. he loosened his grip after great contemplation but did not fully liberate her from his grasp. "how've you been, sexy?" she gazed up at him in admiration and twitched her nose out of habit.

"miserable," he answered truthfully, lips twitching down as he pondered over the past few days that he spent in gloom. "my second period is hell without you. your participation in class was greatly missed by everyone, and i specifically missed seeing your head peep out from behind mr. lee's shoulder so you could read the board."

"his back is so broad it blocks everything!" she defended with a smile. "are you making fun of me?"

"i'm saying that it's cute! i'm not making fun of you, baby, i promise," he gently pinched her cheek, and she deliberately softened her expression upon hearing him call her that. "you don't know how glad i am that you're back. i'm really, really, really glad," he wrapped his arms around her again, smushed his cheek to hers, and hugged her as lovingly as little girls do with their favorite doll.

jay, however, did not complain about the tightness of his embrace this time.

it was as though she could actually feel the dejection he'd undergone this past week—the sullenness he felt from being apart from her for so long. it made her wonder just how much she actually meant to him.

but she didn't ask him about it. she simply returned his heartfelt gesture by squeezing his torso as if her life depended on it.

"it feels good to be back." mr. park slowly released her soon after she muttered this. "i think i'm much better now. i mean, it's only been one week. i-i need more time to progress, obviously, but i'm not as shaky as i was a few days ago, hence why i decided to come back. besides, it kind of helps me rebuild my confidence when other people see how well i'm handling this. they're, like, shocked that i'm able to even smile—it shocks me, too, really—but ... i guess i have to thank my 'good support system and self-motivation' for helping me accomplish that." mr. park widened his eyes as he heard her repeat the words of advice he'd given her at the hospital. "so, thank you."

"don't thank me, miss parker," he scoffed, not finding it logical to be accredited for her emotional improvement. he had verbally helped her, not out of social obligation but out of genuine care for her health and well-being. "i'll always be there for you, no matter the circumstance, but that's nothing to thank me for. i'm just a mere shadow who's willing to protect you because i want to. i want to protect you," he narrowed his eyes as he intently bored into her soul, an overpowering emotion unexpectedly settling in his heart. "and ..."