I was hosting a student teacher for the new school year, nothing special about that, but this one was Korean American and somehow was also plugged into all the news about Korea still. Anyway, he found out BTS was working in America, recording their new songs, and needed an English teacher, so he submitted my resume and a video of me teaching (without my knowledge). Imagine my surprise when I made it into the final round of applicants and had one of them, Yoongi, literally show up in my classroom, with his bodyguard, talking about how great I am and would I be willing to teach them English after school a few days a week. I should have been annoyed or mad, but I was so excited for the chance to help others that I decided to just be grateful for the opportunity. Yoongi came to visit on Monday, then decided to stay the whole week, which surprised us, but didn’t affect me at all- I am going to teach the same, whether or not a famous person is in the room.
My student teacher was impressed that I did not care, since he was more nervous than ever, but I reminded him that if he stays focused on what’s important, the lessons, the students, and the daily schedule, then nothing else will matter. I had no idea, but Yoongi had decided another member was needed to decide if I was the perfect choice or not, even though he already knew I was, so he had invited Hobi to join him. At first, he protested, saying he wasn’t needed and that everyone would trust Yoongi to make the best decision for the group. Yoongi is very persistent though, so eventually he convinced Hobi to travel to America to meet me and come to my classroom to see for himself how I taught.
Thursday morning, I arrived early like usual, got ready for the day, had everything planned and prepped, since I was giving my student teacher a little more responsibility each day, and felt good about having everything prepared when Yoongi shows up before students with his friend Hobi. Surprise! Now there are two famous people, two bodyguards, plus my student teacher in the room with me. I joked that it must be some sort of test for me to see how many handsome Korean men I can have in my room before my head explodes- they all laughed, Yoongi especially, knowing it was his fault for surprising me but also not regretting it either. Hobi came over to introduce himself, then the other bodyguards did. I told them to stay in the back or side of the room for the first part of the day because the students need to enter calmly and having a bunch of strangers staring at them would not be helpful at all.
A few minutes later, as the students are entering, my phone is blowing up from parents worried about being late because of an accident somewhere, one of my students spilled their cereal all over the tile floor, and the office brings me up a new girl, unannounced, that speaks no English. I handled everything quickly and calmly on the outside, but inside my head was exploding for sure. I asked my student teacher to help me translate to the new girl about the daily schedule, since the poor girl wouldn’t have a clue without some help in Korean. He happily did, then showed her the guests, who were also Korean, which made her smile, so I was relieved. After that, it was time for Art, so I had my student teacher line the kids up, giving our new girl an assigned spot, then he led them outside to Art, while I followed at the end, making sure they were following the hallway expectations.
While we were gone, less than five minutes, Hobi started exclaiming with excitement after seeing how amazing I was at handling things in a crisis situation and asked Yoongi if I was always like this- he said yes, that’s why I was the best one to teach them. Hobi was impressed and intimidated by my leadership abilities, which he planned to tell me upon my return. When we got back, I told my student teacher to look over the plans for the day, to see which parts he wanted to be involved in, then asked Yoongi if he minded helping the new girl with her tasks if she looked confused, and he said yes, of course. I told the bodyguards they would be welcome to help students, if they could do so in English and be focused on the learning- they were not here to distract or make friends. They all nodded.
Hobi asked if he could do anything, so I told him I would love if he could lead a few small groups, and was just walking over to show him the books he would be reading, when he randomly opened the filing cabinet drawer, accidentally scratching my hand as I walked past, causing the sharp corner to cut me, deeper than it should have, which immediately sent blood gushing out of my hand. I stopped, took a second to register what had happened, then went into medic mode because I knew I would faint soon- I don’t handle blood well at all. I told Yoongi to run and grab paper towels, my student teacher to call our nurse and tell her what happened and ask her to come see me, and Hobi to grab the first aid kit, use gloves, and help me wipe the blood from my good hand. Within a minute, I was on the ground, on my back, super pale, not able to move or respond, as I had predicted. Hobi used the gloves, helped me wipe off my right hand until it was clean, then held the paper towels on my left hand to stop the cut from soaking blood into the floor.
Mrs. Hooper arrived, saw how deep it was, then called for the ambulance. When the EMTs arrived, they found me on the floor still, assessed my hand, and since I refused to leave school, they gave me a few shots to numb my hand and stitched me up right then and there. I also had an IV inserted into my right hand, since I had lost a lot of blood and they were worried about me making more to stay alert without the hospital. While they stitched me up, I felt tears slipping out, which Hobi saw. He squeezed my IV hand carefully, then leaned down to whisper so only I could hear, “I am so sorry for hurting you, but I promise to never cause you pain for the rest of your life. I will protect you with my own life after this.” I did not respond, since I had no words yet, but saw his sincerity and appreciated it.
The EMTs only took about 15 minutes, then they gave me a wrist board to keep my hand straight and wrapped my hand in gauze, then an ace bandage to keep me from moving it at all. I was not allowed to do anything with it for 24 hours, then I would be able to change the gauze and redo the bandage to keep the stitches clean. They removed the needle from the IV and put a band aid on my right hand, then packed up their equipment and left, me still lying on the floor, surrounded by so many people. I was dizzy but knew I needed to get up for the students, so I asked Hobi to help me sit up, which he did, then I leaned on the bookcase, trying to stop seeing double. Mrs. Hooper wanted to send me home, but there was no way I could trust a sub with my class (if one even could be found), so she left shortly after, saying she would complete the paperwork for the claim, since I was hurt on school property, during school hours.
I knew all I had to do was survive the school day, so once I was good enough to sit in my teacher chair, I got everything pulled up on the computer and told my student teacher he would have to teach the morning lessons because I would not be able to- the pain meds they had given me in the IV were making me feel extremely loopy and I couldn’t even talk straight, let alone teach! Hobi was so upset he refused to leave my side, so he sat next to me the entire morning, just pretending to be doing random tasks, or helping students who came over to me for help, which I appreciated because I couldn’t read any words on paper at the moment. Finally, lunch came and my student teacher walked the class downstairs to the cafeteria- I had to use the elevator because I was worried I would fall down the stairs if I tried. Hobi went with me and when it first closed the doors and drops a little, I fell, causing Hobi to catch me and hold me for a few seconds, watching me with worried eyes, as I pretended to be strong, but he could clearly see how much I was struggling.
He kept telling me I should let him take me home to rest, but also understood why, as a true leader, I could not abandon my students suddenly. Hobi helped me walk to the teacher lounge, then back to the elevator, then back to my room, where he could see me struggling to stay awake. I laid my head down on the table and blinked slowly because my hand was hurting, plus I had a headache, so he got my Tylenol out when I told him to. I refused to eat any food because I already felt nauseous, so I had Yoongi and Hobi each eat half my lunch from home. I told them I would cook for them when I felt better to make up for their lack of lunch and they both told me not to worry about it, but they knew I would.
The afternoon was easier because we have mostly small group times, so everyone had students to work with, while I did some boring fluency testing with the students, which allowed me to stay seated at my desk and not worry about walking anywhere. By some miracle I made it through the rest of the day and after the students left, Yoongi said he figured out a good plan- the bodyguards could bring him home (to the hotel they were all staying at) while Hobi could ride with me and when Hobi was ready to get picked up, the bodyguard could drive over. Yoongi could tell Hobi wanted to be with me to help, but that I would be too stubborn to actually accept help. Hobi nodded, while I protested- I was fine on my own, but since it was five of them against me, I lost that battle. I packed up my stuff and Hobi carried my backpack, while also helping me walk since I was still not back to full strength. When we got downstairs, Hobi asked if I was sure I could actually drive and I assured him I was-especially since I live so close to home, so we got into my car and luckily, I drive like an old lady anyway, so we made it home safely easily.
Hobi got me and my stuff inside, then locked the door behind us, while I kicked off my shoes and then accidentally tripped on nothing, falling to the floor, or would have if Hobi had not reached out just in time. He was holding me up, once again, when he asked if I was falling on purpose, just to be close to him, but since I was still in a lot of pain, I just blinked back at him in response. He sighed, knowing his jokes would have to wait, and helped me get to the kitchen table, where I immediately rested my head on my arm and just looked at him like I was miserable. He was so upset by this that he literally knelt down in front of me, kissed my right hand, and asked, “Is there anything I can do that will make you feel better? I feel awful that I caused this pain and can’t take it away!” He was very upset, with tears in his eyes, so I reached out and touched his cheek as I answered, “Hobi, it was not your fault. I don’t blame you at all. My hand just hurts, and my head feels like someone is pounding it with a hammer. I will take more pain meds and be fine.”
He then saw how pale I was and touched my forehead, realizing instantly that I also had a fever, which set him even more on edge. He got the ibuprofen when I told him where it was and used the thermometer- yep, my fever was 102 degrees, just like he thought. I was still refusing food, saying it would just make me throw up, so he had no choice but to listen when I begged to be allowed to sleep instead. I could not walk my little doggie, so he had to get her leash, while I got her food ready. He didn’t like leaving me alone, but he knew it was important, so he quickly took my doggie out. When he returned, her food was waiting in her bowl, in her eating area, and I was lying on the floor, happily resting my eyes.
He unleashed my doggie, hung it up, then knelt down beside me and said, “Sweetheart, I cannot allow you to sleep on the floor right now.” I tried to argue, but since I was also dizzy, I really had no fight left in me, as he helped me get up and stumble down the hall to my bedroom. I lay down instantly, on my side, so he carefully and quickly lay next to me so I could cuddle him. Normally I probably wouldn’t cuddle with someone I had just met, but I was not feeling well and definitely not at my normal mental capacity, so I didn’t argue at all. I fell asleep soon after, leaving him with his own thoughts, as I rested my head on his shoulder and gripped his shirt with my right hand. He smelled my hair and smiled- maybe Yoongi had been right about me…
Soon, two hours had passed and somehow Hobi had also fallen asleep, now waking up to find himself behind me, on his right side, his right arm underneath my head like a pillow, his left arm draped over my body and pulling me closer like a seatbelt, his legs all twisted with mine. He smiled to himself, not realizing how good it felt to be this close to someone who makes him happy without even trying, but also wondering how he could tell me he was attracted to me without scaring me away. Most girls wouldn’t even talk to him once they found out who he was because they were too intimidated, but I seemed to be different- I didn’t care who he was, as long as he was a good person and treated others with respect and kindness, which made him like me even more. The fact that I treated him like a regular guy, nothing special, made him feel like he had won the best prize in the world.
He kissed the top of my head, which woke me up, so I turned onto my back, looking right into his eyes, confusion all over my face, as I stared and blinked up at him. He brushed a few stray hairs off my face, smiled, then asked, “Are you feeling better now? I really want to make you some food honey, if you will let me.” I stared back, then nodded, then frowned, then looked at my bandaged hand and looked back at him with shock on my face. He laughed, not realizing how expressive I really am, then said, “You got hurt this morning, the medics gave you stitches, you had to get shots, you had a headache, and now you need food because you haven’t eaten all day.” I processed what he said and blinked, worried about how I would get through the night on my own. He must have read my mind because he continued, “I am with you to make sure you are taken care of tonight, so don’t worry about anything- I will make your life easier from now on!”
I accepted his answer and nodded, then sat up, stretched and attempted to stand, but luckily Hobi has fast reflexes and got to me before I hit the floor. As he was holding me tight, I asked, “Hobi, do you ever get tired of rescuing me?” He chuckled and replied, “Nope, I will never get tired of protecting you and having you close to me.” I hugged him back with my one good hand, gripping the back of his shirt, happy to be safe for the moment. He then helped me walk out to the kitchen area, helping me sit in a chair again. I was feeling super tired/lethargic because I hadn’t eaten all day, so Hobi knew he had to force me to eat at this point and asked what I actually would eat, so he could find it.
Once we were done eating, he helped me by washing the dishes, something he is very good at, then led me to the couch, sitting next to me while I leaned on his shoulder. He gently held my right hand, rubbing my fingers and started telling me how he had argued with Yoongi about visiting America because he thought I would just be another classic teacher, not as special as Yoongi described. He was so glad he had listened to Yoongi because otherwise, he would have missed out on meeting me, someone who clearly needs protection and is so sweet I always think of others before myself. I was only half listening, now worried about how I was going to shower, which Hobi noticed when he saw me biting my bottom lip again.
He traced my lips with his hand, then asked, “Please tell me what is bothering you, so I can help. I need to make sure you are never in pain again.” I told him my issue, which he said was easy to solve- cover my left hand with a baggie so it would be waterproof and then I could shower like normal. I sighed, knowing my independence was gone for the evening and I would be forced to accept defeat (aka his help).
