As soon as we reach it, he opens the door and lets me in first, then closes it behind us.

"It's on my desk," he heads up to the side of it that has no computer screen or keyboard, and he picks the piece of paper up to hand it to me. I grab it and read everything without missing a word.

"You can sit here," he turns his gaming chair to offer me a seat, so I accept it and continue focusing on the essay.

Silently, he sits down at the bottom of his bed close to me, but as I am reading, I quickly realize that it is about his little brother.

This is so sweet, and the Jungkook I can perceive through those words seems much more emotional than the one I face nearly every day.

"Do you mean everything you say in here?" I glance at him, and with a movement of his head, he confirms that he does. A smile momentarily grows on my face. "You're a sweet boy," I notice some shyness overwhelm him but go back to reading the rest.

I did not expect him to express his emotions so well. His vocabulary, the delicacy, and the love can be felt through every sentence. His teacher will be proud of him for sure.

"This is beautiful, and the way you talk about him is heartwarming," I place it on his desk and put my eyes on him. "I'm happy you think so," he holds his hands together and hides some of his reaction, looking bashful. "I'm sorry if it was long to read. I had to write at least fifteen lines."

"Don't worry, I loved it," I reassure him as I figured out he often believes he is annoying, and I stand up. "If you don't get an A with that, I don't know what's the teacher's problem," I make sure he is aware of the quality of his work, and he rises from his spot, sticking his hands in the pockets of his trousers as a giggle left his mouth. "Thank you for saying that. I was not really confident about it."

"You're never confident, despite always doing well," I remark what I noticed more than I wish I did. He always belittles himself, he seems to always need some validation, approval, and reassurance. This honestly breaks my heart whenever I think about it. "I don't know. I don't think I'm good at anything, so I always doubt."

"Stop thinking- I mean, I know how difficult it can be to be confident or realize your own worth, but you are truly amazing and talented in so many ways. You told me that your dad always tells you that you're good at everything, so you shouldn't doubt this man's words."

"I know," he smiles, faintly, and lowers his look to the ground. Not liking his reaction since it reminds me too much of my past self, I step forth and put my hand under his chin to lift it up. "Look into my eyes. And straighten your shoulders," I slide my hands over them and force him to straighten his back. "Come on. Tell me how good you are at everything you put your heart into, how confident you deserve to be because no one's opinion matters to you. And I want you to mean it."

He scoffs nervously and averts his eyes from mine. "I can't do that."

"Why can't you? You're so confident when you come and try to annoy me while I'm working," I point out to let him know I have noticed how much he enjoys doing so. He looks at me again, his beautiful eyes not staring anymore. "I'm...I'm good at everything, and I'm very confident."

"No matter how fake this sounds, I love to hear it, and I want you to tell it to yourself every day until you cannot think otherwise anymore," I sincerely hope for this to happen. I know I tend to act like I see him as a bug, but I care and appreciate him a lot. He has always been sweet and respectful to me and his family, which tells a lot about a person.

"I'll try do it," he states, and I choose to believe him. "I'll be here if you miss one day, don't worry," I smile and head to the door to open it.

"I know you have a lot of things to do," he stops me. "But could you help me study tomorrow? Maybe after cooking, if Minjun is playing or if he doesn't need your help?"

"Sure, I'll do my best to help," I give him my word, and his expression softens his features. "Thank you," he follows me to go out, and I walk downstairs to get ready to leave now that their dad is back home.

"Are you already leaving?" Minjun comes up to me, holding one of his toys. I slide my feet in my shoes and nod. "I am, but I'll come back tomorrow."

"Do you promise to come back?" he does not trust me to the full, so I reassure him as well. "I promise you, sweetie."

He moves forward and gives me a hug, so I hold him tight and drop a kiss on the crown of his head before leaving.

– Next day –

Tuesday, January 16th, 2024.

7:30 am.

"See you later," the boys say goodbye to their father as I did, and he answers and reminds them he loves them before going out.

Now that they are alone with me, Minjun joins me in the kitchen and grips the edge of the counter to look up at me while I am cooking. Silently, he watches, and I hear Jungkook move something, so I check what he is doing.

He sits down on a stool at the kitchen bar, and he rests his head on his hand to gaze at me.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, wondering why he is so quiet today. "Hm, and you? Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"I did. How about you?" I return the question to know how he is doing. "I did too."

"Good," I turn my head towards the pot to turn off the induction plate. "And what about you?" I run my fingers through Minjun's fluffy hair and give him some attention, making sure he does not feel left out. "I slept a lot," he smiles and comes closer now that I focused on him. He rests his head on my stomach, so I tangle my fingers in his hair and comb it, feeling like it brings him a lot of comfort.

"Are there other guys my age at the other houses you work at?" Jungkook drags my attention back to him, and I confirm there are. "Yes. Two other boys. One is nineteen and the other is seventeen, but the oldest is kind of worse than the four month old and five year old kids I take care of every Wednesday."

"Why? And why the hell do guys of that age need a damn babysitter?" he cannot keep his curiosity in, and I get the dishes out but see Minjun hurry to help me. "What he does or says can be inappropriate sometimes, and I'm not a babysitter to them. I go there to clean and cook food," I explain without giving much detail, and I look down at Minjun. "Let me set the table for you," He takes the dishes and walks up to the dining table, being a sweetheart and sharing tasks.

"What do you mean inappropriate? Should I go there and kick his ass?" he curses in front of his little brother, forgetting how forbidden it is. "First of all, no. You won't kick any butt, and I don't want to tell you more. He's just the complete opposite of you."

"I can come with you and protect you," he fiddles with the strings of his white hoodie, and I chuckle. "I don't need anyone to protect me. I'm fine," I hand the chopsticks and spoons to Minjun, who seems excited about setting the table, and he runs back to it.

"Do you have a favorite?" Jungkook does not change of subject, seeming very focused on it and the answers I give him. "A favorite?" I grab the pot to lift it up, but he stands up and comes take it from me. "Yeah. You said that guy is the complete opposite of me, so that means you like me more than him, right?" he puts it down on the table.

I cannot help but laugh at the assumptions he just made, which I cannot even claim to be wrong. "I do," I admit to not lower his self-esteem, and he smiles. He does love to be above others when it comes to this.

"I'm pretty sure I'm the most well-behaved of all," he sits down after I did, and I let Minjun serve himself first. I gaze at Jungkook, who still has not given up. "Only one boy is a problem. Overall, all the kids I take care of are well-behaved."

My answer obviously disappoints him, but he acts as if he does not mind it. "But you both are the ones I see the most, and you're two amazing boys, so I'm attached to you the most," I try to make it up so that he is not hurt, and his eyes meet mine again, with less pain in them than there was some seconds ago. "Hm."

He does not even say anything more, he serves himself some food, but I do not accept this as an answer. "What's that 'hm'? Is it that important to be my favorite?"

"Maybe," he digs in as soon as his dish is full, and I decide not to talk about this anymore. It is better that way.

•••

3:10 pm.

The cold freezing my entire body, and the wind not helping, I stick my hands in my pockets to seek some warmth while waiting for Minjun to leave the schoolyard.

I snivel, my runny nose never giving me a break. I fidget on my spot to try to warm myself up. Then, the bell rings. I keep my eyes on the gate to not miss the adorable boy's face, and after a few seconds, I notice his head stick out of the crowd of kids. Being one of the tallest in his class, if not the entire school, makes him easily noticeable.

As soon as we make eye contact, I understand that he was looking for me, and a broad smile brightens his face. He waves at me and waits for his teacher to let him go, and I do it back. He is such an adorable child, I love him so much.

Once he gets the permission to leave, he rushes towards me, wearing his winter jacket, beanie, and gloves, which makes him look even tinier. "Hey!" he throws his arms around me, and I hug him. "Hey. How was your day?" I take his hand once he lifts his up to mine to lead him to my car. "It was good. How about yours? Did you have fun?"

"Yes, it has been a great day so far," I open the passenger seat since I know he loves to be in the front, and I join him. Telling him I had a good day is a lie given all the work I had to do, but I would not want him to not the truth.

"I wanted to ask you a question," he puts his seat belt on, and I do the same. "Tell me."

"Can we pass by the bakery, then pick Jungkook up today," he asks, in a small voice, hoding his bag against his body. "Sure. Why do you want to go to the bakery though? What are you going to get him?" I turn the ignition on and check what time it is to know when I have to go to Jungkook's school.

"I want to buy him some cream buns and twisted donuts because he was sad yesterday," he exposes something I was not aware of, and out of curiosity and worry, I try to know lore while driving to the bakery. "Sad? Do you know why?"

"I don't know, I just saw he was," he shakes his head and seems to be honest, so I do not bother him with this. "Oh, this will brighten up his mood to get those snacks from you then. You're a sweet boy."

"I hope it will," he unzips his bag and gets his cute Grogu wallet out, which makes me assume he is planning on using his pocket money to pay. I do not keep quiet about this. "You don't have to use your money, sweetheart. I'll pay."

"No, it's okay. I want to pay. I'm a big boy now," he shows some adorable determination. I have never seen a child of his age behave this way. He seems to want to be a grown up, but in a good way. "Are you sure?" I peek at him, feeling like this is not right to let him pay. "Yes, I want daddy to see that I can properly manage my pocket money."

I smile and do not force him to use my money. He is willing to do it himself, so I will treat him some gifts another day.

30 minutes later...

"Can I eat in your car?" he opens the bags into which two warm pastries are waiting for him.

I could not leave this place without getting him something.

"Yes, I'll clean if there's any crumbs, don't worry," I take my phone out as we are both waiting for Jungkook as Minjun wanted us to, and I text my best friend, who is currently taking care of my kitten.

Once the messages are sent, I check what Mister Rivera, the father of one of the boys I never want to see, decided for this week.

< Hello, I hope you're doing well. I'm messaging you because I'd like to know if you could come this Saturday? I'll have to work all day long, so I'll be too busy to take care of the house and food ]

[ Hello, I am, thank you. Hope you are too. Sure, I'll be there >

I answer him but already feel tired at the thought of this. I hoped this weekend would be chill, and that I would be allowed to take this one off, but I guess the one.

"It's so good," Minjun vocally revels in his food, grasping my attention. I smile at the sight of him eating, feeling soft no matter what he does. "Do you know when the bell rings here?" I wait for him to not have anything in his mouth to answer, and he nods. "Four o'clock."

"Alright," I change the radio to listen to another song, and I wait for the oldest boy of the family.

10 minutes later...

"I'm going to wait for him at the gate," he grabs the pastries and gets out of the car, and he closes the door. I watch him attentively as he is walking towards it, feeling relieved that he does not have to cross the road.

Hoping for Jungkook to not take too long and cause his little brother to stay too much in the cold, I keep my eyes on this little angel, and after some shorts seconds, Jungkook passes the gate.

However, as he must not have expected anyone to be waiting for him, he walks away with a friend without noticing Minjun, forcing the little one to say his name and follow him. Jungkook stops instantly and turns around, and his little brother lifts the bag up to him, bringing a smile to his face. To indicate that I am here, Minjun points his finger at my car, and he takes the bag, tells his friend that he is leaving, and the two of them head to my car.

Jungkook first opens the passenger door, stealing his little brother's seat, and he sets his eyes on me. "Hey," he smiles and takes his hood off. "Hey. Your brother wanted to pick you up today, so I came."

"Yeah, he told me," he peels at him, with a soft look in his eyes as I make sure both of them have their seat belts on to start the car. "It feels good not to have to be out in the cold," he puts his back between his legs and pulls on the sleeves of his oversized jacket to hide his hands, keeping his bag of pastries against his stomach. He can be adorable sometimes.

I smile but direct my eyes towards the road, and I go on the way back home.

"Did you get something for yourself?" Jungkook glances at Minjun, who is now in the back seats. "Y/n bought me the same as yours, but I already ate them."

"Okay," he opens the bag to see what he picked, and I lower the music to not bother them with too much noise. "Damn. You made my day hundreds of times better," he grabs one and takes a bite, keeping the bag underneath to not make a mess.

"Did you work week today?" I ask about his day. "I did. I'm a very good student. You know it."

"That sounds very sarcastic," I grin and check his face, which always tells me more than his mouth does. "It's not. I swear, I even handed my essay in, but we'll only get the results tomorrow."

"Oh, you'll have to tell me how that went next week. I'm eager to hear about it." I look forward to it, believing with no doubt that he will get good marks. "I will, and if I failed, I'll blame you."

"Me?" I raise my eyebrows and throw my a glare in his direction. "You're the one who wrote it, not me."

"But you told me it's good, so that made me believe I didn't have to work more on it," he provokes me with a smile, and I clench my jaw but do not let him get to me so easily. "I only gave you my opinion, don't you dare put the blame on me if you don't get good marks. I swear."

"Or else what?" he constantly attempts to irritate me. "Or else you cook your meals and clean your room yourself," I threaten him, but he scoffs. "Worth the risk, honestly," he takes another bite but drops some cream over his hand, which he is keeping under his mouth.

"If you stain my seat, you clean it, understood?" I annoy him, even though I know I will be the one taking care of the mess these boys leave in my car. "Alright, mommy. I'll clean," he lets out of his mouth, and for some reason, I do not react or say anything.

•••

"Thank you again for the pastries, buddy," Jungkook ruffles his little brother's hair before heading towards the kitchen. "You're welcome," he beams and drops his heavy bag next to a stool to sit at the kitchen bar.

Jungkook takes a carton of chocolate milk out of the fridge and sits down next to his brother. He does not follow Minjun's actions though, he goes for the food first instead of studying, finishing the pastry he could not eat in the car.

I do not scold him since we just came back home, and I roll my sleeves up to wash my hands in the kitchen sink.

"Do you like the pastries I picked?" Minjun asks him, wondering if he made his brother happy. "Yes, they're delicious. You got the best ones," he takes a big bite and again, accidentally drops some cream on his hand, having a hard time with it. I get some tissues for him and place them in front of him. "That bun will be empty before you even eat half of it."

"It's hard to eat, it's not my fault," he licks everything off his skin, eating like a starving child. I laugh but look at the note I made earlier for today's dinner. "Do you want to taste it?"

I raise my eyes up to him. "No, thanks. And your little brother bought it for you."

"It's okay, you can eat it. You're the only one that didn't get any pastry, so you can share with him," Minjun kindly agrees, but I still decline. "No, I'm okay, sweetie," I look at Jungkook after noticing him lurch forth, and I watch him struggle. "Are you making a mess on purpose?"

"Yeah, of course. Isn't it obvious?" he wipes his mouth with one of the tissues I gave him and makes eye contact. "I love dropping all the cream everywhere 'cause I know you're gonna clean it after me."

A bitter smile forms on my face, but I pretend to not have heard him and turn around to start cooking.

"You better study after eating," I order him to do. "I will," he does not try to defy me, offering me a break. "Will he be punished if he doesn't study?" Minjun asks innocently. "Yes, but you won't be if you don"t," I favor him without meaning what I say, and I already hear Jungkook grumble. "Excuse me? Why only me?"

"Because," I provoke him with a smile and look at him. "Minjun's always been a good boy, so I know I won't have to punish him. But I can't say the same about you."

"Well, you know what?" he swallows the rest of the bun he chewed on and wipes his hands. "I don't mind. Punishments motivate me."

"Sure," I breathe out, knowing he did not mean it the same way an innocent child would.

•••

5:40 pm.

"Y/n," Jungkook calls my name from the dining table, still working while his little brother is playing in his bedroom. "Yes?" I look up at him, staying on the sofa that feels so much more comfortable when I am tired.

"Can you come help me with something?" he drops his head on his hand. "Sure. What is it?" I stand up, bringing my phone with me as I walk towards him.