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1
Since people always get confused, I’m going to say it here: This story is set in the USA. The state they are in is Georgia, so they are speaking English.
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Jimin sits at his desk twirling his pencil nervously. It’s only 25 minutes until buses start arriving, but he’s been told that car riders tend to arrive earlier. None of his students have shown up yet and he’s honestly dreading the first arrival.
He hears the squeaking of tiny sneakers coming down the hallway and his heart starts beating faster. The squeaking stops and he hears a small sniffle. All of the anxiety leaves Jimin’s body and he stands up, walking out of his room.
There’s a small asian kid standing in the middle of the hallway with tears on his cheeks. Jimin walks up to him and kneels down. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know what room to go to. I can’t read the name signs.”
Jimin smiles warmly. “I can help you. Do you know what grade you’re in?”
The kid nods. “A man told me this was the Kindergarten hall...”
“He was right. Do you know your teacher’s name?”
The kid shakes his head. “I just now that the name was short.”
Jimin thinks for a second. “Was it Mr. Park?”
“That sounds right.”
Jimin smiles. “Well, lucky you! I’m your teacher. My room is that one with the smiley faces on the door.” He points down the hallway at his room. “You can remember the smiley faces tomorrow so you can find my room easily.”
The kid nods softly.
“What’s your name?”
“Sangjun, but my English name is Sam.”
“That sounds like a Korean name? Are you Korean?”
The kid nods. Jimin beams. “Me too. Now we have something in common. What’s your last name?”
“Jeon.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sangjun. Can I call you Sangjun?”
The kid smiles and nods, no longer shy. Jimin stands up. “Let’s go to my room instead of standing in the middle of the hallway. You get to pick your desk. Since you’re the first to arrive, you have more choices.”
Jimin starts walking and he feels a small hand grabs his. He looks down and sees Sangjun holding his hand tightly.
When they get to the room, Sangjun picks the desk closest to Jimin’s.
