High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Dating Theo.
01/29/1992.
30.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 24, 2015 2:02:02 GMT -8
((Admin Note: The site's location has changed since this thread!!))
Yunjin had gotten an email from the principal early in the day letting him know that there was a transfer student just moved from Korea would would be placed in his homeroom. The kid was getting to school late enough on his first day that he hadn't been able to attend homeroom, so the principal had asked Yunjin to stay late to have a meeting after school with the kid to help figure out what classes he would need to take and if any of his courses would need to be shuffled around. Yunjin found that he knew very little about his new student, including the fact that the principal had failed to give him the student's name, but he was sure he would be able to sort it out soon enough.
He rushed back to his office after choir practice, making sure that he wasn't completely disheveled as he walked down the hall to his office. He put his violin case down at the end of his desk, and settled himself in his chair, hoping that the kid wouldn't take long to show up, or that he hadn't had to wait too long after the end of the day.
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Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Kim Kangwan on Nov 24, 2015 10:14:27 GMT -8
Kangwan shuffled around, muttering in Korean about how nice it must be of the school to assume he knew where he was going. His homeroom teacher was going to be a Mr. Lin, and everything just seemed kind of weird. As it was, his father had to explain he would be the one to have to move from class to class and he got all out of sorts from that. America was very, very different from Korea, and he was already feeling weak-spirited from the events of today. He'd already cried twice. The rest of the day he spent either on the verge of tears or feeling rather apathetic. His mood changes were getting exhausting, though.
He sighed as he finally found the right office, gripping onto his backpack as he knocked on the door to get the teacher's attention. A part of him hoped it was someone who spoke Korean, even though the teacher's last name was Chinese. He was getting tired of the constant use of English. He was even almost looking forward to going home because of it.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Dating Theo.
01/29/1992.
30.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 25, 2015 13:23:51 GMT -8
Yungjin heard the muttering in Korean coming down the hall, and when the student knocked on the door, he smiled at him and waved him in, greeting him in Korean, "Hello. The principal told me that I had a Korean transfer student who was going to be entering my homeroom, but he has failed to inform me of your name. I'm Lin Yunjin, by the way."
He took a moment to pause for breath, looking the student over, and noticing that he seemed very out of sorts. Yunjin said gently, "If you are having any trouble settling in, or need to talk to me about things, I'm always willing to listen."
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Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Kim Kangwan on Nov 25, 2015 13:56:52 GMT -8
Kangwan visibly relaxed as the teacher began speaking Korean to him, but it caused a lump in his throat that caused him to choke on his words initially. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions a bit better before giving the teacher a shy bow and hovering by one of the chairs until he sat down. "I'm Kim Kangwan." He responded back in Korean. His voice was raw, which was pretty much how he felt anyway. He was still working on keeping the tears at bay. Three times in one day had to be some sort of record for him, not counting when his band won the rookie of the year award, because that day was all around stressful with a big payoff. He kept his head low and sniffled a bit, hands clenching his jeans. "Th-thank you." He stuttered out as an afterthought.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Dating Theo.
01/29/1992.
30.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 25, 2015 14:17:24 GMT -8
Yunjin fished out a box of tissues from his desk, holding them out to Kangwan as he replied, "It's nice to meet you Kangwan."
He thought for a moment. It was obvious that Kangwan was not in the best of places right then. He kept his tone gentle, "Have people been treating you alright your first day? I know that sudden changes can be pretty jarring, and you don't have to tell me what is up if you don't want to, but if it would help to have someone know, I will listen, and I will not tell people what you tell me unless you ask me to."
He tried his best to smile reassuringly at the kid, and thinking of how to be welcoming, he pointed out the box of Chinese pastries on his desk, mostly eaten through, but with a few left overs after his classes for the day. "You should help yourself to some pastries, what my classes left of them. Would you like some tea? We don't have to get everything for your schedule figured out today, for the long term, but I do need to check in with you to make sure that the classes you are taking are actually at your level and that they are putting you on the right track for whatever you plan to do next."
He tried not to fight because he wanted to be reassuring, but he also didn't know Kangwan well enough to know what would help. He let his eyes wander over his desk, focusing in for just a second on the picture of himself and Sungyong with Tai for the beach that Hwangjung had taken and liked so much that he'd printed it out for Yunjin's office.
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Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Kim Kangwan on Nov 25, 2015 22:58:09 GMT -8
Kangwan held onto the tissue box, biting his lip slightly. "Y-yeah... Everyone's been very kind. It's just the..." He sniffled again, trying to think of the right way to phrase it without getting that overwhelming and exhausting feeling of being about to cry again. He attempted a smile, though he could feel how half-hearted it looked. "The culture shock is really getting to me." He said simply.
He glanced to the pastries, and even though his stomach made a noise in protest, he didn't immediately reach for anything. "Tea sounds nice." He said softly. He was beginning to feel a little more comfortable, this teacher was much less Americanized than he expected initially, and it was helping to soothe away the stresses from the day. He eventually decided to go for a pastry, nibbling on one end as he watched the teacher's movements.
He dug through his backpack, suddenly remembering something, and pulled out a piece of paper. "The... office has my official transcripts, but this is my transcript from my high school back in Korea. I only have a Korean version of the transcript, the English one is the official one." His classes were a bit all over the place because of his idol career, but every class displayed a hard-earned "A" for the grade, and even though his attendance was almost constantly marked as lacking, he was on schedule for graduation. "I want to get into college." He added simply, holding out the piece of paper for Yunjin. The change of subject was giving him a stronger voice, and he hoped he could recover a little more before he brought up the serious stuff. Because he knew it was something at least one teacher should know.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Dating Theo.
01/29/1992.
30.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 26, 2015 0:36:55 GMT -8
Yunjin nodded, pretty sure that there was more to it than that, but not wanting to press the kid when he was so clearly in a bad space. He started up the little tea kettle on the ledge behind his desk and puttered about getting tea ready, giving the kid a chance to settle in, and he was glad to notice that Kangwan had taken one of the pastries. He set up the tea in the infuser in the pot, and carried it over to the desk along with a drip catcher that he could place the infuser in when it was done steeping. He kept several small cups on his desk so that he could cycle through them if he served tea to others, and didn't have to wash the cups every time.
When he sat back down, since the tea still needed a bit of time to steep, he took the proffered schedule and looked over it in comparison to the copy of his course schedule at the high school. He frowned a bit and said, "Alright, they've got you in the wrong science class, so we will need to get that fixed, since this is stuff that you've already covered, and there is no reason for them to have stuck you in US History halfway through the year, that makes no sense. It looks like they got the math level right at least, and are you feeling OK about the English class you are in? Also, it looks like you will need to choose a few electives, so what sorts of things are you interested in?"
He pulled up the official schedule on his computer and started fidgeting with it a bit, relieved to find that he could just swap the science and history courses so that nothing else in the schedule would have to be touched. Just as he had completed that step, his mental timer for the tea went off, and he turned to lift the infuser free of the water before putting the top back on the pot and pouring some first into the cup that he grabbed for Kangwan, and then some into his own cup. He smiled at the kid and moved the tea so that it was in front of him.
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Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Kim Kangwan on Nov 27, 2015 2:15:22 GMT -8
Kangwan was feeling more comforted by at least somewhat familiar food and the smell of tea, and slowly he was able to look over the events of the day with a clearer mind. "Thank you..." He muttered, unsure of what else he could say to this teacher helping him. He thought back to his English class. "It's a little difficult, but I think I'll be okay." He said, though he wasn't very confident about those words. He gave a little sigh of relief, just truly glad for the way things were turning out in this meeting. "Music. I love music." He said in regards to the elective. He really wasn't sure what electives existed for American schools though, so he just hoped this was a viable option. "Singing." He added as an after thought. He liked instruments, but it wasn't his strong forte unless it was piano.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Dating Theo.
01/29/1992.
30.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 27, 2015 17:09:48 GMT -8
Yunjin nodded at Kangwan's assessment of the English class and said, "That sounds good for English. I'm your homeroom teacher, so you will see me at the beginning of the day every day. Keep me in the loop with how English is going, and I can make sure that you get extra help for it if you need that. You can check in with me about whatever subjects actually, that's what I'm there for, with how students move around from class to class in the states, it means that you have a sort of base of operations."
When Kangwan said that he loved music, a giant, pleased smile came onto Yunjin's face. He said, a touch excited, "That is nice to hear, and it sounds like I'm a good fit for you as a homeroom teacher in more than one way then. I'm the music teacher, and the Chinese teacher. If you like to sing, we do have a choir, but I could also probably fit you into AP Music Theory if you are interested in that. Both could be worked into your schedule."
He looked over at Kangwan, taking a moment to pour both of them more tea because he used the small cups that were best suited to the serving of Chinese green teas.
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Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Kim Kangwan on Nov 27, 2015 19:14:08 GMT -8
Kangwan nodded, giving Yunjin a soft smile. "I see... Okay. I'll be sure to let you know." He promised. He sipped on his tea, relieved to find it was quite a good tea and reminded him of the kind his mother - his memories stopped midway, and his breath hitched.
He cleared his throat, forcing a smile despite his heart tugging at being reminded of his mother. "Both sounds good." He squeaked out. He held his cup respectfully as he was being poured more tea, almost barely managing a small thank you.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Dating Theo.
01/29/1992.
30.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 27, 2015 19:33:40 GMT -8
Yunjin messed around with the schedule on his computer for a minute, noticing the little emotional hitch from Kangwan, and respectfully not looking at him too hard while he composed himself again. Once he had arranged the schedule so that it had choir and AP Music Theory in it, he turned the monitor on the computer so that it could face Kangwan a little bit, accidentally knocking over his languages sign and the picture of him with Sungyong and Tai over in the process. He scowled at the pictures for a second, muttering in Chinese, "Why do I always do that?"
He smiled at Kangwan though and said, "If this schedule looks good to you, I'll put it through officially and print off a copy of it for you."
While he was giving Kangwan a chance to look over the schedule, he put the sign and the picture back upright.
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Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Kim Kangwan on Nov 27, 2015 20:46:07 GMT -8
Kangwan was able to sip on his tea and compose himself without the need of tissues for the first time today, and he was a bit relieved about that fact. He glanced up when Yunjin moved to show him his revised schedule, but his eyes instead went to the picture that got knocked over. He let out a small 'oh' in surprise as the sudden movement, his eyes noticing the child. "He's cute." He said simply, debating asking more about the little boy in the picture.
He decided against it though, glancing back towards the screen. He sipped on his tea, nodding slightly, "That looks good." He agreed. It was a full class load, which would've been fine if his depression wasn't occasionally literally debilitating. He didn't want to mention that, though.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Dating Theo.
01/29/1992.
30.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 27, 2015 20:59:36 GMT -8
Yunjin smiled at the picture when Kangwan commented about it, and he replied, "That's my nephew, Taijia. One of my best friends took the picture over the summer."
He looked at Kangwan thoughtfully after he replied, and eventually he said, "Make sure you let me know if classes are being overwhelming alright? The promise of help does not just go for English, but I can do my best to help you balance your schedule or make sure that there isn't too much going on as long as you keep me in the loop about how you are doing with your classes. I know that adjusting to a new place and circumstances can be hard, especially in a new language."
He was pretty sure that there was more going on than just the culture shock for Kangwan, but he wasn't going to pry, the kid looked exhausted and sad, but Yunjin hoped that he was at least managing to be helpfully supportive.
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Idol - Vocalist/Songwriter / Seoul Cyber University Student (2025) Major: Applied Music.
Bisexual.
Dating Thomas Fan.
10/24/1999.
23.
Rabbit (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Kim Kangwan on Nov 28, 2015 8:19:54 GMT -8
"How cute." He said softly, he glanced up with a soft, slight smile. "Does he belong to your brother or sister?" He asked, trying to make conversation. Trying not to think of his own brother.
He nodded simply, taking another look at his schedule. He had a feeling if the course load was too much, Yunjin would understand the reasons why, though he couldn't think of a good time to tell him. He bit his lip, "I'll make sure to... to say, if it's too difficult in English."
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Dating Theo.
01/29/1992.
30.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 28, 2015 18:02:05 GMT -8
At the question, Yunjin swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat, as he always did when directly reminded of his sister. He answered quietly, "He was my sister's son. I've been his guardian for over half his life now though, since she passed away when he was three, and he's seven now."
He looked at the picture, away from Kangwan because he did not want his student to see him slightly distressed. A few even breaths and finishing his cup of tea brought him back to a more stable place.
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