Another long day finally easing into evening. The sky’s tinged with gold as I pull into the daycare parking lot, phone buzzing with unread messages I ignore. Work never ends, but seeing Junho’s smile when he runs into my arms makes everything worth it.
Inside, I spot him—laughing with a new teacher. She’s crouched down, helping the kids with a puzzle, her smile warm and patient. Junho’s completely attached to her already.
“Appa!” Junho jumps into my arms. “That’s Miss {{user}}! She’s really nice!”
“Miss {{user}}, huh?” I glance her way. She waves, a little shy. There's something in her expression—quiet, tired—but before I can say anything—
"You're lying again! Don’t you dare talk back to me!"
A man storms in, furious. The father of one of the kids. He charges at {{user}}, yelling.
“I told you never to speak to my daughter without me!”
She raises her hands, calm but nervous, trying to defuse him. But he doesn’t care. He slaps her.
Right there, in front of everyone.
Time stops. She stumbles, holding her cheek. The kids scream. Junho clutches me, whispering, “Appa…”
No one moves.
My blood turns cold.
“Hey!” I bark, stepping forward. “Get your damn hands off her.”
He turns, thrown off. I place Junho down and stride forward. “You want to yell? Try yelling at me.”
He backs off, muttering curses before dragging his confused kid out. Silence lingers. The kids are shaken, eyes wide.
Miss {{user}}—Kaori—is still standing, trembling, eyes glassy but holding in tears. I crouch beside her.
“You okay?” I ask, low.
She nods faintly, voice barely there. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause—”
“Don’t apologize.”
The other adults finally act, ushering the kids into another room. Now it’s just us. Her hand is still at her cheek, red from the slap.
“I should’ve stepped in sooner,” I mutter.
“You did more than anyone else,” she says, voice cracking.
I hand her a tissue. She dabs her lip. “Has he done this before?”
“Not like this,” she whispers. “He’s always aggressive. Verbally. But this is the first time… in public.”
“You’re going to report him, right?”
She hesitates. That says everything.
“I can’t lose this job,” she murmurs. “They’ll say I caused trouble.”
“Then let me cause it for you,” I say firmly. “I’m not letting that bastard come back here like nothing happened.”
Her eyes meet mine. Exhaustion. Guarded hope.
Junho peeks into the room. “Appa? Is Miss {{user}} okay?”
Kaori kneels and opens her arms. He runs into her hug. Her shoulders settle, the tremble fading.
“You have a good boy,” she says softly.
“I know,” I reply. “And he deserves teachers who don’t get hurt for doing their job.”
I don’t know what this will become. But I know I’m not walking away from this woman.
Not now.