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Chapter Text

Seungcheol woke up approximately 10 minutes before his alarm went off at 7 a.m. Today is a big day, Yujun starts kindergarten. And Seungcheol is nervous as hell.

Although Mingyu seems more nervous than he is, given the number of texts piling up on his notification bar.

Mingyu:
ARE YOU UP??
IS YUJUN UP???
HAS HE CRIED??
MAYBE LETS WAIT ANOTHER YEAR BEFORE HE STARTS

Seungcheol sighed before texting him back.

Seungcheol:
can you relax?

Mingyu:
NO I CANNOT RELAX
YK HOW ANXIOUS HE GETS

Seungcheol:
ik
im worried too but hes gotta learn

The three dots appeared and disappeared for about 5 more seconds before Seungcheol switched his phone off once Mingyu replied with about 10 frowny face emojis.

After brushing his teeth and giving himself a pep talk in the mirror, he finally headed towards Yujun’s room to wake him up. The curtains were still drawn, morning light leaking through the slivers.

“Yujun-ah, wakey wakey~” he sang out softly.

Yujun whined and burrowed further under the sheets, only a mop of his messy hair visible.

Seungcheol waited a moment before gently tugging the sheets off.

“We talked about this weeks ago.” He said gently. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Yujun’s eyes glossed with tears, “Don’t want to leave Papa.”

Seungcheol’s heart clenched.

“You are not leaving me,” He murmured as he smoothed down Yujun’s hair. “I will come pick you up after. ”

“Promise?” Yujun's lips trembled as he held out his pinky.

Seungcheol locked his own pinky with Yujun’s, “Promise.”

After that, everything was a smooth ride. Or at least what Seungcheol wished his reality was.

Instead, he stained his tie with yogurt, got hit on the face with a strawberry, and spent nearly 15 minutes negotiating with a toddler over why Mr. Moon, his astronaut plushie, could not go to kindergarten with him.

In the end, he managed to get Yujun to kindergarten.

The school was beautiful, with play areas, a sandbox, slides and swings, and many trees and flowers. Yujun looked around with both curiosity and anxiety. His hold tightened on Seungcheol’s finger as they stopped in the hallway, outside his classroom.

“I wanna go home,” Yujun muttered while nervously looking around.

Seungcheol knelt so they were eye to eye.

“I know,” he said as he took Yujun’s tiny hands in his. “It will be over before you know it.”

Yujun frowned as he looked around. There were around 20 more kids, more than half of them crying and screaming.

“At least your son isn’t crying. Is that a good sign?” Seungcheol heard a voice. He looked up to see a man leaning against the wall casually, looking far too relaxed for someone surrounded by 20 screaming children.

He wore an ID around his neck. A teacher. “Usually, the quiet kids are unpredictable.”

“Teacher, uh…” His gaze dropped to the name tag resting against the man’s cardigan.

“Jeonghan.”

Teacher Jeonghan smiled faintly. Without actually thinking, Seungcheol shoved his hand forward. “This is Yujun. I am his dad. Choi Seungcheol.” He said–well, more like he rambled.

Jeonghan awkwardly glanced between Seungcheol’s hand and his face before slowly shaking it.

“Are you my teacher?” Yujun asked quietly, for which Seungcheol was utterly grateful. He probably just made a fool of himself in front of his son’s teacher on the first day. Bravo.

Jeonghan kneeled and smiled at Yujun. Not the faint smile he gave Seungcheol, but a big, bright, genuine one. “That’s right. We are going to have so much fun learning.”

Yujun’s eyes brightened at Jeonghan. He was shaped like an adult but dressed like one of them. Soft yellow cardigan and a colourful beaded bracelet. Nothing like how his Papa dressed.

“Rainbow bracelet?” Yujun brushed his fingers over Jeonghan’s bracelet.

Jeonghan breathed out a short laugh, “Yep, my sister gave it to me.”

Yujun looked up at Seungcheol and said, “Papa, I want a sister so she can give me rainbow bracelet.”

Seungcheol nearly choked on thin air. Heat rushed up his face, “You don't need a sister for that, Yujun-ah.” Yujun looked up at him with worried eyes, as though he had said something wrong.

Jeonghan huffed out a laugh, “He’s funny.” He said, smiling at Seungcheol.

Seungcheol shook his head, “Yeah, he probably gets it from his mother.”

Then he turned his attention back to Yujun and cleared his throat, trying to contain the embarrassment. “Remember what we talked about?”

Yujun nodded, “Be good. Treat with kindness. Call if miss you.”

“That’s right.” He leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “I’ll come back.”

Yujun, once again, held out his small pinky. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Seungcheol smiled as he hooked their pinkies together.

Jeonghan offered Yujun his hand. Yujun looked at him for a moment before holding it.

“Let's go!” Jeonghan said with a gleam in his eyes. Yujun waved at Seungcheol on his way towards the classroom.

Seungcheol waved back and waited till Yujun was in. He stood there for a moment, watching Yujun through the door before leaving.

As he sat in the driver’s seat, he suddenly remembered.

“I should text her.” He muttered to himself before pulling out his phone.

Seungcheol:
just dropped him off

The reply came instantly.

Minsoo:
HOW DID HE DO?????

Seungcheol:
threw a strawberry at me at breakfast

Minsoo:
LMAOOO DESERVED
how about at school?

Seungcheol:
better than i thought tbh
the teacher seems nice

Minsoo:
😭 😭 😭 😭
MY BABYYYYY
GREW UP TOO FAST

Seungcheol:
I KNOW
IM NOT READY

Minsoo:
OK DONT MAKE ME SAPPY RN I HAVE WORK
DONT FORGET TO PICK HIM UP

Seungcheol:
noted.

Chapter Text

“That’s the fifth time you opened the kindergarten group chat.” Wonwoo arrived with two cups of coffee and put one down on Seungcheol’s desk.

“No??” Seungcheol defended, “Only four times so far…” He muttered as he took a sip from his cup.

Wonwoo squinted at him from the adjacent chair, “Its barely 11. Kindergarten started two hours ago.”

Seungcheol groaned and ran a hand through his hair, “I know! I am just…” He trailed off.

“You’re worried, I know,” Wonwoo said. “Apparently not as worried as Mingyu, though.”

Seungcheol snorted, “Did he spam you, too?”

“He spammed the group chat.”

Seungcheol opened his messages on the laptop in front of him. “Oh, right, I muted you people.”

Mingyu:
HYUNG
HOW DID DROP OFF GO
DID HE CRY
DID YOU CRY

Wonwoo:
cheol cried

Mingyu:
:(
i miss him already
yujun not cheol hyung

Seungcheol sighed before responding.

Seungcheol:
you saw him last night

Once again, Mingyu replied instantly.

Mingyu:
AND????
HES MY PRECIOUS LITTLE BOY

Wonwoo:
you’re a little boy

Mingyu:
not precious ??
:(

Wonwoo:
ew

Seungcheol:
mingyu dont you have work to do?

Mingyu:
i do :(

Seungcheol:
then do it.

Mingyu:
:(

“God, he’s dramatic,” Seungcheol muttered, yet with a bit of fondness.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

By the time lunch rolled around, Seungcheol was quickly shoving food into his mouth.

“Ew, can you not eat like an animal?” Wonwoo hissed.

Seungcheol slowed down, “Sorry, pick up is soon. I can't be late.”

“It’s half past noon! You have 30 more minutes!” Wonwoo complained and sat further away.

Seungcheol continued shoving rice into his mouth before Wonwoo threw a piece of orange at him. It hit him square in the face.

“Ow??” He looked up, betrayed.

“You disgust me.”

Seungcheol frowned, “First, Yujun threw a strawberry at me, and now you’re throwing an orange?”

“Getting hit on the face with fruit is a recurring incident for you.” Wonwoo snickered.

Seungcheol gathered his lunch box and cutlery, “It better not become recurring.”

Wonwoo watched him pack, “Go get your son before you combust.”

Seunngcheol waved him off as he started walking away.

He arrived at the premises early, waited in the car, then stepped out exactly at 1 p.m. As he got closer, parents were already surrounding the playground, and a bunch of toddlers already storming out.

It was not a quiet sight. There was crying, screaming, and hugging. This made Seungcheol’s stomach drop. Will Yujun also come out crying? Did he hate being here?

“Papa!” he heard Yujun’s voice and looked to see Yujun running towards him. Not crying, but smiling so big, his cheeks probably hurt.

Seungcheol’s heart warmed at the sight as his anxiety vanished. Yujun ran straight into his arms as Seungcheol picked him up, clean off the ground.

“Was it fun?” Seungcheol asked.

Yujun nodded excitedly, “Teacher Jeonghan read stories! I draw stars!”

“Really? You must show me when we get home.”

Yujun nodded again as giggles erupted from his tummy. Seungcheol couldn’t help but melt at the sight.

Just then, Teacher Jeonghan walked up to him, “Mr. Choi.”

“Yes, hello.”

Yujun turned towards him eagerly, “Teacher! I come back tomorrow!” he wiggled in Seungcheol’s arms.

“Read caterpillar story!”

Jeonghan’s expressions softened, “Okay.”

Seungcheol found himself noticing the way Jeonghan’s smile made his eyes crinkle and the warmth in his eyes.

“He had fun. See, you had nothing to worry about.” Jeonghan said, breaking Seungcheol’s train of thought.

“Huh-oh, yes.” He looked away, embarrassed. “Glad to have been wrong.”

“He doesn’t usually like people,” he continued. “I mean, he likes you. Not that you’re not people. You're a person, of course. So I guess he likes some people.” he rambled on.

Jeonghan blinked at him, nodding aimlessly, not knowing what to say.

“Sorry…” Seungcheol laughed nervously. “I think I’m more nervous about him starting kindergarten than he is.”

That earned a soft laugh from Jeonghan, “I can tell.”

God, Seungcheol needed the Earth to swallow him.

“It's more common with parents than you’d think,” Jeonghan said.

“Right,” Seungcheol said simply. He did not want to start rambling again.

“Papa! Home!” Yujun interrupted the awkwardness, bless him.

Seungcheol cleared his throat, “Right. Say goodbye to Teacher Jeonghan.”

“Bye, teacher! Thank You.”

Jeonghan waved at him before bowing to Seungcheol.

Seungcheol bowed back so low that he almost dropped Yujun.

“Papa!” Yujun shrieked.

“Sorry! Sorry,” he apologized. “See you tomorrow, Teacher Jeonghan.”

And then he dashed.

Seungcheol fastened the seatbelt of Yujun’s booster seat before getting in the driver’s seat. The more he tried to suppress it, the more it came up. The million ways in which he embarrassed himself in front of his son’s teacher. He wasn’t the type to be awkward. He remembers himself as the smooth, charming man.

Or has he been deluding himself?

“Papa,” Yujun called out, bringing Seungcheol out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?” Seungcheol looked at him in the rear-view mirror.

“I told teacher Jeonghan about Mr. Moon.”

Seungcheol waited for him to continue, “I told him Mr. Moon wears blue suit. And lives on moon. And very smart.” Yujun said while fidgeting with the strap of his backpack.

“He gives crayons to draw. And reads stories. I like Teacher Jeonghan.”

Seungcheol listened to Yujun talk about his day, no, mostly just about the teacher, the whole ride home.

Seungcheol was so happy that Yujun adjusted so well on the first day itself, and that he had already found a comfort person there. He’s going to be fine after all.

As they reached the apartment, Yujun stood impatiently while Seungcheol untied his shoes. He ran towards the living room and immediately opened his bag to show him the drawings he had made.

“Papa, look!” Yujun held up the drawing paper.

“Just a minute, Yujun-ah,” he said before taking out his very aggressively buzzing phone.

Caller ID: Lee Chan.
23 Missed Calls.

Seungcheol’s heart dropped as he immediately picked up the call.

“Chan, is everything okay?” he asked.

“HYUNG-” Seungcheol winced before pulling the phone away from his ear as Chan screamed into the microphone.

“I CAN’T FIND YUJUN. I AM AT THE SCHOOL, AND HE’S NOWHERE!”

Seungcheol looked at Yujun, sitting on the floor with his drawings spread out.

“Oh…”

Chan, still panicked, screeched again, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘OH’ YOUR CHILD IS MISSING!”

Seungcheol didn’t know how to break it to him, “Yeah… about that-”

“WHAT?”

“I already picked him up. We’re home.”

The line went dead quiet.

“What.”

Seungcheol bit his lip, “Mhm…”

“You told me to pick him up. We discussed this last week.” Chan said. You could practically imagine the look on his face—that tight-lipped fake smile.

“Sorry, it slipped my mind.”

“It slipped your— I HAVE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR HALF AN HOUR.”
Seungcheol felt bad, really, “Just— just come home. I have to go back to work.”

“YOU DON’T PAY ME ENO—”

Seungcheol hung up before Chan could continue complaining. That kid could go on and on and on.

Yujun looked up with worried eyes as Seungcheol sighed and rubbed his temple, “Papa? What happened?”

“Ah, nothing.” he brushed it off and sat down on the floor next to him. “Channie hyung is coming. I have to go back to work.”

Yujun whined, “No~! Papa no leave!”

Yujun plopped down on Seungcheol’s lap, “Channie hyung sing too loud. Forgets snack time!”

Seungcheol gasped dramatically, “I will talk to him. How dare he forget snack time?”

Yujun nodded seriously as his pout disappeared. Seungcheol brushed back Yujun’s bangs from his forehead, “You were showing me your drawings?”

“YES!” Yujun shot up from his lap and brought back his drawings, holding them up with his tiny hands. Seungcheol held the drawings closer, trying to make sense of the colorful scribbles.

It was indeed a drawing of Mr. Moon. Kind of… Seungcheol still smiled and said, “Good job.”

He got off the floor and went towards the kitchen to prepare a little snack plate. He rolled up his sleeves and took off his watch before washing his hands. He dried them off on the kitchen towel and opened the fridge.

“Let’s see…” he muttered to himself.

“Cheese? Sure. Yogurt… strawberries? Perhaps not…”

He sliced some grapes instead, along with some cheese, and scooped a spoonful of yogurt. He pulled out the box of crackers from the cabinet and placed a few in the snack plate.

“Yujun-ah, come eat.” Yujun scurried over and climbed into his high chair.

Seungcheol checked his schedule while Yujun munched on his snack plate. It was quiet. Peaceful. Until it wasn’t.

The front door opened loudly, and Lee Chan stormed in like chaos.

“CHOI SEUNGCHEOL!”
Seungcheol stared over the top of his glasses, blankly. “Where is the respect, you punk?”

“You lost it when you left me stranded at Yujun’s kindergarten,” Chan complained as he threw his bag on the couch and slumped down.

“People looked at me with so much judgment, like I was crazy.”

“You are.”

Chan jolted up and pointed at him accusingly, “YOU FORGOT TO TELL ME!”

Seungcheol waved him off. He walked over to Yujun and kissed the top of his head before grabbing the keys. “Be good, my little prince.”

“Do I get a kiss too?” Chan asked with faux-innocence.

To his surprise, Seungcheol leaned down and dramatically kissed his forehead. Chan grimaced and rubbed the spot where Seungcheol kissed him.

“Be good, my little pain in the ass.”

“You’re the worst.”

Seungcheol grinned at him before leaving.

Chan groaned and entered the kitchen. Yujun looked at him and scowled. “Hyung not singing today, right?”

Chan squinted at him and stole a piece of cheese off his plate.

“HEY!”

“Relax, little guy. I won’t sing.”

Yujun exhaled in relief.

“I will rap, though.” Yujun threw a piece of grape at him.

Chapter Text

6:42 p.m

The door opened as a very tired Seungcheol entered. The day was extra exhausting; the usual workload exhaustion was heightened with the emotional baggage he carried—the nervousness of Yujun starting kindergarten. 

To think he’d get some peace at home was the wrong assumption because the moment he walked into the living room, it was a mess. Not physically, but emotionally a mess. 

Chan was wearing a hat and sunglasses indoors while singing Trot into the karaoke mic. Yujun sat on the floor playing with his Hot Wheels. The kid had built enough endurance to ignore Chan’s antics in the past 3 years. 

“Lee Chan,” Seungcheol stood behind him like an exhausted NPC. Chan froze and slowly turned around to face him, the speaker still blasting the music. 

“You’re back!” Chan took off the sunglasses and the hat in embarrassment.  

The day had been bad enough between work and Yujun; Seungcheol came home ready to collapse. Instead, there was apparently another child he was unwillingly raising. 

“Papa!” Yujun ran straight towards Seungcheol’s legs and made grabby hands. As tired as he was, Seungcheol would never ignore grabby hands. He groaned and bent down to pick Yujun up. 

“Chan Hyung singing for hours.” 

Chan gasped, “That’s not true! I did my assignments while you napped like a baby!” 

Yujun squinted at him, “I am baby!” 

Before Chan could retort, Seungcheol cut him off, “You do realize that you’re bickering with a four-year-old, right?” 

Chan sputtered, “Your kid is mean, hyung, I’m telling you!”

“Or are you just easy to bully?” Seungcheol deadpanned. 

Chan scoffed, “Wow, unbelievable. I literally babysit him for you, and you’re being mean to me?”

Seungcheol put Yujun down and wandered into the kitchen, “You’re literally his babysitter. It’s your job.” 

“Then this must be workplace harassment.” 

Seungcheol snorted, “Yeah? Try telling the authorities you get bullied by a toddler.” 

Chan grabbed his bag and shoved his laptop in it before slinging it on his shoulder, “You’ll regret this when I stop coming in.”

Seungcheol peeked his head out from the kitchen, “You wouldn’t, you’re broke. Also,”

He nodded towards Yujun,  “You adore him.”

Chan glanced at Yujun, who looked up with big eyes and a cheeky grin.

 “You’re right,” he sighed. He ruffled Yujun’s hair before heading towards the door. 

“Oh, wait!” Seungcheol called out as he rushed out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel. 

“You don’t have to do pick-ups. I got it.” 

A big grin appeared on Chan’s face. “Okay, good. I am never going back to that place after today.”  Seungcheol shook his head as Chan bolted away. 

After Lee Chan’s departure, the apartment was quiet and peaceful for approximately 12 minutes. Then, persistent knocking followed by the doorbell ringing. 

Seungcheol groaned loudly as he pushed himself off the couch, “WHY?” 

The commotion indicated only one person. 

Kim Mingyu barged in the moment Seungcheol opened the door.

“YUJUN-AH!” he held his arms open. 

Yujun’s eyes lit up as he zoomed towards him in a heartbeat, “UNCLE MINGYU!” 

Mingyu lifted him easily and spun him around, Yujun giggling into his shoulder. “I missed you so much, my precious boy~!” 

“Missed you, too!” Yujun wrapped his small arms around Mingyu’s neck. 

Wonwoo entered, looking half sorry, half embarrassed—carrying a bag of groceries. 

“I told him not to do— whatever this is.” 

Seungcheol looked at the sight before his eyes. His dumbass friend, hugging and spinning around his giggling son. As exhausting as Mingyu was, his bond with Yujun was absolutely heartwarming. 

Wonwoo set the bag on the shelf, rummaging through it before pulling out a little trinket. “I got something for Yujun.”

Yujun wiggled out of Mingyu’s hold and rushed over to Wonwoo upon hearing his name. 

“Uncle Wonwoo got gift for me?” He asked with curious eyes. 

Seungcheol stood by with crossed arms, also watching with curiosity. Wonwoo crouched to meet Yujun’s height and held out a ceramic charm shaped like a strawberry. The glaze shone over the uneven, pastel pink. 

Yujun carefully took it, as if he understood the gift's fragility. The ceramic felt cool against his palm. “Waah~ pretty!” 

Yujun flashed a huge smile, “Thank you, uncle!” 

Wonwoo smiled back and ruffled his hair, “You can attach it to your backpack.”

“Papa! Put it on my backpack!” Yujun held out the charm to him. 

Seungcheol squinted at Wonwoo, “It's a strawberry on purpose, isn’t it?” 

“I just saw it at the farmer’s market.” Wonwoo snickered. 

⟡   ⟡    ⟡

Not long after, Mingyu had taken over Seungcheol’s kitchen. Kimchi Stew, steaming rice, an assortment of side dishes, and a bottle of soju, he convinced Seungcheol to crack open. And for Yujun, he made a small portion of Seaweed Stew.  

Everyone was huddled up on the small dining table, Yujun on the side in his high chair, Seungcheol beside him with Mingyu and Wonwoo across. 

“You know,” Mingyu said with a mouthful of rice, “You should really get a bigger table.”

Seungcheol cocked an eyebrow at him, “So you can just move in?”

Mingyu hummed, “You get an in-built babysitter that way. You can fire Lee Chan.” 

“Right, so you can be unemployed here instead of paying rent.” Seungcheol deadpanned. 

Mingyu pointed his chopsticks at him in defence. “I am not unemployed–” he said, taking a swig of the soju. “I am literally shooting with a new brand.” 

“Yeah, and then you’re broke for the next season.” Seungcheol teased. 

“Freelancing is a real thing!” It was rather easy to get Mingyu worked up. “Wonwoo, tell him!” 

“Freelancing is a real thing,” Wonwoo said with zero conviction. 

“I shoot for advertisements. I shoot for music videos. I shoot for Yujun’s childhood diary–”

“You also shoot yourself in the foot sometimes.” Wonwoo chimed in. 

Mingyu gasped and clutched his chest, “That was one time!” 

“Three times, actually. Remember Yujun’s Nerf gun.” Seungcheol snickered. 

Mingyu stammered, “What– that’s actually your fault! Who gives a  four-year-old a Nerf gun!”

Wonwoo side-eyed him, “The bullets were foam!”

“AND YET,  IT HURT!”

Yujun, who had been quietly listening to the adults talk, burst out giggling, “Uncle so silly!”

Mingyu instantly softened and tried to fight back a smile, “I really am, huh?” 

“Very silly,” Seungcheol muttered fondly. 

Yujun nodded seriously before scooping a spoonful of his soup-soaked rice.

Chatter continued at the dinner table until it was Yujun’s bedtime. Seungcheol excused himself and carried a sleepy Yujun to his bedroom. With a little effort, he managed to brush Yujun’s teeth and change him into his frog-themed pyjamas before putting him to bed.

Seungcheol sat at the edge of Yujun’s bed, running a gentle hand through his hair. 

“Papa…” Yujun mumbled sleepily. 

“Yes?” 

“I go back to school tomorrow,” he said, hugging Mr. Moon tighter.  

Seungcheol’s lips curved into a soft smile, “Yes, you do.” 

He leaned down and kissed his forehead, “Goodnight, my little prince.” 

Yujun mumbled something like ‘goodnight’ before quickly dozing off. 

Seungcheol sat there for a bit, recalling the day before he got up and left the door slightly ajar. He walked out to see that Mingyu and Wonwoo had already cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher, and were currently lounging on the couch with a cup of tea. 

“—and then I told her, rendering the footage will at least take two days by myself, but she wouldn’t budge.” Mingyu dramatically gestured with his hands, almost spilling the tea. 

Wonwoo hummed quietly, but listened intently, 

“Well, then she agreed on two days.”

Seungcheol plopped down beside him, “Just like that?” 

Mingyu hesitated, but a sheepish smile appeared on his face. “Well… not really.”

Seungcheol pursed his lips, “You slept with her?”

“Mm…” Mingyu looked away from him as heat crept up his neck. 

Wonwoo’s hand stopped mid-sip for a split second, and something flickered in his eyes before quickly disappearing. 

“Wow, how professional.” He muttered. 

“Don't hate the playa, hate the game.” Mingyu laughed. 

Seungcheol grimaced and smacked him with a pillow, “Don’t say that ever again.”

Chapter Text

The ceramic charm lightly tapped against Yujun’s backpack and jingled every step he took. He walked alongside Seungcheol while holding his hand. Yujun’s hold today was lighter, more relaxed.

Seungcheol walked Yujun up to the classroom and stopped outside. He glanced through the window and saw Teacher Jeonghan—he was talking to someone else—likely another teacher since the man also wore an ID around his neck. Seungcheol’s eyes locked on Jeonghan until he had to tear away the gaze when Yujun tugged at his sleeve.

Seungcheol crouched to meet his eyes, “Ready?”

Yujun nodded excitedly, “Teacher will read caterpillar story today.”

Seungcheol’s eyes again diverted towards Jeonghan, now laughing at something the other teacher had said. He noticed the way he laughed—softly, leaning forward a little.

Seungcheol shook his head, “Alright, go in now. I’ll pick you up later.”

“Okay! Bye-bye Papa!” Yujun waved before dashing into the classroom.

Seungcheol pushed himself up from the crouch, once again subconsciously looking inside. This time, his eyes met with Jeonghan’s.

Seungcheol looked away sharply, turned around, and started walking. His heartbeat sped up, and he couldn’t understand why. Yes, he had been occasionally socially awkward, but never this much.

Meanwhile, Jeonghan frowned slightly, for he had barely smiled at the man before he basically bolted away. He didn’t think much of it further.

“What happened?” Myeongho turned around to where Jeonghan’s gaze was.

Jeoghan shook his head, “Nothing, just saw a parent bolt off for some reason.”

Myeongho snorted, “Was it the awkward dad from yesterday? The one who rambled.”

“Yeah, it was,” Jeonghan said, once again glancing at the door. And then just like that, Myeongho returned to his class of kids, and Jeonghan turned to his.

He spent the first twenty minutes calming down a crying kid, then another 10 minutes calming a second one who had cried because of the first. He had done this a hundred times already, handling little kids.

Of course, it came with the job. Kindergarten teachers spent more time controlling emotional damage than actually teaching anyway.

Free activity usually happens after lunch. The kids had grouped up—some building blocks, while some playing House, and some scribbling on paper with crayons.

Except one kid—Choi Yujun.

Jeonghan had noticed this the previous day, too—Yujun had not grouped up, nor had he talked to another kid, not really.

Yujun stood out to him by not standing out.

He hadn’t cried once; he hadn’t screamed, hadn’t thrown a tantrum. He just quietly sat by himself, listening or doing his own thing.

Currently, Yujun sat on the floor surrounded by jigsaw pieces. Jeonghan hesitated before going over to him.

He squatted down next to Yujun, “What are you doing, Yujun-ah?”

Yujun looked up from his puzzles, startled. “Puzzles! Papa says puzzles make you smart,” he explained, and immediately turned his attention back to it.

“Do you like blocks?” Jeonghan asked.

Yujun nodded.

“What about colouring? I saw you draw Mr. Moon yesterday.”

Yujun’s eyes lit up. “I love drawing, and Mr. Moon,” he nodded seriously.

Jeonghan looked around at the other kids, “Why don’t you play with Jaehyun-ie and Seoyu? They are also colouring.” Jeonghan offered gently.

Yujun looked around. Indeed, all the kids had grouped up except for him. His lips curved into a frown as his eyes widened, “I supposed to play with others?”

Jeonghan faltered—because of course, Yujun didn't have to play with the others if he was happy playing by himself. But it also worried him that Yujun might feel lonely.

He smiled softly, “No, you can absolutely play with the puzzles.” Now Jeonghan had to do some damage control. What kind of person would he be to make a four-year-old feel insecure?

Yujun looked down at the puzzles, and all of a sudden, they didn’t feel as interesting. The sparkle in his eyes dimmed slightly.

“Can we do the puzzles together?” Jeonghan asked cautiously.

Yujun didn’t answer, and Jeonghan didn’t push him either.

Yujun got off the floor, “I go ask Jaehyun-ie to colour together.”

Jeonghan cursed himself in his head. Shit.

He sighed and stood back up, watching Yujun try to interact.

“Can I draw with you?” Jaehyun and Seoyu looked up from their drawings.

“Yes,” Jaehyun said simply.

Yujun took a sheet of paper from the stack and picked up the blue crayon, drawing another portrait of Mr. Moon, of course.

“I wanted that colour,” Seoyu said. Yujun looked up to see her scowling at Jaehyun.

“Okay.” Jaehyun handed her the crayon and picked up another instead.

“But give back after you done.”

Seoyu nodded. The two kids kept talking to each other while drawing.

Yujun didn’t speak; he wouldn’t have even noticed that they were talking to each other and not to him. But now, he could feel everything all at once. Seoyu and Jaehyun’s bickering, some other kids talking loudly over whose block tower is prettier, and another girl bossing around a kid while playing House.

“What are you drawing?” this time, Seoyu asked him.

“This is Mr. Moon. He’s a astronaut and lives on Moon.” Yujun explained.

Jaehyun looked up from his drawing and frowned, “But bunnies live on Moon and make rice cakes.”

Yujun’s eyebrows furrowed, “Then… they share with Mr. Moon.”

“No. Moon only for bunnies. Their home.” Jaehyun argued.

Yujun looked down at his half-finished drawing, the crayon slipping through his fingers.

Jeonghan saw this interaction and how deflated Yujun looked now. Part of him felt guilty; it was his words that started it all. The rest of the day, Yujun was quieter than usual—glum, even.

He read the caterpillar story to the class as requested by Yujun, which hadn’t cheered him up either. By the time pick-up rolled around, Jeonghan was still thinking about it.

“Yujun-ah!” he heard Yujun’s dad call out. Jeonghan watched from where he was standing at the door.

“Hey, buddy. How was your day?” Seungcheol asked with a smile as he crouched down.

Yujun didn’t light up the way he had yesterday. “Wanna go home.”

Seungcheol’s expression faltered. “Did something happen?”

Yujun shook his head, looking down at his shoes. Jeonghan walked over to them to talk.

“Hello,” he greeted.

“Oh, hello—” The man stood back up. “—Did something happen today?”

Jeonghan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Well, he had a hard time interacting with the kids…”

“Ah–” Seungcheol sighed. “Yeah, he struggles with that a lot. That’s why I was worried yesterday. Guess it hit a bit later, huh?”

Jeonghan could have confessed, told him that maybe it was his fault. But instead—

“He seems content doing his own thing, though.”

Seungcheol huffed out a short laugh, “Yeah, that he does.”

Yujun tugged at his sleeves, “Papa… Home. Please.”

Seungcheol looked down to see Yujun’s eyes glistening with tears. He quickly picked him up in the hopes of providing some comfort.

“See you tomorrow, Teacher Jeonghan.” He bowed before leaving.

The whole ride home, Seungcheol kept glancing at Yujun through the rear-view mirror. The kid was unusually quiet, overwhelm scribbled all over his face. Seungcheol waited until they reached home to speak. But the moment he untied Yujun’s shoelaces, he ran to his bedroom.

Seungcheol cautiously followed to see that Yujun had jumped into bed and was hugging Mr. Moon tightly. Now he knew something was wrong. Worse than the usual ‘hard time socializing’ wrong.

He cautiously sat at the edge of the bed, “Wanna share?”

Yujun turned around to face him, “Jaehyun-ie says Mr. Moon cannot live on Moon because bunnies make rice cakes.”

Seungcheol blinked, “What?”

“Moon is for bunnies, and they make rice cakes there—” Yujun frowned as he sat up. “So Mr. Moon cannot live there.”

Seungcheol scooted forward and pulled Yujun closer. “Bunnies and Mr. Moon can’t live together?”

Yujun shook his head. “Jaehyun-ie says no.”

“Well, Jaehyun’s version can have bunnies, and yours can have Mr. Moon.”

Yujun frowned as he looked up, “Version?”

“Mhm.” Seungcheol adjusted Yujun on his lap, “The Moon belongs to everyone. If you want, it can be the bunnies’ home, or Mr. Moon’s, or both.”

Yujun looked at Mr. Moon thoughtfully before slowly nodding, “Okay…”

“Okay,” Seungcheol smiled, “Now let's get you your snack plate. Channie Hyung will be here soon.”

Chapter Text

2:38 p.m

The staff room was quiet, basically empty. Sunrays spilled through the window and across the desk where Jeonghan sat, with Myeongho across him.

“Alright, you’ve been blankly staring into the void for the last ten minutes,” Myeongho said as he shut the file.

“I think I accidentally may have broken the whole worldview of a kid,” Jeonghan said quietly, looking down at his hands.

Myeongho raised his eyebrows at him, “Wow, that’s… dramatic.”

“No, you don’t understand, he looked so… disheartened.” Jeonghan leaned forward.

“He’s such a good kid, but I think I took his quietness as ‘good’ and didn’t realize he just struggled with socializing.”

“And how exactly did you ‘break his worldview?’”

Jeonghan sighed, “I asked him to play with the other kids even though he was absolutely happy playing by himself. He looked at me like ‘oh, I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing.’”

Myeongho thought about it before speaking, “I think you’re overthinking it.”

“You think so?” Jeonghan muttered. “Still, the look on his face devastated me.”

“Hey, it's okay. Kids move on from these things pretty fast.”

“It's not about that–” Jeonghan said, a little louder this time. “—I just don’t wanna impose societal norms on a kid!”

“Yeah… feels like you’re projecting a bit,” Myeongho said as he gathered his stuff.

He patted Jeonghan’s shoulder on his way out, “Go home, man. Have a drink or something.”

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

The night breeze felt cool against Jeonghan’s face right before he entered the pojangmacha. Soonyoung had somehow convinced him to come out tonight—a school night.

“Jeonghan! Over Here!” Soonyoung waved from the table.

Jeonghan made his way over to them, “Hey, sorry I’m late.”

Jihoon nodded at him, “No worries, we just got started.”

“Aunty, can we get another glass here?” Soonyoung yelled over to the owner.

“Here—” she put a glass down, “—you boys wanna order something to eat now?”

“A serving of Tteokbokki and one plate of fried chicken, please.” Soonyoung declared for all of them.

“And don’t be shy to give us some free fishcakes.” He added cheekily.

The Aunty smacked him lightly on the shoulder, “Such a shameless boy.” She shook her head, still with a smile.

“Thank you~!” Soonyoung sang with a grin as she walked away.

“You’re so embarrassing,” Jihoon said dryly.

Soonyoung gasped dramatically, “She loves me! And so do you!”

Jihoon took a sip of his beer, “Unfortunately.” He muttered, eyes filled with warmth.

Jeonghan clicked his tongue, offended. “I am not here to third-wheel.”

“Right—” Soonyoung got up to pour beer into a glass, “—here, your honour, get drunk.”

Jeonghan chugged down the beer fast—too fast. Jihoon raised his eyebrows, impressed but also alarmed.

“Slow down, big guy,” he commented.

Jeonghan put the mug down, “Rough day.”

“You’re a kindergarten teacher! What’s so rough about hanging out with babies?” Soonyoung gestured with his hands.

Jeonghan scoffed, “Kids are exhausting.”

“I would know…” Jihoon muttered slyly behind his mug.

Soonyoung whipped around to face his boyfriend, “WAS THAT A JAB AT ME?”

“If the shoe fits.”

Jeonghan snickered. These two may be idiots, but they’re his idiots.

“Anyways—” Soonyoung interrupted loudly, once again. “Today this lady came in, very ‘rich divorced aunt’ energy—she wore a fur coat—asking for a birthday party planner, and of course I volunteered. After all, I was employee of the month for three months straight.”

“Did she throw a bundle of cash at your face and threaten you not to fuck it up?” Jeonghan deadpanned.

Soonyoung gasped, “How did you know?”

“Oh, my god…” Jihoon muttered, already exhausted by the story, and it had just begun.

“She said it was her niece’s sixteenth birthday and everything needed to be perfect. And pink.”

Jeonghan snorted, “Your job keeps getting gayer by every commission.”

Chatter continued at the table, and food also arrived. Soonyoung finally shut up, his mouth being preoccupied by it. Jeonghan had successfully distracted himself from whatever had happened at kindergarten. Until—

“So—” Soonyoung said, stabbing into a piece of tteokbokki, “Jihoon and I are thinking of adopting a kid.”

Jeonghan choked on his drink, hard. “I’m sorry, WHAT—”

“For the last time, we are getting a dog. Not a baby.” Jihoon groaned.

“A puppy! That’s basically a dog baby!” Soonyoung corrected. “And it won’t be long until we adopt a human baby.”

“Babe, kids are a lot of work.” Jihoon sighed.

“But they are so cute! With their tiny hands and the shoes—Jihoon, it's absurd how small they are! Jeonghan understands, right?” Soonyoung turned to him.

“Well, they are a lot of work…” Jeonghan muttered. He does understand; he spends his days settling silly fights and calming down crying children. And of course, kids are to be handled with gentleness… They are very sensitive.

Once again, Yujun’s frown and dim eyes flashed in Jeonghan’s head. Had he fucked up? Or was Myeongho right—was he just overthinking?

“Dude, you’ve been zoning out since you got here,” Jihoon said.

Jeonghan's head snapped up, “No, I’m listening. You’re getting a puppy.”

“We stopped talking about that, like five minutes ago.”

Jeonghan blinked, “Oh, sorry…”

“What’s on your mind?” Soonyoung asked.

Jeonghan hesitated—if he didn’t make it a big deal, it wouldn’t be a big deal. “Nothing just… conflicted about the residency of the lunar population.”

Jihoon and Soonyoung exchanged looks but didn’t push.

It was pretty late when Jeonghan got back, the alcohol still buzzing in his system. He reached up to his floor and saw his neighbour fumbling with the lock.

“You’re coming home late,” Jeonghan commented. “Didn’t know the Church held back their employees for overtime.”

Joshua huffed out a laugh, “No, I was just out with some friends.”

Jeonghan stepped closer, narrowing his eyes at him, “Are you drunk. Hong Jisoo?”

“God, don’t call me that. That’s my Church name only.” Joshua groaned. “And you’re drunk yourself.”

Jeonghan shrugged, “That’s different. You work in the house of God. Have you no shame?” He teased.

“You didn’t seem very concerned with my relationship with God last Friday,” Joshua smirked.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, but his lips curved up in the slightest of smiles. Joshua stepped closer, close enough that Jeonghan could smell the alcohol on him.

“You’r staring.” Joshua murmured. Jeonghan hadn’t realized he was. His eyes flickered down to Joshua’s mouth.

He cleared his throat, “You’re locked out?” he said, referring to Joshua’s previous fidgeting.

“Seems like it.”

“Stay over,” Jeonghan said as he unlocked the door to his own apartment.

Joshua followed him in with a smug smile.

Chapter Text

Jeonghan woke up feeling too happy for someone who drank that much alcohol last night. Warm sunshine crept through the room while birds chirped outside.

Jeonghan turned over to his other side. Joshua was still asleep with his face smushed into the pillow, hair messy and neck marked. Jeonghan grabbed his phone to check the time— 7:25 a.m. He bolted up, panicked.

“Josh, wake up!”

Joshua groaned, “Five more minutes.”

Jeonghan pulled the blanket off, revealing his bare back. “Five minutes? It’s seven thirty, you’re late!”

Joshua jerked upright, “WHAT?”

“Church started half an hour ago.”

Joshua stumbled out of the bed, almost tripping when his foot got stuck in the duvet. He didn’t even blink the sleep out of his eyes before he was putting his clothes back on in haste.

“God, fuck me…” He muttered.

Jeonghan smirked, “I did.”

Joshua shot him a look before shoving his phone into his pocket. “There’s no time to make jokes right now.” He said before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

“Don’t forget to ask God for forgiveness!” Jeonghan called out with a grin as Joshua left.

After he left, Jeonghan took his time going through the rest of his morning routine. After all, he wasn’t the one late for work. He showered and got dressed before making breakfast.

He opened the fridge—eggs, half a carton of expired milk, sad-looking vegetables, and a solitary tangerine.

“Well, that’s disappointing,” He muttered. “Scrambled eggs it is. Again…”

While eating breakfast, he opened his phone to the group chat already active.

Soonyoung:
Good morning people
Rise and shine 🌞😎

Jihoon:
im hungover

Jeonghan smiled before texting back.

Jeonghan:
i had a fun night ;)

Soonyoung:
THE HOT CHURCH BOY????

Jeonghan:
mhmm 😋

Jihoon:
when did u start dating

Jeonghan:
WE ARE NOT DATING
its just sex

Soonyoung:
hoe

Jeonghan:
excUSE ME

Jihoon:
tell me when u do get tgth

Soonyoung:
So NEVER
srsly babe let the twink live.

Jeonghan:
TWINK????

Jihoon:
😐😐

Jeonghan rolled his eyes before locking his phone.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

The classroom was loud and bright as usual. Jeonghan had managed to teach them the alphabet—well, kind of. The kids got distracted really easily.

He passed them the Hangul alphabet sheets to trace and practice. They did that for approximately twelve minutes.

“Teacher, this alphabet looks like a ladder.” One kid announced, and suddenly everyone agreed.

And the commotion had come down to this, apparently—

“Teacher, did you know…” Jaehyun spoke up, “Daddy brought flowers for Mumma because she angry yesterday.”

“That sounds like a nice gesture.” Jeonghan smiled. “But please go back to your worksheet.”

Jaehyun nodded and went back to tracing. And then immediately spoke again.

“She said I should sleep early. Said Daddy and Mumma playing games.”

Jeonghan froze, trying his hardest not to burst out laughing, “Must have been fun.”

Jaehyun slammed down his pencil and pouted, “Played without me! Teacher, can we play without Mumma and Daddy?”

“After you finish your worksheet,” Jeonghan said gently.

“Teacher…” He heard a quieter voice this time. Yujun raised his hand.

“Yes, Yujun?”

Yujun hesitated before speaking, “Yesterday me and Papa had ice cream.”

“Wow, do you like ice cream?” Jeonghan asked.

Yujun’s eyes lit up slightly, “Yes!”

“What’s your favourite flavour?” Jaehyun jumped into the conversation.

Yujun’s eyes shifted between the floor and Jaehyun. He hesitated before answering, “Strawberry.”

Jaehyun’s eyes lit up as he shifted in his seat to look at Yujun, “Mine too!” he yelled out excitedly. Yujun’s lips curved into the smallest of smiles.

“I like chocolate more. Strawberry is okay.” Seoyu chimed in.

“Teacher, what’s your favourite?” Jaehyun asked, practically jumping in his seat.

Jeonghan thought for a moment. Not many people in your adult life ask you your favourite ice cream flavour after all.

“Mint choco,” he replied.

Yujun gasped worriedly, “My papa says that is the worst flavour.”

Jeonghan chuckled, “That’s okay if he thinks so. Everyone has a preference.”

“Pe-perefence?” Jaehyun asked curiously.

“Pre-fe-rence. It means choice.” Jeonghan explained.

Jaehyun gasped loudly, “LIKE POKEMON?? PIKACHU I CHOOSE YOU.” He gestured as if throwing a ball.

Jeonghan audibly laughed this time. Even though his job was exhausting, moments like these made it worth it. Damnit, Soonyoung was right.

Pick up rolled around pretty quickly today. Jeonghan stood in the playground, surrounded by the kids waiting for their parents to arrive. He greeted every parent with a smile and a ‘He/She did well today.’

Maybe with one exception.

Yujun’s dad jogged over to them, his hair catching the wind.

He slowed down and crouched when he reached the group, “Hey, buddy~!”

Yujun’s face lit up instantly as he crashed into his arms, “Papa!”

Seungcheol got to his feet with Yujun still in his arms and turned to Jeonghan.

“He seems happier than yesterday.”

“Yeah, he had fun today,” Jeonghan replied.

“I am glad.” Seungcheol looked at Yujun, who was basically jumping in his arms. That is a full 180 from yesterday.

“We talked about ice cream, so…” Jeonghan added for no good reason.

“Ah, I took him to get ice cream yesterday.”

Jeonghan nodded, “He mentioned.”

“Alright, thank you for today, Teacher.” Seungcheol bowed.

Jeonghan bowed back. As Seungcheol turned around and started walking away, he heard Yujun say, “Teacher Jeonghan likes mint choco.”

Seungcheol replied with, “That’s concerning.”

Jeonghan whipped his head back and scoffed. Obviously, Seungcheol didn’t hear; he had already walked away.

“Rude…” He muttered to himself.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

7:19 p.m

Seungcheol’s apartment was once again noisy. More than usual, even, since Mingyu and Chan had crossed paths. Those two co-existing in the same space weren’t any different from handling two toddlers. The only difference being that the two toddlers possessed more brain cells.

“Are you stupid? Charizard was just misunderstood!” Mingyu yelled out at Chan, who had just called Charizard an ungrateful brat.

Yujun looked up from his toy. “Uncle talking about Pokémon?”

“Papa! Jaehyun-ie choose Pikachu.”

Seungcheol blinked in confusion; there was no context provided to him. “Yeah?”

Yujun nodded, “Jaehyun-ie likes Pikachu. And also strawberry ice cream. Just like me!”

Seungcheol listened intently to his son talking so eagerly about the boy he complained about just yesterday.

“Seoyu likes chocolate. And Teacher Jeonghan likes mint choco!”

Both Mingyu's and Chan’s heads shot up, “Good taste,” they said in unison.

“Now you join alliances?” Seungcheol asked as he set the pot of rice at the table.

“Of course! Mint Choco brings people together.” Mingyu nodded seriously.

“That’s a hate crime.” Wonwoo grimaced.

Chan scoffed, “You’re just a hater. We Mint Choco lovers have unity. Loyalty. Solidarity.”

“Chan, get out before I dock your pay,” Seungcheol said dryly.

Chan scowled before grabbing his bag, “No one appreciated me. Everyone is so mean.”

“Be here before two tomorrow,” Seungcheol said without looking up from his phone.

Chan huffed before closing the door behind him, “MEAN!”

Chapter Text

Drop-offs have been getting easier for Seungcheol by week two. Yujun actually enjoyed going to kindergarten, except for the occasional days when he’d look so deflated during pick up. Like the Moon Rabbit thing. Then it was also the time when another kid had accidentally ripped Yujun’s drawing.

Like any other kid, Yujun would quickly move on from these things after an ice cream with Papa or a visit to the swings with Uncle Mingyu.

Deep down, Seungcheol had started worrying less about the whole socializing issue since he would often bring stories about ‘Jaehyun-ie did this’ or ‘Seoyu did that.’

It was currently 10:15 a.m in the classroom, and the kids knew exactly what that meant.

Playtime.

Yujun hadn’t played with other kids yet; he would mostly do puzzles, build blocks, or colour. Today wasn’t any different. Yujun had picked up the one with cute frogs on it. Until—

“You are doing it wrong,” he heard a voice, a very confident one.

Yujun looked up to see Seoyu standing there with her hands on her hips, as if she were a thirty-year-old mom in a four-year-old’s body. He noticed a bunny sticker on her shirt.

Yujun frowned and looked back at his puzzle, confused.

“No I’m not…”

Seoyu sat down beside him and moved two pieces, “This goes here.”

Yujun blinked at the puzzles, “Oh,”

“See!” She beamed.

She helped him complete the puzzle with small, sassy commentary, “This is the sky, and this is the tree. This one is boring.”

Yujun blinked down at the completed puzzle, the frog smiling with rosy cheeks, sitting on a lotus pad. He turned to Seoyu, “Thank you.”

Seoyu grabbed his arm, “Now come! We are playing House.” And just like that, she dragged him away with her to the other corner of the class.

“You’re back!” Jaehyun jumped up to his feet, holding a penguin plushy.

She turned to Yujun, “Okay, so! I am the mom. Yujun-ie is the dad. And Jaehyun-ie is the dog!”

“I don't want to be dog!” Jaehyun complained.

“But you look like a puppy,” Seoyu said thoughtfully.

Jaehyun crossed his little arms in all seriousness, “Then I am a puppy, not dog!”

Yujun looked between the two, baffled at the dynamics of these two. He had known they were loud, but this was still rattling.

Even though Yujun did not choose to play with them, and probably would never have either, he enjoyed it.

This caught Jeonghan’s attention—Yujun playing with other kids, giggling loudly, looking happy in a way he hadn’t seen him before. Something in Jeonghan’s heart ached softly; he smiled at the sight before he even realized it.

Seoyu grabbed her sheet of stickers before peeling out a frog one. She slapped it down on Yujun’s shirt. “Now we are friends.” She declared.

Jaehyun chimed in with a grin as he pointed at the dog sticker on his shirt, “We are all friends now.”

Yujun looked down at his shoes, cheeks pink. “Okay. Friends,” but his cheeks hurt from smiling so big.

Jeonghan had tried his best to stay composed the rest of the day and throughout pick-up. The moment Yujun ran towards Seungcheol, Jeonghan contemplated going over for a small chat. And finally decided on doing so.

“Mr. Choi.”

Seungcheol jumped slightly before turning around, “Oh, hello,” he said, embarrassed from the little jolt.

Jeonghan cleared his throat, “Yujun did well today.”

“Yeah? thanks for uh… making sure he did well.” Seungcheol fumbled.

Jeonghan stared at him blankly for a second before giving a polite smile.

“That’s my job.” He said and bowed to end the conversation, but the man looked way too awkward. Jeonghan had thought two weeks would be enough for this man to act like a functional adult. He was wrong.

Jeonghan returned to the staff room after the kids went home—his heart still jittering from the adorable interaction between Yujun, Seoyu, and Jaehyun.

He noticed Myeongho standing by the shelves, arranging some files before fully throwing himself at him.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Myeongho yelled, startled.

Jeonghan leaned his full weight against his poor co-worker, “Kids are so cute, Myeongho!”

“Then you must feel lucky about your job,” he said dryly before pushing him off.

“You don’t understand! Yujun made friends! Actual friends!” Jeonghan exclaimed.

Myeongho leaned against the desk with one hand on his hip, “Weren’t you devastated about ‘destroying his worldview’ like a week ago?”

“That’s the thing!” Jeonghan gestured dramatically with his hands, “I didn’t destroy it! The universe heard it and did something about it!”

Myeongho huffed out a laugh, “You’re so dramatic.”

“He is so cute! And such a good kid. And I am actually kinda invested now.”

“Dude—” Myeongho sighed, “What’s the first rule of being a kindergarten teacher?”

Jeonghan’s shoulders slumped, “Don’t get personally attached…” he muttered.

“Exactly—” Myeongho pointed at him with a pencil, “So get your head straight before you commit a felony.”

“What felony?”

Myeongho raised his eyebrows at him, “As if you wouldn’t steal the kid if it wasn't illegal.”

“Wha— nuh-uh!” Jeonghan scoffed, looking around defensively.

Myeongho grabbed his bag before he accidentally entertained any more of this, “Goodbye, criminal.”

Jeonghan groaned in the now-empty room. He wasn’t done ranting, and so what if his co-worker, who’s the most likely to relate, has left him hanging? He can always bother his sister, that’s what siblings are for.

He whipped out his phone and opened her chat—

Jeonghan:
noona.

Surprisingly, she actually replied.

Noona:
wut

Jeonghan:
kids are so cute

Noona:
uh huh

Jeonghan:
REMEMBER THE KID I TOLD YOU ABOUT??

Noona:
The quiet one?

Jeonghan:
YESSSS
HE MADE FRIENDS
SEOYU CONVINCED HIM TO PLAY
SHE GAVE HIM A STICKER AND JUST DECLARED FRIENDSHIP

Noona:
awww stopp
thats so sweet :(

Jeonghan:
I KNOWWWW
I WANT A KID TOO

Noona:
ur a questionable enough uncle

Jeonghan:
RUDE???
SHE LOVES ME

Noona:
only cuz you let her do dumb shit

Jeonghan:
kids love dumb shit

Noona:
no wonder your class adores you

Jeonghan:
UNCALLED FOR????
GET OFF MY BACK

Noona:
hush little boy
dinner at 8
hajoon says ur invited

Jeonghan:
i’ll be there 😋😋

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

8:10 p.m

Seungcheol had just finished making dinner—something simple, he was far too tired tonight. He picked up some kimchi with his chopsticks and placed it in Yujun’s rice bowl.

“Papa.”

Seungcheol hummed, continuing to get a serving of rice.

“I made friends.”

Seungcheol stopped dead, almost dropping the serving spoon. “You did?”

“Yes!” Yujun beamed, gummy smile on display, “Seoyu gave me frog sticker. And puppy to Jaehyun.”

Seungcheol didn’t interrupt, even breathing felt like he’d break something precious.

“Seoyu helped me with puzzles first. Also, Jaehyun-ie looks like a puppy!”

Seungcheol’s heart sped up; he quickly blinked away the tears before they formed.

“That’s great, sweetheart. I am so proud of you.” Seungcheol almost choked as his throat closed up from holding back the tears. Yujun nodded and continued eating.

Seungcheol had known how much his son struggled with these kinds of things. During park visit— how he’d play alone and couldn’t mix in with the other kids.

Seungcheol also knew that Yujun liked his own company the most, but occasionally, Seungcheol noticed his son staring into the distance where a group of children his age ran around together.

That night, after he put Yujun to sleep, he lay in bed just staring at the ceiling. Recalling how happy Yujun looked during pick-up, how he had noticed the sticker on his shirt but forgotten to ask about it.

He grabbed his phone and unlocked it, the sudden brightness making him squint. He opened the chat with Minsoo.

Seungcheol:
he made friends
seoyu and jaehyun

Minsoo:
WAIIITTT
OMG 🥺🥺🥺

Seungcheol:
god he is so happy
and so am i

Minsoo:
me too 🥺

Chapter Text

This past week, all Yujun has talked about is his new friends, especially Kim Seoyu.

“Seoyu said cats are nicer than dogs.”
“Seoyu drew Mrs. Moon for Mr. Moon. Said they're married.”
“Seoyu and I played slides today.”

Tonight wasn’t any different. Seungcheol sat on the couch, folding a basket of fresh laundry. Yujun sat beside him, just watching.

“Papa.”

“Yes, Yujun?” He said without looking up.

“I forgot to show you—” Yujun jumped off the couch and grabbed his bag from the shelf. He unzipped it in a hurry and pulled out a rattling object.

“Look! Seoyu gave me a rainbow bracelet!” Yujun waddled over to him and held up the bracelet. “Just like Teacher’s!”

Seungcheol dropped the tiny shirt he was folding on his lap before taking a look at the beaded bracelet. “It’s very pretty. Did you say thank you?”

Yujun nodded and slipped the bracelet on his wrist with a huge grin on his face.

The next day at pick-up, Yujun had pointed at her from a distance. “Papa! That’s Seoyu!”

Seungcheol looked towards where he had pointed to see a little girl with two pigtails, animatedly talking to a woman—presumably her mother.

The woman looked in her early thirties. Her hair tied back in a sleek ponytail, wearing a gray coat. Work clothes. Seungcheol couldn’t place it, but she looked oddly familiar.

“Do you wanna go say hi?” he asked his son.

Yujun nodded vigorously, already dragging him by his sleeve.

“Hello,” Seungcheol greeted, trying his best not to seem awkward.

“Yujun!” Seoyu lit up.

The mother looked down at the kids, “Oh, hi.” She smiled politely.

Seungcheol’s ears turned pink as he stammered, “Um, I’m Yujun’s dad. Choi Seungcheol. This is Yujun. He talks about your daughter a lot.”

“Kim Seohan.” She held her hand out. Seungcheol shook it with slightly trembling hands.

“She talks about him a lot, too.”

Seungcheol cracked a small smile, “I am really glad he has her. He used to struggle with making friends a lot before. Had me worried.”

Seohan tilted her head, and her eyes softened, “Aw, that’s so sweet.”

They both glanced down at the kids who were busy with their own chatter.

“Would he like to play with her outside school?" Seohan asked.

Yujun’s ears perked. “Yes!”

Seungcheol chuckled, “Well, that answers it.”

Seohan pulled out her phone from her purse and held it out to him. “Give me your number, and we can set up a playdate.”

Seungcheol took it and entered his number. “Which days work for you?”

“Weekends work. Sometimes I work half-time on Wednesdays, if that works for you.”

Seungcheol handed her phone back, “Weekends work, yes.”

“Okay, I’ll drop you a text.” She smiled, and again—Seungcheol couldn’t place the familiarity.

“Seoyu, let’s go,” She called out.

The kids exchanged goodbyes.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Later that night, after he had put Yujun to bed, Seungcheol lounged on the couch. Mingyu and Wonwoo had come over and conveniently handed him a bottle of beer.

“You know I have work tomorrow.” He complained but took a sip nonetheless.

Mingyu booed, “You’re no fun anymore! We’re watching you turn into an old man.”

Seungcheol weakly threw a pillow at him. “Leave me alone, I am exhausted.”

“I am not, I could go clubbing!” Mingyu jumped in his seat.

“That’s because you’re built like a golden retriever.” Wonwoo chimed in.

“Chicks dig the golden retrievers. Nonchalant men are old news.” Mingyu defended.

“Oh, that reminds me—” He grinned ear to ear, “Remember the girl I was talking to?”

“Which one? There were like fifty.” Wonwoo remarked.

“The one with the pink hair, the DJ!”

Seungcheol raised his eyebrows. “What about her?”

“Last week, she gave me VIP entry to the club she works at. We totally hooked up.”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes. He would do anything to punch that smug look off his face.

“You’re such an ass.”

Mingyu straightened up, “What? How?”

Wonwoo hesitated, “You know… You keep hooking up with a new girl every week or something—”

Mingyu cut him off, “Hey, I also hook up with guys. I don't discriminate.”

Wonwoo shot him a sharp look, “God, do you hear yourself? You’re turning into a sex chasing asshole.”

Seungcheol’s eyes widened at the sudden shift in the air.

Mingyu frowned, alarmed by Wonwoo’s tone, “It's mutual. And consensual. What’s so asshole-y about that?”

“Perhaps you should just date someone,” Wonwoo stated simply.

Mingyu’s shoulders slumped, “Well, there’s no one I like…”

“Right…” Wonwoo muttered, completely irritated.

“Okay, time to change the topic…” Seungcheol jumped in.

Mingyu and Wonwoo both leaned back onto the couch, trying to relax.

“So,” Seungcheol cleared his throat, “Yujun has a playdate.”

Mingyu perked up instantly, “Really? With who? That Seoyu girl he talks about?”

Seungcheol nodded, “Yeah, we saw her with her mom. We exchanged numbers to set a day for the playdate.”

Mingyu froze, “You exchanged numbers with a mom?”

“Yes...?”

Mingyu stood up, pacing a little. He opened his mouth before closing it again.

“Here we go again,” Wonwoo rolled his eyes.

Mingyu leaned in closer to Seungcheol, “Is she hot?”

“I—WHAT???” Seungcheol’s eyes widened. “Mingyu, what the fuck kinda question is that?”

“A simple one?” Mingyu tilted his head in faux-innocence.

Seungcheol got off the couch, laughing awkwardly. “No! It's an inappropriate question!”

“Couldn’t expect better from him,” Wonwoo taunted behind his bottle.

“Hyung, come on! You have her number–”

“Yeah! For the kids!”

“You haven’t dated in forever; this could be something good for you.”

“I am not dating another parent!” Seungcheol said, completely exasperated.

“And I don’t even know if she’s single! She could be married—happily! With a husband who grills!”

Mingyu burst out laughing, “Well, that is a specific concern.”

Seungcheol whipped his head towards Wonwoo, “Do something! Say something!”

“Boy, do I look like your mommy?”

Seungcheol groaned. He forgot how sassy Wonwoo got when drunk.

“You know what—” Seungcheol set the bottle on the coffee table, “I am going to bed.”

And then he bolted down the hallway to his room.

“Dumbass,” Wonwoo muttered.

“Who?”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, “Both of you.”

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Seungcheol had buried himself under the sheet. His face was warm, from what he tells himself is the alcohol. However, he won’t deny that he's embarrassed—not because Mingyu proposed that preposterous idea—but because of how he reacted. He hated it, how easily flustered and awkward he got. This was not like him at all, at least not since the divorce.

Chapter Text

Saturday, 8:15 a.m

Since the moment Seungcheol opened his eyes the next morning, he knew the day was going to be unbearable. Solely because of one person—Kim Mingyu.

His phone buzzed on the side table; he didn’t even need to check to know who it was.

Mingyu:
GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE ☀️
reminder that you are THIRTY THREE (33) years old

Seungcheol groaned; it was too early for Mingyu’s antics.

Mingyu:
today is NOT just a play date
ITS AN OPPORTUNITY

Seungcheol:
why are you talking like a fraud salesman

Mingyu:
IM SERIOUS
TALK TO THE HOT MOM

Seungcheol:
STOP CALLING HER ‘THE HOT MOM’
her name is seohan

Mingyu:
awww how cute
seungcheol and seohan 🥺

Seungcheol:
mingyu.
im not flirting at a play date

Mingyu:
I DIDNT SAY FLIRT
JUST TALK
(ok flirt a little)

Seungcheol:
no.

Mingyu:
FOR YOUR OWN SAKE
if you dont
you’ll die alone
And get eaten by your 12 cats

Seungcheol:
i dont even like cats

Mingyu:
YOU WILL
ONCE YOU GIVE UP ON HUMANITY

Seungcheol locked his phone and tossed it on the bed with a groan. He lay in bed for a while, Mingyu’s words lingering in his head more than he’d like.

Just then, he heard tiny feet padding towards his room. Yujun entered like a sunshine hurricane and jumped onto him.

“Oof—” Seungcheol groaned as Yujun landed on his stomach and adjusted him so he’s not suffocating him.

“PAPA! WAKE UP! PLAY DATE!” He hollered.

Seungcheol couldn’t help but chuckle at how excited he looked. “Yes, I remember. Let’s get you ready then, yeah?” He said and got off the bed, shifting Yujun on his hip.

“I wear the teddy shirt! No, froggy t-shirt! NO—” Yujun babbled on about shirt preferences until he named every single shirt he owned.

Finally, Yujun settled on his shirt with a cute puppy because “Seoyu likes puppies.”

Once Yujun was dressed, Seungcheol quickly showered while Yujun laid out his toys on the living room floor.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Seungcheol asked as he walked out fully dressed, with a towel around his neck.

“Wait for Seoyu to get here.”

Seungcheol shook his head, unable to fight the smile tugging at his mouth. “Buddy, she doesn’t get here until noon.”

“Oh…” He frowned.

Seungcheol approached him and crouched beside him. “Hey, how about hanging out with Papa until she gets here?” He proposed.

“I’ll make waffles, and we can watch T.V together. You like Bluey, right?”

Yujun’s eyes lit up instantly, “I love Bluey! And waffles!”

Keeping Yujun entertained until noon was probably one of the toughest tasks Seungcheol had done so far. Every ten minutes, Yujun would ask, “Is it time?” with those big shiny eyes.

“I haven’t seen him smile like before.” He recalled Jeonghan’s words from a few days ago. Jeonghan also told him how Yujun would light up and laugh out loud and run around the playground with Seoyu and Jaehyun. Seungcheol wanted to see it too.

So finally, when the bell rang around noon, Yujun jumped up and bolted towards the door.

“Papa! Open!”

Seungcheol rushed towards the door, now a little nervous. He opened the door and greeted them.

“Hello, please come in.” He said and moved aside to let them in.

Before they could exchange another word, Seoyu scurried inside and hugged Yujun.

“Yujun-ah!” she squealed as they jumped around in excitement.

Seungcheol’s heart melted at the sight.

“She’s been so excited, didn’t even let me sleep last night,” Seohan said as she entered and closed the door behind her.

Seungcheol let out a small chuckle, “Yujun jumped on me at eight in the morning.”

“Rough start, huh?” She teased.

“Seoyu! Look, I have blocks! And puzzles!” Yujun pointed at all his toys spread out on the floor.

“I wanna meet Mr. Moon,” Seoyu said with eager eyes.

Yujun gasped, “Yes!”

He turned to Seungcheol, “Papa! We going in my room! Show her Mr. Moon!” Yujun was already dragging Seoyu down the hall.
Seohan took a seat on the couch. “It's gonna be an exhausting day for you, Seungcheol-ah.”

Seungcheol froze at the casualness of the name, “Oh— yeah, it is,” he managed to croak out. He excused himself to the kitchen and poured some chilled juice, along with a bowl of snacks. He put it in a tray and carried it outside.

“Here, it's hot today, no?” he offered her a glass.

“Ah, you didn’t have to bother. I won't stay long.” She said, but took the glass nonetheless.

Seungcheol grabbed the other glass and sat beside her, maintaining an appropriate distance. “Can’t let a guest leave without something, what kind of host would I be?”

Seohan nodded with a soft smile as they fell into a comfortable silence.

“So uhh—” Seungcheol spoke first, “How’s Seoyu liking school?”

“Oh, she loves it. Always comes home with a story about Yujun-ie.”

“Yeah, same with him. He talks about her nonstop.”

Another pause, Seungcheol’s mind ringing with Mingyu’s words again. He hesitates before asking casually. Very casually.

“Does she—um—have siblings?”

“Nope, just her. Trust me, one Seoyu is enough chaos for me,” Seohan laughed.

“I believe you.” Seungcheol smiled, “She’s a real ray of sunshine,” he added before his previous comment sounded a little rude.

“And your husband—does he help with pick-ups?” There it was.

Seohan doesn’t even blink, “Oh yeah, he’s great.”

Seungcheol’s stomach drops— just a tad bit.

“He does the cooking most of the time. Seoyu loves Sunday barbeques.” She continued oblivious.

Seungcheol felt his soul leave his body. “Barbeque…” He whispered weakly.

“Oh yeah, a full grill set up—he has customized tongs.” She laughed fondly.

“That sounds… nice,” He managed to speak.

Seohan hummed, “What about your wife?”

“Oh, we are— no, I don’t have a wife—” He stammered, “I mean I had one—”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. May she rest in peace.” Seohan said as guilt flickered in her eyes.

Seungcheol’s eyes widened as he waved his hands frantically, “She’s not dead! We’re divorced.”

Seohan stared at him blankly before bursting out laughing, “Oh my god, I thought—”

“No, I get it, I phrased it wrong,” He blurted, laughing nervously. “She uh—she lives in Busan.”

Before any more awkwardness continued, the kids came running and laughing.

“Mama! I met Mr. Moon!” Seoyu exclaimed.

“Finally, huh?”

They sat down on the floor, now rummaging through the toys.

“Wah~! Your crayons are so big!” Seoyu said as she pulled out the big box.

“They are jumbo. Careful, please.” Yujun took them from her hands.

Seohan put down the now-empty glass on the coffee table, “I should head out, then.” She said and got up. Seungcheol followed suit.

“You sure you’ll be fine?” She asked him as she grabbed her purse.

“Yeah, I got it. Don’t worry.”

“Seoyu, I’m leaving.”

The little girl replied without looking up, “Okay!”

“Be good.”

This time, Seoyu turned back with a scowl, “I am always good!”

Seohan laughed, “Right…”

Seungcheol walked her to the door and bid her goodbye.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Seungcheol returned from the kitchen with a tray full of snacks. Apple slices, strawberries cut up, crackers, and chocolate milk.

“Snack time!” He announced as he set the tray down. The kids perked up and padded over to the coffee table.

Seoyu gasped, “How did you know I like choco milk?”

“Magic,” he shrugged.

They sat on the floor—tiny legs tucked in, the building blocks temporarily abandoned for a greater priority. Chocolate milk.

“I like strawberries,” Yujun said as he took a bite.

“I like choco milk,”

Yujun nodded like it's serious business, “Me too.”

Seungcheol had been observing and supervising them the whole time. Usually, Yujun would have stayed close to him around other children—but not today. He listened to how Yujun’s voice filled the room, and how his smile basically lightened the whole atmosphere. Something gentle tugged at Seungcheol’s heart.

For the past two hours, Seungcheol had been in this sweet little bubble of soft giggles. And then—his phone buzzed.

Mingyu:
UPDATE WITH THE HOT MOM?????

Seungcheol sighed before replying.

Seungcheol:
shes married

Mingyu:
nooooo 😭😭

Seungcheol:
happily.

Mingyu:
at least you tried 😞

Seungcheol:
thats not even the worst part
he grills
sunday bbqs

Mingyu:
STOOPPPPP
THE GRILLER HUSBAND PROPHECY AJKDKJWKJ

Seungcheol:
fuck you

Mingyu:
are you sure hes real

Seungcheol:
yes
he owns customized tongs

Mingyu:
IM CRYINNGGG 😭😭
YOU FINALLY TALK TO A WOMAN AND SHE HAS A GRILLER HUSBAND

Seungcheol:
SHUT UP

Mingyu:
I CANT ITS TOO FUNNY 😭😭

Seungcheol groaned in annoyance and tossed his phone aside.

“He jinxed it,” He muttered to himself.

Chapter Text

Jeonghan had gotten better at recognizing the parents and their routines. How Mrs. Kim always arrives ten minutes early, how Jaehyun’s grandmother always brings fruit in the same red Tupperware, and how Mr. Choi always arrives out of breath, likely late for work. The morning had gone the same way today as well—Grandma handed him peeled tangerines in the red Tupperware.

Jeonghan’s eyes glanced at the gate of the kindergarten multiple times before he saw Yujun, but it wasn’t with Mr. Choi today. It was a younger guy, hardly around twenty. The two held hands while bickering about something. Jeonghan blinked in amusement—this was probably the most attitude he’d seen in Yujun.

“Just go~!” the boy said as he lightly pushed Yujun towards Jeonghan. Yujun retorted by smacking his arm.

“Teacher!” He brightened up at his sight.

“Hello Yujun.” Jeonghan smiled at him. “And uh—who is this?” Jeonghan glanced at the boy.

“Hello,” Chan bowed, “Lee Chan. I am his babysitter. Seungcheol Hyung had an early meeting, so he asked me to do the drop-off.”

“Ah–I see,” Jeonghan mumbled.

Yujun tugged at the sleeve of Jeonghan’s cardigan, “Channie hyung sings bad.”

“Hey! Stop telling people that!” Chan yelled, pink-faced.

Yujun stuck out his tongue at him in mockery. Chan shook his head and ruffled Yujun’s hair, deliberately messing it up.

“I’ll take my leave then, I’m late for class,” Chan bowed to Jeonghan and took off.

Yujun bolted inside the class and joined Seoyu and Jaehyun. Jeonghan stood there for a second, dumbfounded. He shook his head with a sigh and returned inside.

He did everything the same way he does every day. Circle time, lessons, worksheets, and story time. During lunch, he noticed Yujun again. Sharing his tiffin with Seoyu and Jaehyun—talking and laughing.

“He has his father’s smile,” Jeonghan muttered to himself, mindlessly pushing around his food with the chopsticks. Of course, Mr. Choi hadn’t smiled at him like that; he only ever got nervous chuckles. But he remembered seeing it once—the first day of pick up.

Yujun had come running out, and suddenly Mr. Choi’s expression softened into a broad smile—a gummy smile.

Jeonghan straightened in his chair in horror. Why the hell did he remember that?

By the time pick-up rolled around, Jeonghan felt weirdly nervous. He stood on the playground surrounded by the kids waiting for their parents.

“Yujun-ah!” he heard the familiar voice and stiffened.

Mr. Choi.

Seungcheol jogged over to Yujun and took his backpack in his hands. “Did you have fun?” He asked with a smile.

Jeonghan looked away at the speed of light. He had no business watching that.

“Yes! Teacher Jeonghan taught paper crafts!” Yujun replied.

Seungcheol turned to Jeonghan, “Thank you for today, Teacher,” he said politely and bowed.

Jeonghan bowed back, feeling hot all of a sudden.

“Bye, Teacher Jeonghan! I come back tomorrow!” Yujun waved.

“Bye, Yujun-ah,”

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

2:31 p.m

The staff room was quiet; other teachers had gone home except for Jeonghan and Myeongho, who were making a course plan.

Jeonghan sat in his chair, face smushed into the table. He had dramatically sighed about five times already.

He groaned loudly, “Myeongho,”

“What?” he replied without looking up from his laptop, the screen reflecting in the frames of his glasses.

Jeonghan sat up straighter, eyebrows knit together, “What does it mean if you notice someone’s smile?”

“That you have eyes.”

Jeonghan clicked his tongue, “No, like—if you remember it?”

“That you have a memory.”

“Myeongho~!” Jeonghan whined from his seat, “I am serious!”

Finally, the other man looked up and sighed, “Is this about the dad?”

“What dad?!” Jeonghan jumped in his chair.

“Yujun’s dad. Mr. Choi,” he said and pulled off his glasses.

Jeonghan looked away, “Of course not!”

Myeongho snorted, “Yeah, right. Like I haven’t seen you stare at his forearms like a salivating cat.”

“EXCUSE ME?” Jeonghan shot up from his seat, the chair screeching loudly against the floor.

“That is a gross misinterpretation of my integrity as a teacher!”

Myeongho smirked, “Interesting. Not denying the forearms, are we?”

Jeonghan barked out a laugh—entirely too loud and defensive. “This is an insane accusation.”

“And you’re guilty.”

Jeonghan slammed his laptop shut and shoved it in his bag, “You know what—I don’t have to take these crazy, delusional, absolutely absurd allegations,” he said as he slung his bag on his shoulder.

“Geez, you are so defensive—”

“I AM NOT!” He screamed before he stormed off.

He found himself wandering the streets angrily at three in the afternoon, still muttering about the dumb accusations from his dumb co-worker.

He stopped at one store—an ice cream parlour. The interior was cute and pastel, painted in pink and green. That already calmed him down a little bit. There’s nothing a scoop of sweet ice cream can’t fix.

The person up front greeted him, a girl around sixteen. Jeonghan didn’t need to take a look at the options. He knew what he would get. The same as usual.

“May I have a scoop of mint choc—” he stopped mid-sentence.

Yujun’s words echoed in his mind. “My papa says that is the worst flavour.”

Jeonghan scowled at the memory.

“...Sir?” the employee stood there, awkwardly waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“You know what—” Jeonghan said, staring right into her soul. “Make it a double scoop.”

Her eyes flickered around the room as she grew nervous under Jeonghan’s gaze. She served two scoops of mint choco in a cup with a spoon and handed it over. Jeonghan paid at the counter and left with a feeling of accomplishment.

“What a weird dude…” She muttered under her breath.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

That night, Jeonghan lay in bed, trying not to think about Mr. Choi. Which turned into thinking about him instead, and then into a whole spiral.

“Did I really check him out…?” he muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling. And within ten seconds, he flipped on his stomach, kicking his feet in frustration.

“This is dumb. And inappropriate. That man is a dad!” Jeonghan ran a hand through his hair in pure misery.

“Although…” he thought cautiously. “It’s not a universal lie that he is objectively kinda– no, absolutely not. Not going there,” he grumbled in protest, even though he could feel his ears turning hot.

He grabbed his phone in haste and texted the one person who could distract him from this situation.

Jeonghan:
come over

Joshua:
its late
i have work tmr

Jeonghan:
i’ll let you do the thing with the candle

Joshua:
coming.

Chapter Text

The doorbell rang within five minutes. Jeonghan opened the door with a smug smile.

“You’re here.”

Joshua held up a candle with pretty packaging, wrapped with maroon lace, “That’s an offer hard to miss.”

Jeonghan’s eyes flickered from Joshua’s eyes to the candle, and then to his mouth for just a split second. He grabbed him by his sleeve and pulled him in, closing the door behind. He stepped closer, Joshua’s eyes flickered with something dark, yet warm.

Joshua’s hand slid down Jeonghan’s back and settled at his waist, pulling him closer so their faces were centimetres apart.

“You’ve teased me with this for far too long,” He murmured.

Jeonghan didn’t say anything; instead, he closed the gap by connecting their lips. Joshua sighed into the kiss, his grip tightening on his waist.

They stumbled back into the bedroom, without breaking the kiss, knocking down some furniture on their way.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

The next morning, Joshua woke up first—Jeonghan still asleep on his chest. He glanced down, unable to help a smug smile from forming on his lips. He slowly slipped his arm from under Jeonghan’s weight and got up.

Jeonghan stirred, slowly opening an eye, the sunlight from the window shining at him.

“Leaving?” he asked.

Joshua hummed as he buttoned his shirt,

“It’s a Sunday,” Jeonghan groaned.

Joshua huffed out a laugh, “I work at the Church.”

Jeonghan watched him for a moment, “You look… satisfied.”

Joshua bit his lip, trying to suppress a smile, “Yeah, well… I got to paint you with wax last night.”

Jeonghan exhaled through his nose and shifted under the blanket, body still bare and warm.

“I am surprised you didn’t burn me.”

“Of course not, your comfort is my priority.” Joshua leaned down and kissed the top of his head. Jeonghan hummed in contentment.

“Alright, I’ll head out. Don’t forget breakfast.”

Jeonghan lazed around in bed for a long time. He spends his week chasing after scampering children, standing for hours, and apparently having his spine rearranged. He deserved this Sunday to do absolutely nothing.

At some point, he had grabbed a bag of chips to munch on while scrolling on his phone. He was in the middle of watching a video on YouTube when the group chat came to life.

Jiyu:
yall im dying

Soonyoung:
LOOK WHOS BACK FROM THE DEAD

Jeonghan opened the chat immediately.

Jeonghan:
YOURE BACKKK

Jiyu:
i’ve been on night duty for weeks
this is killing me

Jihoon:
have you been eating?

Jiyu:
BARELY
THE HOSPITAL CAFETERIA FOOD IS SADDER THAN MY LOVE LIFE

Soonyoung:
ooooh thats big competition

Jiyu:
FUCK YOU
BEING A RESIDENT IS HARD

Jeonghan:
our little overachiever 🥺🥺

Jiyu:
youd be in the same place
if you hadnt been a soft little babysitter

Jeonghan:
those little kids are devils sometimes

Jiyu:
you don’t have to tell me
i work with kids all the time

Jihoon:
are you working tonight too?

Jiyu:
hell naw
i begged for a night off

Soonyoung:
LETS DO SMTH FUNNNN

Jiyu:
take me
anywhere without a beeping machine.

And that’s how Jeonghan ended up hanging out with his friends that night.

The bar was loud with people’s chatter, some screaming at the T.V that played a football match, some singing loudly. The neon signs cut through the darkness, preserving the ambience of the night.

The four of them clinked their beer mugs together with a loud, satisfying chime.

“I want zero work talk tonight. At least from my end. Don’t ask me anything.” Jiyu said before taking a big gulp.

“Okay, no work talk.” Jihoon agreed.

“I want gossip.” She demanded.

“Well,” Jihoon started before getting cut off by his boyfriend.

“We got a dog! Her name is Latte!” Soonyoung had already pulled out his phone to show her some pictures.

“Okay…” She put her mug down in mild disappointment. “Yeah, cute. But I meant gossip. Something spicy.”

“That’s Jeonghan’s department,” Soonyoung said, offended by her indifference towards his daughter.

Jeonghan tutted but couldn’t hide the grin from spreading on his face, “Well…”

Jiyu perked up, sitting up straight and turning to him, “What did you do?”

“You know… got laid, or whatever,” He feigned nonchalance.

“The church boy?” She asked.

Jeonghan hummed, “He came over last night. Things got messy.”

“Man,” she made a disgruntled sound, “Your debauchery has defiled a man of God.”

The whole table burst out laughing.

“Hey, he’s not as innocent as he looks,” Jeonghan defended.

“I believe you,” Jihoon hummed.

The rest of the night, they talked about everything and nothing. Recalling school memories from Jeonghan and Jiyu’s dumb academic rivalry, to Soonyoung’s questionable fashion sense, and Jihoon’s rare wild moments.

“I missed this,” Jiyu said with a sleepy smile.

Soonyoung cooed, “And we miss you too.”

“I’m sorry I don’t hang out with you guys as much.” Her voice got softer.

Jihoon waved his hand reassuringly, “Nah, don’t apologize.”

“Yeah,” Jeonghan added in a quieter tone. “Just don’t disappear on us.”

Jiyu nodded, her eyes filling up from sheer exhaustion and emotions, “Okay.”

Soonyoung got up from his seat and walked around the table, embracing her in a side hug. “Okay now, don’t get sappy on us,” He said without a hint of dismissal in his tone.

“Shut up,” Jiyu retorted weakly and leaned into his hold.

The dynamic shifted back to their usual banter after the heavy emotions melted away. They finished their drinks slowly as fatigue took over.

When they stepped outside, the late-night breeze was cool against their faces, now warm from all the alcohol. Jeonghan walked Jiyu to a taxi nearby.

“Text me when you get home,” he said as she closed the door.

“You too,” she said and waved from the window as the cab took off.

Jeonghan adjusted his coat as he walked back to the others. Soonyoung had slung an arm around Jihoon’s shoulder, leaning against him for support—muttering something about getting Latte a new collar.

“You guys heading home?”

Jihoon wrapped an arm around Soonyoung’s waist to keep him steady, “Yeah. Or else this one here’s gonna collapse anytime soon.” He said as Soonyoung’s eyes began to droop.

“Alright, get home safe.” He waved them off.

Jeonghan stood under the street lamp in the chilly night. He sighed in what was a combination of contentment and exhaustion. As he walked home, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander—wander to Mr. Choi, now that he was alone.

He laughed to himself at the memory of Seungcheol fumbling and rambling from awkwardness. He absentmindedly kicked a rock, watching it roll to the side.

“I’m fucked.”

Chapter Text

3:04 p.m

The staff room was empty as usual—even more so because Myeongho had left earlier. Why had Jeonghan stayed back? The simplest answer being—he was losing his mind.

It all started that morning when Mr. Choi had dropped Yujun off—and also dropped his wallet, and then his glasses slid off when he bent down to pick up the former. Jeonghan had audibly laughed and regretted it immediately; the poor man’s face had visibly turned red. And then nothing—Mr. Choi kissed Yujun’s head, bowed hastily and dashed off.

Jeonghan told himself Mr. Choi was too embarrassed since he didn’t return for pick-up. It was the babysitter who came. Jeonghan denied any sort of disappointment until he couldn’t. The truth was starting to tug at his heart. He stared at the group chat for way too long before finally sending a message. That’s it—he needed to vent, confess to his sins.

Jeonghan:
yall
i think im in trouble

The chat lit up instantly.

Jiyu:
tax fraud

Soonyoung:
pregnant

Jihoon:
fired?

Jeonghan:
NO
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE

Jiyu:
speak up lil bro
i have a shift in 3 hours

Jeonghan:
i think
im into someone

Soonyoung:
yea the neighbour

Jihoon:
kinda obvious

Jiyu:
old news

Jeonghan:
NO
NOT SHUA
THIS IS WORSE

Jiyu:
SPILL

Jeonghan:
…
its a dad
my student’s dad

Jihoon:
excuse me?

Soonyoung:
BRO
IS THAT EVEN LEGAL????

Jeonghan:
WHY WOULDN'T IT BE FUCKING LEGAL
IT’S JUST A CRUSH
IT'LL GO AWAY

Jiyu:
Oh buddy…

Jeonghan:
YOU DONT UNDERSTAND

Soonyoung:
is he hot?

Jeonghan:
unbearably

Soonyoung:
then we understand

Jeonghan:
HES ALSO SO???
AWKWARD

Jiyu:
…awkward

Jeonghan:
IN AN ENDEARING WAY
HE BENT DOWN TO PICK UP HIS WALLET
AND HIS GLASSES FELL OFF 😭😭

Soonyoung:
ok nvm i dont understand

Jihoon:
that man is a dad
have you considered a WIFE????

Jeonghan:
…

Jiyu:
HE DIDN’T

Jeonghan:
I DID
HOWEVER ☝️
I DONT THINK SHES IN THE PICTURE
SHES NEVER BEEN AT PICK UP OR DROP OFF

Soonyoung:
oh buddy…

Jeonghan:
STOP PATRONIZING ME

Jiyu:
you’re in love with a widower?

Jeonghan:
LOVE IS NOT ON THE TABLE
I JUST THINK HE'S HOT
AND HAS NICE FOREARMS AND SHOULDERS
AND MAYBE LET'S NOT JUMP TO DEATH

Jihoon:
ok ok calm down he has a nice body
but.
you cannot act on this

Jeonghan:
ik
im not insane
i can appreciate beauty

Jiyu:
right…

Soonyoung:
whats his name

Jeonghan:
that i cant say
but i did assign a codename

Jiyu:
its like 9th grade all over again
whats the codename

Jeonghan:
mint choco

Jihoon:
cuz you like it?

Jeonghan:
no
because he hates it

Soonyoung:
😀😀😀
awesome

Jeonghan:
im screwed arent i

Jihoon:
big time

Jiyu:
very

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Seungcheol’s apartment was—to say the least—chaos. He had a half day and thought it’d be nice to relax for one afternoon. Put on comfortable pyjamas, grab some junk food he had stashed away from Yujun, and watch an Adam Sandler movie with his feet up on the coffee table, wrapped up in a big, fluffy blanket.

Those plans were shattered when Yujun demanded a play date. And of course, he instantly fell victim to his son’s big, sparkly puppy eyes. So now he was the complete opposite of relaxed—supervising two toddlers and serving them chocolate milk like royalty.

Not only was he tired from the babysitting, but he couldn’t stop replaying the morning over and over again. Yes, he had embarrassed himself in public multiple times. Yes, he had indeed been extremely awkward in front of his son’s teacher plenty already, but nothing topped the humiliation of this morning.

He recalled how he had not only dropped his wallet—which was embarrassing in itself—but also his glasses slid off his nose? Catastrophic levels of disgrace. Hell, he was so mortified he couldn’t handle facing the teacher again during pick-up. He had to send Chan.

He slumped down on the couch—head throbbing, patience hanging by a thread—half listening to Yujun and Seoyu’s storyline as husband and wife.

“Choi Yujun, I asked you to feed our daughter while I was at work,” Seoyu said with a frown, holding her stuffed bunny—the ‘daughter.’

Yujun stomped his feet, “I was busy!”

“Busy with what?” Seoyu raised her voice, “I come home tired, and my baby is hungry!”

“I was growing corn! The farm is sad!”

Seungcheol watched with bewilderment, “What the fuck is even going on…?” he muttered under his breath.

“Papa!” Yujun turned to him—eyes sharp, eyebrows furrowed.

Seungcheol straightened up, “Yes?”

“You should worry about your granddaughter!”

Seungcheol was this close to losing his shit. He loves his son—he really does. But at this moment, he was more in love with Adam Sandler.

“I am sorry,” he mumbled.

Yujun walked over and patted his knee, “It's okay, Papa. She’s not real.”

“She was real when you talked to her about the orange tree!” Seoyu interjected.

“Jaehyun-ie wouldn’t scream at me about our daughter,” Yujun shrieked.

Great, so this was a three-way co-parenting arrangement.

The kids continued their fake parents' fight over a stuffed bunny when the doorbell rang. Seungcheol thanked the universe as he got up too fast.

“Seoyu, I think your mom is here,” Seungcheol called out.

“But I don’t wanna go~!” she whined.

“Its okay, honey. We play tomorrow at school,” Yujun comforted her, still playing his role as the husband.

Seungcheol knew it was a low blow to judge two four-year-olds, but he still shot them a side-eye, much to their unawareness.

He quickly covered up his pout with a polite smile before opening the door.

“Hello, I am here to pick up Seoyu,” said a familiar voice.

Seungcheol froze.

Standing at the door, looking just as shocked as he was, was Yoon Jeonghan.

Chapter Text

It was already 6 p.m when Jeonghan decided to head back home. He couldn’t stay any longer at the kindergarten, so he went for a walk around the neighbourhood. Was he stalling? Definitely. His apartment is always quiet, empty—it leaves too much space for thinking.

He passed his time at a convenience store where he bought ramen and other snacks he didn’t need. Now, sitting by the window, he sipped on banana milk as the empty ramen cup went cold. He opened the group chat again, skimming through the conversation from earlier that afternoon. A familiar warmth spread across his cheeks as he recalled Mr. Choi’s clumsy antics.

He could feel his heart pounding against his ribs, “God, this is so wrong,” He muttered under his breath.

He lazily threw his phone on the table just as it buzzed.

Noona:
*address attached*
can you pls pick up seoyu
i think im sick

Jeonghan:
why can’t you ask your husband

Noona:
i saw your location
you’re in the neighbourhood.

He opened the address; indeed, it wasn’t too far—he could walk there in ten minutes.

Jeonghan:
ugh fiiinnneeee

Noona:
stay for dinner when you come

He switched off his phone and cleaned up the mess before heading out. He opened the map on his phone and followed the route. The brisk evening air cooled his face but did nothing to clear his head. He actively tried to get rid of Mr. Choi’s flustered expressions from his mind.

He turned the corner into a residential block. He didn’t know who lived here, and frankly, he didn’t care. Judging from the appearance of the apartment complex, he could only assume a rich, too-organized, vegan couple lived here. They probably grew their own herbs, too.

Jeonghan sighed as he got in the elevator and pushed the button—floor 13. He couldn’t wait to pick up Seoyu and have dinner, wondering what Hajoon must have cooked tonight.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t really talked to his sister in a while, not properly at least. Usually, he always knows who Seoyu’s been hanging out with.

As the doors of the elevator slid open, Jeonghan got out and walked down the hallway to the last door. He rang the doorbell and waited.

“Hello, I’m here to pick up Seoyu,” He said before even glancing at the person.

He froze when he realized where he was.

“What—Teacher Jeonghan?” Mr. Choi said with his mouth agape.

Jeonghan’s mind short-circuited. Standing before him was the same man he had been gushing about to his friends just a few hours ago. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“Uncle!” Seoyu came running and hugged his legs.

Mr. Choi’s eyes flickered between Seoyu and Jeonghan, “Uncle?”

Just then, Yujun also came running. He gasped when he saw Jeonghan, and his eyes lit up.

“Teacher! You’re here?” he asked, just as confused, but happier.

“He’s my uncle,” Seoyu said proudly.

Yujun scurried over closer to Jeonghan, “Play with us!” he said and grabbed his hand.

Seungcheol stood there—utterly dumbfounded, and unable to mutter out a word—while his son dragged Jeonghan inside.

“Oh, I don’t know Yujun. Seoyu’s mom asked her to be home soon.” He said apologetically, becoming hyper-aware of Seungcheol’s presence.

“Uncle, please!” She looked up at him with pleading eyes, “Ten minutes!”

Jeonghan glanced back at Seungcheol helplessly.

“Oh—uh, you can—you can stay… for a while,” He stammered and turned around to close the door, but really, he turned around to hide his face.

Jeonghan sat down on the floor cross-legged as the toddlers surrounded him immediately. Yujun held up a drawing he’d been working on, and Seoyu shoved the bunny in his arms.

“That’s our daughter,” Seoyu said, “But her Dad forgot to feed her.” She narrowed her eyes at Yujun.

“Oh my god! Don’t bring it up again!” Yujun said in an exaggerated tone.

Jeonghan’s eyes scanned the apartment for Seungcheol, only to actually notice the mess. Plastic farm animals spread across the rug along with a toy corn. A solitary tiny sock in the corner of the couch, and half-eaten fruit bowls on the coffee table. He caught a shadow in the kitchen, moving around frantically.

Seungcheol paced around the kitchen, trying to choose what to serve the teacher. His thoughts stormed his head like a hurricane. His face was heating up enough to fog his glasses. The same glasses he dropped.

“Do I offer him water? Tea—wait, I ran out of tea. Coffee? It's 6 p.m for Christ's sake. If I give him coffee, he won’t sleep tonight.”

He opened the fridge door and stared into the cold, yellow light, “Why don’t I have any adult beverages. Wait, there’s beer. DO NOT OFFER HIM BEER.”

He grabbed a juice box, grape-flavoured. “Okay, just offer him the drink. He’s just your son’s teacher. There’s literally no reason to be so anxious.”

He walked out to the living room to see Jeonghan cradling the bunny on his lap while Seoyu pretended to work in a notebook, and Yujun pretended to harvest corn. Great, that’s still going on.

He cleared his throat and held out the juice box, “Would you like some juice?”

Jeonghan looked up at him, and then at the juice box, and then back at him. “Uh…” he hesitated.

“Sorry, that’s all I have right now,” Seungcheol cut him off, laughing nervously.

Jeonghan managed to give him a polite smile, “No, that’s okay. I love juice.”

“Teacher, I love juice too!” Yujun chimed in, followed by Seoyu, “Yeah, same!”

Seungcheol muttered weakly, wanting to be a part of it, “I like juice.”

Jeonghan bit the inside of his cheek to not laugh. The poor man was anxious even in his own home. He stood up, still holding the bunny.

“Mr. Choi, you don’t have to be nervous,” he spoke softly.

“I am not nervous,” Seungcheol shook his head and laughed very awkwardly.

“Right…” Jeonghan brushed it off as he poked the straw in the juice box.

Seungcheol gestured towards the couch for him to take a seat. Jeonghan observed before quietly sitting down on the left end of the couch. Seungcheol settled down on the other end.

“So uh—you’re Seoyu’s uncle?”

Jeonghan nodded, “Yep. Small word, huh?”

“Wait—” Seungcheol sat up, “So that’s why Seoyu gave Yujun a bracelet like yours. Seohan gave it to you.”

Jeonghan huffed out a laugh, “Good job, Sherlock. Noona likes to make small jewellery in her free time.”

Seungcheol turned his head at the slightest to take a closer look at him. This was Teacher Jeonghan, sitting on his couch in his house, up close like never before.

He looked down at his lap, “So that’s why Seohan looked familiar.”

Jeonghan hummed, “Yes, we looked basically like twins when we were younger.”

Once again, silence crept up between them. Seungcheol was visibly nervous, no doubt. But Jeonghan’s hands trembled slightly, too.

“About this morning…” Jeonghan started.

Seungcheol froze like a deer in the headlights.

Jeonghan continued, cluelessly, “I am sorry I laughed. That was rude of me.”

Seungcheol shook his head, “No, don’t worry. I suppose it did look funny from a third-person perspective…”

Silence again. It didn’t stay long as Jeonghan burst out laughing again. He covered his mouth with his hand, as if that made it any less worse. Seungcheol closed his eyes in pure mortification.

“Mr. Choi, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh again–” he tried to apologize, yet couldn’t stop laughing.

Eventually, Seungcheol cracked a small smile. “How long will you laugh for, Teacher Jeonghan?”

Jeonghan straightened up, trying to compose himself, “I am done,” He said, yet a grin crept up his lips.

“It’s fine,” Seungcheol hummed, looking down at the floor.

Jeonghan glanced at the wall clock—this man owned a wall clock. He set the now-empty juice box on the coffee table. “We should…” he trailed off.

Seungcheol sprang up from the couch, “Oh, yeah. Of course.”

“Seoyu, say bye to Yujun-ie.”

“I don’t wanna go~!” She whined.

Yujun joined in, “Teacher, stay!”

Before Jeonghan could give in to their requests—because let’s be honest, he would do anything to spend a little more harmless time here—his phone buzzed again.

Noona:
YOON JEONGHAN
DID YOU KIDNAP MY DAUGHTER
DINNER IS READY WHERE ARE YOU

Jeonghan:
THIS IS YOUR FAULT

Noona:
WHAT IS????

Jeonghan:
OH WE’RE TALKING ALRIGHT
I’M COMING

He locked his phone, now even more anxious from his sister’s wrath.

“Seoyu, your mom texted. All caps,” he gulped.

Seoyu instantly dropped the toy corn and got up, “Yujun-ie, we play tomorrow,” She said and hugged him.

Seungcheol winced beside him, “That bad, huh?”

“She’s terrifying.” Jeonghan simply stated.

“I trust you.”

Seoyu grabbed her bunny and skipped over to her uncle. “Thank you for today, Uncle Cheol.” She bowed to Seungcheol. That was enough to melt the hearts of both adults.

Seungcheol walked them to the door, “Come again, Seoyu.”

Jeonghan bowed to him, “Thank you for the… juice box.”

Then he held out his hand to Seoyu, “Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand, and they left.

Seungcheol closed the door and leaned against it, his face still red. He shut his eyes tight. “I’m so embarrassing.”

Chapter Text

Jeonghan’s walk back to Seohan’s place was rushed. He couldn’t wait to get there—not for the dinner anymore, but to scream at his sister about incomplete information. Little Seoyu scampered after him, basically needing to sprint to match his pace.

“Uncle!” she screamed, “I have small legs!”

Jeonghan looked back to see her standing five feet behind, scowling with her arms crossed. He walked back and swooped her up, “Sorry…” he muttered before picking up his pace again.

“Why are we running?” Seoyu rolled her eyes. “I’m tired.”

Jeonghan grumbled without slowing down, “Because your mother sent me into the lion’s den.”

“Yujun-ie has lion, and tiger, and giraffe.”

Jeonghan didn’t respond; his mind was busy trying to come up with different ways to make a dramatic entry. The fifteen minutes of commute felt like the worst fifteen minutes of his life.

He opened the gate with a clash and rushed inside to see Hajun sitting on the couch, watching TV.

“Oh, Jeonghan,” He looked up, “Where have you been? Dinner is ready.”

Jeonghan put Seoyu down as she ran to her father and climbed onto his lap.

“Where is your wife?” he asked impatiently.

Hajun looked at him, confused. “...in the kitchen.”

That’s all he needed. He barged into the kitchen and saw Seohan standing by the fridge, eating pudding like a thief.

“What is wrong with you?!” he screamed.

Seohan almost dropped the spoon, startled. She turned around, looking guilty, “I was hungry! You made us wait too long for dinner!”

“What?” Jeonghan scrunched his face in confusion, “Not the pudding! Whose house did you send me to?”

Before Seohan could reply, he screamed again—his face red, “The DILF?”

Seohan choked, “I’m sorry, the what?”

“Yujun’s dad, the awkward one. With the shoulders!” He crossed his arms, tapping his foot.

“Seungcheol?”

“Seun—you know his name?” Jeonghan barked, eyes widening in disbelief.

Seohan shrugged, “I mean, obviously? I suppose we are friends?”

“You’re FRIENDS?” he hissed, “When did that happen?”

Seohan put the bowl of pudding back and closed the fridge.

“Maybe two weeks.”

Jeonghan gestured incoherently with his hands, utterly flabbergasted, “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“We haven’t talked in a while. You literally ghosted my texts,” She narrowed her eyes and jabbed a finger in his chest.

He smacked her hand off and stepped back, “Why didn’t you warn me?”

“About what?”

“Sending me to the DILF’s house.”

“Wha— HELLO? ARE YOU OKAY?” Seohan sputtered, baffled at the words coming out of her brother’s mouth.

Jeonghan leaned one hand against the counter and the other on his hip. “Don’t play dumb. He’s objectively hot. I mean the shoulders alone—”

She cut him off, “That man packs apple slices and juice boxes!”

Jeonghan stammered to defend himself, but nothing sensible came out of his mouth.

“Wait…” Seohan whispered as if she had finally caught up.

“You’re into Seungcheol?” She pointed at him with one finger, while the other hand covered her mouth in shock.

“NO?” he blurted.

“You called him a DILF,” she laughed, “Oh, this is hilarious. My baby brother is falling for yet another unavailable, older man. Classic.”

“You’re the worst,” he grumbled, sinking on the floor with his face smushed into his knees.

“I mean, Seungcheol? Really…?” Her lips twitched with an amused smile.

Jeonghan’s head shot up, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Seohan leaned her elbows against the counter, resting her chin in her hands, “You know… He’s…” she trailed off.

“Endearingly awkward?” Jeonghan said.

“More like… painfully awkward.” She said hesitantly.

“I mean, I have nothing against the man; he’s sweet and an amazing dad. But his social skills are questionable.”

Jeonghan stood up, “It's cute!”

“Wow,” she leaned back with a grin, “Defensive much?”

Jeonghan's eye twitched as he scowled at her, “Hell has a special spot reserved for you.”

“And your heart has one for Seungcheol,” She teased as she turned towards the living room.

“Guys, dinner!” She called down.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Across town, Seungcheol lay on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling for the past thirty minutes. Today was an absolute disaster—no, a cataclysm. He hadn’t been this socially pathetic his whole life. He was lively, confident, and charming—that’s how he wooed Minsoo. But when his marriage fell apart, his whole social script got flushed with it.

Suddenly, he wasn’t just Choi Seungcheol; he was a divorced man raising his son by himself. Not that he was complaining, he insisted on custody, considering Minsoo had to rebuild her whole career from scratch, whilst he was stable.

Every social interaction gave him either pity or judgment. So over time, his brain retreated to introversion to cope with it all—keeping people at an arm’s distance. He almost cut off Mingyu and Wonwoo, too. But they persisted.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard small feet padding into the living room. Yujun stood beside him, worried.

“Papa, are you sick?” he asked and touched his forehead, the way he remembered Papa doing for him when he was sick.

“Your face looks like a strawberry.”

Seungcheol let out a weak laugh, “No. Papa is just socially bankrupt,” he muttered, staring into the wall, eyes unfocused.

“Do we have to sell toys?” Yujun frowned.

Seungcheol looked at him, eyes softening, “No, don't worry.”

“Okay…” Yujun mumbled, still worried about why Papa looked like that.

“Dinner?” he asked.

Seungcheol sat up, rubbing his face once, “Yeah, give me ten minutes.”

Yujun nodded with a frown and sat down next to him.

Seungcheol looked at his phone resting on the coffee table. He hesitated before picking it up and opening text messages. He opened the chat with Wonwoo as his thumb hovered over the keyboard.

Seungcheol:
i think i should start going to therapy

Wonwoo’s reply came within seconds.

Wonwoo:
i’ve been saying that for 3 years
but what did you do now

Seungcheol:
i miss the old me
the confident, charming one
i hate how awkward and anxious i am

Wonwoo:
okay…
smth definitely happened
Have you eaten?

Seungcheol:
not yet

Wonwoo:
hold on i’ll be there in a bit

Seungcheol:
thank you

Seungcheol stared at the chat for a minute before switching off his phone and putting it back on the coffee table, face down.

“Uncle Wonwoo is coming,” he said to Yujun.

“And Uncle Mingyu?’’

“Don’t know.”

Around thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Seungcheol got off the couch, followed by Yujun running to the door, shifting on his feet impatiently for him to open the door.

Wonwoo walked in, his hair messy from the wind. He handed Seungcheol the bag of take-out food.

“Got you a Tonkatsu Curry,” he said as he shrugged off his coat. “Stopped by at 7/11 and threw in a melon bread.”

Seungcheol’s eyes shone as they filled with gratitude. He pulled Wonwoo in a tight hug.

“I love you,” he said as his voice cracked.

Wonwoo tried to pry him off, “You’re suffocating me.”

Seungcheol didn’t let go. Yujun joined in, hugging Wonwoo’s legs.

“I love you, too, Uncle Wonwoo,” he looked up at him with bright eyes.

Wonwoo sighed as he admitted defeat. Both father and son clung to him like barnacles for the next thirty seconds.

“Okay, that’s enough physical contact,” he lightly shoved Seungcheol off, but picked Yujun up.

“It was worth it,” Seungcheol cracked a small smile.

He walked over to the kitchen to serve the food into plates and set the table. They ate in comfortable silence, Yujun occasionally talking about the play date.

After Seungcheol put Yujun to bed, he sat beside Wonwoo on the couch.

“Okay, you’re fed now. Tell me what happened?”

Seungcheol opened his mouth and instantly rambled, “I dropped my wallet in front of Yujun’s teacher and then my glasses slipped off when I bent down. He laughed, Wonwoo—he laughed at my face. I wanted the ground to swallow me.”

His face grew hotter and redder the more he kept talking.

“And then remember Seohan?”

“The hot mom.” Wonwoo hummed.

“Yeah, I wasn’t crazy. She looked familiar because she’s the teacher’s sister! I only found out today when I guess she sent him to pick up Seoyu. And I—I totally blew it, man. I offered him a juice box!” Seungcheol got up and started pacing.

He let out a shaky laugh, “He apologized for this morning and then laughed at me—again! Right to my face!”

Wonwoo winced at the image.

Seungcheol continued rambling, running a hand through his hair, “God, he literally said that I don’t need to be nervous. Do you know the number of times I’ve embarrassed myself in front of him?”

Wonwoo looked up as Seungcheol stopped speaking, “Oh, uh… fifty?”

“Wrong. Seventy-one.”

Wonwoo’s eyes widened. “How did you get that number?”

“That’s the number of days Yujun’s been to kindergarten. I should probably double the number, because I embarrass myself at both drop-off and pick-up.”

Wonwoo stood up and put his hands on Seungcheol’s shoulders, “Hey, calm down. You haven’t embarrassed yourself a hundred and forty-two times. You’re imagining it worse in your head.”

Seungcheol tipped his head back, squeezing his eyes shut. “I miss the person I used to be,” his voice cracked in frustration.

Wonwoo wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in a warm hug. Seungcheol loosened up in his embrace and hugged him back.

“You’re still amazing. And I love you, Mingyu loves you, Yujun loves you,” Wonwoo said softly.

“And if it means so much to you to get your confidence back, we are all here. We never left. And never will. So you’re stuck with us forever.”

Seungcheol smiled into Wonwoo’s shoulder, “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Chapter Text

Dinner with Seohan and Hajun went smoothly, Jeonghan’s sister had managed to keep her mouth shut over the dining table, but he knew the moment Seoyu was asleep and the house was quiet, she blabbed to her husband about his “crush.”

Jeonghan sighed as he walked up the flight of stairs, thinking about the long day he just had, now embarrassment painting his cheeks red. Why had he laughed at Mr. Choi’s face again; that was such a wrong move—bitchy even. He recalled how flustered the older man looked, unable to say anything—because let’s be honest, what could he have said?

As he walked down the hallway to his apartment, he saw Joshua’s door wide open. He peeked in to see Joshua sitting at the piano—a piano?

“When the fuck did you get this?” Jeonghan looked at the instrument in awe as he walked in.

Joshua turned back, with a huge smile, “Just this evening.”

Jeonghan sat down at the edge of the couch, “Wow, play something.”

Joshua’s fingers settled over the keys before the notes started falling into place. A familiar hymn unfolded in the room, warm and gentle. He closed his eyes and let the music wash over him.

For the first time that day, Jeonghan relaxed his mind. No thinking about work, Seohan, or Mr. Choi. The music felt like a palate cleanser for the day he had.

Joshua opened his eyes as he slowly finished the piece, “What do you think?”

Jeonghan sighed in relief, “It’s beautiful.”

Joshua hummed as he got up and sat down on the couch beside him. “Long day?” he asked as he pulled Jeonghan onto his lap.

Jeonghan curled up comfortably, one arm draped around Joshua’s shoulder. “You have no idea…” He muttered as he closed his eyes, his head resting against Joshua’s.

Joshua’s hand found Jeonghan’s on his lap as he intertwined their fingers, his other arm rubbing his back gently. They sat like that in comfortable silence as Joshua continued soothing him, Jeonghan nuzzling closer into his warmth.

“Did you eat?” Jeonghan murmured.

Joshua hummed, “Did you?”

Jeonghan groaned as he hid his face in Joshua’s neck, his mind growing louder with thoughts of the day again.

“Just because I asked if you had dinner?” Joshua chuckled.

“I just had the worst day of my life. And yes, I had dinner with my menace of a sister.”

Joshua didn’t respond immediately, “...wanna talk about it?”

Jeonghan shook his head, “I wanna forget about it, if anything.”

“I know a few tricks to make you forget your own name,” Joshua said with a teasing smile.

Jeonghan smacked the back of his head and got up, “Am I just a piece of ass to you?”

“No! Of course not! I was just trying to help…”

Jeonghan narrowed his eyes at him, “With sex?”

Joshua tilted his head innocently, “Well, that has proven to work before.”

Jeonghan scoffed as he faced away, his lips curving up anyway, “So much for a church boy.”

“I work in the Choir,”

“Still counts as church work.”

Joshua laughed as he got up to stand close to him, “Do you want us to stop?”

Jeonghan hesitated. His eyes looked him up and down once before he begrudgingly said no.

“That’s what I thought.” Joshua smiled as his hands rested on Jeonghan’s waist, slowly sliding down before Jeonghan smacked them away.

“I’m too tired tonight.”

Joshua stepped back, “Alright, no problem.”

“You’re such a good man,” Jeonghan groaned dramatically, making Joshua laugh.

“That’s bare minimum. Your standards are in the trenches.”

“Shut up,” Jeonghan playfully shoved him lightly. “See you tomorrow.” And then he walked out, leaving Joshua alone.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Tuesday morning arrived faster than Jeonghan had hoped. He stood in the hallway as the kids came in with their parents. The classroom was loud with children talking, laughing, and running around. Jeonghan’s eyes kept glancing towards the gate in anticipation of Mr. Choi.

“Expecting a certain someone?” Myeongho said as he crept up behind Jeonghan, startling him.

“No? Who would I even be waiting for?” He chuckled nervously.

Myeongho stood right in front of him with a smirk, “Perhaps someone with really nice forearms.”

Jeonghan glared at him, hesitated for a second before sighing, “Fine, maybe a little.”

“I knew it! You’re into him.” Myeongho’s lips curved into a teasing smile.

“Keep your voice down,” Jeonghan hissed.

Myeongho raised his eyebrows at him before walking away towards the classroom.

Right on time, Jeonghan saw them; he straightened up immediately. Yujun skipped over to him as Mr. Choi trailed behind him, holding his backpack. Jeonghan’s face broke out into a huge smile before he could control it, so he looked away from the man and at Yujun instead.

“Teacher! Good morning!” Yujun flashed his bunny teeth.

Jeonghan bent down slightly, "Good morning, Yujun-ie. Excited for today?”

Yujun nodded eagerly, “Excited for story time, and playing with Seoyu and Jaehyun-ie!”

Jeonghan ruffled his hair, “Go inside, they’re waiting.” Yujun dashed off immediately.

“Your backpack—” Mr. Choi started, but Yujun was already inside. He sighed before averting his gaze from the classroom and towards Jeonghan.

Jeonghan noticed the bags under his eyes, his glasses sat a bit crooked, and his hair was slightly messy; even the shirt didn’t seem properly ironed.

“I’ll give him the backpack,” Jeonghan offered as he took the bag from his hands.

“Thank you,” Mr. Choi muttered weakly.

Jeonghan hesitated before asking, “Mr. Choi, are you—are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks.” He replied, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

“Rough night?”

Mr. Choi chuckled, “Rough week, rough month.”

Jeonghan’s heart ached a little, and before he could think, he blurted out, “If you ever feel like wanting some space, you can drop Yujun off at my—I mean Noona’s place. Seoyu would like that.”

Mr. Choi gave him a small smile, “Thank you, it means a lot.” He said simply.

Before Jeonghan could get out any more words, he bowed, “See you at pick-up, Teacher Jeonghan.” He had already turned around before Jeonghan could bow back and say goodbye.

Pick-up had gone the same way; Mr. Choi had barely spoken—not due to awkwardness for once, but due to exhaustion. Jeonghan had felt restless due to it the whole day, even though there was no reason to—or that’s what he tells himself.

Sure, Jeonghan could excuse admiring someone for their beauty or physique, even if that someone happened to be a parent. But what he could not allow himself to do was get attached. It was already bad enough that he was getting attached to Yujun, but now a whole ass man? That would take him down.

Jeonghan sighed as he shut his laptop. The staff room was quiet as usual. No other teachers, no Myeongho, just him with his laptop—which was for most of the parts ignored—and his thoughts.

“Why am I like this?” He muttered as he slammed his head on the desk dramatically.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

7:16 p.m

Seungcheol was in the kitchen making a simple dinner. In the living room, Yujun kept smacking Chan with the bunny plushy that Seoyu left behind.

Chan sat on the couch with his laptop balanced on his thighs, pretending to be unbothered by the smacking.

“Hyung! Play with me!” Yujun whined.

Chan didn’t shift his gaze from the screen, “I will if you write my essay.”

Yujun pouted as he sat down beside him, watching the letters move on the screen. “You used to be fun, now you’re like Papa.”

Seungcheol peeked his head out of the kitchen, offended. Chan laughed at Yujun’s comment, “So Papa is boring?”

Yujun shook his head, “No, Papa also writes on the screen.”

Chan shut his laptop and turned to Yujun, “Well, that’s what adults do. They work.”

Yujun’s eyebrows furrowed, “Then I don’t wanna be adult.”

“Me too, kiddo.”

Seungcheol walked out to the living room, wiping his hand on a towel, “Stop telling him the realities of the world.”

“Would you rather he stay in dreamland?” Chan asked.

Seungcheol crossed the room and sat at the arm of the couch beside Yujun, patting his head. “At least for a little while…”

Chan squinted his eyes at him, “What a sap…”

“Anyways, hyung, my roommates are throwing a party. You’re invited.”

“You want me to go to a house party with a bunch of twenty-something-year-olds?”

Chan grinned, “Well, you gotta let loose once in a while, old man.”

“Get out.”

Chan shoved his laptop in his bag, “I’m just saying,” he said as he got up and slung his backpack on his shoulder.

“Also,” he stopped at the door, “Seungkwan makes some amazing martinis.”

Chapter Text

Seungcheol lay in bed, staring at the ceiling blankly. He glanced at the clock—12:32 a.m. He couldn’t sleep; he had been trying for over an hour now. He contemplated going to the party Chan talked about. But then again, he’s thirty-three, a dad. He wasn’t going to fit in with the crowd exactly.

He got off the bed and walked down the hallway to Yujun’s room. He was sound asleep. Seungcheol ran a hand through his hair—fuck it.

He rushed back to his bedroom and turned on the lamp on the side of his bed—the light of the lamp illuminating the whole room in a dim, warm gleam. He rummaged through his closet for party-appropriate clothes, the closest thing he found was a sheer black shirt balled up in the back.

He smoothed down the shirt, trying to make it look presentable before pulling off his hoodie and sliding the shirt on his body. The shirt didn’t seem to fit well—his biceps felt uncomfortable as the fabric stretched against his arms. The buttons were barely holding on against his chest.

He pulled on a pair of jeans and sprayed a bit of perfume as he stood in front of the mirror. He took a good look at the reflection before he laughed to himself, a little embarrassed by the absurdity of his actions.

“What am I doing…” He muttered as he adjusted the collar of the shirt.

He checked on Yujun once again before heading out. He closed the door softly and made his way to the elevator. He knew that Chan lived a few floors below in a one-room apartment with two of his friends.

The elevator dinged as the doors slid open on floor number three. Muffled music filled his ears just outside the door. He knocked and waited for a while, but no one opened it. He turned the knob to find out the door was unlocked, and he walked in.

The lights were off except for a disco ball that hung from the ceiling. The changing colours of the disco ball had already started to give him a headache. He looked around to see a bunch of youngsters, probably in their early twenties.

A trio of girls dancing directly under the disco ball, while one guy filmed it—for Instagram, he assumed. He wandered in further and into the kitchen to see—Mingyu?

“Kim Mingyu, what are you doing here?” Seungcheol exclaimed.

Mingyu, who was sitting on the counter with four to five kids surrounding him, hopped off and smiled, “Hyung! You actually came?”

Seungcheol’s eyes shifted around the room. “I couldn’t sleep.”

He stepped closer to Mingyu, “What are you doing here, and why are you surrounded by kids?”

“He’s telling us about his start-up!” One of them spoke up with bright eyes, a bottle of beer in his hand.

Seungcheol’s eyebrows knit together in confusion, “What start-up?”

Another guy opened his mouth, but Mingyu cut him off, “Ah, hyung—come with me.” He said and dragged Seungcheol out of the kitchen.

“Are you lying to these guys?” Seungcheol said as they stopped by the balcony door, his arms crossed.

Mingyu laughed, “It’s funny how they buy anything I say just because I’m older and cooler and smarter.”

“So you’re also lying to yourself?” Seungcheol cocked an eyebrow.

Mingyu’s jaw dropped as he scoffed, “You’re mean when you’re sober. Have a drink,” he said and offered him his glass of vodka cranberry.

“No, thanks. I have work tomorrow,” he said and slid the doors of the balcony open, stepping outside into the fresh air.

Seungcheol leaned against the railing, gazing into the distant lights.

Mingyu looked him up and down. “You look hot,” Mingyu said as he stood beside him, sipping on his drink.

Seungcheol huffed out a laugh, “Shut up.”

“No, you really do. I didn’t know you kept this shirt,” Mingyu pointed out.

“I don’t know why I even bought it.”

Mingyu hummed as he recalled their college years, “Because Junhui hyung forced you to.”

Seungcheol’s eyes flickered. He hadn’t talked to Junhui in a decade. “Did he? I don’t remember.”

Mingyu changed the topic, sensing Seungcheol’s stiffness, “That’s not important. What’s important is that you’re hot, you’re smart, and kind, and the world’s best dad ever.”

Seungcheol turned his head to see Mingyu looking at him, his eyes shining with sincerity. “What’s gotten into you?” he tried to laugh it off.

Mingyu lowered his glass, “I’m just reminding you of how amazing you are,” he shrugged.

Seungcheol stared at him for a second before looking away, “Thanks…” he replied quietly.

Mingyu put an arm around his shoulder, “Now come on, let's go deceive more people.”

Seungcheol rolled his eyes, in anything but annoyance.

As they stepped back in, they saw two guys chugging beer as the others cheered. One of the idiots chugging beer happened to be Lee Chan.

“CHUG CHUG CHUG!”

Chan slammed down the mug and hollered.

“Kiss my ass, Seungkwan!” He whooped.

The other guy—Seungkwan— put down his mug and glared at Chan. “You just got lucky.”

Chan yelled out a comment before he turned around to see Seungcheol, as his eyes lit up.

“Hyung! You came!” He exclaimed and ran into his chest, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“God, you’re drunk,” Seungcheol said, but didn’t push him off.

“Wait, you’re the dad?” Seungkwan gasped as he pointed at him with one hand.

“Yes?” Seungcheol answered, unsure why the shocked face.

“Oh my god! I thought it was some old ass finance bro with a nine-to-five.”

Seungcheol pushed Chan off, “I do work a nine-to-five in finance.” He said as he cleared his throat.

“No way! You don’t look like a finance bro!” Seungkwan barked a laugh.

“Uh…thanks?” Seungcheol looked at Mingyu, feeling a bit self-conscious.

Chan smacked the back of Seungkwan’s head, “Don’t be a dick.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Oh, God no! I meant like—you’re hot! A DILF even!”

“Jesus…” Seungcheol muttered under his breath. “Well, thank you,” he said.

“Would you like a drink?” Seungkwan asked.

Seungcheol politely declined, “No, but I heard you’re famous for your martinis, huh?”

“Yes! I am!” Seungkwan yelled out excitedly.

“Enjoy your party,” Seungcheol gave a nod before heading towards the door; Mingyu followed suit.

Seungcheol stepped out of the apartment and let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding.

“Hyung, you handled a social situation,” Mingyu said, his eyes wide.

Seungcheol leaned against his knees with his palms, “What the fuck was that? I really thought he was making fun of me.”

Mingyu grinned, “He wasn’t, he was just shocked at how hot you are.”

Seungcheol huffed, “Not this again,” he complained, yet his lips curved up as he stood up straight.

“Look at you, socializing and all,” Mingyu patted his shoulder.

“I was in there for barely twenty minutes. And all I did was talk to some kids.”

“Baby steps, old man.” Mingyu teased as he dragged him back to the thirteenth floor.

Chapter Text

Friday, 1:36 p.m

Jeonghan looked out the classroom window; it was pouring. The trees swayed helplessly in the direction of the wind, and raindrops slid down the window.

Inside the classroom, Yujun played with Seoyu, completing a puzzle from playtime. Jeonghan glanced at the clock again. Mr. Choi was never late; Jeonghan couldn’t help but worry whether something had happened, and also about Yujun, whether he’d get anxious or cry.

“Yujun-ie, are you okay?” Jeonghan asked.

Yujun hummed, not even looking up from the puzzle.

Jeonghan walked over to where the kids were sitting on the floor and crouched. “Papa will come soon.”

“Okay,” Yujun said simply.

That left Jeonghan a little confused, but happy at the same time—Yujun wasn’t as anxious as he’d been the first day of kindergarten. He checked his phone to see if Mr. Choi had left a message. Nothing.

So he just waited.

About ten minutes passed when the classroom door slid open.

“Sorry, I’m late. Got stuck in a meeting.” Mr. Choi walked in.

Jeonghan had to physically restrain himself from reacting at the sight of Mr. Choi. He was drenched—hair soaking wet as tiny droplets of water cascaded down his face. His boring blue button-up clung to his torso—annoyingly toned torso— in a way that drove Jeonghan crazy.

Mr. Choi took off his glasses to wipe them clean with his handkerchief, his forearm muscles visibly shifting.

Jeonghan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Just then, Yujun finally looked up.

“Papa, you’re late. But that’s okay.” He scurried over and patted his father’s knee.

“I got to play with Seoyu.”

Mr. Choi took in his surroundings—surely, Yujun and Seoyu were sitting on the floor with a bunch of jigsaw puzzles.

“You have more time. I don’t think we can leave right now because of the rain.”

He then looked at Jeonghan, “I mean, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah! Yes, of course! Stay as long as you need.” Jeonghan sputtered.

Mr. Choi kept adjusting his shirt, clearly uncomfortable with the wet fabric sticking to his body.

“I have a spare hoodie.” Jeonghan blurted.

“It's clean…” he added quietly.

“Uh, thank you but…” Mr. Choi trailed off, trying to decline the offer.

Jeonghan grabbed his backpack and pulled out a dark green hoodie.

“You’ll catch a cold. Take this, I insist.”

Mr. Choi hesitated at first; then he looked down at his chest, the soaked shirt doing nothing to cover his body, completely translucent. His ears turned pink as he took the hoodie from Jeonghan.

“Alright. Uh… Thank you.”

Jeonghan pointed at the hallway, “The restroom is down the hall to the left.”

Mr. Choi nodded and walked out.

The moment the man stepped out, Jeonghan stepped back, leaning against the desk, clutching the wooden furniture as if his life depended on it.

“Oh my fucking god…” He muttered under his breath. A fierce rush of heat spread across his whole body, his heart audibly ramming against his chest. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.

This is humiliating, stop acting like a cat in heat, oh my god, oh my fucking god, oh fuck me.

He shoved his hand into his pocket, fumbling to yank out his phone. He opened the group chat as a source of his escape.

Jeonghan:
SOS
FUCKING EMERGENCY
AJDHLEJD

Jiyu:
WHAT

Jihoon:
are u ok?????

Jeonghan:
MINTO CHOCO
DRENCHED SHIRT
I SAW MUSCLES

Jiyu:
BAHAHAHAHAH

Soonyoung:
click a photo

Jeonghan:
IM NOT GONA TAKE A PHOTO YOU BOZO
IM BARELY SURVIVING
MY LEGS ARE WEAK

Jiyu:
drop down on your knees

Soonyoung:
you’re in heat
meow meow meow meow

Jeonghan:
YOU’RE ALL USELESS

Jiyu:
did you think we’d help?

Jihoon:
thats lwk on u ngl

Jeonghan:
I CANNOT GET A FUCKING BONER
IM AT KINDERGARTEN
FUCK I’M GOING TO HELL

Jiyu:
amen

Jeonghan:
???????

Jeonghan almost dropped his phone when Mr. Choi returned wearing his hoodie. It didn’t fit very well—much to Jeonghan’s pleasure.

It stretched against his chest and biceps, every movement straining the fabric to its absolute limit, highlighting the sharp shift of the muscles underneath. Jeonghan dared not look at him, so he turned away, pretending to gather the papers (which were already neatly stacked) into his folder.

“It's um—” Jeonghan cleared his throat, “Is it comfortable?”

Mr. Choi smiled politely, “Yes, it’s fine.”

“Cool.”

Jeonghan looked out again, there was no sign of the rain slowing down. In fact, the clouds had started to growl, a thunder erupting into the sky.

Yujun and Seoyu shrieked, startled by the noise.

“Papa!” Yujun ran over to Mr. Choi, tearing up. Mr. Choi swooped him up in his arms effortlessly. Jeonghan’s mind almost short-circuited before he had to remind himself of the innocence of the man’s actions. Seoyu had also scampered over closer to the adults.

“Please take a seat,” Jeonghan said, forcing his voice to behave professionally, as he nodded towards an empty chair.

Mr. Choi sat down with Yujun on his lap. Jeonghan pulled out another chair, maintaining distance before sitting down, Seoyu climbing on his lap as well.

For a while, neither of them spoke; the rain tapped away at the window. Mr. Choi cleared his throat, “Is it really okay to stay…”

“Yes! I couldn’t leave either. I appreciate the company.” Jeonghan replied too fast. He wanted the conversation to keep going.

“So...What do you do, Mr. Choi?” he asked.

Mr. Choi looked up, slightly taken aback at the effort for a talk, “I work in finance—private equity and stuff.”

“That explains the apartment…” Jeonghan murmured, nodding along.

Mr. Choi laughed quietly—a real laugh, not an awkward, nervous one. Jeonghan felt his heart stutter, as warmth bloomed across his chest.

“I like to stay humble.” Mr. Choi said with a smile.

Oh god, there are dimples.

Mr. Choi didn’t speak further; he didn’t ask questions about Jeonghan’s life, which quite frankly left him offended. So he volunteered the information anyway.

“I-uh, I used to work corporate too,” He said as he put Seoyu down from his lap, the girl looking up at him in brief confusion before wandering off.

“Really? What department?” Mr. Choi asked. Yujun slid off his lap and followed Seoyu towards the window, the kids looking out at the rain.

Jeonghan hesitated, his cheeks turning pink, “...HR.”

“Oh, that’s…nice, Explains why you’re so great with people.”

Jeonghan felt his pulse spike. Did Mr. Choi just compliment him? About something he noticed about him?

He smiled shyly, looking anywhere but at the man sitting in front of him. “I am not that great.” A giggle escaped his lips, leaving him a little flustered.

He finally looked up to see Mr. Choi studying him quietly.

“Would you like a snack?” He squeaked under Mr. Choi’s gaze.

Mr. Choi raised his eyebrows, “Uh…” he glanced towards the window where Yujun and Seoyu were still pressed against the glass, then back at Jeonghan. A look of mild confusion crossed his face.

“A snack? For… me? Or for the kids?”

Jeonghan’s mind shut down. For you, you sexy giant! He wanted to scream out. Instead, he forced his hands on his lap to ground him.

“For—for anyone! I have Pocky Sticks in my bag!”

Yujun spoke up from the window, his voice echoing throughout the room. “Is it strawberry?”

Jeonghan sighed, “No…”

Yujun turned back to look out the window, no further questions asked.

Eventually, the rain had slowed down. The pitter-patter sounded gentler against the windows. Just then Jeonghan’s phone buzzed.

Noona:
you’re still at the school right?

Jeonghan excused himself to respond.

Jeonghan:
yes
stranded by the rain

Noona:
im around the corner, gonna pick up seoyu
head to the grocery store later
want a ride?

Jeonghan groaned. He did not want to go to the grocery store—the most boring place on Earth. But a ride would be great after the damage this storm caused. His thumbs hovered over the screen in contemplation.

“It stopped raining,” Mr. Choi said. “Would you like a ride?”

Jeonghan almost dropped his phone. Sit in the same car next to him?? As a…passenger princess? He should agree, right?

Instead, he said, “Oh, no! I don’t wanna inconvenience you.”

“I can’t let you walk in this weather— it could rain again.”

Jeonghan looked down at his phone—go with Seohan, but have to hit the grocery store, or go with the handsome, sexy Mr. Choi, but risk dying in his backseat.

“Noona is coming to pick Seoyu up,” He replied weakly.

“Ah… so you’ll go with her then?”

“Well, I don’t live with her! And she’s gonna get groceries…” Jeonghan blurted.

Mr. Choi stood there, a little awkward—not his awkwardness but Jeonghan’s this time.

“So… is that a yes?” He asked.

“I’ll put my address on the maps.” Jeonghan croaked out.

Jeonghan grabbed his bag as all four of them walked out. They waited at the gate, waiting for Seohan to arrive, which she did in just five minutes. Mr. Choi and Seohan exchanged polite greetings.

“I’ll uh—I’ll go with Mr. Choi,” Jeonghan said to her. Seohan bit down a grin.

“Alright, have fun!” She winked at him before driving off.

“Shall we?” Mr. Choi asked as he pointed towards his car—a sleek black SUV.

Mr. Choi strapped Yujun in his booster seat before opening the door to the passenger seat. Jeonghan suppressed his need to scream and got in. Mr. Choi walked around the vehicle and got into the driver’s seat. The locks clicked as he started the engine, the low rumble sending vibrations through Jeonghan’s body.

For most of the ride, they stayed silent as Yujun fell asleep. Jeonghan’s gaze fell onto Mr. Choi’s hands on the steering wheel, making his breath hitch. He clutched the fabric of his trousers so hard his knuckles turned white.

At one point, Mr. Choi let go of the wheel with his right hand, resting his elbow against the door panel. He controlled the steering wheel entirely with his left hand, his long fingers resting against the wheel while his palm did all the work.

Jeonghan tore his gaze away and looked out the window, feeling that embarrassing heat coil up in his lower stomach.

Oh dear god.

As Mr. Choi took the turn towards Jeonghan’s apartment building, Jeonghan was already unfastening his seatbelt, eager to get the hell out of there before something worse happened.

The car came to a smooth halt, and Jeonghan got out way too fast.

“Thank you for the ride!” He bowed a perfect ninety degrees.

Mr. Choi shot him a small smile, “No problem.”

Just as Jeonghan was about to close the door, he spoke again. “About your hoodie, I’ll have it washed and return it on Monday.”

“Take your time!” He sputtered and slammed the door close, already dashing into the building.

Chapter Text

9:54 p.m

Seungcheol looked out the open window as a cool night’s breeze crept inside. The storm had left behind a pleasant post-rain lull; the air was crisp and clean, the heavy clouds had dispersed, leaving a dark, starlit sky completely visible.

Yujun was asleep. Seungcheol was sprawled on the couch in sweats and a hoodie—his own. He had already washed Teacher Jeonghan’s hoodie and kept it in his closet, folded neatly. He leaned forward and grabbed the bottle of wine from the coffee table, pouring it into his now-empty glass. This was his second glass of wine. He couldn’t recall the last time he felt this relaxed.

His mind wandered; memories of that afternoon flooded his mind. Come to think of it, Seungcheol had never seen Teacher Jeonghan act so… awkward.

“Maybe I rubbed off on him…” He muttered to himself, huffing out a short laugh.

He’d felt ridiculous wearing the hoodie the teacher gave him; it was embarrassingly tight on him. But it was warm, and smelled faintly of laundry detergent and something sweet—like vanilla or cedar.

Seungcheol recalled how the teacher had giggled when he complimented him—his gaze shifting and cheeks tinted pink. Maybe he wasn’t used to compliments.

He swirled the liquor in his glass, staring at the ceiling—he was tired, but also relaxed.

His phone buzzed against the cushion of the sofa.

Mingyu:
HYUNG
I GOT PAID
LESSGOOOO

Seungcheol smiled lazily, the alcohol making him dizzy.

Seungcheol:
finally
now you can stop stealing my food

Mingyu:
YOU LOVE FEEDING ME

Seungcheol:
shut up
look

Seungcheol sent him a photo of his wine glass held up.

Mingyu:
OMG
YOU'RE DRUNK

Seungcheol:
not drunk
just tipsy

Mingyu:
whats the occasion

Seungcheol didn’t text back; instead, he dialed Mingyu’s number for a voice call. Mingyu picked up instantly.

“Did something good happen?” Seungcheol heard Mingyu’s voice through the speaker.

“Hmm, I got stuck at the kindergarten when it rained this afternoon.”

The line went silent for a few seconds before Mingyu replied. “...and that’s a good thing?”

Seungcheol put the glass down and got up, walking around the living room slowly.

“Not in itself,” he said, “I got stuck with the teacher.”

Mingyu sputtered, still confused, “Did a lightning strike you?” he laughed.

“So you got stuck in a storm with the teacher who you absolutely cannot stand to be normal in front of?”

“That’s the thing!” Seungcheol grinned, “I wasn’t awkward!”

“Really?” Mingyu gasped through the speaker.

Seungcheol hummed, “I literally sat there in his hoodie he offered me because I was drenched. It was so small, Mingyu. I felt like it was gonna rip.”

Mingyu burst out laughing, “No way! And you still managed to be normal?”

“Exactly! I didn’t stutter, I didn’t fumble. This is amazing!” Seungcheol’s voice got louder.

“I’m happy for you, hyung.” Mingyu smiled into the phone.

“I can’t believe your pep talk worked.” Seungcheol scoffed, “I guess sometimes you just gotta be shallow and think you’re hot.”

“Oh, please,” Mingyu interjected. “It's not shallow to think you’re hot if it's gonna give you that confidence boost.”

“Maybe…” Seungcheol muttered.

The line went quiet for a while.

“You sound good,” Mingyu said softly.

Seungcheol paused. “What?”

“Nothing just… You sound lighter,” he said, and then immediately ruined it.

“Anyways, send a selfie in the hoodie,”

Seungcheol groaned, “I am hanging up.”

“Good night, hyung! Love you!” Mingyu grinned.

Seungcheol shook his head, “Night. Love you too.”

And that’s the last thing Seungcheol remembered from last night before he woke up on the couch. He groaned as he sat up without opening his eyes. Not only was his head pounding, but he also strained his neck sleeping in an uncomfortable position. His mouth was completely dry as the dehydration irritated his throat.

He slowly opened his eyes, the sunlight piercing his skull through his eyes. He swung his legs off the couch and stood up, walking towards the kitchen for water. He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of cold water, chugging it down in seconds.

“Fuck, that felt good…” he grumbled as he set the bottle down on the counter.

He walked down the hallway and peeped into Yujun’s room—still asleep. He ran his hand through his hair before going into the bathroom to freshen up. He looked at himself in the mirror—an absolute disaster. The bags under his eyes screaming for help. He groaned and splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up.

After brushing his teeth, he headed back towards the living room and flung himself on the couch. He breathed out from the exhaustion of the hangover. His phone buzzed on the coffee table before he grabbed it.

Mingyu:
tonight 8 pm
*address*
blind date
do NOT stand her up <3

Seungcheol shot up. He blinked twice, making sure whether he’s reading it right.

Seungcheol:
KIM MINGYU
WHAT THE FUCK

Mingyu:
her name is Dr. Lee
and she’s hot
*photo attached*

Seungcheol opened the photo—it was a lady around her late twenties. Long, dark hair, sharp eyes, nice smile.

“Huh… well, she’s pretty…” He muttered, “but what the fuck?” he whisper-screamed.

Seungcheol:
YOU CANT JUST SET ME UP
ON A FUCKING BLIND DATE
LAST MINUTE

Mingyu:
oh cmon
it’ll be fun

Seungcheol:
FUN????
I JUST GOT OVER MY ANXIETY
LIKE YESTERDAY

Mingyu:
better utilise it fast
don’t be late

Seungcheol let out a strained groan.

Seungcheol:
can’t go
what about yujun

Mingyu:
i’ll be there

Seungcheol:
i hate you sm

Mingyu:
love you too <3

Seungcheol threw his phone on the couch with a frustrated sigh.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

“Really? That’s what you’re wearing?” Mingyu cringed as he looked at what Seungcheol held up on a hanger.

“What’s wrong with this?” Seungcheol frowned.

Mingyu touched the shirt like it’s a dirty rag, “It screams ‘I’m an unhappy corporate slave.’ Don’t you have anything better?”

Seungcheol rolled his eyes as he threw the striped beige shirt on the bed, adding on to the pile of four identical shirts.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go…”

Mingyu made an offended face, “You are going.”

Seungcheol shut the door of his closet hard, “I have nothing to wear!”

“I knew this would happen,” Mingyu grinned as he grabbed his tote bag. “So, I came prepared.”

He pulled out a leopard print button-up and threw it at Seungcheol.

Seungcheol held up the shirt against his torso. “Seriously?” he said flatly.

“Mhm,” Mingyu grinned like an idiot.

“I am a thirty-three-year-old dad. Not a twenty-year-old stripper.”

“It’s sexy! Just put it on!” Mingyu insisted.

Seungcheol sighed in defeat before pulling off his t-shirt and sliding on the shirt, buttoning it up without looking at himself—he couldn’t bear to.

“Just…” Mingyu muttered as he unbuttoned the first three buttons.

“This is absolutely insane.”

“Amazing,” Mingyu clapped his hands together, “Now all you need is this.”

He went behind Seungcheol, putting on a chain around his neck. The metal of the jewellery felt cold against his collarbones.

Seungcheol briefly closed his eyes before turning to face the mirror. Mingyu had just put on a chunky silver chain around his neck.

“Now I really look like a stripper…” Seungcheol was horrified.

Mingyu slapped his back, “You look great! She’s gonna be all over you.” He said and popped open the bottle of Seungcheol’s cologne and sprayed it on him—more than he needed.

Seungcheol coughed as the fragrance shot up his nose, “Get me an ear piercing too at this point,” he remarked sarcastically.

Mingyu’s eyes lit up, “That’s a great idea!”

Seungcheol smacked the back of his head, “No, you idiot!”

He walked out to the living room to see Yujun playing blocks with Wonwoo.

“Bro…” Wonwoo gasped as he slowly stood up. “Mingyu, what have you done to him?” horror written all over his face.

“What? Call it my latest creations!” Mingyu defended.

Yujun looked up, “Papa looks like Uncle Mingyu!” he giggled at the sight.

“Great, I look like a disaster then.” Seungcheol’s shoulders slumped.

Mingyu pouted, “Hey!”

Seungcheol ignored him and walked over to Yujun and crouched, “Papa will be back soon.”

“Where are you going?” He asked.

“Just… a meeting.”

Yujun nodded, “Okay, have fun.”

Seungcheol smiled before kissing the top of his head.

“You sure you’ll be alright?” Seungcheol asked as he grabbed his keys.

“Yeah, I got it,” Wonwoo said. “All the best.”

“Keep us updated!” Mingyu yelled, grinning ear to ear.

Seungcheol waved them off before taking his leave.

By the time he reached the restaurant, it was 7: 50—he was ten minutes early. Yet, when he entered, he saw that his date was already there, seated at a table. She waved at him.

Seungcheol made his way over.

“Hi, Choi Seungcheol,” he said as he pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Lee Jiyu,” she said simply with a nod.

Chapter Text

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long,” Seungcheol said.

Jiyu shook her head, “Nope, just arrived.” She said, fidgeting with the napkin, barely looking at him.

“So,” Seungcheol cleared his throat, “How do you know Mingyu?”

Jiyu huffed out a laugh, “He came into the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. Apparently, you can pet a dog too hard.”

“Yep, that sounds like our Mingyu,” Seungcheol sighed fondly.

Finally, Jiyu looked up—her eyes looking him up and down. The expressions on her face were hardly controlled.

“Uh, this isn't—not my shirt.” Seungcheol spluttered. “Neither is this chain…”

“Let me guess—Mingyu?” she cocked an eyebrow. Seungcheol nodded.

“How about you? How do you know him?”

Seungcheol’s hands rubbed his thighs under the table, palms starting to sweat. “College friends.”

Jiyu hummed, turning her attention back to the fork.

“Look, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I think I should tell you,” she started. “I kind of… didn’t wanna come. Mingyu somehow involved my mother.”

Seungcheol sighed in relief, “Oh, thank god, me neither.”

“Well, since we’re already here, might as well have dinner.” She said.

Seungcheol called for the waiter. He went with a safe choice—Tonkatsu curry. Jiyu ordered alfredo pasta.

“So, what do you do for fun?” She asked as they waited for their food.

Swungcheol’s brain broke down; he couldn’t recall a single thing he did for fun.

“I, uh… go to the gym…” Jiyu waited for him to speak, expecting a longer answer.

“I cook too. But most of my time is spent raising my son.”

Jiyu hummed, “Yeah, he mentioned you have a son.”

Seungcheol nodded, said nothing further. The air started to get awkward. Jiyu somehow managed to salvage it—or attempted to at least.

“What’s your favourite movie?” she asked as she took a sip of her wine.

Seungcheol hesitated, “I don’t really watch movies.”

Jiyu put her glass down slowly, staring at him with a blank face. “Mine’s ‘10 Things I Hate About You.’” she replied anyway.

Seungcheol nodded again, “Haven’t seen that one…”

“Of course,” Jiyu muttered.

The table went silent for a while. Seungcheol felt his palms getting sweatier. He looked at Jiyu—she was staring into the distance; then she spoke again.

“What’s the last spontaneous thing you did recently?”

Seungcheol had an answer for this one. “I went to a party last week.”

Finally, Jiyu’s eyes lit up slightly, “Oh, cool. Was it a club in Hongdae?”

Seungcheol stuttered, “No, it was a college party downstairs.”

The light in Jiyu’s eyes dimmed. “Oh… Cool…” she lied through her teeth.

The table went quiet again. Seungcheol realized Jiyu probably ran out of things to ask, or interest. He didn’t speak either.

Soon, their food arrived. They occasionally made conversations—mostly work-related, nothing crazy. Seungcheol felt heavy, like he was letting down this gorgeous lady who took time off her busy schedule to come on this date.

He paid for the full dinner, adding extra tips to fill his guilty heart.

He walked her out to a cab. “Are you sure? I can drop you off. I don’t mind,” he offered again.

“Yeah, don't worry,” she said as she got in the backseat of the cab. “Thanks for dinner…” she added sheepishly.

“Yeah, of course. Get home safe,” he said as the cab took off.

He sighed as he walked back to his own car. This was the shortest date of his whole dating history.

He opened the door and got in the driver’s seat—he just sat there, eyes unfocused, staring into the void, his hands gripping the steering wheel too tightly. He dropped his head low, his forehead hitting the centre of the wheel, accidentally honking, and startling himself.

“Jesus Christ…” he muttered.

He turned on the engine and drove home, ready to beat Mingyu’s ass.

The moment he got home, first he made sure Yujun was asleep—which he was—and then started his complaint rampage.

“Mingyu, you absolute buffoon,” he said as he hastily took his shoes off.

From the couch, Mingyu got up with a huge smile. “How was it?”

Seungcheol scowled at him, “Do I look happy to you?”

“No,” Wonwoo chimed in from the couch.

Mingyu’s smile turned upside down. “What happened?”

“We had nothing in common! I had nothing to say to her!”

Mingyu winced, “Oh… did the charm wear off?”

Seungcheol flailed his arms around, complete.y exasperated, “What charm?”

“From my pep talk!” he perked up, “Maybe I should give it again. Hyung, you look so sexy in that shirt—”

“Oh my god, please shut up,” Seungcheol said with the expression of a man reconsidering his friendship.

“You are banned from interfering with my love life.”

Mingyu slumped down on the couch next to Wonwoo, now sulking. “I just wanted to help.”

Wonwoo put an arm around his shoulder, “We know. Just… maybe don’t next time.”

Mingyu leaned into Wonwoo, burying his face in his shoulder.

“I’m going to bed…” Seungcheol muttered indignantly as he unbuttoned the shirt and threw it at Mingyu.

Wonwoo bit back a laugh as he watched Seungcheol walk away. He took the shirt and loosely folded it.

“Let’s go,” he said as he shook Mingyu’s shoulder.

“Let me wallow,” Mingyu pouted into Wonwoo’s shoulder.

Wonwoo let out a fond chuckle, eyes soft and warm. “You’re so dramatic.”

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

11:24 p.m

Jeonghan was stretched out on his bed, scrolling on his phone mindlessly as crumbs of cookies collected on his shirt, when the group chat chimed.

Jiyu:
bro i just went on the worst date of my life

Soonyoung:
ugly?

Jihoon:
asked to split?

Jeonghan:
ELABORATE

Jiyu:
ugh he was so hot
and paid the bill
AND tipped the waiter

Jeonghan:
then whats the issue

Jiyu:
HE WAS SO BORING OMFG
I ALMOST DIED

Soonyoung:
LMAOOOO

Jihoon:
what did yall talk about

Jiyu:
bro istg it felt like i was talking to a linkdin profile

Jeonghan:
LMAO STAWWPPP

Jihoon:
that bad huh

Jiyu:
he meal preps as a hobby
doesn’t watch movies
didn’t ask back A SINGLE QUESTION

Jeonghan:
ew cancelled
boring men should stay home

Soonyoung:
can’t believe you wasted your saturday night like this

Jiyu:
I KNOWWWWW
i’m pissed
its all my mom’s fault
no wait
its mingyus fault

Jihoon:
the himbo who petted the dog too hard?

Jiyu:
YES

Soonyoung:
😭😭😭

Jeonghan:
babe im so sorry this happened to you

Jiyu:
😞😞😞
let me mourn

Jeonghan stifled a laugh as he switched off his phone and swatted away the crumbs.

“Boring men…” he muttered to himself.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Sundays at Seohan and Hajun’s place were a weekly ritual. The backyard was hazy with the scent of the charcoal and marinated meat. Hajun stood by the griller, flipping the meat with his customized tongs. Seohan was by the little foldable table set up, tossing salad.

Jeonghan sat on a patio chair, nursing a bottle of chilled beer, watching his niece chase after a butterfly. He felt relaxed, having avoided any Mr. Choi-related heart palpitations for almost thirty-six hours.

“You’re quiet today,” Seohan said as she slid a plate of grilled mushrooms onto the table.

Jeonghan hummed, taking a sip of the beer. “Just thinking.”

“About Seungcheol?” she smirked, a hand on her hip.

Jeonghan choked, “No! About Jiyu!”

“What about her?”

Jeonghan laughed quietly, “She said she went on the worst date ever with the most boring man on earth.”

Seohan’s eyes lit up at the mention of gossip. “Ooh, spill!” She said as she grabbed a chair and sat down next to him—Seoyu scampering over and climbing her lap.

Jeonghan chuckled, repeating the highlights of the group chat—the leopard print, the "LinkedIn profile" personality, the lack of movie knowledge, and the absolute disaster of a conversation.

“I feel bad for her. She rarely gets days off, and she spent one on a blind date with an absolute bore. Tragic.”

Hajun, who had been listening, chimed in, “Maybe he’s just busy, man. Some guys spend their whole lives working and forget to have fun.”

Jeonghan got up and walked over to Hajun, leaning in closer. “Aw, don’t worry, hyung. You’re not one of them,” he said, tilting his head to the side.

“Careful,” Seohan cocked an eyebrow.

Jeonghan laughed in faux-innocence. “What? I’m just saying. My Hajun-ie hyung is a rather exquisite man.”

Hajun chuckled, “Okay, okay. You’re gonna get me divorced before lunch.”

Seohan squinted at him, “You’re disgusting,” she said and threw a piece of corn at him, completely missing.

“I am just being friendly,” Jeonghan defended, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

“Well, our friendly little brother, take a seat. Food is ready.” Hajun said as he took the meat off the grill onto a plate.

Chapter Text

The morning air was crisp, with just the right amount of warmth. Seungcheol had woken up feeling quite refreshed after last night’s disaster. He had managed to start his morning right—made breakfast, packed lunch boxes, and even got to organizing the kitchen counter a little. He felt… functional.

As he pulled up at the kindergarten, he reached to grab the paper bag with the green hoodie, washed and folded neatly. Seeing it made his heart feel lighter—the memory of Teacher Jeonghan made him feel lighter. After all, he had been the first person in a while to make him feel like he’s more than just an anxious, single dad.

He walked through the gate, his stride chipper today, Yujun skipping beside him while holding his hand. He saw Teacher Jeonghan at first glance. He was standing by the hallway, greeting parents and children, his smile as warm as sunshine. Seungcheol also noticed the way Jeonghan’s cardigan sleeves swallowed half his palms, making him look softer and warmer.

Seungcheol felt his mood lift instantly.

“Good morning, Teacher Jeonghan,” he greeted with a genuine smile.

Jeonghan looked up, his heart skipping a beat. “Mr. Choi! You look refreshed,” he smiled back.

Seungcheol hummed, “Nothing a good night’s sleep can’t fix.”

He held out the paper bag. “Thank you for letting me borrow this.”

“Anytime,” Jeonghan almost stuttered, feeling his ears turn pink.

Seungcheol bent down to kiss the top of Yujun’s head. “Have a nice day, buddy.”

Yujun grinned back, “You too, Papa!” he said before dashing inside the classroom.

“I’ll see you at pick-up, Teacher Jeonghan,” Seungcheol said and bowed politely.

“O–okay, see ya…” Jeonghan stuttered as he bowed back.

His jaw dropped just when Seungcheol turned around. He felt his knees getting weak at the sight of this new, confident Mr. Choi. Not that he didn’t like him before; he found Mr. Choi’s awkwardness and clumsiness rather endearing. But this felt like a different beast.

The rest of the morning had gone similarly to any other day, Jeonghan trying to keep Mr. Choi out of his mind. He managed to get through circle time, lessons and even lunch break—the time when kids are at their most feral.

He only really got to breathe properly during play time. The kids dashed through the playground giggling. Some were on the swings, some on the slides, or some in the sandbox.

Seoyu, Yujun, and Jaehyun had taken over the sandbox completely, making their own sandcastles for their kingdoms.

“Look! It’s so tall! Like Daddy!” Jaehyun said as he pointed at his tall, yet lopsided castle.

Yujun looked over, “It will fall!”

“Don’t say that!” Jaehyun frowned.

Seoyu, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke up with the seriousness of a CEO.

“Uncle Jeonghan told Mama something…”

Both the boys perked up. “What?” they said in unison.

Seoyu leaned in closer, whispering like it was top secret. “Uncle Jeonghan said Aunty Jiyu went on a playdate with a boring boy. He said boring boys should stay home.”

They listened intently. “She said he didn’t watch movies.” Seoyu frowned.

“No movies? But movies are the best!” Jaehyun said as his little eyebrows furrowed.

“Yujun-ie, do you like movies?” He asked.

Yujun nodded, “I like ‘How To Train Your Dragon.’”

Jaehyun gasped, “That’s nice! I like Cars!” he said as he continued digging into the sand.

“Seoyu? Favourite movie?” Yujun asked.

“Lilo & Stitch.”

Their eyes lit up, “Mine too!” Yujun said.

“Yeah, I like!” Jaehyun agreed.

The conversation kept drifting to various other things, all three of them having forgotten about Aunty Jiyu’s boring date.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

7:34 p.m

The kitchen was warm with the scent of freshly cooked food. Seungcheol and Yujun sat at the dining table, having dinner like they do every day, Seungcheol occasionally deboning the fish for Yujun.

Seungcheol felt at peace—office hours were relatively relaxed, he had cleared his inbox, finished the deck for tomorrow’s presentation, and meal prepped lunch.

“Papa,” Yujun called out.

“Yeah, buddy?” Seungcheol answered.

Yujun fiddled with the chopsticks. “Seoyu, Jaehyun-ie, and I made sand castles today.”

Seungcheol looked up from his bowl. “Yeah?”

Yujun nodded, “Jaehyun’s sand castle fell. Too tall.”

“Then what did you do?”

Yujun frowned, “He cried. So we helped him make it again.”

Seungcheol smiled, “That’s nice. You like him a lot?”

“Yes!” Yujun smiled, “Jaehyun is silly, like a puppy.” he giggled.

Seungcheol couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh. He thought about inviting Jaehyun to the next playdate, but three kids at once would probably kill him.

“Oh! Also—” Yujun perked up. “Seoyu told us a story!”

Seungcheol waited for him to continue.

“Teacher Jeonhan told Aunty Seohan that Aunty Jiyu went on a playdate with a boring boy,” Yujun said casually.

Seungcheol froze. The smile on his face didn’t just disappear—it withered away.

Blind date. Lee Jiyu. Bad night.

Yujun continued, “She said the boy didn’t like movies. Teacher said boring boys should stay home.”

The silence that rushed in with the memories was deafening. He could hear his heart thumping inside his chest. The events of last night—the awkward silences, the way Jiyu had looked at him, his guilt of wasting her night.

“Papa, what happened?” Yujun asked, bringing him out of his trance.

Seungcheol cleared his throat, “Nothing, bud.” He forced a weak smile.

His appetite died instantly, his stomach churning with anxiety. He couldn’t get up and leave; that would alarm Yujun. So he stayed, pretending to eat, chest tightening with every minute.

Yujun looked up, “Not eating?”

“Uh, I’m full,” He said as he got up to clear his plate. “Tell me if you want more rice,” Seungcheol said as he busied himself at the sink, washing the dishes to keep himself busy.

“Okay…” Yujun mumbled, slightly confused at the sudden change.

Later that night, he lay in bed after finally putting Yujun to sleep. He couldn’t sleep, so he kept twisting and turning in his bed, blankly staring at the ceiling in the dark. He felt a dull ache bloom in his chest, the feeling of his heart dropping low.

Boring boys should stay home.

The words echoed in his skull, layered over the memory of Jeonghan’s smile from that morning. He thought about the way Jeonghan had looked at him with warmth in his eyes. A lump formed in his throat; he couldn’t picture Teacher Jeonghan saying such words.

Seungcheol felt like an imposter in his own body.

He turned to his side, clutching the pillow tightly. All his confidence melted away, instantly filling him with the cold horrors of the same anxiety from a few days ago—just much, much worse.

He grabbed his phone and sent Mingyu a quick text, asking him to drop Yujun off tomorrow. He exhaled through his nose—so pathetic, he thought. He was avoiding the teacher because of something he said to his friend, not even knowing that the man he was talking about was Seungcheol himself.

The same man who offered him a hoodie and snacks yesterday thought that Seungcheol was boring.

To put it like that, that Jeonghan simply thought Seungcheol was boring felt like such a shallow thing for him to be sad over, but he couldn't help it.

Maybe they were right—the people who had been too quick to judge him. Maybe he is just an anxious, exhausted father with no hobbies, no interests, no personality.

He’s just boring.

Chapter Text

9:16 a.m

Jeonghan had started class with circle time. Kids sat surrounding him, sharing things they wanted to. But Jeonghan’s eyes kept glancing towards the door. Yujun wasn’t here—which was concerning since Mr. Choi was never late.

As he continued listening to Jaehyun talk about why Daddy slept on the couch last night, he heard Yujun’s voice from the hallway. He shot up quickly, excusing himself from the kids.

He walked out of the classroom with a huge smile he couldn't suppress, expecting to see Mr. Choi finally. His smile dropped instantly when he saw Yujun standing next to another man who was crouching.

The man looked up, a smirk forming on his face. He was tall—annoyingly so. His dark hair looked like he had styled it by merely running his hand through it hastily—yet it worked, somehow.

A blue hoodie hung off his broad shoulders—zipped halfway up to his chest, a peek of his white tank top visible. Confidence radiated off him in a way that instantly annoyed Jeonghan.

“Well, hello there. You’re the teacher?” he asked.

Jeonghan almost rolled his eyes with disappointment, “Yes. And you are?”

“Kim Mingyu,” he said and walked closer, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

Jeonghan forced a polite smile. “Okay, but I meant, are you Yujun’s guardian for today?”

“Oh, I’m his uncle. Seungcheol’s best friend.”

Jeonghan held out his hand to Yujun, “Go in, Yujun-ah. Circle time has started.”

Yujun nodded. He looked back at Mingyu, “Bye, Uncle Mingyu!”

“Bye-Bye Yujun-ie!” Mingyu smiled as Yujun scampered away.

Jeonghan cleared his throat. “Mr. Kim, you’re late. Is everything okay?” He hesitated before adding, “And uh— what happened to Mr. Choi?”

“You can just call me Mingyu, no need for formalities.” Mingyu winked. “And Cheol Hyung asked me to drop him off.”

Jeonghan wanted to slap that smug smile off him, but for the sake of his professionalism, he resorted to ignoring Mingyu’s previous comment.

“He talks about you a lot, you know,” Mingyu continued.

Jeonghan’s heart stuttered, “He does?”

“Oh, yeah. He says how good you are with Yujun. And you gave him your hoodie.”

Jeonghan almost broke his poker face. “Yeah, that happened…” he muttered.

“He never mentioned your name, though.”

Jeonghan felt as if his leaping heart had deflated. “It’s Yoon Jeonghan.”

Mingyu hummed, taking a step to Jeonghan’s left, “Yoon Jeonghan. Now that I know your name, may I also know your phone number?”

Jeonghan’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

Mingyu held up his hands defensively, “I mean, if you’re single.”

Jeonghan scoffed, “This is highly unprofessional, Mr. Kim. I need to get back to my class.” He bowed, and before Mingyu could get in another word, he turned around and walked away.

He grumbled to himself as he sat down, “The audacity some men have…”

Jeonghan stayed distracted the whole morning—wondering whether he’d see Mr. Choi at pick-up. Every time Mingyu’s face flashed in his head, he felt himself get irrationally irritated—he even thought about reporting his behaviour to Mr. Choi, but that wouldn’t be as much reporting as snitching. And he was not going to snitch. He is a grown man. So he just sucked it up.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

It was almost lunch time. Seungcheol stared at the spreadsheet on his monitor. He had been looking at the same cell for over five minutes—completely zoned out. He had been trying to ignore last night’s events the best he could, but failed every time. He sighed as he smashed the keyboard in frustration.

“Woah, calm down,” Wonwoo said as he turned in his chair.

Seungcheol deleted the gibberish his smash typed into the cell. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Wonwoo observed him quietly—Seungcheol’s hair was a mess, his tie askew, the sleeves of his shirt hastily rolled up.

“Hyung…” Wonwoo called out cautiously. “Take a break. It’s lunch time.”

“You go ahead, I’ll be there in a second,” Seungcheol said, his gaze never leaving the screen.

Wonwoo folded his arms against his chest. “I’m not going without you.”

“Fine,” Seungcheol grumbled and shut his laptop. He got up from his chair and followed Wonwoo to the cafeteria.

Wonwoo grabbed a plate as he waited in line for lunch, Seungcheol standing behind him. Wonwoo turned around to face him. “You didn’t bring lunch today?”

“Didn’t feel like it.”

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at him, “Okay. You’ve been acting like a zombie since the morning. You literally look so dead right now. The bags under your eyes are begging for some concealer.”

Seungcheol scoffed, “Jesus, get off my back.”

“No. Something is clearly wrong, and you refuse to tell me.” Wonwoo said as he moved ahead in the line, scooping rice into his bowl.

“Nothing is wrong,” Seungcheol insisted.

“Bullshit.”

Seungcheol grabbed the bowl of stew and placed it on his plate. “Do I need to tell you everything? I am a grown-ass man,” he grumbled.

He followed Wonwoo to a table and pulled out a chair before sitting down across from him.

“You being a grown-ass man does not equal emotional regulation, apparently.”

“Oh my god!” Seungcheol groaned as he slammed the chopstick down. “Can we just not talk about it?”

“Fine,” Wonwoo said as he took a bite of rice. “Don’t talk.” He stared at his plate, his eyebrows knitting together in annoyance.

Seungcheol picked up his phone to distract himself, only to see a chain of texts from Mingyu from hours ago.

Mingyu:
Drop-off went great
also.
jeonghan is so pretty

Seungcheol felt his heart drop. He shook the feeling away and replied.

Seungcheol:
did you harass him?

Mingyu responded immediately.

Mingyu:
NO??
what do you think i am

Seungcheol:
someone who doesn’t understand boundaries

Mingyu:
ouch
he rejected me anyway

Seungcheol:
so you asked him out?
the first time you met him…

Mingyu:
just his number

Seungcheol:
you’re unbelievable

Mingyu:
i’d ruin my credit score for him

Seungcheol turned his phone off and threw it on the table.

Wonwoo looked up.

“What?” he asked. “Oh wait, you’re a grown-ass man. You don't have to tell me,” he added.

“Wonwoo,” Seungcheol warned.

Wonwoo shrugged and continued eating.

The two ate lunch in silence—not a comfortable one for the first time. Seungcheol hurried as he needed to pick Yujun up.

“I’m heading out, gotta pick up Yujun,” Seungcheol said as he stood up.

Wonwoo hummed without looking up, slowly scooping soup into his spoon. Seungcheol watched him for a moment, expecting him to look up. Seungcheol sighed; Wonwoo didn’t look up. He grabbed his plate and left.

When Seungcheol pulled up at the kindergarten, he sat still in his seat for a while. He could feel his chest tightening, which only made him feel even more stupid.

“Stop being a fucking idiot,” he murmured to himself.

He pushed the door open and got out, walking through the gates. He spotted Jeonghan from far away, talking to another parent. He kept his gaze low as he neared where he was standing.

Yujun saw him first as he sprinted towards him.

“Papa! You're here!” Yujun said as he ran into his arms, Seungcheol picking him up in one swift move.

“Hey, buddy.” Seungcheol smiled, his mood lifting. “How was your day?”

“Good! Teacher taught poems!” Yujun smiled big.

“That’s great. Recite it for me later?”

Yujun nodded and wiggled out of his hold.

“Mr. Choi!” Seungcheol looked up to see Jeonghan smiling at him. Seungcheol grew nervous but managed to mask it.

“Hello.” he gave a tight-lipped smile.

“You weren’t at the drop-off. Is everything okay?” He asked. Seungcheol noticed the pink tint of his cheeks—which may have distracted him a little from the fact that he is a little mad.

“Yeah, I had an early meeting,” he said.

“Ah…” Jeonghan nodded. “So, uh– I’ll see you tomorrow at drop-off?” he asked, his eyes gleaming.

Seungcheol looked away. “Yep,” he nodded curtly.

“Let’s go,” he said as he looked down at Yujun, holding out his hand.

Seungcheol almost turned around before he gathered the confidence to say something more.

“Oh, by the way—” he started. “Say ‘hi’ to Jiyu from me. Also, tell her I’m not boring,” he said coolly, but his hands shook.

Jeonghan’s smile slowly faded as horror took over. “Wait, what…” he muttered, trying to connect the dots.

Seungcheol shrugged, “You know, the date.”

“Oh my god,” Jeonghan whispered, utterly mortified. “That—that was you?”

“Mhm,”

Jeonghan’s hands came up to cover his mouth, his eyes widening. “Mr. Choi, I am so sorry. I—I didn’t know it was you—” he stuttered.

Seungcheol looked down at the ground, a small smile on his face. “So you wouldn’t have said that if you knew it was me?” he asked, feeling a little lighter after seeing how horrified Jeonghan looked.

“No! Of course not! Mr. Choi, I am so sorry! You’re not boring!” he said as he frantically bowed to convey just how sorry he was.

“I’m not? Then why did you say that to Seohan?”

Jeonghan spluttered, feeling small under Seungcheol’s gaze. “That was purely from Jiyu’s description of the date! But—but, she’s boring-adjacent herself, so what does she know?” he chuckled nervously.

Seungcheol huffed out a small laugh, “Really? I thought she was pretty great, even if the feelings aren’t mutual.”

Jeonghan’s eyes dimmed. “Yeah… she’s great,” he muttered, his face red as a tomato. “Once again, I am so sorry, Mr. Choi,” he said and bowed one last time.

“It's alright. You can stop apologising now.”

Jeonghan straightened up, unable to meet his eyes. “Right. Sorry…”

Seungcheol cocked an eyebrow at him. “See you tomorrow, Teacher Jeonghan,” he said with a nod.

“See you…”

The moment Seungcheol sat in the driver’s seat after strapping Yujun in, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Oh my god…” he muttered, looking down at his shaking hands. His heart pounded hard against his ribs, and his face grew hotter, fogging up his glasses.

That was the hardest thing he’d done in a long time. He felt proud of himself.

Chapter Text

Jeonghan didn’t wait at the staff room to prepare tomorrow’s day, or to pass time with Myeongho. He shoved his belongings in his bag and speed walked out of the building.

Pick-up had gone horribly. This was the worst day of his life, putting the day he accidentally shaved his eyebrows at number two.

He couldn’t believe that Mr. Choi had confronted him like that. No–he couldn’t believe that the person Jiyu went on a blind date and had called boring was Mr. Choi of all people.

He had frozen when Mr. Choi confronted him, he felt sick—like his heart dropped so low it got digested in his stomach.

And then came the guilt. Embarrassment was something Jeonghan could overcome. But guilt? That feeling ate him alive—especially since it concerned Mr. Choi.

He had called the same man boring, a LinkedIn profile, even—the man he had been shamelessly, and pathetically daydreaming over.

He needed to vent. So he rushed to Jiyu’s apartment.

Jeonghan frantically knocked—nay, banged on the door.

“Jiyu! Lee Jiyu, open the fucking door!”

He heard some grumbling from inside before the door swung open. A very cranky Jiyu greeted him. She was in her pyjamas, her hair an absolute mess.

“This better be fucking important or else I’m roasting you on Hajun’s grill next Sunday.”

Jeonghan shoved past her and into the living room, pacing around the couch.

“Speak up!” Jiyu screamed impatiently.

Jeonghan stopped pacing and faced her. “I need to talk to you about the blind date from last week.”

Jiyu’s lips curved downwards, “The boring finance bro?”

Jeonghan’s eyes widened as he grabbed Jiyu’s shoulders, shaking her.

“Yes!”

Jiyu shoved him back. “What about him?”

Jeonghan’s hands flew in the air frantically. “That was Mint Choco!”

“Wait, what?” Jiyu’s eyes widened.

Jeonghan started pacing again. “That’s not the worst part! He somehow found out we gossiped about him! That we called him boring!”

Jiyu winced, “Oh, shit. That’s not good.”

“Not good?” Jeonghan shrieked. “This is a horror story! Jiyu he looked so…so fucking hurt? I feel horrible.” he said as he flung himself on the couch, holding his head in his hands.

Jiyu sat down beside him, her hand on his shoulder. “What did he say?”

“He just… brushed it off casually. But I could tell he was so hurt…” Jeonghan’s voice grew smaller as the guilt consumed him harder.

“He said—” Jeonghan chuckled sheepishly. “He said ‘say hi to your friend from me. And that I’m not boring.’”

Jiyu rubbed his back, “I feel bad…”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Jeonghan scoffed. “I apologised so hard. I think he might just forgive me. God, I don't deserve it.”

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t spiral.”

Jeonghan turned to face her. “That just destroyed the 0.09 percent possibility of anything ever happening between us.”

“There was no possibility to begin with… That man is straight as a pole.”

Jeonghan squinted at her. “So much for comfort.”

“I’m just helping you from spiralling.” Jiyu shrugged.

Jeonghan sighed and went quiet. The room embraced the silence for a moment.

“Wait—” Jeonghan straightened up. “Wait, didn’t you say the guy who set you up was Mingyu?”

Jiyu nodded. “Yes, the dumbass who petted the dog too hard.”

“Oh my god,” Jeonghan whispered as he slowly stood up. “I met him today!”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Jiyu deadpanned.

Jeonghan grimaced, “Yeah, he hit on me.”

“He hit on me too before setting me up on that blind date,” Jiyu scoffed.

“He asked for my number at the kindergarten.”

Jiyu raised her eyebrows. “He asked me for mine while I was examining his shoulder.”

Both of them groaned.

“This isn’t about him. This is about Mr. Choi.” Jeonghan said firmly. “And I need you to apologize to him.”

Jiyu’s eyes widened. “What? Me?”

“Yes, you! You started it all,” Jeonghan shrieked.

Jiyu sighed, feeling guilty. “Fuck, fine. I’ll drop him a text.”

“You really like him, huh?” her tone softened.

Jeonghan nodded slowly, looking down at his hands. “Yeah. I think so.”

Jiyu stared at him for a moment before reaching out and squeezing his shoulder.

“You’re so fucked.”

“I know.”

The two sat in silence for a while before Jiyu proposed watching a movie to distract him. She put on Bridget Jones’s Diary and brought out a huge bowl of popcorn.

“I think he hates me,” Jeonghan said.

“Mhm,” Jiyu hummed, her eyes glued to the screen where Hugh Grant just appeared.

“He's gonna think I'm an asshole,” Jeonghan slid down on the couch.

“Probably.”

“Jiyu!” he screamed.

“Shush, watch the movie. It'll distract you!”

The movie did not in fact distract him the way she had hoped because all Jeonghan could think of was how he had fucked up with Mr. Choi.

“TURN THIS OFF?” Jeonghan shrieked even though they were more than halfway through the movie.

The bowl of popcorn went flying from Jiyu’s hands as she got startled by him. “Dude! Why?”

Jeonghan glared at her. “Bridget writes mean stuff about Mark Darcy in her diary. He finds out. Humiliation ensues.” he counted on his fingers. “Sound familiar?”

Jiyu stared at him, still eating the popcorn completely unbothered.

Jeonghan flailed his arms in frustration. “I LITERALLY TALKED SHIT ABOUT MR. CHOI AND HE FOUND OUT AND NOW I AM HUMILIATED.”

“Ah, right,” she said as a matter of fact.

Jeonghan shot her an offended look and got up. “I am going home. I just wanna be alone.”

Jiyu put the bowl down and got up as well. “But you hate being alone with your thoughts.”

“Well, sometimes you need to do things you don't like in order to grow.”

“Wow,” Jiyu raised her eyebrows at him. “That was surprisingly insightful.”

Jeonghan grumbled before grabbing his bag. “Shut up.”

“Hey, text me if your mind gets too loud.” She said and pulled him in a hug.

“Yeah, I know. I will.” he said and hugged her back.

The rest of the evening, he spent in his apartment alone. Everytime he tried not to think about Mr. Choi, he failed spectacularly. And everytime he remembered the apology, he wanted to throw himself into the Han river.

Eventually, he got tired from rolling around in his bed and screaming into his pillow and fell asleep.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

8:15 p.m

Seungcheol regretted introducing Yujun to movie trailers. Because now, Yujun had made it his mission to go see the full movie.

“Papa, ‘The Sheep Detectives’ is playing.” Yujun brought it up again during dinner.

“Okay,” Seungcheol replied thoughtfully. Yujun had been talking about this movie non stop ever since he saw the trailer, literally the same afternoon.

Apparently sheep solved crimes now. Seungcheol wasn't sure. The trailer had shown a flock of talking sheep who occasionally climbed each other to look through the window. Smart.

“Do you wanna watch it?” Seungcheol asked.

Yujun’s eyes lit up, “Yes!”

“Alright, we can go this Sunday,” Seungcheol chuckled.

“I know. I invited Seoyu and Jaehyun.” Yujun said with a huge smile.

Seungcheol’s chopsticks stopped midway to his mouth. Yujun already knew he would say yes, so he invited his friends already. He scoffed softly while Yujun continued munching on his rice.

“I see…” he muttered.

Yujun nodded without looking up from his plate.

Seungcheol stared at him. Handling one child—his own child was a piece of cake. Handling Yujun and Seoyu was somewhat manageable to him by now.

But handling three kids, one of whom was Yang Jaehyun? His mind wandered to all the stories Yujun had brought home about Jaehyun.

The same Jaehyun who cried when his sandcastle collapsed.

The same Jaehyun who insisted only bunnies lived on the moon to make rice cakes.

The same Jaehyun who exposed his parents’ personal lives during circle time.

Seungcheol put his chopsticks down. “Yujun,” he called out.

“Mhm?”

“Does Jaehyun’s mom know?”

Yujun looked up, thinking for a moment before shrugging. “Maybe, Jaehyun said yes.”

“Oh, god,” Seungcheol muttered. “I'll talk to his mom tomorrow then.”

“His Daddy will come tomorrow.”

Seungcheol sighed, “Then I'll talk to his Daddy.”

Yujun nodded, feeling satisfied with the arrangement.

Meanwhile, Seungcheol felt considerably less satisfied. He had never met Jaehyun, or his parents.

Hopefully the apple had fallen far from the tree.

So, the next day at pick-up, Seungcheol decided he'd catch Jaehyun’s father and talk about the movie.

Yujun pointed at a man, “Papa, look! Jaehyun-ie and his Daddy!”

Seungcheol looked in the direction of where Yujun had pointed. He noticed Jaehyun first, the kid had wildly messy hair— in a fluffy way, his bangs almost covered his eyes. He wore a Spider-Man t-shirt, which was scribbled on with what seungcheol assumed was a colored pen.

He glanced up at the father—the man was taller than average, his hair looked the same as his son’s, just tamed slightly better. He was also dressed better than anyone around.

Seungcheol noticed their interaction—Jaehyun was gesturing with hands animatedly while his father gave reactions just as animated.

“Let's go say hi,” Seungcheol said as he started walking over to them, Yujin following behind.

Seungcheol felt his heart picking up its pace, he zoned out the feeling easily. He already expected himself to get anxious while approaching a new person.

“Hello,” he managed to say casually.

Jaehyun looked up first and squealed, “You’re Yujun-ie’s Papa! Hello!” he bowed.

Seungcheol didn't expect the kid to be so polite. That put him at ease.

“Hi,” Jaehyun’s dad smiled. “Yang Seungjae. I've heard a lot about your son.”

“So have I,” Seungcheol said. “I mean, about your son. not mine…”

Seungjae laughed, “Yeah, man. I got that.”

Seungcheol chuckled nervously, already forgetting what he was supposed to say.

Yujun tugged at his sleeve. “Movie,” he muttered.

“Ah, right. Yujun has been asking to go watch the new sheep movie—”

“The Sheep Detectives?” Seungjae's eyes lit up.

Seungcheol stared at him blankly for a moment. “Uh, yeah. That one.

“Yujun said he invited Jaehyun and Seoyu, so. I wanted to check with you.”

“Wait, so you mean—” Seungjae started in a lower voice. “You wanna take my kid to go watch a movie?”

Seungcheol felt his pulse speed up. “I mean— if that's okay with you! He's Yujun’s friend and he really wants Jaehyun to come.”

“Take him.” Seungjae looked right into his eyes. “Take him if that means I get one free afternoon.”

Seungcheol nervously shifted from one foot to another. “You sure?”

“Yes, please.”

“O—okay. Um, it's on Sunday…” Seungcheol muttered.

“Even better!” The man’s eyes lit up brighter.

Seungcheol pulled out his phone. “If you could—” he fumbled with his contacts app before opening the dial pad and handing it to Seungjae.

Seungjae took his phone and typed in his number. “Text me the deets. I'll send you our address.”

Seungcheol took the phone back before saving his number. “Alright, will do.”

“Thanks, man,” Seungjae said and patted his shoulder once. “See you ‘round!”

“Bye-bye Jaehyun-ie!” Yujun waves to the kid.

Jaehyun waved back, smiling big.

Chapter Text

The rest of Seungcheol’s week had brought him many surprises. He was not expecting to get an apology text from Lee Jiyu—he assumed Jeonghan had talked to her about it. He couldn’t help but laugh at how panicked the teacher had been since that day.

Jeonghan had greeted him politely, respectfully; he even bowed a complete ninety degrees. Seungcheol felt a little awkward about it because the two had somewhat formed a casual friendship, and now it was all going backwards.

He also got over Jeonghan’s ‘boring’ comment—well, kind of. It still stung that Jeonghan thought he was boring, but then again, many people thought the same.

So, when Sunday finally arrived, he was feeling better. Sunday mornings were supposed to be relaxing. But Seungcheol should have known better.

It was barely 9 a.m. when Yujun sat at the door putting his shoes on.

“Yujun-ah… what are you doing?” he called out from the kitchen while sipping coffee.

Yujun looked up from his sparkly shoes. “The movie! You forgot?”

“It's five hours away. Remove your shoes and eat breakfast.”

Yujun stomped his foot. “No! I'll eat popcorn!”

Seungcheol put his rare strict mode on. “Choi Yujun. Breakfast, or no movie,” he said sternly.

Yujun pouted before kicking his shoes off and climbing onto the chair.

Yujun kicked off his feet and grumbled on his way to the kitchen. Seungcheol took the eggs off the pan and served them on Yujun’s plate along with some fruit.

While Yujun begrudgingly had breakfast, Seungcheol unlocked his phone to send a quick text to Seohan and Seungjae. He had already created a group chat with the two and also asked Seohan to come along with him so that he wouldn’t accidentally lose a kid—or his sanity.

Seungcheol:
still on for today right?

Seohan:
yep 😀

Seungjae:
yessss

Seungcheol reacted to their replies with a thumbs-up emoji and locked his phone. Jaehyun’s father seemed very…enthusiastic about sending him away. Seungcheol wondered why that was so—he could not imagine sending Yujun with another parent on a trip like this so casually. He would worry and ask to come along.

Seungcheol was on his way to pick up Jaehyun first. When he pulled over, he saw Seungjae and Jaehyun standing outside, waiting for him. He got out of the car to help Seungjae with the booster seat.

He stopped in his tracks when he looked at Jaehyun—the kid was wearing a T-shirt with a sheep on it; the wool was textured. In addition, he was wearing a sheep headband.

“Wow,” Seungcheol chuckled fondly. “Aren’t you dressed for the theme?”

Jaehyun giggled and reached for his tiny backpack. “I got one for Yujun-ie and Seoyu.”

Seungcheol’s heart melted at how thoughtful he was. “You’ve got a sweet kid,” he said to Seungjae.

Seungjae snorted. “Yeah? Wait till you find out.”

Seungcheol didn’t understand what Seungjae meant by that. So he ignored it and locked in the booster seat next to Yujun.

Just as Jaehyun was about to climb in, Seungjae pulled him aside and crouched in front of him.

“Be good, okay? Listen to Uncle Seungcheol,” he said while pushing back Jaehyun’s messy hair out of his eyes.

“Oh, and—” Seungjae looked up at Seungcheol. “If he asks for a slushy, do not give him that.”

Jaehyun whined. “But why?”

Seungjae squinted at him. “You know what you did.”

Jaehyun huffed.

Seungjae kissed his forehead. “Now go. Have fun!”

“Bye-Bye Daddy,” Jaehyun waved before climbing into the car, already chattering with Yujun—who had been jumping in his seat ever since they halted. Seungcheol fastened the seatbelt on Jaehyun before closing the door.

He exchanged goodbyes with Seungjae.

“Good luck,” Seungjae said to Seungcheol. He did not understand why he was being wished good luck.

The next stop was Seohan’s house. Seohan and Seoyu were standing by the gate.

He got out of the car to set up Seoyu’s seat.

“Hello,” he greeted Seohan.

Seohan smiled at him—bigger than usual. Seungcheol noticed her clothes; she was still in pajamas.

He hesitated before asking about it; he didn’t want to seem judgmental. “You’re… coming in pajamas?”

“Ah, about that—” She clapped her hands together. “Due to an unforeseen event, I find myself unable to accompany you to the cinema.”

Seungcheol eyed her suspiciously. She only ever spoke so formally when she was up to something.

“Seohan, how am I going to handle three kids all by myself?”

Seohan giggled. “Who says you’re going alone?”

“Uh huh… what are you planning?” he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Jeonghan, come on out here!” She turned back and called out.

Seungcheol froze.

“Seohan—”

“Ah-ah-ah, you’re right, you can't handle three kids alone. So take a professional.” She grinned.

Jeonghan walked out slowly, looking down at his shoes.

Seungcheol felt his soul leave his body. Why would she do such a thing?

Jeonghan stood beside her and bowed to him. “Hello. I hope you don’t mind me coming.”

“Of course he doesn’t!” Seohan slapped his back, making him stumble forward and into Seungcheol’s chest. Seungcheol caught him instinctively.

“I’m so sorry— I lost balance!” he sputtered and turned back to glare at his sister. “You pushed me!”

Seohan hummed. “Did I?”

“Yes!”

Seohan grinned evilly. “Can you prove it?”

Jeonghan looked like he wanted to disappear into thin air.

“Uncle! Let’s go!” Seoyu said while tugging at his sleeve.

“Right…” Jeonghan muttered and looked up at Seungcheol.

Seungcheol’s mind short-circuited—he forgot what he was going to do.

“Here—” Seohan said and opened the car door to fasten Seoyu’s booster seat. “Get in.”

Seoyu climbed in, the kids chattering once again.

“Have fun, kiddos!” Seohan said to them and closed the door. “You two—” she called out to Seungcheol and Jeonghan, making them straighten up.

“Have fun. Don’t forget to look after the kids. Don’t lose my gremlin daughter.” She smiled.

“Ciao.” She waved them off.

Jeonghan looked up at Seungcheol the moment Seungcheol looked at him. They shifted their gaze sharply.

“Uh—You should get in,” Seungcheol said and opened the door to the passenger seat.

Jeonghan mumbled a ‘thank you’ and sat down. Seungcheol closed the door before walking around the car and getting into the driver’s seat.

The car ride was loud—the kids chattering, giggling and screaming excitedly. Jeonghan was already used to this chaos. Seungcheol was not.

The noise didn’t matter to him. He was too busy trying to behave normally in front of Jeonghan. He kept glancing beside him to check if Jeonghan was doing alright.

He noticed how Jeonghan’s green cardigan sleeves swallowed his palms. He couldn't help but chuckle.

“What?” Jeonghan asked.

“Huh?” Seungcheol’s thoughts returned to reality.

“You—you just laughed,” Jeonghan muttered.

Seungcheol’s eyes widened. “Nothing! Just—your sleeves cover your hands completely.”

“Oh…” Jeonghan looked down at his hands before pushing the sleeves up his forearms.

Seungcheol stuttered, “I mean—it's not bad! It looks cute—”

Jeonghan’s face turned red. He opened his mouth but said nothing.

“Sorry…” Seungcheol muttered.

Once again, Jeonghan kept quiet. He did not trust his voice at that moment, and he definitely could not afford more embarrassment.

Jaehyun giggled in the back seat. “Teacher, your ears are red!”

Jeonghan’s hands came up to cover his ears instinctively. Seungcheol’s grip on the wheel tightened as he stared ahead on the road.

“Papa! Your ears are red too!” Yujun gasped. All three of the kids burst into giggles.

“Mumma’s ears also become red when Daddy says into her ear,” Jaehyun added.

Jeonghan turned his head at the slightest to take a glance at Seungcheol—the poor man was still staring ahead without blinking, his hands gripping the steering wheel for dear life, and his ears were indeed pink.

“Why are you blushing…” Jeonghan mumbled.

Seungcheol’s gaze shifted between the road and Jeonghan frantically. “Uh—no, it's—it's just hot in here,” he replied.

Jeonghan looked at the AC vents blowing at full speed. “...the AC—”

“Ah—maybe it will rain; it's quite humid,” Seungcheol cut him off, chuckling awkwardly, cheeks pink.

Jeonghan looked down at his sleeve-covered hands, a small smile on his face. He didn’t speak further, nor did Seungcheol.

By the time they reached the theatre, there was no room for adult awkwardness; they were in complete babysitter mode. Jeonghan stood to the side with the kids while Seungcheol waited in line to grab popcorn and drinks.

They made their way into the theatre, Jeonghan guiding the children to their seats in the dark. The kids sat in between, with Seungcheol on one end and Jeonghan on the other.

Jaehyun then handed the sheep headbands to Seoyu and Yujun. And then pulled out two more, demanding Seungcheol and Jeonghan wear them too. So now Seungcheol was even more embarrassed, sitting in a full theatre, wearing sheep ears on his head at the ripe age of thirty-three.

“Seoyu, you will love the movie. The sheep talk!” Jaehyun said.

Seoyu nodded, “Sheep are my favourite.”

“I thought puppies were your favourite.” Yujun tilted his head in confusion.

Seoyu shrugged. “Sheep are farm dogs.”

Yujun and Jaehyun nodded like that made complete sense.

Seungcheol thought he would be tense throughout the movie. But to his surprise, he was rather invested in the movie. It was wholesome, friendly, and cute.

In the middle of the movie, he finally realised what Seungjae meant by ‘good luck.’

Exhibit A—“Teacher,” Jaehyun called out.

Jeonghan looked to his side. “Yes, Jaehyun?”

“Where can I get a sheep detective?” he asked innocently.

Jeonghan sighed; all he wanted to do was watch the movie. “At a farm.”

“If we go on a school trip, can we go to a farm?”

Jeonghan huffed out a laugh. “I’ll ask.”

Exhibit B—The popcorn mess. Jaehyun giggled too hard at the movie—popcorn rainfall. Jaehyun shifted even slightly in his seat—popcorn on his lap.

Exhibit C—the one that finally made sense of why Seungjae specifically warned him not to give the kid a slushy. Twenty minutes into the movie, Jaehyun said he had to pee. Then another thirty minutes later, bathroom again. He went a total of four times.

Exhibit D—the emotional meltdown. The kid was in complete tears when the climax happened. Crying, snot dripping down his nose, screaming “HE DID’T DESERVE IT.” at the screen.

Seungcheol comforted him, holding him on his lap and cleaning his nose with a tissue. He rubbed his back until he calmed down.

By the time they all exited the cinema hall, Jaehyun was jumping up and down to take photos with the movie poster and cardboard cutouts outside. One photo turned into ten—a solo photo, one with Seoyu, one with Yujun, one with Seoyu and Yujun together, one with Teacher Jeonghan, one with Uncle Seungcheol.

“Uncle! Teacher! One with you two together! I click!” Jaehyun said and made grabby hands for the phone.

Jeonghan hesitated. “There’s no need for that, Jaehyun-ah.”

“Uncle and Teacher are like Daddy and Mumma!” he said.

While Seungcheol and Jeonghan were busy processing what the hell Jaehyun just said, the kid grabbed the phone from Seungcheol’s hands and pushed them towards the cardboard cutouts.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan stood next to each other awkwardly. Seungcheol held up a thumb, both of them smiling awkwardly into the camera.

In the end, the little devil—as Seungcheol had learned Jaehyun was—had fallen asleep in the car looking like an angel. Yujun and Seoyu’s eyes were drooping with sleep too, so the car ride home was quieter than before.

“Mr. Choi…” Jeonghan said softly.

Seungcheol glanced to his side to look at him.

“Thank you for today. It was a fun trip,” he said.

Seungcheol smiled, his eyes now fixated on the road again. “I’m glad you did.”

A beat of silence.

“Am I still boring?” Seungcheol asked in a teasing voice with an underlying tone of nervousness.

Jeonghan sighed. He briefly closed his eyes as guilt washed over him. “Mr. Choi, I don’t think you’re boring,” he started.

Seungcheol waited for him to continue, glancing at him occasionally.

“I genuinely think you are one of the kindest people out there. I mean, you’re an amazing dad. You’re really kind to me too. You try so hard to do your best, but you overthink every interaction. And you—” he chuckled fondly. “You end up doing silly things sometimes. But I don’t think they are embarrassing. I find them rather charming, if I must admit.”

Seungcheol’s breath hitched. He couldn’t bring himself to turn his head and look at Jeonghan.

“I didn’t—I never thought you… noticed so much,” he admitted.

Seungcheol heard him smile. “I only notice the people I find interesting, Mr. Choi.”

Seungcheol’s lips curved into a small, shy smile. “I’ll believe you on that one, Teacher Jeonghan.”

By the time Seungcheol pulled up to Seohan’s house, Seoyu was fast asleep along with the boys. Seohan gently unbuckled the seatbelt and carried her in her arms.

“Thank you, Seungcheol-ah.” She smiled, rocking Seoyu in her arms. “Thanks to you too, Jeonghan-ah,” she added.

“Yeah…” Jeonghan muttered, looking down at the ground to hide the smile on his face. Seohan raised her eyebrows at him.

“Did you get your work done?” Seungcheol asked.

Seohan glanced at her brother, a smug smile on her face. “Oh yeah, successfully.”

Seungcheol nodded, completely clueless to the siblings’ unspoken conversation. “I’m glad.”

The next stop was Seungjae’s house. Seungjae was already waiting outside when he pulled up.

“How was it?” Seungjae asked with a grin.

“I understand now,” Seungcheol said with a tired, straight face.

Seungjae laughed. “The slushy thing?”

“The everything thing.”

Seungjae chuckled as he opened the door and unbuckled Jaehyun’s seatbelt.

“Thanks, man. Really.” Seungjae said as he held a sleepy Jaehyun in his arms.

“No problem.” Seungcheol nodded.

He bid him goodbye and got into the car. Now, the last stop before home was to drop Jeonghan off.

The ride was mostly quiet, Seungcheol and Jeonghan occasionally discussing the movie.

“That one part where the sheep crossed the road was so funny,” Jeonghan chuckled.

“I didn’t get to see that,” Seungcheol groaned. “I took Jaehyun to the bathroom.”

“The kids had fun,” Jeonghan said after a moment of silence—voice soft and tired.

Seungcheol hummed, a fond smile on his face. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Jeonghan unbuckled his seatbelt as Seungcheol pulled up outside his apartment complex. He got out of the car. Before closing the door, he leaned inside a little.

“Mr. Choi,” he called out.

“Yeah?”

“You should stop worrying so much about whether people like you.”

Seungcheol blinked.

“The people who do usually stick around a long time.” Jeonghan continued.

Seungcheol opened his mouth, but nothing came out. So he just smiled, a real one. “That’s a nice line. Thank you.”

For a moment, Jeonghan looked at Seungcheol fully, noticing the colour of Seungcheol’s eyes properly—they were a deep brown, the sides of his eyes drooping slightly from exhaustion. His eyelashes were thick and long, cloaking his eyes like a natural eyeliner.

“See you tomorrow, Mr. Choi.”

Seungcheol hummed, “See you, Teacher Jeonghan.”

Jeonghan closed the door and watched Seungcheol drive away.

Chapter Text

Jeonghan had been home for around an hour. He was curled up on the couch, replaying everything that happened that day—Seohan’s last-minute attack when she told him—not even asked, straight up told him he’s going to the movies with Mr. Choi. When he had asked her why he was going instead of her, she looked at him like he was stupid.

Clearly, Jeonghan had not asked for it, but Seohan had somehow taken it upon herself to become his wingwoman—not that he was complaining.

Jeonghan had been trying to figure out his feelings for Mr. Choi for days now. He was definitely sure that he liked him—he’s attracted to him, he thinks Mr. Choi is really charming in a strange way, and of course, sometimes you don’t need to pinpoint every small little thing that makes you like someone. Jeonghan simply liked him.

He liked it when Mr. Choi showed up at drop-offs and pick-ups; he liked to talk to him—even if it was just small talk— and he simply enjoyed being around him.

Jeonghan had not thought about anything beyond this—he couldn’t bring himself to. He’d felt as though imagining something beyond reality would be a violation of Mr. Choi’s boundaries.

The rush of excitement and gush was slowly coming down to sadness.

“Nothing could ever happen…” he muttered to himself—which was not a completely dumb presumption. The man he was currently crushing on was complicated. Jeonghan is not naive. He can tell Mr. Choi is closed off. Guarded. That was probably why the blind date with Jiyu was disastrous. He doesn’t do relationships.

Then he recalled when Jiyu had said there was never a chance of anything happening in the first place—Mr. Choi was painfully straight. Jeonghan chuckled to himself—a sad, hollow chuckle.

His mind wandered to Joshua.

Joshua was safe. There were no expectations, no feelings, no strings. And Jeonghan liked the comfort of it.

Suddenly, he sat up straighter. He checked the time on his phone—it was barely six in the evening. He didn’t even hesitate before he unlocked his phone and opened Joshua’s chat.

Jeonghan:
are u home?

He sent the text—he wasn’t thinking whether it was right or wrong; he wasn’t thinking anything at all.

Joshua replied quickly.

Joshua:
yea
wanna come over?

Jeonghan:
yes.

Within minutes, he was already at Joshua’s door. He knocked twice, and the door opened almost instantly.

Joshua was barefoot, wearing a hoodie—completely comfortable, his hair slightly damp from a shower. He blinked when he saw Jeonghan, before a smile spread across his face, warm and unhurried.

“Hey,” Joshua said. “You’re quick.”

Jeonghan didn’t answer. He stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, sudden and tight, burying his face in Joshua’s neck.

Joshua froze for half a second before relaxing, one and coming up to rest on Jeonghan’s back.

“You okay?” he asked gently.

Jeonghan exhaled. “Mm.”

Joshua picked him up slightly off the ground, turned him around so they were both inside the apartment, and closed the door.

“We don’t have to do anything if you’re tired,” Joshua said, leaning back just enough to look at him. “If you just want company that’s—”

“Josh,” Jeonghan interrupted, already annoyed.

He stops talking immediately. “Yeah?”

Jeonghan grabbed the front of his hoodie and pulled him into a kiss.

Joshua made a small, surprised noise against his lips before kissing him back—carefully at first. His hands stayed light, respectful, hovering around Jeonghan’s waist, as if waiting for permission.

He broke the kiss, his hand now resting on Jeonghan’s waist. “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

Jeonghan’s hands clutched Joshua’s hoodie tighter. “Shut up and kiss me.”

“Okay,” Joshua laughed softly against his lips before kissing him again—properly this time.

They stumbled into the bedroom together, almost knocking into furniture on their way. Joshua pushed him down on the bed before hovering above him and connecting their lips again, the kiss turning fervent and desperate. Jeonghan tugged at Joshua’s hoodie.

Jeonghan pulled away to catch his breath, his hands tangled in Joshua’s hair. Joshua pulled off his hoodie before he leaned down and pressed his forehead against his.

“You’re so beautiful,” he mumbled.

Jeonghan’s eyes wandered to his bare torso before he pressed his palms against his chest. “I need you. Now.”

And that’s all the permission Joshua needed.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

The cafe was unusually empty and quiet; the only sounds were the speakers faintly blasting songs and Jeonghan slurping his milkshake. Joshua sat across him with a satisfied grin.

“I might’ve gone too hard, sorry…” he said.

Jeonghan eyed him, the straw still against his lips. “Don’t lie, you’re not sorry at all.”

Joshua laughed. “Yeah, I am not.”

He pushed the plate of pasta towards Jeonghan. “Hence, dinner.”

“This is your way of compensating me?”

Joshua hummed. “Of course. You don’t eat properly unless it's being pushed down your throat.”

“Food isn’t the only thing you push down my throat.” Jeonghan snickered.

Joshua’s cheeks tinted pink. “Alright, cut it out.”

He watched Jeonghan scoop more pasta into his plate. There was nothing romantic about this dinner. No candles, no lingering looks. Just two adults eating together after recreational activities.

Joshua stood up. “Eat. I’ll get the bill.”

“You’re an angel,” Jeonghan said with a mouthful of pasta, sauce smeared on his lips.

Joshua chuckled before going up to the counter to pay.

Jeonghan did a little dance in his chair, enjoying the delicious food. He was mid-bite when he heard someone say his name.

“Jeonghan?”

Jeonghan looked up. He froze before rolling his eyes. “Mr. Kim.”

Mingyu grinned and walked over, leaning against the table. “Wow, fancy seeing you here, pretty.”

Jeonghan made a disgusted face. “What do you want?”

“A date.”

Jeonghan laughed sarcastically. “With that face?”

“Excuse me?” Mingyu straightened up, looking like he just got shot.

“Relax, the face is fine,” he said, making Mingyu visibly calm down. “It's your personality that’s repelling.”

“Most people like me!” he argued, clearly offended.

Jeonghan smiled, “You’re being lied to.”

Mingyu went quiet, his charisma washing away. “Cheol hyung was wrong. You’re not sweet; you’re really mean.”

“Congratulations, you can perceive reality.”

Mingyu’s shoulder slumped, his lips turning into a frown. “You’re rude…”

“And you’re delusional,” Jeonghan said and stood up. “Seriously, we’ve met once. Have some boundaries.”

Just then, Joshua returned, shoving the receipt in his pocket. “Let’s go.” He said. He hadn’t noticed Mingyu yet.

“Wait—” Mingyu stood up straight. “Hong Jisoo?”

Joshua looked up, a surprised smile spreading across his face. “Kim Mingyu!”

Jeonghan scowled. “You know this weirdo?” he asked Joshua.

“Weirdo? He’s an old friend! We went to college together!” Joshua said, walking over to Mingyu to hug him.

Mingyu hugged him back. “How do you know Jeonghan?”

“Uh—” Joshua laughed nervously. “We’re friends—”

Jeonghan cut him off. “—with benefits. You can try your luck somewhere else.” He said before wrapping a hand around Joshua's forearm.

Mingyu blinked, his eyes shifting between Jeonghan, Joshua, and their linked arms.

“How do you know Mingyu?” Joshua turned to Jeonghan.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes again. “He’s a kid’s guardian.”

Mingyu interjected. “I went to drop Yujun off once when Cheol hyung was busy.”

Joshua’s eyes widened in shock. “Yujun’s in kindergarten already? Gosh, they grow up so fast.”

Mingyu awed, “I know!”

“And how—” Joshua started before getting interrupted by a very annoyed Jeonghan.

“Josh? Can we leave?”

Mingyu made a small, hurt sound.

“What’s… going on?” Joshua asked, completely oblivious.

“He keeps hitting on me, and he’s extremely annoying.”

Mingyu gasped “And you’re mean as fuck! And a fake!”

Jeonghan scoffed, “Shut up, Mingus Dingus!”

“What did you just call me?” Mingyu’s eyes widened.

Joshua burst out laughing. “Mingus Dingus, that’s hilarious!”

Mingyu’s jaw dropped. “Whose side are you on?”

“Whoever is winning,” Joshua said, catching his breath from laughing so hard.

Mingyu’s eyebrows knit together in hurt. “Hyung, stop!” he whined.

“Okay, okay, I am sorry—” he said and tried to compose himself. “Jeonghan, stop being mean.”

Jeonghan folded his arms against his chest and huffed. “I wanna go home.”

Joshua gave Mingyu a small, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, man. He’s a little cranky from—”

“Josh!” Jeonghan smacked his shoulder.

“Sorry! I’ll text you, Gyu. Keep in touch!” Joshua managed to get the words out as Jeonghan dragged him away.

Mingyu stood there, blinking at them in confusion. His pout deepened, unable to believe that the teacher Seungcheol talks about so fondly is just an angry chihuahua in disguise. He left the cafe without eating anything—he was too sad to eat more garlic bread.

Chapter Text

Mingyu drove to Seungcheol’s place like a man on the run. This was not a text conversation; he needed to tell him about it in person. He was also upset about multiple things now—the teacher was a devil, an old friend was voluntarily sleeping with the said devil, and his appetite had died for his favourite garlic bread.

He rang the bell to Seungcheol’s apartment like a man possessed.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Seungcheol scowled as he opened the door.

Mingyu shoved past him into the living room, pacing around the couch. Yujun looked at him with wide eyes, alarmed by his energy.

“You are being deceived,” he said and looked Seungcheol in the eye.

Seungcheol’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’d appreciate some context.”

Mingyu ran a hand through his hair hastily. “The teacher! Yoon Jeonghan! He—He’s a devil!”

“What?” Seungcheol asked in utter confusion.

Mingyu walked up to Seungcheol and stood close. “He called me Mingus Dingus.”

Seungcheol stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing.

Mingyu’s eyes widened. “Stop laughing! This isn’t funny!”

“This is objectively hilarious!” Seungcheol said without making any effort to control his laughter.

“Wait, wait, wait. That’s not all. I ran into Joshua.”

Seungcheol straightened up, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. “Joshua Hong? Man, I haven’t talked to him in years.”

“I know! I can’t believe that devil has defiled our church boy.” Mingyu said and slumped down on the couch.

Seungcheol’s expressions dimmed. “What do you mean?”

“They’re sleeping together.” Mingyu scoffed.

Seungcheol made an exasperated noise. “What? How do they even know each other—this is wild. My two worlds are colliding.”

“Joshua said they’re friends,” Mingyu sighed, now fidgeting with one of Yujun’s toys.

“I can’t believe I am still into him. He was so mean to me.” He sighed again, more dramatic this time.

Seungcheol’s eyes widened. “You’re—You’re into him?”

Mingyu hummed absentmindedly. “Come on, I texted you about him so many times.”

Seungcheol made his way over and sat down beside him. “Yeah? Like, you thought he’s pretty—which he is, objectively—but I thought that was it?”

Mingyu turned to face him and shrugged. “Yeah, but—all the things you told me about him made me like him first.”

“What did I even tell you?” Seungcheol frowned. He didn’t remember ever talking much about Jeonghan.

“You keep saying how he’s amazing with Yujun, and the hoodie thing, the movie thing. You keep saying he’s sweet—which is a lie, by the way! He told me my personality is repelling and that people lie about liking me!” Mingyu’s voice grew louder.

Seungcheol’s frown deepened. “Well, that doesn’t sound like him at all. Did you say something wrong?”

“Hyung!” Mingyu sat up straight, face full of betrayal. “How could you ask me that?”

“Mingyu, that man reads stories and ties tiny shoelaces.”

“That’s why I said you’re being deceived!”

Seungcheol shook his head and stood up. “No, I can’t imagine him being mean. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Mingyu opened his mouth and closed it, completely stunned.

“Are you sure you’re not just exaggerating because he rejected you?” Seungcheol asked.

“Wow…” Mingyu’s brain shut down. He threw himself on the couch sideways, curling up like a ball of sad, soggy yarn.

Seungcheol patted his shoulder. “It's okay, man. We’ll find you another pretty guy.”

“Let me rot…” Mingyu mumbled into the couch cushion.

Later at night, when Seungcheol was getting ready for bed, he thought about Joshua—it had been years since they last talked. Not for some dramatic reason, but simply because life happened.

For the sake of fulfilling his nostalgia, he scrolled all the way down in his gallery—University years.

“God, it’s been years…” he muttered as he scrolled.

He chuckled at a photo—Mingyu hanging upside down on a monkey bar at a park while Wonwoo pretended to be annoyed.

Then—pictures of Wonwoo sleeping during a lecture, Joshua smiling into the camera while Mingyu zoomed past him, appearing just as a blurry figure. A photo of him and Minsoo sharing a drink with two straws, and a low-quality photo of them as a group at some frat party with drinks in their hands.

He swiped more and saw a photo of himself with Junhui—another friend from college he hadn’t talked to. It hadn’t just been a few years but a whole decade since he talked to Junhui. The last memory Seungcheol had of him was giving him an invitation to Minsoo's and his wedding.

He sighed as he rolled over in bed. Junhui hadn’t come to the wedding and basically just disappeared from his life after that. Seungcheol had been really hurt over it, but eventually forgotten the pain. He still doesn’t know why Junhui cut off contact with all of them—not just him, but Mingyu and Wonwoo too. He’s not sure whether Joshua is in touch with him.

Seungcheol swiped again, another photo of Wonwoo and Mingyu—Mingyu drunk off his ass at a college party, dramatically sprawled across Wonwoo’s lap, his hand in Mingyu’s hair.

“Wait a minute—” He sat up, squinting at the photo. He stared at it for a good, long moment before he let out the most astounded laugh.

“Oh my god! Was Wonwoo—” he laughed again. “No way…”

He deliberately started looking for more such photos. He noticed a pattern—Wonwoo standing next to Mingyu in every photo, candid photos often catching Wonwoo looking at Mingyu with a certain look in his eyes, and of course, Mingyu completely clueless.

Seungcheol was—for lack of a proper word—flabbergasted. He locked his phone as it slid out of his hands, now staring at the ceiling in the dark. And a lot of things finally clicked together—Wonwoo buying Mingyu food, acting annoyed every time Mingyu talked about hookups, always showing up whenever Mingyu asked.

Suddenly, the astonishment turned into something heavier.

He hesitated for a long time before texting Wonwoo about it.

Seungcheol:
wonwoo

The reply came in the next five minutes.

Wonwoo:
sup

Seungcheol:
can i ask you something?

Wonwoo:
shoot

Seungcheol:
were you in love with mingyu?

The chat went silent for a minute. Seungcheol sat up, now panicked—feeling like he crossed a line.

The three dots appeared.

Wonwoo:
you’re just now finding out?

Seungcheol:
yea…

Wonwoo:
i’m surprised
i was never hiding it tbh

Seungcheol:
i didn’t even know you were…

Wonwoo:
gay?

Seungcheol:
yea
why didn’t you tell me?

Wonwoo:
never felt the need to announce it
like i said, i wasn’t hiding it either

Seungcheol:
i feel like an idiot
does he know?

Wonwoo:
i’m not sure actually
yea he’s dumb but he can’t be THAT clueless right?
sometimes i feel like he’s in denial

Seungcheol:
wonwoo :(
i’m so sorry

Wonwoo:
don’t
there’s nothing to be sorry about

Seungcheol:
are you still in love with him?

Wonwoo:
unfortunately

Seungcheol
i hope he gets his shit straight

Wonwoo:
me too

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

5:50 p.m

Office hours were almost over, and Seungcheol was wrapping up the financial analysis. He kept glancing at Wonwoo from the corner of his eye.

“I can feel you staring,” Wonwoo said without looking away from the screen of his laptop.

Seungcheol turned his head back, startled. “Sorry…”

Wonwoo sighed and glanced at him once. He typed something quickly and shut his laptop.

“Are you gonna get weird now?” he asked.

“No!” Seungcheol responded quickly. He shut his laptop and turned in his chair to look at him.

Wonwoo didn’t look at him, his gaze low. “You think it's weird, don't you? You’re uncomfortable.”

Seungcheol’s eyes widened as he frantically waved his hands in denial. “I am not, I promise!”

“Then why have you been so weird?”

Seungcheol hesitated. “Because I’m an idiot. It took me a decade to realize this.”

“Thirteen years, actually,” Wonwoo muttered.

“Wha—” Seungcheol gasped. “Thirteen years—Wonwoo, are you crazy?”

“Lowkey? Yeah,” he huffed a laugh.

Seungcheol’s eyebrows knit together in worry. “This can’t be healthy. You never dated anyone because of Mingus Dingus?”

“Mingus Dingus?” Wonwoo laughed out loud. “When did you come up with that?”

“Long story, answer my question.”

Wonwoo leaned forward in his chair. “No, I did date people. It just never worked out.”

Seungcheol stared at him blankly. “Wow…” he said and got up. He grabbed his laptop and started walking away.

Wonwoo jumped up from his seat, confused at the reaction. He followed him out.

“Hyung—” he called out. “Are you… Ignoring me?”

Seungcheol stopped in the hallway and turned around. “I am hurt,” he said.

“I’m hurt you never told me any of this. I’m hurt you carried this all by yourself. I thought you trusted me.”

Wonwoo went quiet. “I am sorry…”

Seungcheol scoffed. “That’s all you’ve got to say?”

Wonwoo walked closer to him. “I… I honestly don’t know what to say. I never told you about Mingyu because I was afraid it would become a huge thing and he’d find out and our whole friendship would collapse—”

“Not that,” Seungcheol interrupted. “About all these people you dated in the past thirteen years.

“You never shared when someone made your heart flutter, when someone’s smile made your day; when someone broke your heart, and maybe you cried. We have been friends since we were eighteen, Wonwoo. Meanwhile, I told you everything! When I liked someone, when I started liking Minsoo, when I thought about marrying her. I came to you when things got hard—I relied on you! Have I—have I not been a reliable friend?”

Seungcheol’s voice broke.

Wonwoo stared at him, his eyes glossy. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“Forget it…” Seungcheol muttered. He turned around before walking away.

Wonwoo wanted to follow him and explain everything—but he froze—as though his feet were glued to the ground, making him unable to move.