AN: Hello. I'm really sorry for the late update as well as the really short chapter. Office is killing me, and finding inspiration in the midst of the constant nags of your boss is very difficult. Happy reading^^

They say third time has its charm but it wasn’t an ounce of charming when Hyukjae met Donghae at a well-off restaurant-bar a week later.

Hyukjae had his shirt soaked with water, a tell-tale sign of a date gone wrong and he didn’t even want to budge from his seat at the lush table of two located at the far corner. It was a usual thing, happened so often that it didn’t even hurt anymore.

Fiddling with his fork, he was busy revisiting the events of tonight, the exchange of dialogues when he heard a throat clearing at his side.

“I’m sorry sir, its closing time. Can I bring you your check?”

There was a wisp of realisation that marked Hyukjae’s face and he looked up from his plate to see a waiter that was busy wiping his hands on a small towel.

The same soothing voice.

“Donghae?” Hyukjae whispered, so low that he doubted the guy would hear him.

He was wrong.

Within seconds, he was face to face with wide eyes and a messy brown hair of the said guy. Gaining composure, Donghae bowed to his full, a gesture that Hyukjae had seen several times but it was amusing nonetheless.

Chuckling, he fixed his glasses that had unconsciously slipped down to the end of his bulgy nose.

“Hey, it’s fine. Don’t bow. We aren’t at school, you know.” Hyukjae spoke softly, getting up from his seat and taking the table napkin to wipe off the remains of water on his watch and trousers. His shirt was a gone case anyway. “Get me the check, please. I didn’t know restaurants closed this early here.”

A hesitant voice answered him, “It’s 12:30 am, sir.”

Hyukjae jerked up from his trousers, finally noticing the dimmed lights of the place, save the one above him. He had been sitting here for hours without even knowing. The table still had plates that were full. The dinner was still untouched. Why did he order kimchi spaghetti again? Such a waste.

He sure had lost track of everything around him in those four hours.

Donghae hurried back to his table, in the midst of the startling realisation, Hyukjae hadn’t even seen him moving.

“Here is your check.”Donghae mumbled passing the fake leather card, his eyes quickly getting up from Hyukjae’s shirt to look into his orbs. “Is anything the matter? You are soaked.”

“Nah, just spilled water on me accidently.”He hurried, praying that the high-school drop out wouldn’t catch the lie thrown messily at him.

“It’s too wet, sir. The nights in Seoul are getting colder. You will get sick.”

“I will be fine, really.”

“Mister Hyukjae, sir. Henry would be too unhappy if he won’t meet his second favourite person in the world tomorrow. So, I insist. I have a shirt that I bought today itself. It will fit you, I guess.” Donghae grinned making Hyukjae smile at the bait. So, Donghae knew of their interactions.

In the course of the week, he met Henry every day before his classes. Well, it was the other way around. Henry would run at him, jumping at his place to ask for a carry and Hyukjae didn’t mind a bit. What surprised him the most was that the kid was always alone, Donghae nowhere in sight. Popping the kid in his embrace, he gave him a tour of the school, of the classroom, of the staffroom, immediately grabbing the interests of the staffs and students alike. Henry was beyond adorable. Every day he would be dressed in some cute attire that made him coo and pinch his cheeks. He didn’t speak much; too shy with the strangers and Hyukjae thought maybe that was because of his zero understanding of their native language.

Unconsciously, Hyukjae had found himself pocketing several candies before he started for school. Henry loved candies, especially colourful ones and the way his eyes twinkled detangling the see-through wrapper showed on what level his love went. Seeing his little toothy grin made Hyukjae happy.

This little change apparently was visible on his face.  One day during break Kim Heechul had cornered him and he had to spew lies at the red haired beauty about the reasons of his sheer joy. He himself doesn’t know why did he make up a story when he could directly tell the fashionista about the kid. Then again, he had become a pro at lying to his colleagues. In any way, lying about a good date was better than telling the whole around truth of his life, which he is sure he cannot share with anyone, just yet. Besides, who would understand the peace that he attained in the morning company of a three-year-old whose constant laughs and jingles of curls cast a happy blanket on his stressful nights? 

He usually dropped the happy kid near the all-too-familiar Sedan, sometimes even belting him up on the carrier attached at the backseat whenever Henry whined for Hyukjae to come home with him. Suzy, on the contrast to his hyper brother, was a shy kid. During various interactions with her, he learnt that she was in Grade 6, a class that was taught by his another good friend Sungmin and she liked maths. There was a soothing tone in her broken and heavily accented hangul and Hyukjae deduced that he liked it. Other than that, Suzy practically skipped from Hangul to English, her language getting all jumbled up owing to her long school hours and years of habit and that was very amusing to witness.

 The Lau family had come to Korea a year back with their dad getting transferred to a highly acclaimed transport corporation of Seoul from Hong Kong. Well, that explained the expensive and branded clothing Henry adorned; they were loaded. Suzy shared that she liked it better here despite being a foreigner, practically. Seoul was green and beautiful and she liked being close to nature. Their dad obliged her wishes by buying a nice green bungalow on the outskirts of Seoul where they currently resided.

Hyukjae learnt many things in the course of the week including his growing affection for the cute three-year-old curly head kid named Henry Lau.

Even when his mind was practically bugging him to query about Donghae, he had refrained from asking it out loud. Lau kids were amazing to be with but he knew better than meddling with their private affairs. Donghae could have quit this job for all he knew.

When faced with the actual boy, he couldn’t control his inquisitiveness. They were walking to the staff lockers when he found himself halting and stopping the boy in front by taking a hold of his wrist.

The action had an immediate effect.

Donghae looked over his shoulder, his face full of confusion and Hyukjae dropped the hand in a quick motion.

“Uh..um..Sorry, for that. But I was curious.” Hyukjae stuttered, ashamed of not weighing his action from before.

To his relief, the boy turned fully and smiled.

“About what, sir?” He enquired, hand soothing a tuft of hair behind his ears. They looked soft.

“You were not with Henry the past week, did you quit?” He hurried and winced at realising that he was being personal yet again, so he quickly added, “Don’t tell me if you don’t want to. I’m..um..sorry.. It’s your business.” Hyukjae rubbed the back of his neck in mild embarrassment.

The boy chuckled smugly, and turned again, walking hastily to the lockers. With no options left, Hyukjae followed him cursing his brain for being so interested in everything.

He was 25 for god’s sake. He cannot behave like an inquisitive toddler who has recently started learning new things.

Staff restroom was rustling with people seeing it was after midnight and closing time of the popular restaurant. Hyukjae would be lying if he would say that he hasn’t been to almost 80 per cent of the known restaurants in the whole of Seoul in an expanse of six months. But sadly, none of the visits were for leisure or for work, not even for a good food because half of the time he didn’t even remember what they ordered.

In the last six months of his restaurant wanderings, this was his first time being with someone whose company he actually liked. Hyukjae winced at the thought invading his mind.

Did he like talking to Donghae?

Then again, most of the times it was the boy speaking and him listening. But maybe, he liked that the boy was not asking him questions. He hated when people asked him questions. The questions he cannot give honest answers to.