They got up bright and early the next day, before the sun had even begun to rise. Heechul went around making sure they boys were dressed and they ate breakfast before ushering them out of the apartment, and thankfully they already had their bags packed for the weekend trip to Leeteuk’s, where they would be going after Mokpo. Once seatbelts were buckled he headed off, ready for a day of driving.

Donghae was feeling much better this morning, already having reverted back to his playful self. Heechul figured the young boy had just had a case of twenty-four hour flu and that had passed easily. He glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw the two boys leaning against each other in the backseat sleeping peacefully.

An hour later he was driving on a bumpy dirt road through thick trees. Mir and Donghae woke up from all the sudden moment, stretching their arms and rubbing their sleep out of their eyes.

“Umma, are we there yet?” Mir asked through a yawn.

“Not yet,” Heechul replied. Mir huffed loudly and sank back into the seat, not wanting to spend all day driving in the car.

“I’m so excited! I haven’t been there in like a year!” Donghae said with a smile.

For the rest of the drive he began to talk animatedly about Mokpo, sharing stories of his childhood and all the fun memories he had. Heechul smiled as he listened to him; Donghae was really such a happy child despite the loss of his parents and home. He really was a strong kid, not just anyone could handle losing their family and memories to be thrown to the streets, but Donghae took what came with a smile on his face.

When they finally arrived at the sea town, Heechul pulled into a diner because the boys were complaining that they were hungry again and had to go to the bathroom. They ordered their food, Heechul even let them order sugary waffles with whipped cream and sprinkles on top, and ate happily.

“Umma can we play in the water?” Mir asked with a mouthful of food. Heechul picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth off.

“No, it’s not summer yet it’ll still be cold,” He said.

“Besides, you wouldn’t really want to go swimming in the water because of all the fishies,” Donghae