It didn’t take long for Dongwoo, Hoya, and Sungyeol to get in the car and drive to the airport. Meanwhile, Myungsoo faced public transportation and arrived home a bit tired, but double happy and proud of himself. It wasn’t only because the conversation with his ex-lover was good but, while he commuted, something that could help him with Woohyun occurred to him. As for the kids, not only did they watch a movie but they also stayed out for dinner. They had a good time but eventually, it got late and they had to be brought home. 

Sunggyu was dropped first, and Sungjong left with him to talk to Sungyeol (that probably already had arrived), but Moonsoo said he would return to pick up his boyfriend once he took Woohyun to his parents. The boys said their goodbyes and Woohyun got quiet again so Moonsoo tapped his calves to get his attention and passed his phone.

“Do you know how to put songs to play?” He asked although he knew Woohyun knew how to do that, after all, he and Myungsoo shared a Spotify account, and Woohyun had always meddled there. “Choose a song so we can sing together, any song.” He instructed.

Woohyun hesitated a bit but opened up the app. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to Gfriend, Twice, Stray Kids (that were the groups he and Sunggyu liked), or oldies that Moonsoo loved like Girls Generation or Taemin so he just tapped some random playlist. The songs were in a different language and he couldn’t recognize them (well, maybe he could if it had been Katy Perry) so he just kept listening quietly while Moonsoo tried to hum to the tune.

A song was played, then another, and then a third, which made Woohyun bob his head a bit. It was only when they were near home that a sad lady sang and caught the boy's attention by the first chorus.

“Who is this lady?” He asked curiously.

“I don’t know, you played the radio,” Moonsoo replied. 

“I liked this song.” The boy announced.

“Well, it is a nice song but she seems hurt,” Moonsoo said, and Woohyun thought about it, he could relate.

“What is she saying?” He asked right after, he could understand a word or two because Sungyeol had taught him but he couldn’t understand the full lyrics.

“I’m not sure.” Moonsoo couldn’t understand fully either because it was his first time listening to it, but he was already parking so he played the song again and tried to search for the lyrics when he was done.

Woohyun got rid of his seatbelt and slid to the front to check the lyrics with his uncle, but since he couldn’t understand anything he waited for the translation.

Moonsoo frowned. “Well, the singer is basically hurt and confused. She has many feelings and there is someone in her life that makes her feel better so she is asking them to be together.” Moonsoo frowned, it was at least partly similar to Woohyun’s situation.

“I really liked it, I want to learn it.” The boy revealed and Moonsoo lifted a brow.

“It’s English Woohyun, you just learned how to read in Korean, wouldn’t that be difficult for you?”

“Sungyeol hyung says it’s ok if I don’t understand the lyrics at first, but if I want to sing it I can do it by imitating how it sounds. I just need to listen to it often.” Well, maybe Sungyeol was right, even though that method would certainly be annoying for Myungsoo at some point. “Can you download the song on my player?” The boy pleaded. 

“Of course, do you want the lyrics too? I can write them down in a way that helps you with how the words should be pronounced.”

Woohyun opened a small smile. “That would be awesome.”

____________________________________________________

As soon as Woohyun was back in the apartment he started to think about the last couple of days. The sleepover, the company, and the movie had been great but it bothered him that he had to make a promise but Myungsoo didn’t appear. Well, Myungsoo did his part of the deal and he couldn’t complain, but he had prepared himself to meet him at the movies… but nothing.

After Moonsoo left, Woohyun tried to practice reading out loud, still looking at the door now and then because Myungsoo might still come. In the end, the elder didn’t appear, and Woohyun went to bed unconsciously pouting.

On Sunday the hyungs came to visit him so early that they actually woke him up. They did a little quiz and Sungyeol let him and Sunggyu play for a while but something seemed a little off so he focused on Sungyeol’s behavior to not think about Myungsoo.

“Nothing is really wrong Woohyun. I got late to meet Hoya hyung yesterday so I have to make it up for him later.” Sungyeol forced a smile when Woohyun asked what was going on but it wasn’t like the boy could believe it, and, as soon as the elder left him alone with his friend, he had to ask Sunggyu.

Sunggyu simply shrugged. Sungjong had stayed with him until Sungyeol arrived and it didn’t take long for him to go to bed after that, but he thought it had something to do with Hoya's brother because Sungyeol went to pick him up at the airport. The oldest kid started to rant that he had met this guy before but he didn’t like him because he couldn’t understand anything because he only spoke in English. 

At first, Woohyun didn’t pay much attention to that but this only lasted until Sungyeol said they had to leave early. The boy felt a little betrayed but was about to ask his older friend to ditch the foreigner hyung and stay with him when his grandparents said something unexpected:

“It’s ok Sungyeol, Myungsoo has a charity match and we are going to watch him play.”

“WHAT?” The maknae of the house instantly gasped. Woohyun couldn’t understand. They told him about Myungsoo's presentation and asked him to go (and he went because he was a nice boy) but why did nobody tell him this? 

Instead of throwing a tantrum Woohyun was having a mental breakdown, his breathing seemed suspended and his eyes didn’t really focus on anything but moved constantly. More than angry because nobody bothered informing him, Woohyun was worried because  Myungsoo would be busy playing so he wouldn’t be able to keep his word by attending the match and get over with his part of the bargain. In the end, attending would only be a waste of time he could use to study, listen to music, try to follow the hyungs or any other thing.

Everyone seemed a bit surprised with his reaction - Woohyun wasn't much prone to big tantrums even though for the past month he had thrown some - and the pair of brothers didn't exactly know how to help but in the end, the older couple said they would deal with their grandson so the brothers left.

Woohyun didn't exactly notice his friend's absence because once his mental breakdown ended, he tried to argue his way out of the match but since both sides wouldn't bend, they agreed on letting Myungsoo decide and the said man surprised everyone.

"You don't need to come because we won't play for that long, it's just a sneak peek because we're trying to raise a bit of awareness for basketball in Korea… It'll be more like a lecture than anything." 

Sonmi was slightly upset and Woohyun was relieved but not for long because Myungsoo asked if he could drop by to have dinner together. While that cheered the parents, the child became edgy and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon locked in his room, trying to distract himself. 

The truth was that he had conflicting feelings. On one hand, he was relieved that he knew when and where Myungsoo would appear, but at the same time, he was a bit nervous. He tried to blame it on the fact he didn't know what to expect from the meeting but it was Myungsoo… and even though he lied, something told Woohyun that he wasn't a complete villain.

He ended up listening to music and trying to learn the lyrics Moonsoo gave to him and, before he knew it, the doorbell rang and he tossed the player and phones to the side to glue his ear on the door. He heard the adults greeting each other but none of them came to talk to him, and soon enough he heard the bathroom door close, which meant Myungsoo would take a bath.

He knew how long Myungsoo took in the bathroom so he decided to grab his mom and sister's pictures and tried praying a little. 

"Mom, noona, help me! I don't know what will help but… I don't know, I just… I don't know what to do, can you give me some guidance?"

It was not like his mom and sister replied or Woohyun received the guidance he thought he needed, but shortly after that, his grandpa came to talk to him.

“Woohyun, dinner is ready and Myungsoo has already arrived, come out for a bit,” Bumsoo called softly. The boy still threw a pleading gaze at the pics but in the end, he took a deep breath, put them on his bed, and came out bravely.

Woohyun went straight to his seat (there was a particular one he liked to sit on now) while Sonmi and Bumsoo finished setting the table and brought food to it. Myungsoo came out of the bathroom shortly after but instead of greeting Woohyun right away, he rummaged through his backpack for a bit, put his phone to charge, and only then did he notice his son was looking at him.

"Woohyun!" Myungsoo opened a huge and genuine smile and his voice came out soft and fond.

“Hi.” Woohyun greeted back robotically, his eyes were squinted, suspicious. 

The boy's reaction kinda hurt but it wasn’t a complete surprise, Myungsoo knew it would take time for Woohyun to be completely comfortable around him again and he was determined to fight for it. In the end, he didn’t expect considerable changes in the boy’s behavior but today was a good day to try. 

Woohyun thought the dinner would be utterly awkward but, despite him not talking much, it went better than he expected. The food was delicious and he pretended his whole attention was on it even though he kept paying attention to the adults' conversation. 

The topics changed here and there but the conversation was pretty light until Sungyeol was mentioned. It wasn’t a surprise that the topic would change so quickly, after all, the two adults had fought before their school prohibited them to be friends, but Myungsoo's reaction caught Woohyun's attention. Instead of annoyed, angry, or at least awkward, Myungsoo just seemed a little anxious but not necessarily in a bad way. In fact, it seemed as if he wanted to share something but didn't want to jinx it or maybe it was something he wasn't sure about yet and that meant that something between these two adults changed. But what could have changed?

Woohyun fixed his eyes on his bowl as he thought about yesterday. There was something slightly off about Sungyeol but he didn't seem heartbroken nor too happy. His older friend didn't talk about Myungsoo for the past few days and, as far as he knew, they hadn't talked aside for the project. If they were to make up, wasn't Sungyeol supposed to be the one happy because he liked Myungsoo?

At this point Woohyun was only certain of one thing: what Sungyeol said about Hoya and his brother the day before might not have been a lie but it was something he used as an excuse not to explain what he was really feeling, and not even Sunggyu managed to discover that.

Woohyun tried to think about what could have happened and spent so much time thinking that he only snapped out of his thoughts when Myungsoo took his bowl away.

“Wait, my bowl!” He complained and Myungsoo stopped midway.

“I thought you were done because you had no appetite.” The elder explained. Woohyun was a child that ate well and usually he didn’t need to worry or complain but after the recent events, he knew sometimes Woohyun left food in his bowl (mostly because Sonmi was offering too many snacks in between meals). In the end, he decided to let the boy choose. “Will you need me to heat it so you can finish eating or are you really done?”

On the other side Woohyun couldn’t remember the amount he actually ate but he knew he could get scolded if he didn’t eat at least enough. He hesitantly looked inside the bowl to know how much trouble he was in but, thankfully, he didn’t leave much and the little inside was probably cold. He looked at Myungsoo and made a pleading/worrying expression and hoped it was enough to convey he had eaten enough.

When Myungsoo offered options he had already decided not to scold the boy to score some points with him. To tell the truth, he either expected a complaint, a sassy comeback, or even a small tantrum before he managed to say it was ok but Woohyun's reaction surprised him because he did exactly what he would do if they were getting along just fine and pleaded/asked permission. Ok, he didn’t use words, but that at least told the young dad that the boy was already seeing him in a better light.

He had to hold himself to not smile and moved to put the bowl on the sink but that was as much as his parents let him help before telling him to take the opportunity to talk to Woohyun.

It didn’t take much for Myungsoo to jump at the opportunity but once he turned around, noticed the boy was already gone. The door to the bathroom closed so he decided to wait for the boy in his room.

The room Woohyun was staying in didn't have posters on the wall or books for bedtime stories on the shelves. His backpack was laying beside a desk where he left some notebooks, his pencil case, and other school things. He looked at the boy's notebooks… Woohyun had been practicing writing some words and writing some numbers, Myungsoo figured he didn't need to worry about school and made a mental note to thank Sungyeol again for that.

The room overall seemed pretty neat, the few toys Woohyun had here were all sitting in a corner which meant the boy wasn't playing with them. All but one. The plushie Myungdoo brought was sitting in a place of utmost importance: the bed. Not in a corner, but next to the pillow, as if the boy wanted it to be easy to find. Myungsoo took this as a good sign because the bed was the only thing in the room that seemed recently used, and had the only three items Sonmi made sure to tell him that Woohyun was attaching himself to it: Jihyun and Soohyun pictures and the player with Jihyun voice that Moonsoo gifted Woohyun with it.

He placed the player and the plushie on the nightstand and then sat to admire his friend and daughter's drawing. God, Hoya had made one hell of a good job they looked...

"What are you doing?" Woohyun asked from the door as he returned and once he noticed the frames in Myungsoo's hands he became slightly mad. "These are mine!" He walked forward and decided to take the frames back but Myungsoo didn't put up a fight, and just gave it to him.

"I know, I wasn't going to take them, I was just looking." Woohyun pressed the frames against his body and looked at him a bit suspiciously. Myungsoo felt a bit awkward so he tried to say something to get Woohyun interested in a conversation with him, there was a topic that never failed. "Hoya hyung did a great job, look at it, your mother looks the same, and Soohyun... wow just wow." The boy hesitated a bit but after a few seconds, he took the bait and inspected the pictures longingly.

Myungsoo sighed sadly because this was the closest Woohyun would ever get to his mother but ultimately decided not to dwell on this too much.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked and Woohyun looked at him from the corner of his, probably trying to gather some strength to face whatever big revelation Myungsoo still had to make. "Do you know how I always ask your mother to appear in my dreams? A few days ago, she did." 

Woohyun turned his whole body to face Myungsoo, his face very intrigued, yet very curious. "Did she? How was it?" He asked.

The young dad was surprised that Woohyun showed more interest than he predicted so he tried to tell the boy as much from the little dream as he could. 

"It was so awesome,... It's been ages since I last dreamt of her. “He said happily then changed to a bittersweet tone because the dream wasn’t as good as it could have been. “Soohyunnie was there but unfortunately I couldn't see her face.”

Woohyun closed his eyes and silently winced. It was the same dream, wasn’t it? He knew the girls were always looking at them, but the fact he prevented Myungsoo from interacting with them made him feel selfish. He had been angry when he had the dream but now he saw Myungsoo like this he just felt really guilty.

“What-what else?” The boy inquired. Aside from the confirmation, Woohyun didn’t want to think about his guilt or the fact that Myungsoo could be disappointed and, worst, not forgive him (and he didn't know why it would bother him). As he waited for the answer, he wondered if Myungsoo felt like this when he discovered the truth because he felt quite awful.

Myungsoo watched the boy in inner conflict but couldn’t understand very well so he proceeded to explain his dream. “It was like I was trapped on an island, walking aimlessly, and then she came with Soohyun on a boat. I thought she was gonna rescue me, and even pleaded for it, but she said she couldn’t help me and that everything was ok and that I should wait for you to come on another boat.”

Woohyun let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He was utterly relieved that Myungsoo didn’t really enter into his dream and although he still struggled to push his guilt away he decided to just continue with the conversation. “It doesn’t make sense, why would I be in  a boat?” He ended up saying.

Myungsoo chuckled and shrugged. “It was a dream Woohyun and dreams do not always make sense.” Woohyun knew, he wasn't dumb, Sungyeol explained that. Myungsoo didn’t make a big deal out of the pout he made and continued explaining his dream. “I remember that before I slept I asked her to help me to get close to you again and once I woke up, I tried to understand her words. In the dream, she told me it was ok and that I should wait for you because you would be arriving in a bigger boat. I can’t believe things are ok because we are currently a part, but I guess her words means that with time you and I will be fine. I have no idea what the boat was about though.”

Woohyun placed the frames on his bed and then sat near them only to start thinking deeply. Meanwhile, Myungsoo waited for some reaction but, since the boy was too silent, he grew a bit worried.

“What is it?” Myungsoo asked as he touched his son’s shoulder but Woohyun didn’t move much. “You didn’t like my dream? Is that it? You didn’t like her words?” The boy looked at him troubled as if he wanted to say something, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he should. “Hey, even if you don’t love me anymore I want to be there for you.”

Woohyun still hesitated. “You won’t believe me.” 

Why, because only Sungyeol will? Myungsoo couldn’t help but think at first but, despite being hurt, he immediately felt ashamed about it. He tried to bury this feeling as deep as he could and tried his best to not show this inner conflict to his son but perhaps he still showed some desperation. “What? Why do you think I won’t believe you? Did I do something that made it seem otherwise?”

Woohyun actually stopped to think and well, no. Myungsoo even believed his words about not running away again, which led them to compromise so the boy felt even more guilty about those questions. “I told your parents and they didn’t believe it.” He hesitantly explained.

Myungsoo felt relieved Woohyun didn’t use Sungyeol's name and unconsciously fueled his very unfounded jealousy so he tried to be encouraging. “Try me.”

“I dreamt about mom and Soohyunnie.”

Myungsoo smiled. “I know, your grandma told me.” He said and Woohyun rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed.

“Does she need to tell you everything?”

“Well, not every little thing but I need - and I want - to know how you're doing because I’m the one that should take care of you." The boy sighed and Myungsoo took that as acceptance. "She didn’t go into details but I was happy to know you found something to be happy about in the middle of this chaos.” Woohyun wouldn’t admit it but he couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit touched when Myungsoo said that, but he didn’t dwell much on this feeling because Myungsoo threw him another question. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

Back then Woohyun was madly happy when he dreamt and he wanted to tell everyone about it but now he wasn't so sure. He debated with himself a little bit. On one hand, he wanted to keep this experience to himself and prevent Myungsoo from discovering how selfish he had been but at the same time, he needed to tell him his mother's message. He ended up convincing himself that, believing or not, if he were to keep his mother's message a secret then he would be even more selfish and feel even more guilty.

 “I… I was lost in a forest and Mom and Soohyunnie found me. Then we spent time playing and getting to know each other.” He hesitantly summarized.

“Wow Woohyun, this sounds so awesome,” Myungsoo said and he was genuinely happy but the boy looked at his lap and started to play with his fingers. “Hey, what happened?” The elder asked softly.

"She sent a message to you." The boy reluctantly revealed and Myungsoo's eyes grew big. He wasn't expecting this but the fact that Woohyun's mind conjured Jihyun and a message for him made him incredibly happy already. "To grandpa and grandma too but they thought I made it up, so I thought you and Moonsoo's uncle would think this way too." He quickly explained.

"Well, Moonsoo and I aren't them. And there was no way I wouldn't believe your words because…" The young dad lifted his fingers and started counting. "You don't lie often and I know you better than anyone else, you'd never lie about anything related to your mother."

"Yeah." The boy mumbled.

"Can you tell me her message Woohyun?" Myungsoo pleaded softly, whatever it was, it was an indirect message from his son.

"She told me to tell you it is ok." The boy said and Myungsoo furrowed his brows as the boy mumbled to himself. "I don't know why she asked me this when she told you herself." 

"Only this?" 

Woohyun shortly nodded. “I woke up right after so this is everything I can remember.”

Myungsoo bit his lips as he thought. Aside from the coincidental aspect of the message, he didn't believe it was Woohyun 's opinion on their situation. There was no way it could be, the boy currently felt everything but ok near him. 

"I still think it isn't about us but I have no idea what she means," Myungsoo confessed. Woohyun shrugged, he didn't want to think about it, he just needed to deliver the message. "Did she say anything else in the dream?" Woohyun scratched his nape in another inner debate so Myungsoo pleaded one more time. "You don't need to tell me everything you guys talked about, but maybe you could tell me who she mentioned?"

When it was put like that Woohyun felt like he could reply to that question.

"Well, your family…" From the beginning of the conversation Myungsoo figured that out, but somehow he didn't think it was about them if she had a separate message for each one. "...the dragon, her dad, my dad..." 

Myungsoo's eyes became big in disbelief. Them? There was nothing ok between him and these people and there would never be. If it was the real Jihyun she would never tell him anything of the sort because he hated them. Perhaps it was ok to hate them? Nah, he didn't think so, Jihyun wasn't like that. Besides, he doubted Woohyun's mind could imagine this after he met with these people. As for his family, everything was already ok, so she wouldn't probably have anything to say about them.

"... Kids from my school and Dongwoo hyung…" Woohyun continued and the elder promptly ruled them out. He had a great relationship with the teacher but he barely knew those kids and, aside from that Mingyu boy, he didn’t need to be worried about them. “And then Sunggyu hyung and Sungyeol hyung.” Them? Myungsoo took a minute to think while the boy looked at him with a question on his lips.  “Do you… do you think they’d be friends?”

“Well, you are their friend, of course, your mother and sister would like to be close to people you like." The young dad voiced his genuine thoughts about the matter.

Woohyun looked away and thought for a bit before he concluded. “Soohyunnie says Sunggyu hyung would protect her too and mom said she’d be good friends with Sungyeol hyung.”

Ok, Jihyun said what? Myungsoo never thought too much about what could have been a relationship between Sungyeol and Jihyun. In the beginning, it wouldn't be good but, if he knew his friend well, they’d probably be good friends when Sungyeol started to treat Woohyun nicely, and best buddies once Myungsoo started to date him. He’d like to believe that, as his best friend, Jihyun would take his side when they broke up, but once she knew about Sungyeol's side of the story - and being surer than ever about Sungyeol feelings towards Woohyun - she would probably be more annoying than Hoya and his parents combined and in more than Sunggyu already tried.

Damn, was this it? Was that what she was trying to say? That she was ok with him and Sungyeol dating? Was the neighbor approved as a lover that could stay around her son? Did she send her blessings? 

As his brain worked on this theory his eyes grew big when he realized that Woohyun told him the same things as her. If dreams were projections of hidden desires and emotions that have been ignored (in his case) or suppressed, didn’t it mean that Woohyun would be ok with them too? He wanted to scream to himself, this was a HUGE thing. 

“What’s wrong with you?” The boy asked using a judging look.

The elder tried to school his features back into normality and store the strange happiness appearing in his heart for later but couldn’t help to smile. “I think you gave me a clue of what she means.”

“Oh, what is it?” Woohyun couldn’t help but get curious, but it was not like Myungsoo could properly explain. His son and Jihyun (and everyone else) could be fine with the idea of him and Sungyeol dating, but he was the one that had to think about it and figure out a way it could work for both of them.

“It's about a particular decision I have to take and I’d really love to tell you but…" The young dad bit his lips briefly "... It's something I need to choose carefully, so I need to think a bit about it before we can talk."

If Woohyun managed to control his feelings enough to pass on his mother, now he got annoyed again. He crossed his small arms and pouted to show his displeasure. "I guess you need time to think about a new lie so you can hurt me again."

This sort of speech wasn't completely unexpected but Myungsoo couldn't deny it hurt him.  He closed his eyes and took a big breath to push the hurt away. Then, he forced himself to keep his mindset positive to achieve today's goal.

"I don't think it will hurt you because it has nothing to do with you." Woohyun didn't quite believe it but hadn't the chance to complain. "I will tell you once I'm sure of what I want to do, but while that doesn't happen… how about you keep your part of the deal and come spend some time with me?"

That invitation made Woohyun gasp and look at him in disbelief. "No, we already spent time together." He promptly denied it.

"When? Where?" Myungsoo dared to ask, making sure to make a clueless expression. Hurt apart, he enjoyed spending time with Woohyun but his goal was to spend a bit more time with the boy due to a technicality. The adults control the kids' lives and… we are the ones with resourceful tricks. At least till their teenage years.

"Here! Now!"

Myungsoo frowned, now almost having a bit of fun internally. "That's not what we agreed on." 

Woohyun got up and balled his hands into fists so he could show his indignation. "Of course it was!"

"No, we agreed that you would 'come' spend time with me but today it was the other way around," Myungsoo said firmly.

Woohyun's jaw fell and he tried to think of something to say but, in the end, he could only weakly argue. "It's the same thing."

Myungsoo shook his head. "It's not the same thing, I was the one putting effort."

"Urghhh!" Woohyun stomped his foot on the ground and briefly pulled a bit of his hair. He accepted that because he wanted to spend time with his friends but since then he had been on the edge whenever he remotely had a chance to meet Myungsoo. Today - that it finally happened - he put an effort to survive the awkwardness, he thought he would be even but now… "Fine." He ended up agreeing because something in him was unable to break his words. 

Myungsoo pressed his lips together to suppress a happy smile. "I'll come to pick you up later then." He said as he got up but no, Woohyun didn't want uncertainty anymore.

"When?" He demanded. 

"Tomorrow. We can have dinner with my parents, then you come home and sleepover there, what do you say?"

The boy stopped to think about it. They just had dinner with the elder couple, he survived the awkwardness today so he could do it on Monday. They would need time for dinner, there was the commuting time too and then he finally started sleeping by 9 PM again so he wouldn't actually spend that much time with Myungsoo. He could even spend less time with you.

"I have exams this week, I need to study." The boy warned but Myungsoo didn't let himself be deterred by that.

"I know, and if you need I will supervise your studying time." He said with a smile and Woohyun wanted to scream in his head, that's not what he wanted. Upon seeing his distressed face, Myungsoo decided to throw him a bone.

His goal wasn't to make his son dread the time they would spend together but to discover that nothing overwhelming would happen. "I heard somewhere that Sungyeol hyung will be busy this week so what do you think about giving him a break and inviting Sunggyu to spend some time with us." He suggested, after all, Sunggyu's presence would help him discover how he should start doing some amends.

Woohyun features relaxed and the corner of his lips moved upwards in a smile, even though he wanted to conceal it. "Ok."

______________________________

It was not like Myungsoo put rose-colored glasses on. Nope, at the moment, he could see things as they were. But, contrary to what he had felt during the past month, now he felt he could do anything to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. And if things worked right, he might be accompanied when that happens.

Saturday he had slept well and with the sensation, he did it right by talking to Sungyeol. Sunday, that sensation intensified when he thought about how he managed Woohyun to agree (even though a bit tricked) to come home. He slept well again. By Monday, things were in a rush and he barely had time to feel anything. 

Myungsoo had to go to college and hand in his last project, cleaned his apartment (especially Woohyun’s room), then finally ate something in a rush, while he waited for his father to pick him up. There was a bit of a traffic jam until they reached the other side of the city to sign the deal with the agent but, once they were free, they headed up to Woohyun’s school.

He had totally forgotten to send a message during the weekend to ask Sungyeol's permission to take Sunggyu home but somehow remembered with enough time for an authorization phone call. Sunggyu lived across so it wasn't like Sungyeol needed to prepare a bag for him beforehand, so Myungsoo expected to find both boys with Sonmi, but instead of two, there was only one. He checked his phone only to see that Sungyeol hadn’t even read his message. Was he being ignored? Did he interpret their conversation wrong? But Sungyeol seemed fine enough… But then again Woohyun said his ex cried when they broke up and he didn’t see that.

"Where is Sunggyu? I thought he would come with us.” Myungsoo carefully asked his pouting son, the boy was evidently upset.

“Sungyeol hyung wants him to have dinner with some foreigner so Hoya hyung picked him up early.” The boy answered grumpily then slightly glared at his father. “Why do we have to do things against our will?”

“But you’re not doing anything against your will, you agreed to come with me.” Myungsoo pointed with the hurt he couldn’t contain and Woohyun hadn’t in him to say anything else but kept pouting. “We can try to invite him again after dinner, what do you say?” He tried to coax and the boy finally relented.

“Ok.”

Even though the previous dinner wasn’t as bad (or awkward) as Woohyun was expecting, this one had actually been slightly good. The boy still kept his words short but there was something happier in the adults' behavior and he wasn’t forced to do anything he didn’t want. Well, he forced himself to point out the congratulatory cake was missing, but that hadn’t been a big sacrifice because Myungsoo let him have most of the slice they ordered later.

The elders dropped them home later and that's when things became silent - therefore awkward - at least for Woohyun, who felt things would become harder once the door to their apartment closed. Once they were in front of their door and Myungsoo searched for the keys in his pockets. Woohyun turned around and knocked on Sungyeol door. Yes, right, Sunggyu. Myungsoo sighed internally and prepared himself to see Sungyeol again once the door was open.

“Oh, hi Woohyun, hi Myungsoo.” Unexpectedly it was Dongwoo that opened the door as laughter could be heard from within the apartment. Myungsoo’s eyes tried to search for the apartment owner but although the teacher was smaller than them, he wasn’t transparent so he quickly gave up and just offered a smile.

“Hi, Dongwoo hyung.” Woohyun chirped in a mix of happiness and anxiety that made Sunggyu come running to meet him and slightly push Dongwoo out of his way for it.

“Woohyunnie, you really came!” The elder boy greeted his friend with a hug that was reciprocated and continued once they pulled apart. “Things are so boring here, I can’t understand anything.” He complained, totally annoyed.

“Have you already had dinner?” Sunggyu nodded. “Can you come and sleep over with me then?” Woohyun pleaded, making sure to show his desperation with his eyes. He didn't want to be alone with Myungsoo, the dinner was nice but if it was only the two of them...

Dongwoo made a confused face because he knew they had exams tomorrow, but both kids were not his so he decided to call for Sungyeol to deal with it. As he moved inside to do just that, Sunggyu decided he could be a lot faster if he screamed. 

“Hyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuung!” He yelled, startling his brother that had been laughing at the table with Hoya and someone else Myungsoo didn’t know. That was probably Hoya’s brother.

“What happened?” Sungyeol asked as he passed - and pretended he didn’t see - Dongwoo and approached the bunch at the door as he looked from one person to another. 

“Can I sleep over with Woohyunnie? I already had dinner with you.” Sunggyu fired his question right away as Myungsoo fixed his eyes on his ex-boyfriend. Sungyeol was wearing light blue jeans and the gray bottom-up Myungsoo had gifted him on his birthday. He didn't look any different but at the same time so good.

“What?” Sungyeol asked, very surprised.

“Can - I - sleep - over - with - Woohyunnie?” The maknae from the Lee household repeated slowly.

"I understood what you said but, Sunggyu, you guys have exams tomorrow and your teacher is right over there, he will know you didn't study." Sungyeol pointed behind him but Woohyun grabbed his shirt and looked at him with desperation.

"Please!" He looked from Sungyeol to Myungsoo. "We'll study a lot, I promise!" Sunggyu sighed heavily because that wasn't something he wanted. But, he equally didn't want to stay and hear words he couldn't understand. In the end, he looked expectantly at his brother too.

"Woohyun, you have nothing to fear." Sungyeol tried to smile encouragingly and ruffled the boy's head before he looked at Sunggyu and did the same. "And Sunggyu, I'm really sorry but Hoya hyung helps me a lot so sometimes I have to help him too." He pressed his lips together and threw a pleading gaze for Sunggyu to cooperate.

"I understand that but I can't understand anything you guys say." The boy made an insufferable expression that made his brother sigh and finally look at Myungsoo again.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked but his ex-boyfriend didn't seem like he was paying attention. He snapped his fingers in front of the young dad's eyes and repeated with the same soft tone. "Are you sure about this? I mean, right now?" 

Myungsoo pressed his lips together as the boys watched their exchange with interest, this was the first time they saw the two adults interacting after the project was over. The young dad took some time to snap back to reality but ended up shrugging and answering back in the same soft tone.

"Yeah, of course." Both kids frowned at the exchange and even Sunggyu, who knew more about their problems, seemed to find their exchange strange. It was still awkward but it wasn't as bad as he expected. The small-eyed boy squinted his eyes, something happened and no adult told him, right? "I tried to get your permission earlier but you didn't reply…" He added awkwardly and didn't finish his sentence but it was enough for Sungyeol to feel he was slightly disappointed, maybe even afraid to have done something to upset him. The thought made Sungyeol's heart flutter because this theory reinforced the good thoughts he was having about them and at the same time he slightly panicked that the younger could have the wrong idea.

"I'm sorry, I spent all afternoon trying to understand this recipe and then cooking to meet with Hoya hyung's brother…" He briefly pointed behind himself so Myungsoo could see the pair of brothers and the pink-haired teacher at the table.

"What's up Myungsoo?" Hoya greeted as he tried to conceal an amused smile. "Want to eat with us?"

"Ani-ong Mungsoo Sheer" Hojun said as he raised a glass in the air.

"Annyeong, Myung-soo-shi" They heard Dongwoo correct. 

"Annyeong! Sorry hyung, maybe next time." Myungsoo waved from the door but then looked at Sungyeol, waiting for him to finish his speech.

"Sorry, I couldn't really look at my phone today." Sungyeol said with a regretful tone. 

"Oh no, it's ok, it's fine…" Myungsoo smiled, now relieved that they hadn't had an extra misunderstanding.

"Soo… can I go?" Sunggyu interfered as he looked with squinted eyes from one adult to the other, this was getting weird by the second.

"Please." Woohyun put his hands together to plead and tried his best puppy eyes, completely unaware of things Sunggyu was noticing. 

Sungyeol ruffled both boys' hair and smiled. "I must be getting too soft. Go pack your things Sunggyu, you can help him if you want to Woohyun."

Sunggyu quickly stored his suspicions for later and pushed his brother to the side so he and Woohyun could run inside celebrating with a big..."Yaaaaaaay!"

Both adults chuckled as they watched but then Sungyeol leaned on the door frame and tried to initiate small talk.

"So...last day today, right?"

"Yeah, only the diploma is left now…"  Myungsoo played nervously with the keys in his hand but then smirked. "And I signed a deal with an agent today, he'll arrange things so I can play in Seoul. So I'll… I'll be staying." Sungyeol's body was slightly frozen. He was the one that tipped the agent and he didn't know how Myungsoo would react if he were to discover. But then again, he just gave the agent a tip, if Myungsoo decided to go down this path, it was his own choice. He ended up opening a smile.

"I had a feeling you'd stay… for Woohyun."

"Yeah, him too…" Myungsoo said rather quickly but when he noticed it could make Sungyeol anticipate things he wasn't sure about yet, he changed the subject. "How about you?"

"Nothing really changed since the last time…" Sungyeol slightly pouted, he wanted the results to come out faster.

"Are you ready?" Myungsoo changed the subject once he spotted the two boys appearing from behind his neighbor.

"No," Woohyun mumbled but only Sunggyu heard.

"We are!" He disagreed louder so the adults didn't pay attention to his friend, he was super ready to leave his brother's place. "I'll take care of you Woohyunnie." He turned to assure his friend and the younger boy nodded in acceptance. His mother told him Sunggyu would always protect him and he believed in her, besides, his friend has never disappointed him.

"Then say good night to Sungyeol hyung and let's get inside." Myungsoo stepped back to open his own door. 

"Good night hyung!" Each boy gave the elder a brief hug and each earned a kiss on the top of the head before they entered Myungsoo apartment.

"I guess this is it. Good night, hyung." Myungsoo said and was about to close the door when Sungyeol had a deja vu and decided to share the experience with his ex-lover.

"He still has bedtime at 9 PM."

Myungsoo smiled in amusement with the reference to their first agreement and fired Sungyeol's own words immediately back. "Bedtime at 9 PM is a must."

He closed the door and chuckled to himself. This exchange was a baby step, nothing big. The words they exchanged had no double meaning or hidden agenda either and yet, this was the first step towards a better relationship (whatever it was). But it gave him a different blood rush in his veins, he felt giddy it was almost as if they were…

Myungsoo couldn't conclude his thoughts because he spotted Woohyun rooted in place. The boy was holding the door frame, looking fixedly inside his room, but trying not to move despite Sunggyu trying to take him inside gently.

"Woohyunnie, come on.”Sunggyu tried one more time but once Woohyun put up resistance, he gave up and asked gently. “What is going on?”

“Nothing.” 

“Are you sure?” The young Kim argued as Myungsoo approached them slowly.

“It’s just…” The youngest hesitated a bit but didn’t take long to spill. “Everything looks so different but, at the same time, the same.”

Sunggyu looked inside at loss. “It doesn’t look different to me.” Nothing really changed in the boy’s room but he wasn’t talking about the material things in it. Sunggyu didn’t know what exactly his friend was referring to so he looked rather clueless.

“You’re not the only one that feels like that,” Myungsoo said from behind and Woohyun looked up to him, but his face was blank. “I don't think this kind of feeling will disappear so soon but we can talk about it when you’re ready and find a way to make it work. You don’t need to force yourself too much today, ok? This is why we invited Sunggyu, to make things less awkward.” Myungsoo said with a soothing tone but didn’t try any soothing touch, he felt it was too soon.

“I’ll be here with you all night.” Sunggyu grabbed his friend's hand again and squeezed gently, now more aware Woohyun was probably talking about something related to Myungsoo.

“See?” The young dad forced himself to smile a bit and once Woohyun nodded, he changed subjects. “Now give me your backpack, and go take a bath as I prepare your things so you two can study a bit before it’s bedtime.” Myungsoo held the backpack handle and the boy slippered out of it before he finally entered his room. 

Sunggyu and Myungsoo followed suit as Woohyun headed for his closet to take some clothes. Sunggyu silently placed his own backpack on his friend’s bed and started to take notebooks and pencil cases out of it as Myungsoo placed his son’s backpack on the study table and did the same. Woohyun eventually left the room and Sunggyu waited to hear the bathroom door close before he turned to Myungsoo.

“Hyung?” The boy called.

“Yes, Sunggyu?” Myungsoo turned to face the child but the boy had his arms crossed and his eyes squinted in a confrontational manner. Not that Myungsoo got scared of a little boy but this couldn’t mean something pleasant.

"What is going on?" Sunggyu demanded.

“What do you mean?” Myungsoo asked carefully, this could have a thousand different answers.

“You promised me you’d take care of my hyung but you hurt him, and Woohyunnie, and now… What is going on with you!?”

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AN: Guys, sorry for taking extra time, I had some sick people in the family that went through surgeries and the death of my uncle as well so I had to be there you know? Aside from this, studying continues *sighs*. Some next chapter scenes are already half-written and scattered all over the place, I hope I'll be able to update again sooner.

I hope you all are safe and that you take care of yourselves.